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Cruising

Exploring Florence And Pisa, Italy

Posted on July 13, 2012

The port town of Livorno was the first port for my cruise in Italy. Livorno is a city on the northwestern coast of Italy in the area of Tuscany. The town is home to around 160,000 people but is not on my agenda today. There are many reasons to visit this area of Italy, from the stunning countryside to cities such as Pisa and Florence.

Tuscany

The Tuscan countryside is often found as the backdrop for some movies. The portrayal of the area from what I can see has been relatively accurate. The bus trip between locations is just like a movie reel of ever changing scenes. Without a scheduled stop in the countryside, I snapped this shot from the window of the bus.

Florence

Florence is located 90km east of Livorno with the tour bus taking about 1.5 hours to reach the first stop. Once we arrived in Florence, it was time to take a walking tour. Even though it had been raining in a city like Florence walking is the only practical way to see anything. With many tight and narrow streets, it would be impossible to navigate a tour bus through the mass of people.

Dome of Florence Cathedral Baptistery

The first stop for is the Dome of Florence Cathedral, with is the masterpiece of Brunelleschi. Opposite the cathedral is the Baptistery, which is associated with the Cathedral. The Baptistery is built as a separate building because if you must be baptised, to enter the Cathedral.

The Baptistry has a rather interesting feature built into the doors. There is a total of ten bronze reliefs that make up the two doors. They are of a similar design to the photo below, but all depict different scenes. I would have liked to photograph the whole door, but the volume of people made this impossible.

Dome of Florence Cathedral

The Dome of Florence Cathedral has a rather striking Bell Tower. The Bell Tower forms part of the cathedral and appears to have been built with the Cathedral. The exterior work on the Bell Tower matches the rest of the Cathedral and is adorned in pink, white and green marble.

Michelangelo’s David

Continuing on from the Cathedral to the square known as Piazza Della Signoria. In this square is Palazzo Vecchio the town hall of Florence. It is also in this square that a replica of a very famous artwork sits, Michelangelo’s David. The original sculpture is housed in the Accademia Gallery in Florence. The move is a step to preserve the original from the elements.

Ponte Vecchio

The last stop in Florence before lunch was a famous bridge that crosses the Arno River, named Ponte Vecchio. Ponte Vecchio is named in historic records dating back as early as 996. However, is has been destroyed by floods twice and rebuilt. The bridge does give quite a nice outlook back along the Florence waterfront over the river.

Basilica of Santa Croce

After a break for lunch, there was one more stop in Florence before continuing to Pisa. The Basilica of Santa Croce is a rather important historic site. It is the principal Franciscan Church in Florence and a Minor Basilica of the Roman Catholic church. However, it is also the burial place of some very famous people over the centuries. Including Michelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli, Foscolo, Gentile and Rossini. It was fascinating to see the monuments erected inside for each of these people.

There is a dormitory to the side of the Basilica where the Franciscan Friars used to reside. However, today it houses the Scuola Del Cuoio or Leather School. A beautiful courtyard separates the dormitory and Basilica, a place for contemplation.

Exploring Florence

There was a small amount of free time before leaving the city of Florence. Over lunch, I pinpointed a couple of spots I wanted to take a look at on the map and took a little walk. In the end, the map turned out not to be so useful, and I did not see much extra.

Pisa

The next destination for the tour is Pisa, about 80km from Florence or around an hour and fifteen minutes drive. The primary destination in Pisa is the Leaning Tower of Pisa. To visit the area, though, you must park in a designated area and walk around 1km.

Leaning Tower Of Pisa

The Leaning Tower of Pisa has seen significant restoration works in recent years. The work has been restoration work with the aim to stabilise the tower. Before the work started, the tower was leaning at 5.5 degrees. Today the tower is much more stable and leans at just 3.99 degrees.

The restoration work on the Leaning Tower of Pisa was no small task. However, the works will allow the tower to remain without fear of falling. While maintaining the marble exterior in all of its glory. Seeing the Lower for yourself, it is an amazing building. Although I would have liked to have a chance to go up the tower. That is one of the negative sides of being on a cruise, lack of time to do anything not included in the tour.

Pisa Baptistery

Like the Cathedral we visited in Florence earlier, the Cathedral in Pisa also has a separate Baptistery. With the area laid our much better and a lot fewer people I was better able to get a photo. In this case, the Baptistery is a circular building, constructed of white marble. The construction matches that of the Cathedral and Leaning Tower of Pisa, with a red tiled roof.

Heading back to the bus I came across a rather picturesque scene. A bike leaning against the side of a house, not sure if it is in use still or not.

The area of Tuscany between Livorno, Florence and Pisa is just as beautiful as you can imagine. It could easily be an area that you come to visit and not want to leave, just like in the movies.

Destinations

Exploring The City Of Barcelona, Spain

Posted on July 10, 2012

Technically the halfway point for the cruise was a couple of days before arriving in Barcelona. But Barcelona seemed more like the halfway point as it was the end of the Transatlantic portion of the cruise. It was also the port where some passengers left the cruise, and new ones joined.

Barcelona was also one of the few ports where I chose not to take a tour. I felt that there was likely plenty to keep me entertained and interested for the best part of the day. There was some consideration in this choice as some people have said Barcelona is a dangerous place to visit. However, I found it no worse than any other major city I have visited. If you pay attention to your personal belongings and stick to busy areas with other people around.

Las Ramblas

To get from the ship to the more central area of Barcelona, there was a shuttle bus available. The location for the drop off and pick up was perfect right at the bottom of Las Ramblas. Las Ramblas is a walking mall, and if you follow it all the way through you arrive in Plaҫa de Catalunya (Catalonia Square).

