It has been amazing to explore Europe mostly by cruises, but we also took a “Grand tour of France” by bus with Cosmos. The following are my notes on our trips and cruises across the pond. They are incredibly detailed, and you will find many names of places that you might not care about, but I interspersed many comments among them that you might be interested in.

In almost every one of these trips, the Lord always opened an opportunity to talk about Him. Sometimes people needed a prayer. Other times the Holy Spirit would prompt me to show my ring to somebody (my ring says JESUS) and ask, “Do you know Him?”. Most times I received a wonderful smile and “yes, I do” or “I needed that today, thanks”. When a frown was the answer, I asked if they wanted to know Him or just say, “He wants you to follow Him”. During one cruise we met a pastor who was guiding the Sunday service open to passengers of all denominations. However, this pastor’s main target was ministering to the ship’s crew. We had the privilege of attending some of his meetings with them. God is good all the time.

UK and Ireland in 2008

The first time I went to Europe with Karelin was in 2008. I had already retired from my position as International Coordinator of Instructional Methodologies, but I was still volunteering to train people in how to use our Online Learning System and to plan and teach online courses there. One very well-known translation consultant who had taught and published training books for Bible Translation, a pioneer in her field, Katy Barnwell, asked me to visit her in England and show her the possibilities of using the online system for her courses.

I asked Katy if she would object to Karelin coming with me since she has never seen England. Of course, she said yes. We flew to London and then Katy picked us up and brought us to her home. While I spent days introducing the system to Katy and her assistant, Jessica, Karelin took the train into London and toured by herself. Katy also took us to visit several amazingly old churches near her home.

After Katy asked for time to think about her involvement in developing a distance course, I took a break and we and Katy’s assistant toured together in London with Karelin. We hopped on a Hop-on-Hop-off tour bus in London. We saw Queen Victoria Memorial in front of the Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, the Big Ben at the Palace of Westminster where the UK Parliament meets, St Paul’s Cathedral, the Tower Bridge, the London Eye (Ferris Wheel), Scotland Yard, Nelson’s Column and bronze lions in Trafalgar Square, the National Gallery, Piccadilly Circus, Admiralty Arch, St James’s Palace, Hard Rock Cafe, Wellington Arch, the London Victoria Station and we ended up at The Tower of London. There we saw the splendid collection of Crown Jewels, guarded by the imposing Beefeaters.

That weekend, March 20 to 23, Karelin and I went for an incredible sightseeing fast tour on our own. We took a train to Edinburgh, Scotland. We walked the Royal Mile. We went in and admired Edinburgh Castle. We visited a tartan factory where I bought a scarf with Douglas clan colors and Karelin, a Wilson clan. The Palace of Holyroodhouse impressed us, we went inside the St. Giles Cathedral known as the High Kirk of Edinburgh and we saw as much more as we could see in our short visit. We stayed at a Bed and Breakfast in Linlithgow.

Then continued to Ireland by train passing through Glasgow, to Cairnryan where we took the Stena Line ferry to Belfast. Northern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom and shares the Island with the Republic of Ireland. In Belfast, we learned more about the conflictive history visiting the “Peace walls” that separate the predominantly Irish republican or nationalist Catholic neighborhoods from predominantly British loyalist or unionist Protestant neighborhoods. We also saw where the Titanic was built. We stayed in another quaint B&B, and we enjoyed riding a Black Taxi that showed us the famous Murals that depict the region’s past and present political and religious division.

Another train ride took us down to Dublin, capital of the Republic of Ireland. And another B&B was the right place to stay. We took a bus tour to see St. Patrick’s Cathedral, and Trinity College, home to the Book of Kell, and the Guinness (beer) Storehouse. Other notable attractions we saw were Christ Church Cathedral, the Dublin Castle, and the National Museum of Ireland. That night we went to a pub to have dinner. When we asked for the bill, the waiter told us that it had been paid. We were surprised and asked who had paid for it. The waiter pointed to a table with four smiling gentlemen that were greeting us and waving at us. We were thankful to the Lord for this gesture.

From there we went back to the UK on a ferry to Wales. We again took the Stena line Ferry via Holyhead to Bangor in Wales and there we took a train back to Katy’s Home. That Sunday night the train was busy with people returning to their homes and trying to order something to drink at the bar.

After explaining how the Learning System worked and how much work it takes to design an effective online course, including dividing the content in chunks, writing educational objectives, lots of participation and evaluation of students online, Katy, being a perfectionist, and a very busy person, determined that it would take excessive time for her to design a course for online learning. In time I was glad she did not use the system. Many years later and after many trips, Katy used Zoom to have face to face contact with students to save time and reduce the perilous trips to Africa.

We flew back to the US the next day.

Mediterranean Cruise in 2009

Our next adventure in Europe was in 2009. It was a 27-day trip made of two cruises, back to back, on the Mediterranean Sea for 24 days and two nights in Barcelona where we disembarked. Our ship was the MS Oosterdam from Holland America, and we were hooked on this line for years to come.

We departed from Dallas to Chicago and then Chicago to Madrid, Spain. Then we took another flight from Madrid to Venice, Italy, to begin our cruise. On August 23, we took a great sightseeing tour of Venice, and the next day we sailed to Split, Croatia. There we took a tour of the sculptor Ivan Mestrovic Gallery. We also visited Solin, a suburb of Split, located between the Adriatic Sea and the river Jadro. Solin developed on the location of ancient city of Salona, which was the capital of the Roman province of Dalmatia.

Next stop was Piraeus in Greece and from there we went to see the best of Athens. We climbed the Acropolis, passing through the Propylaea or monumental gates entrance to the complex of buildings atop the citadel above Athens. We saw the Temple of Athena Nike (Wingless Victory) and the Erechtheum with its classical Porch of Maidens, the Caryatids. We stood in awe in front of the Parthenon, designed as a shrine to Athena, the warrior goddess. Here is where we got separated from each other and our identical, brightly flowered hats helped us find each other. This gave us the idea to dress alike for the rest of our trips.

We took our coach to go for lunch and then visited the National Archaeological Museum with the world’s finest collection of Greek antiquities. We admired the golden mask of Agamemnon, Minoan frescoes unearthed at Akrotiri, and the superb bronze of Poseidon. We finished the tour with a scenic drive through Athens. We saw the marble Olympic Stadium, Hadrian’s Arch, and the former Royal Palace.

We continued to Istanbul. The imposing image of the Church of St. Sophia fills the view from the ship. The first day there we went for a boat cruise between Europe and Asia. This was a panoramic cruise on the Bosphorus Strait between the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea. During the cruise, we saw the traditional Bosphorus Turkish villas, 19th-century Ottoman palaces, fishing villages and green hills on both sides of the Bosphorus Strait. We saw the Rumeli Fortress, castle built by Sultan Mehmet, the Conqueror, in preparation for the Siege of Constantinople (Istanbul). Our guide told us that Turkey had joined NATO in 1952 seeking security guarantees against potential threats from the Soviet Union.

Next day we took a tour of Istanbul. We visited the Blue Mosque, named for the vivid Iznik tiles that line its interior, and walked to the ancient Hippodrome that was once the largest chariot racetrack of the Byzantine Empire. We were allowed to browse on our own at the Topkapi Palace, which had been the official residence of the Ottoman Sultans, with courts, pavilions, and mosques.

In the afternoon, we stopped at the Museum of St. Sophia. The splendid Church of Divine Wisdom, “Hagia Sophia,” was originally built in the sixth century and was restored in the 1900s, reflecting the true history of the glorious city of Istanbul. We were surprised that the large chandelier “big lamp” was in the middle of the floor until the guide explained that it was designed to appear to be on the floor symbolizing the divine light of God illuminating the space. In fact, the church was planned to be dark to enhance the spiritual atmosphere.

Then we paused at the Grand Bazaar for a little shopping and a demonstration of carpet weaving.

Next port was the picturesque island of Mykonos. We did a walking tour through Mykonos town, went to the Folklore Museum and strolled through the narrow streets admiring the whitewashed houses. The streets have a confusing layout, designed to frustrate the pirates attacking the island. We enjoyed taking pictures of the windmills of Mykonos and the blue roofs of churches and restaurants. The roofs were originally painted with blue cleaning powder mixed with lime, but now they use acrylic paint.

One of the main reasons for taking this tour was that it stoped in Kusadasi, the old Ephesus of the Bible. We began our tour at the Virgin Mary’s House, which is a Catholic shrine believed to be the place where John the Apostle took Mary to spend her final years.

In Ephesus, we walked through ancient marvels like the Great Theatre, dating back to the Hellenistic period. It was expanded by the Romans in the 1st century AD to seat 25,000 people. It is known for its impeccable acoustics and as the site where St. Paul preached. We walked then on the Marble Road to the Celsus Library, visited many times by St. Paul. We visited Hadrian’s Temple, adorned with Corinthian-style architecture. We also saw the Medusa head that symbolized protection for the city.

Next day we took a tender from the ship to the beach and then took the cable car up to the city of Fira, the capital of the volcanic island of Santorini. The old name of the Island was Thira. We just stopped at a restaurant and walked along the meandering street buying little souvenirs. We went down the mountain using the cable car.

The next day in Katakolon, Greece, we just hired a local horse cart ride. We saw the city and the beach and then we had a drink and something to eat at a small beach restaurant and went to the many stores there.

This was the end of the first of our two cruises, so we went back to Venice. That night we took a Gondola ride with another girl who we had befriended on the cruise. We enjoyed going through the canals and our handsome tall gondolier singing all kind of Italian songs. I think that night, at the gondola port, we saw the most good-looking Italian men that I can remember.

Another wonderful experience was going to Murano and Burano on a boat, the next day. Burano is an island known for its pastel houses and lacemaking, while Murano is world famous for glass making. In fact, Murano glass is famous around the world for its unparalleled quality, craftsmanship, and incredible range of colors. We saw people blowing different bases, glasses, and little fishes in glass.

The next day we started our second cruise in the Mediterranean. Another treat was waiting for us at Dubrovnik, Croatia. We took a 45-minute scenic cruise from the port along the Lapad Peninsula to the magnificent city ramparts of Dubrovnik and the harbor adjacent to the Old Town. There we saw a wonderful show with folkloric dancers. We walked through the main street, the Stradun, and enjoyed a wonderful pizza in a restaurant in one of the charming streets of this remarkable former republic. Dubrovnik is a dreamy medieval port with fortified walls and stunning Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque architecture. It was founded about 614 BC as Rausa, or Ragusium, by Roman refugees. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site. We also saw the Rector’s Palace and the Church of St. Blaise.

Out next port was Corfu, a Greek island in the Ionian Sea. Corfu never fell under the Ottoman Empire, but was dominated by the Venetians, the French and the British over the centuries. This island is part of the Western rather the Levantine world. We went by bus to the Kanoni Viewpoint, from where you can see the twin islets of Vlachernae and Mouse. We had lunch at an excellent restaurant with another handsome waiter at Corfiot and continued to the Old Town of Corfu, where we saw the old and new fortresses, the Esplanade, the Palace of St Michael & St George, and the Church of St Spiridon.

We continued to Argostoli, in the Cephalonia Island in Greece. From the pier we headed to Drogarati Cave. We went down a flight of steps leading down to the cavern of orange and yellow stalactites and stalagmites. One of the great chambers has such fine acoustics that Maria Callas came here to sing. Then we continue north, pass the town of Sami en route to the subterranean Lake of Melissani. A small boat was waiting to take us on a breathtaking trip across its mysteriously salty, subterranean water. We were surrounded by a vast, shimmering play of blue and violet colors, created by the sun filtering through a hole in the ceiling more than one hundred feet above head.

Then back to Santorini. This time a bus took us up to the city and gave us a tour, leaving us at the main street of Fira where we stopped at a restaurant and shopped in stores and visited the Cathedral Church of Candlemas of the Lord. In the afternoon, we went to the cable car to go down to the tender. However, we realized that the queue waiting for the cable car was so long that we would never make it back on time to the Holland America tender. So, we found the narrow, winding Caldera road where the mules take tourists up and down, but since we could not find a mule to hire either, we walked down the 583 zigzagging long and wide steps (mad specially for mules) through incredibly steep, rocky terrain, roughly nine hundred feet in less than 30 minutes. Not bad! (Oh yes, did I say that we had to share those steps with all the mules which were making their way back to the top!) We arrived back to our ship winded but very satisfied with ourselves and our accomplishment!

