Antarctica Pt 1 DEC 24 2024

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Antarctica…..I don’t even know where to begin. Remote, majestic, mysterious, silent, cold. Unlike any place on earth. According to Brittanica it is “the world’s southernmost, highest, driest, windiest, coldest and iciest continent.”  It also has the world’s largest desert, a polar desert.  It is the fifth largest and least inhabited continent.  It is almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle, surrounded by the Southern Ocean and contains the South Pole.  Most of Antarctica is covered by a sheet of ice which averages a thickness of 1.2 miles.  The seasonal population is between 1,300 to 5,100 depending on the season.
Antarctica is governed by about thirty countries as part of the 1959 Antarctic Treaty System.  As part of the Treaty, military activity, nuclear explosions, and nuclear waste disposal are all prohibited in Antarctica. We spent four days cruising the coast of Antarctica named Antarctic Peninsula including Elephant Island and Deception Island.

For the most part we had great weather except for occasional low visibility due to fog.  Since this is summer in this part of the world, we had 22 hours of daylight each day. Great for continuous scenic viewing.
Elephant Island is named for the elephant head like appearance and the sighting of elephant seals in 1821.

The next bay after Elephant Island is Hope Bay. The Captain informed us that Hope Bay was full of icebergs so the ship would add cruising of Deception Island to our itinerary instead.

Deception Island is the flooded caldera of an active volcano.  It was named for its deceptive appearance as a normal Island until you get close enough to see the caldera. Our captain was able to get the ship close enough to “Neptune’s Bellows so we could see the caldera.  The narrow entrance of the channel into the caldera was too narrow for a ship our size.

Very Large/Wide Iceberg

Colony of Chinstrap Penguins

On the shore we could see part of the 200,000 chinstrap penguins.
On Christmas Eve the ship’s officers and crew put on a special holiday show. Choirs from the Phillipines and Indonesian as well as an International Choir put on a fantastic show.

On Christmas Day we attended a church service led by passenger volunteers and later that morning Santa Claus visited the small number of children on the ship.

Next up: Antarctica part 2

 

Falkland Islands DEC 22 2024

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As the captain predicted, we had gale force winds and rough weather as we approached Puerto Madryn, Argentina. Rather than abort the port, the captain decided to wait offshore to see if the weather improved. The captain said he couldn’t dock if the winds were greater than 30 knots and our winds that day were 50. Also this port has no tug boats available to help ships dock. After waiting several hours, the ship was able to dock. By this time most people had missed their scheduled excursions and chose to stay onboard. WIth the strong winds and cold temperatures, we chose to stay on the ship.

After a second day at sea, our next port was a big one, the Falkland Islands. The Islands is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean. The capital is Stanley. The Falklands have an internal self governance but the United Kingdom is responsible for their defense and foreign affairs.

The Falkland Islands was uninhabited until 1764. Since then it has been ruled by French, British, Spanish and Argentine settlements, until the British took over in 1833. Argentina still claims the Islands. In 1982, Argentina invaded the island and they battled for two months before the English restored order. Still today, Argentina still believes the Falkland Islands belong to them and is a source of tension and hard feelings between the two countries. We were told not to wear anything with Argentina on it and be sure not to even wear the colors of the Argentina flag. To say it is a sore subject for the Argentine people is an understatement. Bill left his Buenos Aires, Argentina hat on the ship!!

The morning of our visit dawned with bright blue skies and calm seas. We were extremely lucky since the captain said only 50% of ships are able to anchor here. Just the day before, two ships were unable to stop because of poor weather.

This is a tender port so we had to get a tender boat ticket and wait for our number to be called. It was a 20+ minute ride to shore which wasn’t bad since the water was calm.

The capital,Stanley, is remote with a population of 2,500 people and 1,000,000 penguins!

We didn’t have an excursion booked here so we got on their new Hop On Hop Off bus, just started this year.

Totem Pole of Direction

Cross of Sacrifice

It is not a large island and they didn’t have a lot of stops, but our main interest was Gypsy Cove to see Magellanic penguins. Located four miles from Stanley, it is part of a National Wildlife Reserve.
Avian flu is a real concern here and has claimed the lives of some of the penguins, so as a precaution we had to walk over a disinfectant pad before entering the Reserve.

There are park officials located all along the paths to keep over eager tourists from getting too close to the penguins. Obviously the penguins were used to people since they seemed indifferent to our presence. Simply amazing to see them this close!

