Saga Rose Greenland Voyager August 2007

[MMDown Under]

What an intriguing spectacle! A real tourist crowd treat! I hadn't known about these canal jousts. Thanks for the link.

 

Donald.

 

Glad you enjoyed it, Donald. Most were locals or at least French speaking.

[Kapricorn]

Glad you enjoyed it, Donald. Most were locals or at least French speaking.

 

I am not sure what is the function of those sitting on the upraised stern in front of the jouster? In each video they were cowering and cringing against the oncoming joust of the rival boat. I would have been petrified had I sat there.

 

Donald.

[MMDown Under]

I am not sure what is the function of those sitting on the upraised stern in front of the jouster? In each video they were cowering and cringing against the oncoming joust of the rival boat. I would have been petrified had I sat there.

 

Donald.

 

I recall musicians with drummers, on each boat, playing repetitive tunes. But it doesn't appear so on these videos. Maybe they are protecting themselves whilst they wait their turn.

[Saga Ruby]

Below is a URL for an excellent article from the LA Times about boat jousting. And many thanks to Marion for introducing us to a sport that is fascinating:

 

http://articles.latimes.com/print/2008/sep/02/world/fg-joust2

 

Seeing the videos and reading the article make me want to fly off to the Languedoc area of France and enjoy the spectacle.

 

Ruby

[MMDown Under]

Below is a URL for an excellent article from the LA Times about boat jousting. And many thanks to Marion for introducing us to a sport that is fascinating:

 

http://articles.latimes.com/print/2008/sep/02/world/fg-joust2

 

Seeing the videos and reading the article make me want to fly off to the Languedoc area of France and enjoy the spectacle.

 

Ruby

 

Just what we needed, Ruby - a well written article that answers all our questions.

 

I love the fact that it is an amateur sport, where people compete just for the glory.

[seabourndt]

another disaster! after all the troubles with the ship's maiden cruise being cancelled. i was hoping after many attemps to see her arrive or depart without sucess! i stay in southampton the night before. checked AIS to see when she would arrive after someone said 0845 i had\ to get back to hotel for breakfast.

SADLY worse to come!! no passengers on board waited 2 hours to get onboard. saw lovely public rooms(i was impressed) then lunch then was told there would be time tro see the cabins. sadly our guide was replaced by someone who had never been on the ship before! she did not know her way around! cabins were now occupied by the cruise passengers so saw NONE!! i hope saga make amends!!

hopefully MSC DIVINA'S maiden cruise goes a lot better as i am on it.

dave

[Saga Ruby]

Dave - sorry to hear about your off-putting experience with visiting the ship. I've been following the awkward starts and stops of her maiden voyage being cancelled and perhaps one after that.

 

It's good to hear that the ship herself is well-turned out. One hopes that these start-up woes will quickly be in the rear-view mirror.

 

Ruby

[Kapricorn]

Dave, so sorry to hear that the visit to the ship did not go as well as it should have. What a disappointing experience.

 

Donald.

[Saga Ruby]

A hearty Bon Voyage for your upcoming "Panama Canal and nine sea-days" voyage. Are you an early packer or last minute?

 

If you do the flight to Tikal, be sure to relate your adventure; also don't miss the statue in Cartagena of Don Blas de Leso, a Spanish governor back in the day. That tough old bird is missing a leg, an eye, and some other appendage. Ya gotta admire that indomitable spirit.

 

Back in the early 80s, near that statue, was a man with a 5 yr.-old child on a white donkey. They were selling souvenirs and I remember that the child had on many layers of bright-pink lipstick - quite the dichotomy. It was such a charming scene that I went up to the man to look at his souvenirs, including some kind of wall-hanging that was pretty. As I moved to purchase it, a thought clanged in the back of my mind, saying "Where are you going to use this in your house?" I passed on the sale and never made an impulse-bought purchase again.

 

Have a wonderful time!

 

Ruby

Edited May 9, 2012 by Saga Ruby

[Kapricorn]

Ruby, thanks for the Bon Voyage! After all these years I may be a veteran of suitcase packing. I started selecting toiletries and clothes three or four days ago, and today recharged my camera battery and signed up for the international edition of cellphone service, so that I can text David at home and see how he, the cats and Cathy's dog are doing.

 

Don Blas de Leso did not sound like less the man for having missed all these body stuff. I will be sure to look around for his statue in Cartagena.

 

Impulse purchases? I never do these, just like I do not at home. So, no worries about purchasing trinkets in the various ports. In the past, such trinkets usually ended up in a drawer, to be tossed out a few years later.