Catalonia Square is considered by many to be the city centre of Barcelona and covers an area of some 50,000 square metres. The area is also known for its fountains and statues. As I entered the square the below fountain and it’s statue’s caught my attention.

The Details

In many European cities, there are many details that you just don’t find in more modern cities. The below lamp post is one example from Barcelona. Made from a combination of stone and metal in a sort of cantilever style. While there is one in the front of this image, you can see they continue down the avenue behind this one and on the other side.

Street Scenes

In so many areas in Europe, there are just fabulous street scenes created by way of how the buildings and streets fall. The great thing about this is that you just cannot plan to find this sort of places, they just happen. The only way you are going to find them is just by getting out and walking and being willing to explore a little.

La Sagrada Família

The Minor Basilica of La Sagrada Família is a large Roman Catholic Church, which was consecrated in November of 2010. Initially, it was known as a Cathedral, which is the seat of a Bishop. However, it is a great honour for this building to be designated a Minor Basilica.

La Sagrada Família is the most visited attractions in Barcelona with over three million visitors per year. From the outside, this building looks amazing. Even though construction has been ongoing since 1882, it is not yet complete, with an estimate for completion around 2026. With limited time in port and having not booked a tour, there was no time to visit the inside of this beautiful building today.

Back To The Ship

While on my way back to the location to catch the shuttle bus back to the ship I did find one interesting point. It is some small bridges that cross two roads. The bridges are not just any walking bridge but draw bridges which can be raised if an overheight vehicle needs to pass by on the road.

My time in Barcelona may have been short, just a matter of six or seven hours. But I believe I got to see a good portion of the city. As a result, I will be adding Barcelona to my list of cities I want to visit again.

A cruise such as this one is a great opportunity to sample numerous cities and countries without having to lock yourself into just one. I found getting to experience some 15 different cities around Europe by cruise gave me a great introduction to some of these areas.

Destinations

Exploring The City Of Malaga, Spain

Posted on July 6, 2012

Last night the MS Nieuw Amsterdam passed through the Straits of Gibralter to enter the Mediterranean. As we pass through this narrow channel you could see the lights on both sides of the ship. To the south the coast of Morroco and the north Spain, before passing by Gibraltar where we could see the Rock of Gibraltar lit up.

Malaga

Early this morning the ship arrived in the second Spanish Port and the first port inside the Mediterranean. Malaga is the fifth largest city in Spain with a population around 570,000. The city is surrounded by some beautiful countryside. Some is very close to the city and some along the coast as you leave the area.

The arrival into Malaga on this morning in the predawn twilight was quite special. I am glad that I just happened to wake up a little early and had the chance to capture some pictures as the ship was docking.

Malaga Sights Tour

Today I organised a tour to see the sights of Malaga, which was one of the shore excursions offered by the ship. The tour started out travelling by bus to Gibralfaro Castle before a walking tour around the city of Malaga.

Gibralfaro Castle

The tour started with a visit to Gibralfaro Castle, which is located on a hill that overlooks the city of Malaga. There are views here that look both inland and out to the sea, that are just spectacular.

The view, of course, is just the first thing that catches you attention. There is also a small museum displaying artefacts from the castle, as well as some examples of the period clothing. However, there are plenty of other bits and pieces of information that are very interesting.

One aspect is a number of native trees around the castle with information about their origins. Additionally, there are still some interesting aspects of the structure that still remain. One of them is the guard house pictured below.

Walking Malaga

When you are walking around Malaga there are a couple of considerations to take into account. The primary one is especially important in wet weather, and that is the marble footpaths. A result of large amounts of marble found in the surroundings hills. The problem is the marble is quite smooth and when it is wet becomes quite slippery.

The large and close supply of marble also means that it is used in features in many of the buildings around town as well. Such as the one pictured below with the marble columns and archway of the entrance.

Port Of Malaga

The tour went for around half the day and after getting something to eat back on board the ship I went for a walk. I did not have to go far to find some interesting sights around the Port of Malaga area. It is quite a good area with shops and cafes, many of which seem to be rather new. But they still seem to be popular with the locals already.

One feature along the port area that caught my attention was the lighthouse. It is slightly different to some lighthouses I have seen with a square base and topped with the traditional round type of lighthouse building.

The new development also includes a rather internet look walking. Albeit a rather impractical covering to the walkway that does not provide shade or protection from rain. So I guess it could more so be called a piece of art, that does in a way form the shape of a wave.

Malaga City Views

The final stop I made on the way back to the ship was to get a photo looking back at the city of Malaga. It is in this general direction that the sun would set this afternoon. A very similar view to this that I would miss capturing after not taking my camera to dinner. Sometimes it does leave me to wonder that how many great photo’s are left untaken.

Malaga is like many other ports I have visited recently, a city I would love to return one day. The city is quite beautiful and with more time would be fantastic to explore a little more in depth.

Destinations

Exploring The City Of Cadiz, Spain

Posted on June 29, 2012

Cadiz - Castillo de San Sebastian (San Sebastian Castle) and the walkway to the Castle

During my Transatlantic Cruise, there was a total of three ports in Spain. The first port was always going to be Cadiz, for just a single day. In the end, due to poor weather conditions at the previous port, we got the opportunity to stay in Cadiz overnight.