Other sights on the island included the Lady Elizabeth, a 1879 shipwreck.

The Christ Church Cathedral (1890) is the southernmost Anglican cathedral in the world.

The Whalebone Arch made from the jaws of two blue whales, was erected in 1933 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of British rule in the Falkland Islands.

We stopped at the 1982 Memorial Wood, a small forest of trees dedicated to the British forces who served and died during the 1982 Falklands War, and found a geocache.

A great day in the Falkland Islands!

Cape Pembroke Lighthouse

Next up: Antarctica

Uruguay DEC 17 2024

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After a busy day in Buenos Aires, the next day we were in the port of Montevideo, Uruguay. With a population of 1.3 million, it is the capital of Uruguay. Instead of a Holland America excursion, we booked a private tour with Viator. A three hour tour of the highlights of Montevideo, it was just the right length of time to see this small capital city.

It was a perfect day with sunshine and temps in the 70s.

We stopped at Constitution Plaza where we visited the Metropolitan Cathedral, a Roman Catholic cathedral constructed in 1804.

Baptism Area

The Salvo Palace, built in 1928 is now used for offices and private residences.

The Legislative Palace is the meeting place of the General Assembly of Uruguay.

Monumental equestrian statue & underground burial chamber for Uruguayan revolutionary José Artigas.

We noticed a lot of dog walkers in both Buenos Aires and Montevideo. Evidently it is a profitable business in those cities, especially with college students.

And of course, every place has a city sign and we borrowed the country flag!

Next up: Punta del Este, Uruguay

Our third of call was Punta del Este, Uruguay. Known as the Monte Carlo of South America, the Hamptons of South America and the Miami Beach of South America. A tiny sleepy town of 13,000 people for much of the year, during its high tourist season its numbers swell with wealthy jet set tourists crowding the harbor with their yachts .

Once again we booked a tour through a private company and we had an excellent local guide. We enjoyed exploring the city in a minivan rather than a big tour bus, Our guide was enthusiastic and spoke fluent English.

Since this is a very small peninsula, we could easily see the highlights in three hours. But first we had to take a tender boat over for a twenty minute ride. No problem since it was a beautiful, warm day.

La Mano is a famous sculpture (fingers) and symbol of Punta del Este completed in 1982.

Church of Our Lady of Candelaria is a sweet little Roman Catholic church.

The Punta del Este Lighthouse is 147 feet tall and a working lighthouse using electricity. It was built in 1860 using a volcanic cement mix from Rome.

At the harbor fishermen were cleaning their fish and throwing the scraps to the waiting sea lions and birds.

The next day was a welcomed sea day. A day to sleep a little later and a day to relax after all the past busy days.

Next up: Puerto Madryn, Argentina. The captain announced during his noon talk he is expecting gale force winds during the night and 35 mph winds tomorrow while in Puerto Madryn. Not sure what tomorrow will bring!

 

Buenos Aires, Argentina DEC 16 2024

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Another adventure has begun! Our final adventure of 2024. On December 14th we flew from Orlando to Miami where we caught an overnight flight to Buenos Aires, Argentina, Overnight flights are never easy. WIth only a few hours sleep we arrived mid morning. Our travel agent had arranged transportation to the cruise port which included a short tour of Buenos Aries. We were really too tired to enjoy it and just wanted to get to the ship.

This cruise port was different than any other port we have sailed out of anywhere in the world. We checked in and went through immigration and security at the main terminal. We then had to catch a shuttle bus to board the ship. The port is a huge container port with a few cruise ships added. It made for a long boarding process for two tired travelers.

This is a new Holland America ship for us, the Oosterdam. Our last two cruises were on the Zuiderdam which became like a second home to us. Each ship is different and this has been an adjustment for us.

The Oosterdam was in port for two days so after settling into our cabin, we were able to get some rest. After a long flight, it is always a relief to see all our luggage made it to the ship!

This is The Puente de la Mujer (Spanish for “Woman’s Bridge”) a rotating footbridge.

The next day we had scheduled an eight hour excursion of the highlights of Buenos Aires that included lunch and a tango show. We had an great local guide who spoke excellent English.

Buenos Aires, population three million, is the capital of Argentina. Located in the Southern Hemisphere, they are about to enter their summer season. Its economy is mainly agricultural and manufacturing.

