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Paulette Welch
Paulette Welch

Paulette Welch

traveled in 26 countries Read more
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  • Paulette WelchD & P Viking Neptune WC 23Traveler
    1
    A different method of marking channels

    3rd Sea Day to NZ - Day 37

    January 28, 2024, North Pacific Ocean ⋅ 🌬 18 °C

    Viking has a special partner and relationship with the Edward Munch Museum in Oslo, Norway, the Viking ocean ships are proudly displaying some of the Munch’s original pieces and Viking holds rights to the digital catalog, that can be seen day and night in the Atrium stairwell. These impressionistic works depict emotion and stories of struggle, joy, fear, achievement and more. He lost his sister and mother before the age of 26 and these life events may have shaped his artistic talent.Read more

  • Paulette WelchD & P Viking Neptune WC 23Traveler

    Tahiti (Papeete) French P - Day 34

    January 26, 2024, North Pacific Ocean ⋅ 🌬 25 °C

    Papeete means ‘water basket’. The island is 492 square miles, there are 190,000 people on the island who mostly live in the capital city. The unemployment is 16%. Everyone wants to work for the government. Tahiti and Faa’a means big valley. Ocean front property - Taina Marina- “Gardena flower” tide is 1-2 feet in bad weather. There are 250 inches of rain a year mostly from May-Oct - the winter is cold for locals. Locals believe in one god tatuia - Marea temple. Gasoline is about $6.00 per gallon $1.59 per liter. The country practices socialized medicine. HA - breath of life - Ha ole without the breath of life. . But Haole has become a derogatory term in recent years.Read more

  • Paulette WelchD & P Viking Neptune WC 23Traveler

    Moorea - Day 33

    January 24, 2024, North Pacific Ocean ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C

    Moorea (Opuniho Bay) French Polynesia 80 square miles of undeveloped shoreline, and 16,000 people. It is located just 10 nautical miles from the main island of Tahiti. The soaring massif of Mount Roa and Mount Rotui watch over the narrow Opunohu Bay like sentinels. The Polynesians settled here over 1,000 years ago. British explorers in the 18th century Samuel Wallis and James Cook sailed into the Opunohu Bay, the adjacent Cook’s Bay was named for the later. The amazing white sand beaches rise up to jagged emerald green peaks and multiple shades of turquoise lagoons which is the trademark beauty of Moorea, we had the included tour of the water view ilof the Island and the 1:45 snorkeling tour which took us around the other side of the island due to stormy seas. Luckily we had very little rain on our tours.Read more

  • Paulette WelchD & P Viking Neptune WC 23Traveler
    1

    Bora Bora - Day 32

    January 23, 2024, North Pacific Ocean ⋅ 🌬 28 °C

    Our arrival in Bora Bora (Vaitape), French Polynesia. Our excursion today is a motorboat cruise through the crystal turquoise blue lagoon waters of Bora Bora. There were breath taking views of the rocky green Mount Otemanu. This 15 square mile island (of the Society Island group) is considered the most beautiful in the world. This stunning South Pacific island is made up of a barrier reef of inlets, each one connected to the next depending on the tides. The island is surrounded by countless shades of turquoise waters, and is covered with a palm tree lined shore. There are a plethora of colorful tropical fish, turtles, sting ray and we passed the trademark water stilted bungalows that provide visitors with an island experience of a lifetime. The forested slopes lead up to Mt. Otemanu which peaks at 2,379 feet. James Michener’s book South Pacific captures the essence of the area.Read more