The port of Portimao, Portugal was scheduled to be the day before the MS Nieuw Amsterdam arrived into Cadiz. However, due inclement weather and the need to use tenders to go ashore the captain decided it would be impractical. As such he chose to cancel the port and arrive early into Cadiz Spain.

My Plan For Cadiz

With the single day in port, I had planned to take a tour to see the city. It would have left me with little time to do any exploring on my own. I believe I would have been nowhere near as happy with my time in Cadiz if this is what had happened.

It turns out that Cadiz is a perfect size town to explore in two days on foot. While I would always love more time anywhere that I enjoy visiting, to be able to see things a little more comprehensively. But two days worked out perfectly here.

Cadiz Day 1

With two whole days in Cadiz, there were some different walks that I took exploring different areas of the city. Late in the afternoon on the first day, I set out to find a good spot to capture the sunset. The walk took me through some beautifully landscaped parks that create some beautiful green space.

It is space that you need in a city like Cadiz. Even though the city is a nice place many of the streets are still a little grey. Which is combined with many people living in houses or apartments with little to no outdoor space, the parks provide this space.

Beyond the garden aspect of the parks in Cadiz, they do also include some interesting features. Such as this bench that is created from painted ceramic tiles.

Open Space

While green space is better, in my opinion, there is also ample other open space as well. It is through many squares and malls throughout the city. Many of the squares are surrounded by cafes and restaurants and have many people passing through going about their business.

Cadiz Day 2

Another day and the weather in Cadiz was the complete opposite of yesterday. It was the perfect opportunity to take a walk with blue skies and the sun shining. I had picked out two specific sites that I wanted to visit, and they were both castles.s

Castillo de San Sebastian (San Sebastian Castle)

There is only one way to get to Castillo de San Sabastian, and that is a stone walkway. The walkway takes you out about 500m from the shore into the Atlantic Ocean. The biggest guessing game is whether you will get soaked by the breaking waves or blown away by the strong winds. I made it without incident but managed to witness one or two other’s get caught in the waves.

There is a fantastic view looking back towards the city from the castle. However, when I arrived at the castle, I found out that it is currently closed for renovations. Even though this is a little disappointing, not a big issue for me, the walk was still enjoyable. I also made use of the location to get a photo of the second castle I will be visiting Castillo de Santa Catalina (Santa Catalina Castle).

Castillo de Santa Catalina (Santa Catalina Castle)

It turned out second time lucky with Castillo de Santa Catalina being open today. It also turned out to be free to enter which was a pleasant surprise. To me, the building did not look much like a castle from the inside, not like from the outside. But it was still very interesting to see the buildings and the galleries inside each building.

Contrasts Of Cadiz

Cadiz is very much a city of contrasts, and the below picture highlights this better than any I think. I have mentioned the narrow streets and lack of green space except on the edges in park areas. But then you have area’s like in this picture, that could easily be a beach front area. Alas, the lack of a substantial beach and the cooler temps impact this just a bit.

Public Art

Like many cities I have visited when you walk around Cadiz there are numerous interesting pieces of public art. They do very much vary in their material and construction, but they create a nice distraction at times. The first one that I came across was this rather large bird made with steel.

The next piece that caught my attention was a statue of a Flamenco Dance in a small square. There was some great detail in the bronze statue, and I recognised the dance from the pose.

The final pieces that I have to share today is one of the abstract sculptures along the waterfront. There were quite some different shapes and colours all made of metal.

A Great Port Call

It was great to be able to visit a city such as Cadiz and get the bonus of an overnight port call. If it had not been for the cruise, I doubt that I would have considered visiting Cadiz. But now that I have seen the city very glad to have visited. Although I do not think I would find much more in Cadiz on a return visit, some of the surrounding areas do have some appeal for the future.

Destinations

Exploring The City Of Lisbon, Portugal

Posted on June 19, 2012

When it comes to highlights of my Transatlantic Cruise, I think Lisbon, Portugal would be right at the top. The port call in Lisbon is the first stop on Mainland Europe and is an overnight stop. An overnight port gives you a much better chance to explore the city both by day and night.

With such a port intensive itinerary it has been difficult to have the time to write about and share everything from each port. Lisbon was one of the longer port stays with 27 hours in port.

Lisbon Day 1

I joined with a couple of friends from the cruise ship to explore Lisbon. Besides public transport from the ship to the city centre and a taxi back everything else we explored on foot.

What I loved about Lisbon were the hidden treasures you could find without even looking. The way that walkways naturally framed buildings and courtyards. I know many people just walk past these details, but they can be a nice distraction from time to time.

Graffiti

As a city Lisbon is just like many others with its fair share of graffiti, that is distasteful and distracting. However, at the same time, there can be graffiti that helps to add to the character of the city. Below is a good example of this, where it appears to be used for promotion in this case. It helps in this case, to turn a dull, drab wall into something intriguing.

The Streets

Looking down many streets in the major cities around the world the view is fairly similar. A mixture of dull and often indistinguishable buildings, they all somewhat resemble each other. The street below might not be the most beautiful street scene you have seen, but it has some feature and interest to it.

Stairs are also a part of life in getting around Lisbon. Although we had found our way up to Castle of São Jorge, there were plenty of stairs heading back down. Even with some areas featuring sloped paths, there are also areas that are just too steep for this.

In Port Over Night

An overnight port call can offer some great benefits, and this afternoon was one of them. Rather than a rush to get back to the ship before it departs, we enjoyed a drink at a cafe. Time to watch the local people and traffic around the main square in the city. Right in the middle of the square is this magnificent fountain.