Next stop was Catania in Italy in the island of Sicilia. We took a tour to Mount Etna, at 11,000 feet. It is Europe’s largest active volcano. Mt. Etna’s flanks are covered in cones, craters, and the remnants of lava streams. At 6,200 feet, we visited the Silvestri Craters and saw the 1983 lava flow. Then we continued down the mountain to the Gival jewelry factory at Giarre. There we were welcomed with a cocktail. We toured the small workshop and saw the jewelry makers at work. Necklaces and rings are made with Sicilian amber and shells with lava from Mt Etna. That night we navigated next to Stromboli, an island in the Tyrrhenian Sea, off the north coast of Sicily, containing Mount Stromboli, one of the four active volcanoes in Italy. (I could not help but to remember the evil character of Stromboli in the Disney movie based on the book of “The Adventures of Pinocchio” by Carlo Collodi when we were in this area.)

Then it was Naples, here we took a panoramic drive through Naples, after which we headed to Posillipo Hill, Mergellina, and past the famous Maschio Angioino Castle. We stopped briefly at the Piazza Plebiscito (square) to see the outside of the Royal Palace and the San Carlo Opera House. Then we went into a local restaurant in the center of the town to observe the pizza chefs making real Neapolitan pizza. The pizza was served hot from the oven for us to devour before returning to the pier.

Then to Civitavecchia (Rome) where we did a tour that took us to the Fountain of Trevi, the Oratorio del Santisimo Sacramento al Tritone, the column of Marcus Aurelius I Piaza Colonna, the Galleria Alberto Sordi, which is a shopping arcade. After lunch we went to the Vatican and we saw the Pietà, the Carrara marble sculpture of Jesus and Mary at Mount Golgotha, representing the “Sixth Sorrow” of the Virgin Mary by Michelangelo Buonarroti, in Saint Peter’s Basilica. We continued to the Colisseum, the giant amphitheater built in Rome under the Flavian emperors. The structure was officially dedicated in 80 CE by the Emperor Titus. The amphitheater seated some 50,000 spectators that saw many fights between gladiators. It is uncertain whether the arena was the site of the martyrdom of early Christians. Then back to the ship.

Our ship continued to Livorno in Florence, Italy, where we had the opportunity to go into Florence and then went to see the “leaning Tower of Pisa.” First, we went to Florence, located sixty miles east of Livorno. The Duomo Cathedral dominates the Florentine skyline with its colorful façade adorned with intricate artwork and lifelike statues. In Florene, we saw Michelangelo’s David statue in the Piazza della Signoria and visited the Basilica of Santa Croce, where we saw the tomb of Michelangelo. We walked on the Ponte Vecchio and then continued to Pisa where we saw the iconic Leaning Tower, the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, the Baptistery, and the Campo Santo, all located in the UNESCO World Heritage site known as Piazza dei Miracoli.

Then our ship took us to Barcelona where we finished our 24-day cruise. In Barcelona, we stayed for an extra night at the Hostal Lusanne in the middle of downtown. That night we enjoyed a dinner and a flamenco dance show at a restaurant, and the next day we took a bus to the Passeig de Gràcia. This is one of the major avenues in Barcelona containing several of the city’s most celebrated pieces of architecture. We saw samples of Modernism: Casa Batlló and Casa Mila (La Pedrera). Both encapsulate Antoni Gaudí’s extraordinary architectural style. We stayed for a long time at the Sagrada Familia Cathedral (the Holy Family Church), which is Gaudí’s most famous work. The Cathedral, still under construction in 2009, had impressive ceilings, and bio-forms that make this structure unique. The use of light and color inside the building is impressive.

We also saw the outside of La Pedrera, an extraordinary apartment building. This building features a bizarrely beautiful ‘dragon’s-back’ roofline.

Next day we flew to New York and from there to Dallas.

Cruise on Danube and Bus tour in France in 2010

This was a cruise on the Danube River with AMA Waterways, and then we continued to a bus tour with COSMOS in France.

We started on April 10 and returned on May 3. It was a long trip to places I never thought I had see and others I already knew.

We flew from Dallas to Atlanta, Georgia. From there to New York where the flight arrived early and we had to wait almost 40 minutes to get off the plane. We almost lost the connection. Of course, I think that is where the bags did not get transferred to the other flight to London, and we arrived in Budapest without luggage. In any case, we had in our “carry-ons” sets of underwear for three or four days and changes of clothes for three days or more. I think, with all the years of work traveling, I learned how to travel!

In Budapest, we reached the boat on the Danube River at about 4 p.m. The boat is narrow but has cabins on both sides between 42 and 62 square meters and has a capacity for 140 people. Luxury accommodation and fine dining with wine included at dinner. It had three decks and a swimming pool on the roof (did not use it because it was very cold) and chairs and tables to see the scenery while sailing down the river.

We visited Budapest in Hungary which is really two cities, one in front of the other across the river. We toured both cities. In Buda, we saw Buda Castle, the Fisherman’s Bastion, and Matthias Church. In Pest we saw the magnificently illuminated Hungarian Parliament Building by night, St. Stephen’s Basilica, and the Shoes Monument on the Danube Memorial. We also enjoyed a visit to the Central Market Hall where we bought Paprika, what else?

Then to Bratislava in Slovakia where we saw the historic Old Town, took pictures with whimsical statues in the main street, the Bratislava Castle, and Michael’s Gate.

In Vienna (where our suitcases finally arrived), we attended a concert and the next day we traveled around the city to see the Schönbrunn Palace, St. Stephen’s Cathedral, the Hofburg Palace, and the Belvedere Museum. Our tour ended at the Spanish Riding School where we experience a show of the famous Lipizzaner horses in action.

Then we cruised through Strudengau which is a river valley in Austria that extends along the Danube River. It features steep banks and a winding river path.

When we reached the Wachau valley between the towns of Krems and Melk, we first went to Krems where we saw the historic Steiner Tor city gate, the Lower Austria State Gallery, and the charming Old Town with medieval streets. Then we took a small tourist train in Dürnstein where we were not only enchanted with the beautiful medieval architecture, but we also enjoyed visiting with two beautiful papillon dogs. We saw the ruins of Dürnstein Fortress, where Richard, the Lionheart, was once held captive. We also visited the Melk Abbey, a Baroque monastery, and the historic Old Town.

We continued to Linz where we saw the Main Square and Old Town, the Schlossmuseum, and the Musiktheater Linz.

From Linz we took a trip to Salzburg. We saw the Mirabell Palace and Gardens, Mozart’s Birthplace on Getreidegasse, the Mozart Statue in Mozartplatz, the Salzburg Cathedral, and Hohensalzburg Fortress. We also had the opportunity to visit St. Peter’s Cemetery in Salzburg, where the Von Trapp family (of “Sound of Music” fame) sought refuge during their escape from the Nazis.

Of course, in this area we had the opportunity to visit several wine and beer festivals at these places.

The cruise ended in Passau, Germany, where we visited and participated in an Octoberfest in Vilshofen. There, we left the boat and went by bus to Prague in the Czech Republic. On the way, we visited Regensburg in Bavaria, Germany. We saw the St. Peter’s Cathedral, which is a significant example of Gothic architecture. It serves as the seat of the Catholic Diocese of Regensburg and was completed in 1520; it has impressive twin spires and beautiful stained-glass windows.

In fact, we visited so many cathedrals on the trip that they are now all jumbled up with each other in our memory! The most impressive was the Benedictine Abbey in Melk, founded in 1089. Today it is a very prestigious mixed school with over nine hundred students. There are only sixteen monks at this abbey which has thousands of square meters and is as big as the town itself. From Budapest to Passau the first King of Hungary, St Stephen the first, was the predominant Saint in basilicas and churches.

When we arrived in Prague, we had booked a hotel in the middle of downtown in the old city, and it was a dream. We had tickets to fly to Paris the next day to begin our bus tour of France. Unfortunately, due to the eruption of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland and the resulting ash darkening the skies all over Europe, all air space across Europe was closed. This led to the cancellation of thousands of flights and affected millions of passengers. And we were two of them!

So, we could not take the British Airways flight to Paris via a connection in London. But God had us covered!

Without speaking a word of Czech, we went by subway from the hotel to the bus station and bought the last two tickets on the last of four special direct buses that were leaving that night for Paris. We ran back to the hotel, closed the bags we had opened to change clothes in Prague, and we went by taxi to the bus. In 14 hours, we arrived in Paris on an extremely comfortable trip. We made several “comforts” stops at truck stations that had cafes, souvenirs, and showers.

We arrived in Paris to an exceptionally good hotel in Porte de la Villette where we were attended very well. We spent the next day visiting Paris on our own, on an open-topped, double-decker bus, and went to lunch in Montmartre in “la place du Tertre”. Then to the Musee D’Orsay to have a wonderful re-encounter with the impressionist painters.

The next day we began our group tour throughout France on a COSMOS motor coach. We had ample room on the bus since half of the passengers could not make the tour because of the volcano eruption. (It was great for us, but we felt sorry for the guide and driver since it would reduce their tips.)

First, we visited Normandy. In Rouen we saw the Notre-Dame Cathedral, the Musée des Beaux-Arts, and the historic Gros-Horloge clock tower, we walked through charming medieval streets, and we saw the place of the martyrdom of Joan D’Arc. She was burned in Rouen in 1431.

We continued to Honfleur on the coast, where we visited the Vieux Bassin, the historic Old Harbor, which is surrounded by picturesque buildings that reflect in the water. We also saw Saint Catherine’s Church, the largest wooden church in France.

Then Deauville, which is where the Impressionists painted. It is a beautiful beach, with a famous Promenade des Planches. It also has the luxurious Casino Barrière.

We continued on to visit the Mémorial de Caen. This is a museum dedicated to the history of World War II, and the Château de Caen, a historic castle built by William the Conqueror. We spend the night here.

From Bayeux, we went to the American landing beaches in Normandy, where the Allies started to regain France from the Germans. We went to the five beaches: Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword. The most notable American landings occurred at Utah and Omaha Beach on D-Day, June 6, 1944.

The Bayeux is also famous for its tapestry. We saw the Bayeux Tapestry, and the Memorial Museum of the Battle of Normandy.

Then we continued to Mont-Saint-Michel, which is a tidal island known for its dramatic tides and stunning medieval architecture. We enjoyed walking up and down the narrow streets of the historic abbey surrounded by a village and fortified walls. We stayed at a hotel here.

Then to Angers, ancient Juliomagus. This city became an important stronghold during the Middle Ages, serving as the capital of the province of Anjou and the cradle of the Plantagenet dynasty. It influenced both French and English history. The impressive Château d’Angers, is an historic fortress known for its architecture. It dominates the city. We visited the Cathédrale Saint-Maurice, a key landmark presenting Romanesque and Gothic architecture. But what caught most of our attention is that this city was surrounded by street markets where nobody spoke French, but mostly Arabic and Berber languages. There had been an enormous influx of migrants.

Then we toured the Loire region. We visited the Château de Chenonceau, a famous French château spanning the River Cher. Those gardens full of wisteria plants are unforgettable. We stopped at Montrichard to visit Les Caves Monmousseau, which are extensively used as wine cellars, ideal for aging sparkling wine. In Amboise we visited the Château Royal d’Amboise, with stunning views, and the Château du Clos Lucé, where Leonardo da Vinci spent his final years. The flowers at this time of the year were such a joy to see. Tulips, daffodils, opium poppies, and magnolias were amazing.

We spend the night in Tours where we saw the Quicchotte et Sancho Panca Sculpture near our hotel and continued to Poitiers where we enjoyed and appreciated its historic architecture. We saw the Cathedral of Saint-Pierre, the Church of Notre-Dame-la-Grande, and the Palace of the Counts of Poitou.

Then we went to the Bordeaux region and stopped in the port of La Rochelle. We walked around the Old Port, and saw the iconic Towers of La Rochelle, which are remnants of the city’s fortifications. Also, we enjoyed the vibrant daily market. The architecture of the train station La Gare de La Rochelle is impressive.

After some shopping we headed South to the city of Cognac. There we thoroughly enjoyed a visit to the famous Hennessy Distillery, right on the border of the Charente River. We tasted brandy of different ages. After that we were glad to continue to Bordeaux where we spent the night.

Next day we did a great tour of Bordeaux. We saw the Cathédrale Saint-André, the Grand-Théâtre, and the Place de la Bourse. We saw the building of the Musée d’Aquitaine, La Cité du Vin, and the Monument aux Girondins at the Esplanade des Quinconces.

Then we headed to Dordogne. We saw amazing houses, restaurants, wine caves, carved in the rocks that have been there forever. We had lunch at Sarlat-la-Canéda, which is famous for the Pâté de Foie Gras. The interesting thing is that it was served with beans. After lunch we went through Souillac to stop at Rocamadour. There is a small clifftop village build on the rocks, known for the Cité Réligieuse, a complex of religious buildings. The Chapelle Notre-Dame, with its Black Madonna statue, and the Romanesque-Gothic Basilica of St-Sauveur are accessed via the Grand Escalier staircase, featuring 216 steps that Pilgrims often ascend it on their knees. What exercise, but worthy. We took the elevator! Then we went to Toulouse to spend the night there.