  • Paulette WelchD & P Viking Neptune WC 23Traveler

    3rd Sea Day to Bora Bora - Day 29

    January 21, 2024, North Pacific Ocean ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    Approaching the equator. If the oceans could be drained a vast topography would reveal itself: wide valleys, ravines, whose impossible depths plummet thousands of feet, enormous mountain slopes that rival the planet’s most majestic ranges from the Himalayas to the Andes. Fortunately, there is bathymeter, or sea floor mapping, which has provided astonishingly accurate images we can see. Check it out ladies, and Jatasya - so you can teach Indra. In 1912, the world’s first patent for sonar (Sound Navigation and Ranging) was filed in Britain in an attempt to make navigation safer. The device, first used in the 1930’s, emitted a beam of sound from ships into the water and measured the time it took for it to bounce back thereby creating a schematic contour of the ocean floor. The 1st full scientific map of the Atlantic floor was created by American geologist Marie Tharp (1920-2006). Today 100’s of parallel beams work concurrently to Hassan to process. However, mapping does not always occur from a boat. LIDAR or (Light Detecting and Ranging) is conducted from low flying aircraft. This method resembles sonar but used light beams invisible to the naked eye (of humans). Amazingly, satellites, too have been equipped to detect the minuscule differences in gravitational pull created by under sea mountains versus deep trenches. Understanding the seabed contours is not only important for nautical charts it also alerts scientists to beach erosion, tsunami forecasting, tectonic plate shifts, sea levels and of course government policies around the world. We had the Salute to Neptune - Pollywog to Shellback ceremony, a good time was had by all. Aoibhin, our cruise director had never crossed the equator.Read more

  • Paulette WelchD & P Viking Neptune WC 23Traveler

    Viking Neptune - launched 2022

    January 20, 2024, North Pacific Ocean ⋅ 🌬 28 °C

    “Viking Cruises' latest ocean-going vessel, the 930-passenger Viking Neptune, is set to make a splash when it enters service in December 2022. It's the eighth ship in the line's expanding fleet, and the identical sibling to Viking Mars, which debuts in May 2022. Built at the Fincantieri shipyard in Italy, it will offer all the trademarks of the understated Scandinavian style that Viking is known for. Viking Neptune's 465 cabins are mostly identical, with options to pay more for larger cabins with more living space and special perks. All cabins offer private balconies, and the top-tier Owner's Suite, measuring 1,448 square feet, includes a sauna, conference room and personal touches from Viking chairman Torstein Hagen. There's plenty of open deck space offering views of the destinations, and a pool and hot tub area with a retractable roof. You'll find a range of complimentary dining options, from the casual buffet to the sumptuous specialty restaurants. The Chef's Table offers rotating tasting menus paired with a selection of wines, while Manfredi’s provides Italian specialties. The exclusive Kitchen Table has interactive cooking classes, and complimentary, round-the-clock room service is also available. Viking Neptune's maiden voyage will be a 137-night World Cruise from Fort Lauderdale to London, England, visiting 28 countries and 58 ports of call. After that, it will spend the 2023 season sailing on itineraries in the Mediterranean. Don't miss the chance to experience the award-winning sophistication of Viking Cruises aboard Viking Neptune. Join the maiden voyage on December 22, 2022, to discover why Viking is the premier cruise line for sophisticated travelers.” We are enjoying Neptunes second World Cruise 23-24. A lovely ship indeed.Read more

  • Paulette WelchD & P Viking Neptune WC 23Traveler

    1st of 5 Sea Days to Bora Bora - 27

    January 19, 2024, North Pacific Ocean ⋅ 🌬 25 °C

    Eating out every meal makes pin pointing the gluten exposure difficult… but my immune system went on vacation yesterday, in sprite of trying to be careful and asking questions. Papa’s playing Baggo, and I am in the pool atrium this morning, not a bad place to be. Hope it passes quickly 🤞 we have 5 sea days. We had a quick hopefully safe dinner in the World Cafe, and we watched Yellow Stone in bed. The Neptunes antenna for TV is news is working again…Read more