 

Remember that I always purchase a "classic" in the Juneau bookstore every time I go there? Well, I am having extreme difficulty reading and appreciating James Joyce's Ulysses. It was written in a style imitating one's thought processes. I am at about page 400 of the 730-page book, and will read the rest after my return. It is hardly a book to relax with on a cruise.

 

Donald.

[Conte Di Savoia]

Bon Voyage!

Have a great trip Donald. Have you ever read David McCullough's Path Between The Seas, his book about the building of the Panama Canal? It's must reading for anyone doing the transit. It's a fantastic tale of one of the greatest achievements of the 20th century told in a lively style.

[Kapricorn]

Bon Voyage!

Have a great trip Donald. Have you ever read David McCullough's Path Between The Seas, his book about the building of the Panama Canal? It's must reading for anyone doing the transit. It's a fantastic tale of one of the greatest achievements of the 20th century told in a lively style.

 

 

Conte, thank you very much for recommending that book to me. I will certainly see if I can get one.

 

Right now I am packing, and already the cats are freaking out, dashing here and there around the apartment. In an hour and half from now, I will be walking Frankie for the last time until the first week of June.

 

I am greatly looking forward to three weeks of complete relaxation, free from housecleaning, tending to pets and cooking.

 

Donald.

[seabourndt]

for your replies about my ship visit, they said aboutmaking amends but think it means in future rather than now which is a shame. saga is too pricey sadly. never even got abnout about getting money back from the cvisit if yiou book a cruise. love to do sapphire but all the shorter cruises this year are sold out. have anotyher visit on 22nd may on minerrva hope that is better but getting off at 1230pm it will be a verty early lunch. 2 weweks till theb msc divina

dave

[MMDown Under]

Just make a booking for Fred Olsen Black Watch - The Baltic with Norway, ex Dover, via Kiel Canal.

 

June 2012

Sun 24 Late PM Dover, UK

Tue 26 Early AM Late PM Kiel, Germany

Thu 28 Early AM Late PM Tallinn, Estonia

Fri 29 to Sat 30 Early AM Late PM St Petersburg, Russia

July 2012

Sun 01 Early AM Late PM Helsinki, Finland

Mon 02 Early AM Late PM Turku, Finland

Wed 04 Early AM Late PM Copenhagen, Denmark

Thu 05 Early AM Late PM Kristiansand, Norway

Sat 07 Early AM Dover, UK

 

Would appreciate any suggestions for ports of call from those who have already visited this region, as this will be my first visit (apart from Copenhagen and Kiel).

Edited May 15, 2012 by MMDown Under

[MMDown Under]

for your replies about my ship visit, they said aboutmaking amends but think it means in future rather than now which is a shame. saga is too pricey sadly. never even got abnout about getting money back from the cvisit if yiou book a cruise. love to do sapphire but all the shorter cruises this year are sold out. have anotyher visit on 22nd may on minerrva hope that is better but getting off at 1230pm it will be a verty early lunch. 2 weweks till theb msc divina

dave

 

Hope your visit to Minerva on 22nd May goes better, Dave.

 

Will be interested on your comments on MSC's Divina.

 

MSC is reported to be coming to Australia sometime, but when is the question.

[Host Sharon]

Just back from Adonia today. It was a wonderful cruise - hot and sunny all the way, until the last two days when I had to take to my bed - only the second time in my life when I have been well and truly seasick! I do like the ship (with one or two reservations) and will post in due course - just have to complete the unpacking.....urghh!

[Saga Ruby]

Sharon - welcome home! What a bummer that you had a bit of mal de mer on this voyage. One never knows when King Posideon is going to rear his ugly head.

 

We look forward to hearing your report on Adonia after you get thru unpacking.

 

Ruby

[MMDown Under]

Just back from Adonia today. It was a wonderful cruise - hot and sunny all the way, until the last two days when I had to take to my bed - only the second time in my life when I have been well and truly seasick! I do like the ship (with one or two reservations) and will post in due course - just have to complete the unpacking.....urghh!

 

Wasn't the dreaded Bay of Biscay, was it, Sharon?

 

That is the only place I've been sea sick (much to my surprise) and someone explained it was because two conflicting currents meet there, so the ship is going up and down, as well as side to side.

[Host Sharon]

It was indeed Marion - on the way home. It was only a Force 7 but hitting us from the north east causing us to corkscrew. Even some of the crew were sick. I was reasnable OK by the next morning thankfully, even though it didn't die down until late on the last day so packing was fun again...not!

