Transatlantic Cruise

We just got back last Thursday from 34 days of traveling across the Atlantic, northern Europe and several Baltic countries.  We were able to visit places
I’d always wanted to see (like England, Denmark, Sweden), places I’d never given much thought to (Azores, Belgium, Finland), and places that were not
even open to visiting when I was younger (Russia, Estonia, former East Berlin), plus a few other places.  We had wonderful weather and a great time.

   We flew to Fort Lauderdale on April 21 and boarded the MS Zuiderdam the next morning.  We had been on a sister ship before (Westerdam), but were
pleased to see the recent dry dock to the Zuiderdam included upgrades to large flat screen TVs with streaming movies, TV shows, news and other features
that are nice for a trip with lots of sea days.  We started out with two sea days travel to get to Bermuda. There we took a bus around the bay to the capital
city of Hamilton. As we started to walk around we found the city hall which had a sign advertising a free walking tour lead by the town crier. He was outfitted
in traditional English dress with a tricorner hat and large bell.  We visited the cathedral and the legislature as well as seeing many parts of the city. We took
the ferry back to the Royal Naval Dockyards where our ship was docked and looked around at the shops housed in the old buildings there.

In the Bermuda Legislature

Royal Naval Dockyards, Bermuda

    After Bermuda we had four sea days to cross most of the Atlantic Ocean.   Our routine was similar from day to day on the sea days: morning lectures on
various topics, cooking demonstrations from America’s Test Kitchen, BBC Earth shows. Afternoons were usually a trip to the gym, swim or walk the
promenade, a movie and dinner.  The evenings were filled with entertainment from shows on the main stage from musicians, comedians, or a fantastic
juggler. Then off to the BB King Blues Club for a great band and sometimes Lincoln Center Stage for a string quartet and piano, or Billboard Onboard for
piano/singer duet of pop music.  

Street in Horta, Azores, Portugal

Scrimshaw carvings

    

Scrimshaw etchings

Our next stop was the Azores, a group of islands that are part of Portugal.   Horta, on Filal Island was first; a small, quaint town that is not a big tourist
destination.  We were only the third ship there this year since the Azores are only on Transatlantic itineraries. We visited the Scrimshaw Museum.  
Scrimshaw is etching or carvings that sailors would do on whale bone or teeth as their pastime at sea. They were very beautiful and had amazing detail.
Next, Chuck had a gum infection bothering him for a couple days, so the ship arranged a taxi to a local dentist for us. Another couple came along that had
a loose bridge.  So for a 5 Euro taxi ride and a 10 Euro consultation, we were taken care of. We were quite pleased with that, about $20 total, which would
have cost many times more at home.

    The other Azorian island we visited was Sao Miguel, docking at Ponta Delgada.  This was an amazingly beautiful place. We went on a tour that another
passenger had arranged (she’d been there on four previous cruises) that took us all over the island. The first of two main destinations was Sete Cidades.
It is the caldera of a volcano with two beautiful lakes inside.  One lake is green and the other is blue, but the weather was overcast just enough to make the
colors look about the same. Still it was a beautiful view, a magnificent setting for a town on the lakesides. From there we headed toward the other end of
the island to another volcano caldera. Next to the lake in this one is an area that is used to bury large pots of food so they are cooked by steam rising from
the volcano.  The restaurants or individuals can take them out there at 5am to be buried, then around noon they unearth them. After watching them dig up
our pot we headed to the restaurant that serves the contents - beef, chicken, pork, vegetables, potatoes and yams. It was quite tender and good. We also
had local passion fruit juice and pineapple for dessert. Then we visited a hot springs area and tea plantation. The whole island was beautiful because of
the green fields with grazing cows and many flowers everywhere.

Sete Cidades, Azores

View from Ponta Delgada

Northern European Coast

    Back to sea for three more days on our way to Southampton, England.  The ocean was a bit rougher for the first couple days. It didn’t really bother us
at all except it made it difficult to walk in a straight line; everyone looked like they were failing a sobriety test.  As we got into the English Channel we began
to see other ships for the first time in many days. In Southampton we shared a taxi tour with three other couples (arranged ahead of time on the cruise
critic forum) to Stonehenge.  Of course it's just like the pictures, but maybe not as large as I expected. Still, it is an amazing sight. It was quite crowded
(it was a “bank holiday” and the weather was gorgeous) but it's protected so you can't go right up to the stones, making it easier to photograph without
people in the way.  The countryside around there is beautiful green rolling hills. Then we went to Salisbury, which is a classic English medieval city with
some fantastic old buildings. We had a couple hours there, so we started with lunch; Chuck with traditional fish and chips, me with a shepherd’s pie.
Both were excellent.  Then we just walked around enjoying the atmosphere. People were quite friendly, a lady even told Chuck she loved his accent, haha.
I loved hers! We also walked around the Cathedral grounds and courtyard. Engraved in the rocks of the pathway and the walls are memorials to people
from the late 17 and early 1800’s.  After that we drove through the New Forest area, a protected area where horses, sheep and cows are allowed to roam
free. There are also nice country homes within the forest area.