  • Paulette WelchD & P Viking Neptune WC 23Traveler

    2nd of 5 Sea Days to Bora Bora - Day 28

    January 19, 2024, North Pacific Ocean ⋅ 🌬 28 °C

    Love Boats - Humans have built boats for as long as they have lived near water, for fishing, transportation, trade, migration, exploration and fun. A 10,000 year old boat carved from a log was found in the Netherlands. Long before that humankind colonized places that scientists say could only have been reached by water by some sort of floating vessel - Like humans documented in Australia 40,000 years ago, Crete 130,000 years ago, and the Indonesian Islands of Flores some 900,000 years ago. Current evidence suggests that animal pelts, bamboo, reeds and hollowed out logs were among the earliest natural materials used to make seaworthy crafts. With the advance of the Iron Age larger boats could be created by fabricated larger strong enough building planks. The Vikings are often credited with perfecting the art of ship building. The gracefully designed long boats evolved between the 8th and 13th centuries with clinker built ships that use overlapping sealed wooden planks. These early techniques can still be traced to modern ship building practices and adaptations. As trade increased throughout medieval Europe, ships increased in size to accommodate the larger loads of cargo. The early ships were several stories high with a web of masts and curtains of sails to propel them along their way. Sailors learned about the importance of ballast, from these towering ships, which when appropriately placed kept them more stable and upright. As the Age of Discovery dawned, the need to protect the valuable cargo for the powerful rulers, soon included guns and ammunitions on the decks of cargo ships. Today, there is an endless number of small and large vessels on the seas, for all manner of desired and functional purposes, and all have been built to master the world’s waters for the advancement of humanity. Keel Hauling - This was a severe naval punishment during the 15th and 16th centuries. The victim, presumably a delinquent sailor, was tossed overboard and dragged from one side of the boat to the other - underneath the kneel. He was unusually allowed to catch his breath before suddenly being tossed overboard again. The term is still used to describe a rough reprimand. While on a typical map the Pacific Ocean is divided, however, it is significantly bigger than the Atlantic when N. & S. America are not placed in the center. See pictures below.Read more

  • Paulette WelchD & P Viking Neptune WC 23Traveler
    Leaving Honolulu

    2nd Day in Honolulu, Hawaii - 26

    January 17, 2024 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    Honolulu, Oahu is the capital city of HI. and is a well known tourist spot for snowbirds with dramatic and exotic landscapes, ocean views and legendary nightlife, shops, boutiques and a remarkable history. Some of us have enjoyed the TV shows filmed here, and have been impressed that they never got stuck in traffic jams as the speed around to solve a crime. Contrary to the Hollywood version of life on Oahu, the traffic can match most big cities at rush hour all day… Hawai’i Five O used the back drop of the Iolani Palace which served as the residence of the last reigning monarch of Hawaii, and holds and displays the historic quilt that Liliuokalani, the last monarch of the Hawaiian kingdom made as a traditional historic momento. She was over thrown by the despicable billionaires of the time… nothing new. Same greedy forces at work today.Read more

  • Paulette WelchD & P Viking Neptune WC 23Traveler

    Oahu (Honolulu) Hawaii, USA

    January 16, 2024 in the United States ⋅ 🌬 26 °C

    The rising volcanic crater of Diamond Head overlooking Waikiki Beach in Honolulu embodies the fusion of natural beauty on this the island of Oahu, HI’s 3rd largest. There are 125 beaches with multiple crystalline lagoons, cascading waterfalls, and dense rain forests that dot the stunning natural paradise known as “The Gathering Place”… Maui is the “Valley Isle”, Kauai is the Garden Isle, Molokai is Friendly Isle, and Niihau is the Forbidden Isle, Kahoolawe, is the Target Isle… from the war days. The Hawaiian story is another sad commentary on American colonialism… The self righteous ideology, brutality, power and greed create the content of the history books pages.… and leave out the brutality and injustices, over and over. It is not a surprise that the locals are bitter… Kamehameha I founded the Kingdom of Hawaii on these shores. The Japanese attacked the American Base of Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941, and the US entered World War II … Today, we visited Pearl Harbor and sent pictures of the proximity of the Allen Ship(GrandpaTom’s) to the Arizona to Deb. Grandpa Tom said he could see the faces of the pilots, and the cooks on his ship were throwing potatoes at the planes. Visiting this site visually demonstrates the images of that experience. We got a call from Priya this evening, and talked with the Maui babies before dinner. We gave them a short live tour of our walk down to the dining room on the 2nd floor.Read more

  • Paulette WelchD & P Viking Neptune WC 23Traveler

    5 of 5 Sea Days Before Oahu

    January 15, 2024 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    We have been traveling at 18 knots to get to Oahu before a storm headed our way. We took a more southerly route out of LA. which put us a bit behind, thus the increased speed.. Our scheduled port time was 8:00 am. but the Captain is shooting for 6:00 am port time and 12:00 am arrival. He announced at noon we were traveling at 19 knots. How many miles per hour is that ladies? I remember some girls that liked to water ski not much faster than that… this puppy would be a little harder to get around to pick you up. We had dinner again with Elizabeth, Jean are retired doctors - NICU and Heart transplant out of Denver, and Tom and Katherine who were a lawyer and elementary teacher NY. Who now have homes in Con. and FL.Read more