Next day we continued through the Midi Pyrenees region (where my family Beltrán is from). We visited Carcassone and the Cité de Carcassonne, a medieval fortress, and the Basilica of Saint-Nazaire, famous for its stunning stained-glass windows. We saw the Château Comtal and the charming streets of La Bastide Saint-Louis.

The next stop was Nimes where we visited the Roman Amphitheater (Arènes de Nîmes), the Maison Carrée, and the Jardin de la Fontaine. We also saw the Temple of Diana.

From Nimes we went to Avignon. There, we met with a friend of Karelin’s who lived in Valence and joined us for the evening! Next day we went to the famous Palais des Papes, the largest Gothic palace in the world, and the iconic Pont Saint-Bénézet bridge. The ‘Pont the Avignon’, as in the song.

We continued to Arles, with Roman monuments such as the Arles Amphitheater, the Roman Theater, and the Alyscamps necropolis. Since Van Gogh lived there for more than a year, we also saw some of the locations he painted. We enjoyed taking pictures of the incredible Romanesque façade of the Church of St. Trophine.

Continuing to Aix en Provence where we walked at the Cours Mirabeau, a beautiful tree-lined avenue, we saw the historic Vieil Aix (Old Town), and the Mazarin Quarter. Other attractions were the Granet Museum, Cézanne’s art studio. Also, Aix is famous for the Calissons which are traditional French candy made with candied fruit and almonds. Throughout this area of France, we also enjoyed the Buckwheat crepes, also known as galettes, which are savory pancakes made primarily from buckwheat flour, which gives them a unique, nutty flavor.

We continued through the French Riviera, where we stayed that night at Le Cannet.

Next day we went to St Paul de Vence where we walked the charming, cobbled streets of the Old Town, lined with galleries and shops. The village offers stunning views of the Mediterranean and the surrounding countryside. Then we visited Cannes. We were at the Palais des Festivals, famous for the Cannes Film Festival, the scenic Boulevard de la Croisette, and the charming old town of Le Suquet. We had the best ice cream there.

That night we played in the Casino of Monte Carlo. We lost two euros each, but we had a royal time. Next day we first saw Port Hercule, with its luxury yachts and restaurants, the Prince’s Palace, and the tomb of Grace Kelly, the Princess of Montecarlo, in the Cathedral of Our Lady Immaculate. She is buried alongside her husband, Prince Rainier II.

We continued to the French Alps to the Route Napoleon, the historic road in France that follows the path taken by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1815 during his return from exile on the island of Elba. It stretches approximately 325 kilometers from Golfe-Juan on the French Riviera to Grenoble. The landscapes of mountains, valleys, ponds, livestock, and crops left us breathless. First, we went to Grasse to visit the factories and museum of Fragonard, the renowned perfume makers of the Côte d’Azur. They produce various floral perfumes, made from rose, jasmine, orange blossoms, and violet. Then we passed through Sisteron, Grenoble, where one of my cousins lived for some time. We stayed at a hotel in Lyon, we appreciated a bit of the Renaissance architecture, and the vibrant Place Belleco. Next day to Baune where we visited La Reine Pedauque, another vineyard that makes wine and liqueurs.

And back to Paris to our hotel in Boulogne-Billancourt. In Paris, we went to the Eiffel Tower and took a cruise in the famous Bateaux Mouches on the Seine. We also returned to Montmartre and had a farewell dinner with snails and frog legs, jumbo shrimp, excellent stinky cheese and, for dessert, profiteroles. The only saint who was in all the French churches we visited was St. Anthony, patron saint of lost things and missing persons! Also, St. Therese de Lisieux, “The Little Flower of Jesus” was very popular.

The bus tour was incredible and, surprisingly, not as tiring as we had imagined.

Iceland tour in October 2012

This was a nine-day trip with Cathy’s Travel Group. Cathy is Karelin’s niece.

We flew to New York to join the group coming from Pennsylvania on Oct 4th. There we boarded a plane for the six-hour flight on Icelandair to Iceland.

We arrived at 6:20 a.m. at Reykajavik. We rested a bit at the Hotel, and then we toured the city. That day we met Didi, a delightful young lady and our wonderful guide. We went through the old town center to the Parliament, then we saw a spectacular view over the capital area at Perlan, and we went inside this interesting natural history museum, located on the Öskjuhlid hill. We saw the harbor, and the Höfdi House, site of 1986 Iceland Summit where Reagan and Gorbachev met. We admired the Hallgrímskirkja, the Protestant Lutheran (Church of Iceland) parish with its amazing architecture. In the afternoon, we had a lot of fun riding Viking horses. We also saw a show where they explained that the Icelandic horse is a gaited breed because they have, unlike other breeds, five gaits. Horses usually have three: Walk, Trot, and Gallop. In addition to those gaits, the Icelandic horse has a smooth and desirable gaitcalled Tölt and a Flying pace. That night we stayed at the Hotel Marina in Reykajavik where we had our introduction to Icelandic food which is mainly seafood.

On October 6, we headed to Hveragerði to explore the majestic Gullfoss “Golden” glacial waterfall. We traversed a narrow dark path to obtain close-up views behind the thundering waterfall. We saw bubbling mud pools and the famous spouting hot springs Geysir and Strokkur, which can spew hot water up to one hundred feet into the air. We stopped to admire the waterfalls Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss. On this road it was great to have the opportunity to stop to see the Eyjafjallajökull volcano. The same volcano that had erupted in 2010 when we were trying to fly from Prague to Paris. Then we continued to Dyrhólaey, a nature reserve with bird cliffs, and strange rock formations with an iconic archway over the sea. In Vik, we saw interesting rocks formations and volcanic black sand beaches. We stayed in Vik, in the Hotel Höfdabrekka. In every hotel we had a warning about the water coming extremely hot from the faucet. Hot water is very inexpensive in Iceland because it comes sizzling hot from the ground, and also because of the country’s extensive use of geothermal energy for heating.

On Sunday, October 7, we crossed Eldhraun, the largest mass of lava ever to flow on the face of the earth. Then we reached the small town of Kirkjubæjarklaustur, a former site of a 12th-century Catholic convent. The tour continued over Skeiðarársandur sands to Skaftafell National Park. There we stopped at the Jökulsárlón Glacial Lagoon to navigate in an amphibian boat to see the “birthplace” of icebergs. We also admired magnificent views of the Vatnajökull Glacier, Europe’s biggest glacier. Our guide, Didi, went to the beginning of the glacier and brought some ice to put in our drinks. We spent the night at Hotel Höfn, in Höfn where Didi entertained by singing for us. She had a beautiful voice!

Next morning we started from Höfn to Egilsstaðir. First, we went through Almannaskarð pass which is a long tunnel. We saw narrow Fjords, steep mountains, a picturesque coastline, and many, many Icelandic sheep, reindeer herds, and tundra swans. We saw Petra’s collection of local stones and minerals. That night we stayed at Egilsstaðir in the Hotel Herad, and we had the privilege of seeing the Northern Lights. It was difficult to take pictures with my little camera, but it worked.

On October 9, at the Vatnajökull National Park we saw many more waterfalls than before and much reindeer. We visited the waterfall Dettifoss, which is the largest and most powerful in Europe, and probably Iceland’s most impressive touristic site. We saw and took many pictures of the horseshoe-shaped canyon of Asbyrgi. We visited the Námaskarð pass that has boiling mud pools and vibrant colors. That night in Mývatn, at Hotel Reynihlid, we were very tired. However, we also saw some discrete aurora borealis lights.

Next day we explored the Lake Mývatn area, the peculiar lava formations at Dimmuborgir, that the legend says are trols converted into rocks because they saw the light of the sun. We saw the pseudo craters and caves at Skútustaðir, climbed the rim of the ash crater Hverfjall, and saw the Laxá salmon river. We traveled towards the port of Akureyri, making a stop at the magnificent Goðafoss waterfall “Of the Gods,” and then we visited the Laufás Heritage Site and Museum, a well-preserved site of traditional Icelandic turf houses built between 1866 and 1870. We saw some of the finest timber buildings in the country, beautifully restored to their original glory. Akureyri, is Iceland’s second largest city. We stayed there that night.

On October 11, we rode through majestic mountains and narrow passes leading to Skagafjörður were we saw the Folk Museum, that also had rebuilt farm houses, and then we continued towards the village of Blönduós, built on both sides of the river Blanda with Hrútey Island, a protected nature reserve, located in this popular salmon river. We stopped here at Gauksmýri where we saw a horse breeding and training facility where we learn more about the Icelandic horses. Then we crossed the Holtavörðuheiði plateau through Borgarfjörður to the beautiful town of Borgarnes. We spent the night in Borgarnes at the Hotel Hamar.

Next, we traveled back to Reykjavik, completing the whole circle of the island. We drove to Deildartunguhver, the most powerful hot spring in the world, and admired the beautiful Hraunfossar waterfalls. We continued to Lake Þingvallavatn, Iceland’s largest lake, and Þingvellir National Park, site of the ancient Viking parliament, the world’s first parliament held outdoors, and a place where the North American and European tectonic plates are splitting apart. That night we were back at Reykjavík, at Hotel Marina.

What an experience we had on our last day in Iceland. We went for half a day to the Blue Lagoon, which is a natural pool of mineral-rich geothermal water, well known for its healing properties, located in a lava field. They require all visitors to take a shower before entering the water of the lagoon. There is no privacy, and they think American ‘sensitivity’ to be quite ‘prudish’. After overcoming this with our eyes closed, we enjoyed the silica-rich milky blue-green water, in the geothermal waters.

We departed on October 13 on a flight on Icelandair at 4:50 p.m. After six hours, we were back in Washington, D.C.

Karelin and I stayed in Washington for two nights. Those adventures are included in my North America travels.

Cruise on the Rhine and Holland and Belgium Canals in 2013

In April 2013, we cruised Switzerland, France, Germany, and the Netherlands, navigating through the Rhine on the Viking Sun ship. That cruise was from Basel, Switzerland, to Amsterdam, Netherlands.

As soon as we disembarked in Amsterdam, we practically took our carry on and walked through the port to board our Avalon Vista ship and cruised the Netherlands and Belgium canals to see tulips, windmills, Ghent, Bruges, Brussels, and more tulips.

Here is a summary of our tour called the “Rhine Getaway” on the Viking Sun:

We flew from Dallas to Frankfurt in Germany, and from there to Basel on the Rhine River in northwest Switzerland. We enjoyed seeing a little bit of Basel before boarding the Viking Sun. After the traditional “welcome talk,” we had a restful night in a comfortable cabin as we cruised through the night to Breisach.

We arrived during breakfast time in Breisach am Rhein, in Germany. This city is the gateway to the Black Forest. The first thing I saw that morning when I opened the window curtains was a beautiful swan and the Gothic 16th-century Oberrimsingen Castle that dominates the city. We took a scenic excursion through the area’s renowned mountain landscape, rolling meadows and dense forests. Once in the Black Forest area we visited the Abbey of Saint Peter (Kloster St. Peter ouf dem Schwarzwald) in Sankt Peter, and a local workshop and saw a cuckoo-clock-making demonstration in Hofgut Sternen. We also tried a slice of the most delicious Black Forest cake. Then we returned to Breisach for some free time before evening departure.

That afternoon we had the traditional lifejacket exercises, and then we went to the quaint Alsatian town of Colmar in France. There we saw the amazing stork nests in the region of Alsace, France. (The storks are faithful, not only to their spouse, but to their dwelling. They return every year to the same nest, on top of the houses after their long-distance journey from as far as South Africa. The people have built strong nesting platforms for them—believing them to be harbingers of fertility and good fortune. The male arrives first, ensuring the nest is in satisfactory condition before the female joins him. The young storks inherit the migratory instinct and begin their own journey back south in autumn. Amazingly, when the parents make their own path back, they know exactly where to find their offspring!) We had a splendid dinner and show that night on board.

We arrived in Kehl and disembarked for our guided tour of Strasbourg, France. Beautiful daffodil flowers greeted us wherever we went. We saw the Council of Europe building in Strasbourg, Saint Paul’s, a masterpiece of Gothic architecture, and toured the interior of the city’s famed cathedral of Our Lady of Strasbourg, which is an example of Rayonnant Gothic architecture. We wandered, touring this Alsatian city’s blend of French and German cultures. So many churches, medieval covered bridges, beautiful parks and some Art Nouveau and modernist architecture. We were delighted to see the statue of Johannes Gutenberg the gentleman who invented the movable type printing press, allowing the Bible to be printed for everybody to read. The statue of Gutenberg is holding a page of the Scriptures on which one can read the line “and there was light” in French. We tasted more wonderful buckwheat crepes and, before returning to the ship, we went to the Robert Blanck Family Winery in Obernai, Alsace, France. This is a prestigious winery where we tasted excellent wines. We also saw the Eglise Saints Pierre et Paul, while visiting Obernai. Then back to Kehl to our ship for dinner.