Stonehenge

Chuck in Salisbury

Salisbury Cathedral

   The next day we arrived at the port of Cherbourg on the French coast.   From there we went with another tour group to see the D-Day beaches. First was the town of Sainte Mere Eglise which was the first town liberated by the Allies on D-Day and was strategically important to cut off German supply lines.  Paratroopers parachuted in at great peril, many were killed. There's a great story about one getting his parachute caught on the church steeple, they have a dummy up there now to show where it happened. We went to the Paratrooper Museum there that has lots of history and many artifacts from small items to large gliders that were used.  Then we stopped at a French bakery to buy sandwiches on wonderful French bread. Continuing on we went to Pointe du Hoc where the Army Rangers scaled the cliffs under heavy Nazi fire. The landscape is full of craters created by Allied bombing and broken concrete from the Nazi bunkers, a couple of which you can go in. The views of the ocean were breathtaking.  Our French guide, who was from a small town in the area, told us about how her grandparents had run inland to avoid the bombing. Her grandmother wanted to go to the church but grandpa thought inland would be safer. She showed us the picture of the church which had been bombed out. Many French civilians were killed in the assaults, but the French people were grateful to be liberated after four years of Nazi occupation. From there we headed to Omaha Beach where the American troops landed in large numbers and many more were killed.  The beach is four miles long with a big memorial at the center. Lastly we visited the American cemetery with its many rows of white crosses and some stars of David where about 40% of the soldiers are buried. Families had the option to have their loved ones buried there or re-interred in the U.S. that's why less than half of those who gave their lives are buried there. There are still a lot of graves along with some beautiful memorials.

Church at Sainte Mere Eglise (notice paratrooper caught on steeple)

In Paratrooper Museum

German Bunker at Pont du Hoc

Cliffs at Pont du Hoc

Memorial at Omaha Beach

Normandy American Cemetery

    The next day our stop was in Belgium at the port of Zeebrugge.  We taxied with a group to the city of Bruges, which was beyond amazing.  It is like
being in a medieval fairy tale of winding cobblestone streets, canals and old brick buildings.  From the central market square we went on a two hour
walking tour of the city where we learned about the rich history that dates back to the 1200’s.  It is one of the best preserved towns in Europe because
it did not get bombed in World War II because Hitler liked the town. Of course we also had to sample the food Belgium is famous for - some Belgian
waffles with strawberries and cream and some fine Belgian chocolate.  In the central area there are a multitude of chocolate shops and waffle cafes,
all of which looked amazing, and what we ate was wonderful. We wandered around the maze of streets until our feet were aching, but loved every
minute of it.

Bruges Canal

Bruges Market Square

Bruges houses

    From there we sailed on to Amsterdam.  We had tickets for the hop-on-hop-off bus and boat, so we got on a boat that would take us to the stop at
the Anne Frank house. I had bought tickets two months in advance, online, which is the only way you can get in there.  We got there right at our
appointed time, luckily, so we were able to get right in. No photos are allowed inside. First you go through an area that has photos and information
about the Frank family. Then you go through the actual annex where they and another family lived for over two years.  It is very sobering to see the
small area that 8 people lived in, unable to make noise in daytime or ever go outside. I had read her book, “Diary of a Young Girl” when I was about
her age, 14-15. I’d forgotten that they knew about D-Day and hoped to be rescued soon when they were discovered. They were all sent to
concentration camps, and only her father, out of all eight people that were in hiding, survived the war.   

Amsterdam canal

Amsterdam windmill

    After leaving there, we took a hop on bus and later another boat to tour the city and its wonderful canals.   While Amsterdam is an interesting
city with people riding bikes everywhere, it didn't seem as clean as the other places we’d visited.  It was also very busy making it slow to get
around, so we ended our time by walking around to see local businesses and buildings.

    We had one sea day traveling north to Copenhagen.  This was the end of the transatlantic portion of the cruise, and about ⅔ of the
passengers disembarked there.  Several we’d become acquainted with were heading other places in Europe, often because they had done the
Baltics before.   We had a day in Copenhagen knowing we’ be back in ten days to spend more time. So we just walked around the Nyhaven
port area, the pedestrian shopping street, and by Rosenborg Castle.  We also ate some excellent pastries. In a couple days I’ll post about the
second half of the trip; need to edit photos first (I shot over 1100 pics).