  • Paulette WelchD & P Viking Neptune WC 23Traveler

    3rd Sea Day to Oahu

    January 14, 2024, North Pacific Ocean ⋅ 🌬 21 °C

    Due to cloudy weather last night Navigation by the Stars was not possible… practical but before satellites and GPS that is how explorers traveled around the world. Polynesians were among the first to master the Star navigation skills. These were brilliant seafarers who were able to read the sea swells, weather, etc., moving between the Pacific Islands and figure out the best times to manage these tricky waters. Having said that, today has been likely trickier for those prone to sea sickness. We have had whitecaps most of the day which made our new dance class even more challenging. Michael, assistant cruise director, was sipping ginger ale and struggling this day. We had two missing from Trivia and Baggo tossing was not very precise today. Papa was blue team today, and they seemed to have benefited from the rough seas.
    “Son of a Gun”
    When in port, and with crew restricted to the ship, wives and ladies were allowed to live onboard along with the crew. Infrequently, children were born on the ship, and a convenient place for child birth was between the guns on the gun deck. If a child’s father was unknown, they were entered onto the ships log as a “son of a gun.”
    We had dinner with Barrel, Bent, Canada, again, and Linda and James Michael from Nashville, Tennessee. Coffee in the atrium and lovely piano music.    Read more

  • Paulette WelchD & P Viking Neptune WC 23Traveler

    2nd of 5 Sea Day to Ohau

    January 12, 2024, North Pacific Ocean ⋅ 🌬 19 °C

    We played Baggo and our red team won and our team won Trivia today with 21 points. Who knows the colors of each letter of google.com in order? What about which M & M cartoon characters are girls, and what are their colors? We went to Hawaiian inspired line dancing with Aoibhin (pronounced like Jolene but A - bene O’Neil - red haired Irish cruise director - her 1st WC. Our new Hawaiian friend Gloria, (Tom) also felt it was more line dancing than Hawaiian… 🤣 Fun nevertheless… We have new entertainers and guest lecturers come on board in LA, and we are looking forward to hearing from them. Jason Bird will be performing tonight at 9:00 in Star Theatre. He is a magic comedian, and mentalist… should be interesting. He is also a Las Vegas performer. His last wine bottle trick was amazing…
    The Pacific Ocean covers 1/3 of the earths surface. Migration to the islands from Taiwan predates European exploration, and is reflected in the Hawaiian Island’s population.    Read more

  • Paulette WelchD & P Viking Neptune WC 23Traveler

    1 of 5 Sea Days to Oahu

    January 11, 2024, North Pacific Ocean ⋅ 🌬 15 °C

    Looking at a globe, it is not difficult to imagine the land masses fitting together like a puzzle. In 1912, Alfred Wegener (1880-1930) geophysicist, posed the Origin of the Continents theory that all continents were once joined. This theory of continental drift was first proposed in 1596 by Abraham Ortelius (1527-1598). he was a cartographer (map maker) and creator of the first modern Atlas. In 1920, Wegener, coined the term “Pangea” to refer to the massive supercontinent. This word is of Greek duration, and means (pan - all and Gaia - Mother Earth). Today, scientists believe that Pangea merged together some 300 million years ago and started to drift apart 200 million years ago. During its 100 million years Pangea resided mostly in the Southern Hemisphere. Geologists have identified matching fossils and identical geological features, in eastern regions of South America and western part of Africa. Given the Earth consisted of one huge continent likewise there was one enormous ocean. Panthalassa (Thalassa - sea) described the watery 70% of the planet. The Pacific Ocean, it appears, is the closest relative to the Panthalassa as all other seas were created after the drift of the land masses. Nautical Trivia - The term “As the Crow Flies” is a nautical term. Ships carried crows onboard and when released their flight path would determine the most direct route to land. This practice of keeping and releasing crows, is also why the highest place on a ship is called the crows next.
    The Captain announced we will be changing course to avoid a storm in our path to Oahu. (Follow the Viking Neptune on cruise mapper. https://www.cruisemapper.com/?imo=9845910 New guest lecturers came aboard in LA. It should be fun to hear what they have to say over the coming weeks. Last night Travis Clover performed in the StarTheatre (50-70’s tunes) He was on broadway and had the longest running performance of Jersey Boys - he now lives and performs in Las Vegas - he is very good.    Read more