There is also an opportunity to experience and see the city in the dark by man-made light. Such as seeing the bridge across the Tagus River all lit up in the below picture. A picture which I was able to capture from my cabin on the ship.

Lisbon Day 2

The second day started out with a walk along the waterfront in the opposite direction from the city of Lisbon. The walk was somewhere around 5 km from where the ship was docked to the Tower of Belem. With many interesting places to stop along the way.

Henry The Navigator Monument

Henry The Navigator was the 3rd child of King John I of Portugal and a very important figure in early Portugal. He was responsible for much of the early development of maritime trade with other continents and exploration of Europe. The monument to Henry The Navigator stands in the direction facing the river much like the bow of a ship.

Lighthouse

While it might be the big monuments that attract most people’s attention, there are some other interesting sites. The next one I came on was the Tagus River Lighthouse. I attempted to find the specific name, but there seems to be mixed information. However, it is still interesting as with more modern navigation techniques; lighthouses are becoming less common.

Public Art

I also discovered the below statue along the waterfront. It appears to be two cows with horns standing side by side. However, I am honestly not sure what they are.

First Aerial Crossing Of The South Atlantic

Another monument along the waterfront is a monument to the first aerial crossing of the South Atlantic. The replica of the seaplane used for the journey sits here on a support. It definitely would have been an extraordinary adventure. You can read more about the voyage on Wikipedia here.

The Tower Of Belem

The Tower of Belem was the main goal of the walk today. A small castle built out on a small rocky outcrop in the Tagus River. It is a rather interesting building to explore and a little difficult to get around. Going up and down between levels is via a small single file spiral staircase. But the wait and the climb is rewarding. There is some very interesting architectural features build into the castle as well.

Lisbon War Memorial

Another feature not far from the Tower Of Belem is the War Memorial. The memorial is quite plain and does look very beautiful. A white stone has been used rather than the concrete often seen in such constructions. There is also a guard of honour to each side in front of the reflection pool. I would have loved to visit this location at night, but that opportunity is passed as the ship leaves this afternoon.

Goodbye Lisbon

With a little time to spare before heading back to the ship, I joined with some friends for a drink overlooking the river. I caught sight of these vines on the wall of the fort behind the War Memorial.

Coming back and sharing more about my visit to Lisbon does remind me just how interesting the visit was. But at the same time looking at a map of Lisbon, I barely scratched the surface. There are many more places that I could have visited and explored. But I guess that is the idea of a good city to travel to, that when you leave, there is always more you could have done.

Cruising

Overseas Travel – Remembering Trip 3

Posted on June 12, 2012

At the end fo May, I completed my fourth overseas trip. For the first time in 18 months, I am not currently planned to travel again for the time being. So to keep the travel spirit burning I decided to think back over the last four trips I have taken.

On the 17th of August 2011, I left Australia for the third overseas trip. I had planned 48 nights travelling through the USA, Canada and 26-nights on a Transpacific cruise. Being my shortest trip to date it should have been easy to plan, but turned out to be the most difficult for me. It was almost as if I had never planned a trip before and it came as a huge wake-up call to me.

Travel is supposed to be a fun and exciting experience. However, just a week before leaving Australia, I had only booked two nights in Las Vegas and the cruise. I had a hole of 20 nights to book. Thankfully I end, up getting everything booked and the trip as you find below turned out to be a fantastic success. I also managed to learn some good lessons on planning which I applied to by fourth overseas trip.

The Travel Stats

Trip number three was my second trip for the year. It started out very different to what it ended up being. However, it was no less enjoyable and very glad that I changed things around. Let’s take a look at the travel statistics for this journey.

One continent (North America) and Pacific Islands
Visiting 7 Countries (United States, Canada, American Samoa, Western Samoa, Fiji, New Caledonia, and Australia)
Flying a total of 14,425 KM (8,965 Miles) in 1 International flight and 4 Domestic flights
Cruising a total of 15,984 KM (8,640 Miles) over 26 nights visiting ten different ports in 7 countries
Spending 16 nights in hotels rooms (Las Vegas (2), Seattle (1), Portland (4), Victoria BC (4), Vancouver (3), Sydney (2))
Spending 6 nights with a friend in Seattle

Back To Las Vegas

Not being a big gambler, I had thought after visiting Las Vegas for ten days on my first oversea trip. I would not need to return, but I was wrong. There was a whole lot more to Las Vegas I found than just gambling. It turned out to be a place that I wanted to explore more.

Although I did arrive in Las Vegas without any plans this time. There was no problem with this though as I took advantage of Couch Surfing to meet a few people. The time here turned out to be a couple of very social days with a lot of exploring the Casinos. A great way to start the trip, and check off one or two things I missed last time.

Portland, Oregon

When I travel, I love to see and experience new places. That chance to see and explore a different city is always good. But in the end, Portland is the only city that I had not visited before on the land-based portion of this trip.

On the surface, Port does not seem to have a lot to offer, in a tourist friendly manner. Of course there are sights and attrations. But they are spread out without great ease of access. I found searching for tours to be challenge. While getting to some places without a car also appeared to be difficult. However, all of that aside I found enough to keep me busy and some great spots.

Once I dug a little deeper into Portland there was more than I thought. I discovered a great deal for a tour to some waterfalls and the hop-on-hop-off city tour. Allowing me to maximise my time in the city, and get to see both the Chinese and Japanese Gardens. I also managed to visit a few local brew-pubs and local coffee house to experience the local flavours.

My biggest suggestion on Portland is to ver a rental car. Unless you only have a couple of days and want to stick to the city. There are a number places that looked interesting, but they were just a little to far out of reach for public transport.