We woke up in Mannheim and disembarked for a tour to Heidelberg to see Germany’s oldest university, founded in 1386. Then we visited the beautiful sandstone ruins of Heidelberg Castle. There, we took in the scenery of the Neckar River Valley and the city’s many red rooftops, from its hilltop location. An Egyptian Goose decided to pose for us on one of the balconies. We continued a walking tour through the Altstadt (Old Town) to Heidelberg’s renowned gates. After visiting the Church of the Holy Spirit, we returned to our ship for an afternoon of cruising, taking pictures of numerous castles on the way. We arrived in Rüdesheim in the early evening. We spent free time in the pedestrian-only Drosselgasse Street and then went to sample tasty food, locally produced wine and great music at Weinhaus Drosselhof restaurant founded in 1727. The enchanting glockenspiel carillons come to life with its pealing bells and moving figures every hour in Rüdesheim. We remained docked overnight at Rüdesheim.

Next morning, we sailed along the most scenic stretch of the Rhine where castles overlook the river from their hilltop locations. On this part of the Middle Rhine Valley or Rhine-Palatine, we saw the Burg Reinchenstein (Castle), the Chateau de Saint-Ultich, medieval fortress, Burg Hohneck, Burg Fürstenberg, Burg Stahleck, the Wenerkappelle (Chapel), Burg Schönburg, Lebfrauenkirche (Church of Our Lady in Overwessel, ther Haagsturm or Red Tower, St Martin’s Church, Ochsenturn or Oxen Tower, the portals of the Kammereck and St. Goar Tunels, disguised as a castles during Hitlers times, several beautiful hotels, and Burg Rheinfels near St. Goar. At midmorning, we disembarked for a tour of 700-year-old Marksburg Castle and its museum in Braubach. This is the only medieval castle along the river that has never been destroyed. We returned to our ship for lunch. Then we took a short cruise to Koblenz, where we saw the historic building that was once the seat of the Prussian government. We saw the imposing statue of Emperor William (Kaiser-Wilhelm- Denkmal) near Porta Westfalica. Koblenz is called Deutsches Eck (German Corner), where the Rhine and Moselle rivers meet. We saw there the Ehrenbreitstein Fortress, and the Electoral Palace. Also, the interior of the Jeuitekirche (Jesuit Church), the Historic Column, Basilica of St. Castor, the historic Old Town, and the scenic cable car offering views over the rivers.

We continued along the Rhine next morning, arriving just after breakfast in Cologne. We disembarked for our walking tour of this gem of the Rhine. We strolled through Old Town, visited St. Martin’s Church, and spent enjoyable time inside Cologne’s Dom, the remarkable Gothic cathedral. We had an extensive visit to the Römisch-Germanisches Museum, which displays amazingly well-kept Roman artifacts, and the remnants of the Roman settlement of Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium. There, we saw amazing large Dionysus mosaics. Also, Cologne is the birthplace of ‘4711’—one of the oldest perfumes in the world, launched in the 18th century. We went back on the ship for dinner.

Next morning we enjoyed a lecture about “all things Dutch.” We learned about and sampled Dutch cheeses and jenever, a distilled juniper liquor, and tried to play sjoelen (Dutch table shuffleboard). After lunch, we arrived in Kinderdijk, Holland. We did an afternoon tour of this ingenious network of windmills and other flood management devices. We learned about the ‘polders’ or low-lying areas of land that have been reclaimed from the sea and are protected by dikes. They are a significant part of the Netherlands’ landscape, with about 20% of the country’s land area being polders. They are crucial for agriculture and water management. We also learned why the windmills were built and saw how they work, plus we went inside an actual working windmill for a tour of its mechanisms and living quarters. We had the best views of Greylag Geese with goslings swimming in this area. We boarded the ship later and arrived in Amsterdam after midnight.

After breakfast, we disembarked and, even though as we had planned to collect our carry-on bags and proceeded to walk on the pier to embark on our next cruise, we instead took a tour of Amsterdam and then we were deposited at the pier again.

Avalon Vista Day-by-Day Itinerary

On April 21, we were welcomed by Avalon Waterways for a tour of Amsterdam, the sophisticated and modern capital of Holland. Amsterdam has a rich and fascinating history. It is a 700-year-old city with elegant and classic architecture, cafés, restaurants, and a lively marketplace that has a distinct ambience. The works of famous Dutch masters can be seen in world-renowned museums such as the Rijksmuseum or the Van Gogh. In the afternoon, we boarded the vessel and met our crew at the lifejacket exercise and had a ‘welcome’ reception at 6 p.m.

On April 22, we took a boat tour of Amsterdam cruising through the elegant grachten (a Dutch word for a canal within a city), lined with stately homes dating back to Amsterdam’s “Golden Age.” We also visited the newly renovated Rijksmuseum Museum, which features Dutch masterpieces and especially the work of Rembrandt. We could have spent hours in front of The iconic masterwork painting “The Night Watch” by Rembrandt Van Rijn. Then we continued by bus to Volendam and Edam where we visited the famous dike, the Cheese Factory Volendam, and the charming neighborhood of Doolhof. That night we saw a wonderful presentation about the Netherlands on the ship.

Next day we got ready for a real treat. We took an excursion from Schoonhoven to the gardens of Keukenhof near Lisse, to see tulips. On the road we saw enormous fields of yellow canola flowers. Keukenhof gardens encompass over seventy acres of parkland with lakes, sculpture gardens, greenhouses, and a windmill to explore. They grow millions of flower bulbs that present a spectacular display of blooms every year. In one morning, I took more than thousand pictures of tulips and other flowers. It was a worthy experience! We rejoined our ship in time for lunch and sailed to Kinderdijk to see this picturesque row of windmills again.

Next, we visited the Delta Works near Veere. After the flood of 1953, during which more than 1,800 people drowned in one night, the Delta Plan was born to prevent another disaster of this magnitude. The final defense in the battle against the water is the storm flood barrier, almost six miles long and considered a technical miracle. The project took 30 years to complete. Before rejoining our ship for lunch, we enjoyed some free time in Veere, once an important wool-trading center. In the afternoon we visited Middelburg with a local expert. The city was originally built as a stronghold to protect the population of Zeeland from water and from enemies. The town was historically a center of lens crafting in the Golden Age of Dutch science and technology. The invention of the microscope and telescope is often credited to Middelburg spectacle-makers in the late 16th century and early 17th century. We returned to the ship and before dinner we sailed for Ghent.

Ghent, the birthplace of my grandfather, is considered the “diamond” of Flanders. It has managed to preserve its medieval charm and power while keeping up with the times. Our local guide pointed out that the city center alone is a showcase of medieval Flemish wealth and commercial success. It was built in the mid seventh century due to the strategic location where the Leie & Scheldt rivers met. The guild houses in Ghent are historic buildings that were constructed by various trade guilds (associations of craftsmen and merchants) during the Middle Ages, primarily located along the Graslei and Korenlei by the river Leie. These houses served as meeting places. We enjoyed the main square or Korenmarkt and went into Saint Bavo’s Cathedral, also known as Sint-Baafs Cathedral. Here we also listened to a harp concert. From here we continued to an excursion into fascinating Bruges, with its crisscrossed canals and charming old Patrician houses. There we took a wonderful boat cruise in the canal, navigating among swans and going under enchanting bridges. We ate Gaufres (waffles), and we drank the best beer, and we sampled chocolates. I had moules frites (mussels and French fries) to remember my grandfather. We visited the Princely Beguinage where the sisters of my grandfather were during the end of 1800s and beginning of 1900s. The Beguinage was a community founded around 1244 for lay religious women, known as beguines, who lived independently without taking formal vows. Gentlemen could visit there in search for a wife. We returned to the ship extremely late.

Next day we visited Antwerp which is Belgium’s second-largest city and one of the world’s most important ancient seaports. Out tour included Lange Wapper statue, which is in front of Het Steen. Lange Wapper is a legendary giant from Flemish folklore known for his trickster behavior. We continued to see the Belfry and the Brabo Fountain, an eclectic-style fountain-sculpture located in the Grote Markt in front of the City Hall. The fountain, dating from 1887, contains a bronze statue by the sculptor Jef Lambeaux depicting the city’s legendary founder, Silvius Brabo, throwing the severed hand of the giant Druon Antigoon into the river Scheldt. The Grote Markt (square) is also surrounded by guild houses. We also saw the Church of Our Lady.

We also took a tour to Brussels, the capital of Belgium. The first thing we saw from our bus was Atomium, a sculpture model of an atom of one hundred meters tall. We saw the Cathedral of St. Michael, the Royal Palace, the Manneken Pis, famous bronze statue depicting a little boy urinating into a fountain and then the Grand-Place (or Grote Markt) renowned for the beautiful architecture of the Baroque guildhalls and the Town Hall. That day the square had a sale on flowers. We saw lace, chocolateries, we eat gaufres and drank beer.

Next day we were supposed to continue to Maastricht, but instead the cruise ship was directed to Tiel. In here we visited the market. It was a great experience. We also saw the raspberry-shaped comic book character statue of Flipje loved by children.

Back to Amsterdam to disembark and get our flight back home. We Flew from Amsterdam to Frankfurt and then to Dallas.

In summary, we liked the cruise on the canals much better than the cruise on the Rhine. Maybe it was the lack of enthusiasm of the crew for the places we visited on our Rhine cruise, or the inexperienced staff on board (Viking had just launched ten new river boats, and we suspected they had sent the most experienced crew to those new ships.) However, the places we visited were fabulous, especially in Alsace. We went to Colmar and Strasbourg before visiting Heidelberg, Rüdesheim, castles on the Rhine Middle Valley, Koblenz, and Cologne. We also visited Kinderdijk in the Netherlands twice since both itineraries included it. We finished our first cruise in Amsterdam, and that same day we took the free bus at the cruise terminal to go to the other boat.

In all, we had a wonderful time. The best of this experience was that, in the second cruise, our stateroom steward was a born-again Christian from Costa Rica who had just accepted the Lord when he came to work on board. (He had been on board for two months). He needed all kind of spiritual encouragement, and the Lord let us to pray for him daily, and I continued emailing with him, sending him scriptures, and encouraging him to take a few minutes of his six hours of free time daily to rest and read the Bible. It was easy to get discouraged because of the lack of Christians around him. Also, because some passengers can be very difficult to please.

Our cruise with Cruise and Maritime Voyages in Northern Europe in 2014

This cruise started in UK and continued to Denmark, Finland, Russia, Estonia, Sweden, Norway and the Scottish isles of Orkney, Skye, Mull, and the Faroe Islands.

We started in Hull, UK, an unknown ferry port for us and even for UK people. There we had to wait for hours in a very poor facility where it was very cold and windy for our ship the SMV Discovery. Obviously, the Cruise and Maritime Voyages cater mainly to British people, many teachers, over sixty, who do not like to fly anywhere but we did not know that at the start. Later we learned that the company ‘Cruise and Maritime Voyages’ focused on no-fly cruises from various UK ports. The company ceased operations in 2020.

On Monday, April 21, 2014, we departed to Rosyth, Scotland, I guess to pick up more passengers.

On Tuesday, we were at sea. That evening we had a presentation by the crew. A couple of musicians played guitar and flute, and we had an elegant dinner.

Next day we took a tour in Copenhagen. We saw first the Little Mermaid statue, the Gefion Fountain, the Amalienborg Palace, official residence of the Danish Royal family and also the statue of King Frederico Quinto. We saw the Old Stock Exchange famous building, Nyhavn, a 17th-century waterfront, canal, and entertainment district. We had a boat cruise back to our ship.

After another day at sea, we arrived on April 25 at Helsinki, Finland. From there we took a trip to Porvoo. This picturesque Old Town has colorful wooden buildings, the historic Porvoo Cathedral, and the J.L. Runeberg Home Museum.

Next stop was St. Petersburg, Russia, where we saw the Church of the Dormition of the Mother of God, the Imperial Academy of Arts, Nicolas Palace, The Smolny Cathedral, the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood, St. Isaacs Cathedral, the Peterhof Palace. We did have a good city panoramic tour and saw a great folkloric show at the summer Palace of Peter the Great.

On Sunday, April 27, still in St. Petersburg, we first toured Catherine the Great Palace, the Bezborodko Palace, full of illustrations of the Bible but converted to the Popov Central Museum of Communications, and then Central City or Palace Square. This famous square includes the Winter Palace, which houses the Hermitage Museum, the General Staff Building, and the Alexander Column. In this square, Russia went through the Bloody Sunday or Red Sunday massacre in 1905, and parts of the October Revolution of 1917. The Hermitage Museum has an enormous collection of art that unfortunately includes pieces taken by the Trophy Brigades of the Soviet army from Germany after World War II.

