Monday, October 11, 2021

A National Geographic Trip To Everywhere

The Geography Of Bliss-It was the best of vibes. It was the worst of vibes. We waited for 2020 to have that perfect vision. Nobody could predict what they'd be seeing and doing last year- washing our hands, wearing a mask and social distancing because of the global pandemic. Normally, we would be sailing in the Norwegian Fjords, The Baltics or through Alaska's wildlife super highway, and Glacier Bay.Tis the season but all fleets have come to a grinding halt. And then we found Fair Isle, which is like a cargo ship, surrounded by sea.

Saturday, July 3, 2021

On The Edge Of Britain: Plan S Shetland

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Cruiseship Visits Lerwick, Shetland

Direction Over Speed

There are 2 things that determine our life:

the quality of our decisions and luck. You cannot make progress without making decisions, and you will make those decisions over time with uncertainty. I call them bets.

Time Millionaires

Shetland reminds me of Alaska, a frontier outpost feeling combined with the Ohana-Aloha islands of Hawaii. Different climates for sure but basically a bunch of rocks in the middle of an ocean-and a lack of superlatives to describe the savage beauty. Oh yea, and add Norway in there because you somatically feel the Viking vibe here in The Shetlands.

For some context, Ithere are two videos below-the one of Ketchikan Alaska, the rainiest place in North America, and the other video is of Mid Summer in Norway at the top of the world in The Arctic Circle.

The QUEST is in the QUESTION: So here goes: How soon can we cruise again? Just now as they say in SA.

Weather has closed in and we are below limits both on route and at Fair Isle. This afternoons flight is now cancelled...but we are in the air! And Skyelark is in the hold.

For those who have never experienced island life, the day to day realities of living in the middle of the north sea during winter can seem mysterious, and sometimes even a little intimidating. Yet, despite being in the Arctic Circle, and because of the gulfstream, the December 2020 Winter. we experienced here was rather mild.

So the opportunity to fly out here during a heat wave (Down South In England), we expected no weather issues...maybe some wind, since Shetland is famous for wind speeds... But precisely because of the heat wave, the fogbank came in today, along with rain and some lightning while we were midair. Oh well, looks like we will be taking the Good Shepherd Ferry tomorrow.

downtown Lerwick, with a visit from a cruise ship today:

Sunday, March 14, 2021

A Visit To The Low Country Region South Carolina

Hotel @nyware9:26 AMNo comments

A visit to The Boone Plantation, and The Citadel were beautiful experiences in their own impactful ways.

The filming location for “The Notebook” , Boone Hall Planation was Allie’s Family’s Summer House. The antebellum mansion is located in South Carolina near Charleston and has the distinction of being one of America’s oldest working plantations, growing and producing crops for over 320 years. over 320 years.

The History of The Citadel began in the early 1800s with the establishment of state arsenals in Charleston, South Carolina and Columbia, South Carolina and continues this day to make great leaders

The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, commonly known simply as The Citadel, is a military college in Charleston, South Carolina. Established in 1842, it is one of six United States senior military colleges. It has 18 academic departments divided into five schools offering 23 majors and 38 minors

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Friday, February 26, 2021

Month 14 of 2020

Hotel @nyware12:47 PMNo comments

2020-What a year!

Yellowstone National Park (WY not?), Fair Isle, Scotland, (Shetland) Dover, England (White Cliffs) via Orlando (Disney) and South Florida.

It started with Christmas and New Years sailaways on Disney Cruise Lines in The Eastern and Western Caribbean. Then Covid hit, and travel changed forever...Yet we managed to finish the year out on Britain's most remote inhabited island, population 45, taking physical distancing Uber seriously.

Yellowstone National Park USA

It was the best of vibes. It was the worst of vibes. We waited for 2020 to have that perfect vision. Nobody could predict what they'd be seeing and doing this year- washing their hands, wearing a mask and social distancing because of the global pandemic. Normally, we would be sailing in the Norwegian Fjords, The Baltics or through Alaska's wildlife super highway, Glacier Bay.Tis the season but all fleets have come to a grinding halt.

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DON'T GIVE UP THE SHIP. or the goal of taking a vacation- ..You can't deny gravity, or the gravity of the situation, and traveling these days will never be the same. I'd have to get resourceful, resilient and drive somewhere long distance in an automobile.

I rented a land yacht, a 2020 Mitsubishi Outlander (my protective bubble from the Covidiots who refused to take the virus seriously enough to follow some basics) and drove from Palm Beach to Jackson Hole, WY. Planning a road trip now is like trying to build an airplane as you're flying one ... data changes constantly..so I avoided airports, public transport and took my chances in a SUV, and hit the interstate freeways. Three days (daze) later I rolled up on The Grand Tetons. I've sailed the seven seas, and visited every imaginable port of call, but being double-land locked would be a first.

Fair Isle, Shetlands UK

Britain's most remote inhabited island. We flew in this morning. It feels like we are walking into a painting. Think Norway meets Hawaiian islands and Father Time and Mother Nature have a field day.

No man is an island, as John Donne wrote, but, north of the border, you can live on one. Scotland's. The Shetland's is good like that, with 15 inhabited ones to choose from. We are here in Fair Isle. Britian's most remote one. It feels like we are moving through paintings as the ever changing weather lights the landscape in unique and splendid ways.

Thanks to the popularity of the TV Series Shetland, we have had it on our radar as places to visit this year.

Of all the 115 islands in the archipelago, just a few- 15- are inhabited ones. We are at to Britain's most remote island, Fair Isle.

First, Sarah and I flew into Lerwick, Shetland's mainland via Edinburgh, Scotland. Next, we got a PCR test for Covid (Think Positive Test Negative).

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Then, we followed-on to Fair Isle, population 55, now 57! What a place to self-isolate during the global pandemic! At first I thought Fair Isle was- the Faroe Islands (That's Danish and in the sub Arctic Circle). The Shetland Isles are located in the North Atlantic, Closer to Norway than to Aberdeen. Go Vikings!

FAIR ISLE Are we there yet? Being there.

There are two choices for transport to reach the island - take it or leave it.

The first involves a 20-minute straight run aboard a 'puddle jumper, 7 seater fixed-wing plane from the mainland of Shetland – a twin engine prop plane- heart-in-the-mouth flight- up-close and personal with the pilot and his control dashboard.

Thankfully, that link was not cancelled, due to fog, wind or just plain bad weather, then it would have been a ferry, actually a converted fishing vessel, the only other alternative, a notoriously 2 hour rough crossing aboard the island’s ferry, the Good Shepherd IV. Sometimes the North Sea is even too rough for the ferry.

Living Of The Grid And Living On The Edges

Fair Isle is not connected to the National Grid. Energy is generated in the island by the Fair Isle Electricity Company (FIEC) using wind turbines and solar and this is stored in a battery back up system. We brought Torches, flashlights, as there is zero light pollution or street lights.

South Lighthouse Josie and Dave's place

Disney Cruise Lines -Port Canaveral, FL/CARRIBEAN

Castaway Cay

New Year (January 1, 2020) and a day in The US Virgin Islands. After a mile walk around the deck we witnessed the sun rising against the Caribbean blue ocean. Spectacular. As we bring in the new day, still thinking about the souvenirs from YESterday.

Last night we celebrated onboard the Disney Fantasy.

When it comes to Disney royalty, you can’t get much cooler than Elsa and Anna. We started the evening with the movie Frozen 2 and its takeaway of ..when under pressure, do the next best thing, was noteworthy.