Victoria BC, Canada

On my first overseas trip, I took a day tour to visit Victoria while staying in Vancouver. Knowing I wanted to explore the city more made it a little easier to choose it as a destination this time.

Some of the things that I saw on the tour last time helped to give me a few ideas what I wanted to do. I took an extensive walk around the Downtown area and also enjoyed a ferry ride around the harbour.

The best way to get around and see a little more of the city beyond Downtown is the hop-on-hop-off bus. It may cost a little more, but it helps take out the challenge of learning the public transport. While also being taken to the most touristy places. It helped me find a couple of other places that I never would have thought of visiting.

Seattle Washington

Seattle is a place that I love, and so far have visited on each trip overseas. There are two reasons for this, it is a beautiful area and I have a friend that lives here.

I spent six days in Seattle on this trip. Much of this time was not exploring but catching up with my friend. It was nice to spend time in an area sort of being a local a little, without pressure to run around seeing everything.

I did take a chance to experience one new thing, though, driving on the other side of the road. I rented a car for a couple of days and revisited a favourite spot, Mount Rainier. The last time I visited here was as part of a tour group, and the stops were limited. I took a whole day to explore the area and did a little hiking. Finishing the day with a hike to Glacier View at approximetly 6300 feet, with some amazing views.

Vancouver BC, Canada

The final stop on the land-based portion of this trip is a return to Vancouver. The Transpacific cruise I am taking departs from here, so I thought it would be nice to spend a few days. Even though I spent 10 days here on my first trip there were places that I missed, and still wanted to see.

There were only two days on the ground in Vancouver in the end, but I made the most of this time. I took the ferry tour around False Creek and visited the Chinese Gardens. I else met up with another passenger embarking on the same cruise and explored Granville Island a little.

Transpacific Cruise – Vancouver, Canada to Sydney, Australia

After enjoying my Panama Canal Cruise earlier this year, I was looking forward to crossing the Pacific by cruise ship. The cruise is with Holland America Line onboard the MS Volendam. The ship is a little bigger than the MS Statendam, but it is still a nice size without so many people.

Long Beach, California

The first leg of the cruise was two days at sea, before arriving in Long Beach. The short cruise is also offered as a coastal cruise and there were a lot of people who disembarked here. I do not think I could handle just being on for two days, it is just too short.

Long Beach as a destination did not interest me much. However, I still decided to take the shuttle bus into the downtown area. Primarily this is a shopping area, but it was still interesting to have a look around.

Hilo, Hawaii

Crossing the Pacific Ocean on a cruise ship does see quite a few days at sea. The first Stretch is from Long Beach to Hawaii with four days at sea. The first of three ports in Hawaii is Hilo, and they sort of decided to turn on the weather for us.

My decision had been to take a shore excursion with the cruise line here. The tour visited three waterfalls that are nearby. The first waterfall was quite spectacular, but the other two were rather disappointing. One you could barely make out except for a small piece where the water came out from behind the trees. The second is seems has been somewhat destroyed by redirecting the water for a hydroelectric power plant.

The first of the three waterfalls, Akaka Falls, was quite impressive with a drop of 135 m (442 feet) and was quite a beautiful area.

Even with two of the waterfalls being a disappointment, the visit to Hilo was still enjoyable. It is a beautiful area like I expect most of Hawaii will be. I could see myself coming back to explore the area more in the future.

Honolulu, Hawaii

A day later and into another Hawaii port, Honolulu. The weather was the total opposite of when we left Hilo, with Blue skies and the sun shining. I went with a tour option again today heading to Diamond Head Crater to hike to the top of the rim.

The area around Diamond Head is beautiful, if not in stark contrast to the rest of the island. The majority of the island is lush and green due to the high volumes of rain. However, the area around Diamon Head Crater is somewhat barren especially around the crater itself. Although I am sure there are plenty of other great view points, the views up here are not half bad.

Kona, Hawaii

Kona was the third and final stop in Hawaii, and I opted not to take a tour here. Instead, I joined with a few friends and we explored the town on our own. Kona itself hugs the shoreline and you get great ocean views from most anywhere in town.

After a walk around Kona, we found our way to a local pub. A great place to enjoy lunch and try some of the local beer. It was a great day, but it would have been nice to have a little more time. The time was cut short due to an extended wait for tenders this morning. There is always that chance with tenders that things can get held up.

Pago Pago, American Samoa

While Pago Pago is one of the smaller islands on the itinerary, I do believe it could be one of my favourites. The amount of time we had in port here could have played a part in this. With the ship arriving at 8 am and not departing until 11 pm. You get to experience the port and the local area in both day and evening times, without the pressure of having to get back to the ship.

The only better way to see a port is with an overnight stop, but they are few and far between on some cruises. I started the day with a tour to visit some of the local landmarks, and I think this was a good option. There is a lot to see and most of it is not within walking distance of the port.

In the afternoon, a walk along the coast with some friends from the ship to a local bar to see the sunset. It was an amazing view watching some of the mountains that sort of plunge into the sea. The weather turned out to be perfect today and could not have spent the day in a better way.

Apia, Western Samoa

Even with a late departure from Pago Pago, the arrival in Apia was quite early. The two destinations are only around 125km (77miles) apart. I choose to take a tour with the cruise line here, mostly to ensure I maximised my time. The tour also offered me a little more than I would have expereienced just walking the town.

The area that the ship docks is a considerable way from the main part of town. Making it rather difficult to explore without taking a tour. There may have been a shuttle bus, but the tour offered a lot more variety. Especially interesting on the tour was a visit to the previous home of the author Robert Louis Stevenson.