[MMDown Under]

It was indeed Marion - on the way home. It was only a Force 7 but hitting us from the north east causing us to corkscrew. Even some of the crew were sick. I was reasnable OK by the next morning thankfully, even though it didn't die down until late on the last day so packing was fun again...not!

 

You have my heartfelt sympathy.

 

It was whilst cruising the Bay of Biscay that I learnt sea sicknesses wasn't mind over matter!

[Host Sharon]

I'm still sorting hundreds of photos but these are the other cruise ships that we met during the two weeks. Civitavecchia and Barcelona are THE places for ship-spotters.

 

https://picasaweb.google.com/1148019...ernMedMay2012#

[Saga Ruby]

I'm still sorting hundreds of photos but these are the other cruise ships that we met during the two weeks. Civitavecchia and Barcelona are THE places for ship-spotters.

 

It's fun to see all the different "brands" represented in your pix. I have fondly named Norwegian Epic the SS Rollover and recognize that NCL and other lines use ships' exterior surfaces for billboards. But is this the trend in mass-market lines? Using their ships for adverts?

 

Your photos remind me of the termini of Piraeus - lots of ships, lots of brand recognition. Solstice lurked around the corner from the harbour as she was way too big to enter and park alongside any wharf. Watching modern cruise trends is interesting but a bit sad for me. I like Ralph's kayaks much better than Epic or Allure OTS.

 

Ruby

[Conte Di Savoia]

I'm still sorting hundreds of photos but these are the other cruise ships that we met during the two weeks. Civitavecchia and Barcelona are THE places for ship-spotters.[/Quote]

 

Sharon, thank you for these wonderful pictures. It's always a thrill to meet up with other ships either in port or even more thrilling, while passing at sea. I've sailed on three of those you encountered, two of which were under different ownership when I was aboard. We sailed on Nieuw Amsterdam when she was brand new in 1984, then marketed as "The World's Newest Ocean Liner", the announcement of which was made routinely with the sounding of the whistle at noon. Sovereign of the Seas now bearing a contracted name, was the world's largest passenger ship sailing when I cruised on her during her maiden year. Now she is very modest in size, perhaps even considered small. But she is largely unaltered and still sports that magnificent Normandie inspired stern so beautifully captured in your photo. Unfortunately Rotterdam, the third ship I sailed on, has been somewhat mutilated by the squaring off of her stern and the expansion of the gym above her bridge.

[RalphRackstraw]

I like Ralph's kayaks much better than Epic or Allure OTS.

 

Ruby

Hullo! Funny you should mention that: with the coming of May, it is fairweather kayaking season again, after a long hiatus since mid-October. That has kept me too busy to go online recently, along with printing and snail-mailing all my Québec photos to the determinedly uncomputerized Lady Frances Rackstraw.

 

For those harboring fond nostalgic memories of Montréal, here I am with my wife and daughter-in-law on the belvedere in Parc Mont-Royal, 27 March 2012, well below freezing and with a stiff breeze blowing:

Yes, I finally bought the McGill University jacket I couldn't afford back in 1977... :D

[Saga Ruby]

With thanks to Conte who spoke up in the very beginning of this thread and pushed it along this marvelous path we have today. Your willingness to dig out loverly historical pix and brochures are a great joy to read. By the bye, what is the current name and owner of Sovereign OTS?

To Donald, our faithful correspondent who also added so much Technicolor to our thread with ship reviews, memorabilia, and statistics. I am at a complete loss in the art of ‘rithmatic so having Donald supply the math is such a relief.

 

To Host Sharon/ships cat - thanks for the expert maritime photos and facts. And good on you for building a maritime book business as an author. Does your car automatically take you to Soton and points south for your next ship’s visit? And the subject of fascinators was great fun for me.

 

To Marion - your links to interesting sites are inspiring. She is our global traveler and has taught us about boat jousting, such a fun sport. Who knew? Have a grand time at the Queen’s Jubilee, enjoy your cruise, take notes, and we will look forward to hearing all about it upon your return.

 

To seabourndt - thanks for your input that keeps this thread going.

 

To Ralph - thanks for the family photo in chilly Montreal. We will change your status to Gone Kayaking for the warm summer weather. We look forward to hearing from you when the onboard martini bar of your kayak shuts down. And a personal note admiring your visual fortitude in reading this entire thread.

 

A personal note - Druke I whose feisty comments were so much fun. Michael Drucquer was consistently surprised at the success of this thread and his incredulity gave me the giggles. He is missed.

 

To all our correspondents and all our lurkers - shhh! Don't tell anybody about the 200,000 Views. We don't want to be broken up like certain other threads, now do we?

 

Ruby