  • Paulette WelchD & P Viking Neptune WC 23Traveler

    Santa Baraba, Calfornia

    January 10, 2024 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 11 °C

    Santa Barbara between the Pacific Ocean and the Santa Ynez Mountains is truly beautiful, and is called by some the Americas Rivieras. The history of Santa Barbara runs deep, through many cultures, across the Santa Barbara Channel, and throughout the city as it stands today. Culture is around every corner, and as you step into Santa Barbara, it’s also a step back in time into early Hollywood or to the very first days of Fiesta.
    From the basketry and boat-building techniques of the Chumash Indians, to the Spanish Colonial influence that can be seen around every corner, and the first days of filmmaking, Santa Barbara’s history is vast and truly unique.
    Spanish settlers gave the city its distinct architectural style in the form of Old Mission Santa Barbara and what is now the County Courthouse — a style that was carried forward by local visionaries after a massive earthquake destroyed much of the area’s infrastructure in 1925.
    And before the curtain went up on the Los Angeles film scene, Santa Barbara was a booming hub for the silver screen, home to California’s first major movie studio, Flying A Studios. Hundreds of silent films were produced in Santa Barbara in the early 1920s, and Charlie Chaplin himself was known to frequent the area.
    Maritime tradition began long ago and remains prominent in Santa Barbara. The famed Stearns Wharf is the oldest working wharf in California, built in 1872 by John Peck Stearns. Today, visitors enjoy walking Stearns Wharf, which is where one can find a variety of shops, restaurants, and local businesses.
    Santa Barbara continued to make notable history into modern times when it established the world’s very first official Earth Day celebration in 1969. The annual Earth Day Festival still takes place in Alameda Park every April. Santa Barbara marks its history throughout the year with a series of festivals and events. Relive the festive Latin heritage during Old Spanish Fiesta Days. Celebrate the city’s 300+ days of annual sunshine during Summer Solstice. Watch as stars still walk the red carpet into the city’s many beautiful theaters during the annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival. We took th included bus tour, climbed the clock tower at city hall had a wonderful lecture by a history teacher and walked back to tge ship. We had trouble getting back as the seas were not cooperating but we made it… We had lunch and went straight to the spa before dinner. We had dinner with Diane and Dan before retiring.    Read more

  • Paulette WelchD & P Viking Neptune WC 23Traveler

    Port of Las Angeles

    January 9, 2024 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    We disembarked to go through customs and walked around the port area. We stopped by the Iowa and embarked back on the ship and met a new couple from Kansas City, Kansas. Darrel went to Northwestern Medical School and graduated 2 years before Papa. Sally was a TWA flight attendant, and they met and married after she was 27 years old. There was a Cocktail Party on the Pool Deck at 5:15 and we met and talked with Karine Hagen, the daughter of the owner of Viking. She and Torstein Hagen were on board for the welcome ceremony as their headquarters are in LA. Her partner is from Salt Lake City - and we chatted about her desire to spend more time there. She is lovely and very easy to talk to - what a treat. We had dinner with Angelo, Susan - Australian, and after were joined by Paula and Ray. Ray - wanted to look at a Tesla truck in Santa Barbara, but after asking Wade, there were none there, nor in Honolulu. Lovely evening. Thanks Wade!Read more

  • Paulette WelchD & P Viking Neptune WC 23Traveler

    1 o 2 Sea Days, before LA

    January 7, 2024 in the United States ⋅ 🌬 12 °C

    Jan 7, 2023
    Ferdinand Magellan (born 1480) crossed the Pacific Ocean 500 years ago, he called it Mar Pacífico, meaning "peaceful sea." The name has remained, though those who have sailed these waters have not always brought peace. Soon after Magellan's sailing and as Europeans continued to expand their reach, five Spanish galleons carrying some 400 explorers pioneered a westward crossing, establishing one of the longest trade routes in history, which operated for 250 years. With trade came settlement and conflict whose ripple effects are still felt today. More recently, in 1947, Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl crossed this ocean on a balsa raft he built himself in order to prove that ancient civilizations could have done the crossing.
    We played Baggo, went on the general ship tour which included a small peek at a kitchen, wine storage, engine control room, crew quarters, and I 95 corridor, which is the length of the ship and the laundry with a $1.4 million dollar flat sheet machine which dried, and folds sheets. They have a shirt machine that takes a few seconds to dry and steam a shirt on a hanger. We checked in with our Aussie friends to try and gain some points, but were less than stellar today. At lunch we met and sat on the back deck with Molly, and Stan who will be leaving us in LA and will join the Sky in Sidney for the remainder of their World Cruise on the Sky.    Read more