The ship then continued to Tallinn, Estonia. Sadly, Karelin, at this point, was feeling sick after the cold she got when we were waiting for the ship in Hull, UK, and I had to do the tour by myself. The bus went through some modern parts of Tallinn to the hill of Toompea Hill. This is the old Medieval section of Tallin and capital center of the government of Estonia. The Russian doctor on board gave Karelin some medicines and she promptly felt better to continue the trip.

On Tuesday, April 29, we arrived in Stockholm, Sweden. Here we took a tour that started with a walking tour of the old historic quarter, the Old Town (Gamla Stan). Then we toured the Stockholm City Hall, known as Stadshuset, famous for its National Romantic architectural style and as the venue for the annual Nobel Prize banquet. It features notable spaces like the Blue Hall and the Golden Hall. Nearby we saw the Storkyrkan (Great Church), site of most of Sweden’s kings. We saw the Royal Palace and the Djurgården, an island in central Stockholm. Our tour was supposed to include a visit to the Royal Armoury Museum, but it never happened. Coincidentally, that night we had a Pirate dinner on the ship.

After another day at sea, we arrived in Oslo, Norway. We docked right next to the Akershus Fortress and started our bus tour. We passed by the Oslo Opera House which has very modern architecture. We also saw the famous “She Lies” floating sculpture made of stainless steel and glass next to the Opera House. We passed by the Parliament Building and the Royal Palace, residence of the Royal Family. We went by the gates of the Vigeland Sculpture Park and then climbed Holmenkollen Hill, to see the world-famous ski jumping arena at Holmenkollen. On our return, we went down the busy ‘Bogstad-Veien’ and continued alongside the Royal Park passing the House of Artists and Stortorget, the market square where Oslo’s Cathedral is located. Then we saw the Central Railway Station and the City Hall. That night we had a gala dinner with a baked Alaska dessert.

Another day at sea before reaching Hull in the UK. Many passengers disembarked here. We took the opportunity and went from Hull to York which is less than an hour by bus. We walked around the city and then visited York Minster, a stunning Gothic cathedral, where we also went to the Undercroft, a museum located beneath the cathedral, displaying the site’s rich history, including Roman remains, an Anglo-Saxon cemetery, and artifacts from various periods. We unexpectedly witnessed and enjoyed a choir practice at the York Minster with more than forty young priests.

We returned in the afternoon to the ship.

On Sunday May 4th we continued to Rosyth, Scotland where a beautiful girl played her bagpipe for us.

Next stop was Kirkwall, in the Orkney Isles. Here we first visited the unique Highland Park Distillery, founded in 1798. It produces highly acclaimed 12-year-old malt. There we saw the complete process and then enjoyed a taste and took home a ‘peedie dram’ glass. Then we drove to the Second World War Naval Base of Scapa Flow where the German Admiral Ludwig von Reuter ordered seventy-four ships to be sunk to prevent them from falling into British hands. Then we drove through Churchill Barriers to the island of Lamb Holm to visit the hand-painted Italian Chapel, built by Italian Prisoners during the last World War. A memorial in the Cathedral of St. Magnus is dedicated to the 833 sailors who lost their lives when a German U-boat sank the British battleship HMS Royal Oakjusta few months after the declaration of war.

Then we continued to Torshavn, Faroe Isles. From the port we went to Tinganes, the rocky Viking port. From Tinganes, we traveled up to the scenic, ridge-top road that runs along the southern part of Streymoy Island. This island reminded us very much of Iceland with its numerous waterfalls and sheep pastures. We saw some stone cairns, which marked the footpaths between villages in olden times. We took pictures of the Island of Koltur. We were in Kvivik where the old houses had traditional turf roofs. Further north we saw Kaldbak and KollatjorOur fjords. Back in Torshavn we visited the old part of the city of ‘Tinganes’.

We continued to Portree, Isle of Skye, on the Northwest coast of Scotland. Here we took a nearly 2-hr. drive to tour the Eilean Donan Castle in Dornie. The Castel was built in the 13th century to protect the lands of Kintail and has been restored.

Next to Tobermory, Isle of Mull. We went from picturesque Tobermory to the other end of the Isle and took a ferry to see the Iona Abbey and Nunnery, one of the oldest Christian sites in Western Europe, founded by St. Columba in 563 AD. It remains a significant place for Christian pilgrimage. We also saw the ruins of Saoghal Nam Ban which translates to “World of Women” and refers to an ancient nunnery on Iona, where a community of religious women lived and worshipped.

After another day at sea, we finally disembarked on Saturday, May 10, in Avonmouth, Bristol, UK. We had made reservations to spend the night at the Acorns Guest House, a place that was near to Bristol Airport, but unknown to us, quite far from the port and did not offer any food.

So, we had to call the same taxi we had taken from the port, to take us to the closest pub. The ‘Fox and Goose’ turned out to be another B&B that we did not find when looking for hotels before. For dinner we had the most expensive burger ever in that pub!

On May 11, 2014, we flew from Bristol to Amsterdam, in the Netherlands, and then to Dallas back home. Karelin could finally take care of the respiratory affliction she got in the UK.

Our first Transatlantic cruise to Europe in 2015

We cruised on a transatlantic adventure from Tampa, Florida, to the West coast of Europe. We were in Azores Islands, France, Belgium, UK, Portugal, Spain, and Gibraltar.

We departed from Tampa, Florida, on April 19, 2015. Our ship was the MS Ryndam from Holand America Cruises. During our first lifejacket drill in Tampa, one person suffered a heart attack and had to be evacuated from the ship. We continued down Florida and turned toward Miami where we saw a helicopter coming for another passenger.

After that first experience, we had seven beautiful days at sea except for a small detour to Bermudas where another passenger was evacuated by boat. During those days, we had several lectures on Astronomy & Space Exploration, by a guest lecturer from NASA, and all kinds of fun activities on board. We enjoyed the great food, especially the High Tea, Indonesian style, where our waiters dressed in their Indonesian costumes. Also, Karelin reached her one hundred days as a Holland America Mariner and received her medal.

On April 27, we arrived at Horta, in the Faial Island of the Azores that belong to Portugal. From the ship we could see Pico Mountain on Pico Island in front of Faial. Legend says the nine islands of the Azores are all that remain of the lost continent of Atlantis. During WWII, the Azores Islands were strategic for refueling Allied airplanes. We visited Capelinhos Volcano site (last erupted in 1957). Also, we visited several beaches and one interesting public park (built on lava) where we saw peacocks. While we were at this port one of the tenders fell from the ship while doing maintenance and the tender had to stay in Horta to be repaired and picked up later by another Holland America ship.

After three more days at sea, we arrived at Brest, Brittany, in France. Brest is the second major naval port in France in Breton peninsula. The Romans originally colonized Brittany. Later it was also an independent kingdom and then a duchy. This part of France was later settled by Welsh and Irish Celtics who came to Britany to bring Christianity. In 1917, during WWI, Brest was used as a disembarking port for many troops from the US. We saw a naval monument dedicated to US and French naval forces of WWI. Also, we toured the coast to Plouguerneau where we saw the tallest light house in Europe and impressive ruins of Saint Mathieu Abbey.

Next port was Cherbourg in Normandy, France. This was the first territory conquered by Vikings in France. It holds an arsenal of French Navy; it is also a ferry port, to England, Ireland, and Island of Jersey. We visited the village of Cap La Hague in the west of Normandy, passed through Griville-Hague, the birthplace of painter Jean Francois Millet, visited Omonville-la-Petite, one of the most picturesque villages of la Hague, and Port Racine, the smallest active fishing port in France. We also stopped at the Nez de Jobourg, with cliffs up to 360 feet tall. Passed by the Flamanville Nuclear Power Plant, and we spent a free afternoon at the Maritime Museum “La Cite de la Mer” right next to our ship at Cherbourg port. They had an interesting aquarium, a Titanic Museum, and a nuclear submarine, the Le Redoutable, which we were able to tour. That night we had Dessert Extravaganza night at the ship, and we definitely enjoyed it.

On May 3, we arrived at Zeebrugge in Belgium. Bruges-Zeebrugge is one of the fastest growing ports between Le Havre and Hamburg. It is Europe’s leading port for containers. It handles millions coming from China. It is the world’s largest port for imports and exports of new vehicles. We toured the village of Damme on the outskirts of Bruges. This tour included a chocolate factory, and we saw the Castle of Loppem, built in 1857 in Zebelgem-Loppem.

The last port was Harwich in the UK. It is pronounced Harich! This was the end of our first cruise and the start of the next one down, the west coast of Europe. While many passengers were ending their cruise in Harwich and others were just coming on board, we took a tour from this port to see the beautiful countryside that inspired the painter John Constable, born in 1776. Constable was an English Romantic style painter from Suffolk, England. He was known for landscape paintings of Dedham Vale (or valley), now known as “Constable Country”. Our tour took us to Dedham Valley, and we visited the enchanting gardens of Flatford with the thatched cottage and idyllic bridge. Constable painted these sites. We also visited St. Mary’s Church in Dedham village, painted by Constable, too.

Our next port took us back to Cherbourg in Normandy, France. This time we went to the East side of the Normandy or Contentin Peninsula from Cherbourg to the Val de Saire or Valley of Saire. We drove to Barfleur passing through Goneville, Gouverville and the Lighthouse at Gateville. This area is famous for its oysters and seaside resorts. We visited Fort de la Hougue. In Sanit Vaast de La Hougue we visited la Maison Gosselin a family-owned store that has been in operation since 1889. We passed near D’Isigny in Normandy where Walt Disney’s family came from. Then we came back to Cherbourg where we enjoyed a nice tour on a tourist train.

Cherbourg Harbour, a harbor in France, is believed to be the second largest artificial harbor in the world with a surface area of around 1,500 hectares. It was begun in 1783, with its central harbor wall completed in 1853. This time our ship had to spend an extra day waiting for a windstorm to let us get safely out of the harbor. So, we went for another tour to the Botanical gardens of the Emmanuel Liais Park, once the garden of a famous botanist.

Next day we were able to depart after the storm. During this sea day, I got my Mariner medal for completing one hundred days navigating with Holland America Cruises.

Our next stop was in A Coruña in Spain. I had been wishing to go to this port because from there we could visit Santiago de Compostela. This is the capital of Galicia in Spain, known for its historic cathedral, which is the reputed burial site of Saint James the Apostle. It is a major pilgrimage destination, particularly for those walking the Camino de Santiago. In our other visits to Europe, we have seen the scallop shell in many cities, towns, and villages. The scallop shell is the symbol of the pilgrimage roads to Santiago. The grooves of the shell represent the roads to Santiago. The earliest records of visits paid to the shrine dedicated to St. James at Santiago de Compostela date from the ninth century, in the time of Alfonso II, King of Asturias. San Francis of Asissi did the pilgrimage and the Convent of San Francisco was dedicated to him in Santiago de Compostela. It is a main Catholic shrine, surpassed only by Rome and Jerusalem. We visited Praza de Obradoiro or Stonecutters Square and Royal Placa, in the Galician language. Legend says that Saint James the Moor-slayer, Santiago Matamoros is a famous Spanish mythological figure who helped the Christians defeat the Muslims in battle. Saint James Cathedral has a Romanesque structure. The building was finished in 1188 B.C. with the erection of the Portico de la Gloria in the main facade.

We happened to be there at the time they were celebrating the annual ‘City of Tui to Santiago Military Competition.’ This year on May 7, 2015, six paratroopers from the 173rd Airborne Brigade became the first Americans to complete the competition. The competition of six-man teams follows a rigorous 120-kilometer-long course, stretching along the traditional Catholic pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela, and includes an obstacle course, land navigation course, open-water swim, a 100-foot repel, marksmanship and grenade-throwing ranges. The winners were from the Brigada de Infantería Ligera “Galicia” VII or Brilat. We ended our visit to Santiago de Compostela with a reception at the Baroque building of the Hospital Reá, today Hotel of the Catholic Monarchs. A Tuna music band of university students from the law school sang songs from medieval times and also some modern ones. I was please to learn that one of the singers and musicians in the Tuna was from Chile. He was studying Law at the University there. We also saw the Jardines Mendez Nunez gardens and the Castillo de San Antón fort that was built as part of the defense of La Coruña; it now houses the Museum of Archeology and History.

A Coruña port has the Millenium Obelisk and the Farum Brigantium, now known as Tower of Hercules. It is the oldest lighthouse in Europe built by Romans before the Second Century AD and still in use. The Tower of Hercules is in the coat of arms of Coruña.

Sadly, we skipped the port of Lexioes to visit Porto in Portugal, because the ship had to continue closer to the original itinerary and recover the day lost in Cherbourg because of the storm.