Our guide said the three most important things to the Argentine people are family, food and football (what we call soccer). Families often gather together for barbecues and they eat a lot of beef. Dinner is usually eaten around 9:00  at night.

The Pink Palace is the official workplace of the president of Argentina. Unlike our White House, it is not his residence. The original pink color came from mixing white paint with cow’s blood. It is supposed to keep the paint from peeling in the high humidity.

We visited Recoleta Cemetery, the resting place of presidents and other important Argentinians. It is also where the body of Eva Peron is buried. A former controversial first lady of Argentina, her embalmed body was kidnapped by the Argentinian military when a coup removed her husband as President of Argentina. The body eventually made its way back to Buenos Aires in 1976 where it was buried in the Duarte tomb which was her family’s tomb. Requests to join her with her husband has been rejected by her family. You may be familiar with the 1996 film “Evita”. The guide laughed and told us that even though Evita Peron had once acted, she never sang “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina”. It really is a fascinating story to read.

The government rents the space for the family tombs. If payment is missing the remainders are removed and a waiting list is used to replace your spot. One man wished to be buried in a cave so his family created a “cave like” tomb.

We love visiting cathedrals and in Buenos Aires we visited the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity. A Roman Catholic cathedral built in 1779.

Pope Francis served here before moving to the Vatican in 2013.

Buenos Aires is a colorful city with a European architectural influence. We felt safe there however our guide cautioned us at every stop to watch for pickpockets and cell phone theft. Evidently stealing cell phones is a big thing and they have been snatched right out of people’s hands. They use the cell phones for parts.

After a busy day of sightseeing,we were all starved. Our tour included a four course Argentinian lunch.

The people in Argentina eat a lot of beef. Our lunch included appetizers of beef empanadas followed by a huge steak with fries. All delicious. Argentinian wine and beer was included. After we were all stuffed, we were treated to an exceptional 45 minute tango show. Amazing talent.

A great day in Buenos Aires. So glad we were able to visit!

Next up: Montevideo, Uruguay

Boston, Mass AUG 24 2024

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We arrived back in Boston and our cruise was over. Before departing the ship, every passenger had to have a face to face meeting with U.S. Immigration officials in the main dining room. Everything appeared to be well organized with everyone having a designated meeting time. Things quickly dissolved into mass chaos. Not through the fault of Holland America, but because impatient passengers got in line before their appointed time, clogging the hallways. When we went downstairs at our time, the line was unbelievable long (almost the length of the ship). Holland America crew had to pull people out of line if it wasn’t their scheduled time. Such a shame people can’t follow the rules. This led to long delays and concerned those who had to get to the airport for a morning flight. Our designated time was 8:15 and it was 9:15 before we met the Immigration officials. 

Fortunately our flight was late in the afternoon. Our travel agent had arranged a tour of Boston for the morning. Our bus waited because everyone was having the same problem. Our tour was supposed to begin at 9:00 and it was 10:30 before we departed. 

We thought we were getting a two and a half hour bus tour of Boston. It turned out to be a great tour of four hours with several stops.

Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum

Bill and I were last in Boston in 2016 but we saw several new things.

George Washington Statue

John F Kennedy Statue

Massachusetts State House

Our first stop was Trinity Church, an Episcopal church founded in 1733. It was a beautiful sunny day and it was really cool to see the church’s reflection in the John Hancock Tower across the street.

Nearby was the Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel, a historic hotel and Boston landmark. Every U.S. President since William Howard Taft has visited the hotel, as well as royalty from around the world.

Even years since the show ended, people still want to visit the place “where everyone knows your name”.

Below Here is the Cheers’ Bar

At the Boston Public Garden we saw the “Make Way for Ducklings” sculptures by Nancy Schon. This recreates the duck family from the children’s book by the same name written by Robert McCloskey. In thirty years of teaching, I can’t count how many times I read this book to school children.

We walked uphill to the Old North Church, built in 1723, and the oldest standing church building in Boston.

Famous worshippers were Queen Elizabeth II and Charles Wesley (John Wesley brother).

This is the church famous during Paul Revere’s midnight ride in April, 1775 when two lanterns were hung in the church’s steeple. Revere and other riders saw this and rode to warn the citizens the British were coming by sea. We were able to visit the inside which we didn’t do in 2016.

Our tour finished at Quincy Market, a huge historic food mart. Built between 1824 and 1826, it is one of the largest market complexes in the United States. We had time to eat lunch there but it was unbelievably chaotic and busy.