The home of Robert Louis Stevenson is not a museum, displaying many pieces from his life in Apia. The tour ended with a small show of traditional dance and Samoan Kava Ceremony. In the afternoon I did explore the shoreline a little walking around towards the town maybe 1km.

Suva, Fiji

Suva is a rather interesting port, due in large to the dichotomy over such a small area. Where the ship docks is almost right in downtown, next to the bus station. For a small island nation it was disheartening to almost see the pollution hanging in the air. The ageing buses and vehicles belching exhaust into the sky.

However, after boarding one of these buses it did not take very long to be in the lush green rainforest. It would not have even been 15 minutes from downtown where the rainforest walk started. For around 2 hours we wandered through lush green. Small waterways, rock pools and waterfalls all around. It is so difficult to believe the difference from the city to the rainforest in such close proximity.

Noumea, New Caledonia

With doing so many tours to this point, I opted for a more relaxing day in Noumea. Walking the town area with some friends from the ship. The greatest challenge of the day turned out to be ordering coffee.

Although walking the city on your own you do not get to see as much. You get to take things at your own pace and enjoy the experience. For me though Noumea is a common port on cruise itineraries from Australia so there is always next time to see more.

Ile Des Pins, New Caledonia

Ile Des Pins is essentially a port for relaxation and enjoyment of the area. I do not even recall if tours were offered here. But it is a place to enjoy the beach and take things at your own pace. I personally did not get any photos here for two reasons. The first I opted to make this a beach day, which leads to the second, I took only the essential to shore. Being a tender port it is just not practical to go back and forth between the ship and shore. Thankfully a friend from the ship did take their camera ashore and offer to share their photos.

Sydney, Australia

The original itinerary for the cruise included the port of Eden to the south of Sydney. However, due to poor weather conditions the captain made the decision to arrive in Sydney a day early. The ship would dock in Sydney overnight before we needed to disembark. Although I was a little disappointed to miss Eden, I did get an extra day to explore Sydney.

I spent four days in Sydney including the overnight onboard the cruise ship. I was able to experience a little of the city which I have only visited twice in the past, each time for less than a day.

I spent much of the time with people I met on the cruise ship which was quite enjoyable. We took the ferry to Watson’s Bay and the Southern Head at the entrance to Sydney Harbour. A great walk around the city and the Botanic Gardens, and many other spots.

One Good Journey Overseas

What an amazing journey this trip has been. In the planning stages, I did experience some issues in getting my bookings completed. But in the last days before leaving to travel I managed to get everything wrapped up and ready to enjoy the trip.

Seeing so many new places via the cruise across the pacific was a great experience. However, some of the biggest benefits on this trip came from lessons that I learned in the planning stages. Lessons that came directly from the self-created problems. These will most definitely help me in planning future trips, to hopefully avoid similar last minute bookings.

I hope that you have enjoyed seeing an overview of this trip. I know it has been a long post, but thank you for taking the time to read and view the photos.

Destinations

Exploring The City of Toronto, Canada

Posted on May 26, 2012

Over the weekend of the 20-21 May, I got to explore a little more in Toronto with a friend I was staying with. We got out to see a little of the city, stopping at two different area’s which were kind of interesting. Being a weekend, they both came with their challenges to get to see much.

Toronto – Distillery District

The first area we visited was the Distillery District, which as you might suspect used to be where the Distillery was. There are still some original buildings in the area that have been repurposed. Being a weekend, there were plenty of people around enjoying the shops, cafes and market stalls.

The original operator of the Distillery was Gooderham & Worts Ltd. At one time they were the largest distiller of alcoholic beverages in Canada. The distillery operated in the area from 1862 until 1990 when the distillery was closed and then converted into the Distillery District. As you can see, there are still remanents of the original use.

There are some pieces of public art around the Distillery District. The one featured above is inspired by War Of The Worlds it would seem. Although the one below I am not certain that I can work out what it is supposed to be. But does appear to be influenced by science fiction I guess.

Random Sights

As we were making our way between the Distillery District and The Roundhouse we came across the below sight. The building looks to have been painted with this to avoid a plain and boring building. The five windows are real enough, but the surround is all painted on. It would not be the first time that I have come across some interesting random sight like this in Toronto.

The Roundhouse

The second place that we had planned to visit today is The Roundhouse, which is located very close to the Baseball Stadium. In fact, we timed out arrival rather poorly coinciding with the crowds leaving the baseball. We may have done things a little differently if we had known about this, but not to worry.

The Roundhouse is just what it sounds like, an old Train Roundhouse. You can still find an engine and some carriages in the area. However, The Roundhouse now houses three different things, a bar, a furniture shop and small workshop for the older trains on display.

Canoe Park

There was another park that we stopped at for a look by the name of Canoe Park. The canoe that the park is named after really was not too impressive, it was a little small. The cluster of fishing buoys is a little more impressive with water fountains in between. There was a button to push that would start the water feature, and it would last around five minutes.

I have quite enjoyed my visit to Toronto and enjoyed catching up with my friend. However, another visit to explore a little further than the city is something on the cards for the future. It was nice to enjoy a little bit more of a relaxed pace while here.

Destinations

Exploring The City Of Toronto, Canada

Posted on May 19, 2012

I just wanted to open with a quick apology, for not posting over the last two days. I arrived in Toronto late on Wednesday and have been staying with a friend I have not seen for some time. We have been out and about seeing some things, but part of this stop is about doing some catching up.