After another day at sea, we arrived at Gibraltar, British Territory. The Strait of Gibraltar is a narrow strait that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea and separates Europe from Africa. Gibraltar itself is a small peninsula on the southern Iberian coast near the entrance of the Mediterranean Sea; its history spans over 2,900 years. The Rock was revered by the Greeks and Romans as one of the two Pillars of Hercules, created when he smashed through a mountain separating the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. It was ruled by the Muslims from 711 AD. It was seized by Spain from the Moors in the 15th century. Barbary pirates from Morocco inhabited the area for many years and brought a small colony of monkeys to Gibraltar. It was captured by the British in 1704 and ceded permanently under the treaty of Utrecht in 1713. Gibraltar became a British colony in 1830.

We first went to Europa Point, the Southernmost point of Europe at the end of the Rock of Gibraltar. From there we saw North Africa across the Strait of Gibraltar including Ceuta and the Rif Mountains of Morocco, as well as the Bay of Gibraltar and the Spanish towns along its shores. There are five notable buildings at Europa Point: Harding’s Battery, the Ibrahim-al-Ibrahim Mosque, the Roman Catholic Shrine of Our Lady of Europe, the Europa Point Lighthouse and the Nun’s Well. Then a cable car took us to Gibraltar’s Top Station and then to the Middle Station to visit the Barbary Apes. Legend has it that if the Barbary apes freely roam the rock of Gibraltar, the territory will remain safely under British rule. The British have embraced this piece of folklore for centuries; not even Churchill, in the throes of World War II, dared to disregard it. In 1944, with British morale battered by the war and the Rock’s monkey population dwindling, he took no chances. Churchill ordered a shipment of Barbary macaques from Morocco to replenish the population.

We visited the Great Siege Tunnels carved out of solid limestone and the first buildings ever constructed by the British in Gibraltar. The Great Siege of Gibraltar was an unsuccessful attempt by Spain and France to capture Gibraltar from the British during the American War of Independence. The siege lasted from 1779 to 1783, three years and seven months. Gibraltar served as a base for Lord Nelson in his efforts to bring the French Admiral Pierre-Charles Villeneuve to battle, which culminated in the Battle of Trafalgar in which Nelson was killed and Villeneuve captured in 1805.

As we went west back up the coast of Spain we docked in Cadiz, Spain. The port was founded by Phoenicians and named Gadir, around 1100 BC. Cádiz is the oldest continuously inhabited city in Spain and one of the oldest in Western Europe. In fact, it is an island connected by a road built on a sandbar. Legend says that it was founded by Hercules. It was thought to be the end of the world until 1492. In Cadiz port we saw the Customs House, the Plaza Sevilla monument a Moret and the Cathedral of the Holy Cross over the Waters, which has a Neo-classic style. Cadiz is famous for having the best tuna fish in the world and is the best-known region for production of Jerez or Sherry.

From Cadiz, we took a tour to Vejer de La Frontera. There are historical references to this place by the Carthaginians around 400 BC. In pre-Roman times, the city was known as Besaro, and maps of the Roman empire show Vejer marked as Bessipo. It is located high above the River Barbate. It is one of the most beautiful of the “white villages” of Andalusia. Six centuries of Arab rule mark the town. It was captured from the Moors by King Ferdinand of Castille in 1248. Vejer is made up of two parts, the old medieval quarter and the newer part of town carefully designed in the style of the ‘pueblos blancos’ of the region. We visited the old medieval quarters. The views from the terrace of La Cobijada de Vejer take your breath away.

We then stopped by Trafalgar beach briefly. The battle of Trafalgar where Lord Nelson died, took place just off the coast near the town in 1805. Then we visited the town of Conil. Its history dates back to Phoenician times. It was a fishing port in the Roman era. It was on the Via Herculea, which connected Malaga and Cadiz.

Our next port was Lisbon, Portugal. It is spread across steep hillsides that overlook the River Tagus or Tejo. We saw the famous Church of Santa Engrácia, a 17th-century monument. Neighborhoods in Lisbon preserves street layout from Islamic times and has many buildings covered by azulejos or mosaics. We saw an equestrian statue of Dom Joao I, also known as John, I King of Portugal, located in Figueira Square or Praca da Figueira; Monumento a Los Restauradores in honor of the Independence from Spain; we saw the typical Portuguese pavement or calçada portuguesa, a traditional-style pavement used for many pedestrian areas in Portugal. It consists of small flat pieces of various different stones, arranged to form a pattern or picture, like a mosaic. We also visited the Marquis of Pombal Square Monument which honors the prime minister who ruled Portugal from 1750 to 1777. We saw Eduardo VII Park. Its name pays homage to Edward VII, father of Queen Elizabeth, of the United Kingdom who visited Portugal in 1902 to strengthen the relations between the two countries.

We went from Lisbon to Estoril. During the Second World War, Estoril was the center of spies and diplomatic secrecy, situations that provided the region with a cosmopolitan atmosphere and sophistication. It became an international tourist destination both during and after the Second World War. We saw the Statue of Fausto Cardoso de Figueiredo in the park between the beach and Estoril’s Casino.

Returning to Lisbon, we saw the Torre de Belem or St Vincent Tower built in 1515 in Manueline style. It was built as a defense for the mouth of the River Tagus. We saw the Jeronimos Monastery and the Monument to Discoveries, located along the river Tagus, which is huge and most impressive. We visited the Patriarchal Cathedral of St. Mary Major or simply Lisbon Cathedral. In Lisbon, the 25th of April Bridge resembles the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. It commemorates the Carnation Revolution, also referred to as the 25 April, and was initially a military coup in Lisbon, Portugal, on 25 April 1974, which overthrew the regime of the Estado Novo. We also saw the ‘Christ the King’ statue or Cristo Rei, a Catholic monument and shrine dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ overlooking the city of Lisbon in the central part of Portugal. It was inspired by the ‘Christ the Redeemer’ statue in Rio de Janeiro Brazil.

We could not stay another day in Lisbon because the storm was coming to that area.

On our way back to UK, and to replace the day we lost in Lisbon, the ship went to Zeebrugge. We had seen Ghent before in our cruise of the canals in Belgium, but, of course, we decided to go again. Ghent is located at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Leie. We started the tour on St. Michael’s Bridge St Michael’s Church. We visited the Graslei and the Korenlei streets and surroundings, by boat, along the banks of the old harbor of Ghent, right in the middle of the city. Graslei means ‘street of the herbs and vegetables’. Korenlei means ‘street of the wheat’. The buildings for the Guilds were constructed in the 11th and the 13th centuries. The Cooremetershuys or guild house of the grain weighers, the Guild Hall of the Free Boatmen, and the Spijker, a granary, are reminders of the medieval city economic growth. We saw St. Nicholas Church and walked to the next bridge to take the boat and start our tour of the canals. We saw the Belfry of Ghent which my grandfather frequently spoke about. (Is a Bell Tower built in 1330.) We went to the Butcher’s Market. We also visited the Gravensteen or “castle of the counts” of Flanders built in 1180.

We disembarked in Harwich and went to London to take our flight back home.

Main River in Germany in 2015

This cruise was in November 2015, again with Avalon. The ship was the Avalon Visionary. We flew from Dallas to London and then to Prague, Czech Republic, with British Airways.

We spent two days in Prague, which is a 1,200-year-old city preserved in time. Unlike other Central European capitals, it was not bombed during the 20thcentury wars. Our tour took us to the famous Jewish Quarters, the Old Town’s Astronomical Clock, dating from the 15th century, a work of art and craft. The Hradčany Castle grounds, the St. Vitus Cathedral; and the Charles Bridge, the oldest bridge in Prague over the Vltava River. We were at Wenceslaus Square and shopped at the market stalls on Charles Bridge.

On November 5, we were taken by bus to Nuremberg, Germany, where the ship was docked. We had a reception dinner that night.

Next morning we awoke in Bamberg, Bavaria, Germany. This is a medieval town built in the ninth century. It is the former residence of one of Germany’s most powerful imperial dynasties, the House of Babenberg of Austrian Dukes and Margraves. Our walking tour included the fascinating Altes Rathaus (Old Town Hall), built on an island in the middle of the Regnitz River when the bishop refused to give the townspeople land for a town hall! That afternoon we enjoyed a lecture about the European Union.

Next day we arrived to Würzburg, Germany. The city is surrounded by hillside vineyards and known as the “Pearl of the Romantic Road.” Here we saw the Fortress Marienberg perched above town, and the 15th century Alte Mainbrucke or Old Main Bridge. On our tour we visited the baroque Bishop’s Residenz, home to the largest ceiling fresco ever painted. In the afternoon we did an excursion to medieval city Rothenburg ob der Teuber, where we mainly visited the St. James’ Church and had wonderful tea with pastries.

On November 8, we docked in Main River Village, Miltenberg. This city is behind medieval defensive walls and towered gates. It is a picturesque Bavarian village with a delightful Marktplatz, or market square, centered around a renaissance-era fountain. It has half-timbered buildings, cobblestone lanes, and one of the oldest inns in Germany, Haus zum Riesen, the Giant’s House. We visited the St. Jokobus Church and enjoyed the gothic splendor of the Merchant Hall. That night, on board, we had a most wonderful Zither Concert by Tomy Temerson.

Next day we arrived to Rüdesheim, and, since this was our second time here, we visited what we had wanted to see before, the Siegfried’s Mechanical Musical Instrument Museum. We bought a life size cat containing a music box and a couple other music boxes. That afternoon we cruised through the Rhine Gorge which is the most beautiful stretch of river. We passed the legendary rock of the Lorelei, where sweet songs of local beauties lured enchanted sailors to their doom. We continued to Boppard, a spa town and popular tourist destination, where we walked around town and we saw the famous Karmeliterkirche or Carmelite Church built in the 14th Century.

On November 10, we arrived at Cochem where we saw the Reichsburg Castle, built in 1000 AD. It sits atop a conical hill covered in vines. Cochem is at the heart of the Moselle wine trade and, most notably, where the Riesling grape is cultivated, producing a dry to sweet, floral white wine. We had a wonderful visit to one of the many caves in town where we tasted the wines of the region. On board, we had a lecture to learn more about the Moselle region.

Next port was Trier. We choose to go to the “Roman Trier” sightseeing. This is Germany’s oldest city. Some say Trier is even older than Rome. Trier also offers pleasant market squares, Germany’s oldest Christian church, and many architectural styles: Roman, baroque, neoclassicism, renaissance, and gothic. We visited the Romand ruins and the famous Porta Nigra, a large Roman city gate. We saw the Electoral Palace, we visited the Kirche zur Erloser or Church of the Redeemer, known as the Konstantin Basilica, the St. Peter’s Fountain, the High Cathedral of Saint Peter, and a Christmas pyramid because the city was already preparing for the Christmas market.

Next day we disembarked in Remich, Luxembourg. Our group continued by high-speed train to Paris, but we stayed in Luxembourg. We took note of the murals at the Gare, Luxemburg Central Train Station.

November 13, the day of the terrorist attack in Paris, we were, by the grace of God, in Luxembourg. We learned that some of the people in our group were affected by the security precautions in Paris after the attack, but they were mostly scared, but not in danger.

In Luxembourg we stayed at the Hotel Vauban in Place Guillaume II which is a pedestrian square, but our taxi was able to take us there. We explored the city following a map. We saw the Notre Dame Cathedral and took pictures of the Melusina Statue in the Grund district, the Letzebuerg City Museum where we learned about the history of the city and we went up to the six floor to have a wondeful view of the city. We saw the Bock Casemates which are underground tunnels that were part of the city’s fortifications.

Next day we went to see the Salle de Concerts Grande-Duchesse Josephone-Charlotte which is quite modern. We went to the Musee Drai Eechelen in Fort Thungen. We went for lunch to the Auchan Kirchberg mall. Then we went into the Notre Dame Cathedral.

After picking up our bags at the hotel we flew to London, then to Chicago and then to Dallas.

Kiel Canal, Norway, and Celtic Explorer cruises in 2017

We combined two cruises in May and June 2017, that took us to Netherlands, the Kiel Canal in Germany, Denmark, Norway, and then England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Ireland and back to Netherlands. Our ship was the Holland America MS Prinsendam that only carried 350 passengers. (The last trip of the Prinsendam was in July 2019 when it was sold to the German company Phoenix Reisen.)

We flew on May 19 with Delta from Dallas to Atlanta, to Brussels, to Amsterdam. We arrived on the morning of May 20 and embarked on the MS Prinsendam in Amsterdam and navigated that night to the mouth of the River Elbe.

Next norming we enjoyed a scenic cruise on the River Elbe to Hamburg in Germany.

