On a previous blog I asked my grandchildren 6 questions about crossing the international date line. Here are the questions: I have had two answer so far. I thought I would share their answers with you. The first is from my 14 year old grandaughter Joanna. Hi, Papa and Nana! This is Joanna, answering the…
Our stop yesterday was on one of the islands of New Caledonia. New Caledonia was first settled by the Austronesian-speaking Lapita people around 1,500 BCE. Their descendants, the Kanak people, developed a distinct Melanesian culture based on clan-based societies, agriculture, and extensive trade networks. In 1853 France annexed New Caledonia under Emperor Napoleon III, making…
We crossed the international date line today. Today is 2/4 and back in Atlanta it is currently 2/3. Somehow we skipped a whole day. This is an interesting math and engineering issue. Yes, as I write this note it is really February 4th, 2025. We skipped February 3rd all together. So I want to issue…
We arrived yesterday to the Cook Islands. A very pretty island but small.Rarotonga was first settled by Polynesians, likely from the Society Islands (modern-day Tahiti) around 800–1000 AD. The island became a hub within the vast Polynesian triangle, with strong connections to other Pacific islands. The traditional Māori culture of the Cook Islands, including language,…
Before I get Popeete, I want to tell you about a fun outing we had several days ago. On January 25th there was an unusual planet alignment of 6 planets. The ship had anyone interested go up to the “Retreat” area of the ship, 11th floor forward. They turned off most of the lights on…
January 4th, 2025 through May 9th, 2024. Well we started on the adventure of a lifetime yesterday. 128 day cruise around the world on Holland America Cruise line sailing on the Zuiderdam. I will try to blog our trip at our different stops so that our grandchildren (and anyone else that is interested) can follow…
We anchored just around the corner from Killarney last night and spent the nice in a peaceful cove. This morning we woke up to a lot of wind and rain. The captain decided to move the ship to a more sheltered area and this consequently changed the schedule all around. The plan for today was…
1st day of our cruise. We left the Toronto port early this morning with a short ride across Lake Ontario. We then entered the Welland Canal. The Welland Canal takes you from Lake Ontario to Lake Erie. It was built by the british and is part of Canada. The Canal consists of 8 locks, takes…
Nana and I started our two week cruise through the 5 Great Lakes. This has been on our bucket list for a while and since we had a credit with Viking River Cruises and it looked like a great tour we decided to go on it. We flew into Toronto and then will traverse through…
Another sea day rounding the corner of France getting ready to head up the English Channel. Nana went swimming again in the pool with Wolfgang. The ship was rolling a lot and there were other people in the pool so Nana and Wolfgang did not get too much swimming in. Nana and I took our…
papa carney 