Reykjavik To Toronto

The flight from Reykjavik on Wednesday was not a bad flight. There was a little turbulence, but nothing like the previous I took from Reykjavik to New York. For much of the flight, there was a layer of clouds below so nothing too exciting outside. However, I did open the window at just the right time though as we passed over the coastline of Canada. You could see there the sheet ice on the coast was breaking up, it was quite spectacular.

Returning To Toronto

The flight arrived in Toronto late on Wednesday, and I my friend met me at the airport. The friend is someone I met on my cruise last year from Vancouver to Sydney. It was a great chance to catch up and just enjoy the evening, rather than trying to race out and see anything too much.

Although I could not point out anything specifically, I am sure Toronto has gone through some changes since I was last here. There are so many new building and more being built at present. However, there are still plenty of buildings with some historical background around the city as well.

Such as the building below, the abandoned Canada Malting Silos. They were built in 1928 to store Malt. However, in 1980 they were abandoned and left unused. While some of the buildings have been demolished the Silos will remain and be incorporated into a future project.

Toronto Parks

Toronto has a lot of parks spread throughout the city. But some of the nicest ones that I saw are along the waterfront. One of these parks is the Toronto Music Garden. It is possible to take an audio guided tour or guided walk. But today we just walked through and enjoyed the park.

You can see it in the above photo, and it ‘s hard not to capture it in any photo that includes the skyline. I am, of course, talking about CN Tower the tallest structure in Toronto standing at some 553 metres (1,815 ft) high. It does rise fairly prominently in many photos of the city. However, I did manage to get a picture of Toronto’s inner city beach on the waterfront without it in the picture.

Galleries And Artwork

Thursday was a pretty full day, so we got Friday started with a stop for coffee and caught a streetcar for a ride. We ended up near the Art Gallery of Ontario; this building has a large curving glass front. But the inside is the total opposite with a nice timber finish.

Not too far away we came across another rather interesting building, the Ontario College of Art and Design (OCAD). The building does stand out when you see it with supports that look like pencils. The primary part of the building is the three-story classroom block that looks covered black and while tiles half a dozen stories off the ground.

Street Art

Another short walk is an area known as Graffiti Alley. As you might imagine this area get’s some mixed responses from locals. However, from my point of view, it seems to be mostly done in good taste and enhances what could be a pretty drab alleyway. There is a stretch of one or two blocks long that includes some superb pieces of artwork. But at the same time, there are some tacky pieces in there as well.

In the evening we headed out for a little dusk/night photo session. Many images did not turn out; there were some that I thought were ok. Below is one of the pictures of the Toronto skyline in the twilight hour.

I have been quite enjoying my time in Toronto. I am very glad that I have been able to make some time to return to the city. But I think it is somewhere I will consider returning to again in the future. It has been great seeing the city with a friend who is a local, instead of listening to the scripted commentary of a tour guide for once.

Destinations

Exploring The Golden Circle, Iceland

Posted on May 16, 2012

Since I was in Iceland I wanted to make the most of the time that I had. There were a couple of tours that I could consider, but it seemed that the most comprehensive one would be the Classic Golden Circle Tour. It is a full day tour that leaves from Reykjavik and explores a number of locations in the area known as the Golden Circle.

Golden Circle Tour

It is a full day tour that leaves from Reykjavik and explores a number of locations in the area known as the Golden Circle. The tour covers some of my favourite things including waterfalls and churches but also stops at geysers and craters.

Þingvellir (Thing Fields)

The tour started with a visit to an area known to the locals as Þingvellir, which roughly translates as Thing Fields. The valley that forms this area is known as a rift and is located directly above two continental tectonic plates. The two plates that meet below this area are the Eurasian tectonic plate and the North American tectonic plate.

Due to the location above the tectonic plates, the area is prone to volcanic and earthquake activity. However, beyond the sudden major events, the land separates by about 2cm every year.

As you walk down into the valley you pass through a fissure in the rock. The fissure has been created be the land separation mentioned above.

The location is also an important landmark in Iceland’s history. The photo below shows the area known as Law Rock in Þingvellir (Thing Fields) was the site for the Alþingi (assembly). The location was a part of Iceland’s Supreme Legislative and Judicial Authority for almost 300 years from its establishment in 930 AD. The Law Rock was the focal point of Alþingi and a natural platform for holding speeches.

Lunch And Gullfoss

Even though I had eaten a good breakfast I was quite glad to hear the next stop gave an opportunity for lunch. There were not many options available, but as I like to say travelling is for trying new experiences. My choice end up being the traditional Icelandic Meat Soup, with bread rolls. It did taste quite good and there was nothing left by the time I was finished.

Once lunch was finished it was time to take a walk to the nearby waterfall. Known as Gullfoss or Golden Falls with two main drops. The first part is somewhat stepped, while the second drop of about 32m is into a deep ravine. There is a huge volume of water passes over the falls at a normal time, and even greater in times of flood.

The view of the falls from above gives a very dramatic look, and to some extent shows the scale. However, it is also possible to walk down and onto the rocky outcropping to the left of the falls. If you look closely you can see people standing right next to the falls.

The walk down to the falls is rather interesting in itself. There is a field and fence along the path that is covered in ice. The ice is the result of the spray created by the waterfall raising into the air and subsequently landing here. With the cool temperatures in the area, the water turns to ice as it lands.