In Hamburg we took a hop-on-hop-off bus tour to get a panoramic view of the city. We saw the Speicherstadt warehouse district, the building for the magazine Der Spiegel, and the railway station. Also the Wandelhalle mall, the Deutsches Schauspielhaus theatre, the Außenalster lake and the Binnenalster Lake. We saw the Blue Mosque or Islamic Center of Hamburg, the Hamburg’s Rathaus, or city hall, seat of the local government, constructed between 1886 and 1897 in a Neo-Renaissance style. We also saw the Dancing Towers building, the St. Pauli area that contains a world-famous red-light district. In one of my aunt Fanny trips to Europe she said that she was solicited in this area by a very good looking young man. I was just 9 years old when she told me that and I could not believe that they were men prostitutes. She called him a “gigolo”.

We also saw the northern entrance of the Old Elbe Tunnel, or Alter Elbtunnel, the Hard Rock Café, the Hotel Hafen, the Elbphilharmonie which is a concert hall in the HafenCity quarter of Hamburg, Germany, on the Grasbrook peninsula of the Elbe Rive and then back to the warehouse district. There we got down from the bus and had a refreshing beer before going back to the ship.

The next day with free time in Hamburg, we dedicated it to the Miniatur Wunderland. This is the largest model railway system in the world, featuring intricate miniature landscapes and over 1,230 trains. It is located at the historic Speicherstadt warehouse district. It also features around 5,280 houses and bridges, more than 11,800 vehicles – of which around 350 drive independently on the installation – 52 airplanes and around 290,000 figures. We spent hours watching the trains, planes, miniature scenes and people. The detail is mind-blowing; it even goes from daylight to night, with little streetlights and house lights! Back on the ship, a typical Oompah band was waiting for us to give us a concert.

From Hamburg we went up the River Elbe to Brunsbüttel, the western entrance to the Kiel Canal. This entrance features locks that lift ships into the canal, allowing for a scenic passage through the Schleswig-Holstein region of Germany. The Kiel canal is a 98-kilometer-long (61 miles long) artificial waterway in Germany that connects the North Sea to the Baltic Sea. It was completed in 1895, and it significantly shortens shipping routes, saving approximately 460 kilometers compared to navigating around the Jutland Peninsula. We came out of the canal in Holtenau. It caught my attention that there is no road next to the canal.

On May 24 we docked at Fredericia, Denmark. The welcome was big. People dressed in ethnic costumes, a marching band and cannon salute. Fredericia is known for its well-preserved fortifications, particularly the Fredericia Ramparts, which are among the largest in Northern Europe. We took a little green train, and we went around the town.

Our next stop was Helsingor, Denmark. In this port the first thing you see is the Kronborg Castle, the actual castle that Shakespeare set Hamlet in, and the “garbage fish” statue that sits on the King’s Quay where we docked. We went through charming medieval quarters, visited St. Mary’s Church built in 1597, and we took pictures of Han, the Little Merman statue, that should be the companion of the Little Mermaid in Copenhagen.

Next was Copenhagen, Denmark. This was our second visit to this interesting city. Our tour took us again around the city. This time we learned that Disney was inspired to create his Disneyland by visiting Tivoli Gardens which is an amusement park and pleasure garden located in the heart of this city. It was created in 1843. Also, we learned that the external spiral winding staircase on the tower of the Church of Our Saviour can be climbed to the top! The church has Baroque architecture. Of course, we saw again the Little Mermaid statue, which is a bronze sculpture inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale, also the Gefion Fountain, the equestrian statue of Absalon, and the statue of Hans Christian Andersen himself. That night we had a wonderful wine tasting session with our on-board Sommelier.

On May 27, we arrived at Oslo, Norway, navigating through the OsloFjord. Our ship docked again right in front of the Akershus Fortress. We again went for a tour of the city and enjoyed the magnificent display of flowers and the statue of King Christian IV at Stortorvet Square. We admired the architecture of the Grand Hotel on Karl Johans gate and the very yellow Royal Palace, designed in a Neo-Classical architectural style, with a facade of stuccoed brick. It has two wings and three stories. The construction took place over 25 years, from 1824 to 1849.

Next day we left Oslo, doing another scenic cruising of the Oslo Fjord, while our ship was escorted by seagulls.

After a day at sea, our next port was Alesund, Norway. The light that morning was particularly amazing and we could take great pictures from the ship. Here our tour took us for a panoramic view of Ålesund at the Storhaugen viewpoint. This is a hilltop and green area on Aspøy in Ålesund. We took videos of the stunning vistas of the city, its islands, and the Sunnmøre Alps. We also enjoyed the city’s unique Art Nouveau architecture.

We continued to Flam, Norway, through a fantastic scenic cruising of Sognefjord. In this picturesque city we took a train, the Flåm Railway, also known as Flåmsbana. This is a scenic train journey in Norway that runs between Myrdal and Flåm, covering 20.2 kilometers. It is famous for its steep gradients, breathtaking views of waterfalls, mountains, and valleys. In the middle of the trip when the train stops at the Kjosfossen waterfall, Huldra, a mythical creature, sang to us but we were not scared because it was obviously a performer dressed as Huldra. She is a seductive forest creature found in Scandinavian folklore. We found some warm jackets at the gift store in the train station before boarding the ship.

On May 31 we arrived at Bergen, Norway. Even though it was raining, the fish market was already opening, and our tour took us to have a good view of the Bryggen Hanseatic Wharf. We then went up and down the city streets through the picturesque streets. We saw the Water Fountain in The Lille Lungegardsvannet Lake. We saw the entrance of the funicular, Floibanen, but we did not take it. In the afternoon we enjoyed taking pictures of Tyskebryggen, a series of Hanseatic heritage commercial buildings lining up the eastern side of the Vågen harbour.

June 1 found us in Stavanger, Norway. There we did a tour of the city, which is quite big, and we visited Stavanger Cathedral, which is Norway’s oldest cathedral. We enjoyed the charming Old Town (Gamle Stavanger) that features narrow cobblestone streets and historic buildings. We had the opportunity to see a band and children in a school singing a march.

After another day at sea, we arrived in Amsterdam where we were to start our next cruise: The Celtic Explorer. While we did not go into Amsterdam this time, we enjoyed taking pictures of the building of The Eye Film Museum, which is a film archive, museum and cinema, that preserves and presents both Dutch and international films. We had a relaxed day on the ship.

This was the second time a storm changed the original itinerary we had been given. The table below shows the changes.

Our Original Itinerary	Our real Itinerary due to storms
June 4 At Sea	At Sea
June 5 St Peter Port, Guernsey	Dublin, Ireland
June 6 Milford Haven, Wales, United Kingdom	Liverpool, UK
June 7 Liverpool, England, United Kingdom	Greenock, Scotland
June 8 Dublin, Ireland	Belfast, Ireland
June 9 At Sea	At Sea
June 10 Killybegs, Donegal, Ireland	Killybegs, Donegal, Ireland
June 11 Galway, Ireland	At Sea
June 12 Bantry, Ireland	Bantry, Ireland
June 13 Waterford, Ireland	Waterford, Ireland
June 14 At Sea
June 15 Vlissingen (Flushing), Netherlands Scenic Cruising Scheldt River, Antwerp, Belgium	Vlissingen
June 16 Antwerp, Belgium	Antwerp
June 17 Amsterdam, The Netherlands	Amsterdam

We started from Amsterdam, Netherlands on June 3, 2017.

Instead of going to Guernsey, we sent straight to Dublin. We had to find a way to cancel the private tour I had booked with a company in Guernsey, but the weather was so bad that the internet connection did not work. We had to dispute the charge to the credit card when we got back to our home. PTL, since the excursion company in Guernsey realized the ship did not stop there, they returned our excursion money.

Since we had been in Dublin before, this time we wanted some more information. We learned that the city was possibly established by the Gaels in or before the seventh century AD. At the beginning of our tour, we visited the round glass building near the port which is the Convention Center. Then, St Patrick’s Cathedral, the Glasnevin Cemetery. We saw the Jim Larking Statue, a trade union leader. We saw the Custom House. We ended the excursion at Taylors Tree Rock, a charming restaurant located in Rathfarnham, Dublin. We had dinner and saw a great show.

Then we went to Liverpool in England across from Ireland, Liverpool became a borough in 1207, and then a city in 1880. In the 19th century, Liverpool was a major port of departure for English and Irish emigrants to North America. It was also home to both the Cunard and White Star Lines and was the port of registry of the ocean liners RMS Titanic, RMS Lusitania, RMS Queen Mary, and RMS Olympic. We took pictures with the Beatles statues. They were an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. We visited the amazing Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King, and we saw the Church of Our Lady. We went through the Chinese quarters. We took a cruise on the picturesque Dazzle Ferr, known as the MV Snowdrop, on the River Mersey (just so we could sing with the Beatles, “Ferry Cross the Mersey.”)

Our stop in Greenock, Scotland, was pretty uneventful but we learned that it is known as the best place to live in Scotland because it is easy to commute from there to Edinburgh and Glasgow. It is known for its rich industrial history and Victorian architecture. A bagpiper welcomed us here.

Then up to Belfast again. Belfast has the most famous political murals in Europe. It is believed that almost 2,000 murals have been documented since the 1970s. Belfast has been the capital of Northern Ireland since its establishment in 1921, following the Government of Ireland Act 1920. It had been the scene of various episodes of sectarian conflict between its Catholic and Protestant populations. Belfast was the place where the RMS Titanic was built in 1909 by the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast. Thomas Andrews, chief naval architect of the shipyard at the time, died in the disaster. We saw the Belfast Castle and the Carrickfergus Castle which are the best-preserved medieval structures in Northern Ireland.

We had fun in Killibegs which is the largest fishing port in the country of Ireland. We enjoyed walking in the beautiful Harbor Beach and visited the Information Center and went to the quaint Bay View Hotel to have a cup of tea.

We continued to Bantry in the south of Ireland. There we went to Bantry House which has been home to the White family since 1739 – sometime Earls of Bantry. It contains several historic artifacts and paintings and is surrounded by amazing formal gardens.

Then we went to Waterford. As we walked, we enjoyed seeing children on a field trip. We had some food in a pub, and we met some nice guys that asked us to take pictures of them. Then we had to see the famous Waterford crystal. The origins of crystal production in Waterford date back to 1783. One of the most popular products in their collection is the “Apprentice Bowl”. It requires six hundred precision cuts, all done by hand. Of course, we could not afford any of the crystals we liked. Then we saw a Virtual Reality show in a special cabin, a replica of the Viking houses.

In June 15 we arrived at Vlissingen, Netherlands. This has been an important harbor for centuries. It was granted city rights in 1315. In the 17th century Vlissingen was a main harbor for ships of the Dutch East India Company (VOC). This company acquired ports on the West African coast to supply slaves for plantations in the West Indies and North and South America.

Then the ship continued to the Port of Antwerp, which is one of the biggest in the world, ranking second in Europe. It is on the River Scheldt. A beautiful huge organ was playing when we got off the ship. We visited the port and then we continued to Antwerp to see for the second time the City Hall and guild houses at the Grote Markt, the Statue of Brabo, Roman soldier who cut the hand of the giant Antigoon who charged money for people to cross the bridge. This time we saw the famous statue of Nello and Patrasche, boy and dog from the novel, A dog of Flanders, just in front of the Cathedral of our Lady. The story tells that they sought refuge in a cathedral on Christmas Eve, where they were found dead from the cold.

June 17, 2017, we disembarked in Amsterdam, Netherlands, where we hurried to the airport to take our flights home. Amsterdam to Paris, Paris to Atlanta, Atlanta to Dallas. Very tiring.

Cruise on the Danube from Budapest to Bucharest and Transylvania 2017

In little more than a month, we were back in Europe to take a cruise on the Danube from Budapest to Bucharest with an excursion into Transylvania. This trip took us to Hungary, Serbia, Bulgaria, and Romania in the Balkans. We were in the middle of the Balkans region in southeastern Europe that includes countries like Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, and Slovenia, along with parts of Greece and Türkiye. Our ship was the Avalon Illuminations.

We flew from Dallas to London. UK, and then to Budapest, Hungary.

On July 19, we landed in Budapest, Hungary. We had a wonderful welcome at the Kempinski Hotel Corvinus Budapest. Our room was excellent.

We had been in Budapest before but the next day we went for more sights and enjoyed Budapest’s unique energy. On our guided tour of the city, we saw Heroes’ Square as well as the massive hilltop castle complex with its remarkable Fishermen’s Bastion and 11th-century Matthias Church, the coronation spot of several Hungarian monarchs. We crossed several of the city’s eight bridges which connect ancient Buda on the right bank with Pest on the left. We walked a little on the Chain Bridge, built in 1849. That evening we went for a dinner at the ES Bisztro and Steakhouse located in our hotel. We had musicians playing Hungarian music with instruments such as cimbalom, citera, tárogató, and cobza.

The morning of our embarkation day in Budapest we went to visit the Lázár Equestrian Park, located about thirty-five kilometers from the city. We saw a popular horse show called “The Legend of the Horseman,” displaying traditional Hungarian equestrian skills. We also enjoyed a carriage ride.