  • Paulette WelchD & P Viking Neptune WC 23Traveler

    2 of 2 Sea Days to LA

    January 7, 2024 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ -4 °C

    Sailing the South Pacific Ocean it is getting too cool to eat outside for breakfast snd lunch.
    When Ferdinand Magellan crossed the Pacific Ocean almost 500 years ago, he dubbed it Mar Pacífico, meaning "peaceful sea." The name has remained, though those who have sailed these waters have not always brought peace. Soon after Magellan's sailing and as Europeans continued to expand their reach, five Spanish galleons carrying some 400 explorers pioneered a westward crossing, establishing one of the longest trade routes in history, which operated for 250 years. With trade came settlement and conflict whose ripple effects are still felt today. More recently, in 1947, Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl crossed this ocean on a balsa raft he built himself in
    order to prove that ancient civilizations could have done the same.
    The Spanish Empire in the 18th Century was the largest in the world. Rulers Ferdinand and Isabella enlisted Columbus to find a westward tour to the East Indies. In 1492 he reached the Bahamas which launched an endless tide of Spanish voyages to the New World with Catholic clergy and Dominicans, Franciscans and Jesuits accompanied for spiritual guidance to the troops and spread their religion around the world. Teachers, doctors, scribes and cartographers also provided supporting roles to document, heal and teach along the way. Natives alliances were forged and locals mere enslaved, enlisted or killed. Settlements were established in North, South and what is now Central Americas.
    We went to the gym, played Baggo with the Red team and Trivia with our Aussie friends before lunch in the World Cafe. Paula is still sea sick - the sea is very active this leg to be sure. We will have our hull inspected and cleaned in LA as Australia and New Zealand. We have gone 5,000 nautical miles to get to LA.    Read more

  • Paulette WelchD & P Viking Neptune WC 23Traveler

    Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

    January 6, 2024 in Mexico ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    Located at the tip of the 775 mile Baja Peninsula, where the Pacific meets the Sea of Cortez, Cabo is picturesque coast, with resorts, scuba diving, fishing and a busy town center, and harbor with spectacular beaches and the recognizable rock formations. As we know, the more sleepy San Jose del Cabo, which is a charming small Mexican town with the lovely town square, church and quaint atmosphere surrounded by the traditional adobe homes. The authentic Spanish Mission and city were founded in 1730 where galleons were replenished to make their way onto the Philippines. This is a lovely, Cabo Port day, great weather, and we will be taking the Cactus Tour - with our individual 4 x 4’s in the desert and along the beach. They didn’t allow us to take pictures or to take anything with us, and we didn’t buy the $80.00 thumb drive of the whole groups trip. - Who signed up for this excursion? Some people are happier about this adventure, than others… it was fun and we returned in one piece. They provided tacos for lunch (which they said, were gluten free) at the modern camel and ATV tour facility. Papa wants to do the camel’s next time. We returned to Cabo via bus and walked around for a time in the shopping plaza along the harbor, before returning to the ship.
    We had another Medical Emergency this morning, not sure of the details yet. We had dinner with multiple time World Cruisers - Roger and Janet (Seattle by way of Henderson, NV) who were also on the Magical Mystery cruise (2020) with us, and watched a movie before bed… Viking Mars was also in Cabo. Dale, Candyce’s husband, caught a large fish on his adventure.    Read more

  • Paulette WelchD & P Viking Neptune WC 23Traveler

    4th Sea Day on our way to Cabo

    January 5, 2024, North Pacific Ocean ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    The Ancient Greek as well as modern ornithologists have identified specific species that travel routes which are thousands of miles from feeding to breeding waters. Highly adapted to marine life, seabirds flying over water for months feed on krill or fish that swim near the surface. Migrating birds can dive as deep as 100 feet below the surface if the water to catch squid, or survive by foraging for food along the coast. Some follow the ships and feed on fish disturbed in the wake of the ships. The Arctic tern boasts one of the longest migrations routes of any bird, flying between the Arctic and the Antarctic each year. Few birds cover the miles of the Sooty Shearwater. It also flies between polar regions, but during the summer, they follow the warm weather, flying quite remarkably some 40,000 miles in a year from New Zealand to Japan then over to Alaska and California. Clearly, these birds prefer to be on the move.
    We played Baggo, Trivia, danced in the Tordhaven, joined the photo lecture and port talk where we met Robyn and Josh in the Star and had dinner with Lorie from Boca Raton, pat an Jan from Santa Fe New Mexico and next to Marie and Heather in a table for two.    Read more