Nyhaven, Copenhagen

Rosenborg Castle

New York City

Since we had been to New York City three years ago, this time we wanted to do some of the things we didn’t have time for before (or weren’t opened at the time).  So we bought a New York Pass that covers admission to over 80 attractions.  It was a good way to go, but I think I’d need about a year (or at least a couple months) to enjoy everything.

For this trip to NYC, we stayed at the Meadowlands in Secaucus, an easy 15 minute bus ride into New York City, because we’re too cheap to pay Manhattan hotel prices (or we like to maximize our travel budget).  Matt only had one day to spend with us before flying home, so we started by taking the subway to Battery Park.  From there we took the boat to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.  Then we walked up to the 9/11 Memorial.  The plaza is now open to walk around (last time we had to go through security to enter the area), but the line for the museum (that wasn’t opened when we went in 2013) was too long for the time we had, so we went back another day.  We also went on the grounds of St. Paul’s Trinity Church, one of the oldest churches in the country, that was miraculously undamaged on 9/11.  Matt insisted on eating NY pizza, so we did that for lunch and then boarded a hop-on, hop-off bus for a city tour.  We did the lower Manhattan loop and got off at Chinatown.  Then we took the subway back up to Times Square where we shopped and hung out with the hundreds of other people that were there on a pleasant Saturday evening.

The next day we took our rental car to La Guardia airport, then took the bus and subway through Queens and into Manhattan.  There we took the upper Manhattan hop-on hop-off loop and got off at the Guggenheim Museum.  After that museum, we walked down to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  I didn’t realize what a huge place it is; it would take days to see it all.  So since we only had hours (it closes at 5pm), we had to be selective.  Then we finished the bus loop and headed back to the hotel. 

The following morning we took the subway back to the 9/11 Memorial and visited the museum.  It is an excellent museum that touches on every aspect of that day, and is a sobering reminder of the tragedy.  From there we walked to the seaport area on the East River and took a water taxi under the Brooklyn Bridge, past the Statue of Liberty, and up the Hudson River.  From the terminal we walked to the Intrepid Museum, which has the aircraft carrier, a submarine, and the Star Trek Experience.  That would be cool if you’re a big trekkie (I’m not).  Then we took a bus to Rockefeller Center to go to the Top of the Rock.  The view from there is amazing; from one side you can see Central Park and upper Manhattan, from the other, lower Manhattan and beyond.  We got some dinner at the Tri-Tip Grill (good and inexpensive) before doing the tour of Rockefeller Center.  I didn’t know that it consists of 19 buildings that house offices of many international companies as well as broadcast studios and Radio City Music Hall. 

For our last day, we went back downtown to a couple historic locations we wanted to visit.  The first was Federal Hall, where George Washington was inaugurated as our first president.  The Bible he used when he was sworn in is displayed inside, and outside is a large statue of Washington.  This location (although the building is not the original but was rebuilt in 1842) was the original US capitol under the Articles of Confederation and then the Constitution.  It is located on Wall Street across from the US Stock Exchange.  A couple blocks further down is Fraunces Tavern, built in 1719 and one of the oldest buildings in Manhattan.  It was the site of many important events of the revolution, including Washington’s farewell to his officers of the Continental Army at the conclusion of the war.  The building is owned by the Sons of the Revolution and still houses a tavern and restaurant downstairs, but the upper floors are a very interesting museum.  It contains many handwritten documents, paintings and flags from every era of American history.   After that we took the subway back up to Times Square area and did some shopping.  The next day we took an Uber ride to the airport to catch our flight home.

Statue of Liberty

9/11 Memorial

in 9/11 Museum

St. Paul's Trinity Church

Freedom Tower

Times Square on a nice Saturday night

Lower Manhattan skyline from water taxi

Central Park and Manhattan from Top of the Rock

Rockefeller Center

Washington statue at Federal Hall

Fraunces Tavern

view of Hudson River and Statue of Liberty from airplane

Virginia, DC and Philadelphia

Our fall trip this year took us back east.  We flew into Dulles Airport where we met up with our son, Matt, who flew in from California.  We drove into Washington, DC., after midnight and walked from the Lincoln Memorial to the World War II Memorial enjoying the quiet and peaceful atmosphere when few are there.  Matt’s company is headquartered in Fredericksburg, Virginia, so we spent a few days there while he was at meetings.  The first day we drove north and took the Metro back into Washington, DC.  We took a tour of the Capitol building arranged a through our congresswoman’s office.  I recommend doing that; so much nicer than being in a large group.  From there we went into the Library of Congress.  Both buildings are magnificent in their architecture and filled with artwork, sculptures and history.  We also visited the National Archives, which was too crowded last time we were there.  They house the original Declaration of Independence, Constitution, Bill of Rights and a copy of the 1297 Magna Carta among many other important historical documents. 

