New Horizons – Alaska to Asia

“I’ve never been on a real cruise before,” complained Henry one day.  Huh!  Just around the world on a cargo ship and on ferries, houseboats, sailing ships, rubber rafts, icebreakers and other vessels in many countries.  But….  point taken.  

So on to the mother of all cruises – the transatlantic crossing of the Queen Mary 2 from New York City to Southampton, England.  The QM2 carries almost 2,700 passengers and 1,300 crew members.  She’s a big ship, 1,132 feet long, 131 feet wide.  Still a teenager, she was built in 2004 and renovated in 2016.   It will be a 7-day cruise across the North Atlantic, with a maximum cruising speed of 28 knots. 

For contrast, the return trip will be on the 4-masted sailing ship Sea Cloud, from Las Palmas, Grand Canary to Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, following closely the route that Columbus took in 1492 when he first sailed to the New World.  Sea Cloud carries a maximum of 64 passengers and 60 crew.  Her length is 360 feet by 50 feet wide.  Most of the voyage will be under sail, weather permitting.  She has 30 sails measuring a total of 32,000 square feet.  The voyage will take 17 days at a maximum speed of 10 knots.  Sea Cloud was first built as a private yacht in 1931 and renovated in 2011. 

Should be quite a contrast!

In between, there will be a couple of weeks to fill in with some time in Normandy, Paris and Northern Spain. 

We’ve spent a couple of nights in New York City.  Here’s our hotel, the view from our room, and an iconic street view:

Barnes & Noble on Union Square!

What a great start to our travels!  This city is a symbol of America to people around the world, and what a rich and delicious stew it is…. so many cultures, colors, cuisines and languages.  A reminder of how important it is to recognize and preserve the principles of freedom that brought us all here…. some of us a century or two ago, and others relatively recently.

And now we board the Big Ship into what will not likely be as diverse a community of souls, but a new and exciting experience nonetheless.  More from the sea lanes and roads ahead!

 

 

Not to say that the experience on the Queen Mary was bad or even indifferent…..  the food was generally fabulous (and plentiful) and the service superb.

The ship is beautifully maintained, and the shows we attended were up to and including very good.  The emphasis (especially in cold weather) was on indoor activities and smooth sailing (thanks to sophisticated stabilizers)….. so it was quite easy to forget that you were on the ocean!

Travel, however, can be quite boring if none of the following happens:

• Something goes wrong or is a complete surprise.
• You face physical, cultural and/or linguistic challenges.
• You are forced by things you have witnessed to re-examine your own perspective.
• At some point, you just want to go home.

It’s the distinction between being “on holiday” and being on a journey.  We prefer a journey….. to walk through a new door and come out the other side not necessarily refreshed, but at least a slightly different and maybe better person.

Anyway, none of those things happened on our cruise – it was without hiccup.  We did, however, have the pleasure of meeting some really fascinating and friendly people, and putting on still another pound or two.

A couple of notable events….. something about sailing out of New York City (even after dark) was exciting.  Maybe just pulling away felt like the start of a new adventure.

We weren’t quite as uncomfortable with the formal evenings as we thought we would be….

and I was Shanghai-ed into a series of acupuncture treatments for some minor physical conditions that may actually help….

.. if I continue with the prescribed seaweed regime that I purchased for a similarly shameful sum.

We had time to explore Southampton upon disembarkation….. and were reminded that it was the launching point for many notable sailings, such as the Mayflower in 1620, and the Titanic in 1912.

And many other departures of hopeful immigrants to the new world…

In any event, Henry has now been on his conventional cruise and we will proceed with the next chapter…..

 

After taking the overnight ferry from England to Caen, we had to deal with one of the biggest political movements in France today – the gilets jaunes, or “yellow vests”, a vast, loosely-organized but determined group of people protesting the high cost of living in France, sparked by recent increases in the fuel tax.  (FYI, the price of a gallon of gasoline is now the equivalent of more than $7 US.)

The gilets jaunes demonstrate in the fine French tradition of erecting barriers in urban centers and on thoroughfares, repeating slogans, and sometimes burning things, with an intent to garner attention by interfering with day-to-day activities.  Think of the revolutionaries in “Les Miserables” and the student protests of 1968.  

Our hostess at the bed and breakfast where we stayed in Normandy suggested we not attempt to drive across the countryside in the midst of the first weekend’s demonstrations, when almost 300,000 protesters shut down roads nation-wide…..  Hah!  Little does she know of the Sunda determination!  We took back-roads and only occasionally saw gilets jaunes on  the round-abouts.

To be fair, they were quite nice to us, apologizing and telling us how long our delay would be (nowhere more than a few minutes), but in some areas, they barred access to commercial areas, making life difficult for fellow citizens.