The bus dropped us off at the airport at 2:30 for our 6:15 flight. After a hectic, rushed morning, it was good to have plenty of time to check in, drop off our bags and relax before our flight. 

We had an uneventful flight home. Great cruise. Good to be home. Thanks for following along!!

Canada Ports, Aug 20 2024

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Our final three ports were in Canada. The first was St Anthony in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. A picturesque town of 2,200, it is in the northern area of the Great Northern Peninsula. It has a steadily reclining population. French explorer Jacques Cartier came across the St Anthony settlement in 1534.

As the captain predicted, we were not able to sail to our second port, St John’s, because of Hurricane Ernesto. The latest path had it making a direct hit in that area. Our alternative port was Corner Brook on the west coast of Newfoundland and Labrador. You may remember we visited this port on July 24th. Located in the Gulf of St Lawrence, it provided us with shelter from the storm. Some questioned the captain as to why we couldn’t have gone to a new port. As he patiently explained, we needed a port with shelter from the storm and also a port with an available berth on short notice. So, Corner Brook it was. Bill had really looked forward to visiting St John’s. We had an excursion booked there to go to Signal Hill National Historic Site, where on December 12, 1901, Guglielmo Marconi received the first transatlantic wireless transmission. As an amateur radio enthusiast, Bill is a huge Marconi fan. Bill was disappointed but took it in stride. You have to accept the things you cannot change and move forward. Hopefully we will get here someday.

One night was cake night with dozens of cakes to choose from.

Our last port in Canada, and the last of the cruise, was in Halifax, Nova Scotia pop 519,000. It is the capital and most populous city in Nova Scotia.

We decided to explore on our own rather than take an excursion. We were thrilled to see warm temperatures in the upper seventies. At the pier is an immigration museum. After WW2, nearly 187,000 people fled from Europe to Canada, most between 1947 and 1952.  They moved to various places throughout Canada. This pier has been compared to our Ellis Island.   We found a geocache here.

We continued uphill, passing the Government House, the residence of the Canadian monarch and the lieutenant governor of Nova Scotia.

We saw this murial which depicts the writer on the floor composing.

After a steady climb we reached St Mary’s Basilica, a Gothic Roman Catholic cathedral built in 1899.  It has the tallest granite spire in North America. A very friendly guide welcomed us inside.

We slowly made our way back to the ship on this beautiful day in Canada.

Moon Rising

We had one last sea day before reaching Boston. The Cruise Director began the day by playing “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” over the sound system and invited us all to go to the Lido pool to see all the animals that escaped from the zoo overnight. At the pool were hundreds of towel animals created by the Housekeeping staff. They are so creative! While we were there, many of the Housekeeping staff paraded through the area, including Wulan, one of our room stewards. Everyone applauded them.  They work so hard and do such a great job. We really appreciate them.

Amazing Sunset

Next up: Our cruise ends with a day in Boston

PC Sound and Qaqortoq, Greenland AUG 16 2024

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We had two sea days between Iceland and Greenland. On the second day we sailed through Prince Christian Sound. Three weeks ago we sailed the Sound going from west to east. Now we passed through again going east to west. If we thought it would look the same and be nothing new, we would be very wrong!!! It was a spectacularly beautiful day with bright blue sunny skies, but cold. We passed so many waterfalls, glaciers and even bigger icebergs than before. We don’t know where all these huge icebergs came from. They were not here three weeks ago.

As we reached the middle of the Sound we passed a remote, isolated village called Aappilattorq. Although inhabited since the 19th century, only around 100 people live here. There is a school, church, general store, general repair shop and a fire station. The village is accessible only by helicopter or boat.

Once again we had two Danish ice pilots onboard the ship to help with navigation through the ice fields.

By the evening the winds really picked up as we left the shelter of the Sound. We went around Cape Farewell which is the southernmost point of Greenland, and entered the open waters of the North Atlantic Ocean. Gale force winds were hitting the ship from the side causing the ship to list at least once. We watched as our salt shaker slide across the table and heard dishes crashing to the floor as the waiters struggled to catch sliding plates and dishes.

The captain’s evening announcement was interesting. He said the winds were making large whitecaps and it was hard to distinguish between whitecaps and icebergs. He also said for the first time in his career, he was having to worry about ice and hurricanes at the same time. Hurricane Ernesto was growing in the Atlantic and was scheduled to hit St John’s, Newfoundland on the same day we are to arrive. He said there was a slim chance we would be able to go to St John’s and the home office was looking at alternative ports.