  • Paulette WelchD & P Viking Neptune WC 23Traveler

    3rd Sea Day before Cabo

    January 4, 2024, North Pacific Ocean ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    Poseidon is the Greek God of the Sea and is the counterpart to the Roman God Neptune, who is also the God of rivers, earthquakes and horses. Praying and sacrificing horses to him was considered necessary for success and safe passage. Alexander the Great sent 4 horses and a chariot, over a cliff into the sea before going to battle in Syria to insure victory. Greek mythology divided the world into 3 domains. Poseidon was given the sea. His brother Zeus received the sky, and Hades ruled the underworld. Zeus had the thunderbolts, Hades his helmet of darkness and Poseidon’s trident, when struck to the ground could bring forth bubbling water and earthquakes. Poseidon has long been prominent in seafaring paintings, sculptures, mythology and chariots pulled by a hippocampus, (upper body of a horse and lower body of a fish. The hippocampus dwells at the bottom of the seabed in a coral and gem palace.
    The ship spent the morning training crew for emergency evacuation, etc. Baggo was cancelled, so we spend some time by the pool until the shade disappeared, and we got too hot We had a small Trivia team 7, John, Marie, Heather, Ray, Paula, and us…. 15 and 22 won…. More reading, crocheting - (gloves-seems silly here) and a few lectures. We had dinner with Gloria (elementary teacher), and Tom (Pediatrician and infectious disease specialist in Boulder Colorado), and Beverly (dancer and recreational therapist turned personal trainer), and her husband Jim who was a 20 year army retiree from the intelligence area now living in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Beverly’s sister lives in Edmond, Oklahoma. We went to the Heather Clancy concert with 200 years of music wrapped up in one amazing evening from opera to pop. What a talent… one of Vikings very best talents. Her dynamic range, voice control, style, skill, humor, and overall command of the stage was second to none…
    Civilization was built on salt and therefore on the sea. Without salt, food preservation would not have been possible. Salt is necessary to preserve meat, fish, season, transport or store food. This practice dates back to the 1st century BC. Salt was used in battle to render the land useless. Salt was used as currency in trade. The word salary comes from the Latin word Sal for salt. Italy’s Via Samaria is one of the many roads used to transport salt from the sea to cities of empires. Salterns extracted the mineral very simply by evaporation. Empire, ceramic vessels with narrow necks were used to hasten the process over a fire. When the water boiled away, salt was left. Workers broke the vases and extracted the salt. Later shallow pans were used and left in the sun evaporate the water.    Read more

  • Paulette WelchD & P Viking Neptune WC 23Traveler
    1

    2nd of 4 Sea Days

    January 3, 2024, North Pacific Ocean ⋅ 🌙 29 °C

    The ship had a passenger with a medical emergency and we were delayed a bit but all is well and we are on track for an on time arrival at our port in Mexico. Denny worked out for an hour in the gym this AM, and I had a much needed ‘sleep in’ with my mask and ear plugs in place. I am not sure which is more activity packed, a port stop or sea day. Latin and Romance languages such as French and Italian define nouns as feminine or masculine, and the for word ship is feminine - Navis. We played trivia with the usual crew - Heather, Marie, Ray, Paula, John, and 2 new friends from Bacon Hill Sidney, Australia - Susan and Angelo. I learned a new word today, dag . Literally it is the shaved off bottom fur covered with poop from a sheep. According to Australian Slang, it is a person who is fun and a lovely happy character. I read more of the Path Between the Seas book on the back deck, and we went to Tea at 4:00, and later to the photo lecture before dressing for dinner. We dined on the Starboard side - Alisha’s station with Jan and John from Santa Fe, (again) which was lovely, and David and Janet from Brisbane Australia who are disembarking in Las Angeles, to fly back to Australia. They have already been cruising for a couple of cruises, before this cruise. They are all, truly world travelers.Read more