In Paris during the second weekend of protests, we were surrounded on our way to the theater by hundreds of gilets jaunes marching toward the Champs Elysees, and I have to admit feeling a frisson of apprehension, knowing it doesn’t take much to push angry people into doing ill-advised things.

(The French Me-Too movement was also demonstrating at the time….)

The night before, we had strolled the avenue toward the Arc de Triomphe:

The next day, here was the scene (photo from NY Times)…

When we emerged from the theater, the gendarmes had shut down most of the roads and subways around the central area in an attempt to contain the protesters.  We had to walk far out of our way to return to our accommodation near the Eiffel Tower through eerily-empty streets, with the occasional police klaxon sounding in the night.

Disturbances have continued since we left a week ago, including unfortunately the destruction of property and defacing national monuments.  Unfortunate too that peace officers felt compelled to deploy tear gas and water cannons to deal with the crowds.  Without the full history from both sides, we make no value judgment either way; only observe that social/economic conditions everywhere are such that there are always those who are much worse off……

Current affairs report done – travelog to continue soon…..

 

 

 

Political turmoil aside, our time in France included many memorable experiences.

In Normandy, we stayed in a centuries-old farmhouse B&B in a rural area lush and beautiful in spite of cold wet weather.

Our hostess Linda is a fabulous cook (added another pound or two)…..

The D-Day beaches in Normandy inspire deep reflection on what it means to give “the last full measure of devotion” to a great cause.

Countryside and beaches in Normandy are bucolic, with cows I swear that are easily twice the size of those in the US…

Our delightful abode in Paris was on a houseboat almost directly across the Seine from the Eiffel Tower…. great fun watching traffic on the river.

A beauty shot from the deck…

When not on the boat or skirting protests, we walked, fed pigeons and rode the subway…

Also stopped by the apartment where I lived as a student…. 45 years ago!

On our way out of Paris and on our way to Spain, we stopped at the Chartres cathedral…..

where we prayed in the town square for good internet service at our next stop…

Then a quick stop at the chateau of Chenonceau….

…. a venue that is obviously animal-friendly…

Wonder what they do if you leave a kid in a parked car!!!!!

Next chapter on a short stay in Spain…..

 

 

Spain is blanketed with ancient buildings….. monasteries, churches, towers, castles, etc. Many are maintained by the government, as upkeep would be beyond the means and interest of most private individuals and companies.  About 90 years ago, some smart administrators decided to convert those structures that were suitable into paradors, inns for travelers who would enjoy staying in an historic place.

We stayed in several in our travel across Spain’s northern border with France.  The first was Hondarribia, a 10th-century castle that looks out upon a lovely bay.

The accommodations in many paradors are clean and modern, but usually not terribly luxurious.  The appeal is in the ambiance…. and often terrific views.

Next was Olite in the Navarre region, with delicious wine.

And finally, Cardona, high on a hill overlooking a salt mine……

From Cardona, we visited Montserrat, an intriguing geological feature, but also the site of a monastery honoring a statue called the Black Madonna.  Alongside it is the most shameless souvenir shop we have so far seen…

Barcelona is a fun city with lots going on; with only one day, we opted to see the city from the cable cars that festoon Montjuic and traverse the port area.

Beauty shot from our hotel at sunrise….  (Don’t ask about why the Canadian flag is on display here – we don’t know.)

In a few days, we will be following in the path of Christopher Columbus’ first expeditions to the New World….. here he is, pointing the way.

Columbus is much noted in Spain, for as you may recall, his expeditions were funded by the Spanish kingdom, although he himself is generally considered to be from Genoa, in present-day Italy.  Historic replicas are plentiful…

As with Columbus, the starting point for our west-bound voyage is the Canary Islands, part of Spain but located off the western coast of Morocco.

A sad ending to our trip.  My mother Bobby was taken ill, so I left Henry on December 4 in Las Palmas, Grand Canary, to return to the US to see to her welfare.

Henry bravely boarded the Sea Cloud without me for the 17-day voyage to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

Not so bravely, I came back to Conroe, Texas, to spend the next few weeks with my Mom at the hospital, in a rehab facility, and finally in her home with hospice care.  I picked Henry up at the Houston airport on December 23; Mom passed away on December 24.

She had 97 great years of life on this earth.  We are sorry to see her go, but joyful that she saw and did wonderful things and touched so many lives.  You can read her obituary and see photos from her life through the following link.

https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/conroe-tx/barbara-marshall-8098671

Here she is with my brother and me in the good old days when we all were young….

Henry and I have few plans this year, other than a road trip to northern climes this summer to escape the heat.  

We want to wish you all the very best for 2019.  Please take a moment to reflect on the people you love, the passions you pursue, the health and strength you safeguard, the freedoms you are privileged to enjoy…..  and be grateful for every single one.

Thank you for your kind interest in our little stories.