Our last port in Greenland on this cruise was Qaqortoq. We feel very blessed we have been able to make all these Greenland ports. A few weeks ago other cruise ships doing our itinerary had these Greenland ports canceled because of ice blocking the harbors.

We anchored in the harbor when the sunset.

The BIG DIPPER and some Northern Lights

Qaqortoq, pop 3,050, is the largest town in southern Greenland. The area dates back to Viking settlements, but the town was founded in 1775 by Danish and Norwegian colonists.

We had a somewhat unusual, but delightful, excursion here. It was a cold 38° with a feel like of 33° as we took a tender boat to shore. We were met by a young, local girl who spoke perfect English. She said English is taught in the schools in Greenland but she perfected her English by watching the Disney Channel! She walked our group of thirteen up three pretty steep hills to a house where we were scheduled to have a home visit with a Qaqortoq resident.

Our hostess was a lovely 76 year old resident who had coffee and homemade cakes ready for us. She showed us around her home and then we sat at two tables and had refreshments. Her husband is in an nearby eldercare facility and she has three grown daughters, five grandsons and a great granddaughter. She did not speak English but our guide was a perfect interpreter.

After chatting for awhile, she then brought out a native costume of the Inuit culture and explained how it was made. She had handmade them. She does a lot of embroidery and handiwork and that was evident around her home.

We loved visiting her home. The kitchen was small with a flat top stove, a small, dorm size fridge and a dishwasher. Perhaps it is so cold in Greenland, large refrigerators are not really needed.

We walked back down the steep hills and spent a little time looking around the small town. The Church of The Savior, built in 1832, was closed. We also found a geocache.

This Picture Was Used To Claim I Found The Geocache

A wonderful, unique and unforgettable experience in Qaqortoq!

Next up : St Anthony, Newfoundland, Canada

Djupivogur & Reykjavik, Iceland Aug 12 2024

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Leaving Ireland, as we head back to Boston we will visit additional ports in Iceland, Greenland and Canada. We will also enjoy turning the clocks back several times as we head towards home.

Our next stop was Djupivogur, Iceland August 12. It is a small fishing village on Iceland’s east coast, pop 509.  The day was cold and overcast as we took the tender boat over to the town.

One of Iceland’s oldest commercial buildings, dating back to 1790, is located here. At one time it was a slaughterhouse and warehouse. Today it is a cafe and museum. We saw very few people and no vehicles. We found a geocache and since it was very cold, we returned to the warmth of the ship.

Displayed In The Museum

Our final Iceland stop was Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland, population 140,000, August 13/14. It is the largest city in Iceland and the world’s northernmost capital city. The first permanent settlement in Iceland is believed to be here, founded by a Norse explorer in 874 A.D.

Seal of Iceland

The famous world chess championship in 1972 between Bobby Fisher and Boris Spassky was here. In 1986 it was the site of the 1986 Summit between Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbechev.

The Church Stands Tall

The city graciously offered free shuttle buses from the port to the center of town. There were two ships in port today so the bus was pretty crowded. The bus let us off at the Harpa Concert Hall which opened in 2011.  The building has an interesting colored glass facade which represents the basalt landscape of Iceland.

We found a geocache nearby and then walked down to the Sun Voyager, a steel sculpture resembling a Viking ship.  The sculptor hoped to show the promise of undiscovered territory while also signifying hope, progress and freedom.  We also found a geocache here!

We continued walking, uphill towards the main shopping area of town. Rainbow Street has a variety of brightly colored houses, shops, cafes, restaurants and galleries. We did a little shopping here for a couple souvenirs.

Our last stop was the Hallgrimskirkja Church, the largest church in Iceland.  Sitting on a hilltop, at 244 feet it is one of the tallest structures in the country. Construction began in 1945 and was completed in 1986.

In front of church is a statue of Leif Ericson (970 – 1020) is regarded as the first European to land in North America nearly 500 years before Christopher Columbus.

It is a Lutheran parish church and is visible throughout the city. It was designed to resemble the rocks, mountains and landscape of Iceland. It originally was not supposed to be that tall but the Church of Iceland wanted it to be taller than the Catholic Church of Iceland. There was an observation tower but with two ships in port there was a very long line so we skipped it.