The next day we drove through the beautiful green rolling hills of Virginia to Monticello, the plantation and home of Thomas Jefferson.  His home was full of innovative things he made, like a writing desk that had a second pen that made a copy of his writings.  He wrote over 40,000 letters during his lifetime and kept a record of each one this way.  He also had a dumbwaiter, a great clock that worked on a week’s time, and artifacts he was sent by Lewis and Clark from their exploration of the west he commissioned after the Louisiana Purchase.  Jefferson was an amazing man in many ways.

On our way to Monticello, and then the next day we were able to visit four Civil War battlefields that are in the Fredericksburg area.  The first was Chancellorsville as we headed west out of town.  There is no town, it was just the home of the Chancellor family that was located there.  As with many Civil War battlefields, the location was where several roads intersected.  This one may be most remembered as the location where Stonewall Jackson was mortally wounded.  A few miles further on is the location of the Battle of the Wilderness which was fought a year later in 1864.  Both these areas are beautifully wooded, with some open fields and trenches still visible over 150 years later.  The Spotsylvania Court House and Fredericksburg Battlefield were the other two we visited. At Fredericksburg the Confederate Army had the high ground and a still intact stone wall to defend against the Union Army’s offensive to cross the Rappahannock River in 1862.  There is also a Union Cemetery there; their losses were tremendous.  Crossing the river we visited the Chatham House, a plantation house that was used as a Union hospital during the war.  Also in Fredericksburg we visited the home of Mary Washington, George’s mother, where she spent her last years.  Close to there is Kenmore, a plantation house that was owned by Mary’s daughter and is an interesting place to see.

Leaving Fredericksburg, we stopped in Maryland for fine dining at the Waffle House, then drove north to King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, about 20 miles outside Philadelphia.  In the morning we visited Valley Forge, site of Washington’s winter camp during the Revolutionary War.  From there we went to Independence Hall in Philadelphia and saw the Liberty Bell as well.  We topped off the day with Philly cheesesteak sandwiches and a drive past the newly dedicated LDS Temple before heading north to New Jersey. 

Lincoln Memorial at night

US Capitol

inside Capitol rotunda

inside Library of Congress

Monticello, home of Thomas Jefferson

Chatham House, Fredericksburg, VA

Confederate trenches at Fredericksburg

at Valley Forge, PA

Liberty Bell, Philadelphia, PA

Independence Hall, Philadelphia

LDS Temple, Philadelphia

Spring and summer 2106 in Utah and Wyoming

Okay, I admit I’m a lazy blogger.  We’re now in October and I haven’t written about any of this year’s travels since January.  So here’s a quick synopsis.  In March we took a trip to Vegas and saw Celine Dion; wonderful show.  We then went to Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon National Park. We’d wanted to see Bryce with snow, and even though the snow was gone at other places there was still quite a bit at Bryce due to the elevation.  Of the five national parks in Utah, Bryce is my favorite followed closely by Arches.  But they all have their own special beauty.

We took two separate trips during the summer to Wyoming.  The first was to see some areas where the pioneers traveled on their way west.  We went to Fort Bridger and Independence Rock, named because the goal was to be that far along the way by the fourth of July.  Just west of there is Martin’s Cove, named for the Martin Handcart Company that left too late in the season and was caught in a blizzard in early October 1856.  Many of them died, including my g-g-g-grandmother.  Her son, my g-g-grandfather, was among the rescue party sent from Salt Lake City (he had emigrated four years earlier) to bring supplies and help.  His young sister was a survivor who lived to be 85 years old.  I’m really thankful for the sacrifices and difficulties they endured to settle the west that we enjoy now.  We also went to South Pass City near the continental divide and “parting of the ways” where the Oregon Trail separates from the Mormon Trail.  They great expanses of empty, rolling prairie are amazing and nice to see from our truck, but I sure wouldn’t want to have to walk all those miles.

In July we took out trailer to Victor, Idaho, where we camped for our visit to Jackson Hole, Wyoming.  From there we drove without the trailer over the high pass into Wyoming.  We had great fun on a whitewater rafting trip on the Snake River.  It was a blast! That was the reason we went there in July when Jackson is quite crowded.  We also spent a day hiking around Grand Teton National Park which is a beautiful park just south of Yellowstone.  We also took a horseback ride in the mountains on the Idaho side.  We were glad we stayed on the Idaho side of the mountains where the cute towns of Victor and Driggs are not as crowded as Wyoming but still have summer activities.  We ended the trip back at our youngest son’s house in Wellsville, Utah, just outside Logan in the beautiful Cache Valley.

Bryce National Park in early spring

Zion National Park

Parting of the ways

still visible pioneer trail ruts

Trail marker

Pioneer village replica

Martin's Cove marker

South Pass at continental divide

Whitewater rafting on the Snake River

Grand Tetons and the Snake River