Author: Troy Knight

Another wonderful fall day found us in a journey to the Salisbury Plain and on the the City of Bath. Like Chaucer’s famous pilgrim Alison, we traveled with a diverse group and each traveler had a story. Our first stop was the mysterious and majestic Stonehenge. The beauty of the carefully arranged stones and their mystery has kept scientist and scholars and psychics at bay for generations. Sheep, birds and fading summer wild flowers are not intimidated by these wonderful stones. The best part of the journey was wandering through traditional English villages that have been the heart of this wonderful country. We approached the yellow city of Bath about noon. The famous Abbey reached upward pulling us to the heart of the city. The Georgia buildings are made of a stone that give the area a soft painterly feeling. A Jane Austen convention willed the streets with ladies in Empire dresses, bonnets and the every present trainers. Buskers entertained us with violins and songs. Children and adults swayed to the melodies. Reminders of the ancient Romans were most evident in the spa where they and others afterward soothes their aches and pains of a difficult life. Life here is gentle. Always time for cuppa, a chat and thanks love and a smile. WE turned our back on Bath and returned to London. A little faster, not to comfortable, but wonderful just the same.

The day was bright and sunny bringing out the best of this beautiful and historical city. Troy and I began the day with a long walk down Buckingham Palace Road from our hotel in Belgravia to Buckingham Palace. People were excitedly gathering around the Palace gates to watch the tradition of the changing of the guard and to enjoy the traditions that the English do so well. We chose to spend most of the morning exploring St. James Park. The fall flowers were at their very best. Dahlias nearly six feet tall were the backdrop for asters, coleus, petunias, and roses, Ducks, Egyptian geese, and enormous storks filled the ponds while small mammals searched for food on the park grounds. Artists were painting and children were playing while other guest speaking many languages were enjoying what was once Henry VIII’s hunting grounds. WE were drawn to the sound of a military band and one of King Charles’ many bands entertained us with a lively performance. Troy said that would be the company to be in if you were in the army. The performers enjoyed themselves as much as the audience enjoyed the musicians. Recruiting tents lined part of the area offering young men and women the chance to explore British military life. Leaving the military behind, we hopped on the Toot Bus for a tour of the city. We drove around the Tower and the London Eye great engineering feats of the times. Lambeth Palace were Elizabeth I lived a lonely and neglected childhood still stands alone and neglected on the wrong side of the river. Fancy Mayfair and teeming Paddington reflect the wealth and working class of the city. We finished our day in a restaurant were a Hindu bride was celebrating with her mother, grandmother and aunties and friends. She managed them all as she surely will were household. As Samuel Johnson said and so to bed.

OUR FLIGHT FROM HOUSTON TO LONDON VIA ATLANTA WAS UNEVENTFUL. EVERYTHING WAS A BIT LATE, BUT WEATHER IS A MAJOR SHAPER OF FLIGHT PATTERNS AND WE LANDED SAFELY AND WERE MET BY OUR DRIVER. WE ARE STAYING IN OUR FAVORITE PART OF THIS WONDERFUL CITY NEAR THE PALACE, BEAUTIFUL PARKS AND FUN PUBS AND CAFES. THE HOTEL Z WHERE WE ARE STAYING IS A TINY PLACE WITH ROOMS ABOUT THE SIZE OF A JAIL CELL. TINY BUT COMFORTABLE. AFTER A LONG NAP, WE SET OUT FOR AN EVENING OF ALE AND CRICKET IN THE GREEN KING PUB. TOMORROW WE WILL BE TOURIST AND TOUR BUCKINGHAM PALACE AND THE CHANGING OF THE GUARD.

Our next great adventure is about to begin. We will be visiting England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland. Stay tuned for more post soon. Happy traveling.

This is the last day on board the Norwegian SUN. We had planned to spend it on a private island enjoying a beach, music and the tropical waves. Another stormy day cancelled those plans and instead we are bobbing around the Atlantic Ocean trying to stay as dry as possible. This has been a beautiful sail beginning in Seattle and ending in Florida. We have visited all of the Central American countries and another South American country. We revisited parts of Mexico that we both love and have plans to return to Mexico in the near future. Cruising gives us a snapshot of many beautiful places and gives us a chance to dream of returning to learn more.

We left Central American for South America and spent a wonderful day in Cartagena, Columbia a mixture of the very modern and the past. A drive to the beach gave us a chance to see the descendents of African slaves still practicing the fishing practices of their ancestors. A taste of coconut water and a cast netting demo and we were back in the city for empanadas and Coca Cola. We had the opportunity to see housing protected by Unesco and the homes of the very wealthy in the city before going to the old walled city. Definately built as a fortress shops, churches, and homes with open plazas took us back to the past. We tasted sweet coconut candy, drank the local beer and did a lot of people watching. We passed through a beautiful aviary on the way to the ship. The next two days are sea days. Yesterday the ship moved around wildly and we had to hang on tightly most of the day.

Today we slipped through the Panama Canal leaving the Pacific behind. We entered the first lock at 6:45 and a representative of the Port Authority narrated most of the trip. The ship enters a lock, gravity pulls water from a man made lake, the lock fills up a gate opens and the ship moves to the next step. It is a slow process, but the canal allows people and millions of dollars of product move from east to west and west to east in a economical method. The canal in heavily industrial on one side and wooded and full of wild life on the other. We watched from the deck, and also from our stateroom. It took nearly six hours to move the ship and suddenly we were out to sea. Think how this engineering feat changed the world. Tomorrow Columbia.

We joined a Greenway trip today to view the Costa Rican environment. We drove through thick lush jungles to a beautiful resort and started an hour long hike over swinging bridges, through the jungle and finally back to the bus. This was followed by time on the resort property and a treat of tropical fruits and juices. We saw holler monkeys, macaws, huge termite nests, a white face monkey and dozens of birds and butterflies. Finally, a trip down a river to observe the plentiful crocodiles. These primitive creatures number in the hundreds and lazily collect the sunlight in this shade prone area. This was our best tour of the trip.

We traveled into the highlands of Guatemala to visit a small city that is 7,000 feet above sea level. The drive was spectacular. Smoking volcanoes to the left of us and resting volcanoes to the right of us. El Fuego was particularly energetic during the drive. Evidence of his eruption several years ago brought reality to his power. The volcanic soil created spectacular plant life. Corn stalks rising 12 feet. Wild asters and sunflowers were at least six feet tall. Strawberry fields, tomatoes, cabbage and beans, beans, beans, meant good income for the local farmer. Cemeteries have brightly colored tombs that were painted on Day of the Dead and the cool weather meant that the flowers were still fresh. The city itself was small and had a typical market. Fruits and vegetables, hand woven materials, and a jumble of old clothes and shoes and curious dogs and children. This yellow church was the highlight of the plaza. Lunch was in a local gallery with a brief dance performance by the little girls in the family. The guide gave us a running commentary on history, customs, culture and religion. Eventually we turned her out. We were the last tour back to the ship. It is a beautiful little country that deserves more attention. than a single day.