Haukadalur

Iceland is home to one of the world’s most famous Geysers. The Strokkur Geyser is located in one of the active geothermal areas in Haukadalur. There are two geysers at the location, one which is now dormant and no longer erupts. While the other Strokkur Geyser erupts with some regularity every 5-8 minutes. It is very interesting to see the geyser erupt, which it did two or three times while the tour was here.

Faxi Falls

There was a brief unscheduled stop at another waterfall that the bus was passing. Faxi Waterfall is nowhere near as impressive as Gullfoss. But it does create a beautiful interruption to the otherwise barren landscape.

Skàlholt

While visiting Europe I have seen a great many churches. However, I did not expect to see one in the countryside of Iceland. Skàlholt Cathedral is the most recent building of this cathedral which was built here in 1963. It is not a large church but has many beautiful stained glass windows along with a mosaic over the altar.

Crater Keriõ

There was another short photo stop as Crater Keriõ, which formed 6500 years ago. The crater is about 55 meters deep, with about 7-10 metres of water forming a crater lake.

Hellisheiði Geothermal Power Plant

The final stop of the day was at one of the Geothermal Power Plants near Reykjavik, the Hellisheiði Geothermal Power Plant.

This plant is rather new only commencing operation in 2006 and has been expanded in 3 stages to currently produce 303MW of electricity and 133 MW of Hot Water, as of October 2011. When the final stage is complete the plant’s target capacity is 400MW which would rank it as the largest Geothermal Power Plant in the world.

The tour today around the Golden Circle turned out to be a lot more comprehensive than I expected. The commentary provided was excellent and very informative. Even though it was a guided tour and we were on the move most of the day it did not seem rushed like other tours I have taken.

Destinations

Exploring The City Of Reykjavik, Iceland

Posted on May 15, 2012

Reykjavik - View From Hallgrímskirkja (Church of Iceland)

I had never taken the time to consider visiting Iceland in the past. I had heard of it as a country and knew it was somewhere north of England. It just seemed a little too remote to consider it as a destination to visit.

When I was looking at options for travelling between Europe and America though it Iceland appeared as an option. While many airlines fly direct from Europe to America, Icelandic Air flys via Reykjavik. Surprisingly in the research Icelandic Air came up as the cheaper option for the flights I needed. As such, for the two flights from Europe to America that I needed to make I booked with Icelandic Air. For the second flight, I booked with three days to explore Reykjavik and the surrounding area.

Reykjavik

I arrived into Reykjavik late yesterday afternoon, in many countries, this would be a bad thing. However, with sunset at around 10.30pm, there was still ample time to get out and explore some of the city. In fact, even when I went to bed around midnight it still was not entirely dark.

While the sun may be setting later in the evening, this does not, impact the temperature much. The current temperature on arrival at the hotel was a mere 3 degrees Celsius, or with windchill around -5 degrees celsius. As the evening progressed, this temperature only got cooler with a light snowfall through the night as well. As you can see below, I found the remanents of this snowfall still present the next morning.

Hallgrímskirkja (Church of Iceland)

First, on my list of places to visit today was a church by the name of Hallgrímskirkja (Church of Iceland). The construction started in 1945 and was finally completed in 1986. I think you would probably agree that the building does have quite a striking exterior. While the exterior in some ways stands out, the interior is extremely plain and minimalistic.

In fact, the most elaborate item within Hallgrímskirkja is the organ that is rather beautiful. In total, the organ has 5,200 pipes, with 72 voices and dominates the wall above the entrance way. My visit is just a little bit early in the year as from June they do have public performances.

The final aspect of the church which got me interested was the small fee to visit the top of the tower. I think it could just about be called the best view in Reykjavik. The church already sits on one of the higher points in the city, and the tower helps you get that bit higher.

Reykjavik Botanical Gardens

As with most cities, Reykjavik does have a Botanical Garden, even if it is not that large. The area is still a lovely spot to step away from the rest of the city and experience a little bit of green. A small waterway runs through the gardens, and there is also quite an interesting rock garden.

Perlan Building

Since arriving in Europe, I have not gone out of my way to visit many museums. Primarily due to the size and time needed to explore them properly. Opting in favour to spend my time exploring the cities that I have been visiting. However, today I gave in a little and visited the Saga Museum, located in the Perlan Building in Reykjavik.

I believe part of the motivation may have been to find somewhere indoors that might be a little warmer. But also the museum is not too big and can be visited in about 30 minutes. An audio-guided tour is offered of the exhibits. The primary focus is the history of Iceland from the first settlement through the first few hundred years of Iceland’s history.

Below is the view from the top of the Perlan Building. Almost as good as the view from Hallgrímskirkja.

Close To Nature

Reykjavik as a city has a population of just over 100,000. For a capital city, this is quite small, and there were some things that I did not take into consideration. For one the city is fantastic to walk around, there is not much that is too far apart. You also find places like the below image not even one kilometre from the city centre.

Opera House Reykjavik

The last stop for the evening is a relatively new building, completed just last year. The Opera House Reykjavik is a rather impressive building constructed primarily of a glass exterior. However, you find when you visit the building that the glass walls act more like an exoskeleton that houses another building inside.

A Cold Day

The day in Reykjavik was very enjoyable, and I got to see a lot of the city. The weather report was that the temperature with wind chill got as low as -10 degrees Celsius. I am glad I had sufficient warm layers and did not let the weather dictate how I spent my day.

The weather is one thing that you always need to consider when travelling. If you let a little bit of cold keep you indoors there is little point in travelling; you may as well just stay home. You need to be able to take the predictions and identify when it is truly a dangerous situation to stay indoors. A little cold or rain should not stop you enjoying a destination.

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