After walking uphill to the church, it was nice to walk downhill to the shuttle stop. We took the bus back and enjoyed the rest of the day on the ship.

Our time in Iceland has come to an end for this cruise.
Next up: 2 days at sea and once again sailing Prince Christian Sound

Red Bay, Canada July 25 2024

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Our next port in Canada was the tiny fishing village of Red Bay in the province of Labrador.  Named for the red granite prevalent in the area, it is the most northeastern point in North America. With a population of 142, the number of cruise ship passengers far exceeded the number of residents.

We saw very few people and a handful of vehicles. Between 1530 and the 17th century, it was a major whaling area. The whale stations in Red Bay were eventually abandoned. In 2021, the local school was closed due to no enrollment.

It was a beautiful, chilly day with temperatures in the 60’s and a 15 mph wind. The 15 minute tender boat ride was smooth going over but very rocky returning.

We walked around, soaking in the gorgeous views.

We found a couple geocaches and visited the local church.

We have really enjoyed our three ports in Canada. We will visit three more on our way back to Boston.

Next up: Greenland, though our stop is questionable due to thick ice in the harbor. So stay tuned!

Belfast, Northern Ireland Aug 10 2024

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Our last port in Ireland was Belfast, Northern Ireland. Unlike the Republic of Ireland which is an independent country using the Euro, Belfast is part of the United Kingdom and uses the British Pound. Here we saw pictures of King Charles and his late mother, Queen Elizabeth. I really don’t want to get into a lengthy explanation of why there are two Irelands, but I know there was nearly thirty years of conflict and violence that the Belfast people refer to as “The Troubles”.  Northern Ireland takes up about 17% of the entire island of Ireland.

Belfast, pop 348,000, is the capital city and largest city in Northern Ireland. The city provided a shuttle from the port into the city for $20 a person round trip. When we got to the city we purchased two Hop On, Hop Off Bus tickets. We did Cork and Dublin on our own and it was just too much walking with over six miles each day.

Queen’s University Belfast

Presbyterian Church House Bell Tower

Belfast is the birthplace of The Titanic and there is a large Titanic Experience Building/Museum in Belfast. Those in Belfast like to say that when the Titanic left the shipyard in Belfast it was perfectly fine.

Another popular landmark is the Albert Memorial Clock. One of the most well known landmarks in Belfast it was completed in 1869 and named for Queen Victoria’s husband.

The Grand Opera House was built in 1895.

City Hall was constructed between 1898 and 1906.  We stopped there to find a geocache and take pictures.

In the distance we heard chanting and shouting and we quickly found ourselves amid a large group of protestors. It was amazing how quickly this all happened. Early this morning the captain announceded that protests were scheduled in Belfast and to be careful. He followed it up with a letter in everyone’s cabin mailboxes before we left the ship explaining what might happen and advised us not to engage the protesters and to immediately leave the area. Unfortunately between looking for the geocache and the large crowd, Bill and I became separated. We knew we needed to leave the area and after a few frightening minutes we were able to use our cell phones to get to the same location.

The protesters held anti racism signs, open border signs and Palestinian flags and cease fire signs. The protesters were peaceful but we didn’t know if things would change quickly. Our Hop On bus pickup point had been quickly moved around the corner to a safer location and we were able to take the bus out of the area.

Bill had been wanting a lunch of fish and chips since we got to Ireland. He finally had his lunch today in Belfast at Hell Cat Maggie’s.

The bus took us into the area of Belfast where the “The Troubles” time is remembered in numerous murals.

Still in place are peace gates which were the dividing line between unionist and nationalist areas. Open during the day, they are often closed at night. Walls separating the two areas are visible as well.

There are also international murals that are changed frequently to signify issues worldwide.

Between the Protestant and the Catholic neighborhoods were tall walls. The bus narration said that rocks were still thrown over the tall walls.

We really enjoyed our time in Cork, Dublin and Belfast. We feel like we didn’t have enough time in any of the cities and look forward to returning one day.

The next day was a sea day. The seas were rough and we were busy with pictures, blogs and attending a geocaching get together. Eighteen geocachers on the ship met for the first time and shared geocaching stories.

That evening the ship had a costume party. One of the winners was a man with a Travis Kelce football jersey and the woman was dressed up like Taylor Swift. There was music, dancing and appetizers.

Next up: Djupivogur, Iceland