  • Paulette WelchD & P Viking Neptune WC 23Traveler

    One of 4 Sea Days

    January 2, 2024, North Pacific Ocean ⋅ 🌬 28 °C

    Last night was a remarkable evening. Dennis Gyllenhaal called to catch up, (my phone is on Airplane/data and roaming is turned off (it must have been via internet somehow) and we are on a ship off the coast of Central America - Costa Rica. We shared dinner with a couple living in Chicago. The man (Jay Miller) mentioned his dad worked for Boeing in Wichita, Kansas and making conversation, I mentioned Kay Wallick, and it turns out they were very good friends and his first marriage was t one of Jay’s very good friends. I mentioned I was an OT, and the wife, (Madeline Schneider), now a CPA in Chicago, went to KU OT school from 1971-1975, where Nelwyn Patti Pitts Longfield Gyllenhaal went to OT school for the first two years 71-72, before she transferred to WU. Crazy coincidence to be sure. We are all more connected than we imagine at first glance. We had brunch in the Wintergarten, played Baggo, Trivia, (didn’t win) did a bridge tour, and took a Salsa class and… Denny a nap. Tonight at dinner we shared a table for 6, and again won the jackpot. We again had dinner with Jay Miller and Madaline Schneider, and a couple from Canada, Betyl and Bent Hudson who live in Collingwood, ON, L9y 4X4, Canada, which is a reportedly a small walking town near amazing lakes and waterways. They like to camp, have camped in Moab, and have been to Lake Powell, and rented a run about on which to explore Lake Powell.Read more

  • Paulette WelchD & P Viking Neptune WC 23Traveler

    Puntarena Costa Rica

    January 1, 2024 in Costa Rica ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    Sandy Point - Puntarenas (Puerto Caldera) Costa Rica is a former fishing village on the Gulf of Nicoya that prospered along with the coffee barons. Early on the locals delivered the coffee beans from the mountains via ox carts.. In 1879, the railroad completion put the people delivering coffee by oxcarts out of business. September 15, 1821 is their Independence Day. (Independence from Spain) Costa Rica - Meaning “Rich Coast” but the gold was discovered in Columbia, there is very little in Costs Rica. Coffee production was the major export to England - but it was very expensive due to the transportation issues. The train changed the efficiency of production and transportation, which improved the economy . Northern railroad grew and they began to export bananas which had been planted next to the tracks to feed the railroad workers. Bananas from the United fruit company are sold under the name Chiquita bananas. Since 1949, Costa Rica has had no army, education is free and 96% of all Costa Ricans are literate. 95% of all Costa Rican people have electricity. Free Medical healthcare is provided and is paid for through taxes by businesses & workers, and also a 3% subsidy by the federal government. CR’s minimum wages are around $1,000.00 per month, with a zero inflation rate. In CR, you can live very well with a monthly income of $4,000.00. Housing next to Madonna on the Pacific coast will cost $1-2 million, but a house next to our tour guide will be in the $200,000 range - in the mountains. Corruption was high and in 2002 things started to change for the better. CR is one of the oldest democracies and their inward migration is very high due to the stable economy and wonderful lifestyle. The drug cartels activity is extremely high and they have become a priority to end their hold on the country. Overall CR is very safe. Tom Brady has a house on the beach with horses, and he is just a normal person here and can live a normal life, without drawing attention. Our tour was a drive to a small town of Esparza, founded in 1574 where we viewed local handicrafts and watched local school children in traditional costumes perform traditional dances. Today all the Costa Ricans are celebrating with a day off on the beach. Heather (one of our Aussie friends) stopped us, and said we have 4 sea days - start studying 😂. We won yesterday!Read more

  • Paulette WelchD & P Viking Neptune WC 23Traveler

    New Years Eve on the Viking Neptune

    December 31, 2023, North Pacific Ocean ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    Happy New Year! We had dinner with a couple from Southampton, and their 2nd home is in South Africa on the South East tip coast. John and Jane - lovely people, who enjoy the outdoors. We stayed at dinner until nearly 10:00 and then danced on the pool deck with Jan (Family Practice Physician) & Pat, the engineer from Santa Fe, New Mexico who love Lake Powell! They have booked the trash tracker several times- Powell buddies? 🤞Read more

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