We boarded the tour in the afternoon and departed in the evening enjoying the extraordinary lights or Night Glow of the illuminated City Hall, the bridges, fortress, and other buildings of Budapest. We also had a welcome reception. On the ship we immediately made friends with a Scottish ‘Sir’, who traveled in his kilt, and a couple from Chile.

Next morning we arrived in Mohács, the last stop in Hungary. After lunch, we took an excursion to Pécs. It was established by the Romans in the second century. This was an important town for Christianity by the fourth century. The early Christians left behind many underground burial chambers with memorial chapels above ground. We enjoyed an organ concert at the Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul in Pécs. The city also has a rich Turkish architecture and is home to Turkish mosques. We visited the Roman underground tombs, many of which have splendidly decorated murals with Christian themes. We heard the beautiful bell of the Cathedral ring at Angelus time before returning to the ship.

Next morning we woke up before 6 a.m. with the music coming from the party boats in the Belgrade, Serbia area of the Danube. The Splavovi, or splav, are Belgrade’s floating river clubs that make the city one of the best party destinations in the Balkans. Belgrade is one of the oldest cities in Europe, and the capital of Serbia, situated at the confluence of the Danube and Sava Rivers. On our way to a Serbian folkloric show that afternoon, we saw St. Sava, the world’s largest orthodox church. When we came back to the ship ‘Shake and Spear’, a violinist and a piano player were our night’s entertainment.

Our next exiting adventure was an excursion to Lepenski Vir–Iron Gates. We docked at Donji Milanovac, where a short drive took us to the impressive Lepenski Vir Exhibition Center, which houses an area of archaeological artifacts. From there we had unique views of the Danube Gorge. In the afternoon we went through the most spectacular scenery of the dramatic Iron Gates gorge, a narrow and formerly dangerous passage dividing Europe’s Alps in the northwest from the Carpathians in the southeast and forming a natural border between Serbia and Romania. There we saw the Decebalus King Statue built in 1994 on the side of the river. He was King of Decia in the 100’s AD. We also saw a Roman Memorial plaque commemorating the completion of a military road constructed by Emperor Trajan in the early second century AD.

On July 25, we arrived to Cetate, Romania–Vidin, Bulgaria. We took an excursion to Belogradchik.
Cetate was an old Danubian grain shipping port, now turned into a cultural center. We first went to the Cultural Center where Mircea Dinescu, transformed a former agricultural port into a cultural hub for the arts. Dinescu was famous as a poet, journalist, and editor, who left the communist regime and helped the Romanian Revolution in 1989. Then we went to Vidin, an important Danube port in northwestern Bulgaria. Its medieval fortress, known as “Baba Vidin,” is the town’s primary landmark. It served as Vidin’s main defensive installation during the Middle Ages and is the only entirely preserved medieval fortress in the country. It is now a fortress museum. In nearby Belogradchik, we viewed the eclectic group of rock formations on the western slopes of the Balkan Mountains. Sculpted by natural elements for more than two hundred million years and, with a variety of sizes and shapes, the Belogradchik Rocks are spectacular! We also saw Belogradchik Fortress, built in the 1st century AD.

We continued to Rousse in Bulgaria. We took a ride from the river port of Rousse to the ancient Bulgarian capital of Veliko Târnovo. It is situated on three hills surrounding the Yantra River. The city was a natural fortress with ancient stone houses clinging to the steep slopes. One of the oldest towns in Bulgaria (dating back to 4300 BC), the oldest part is Tsarevets Hill, home of the royal fortress, and the Patriarch’s Church. Next, we journeyed to Arbanassi, founded in the 15th century, and best known for its Bulgarian Revival architecture and ethnographical museum, a 400-year-old house preserved as a museum. We visited the Church of the Nativity, with an outstanding collection of frescoes. We returned to the ship at Rousse. That night we had a presentation of Bulgarian folk dances on the ship.

On July 27, we arrived to Oltenita, Romania, to disembark and be transported to Bucharest, Romania. After breakfast we said goodbye to our crew. Bucharest, Romania’s lively capital, is only a short drive from Oltenita. It has wide, tree-lined boulevards and Arc de Triomphe, which was built in 1922 to honor the bravery of Romanian soldiers who fought in WWI. Bucharest is called “Paris of the East.” Much recent history has taken place in the city. During the tour in the afternoon, we saw the main sights including the Royal Palace Square, scene of riots in 1989, when the Ceaușescu’s were executed, collapsing the communist dictatorship. We walked down Calea Victoriei, “Victory Avenue,” Bucharest’s most historic street. We stayed that night at the Athenee Palace Hilton a luxury hotel in Bucharest.

On July 28, we started our excursion to Transylvania in the Carpathian Mountains. We headed out of the city of Bucharest to our first stop, a visit to Peleș Castle, a Neo-Renaissance palace located in Sinaia, Romania, built between 1873 and 1914 for King Carol I. It is renowned for its stunning architecture and beautiful mountain scenery. We also visited the Sinaia Monastery founded in 1695 by Prince Mihail Cantacuzino. It is named after the famous Saint Catherine’s Monastery on Mount Sinai in Egypt. It features two churches built in the Byzantine style and is currently home to 13 Orthodox monks. We continued to Azuga for lunch. In the afternoon we arrived in Brasov, a walled city, known for its medieval architecture, including the Black Church, a Gothic Church, which we visited. Brasov was founded by the Teutonic Knights in 1211. We spend the night in Brasov.

On July 29, we visited the Basilica St. Nicolas, Biserica Sfântul Nicolae, which is an Eastern Orthodox church. It is one of the oldest Orthodox churches in the country, originally built in wood in 1392 and later reconstructed in stone between 1495 and 1519, featuring Gothic and Baroque architectural styles. We also were in the first Romanian School, the first institution where Romanian was used as the language of instruction, starting in 1583. The Museum includes the first Romanian Bible and the first printing press, established by Bishop Macarie in 1508, 50 years after Gutenberg invented the printing press.

The excitement grew in the group, after lunch in Rasnov, when we headed to visit the Castelul Bran, known as Dracula Castle, built between 1377 and 1382 by the German colonists after King Louis I of Anjou granted them this right. Until 1920 it was used as an administrative building. Partially ruined, the fortress was offered as a gift to Queen Marie, the last Queen of Romania (from October 10, 1914 to July 20, 1927) as the wife of King Ferdinand I. She contributed to the Great Unification in 1918. She restored the old fortress, transforming it into one of her favorite royal residences. The castle is famous outside Romania as Dracula’s Castle because of the Irish novelist, Bram Stoker, who wrote the Gothic horror novel “Dracula” in 1897. (The book tells a fictional story of an English lawyer traveling to Romania to assist a count known as Dracula in a real estate deal.) However, Vlad III Dracula was a real character in the history of Romania but was never in that castle. Actually, the family name was Dracul, and the name Dracula means son of Dracul or ‘Dragon.’ In the 1400’s, Vlad’s father was from the Order of the Dragon, defending Christian Europe from the Ottomans. Vlad is known as ‘The Impaler’ because he impaled his enemies on stakes in the ground and left them to die. In Romania, despite his cruelty, he is considered a hero because he defended his country, but legend says his savage acts caused him to be excommunicated from the Church and doomed him to wander the earth as one of the undead.

After this visit we returned to the hotel in Bucharest to prepare for the trip home.

On July 30, after a good Romanian breakfast, we boarded our flight from Bucharest to London and then London to Dallas.

Transatlantic Viking Passage in 2019

This was a cruise from July 12 to 30, the 17-day Transatlantic Viking Passage. Our ship was the Holland America’s MS Zuiderdam. The cruise took us to Rotterdam, Netherlands; Lerwick, Shetland Islands, Scotland; Reykjavik, Akureyri and Isafjordur in Iceland. We cruised the Prince Christian Sound and visited Nanortalik, in Greenland, and continued to St. John’s, Canada; St Pierre-Miquelon, (French Island) Sydney and Halifax in Canada, and Boston, Massachusetts.

We flew from Dallas to Toronto and then to Amsterdam. We were transported by bus to Rotterdam where we boarded the Holland America’s MS Zuiderdam. This time our cabin had a balcony, and we enjoyed it very much.

We departed from Rotterdam on July 13, and spent the next day at sea.

On July 15, we arrived in our first port, Lerwick, in the Shetland Islands, United Kingdom. When we went through Lerwick to take our tour bus we made friends with a beautiful white goat that was greeting the passengers. She was wearing a red bandana. Then we did a gorgeous tour to see the Scalloway Castle and Museum and then continued to have an encounter with Shetland Ponies. We were surprised to realize how different these horses were from the ones we saw in Iceland. We saw big horses scratching each other’s backs and several adorable colts and fillies. We were amazed to learn about the Lerwick Up Helly Aa held the last Tuesday in January. They celebrate Norse heritage with a torchlit procession and the burning of a Viking longship. We were invited to come again to see this.

After a day at sea we docked in Reykjavik, Iceland, where we spent two days. The first day we did a tour of the city similar to the one we had done in 2012. We saw the Höfði House, where, in 1986 U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev had a meeting. We saw the Sun Voyager, which is a sculpture of a Viking boat; Harpa Concert Hall; Conference Centre; the Hallgrimskirkja church; and the Perlan Museum.

Next day we took a boat ride to see puffins. And puffins we saw! Hundreds on an island, flying, talking to each other, taking care of their babies. We particularly enjoyed seeing their funny landing on the water. They just plop. That night we went to visit a beer brewery, and we were amused by the behavior of some visitors from Greece who promptly became incredibly happy and jumped on the table. What surprised us more was that the guide, who was a small lady, had one beer after the other while she was telling us what they were, and she never lost control.

Next day we continued to Akureyri in Iceland which we had also visited in our previous trip, so we decided to stay on board that day.

On July 20, we arrived to Isafjordur, Iceland. We walked around the port and then we decided to take a cruise to see whales. It turned out to be really interesting because we were able to see a group of twelve whales or more with their little ones. It was a great experience. I took movies and pictures galore!

After another day at sea we crossed through Prince Christian Sound, a waterway in southern Greenland, approximately 100 km (60 miles) long, connecting the Labrador Sea with the Irminger Sea. It separates the mainland from Sammisoq and other islands of the Cape Farewell Archipelago near the southernmost tip of Greenland. The name was given in honor of the prince, later king Christian VIII of Denmark. We have never seen so many icebergs floating around the ship. We also saw the The American military base in Prince Christian Sound known as Bluie East One. It served as a radio and weather station during World War II in Greenland.

We arrived in Nanortalik, Greenland, on July 23, 2019. This is a small town in southern Greenland, known as the “Place of Polar Bears,” with a population of about 1,072. It offers stunning natural beauty, including the Tasermiut Fjord. We walked around talking to the people who were very friendly and visited the Nanortalik Open Air Museum, highlighting traditional Greenlandic life. We enjoyed reading a billboard with the news of the town and announcing the Bingo hours. We visited the Firsh Market and took pictures of the children and the flowers. I went inside their senior center and the wooden, Danish Lutheran church, only church in town, where some ladies dressed in their native Inuit outfits sang some hymns in their language for us. The language is Greenlandic, also known as Kalaallisut, which is part of the Eskimo-Aleut language family. It was a privilege to visit this town, but we caught a nasty cold there while waiting in a very narrow place with many other people to get into the only gift shop!

We had another day at sea before reaching St. Johns, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. There we toured the picturesque city. We went to Signal Hill National Historic Site, Quidi Vidi village, and the colorful Jellybean Row houses. Other attractions were the Cape Spear Lighthouse, and we visited The Rooms Mall and Museum. It was great to be where Guglielmo Marconi received the first transatlantic wireless transmission at Signal Hill in St. John’s, Newfoundland, on December 12, 1901. This historic event marked a significant milestone in communication technology.

Next was Saint Pierre and Miquelon which is officially the Territorial Collectivity of Saint Pierre and Miquelon. It is a self-governing territorial overseas collectivity of France in the northwestern Atlantic Ocean near the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is an archipelago of eight islands. Its residents are French citizens. Since I was not feeling well, Karelin went down on the tour and took pictures for me to see later.

Then we went to Sydney, Nova Scotia, in Canada and next day Hallifax, Nova Scotia. We had been to both places before, so we did not go down this time. I was really feeling the effects of the bad cold. We had to cancel our tour on a Horse drawn trolley in Halifax.

We disembarked on July 30, in Boston, Massachusetts. We flew straight home from there.

We have visited many places in Europe and enjoyed every one of them. We presented Power Point presentations and videos of our trips at our Travel Club at the Summit, the senior center of Grand Prairie, Texas. In all these sessions we commented about the obvious and enormous influence we noticed of Arabic and Asian cultures in most of the main capitals and big cities in France, Germany, Italy, and United Kingdom. Those cities were not the same as in the 1980’s when I went to present papers in conferences or to visit my ancestral countries with my parents.