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August 2022

July 2022 - May 2024
An open-ended adventure by Tui Snider Read more
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  • TravelerAugust 2022
    Day 19

    Hardangerfjord

    August 18, 2022 in Norway ⋅ ☁️ 64 °F

    Hardangerfjord felt commanding yet serene as we glided by its rocky cliffs and dramatic waterfalls.

    We’ve seen a lot of fjords on this trip, but Hardangerfjord takes the cake. Not only do the mountains rise straight from the water, but according to our captain, it is deeper than the North Atlantic in places.Read more

  • TravelerAugust 2022
    Day 19

    Beetle Bee

    August 18, 2022 in Norway ⋅ ☁️ 64 °F

    Exciting to see a cute little Eurasian Beetle Bee pollinating an Angelica blossom in Geiranger, Norway.

    These bugs are in the scarab family and use what biologists call “Batesian mimicry,” meaning they pretend to be something dangerous, but are actually harmless.

    In this case, they hope their predators will think they are a bee.

    I think they’re adorable, although Larry fails to share my appreciation for the insect world, alas.    Read more

  • TravelerAugust 2022
    Day 19

    Waterfall Walk

    August 18, 2022 in Norway ⋅ ⛅ 61 °F

    We lucked into Geiranger, Norway’s first sunny day in weeks. The Waterfall Walk takes you on a magnificent hike alongside a roaring river. As usual, I dipped my toes in the moment I got a chance. That glacial runoff is brisk, but after the initial shock, it felt so refreshing!Read more

  • TravelerAugust 2022
    Day 15

    Fun with AirTags

    August 14, 2022 in Norway ⋅ ⛅ 63 °F

    The ship’s cell connection is $15/megabyte, so I put my phone in airplane mode when we’re at sea.

    When we reach a new port, I’m usually able to get a cell connection.

    Turning off airplane mode invariably causes the AirTags we have in our luggage to startle me with claims such as you see in this screen grab!

    At least my bag looks happy floating alone in the North Atlantic.    Read more

  • TravelerAugust 2022
    Day 13

    Scottish Mortsafes

    August 12, 2022 in Scotland ⋅ ☀️ 70 °F

    People often tag me with photos of mortsafes on social media wondering if I’ve ever heard of them or seen one in person.

    Long story short, mortsafes are not common in the USA. Henry Ford’s grave features a fancy one, but in his case, it was to thwart people who might ransom his corpse, not sell it to a medical college.

    So I was excited to see these famous mortsafes in Edinburgh’s Greyfriars Kirkyard.

    The plaque for one of them explains a mortsafe’s purpose quite nicely:

    “This iron mortsafe was placed over the grave to prevent grave-robbers from digging up the body for sale to the anatomy classes in the medical school.

    Many other measures were taken in the 18th and 19th centuries to prevent this repulsive trade, which continued until the anatomy act was passed in 1832.

    Restored in 2010 by the Greyfriars Kirkyard Trust with support from the Edinburgh World Heritage Trust.”

    Have you ever seen a mortsafe? By the way, I’ve seen it spelled “mort safe” as well as “mortsafe.” Since the plaque uses the portmanteau version, I’m sticking with that spelling!    Read more

  • TravelerAugust 2022
    1
    Day 12

    Highland Hilltop Cemetery

    August 11, 2022 in Scotland ⋅ ☁️ 68 °F

    As we drove through farmlands near Inverness, Dawn made a brief stop at a little hilltop cemetery.

    The stone fence caught my fancy. I also came across a headstone for a “Donald Cameron.” Cameron is my maiden name, so perhaps he’s a distant relative.

    I was also struck by an epitaph on the headstone for a young soldier who died in WWI. It reads, “Who stands if Britain fall.”

    Earlier, Larry asked Dawn how Scots feel about declaring independence from Britain. She told us it’s mostly the younger generation who want Scotland to separate.

    The older generation, especially those who lived through WWII, have a different view. After all, the Scots fought with the Brits against a common enemy back then.

    In light our discussion, that young man’s epitaph really spoke to me. It brought the phrase “e pluribus unum,” to mind. With all the divisive talk we have in the USA these days: Who stands if America falls?    Read more

  • TravelerAugust 2022
    Day 12

    A Very Special Day!

    August 11, 2022 in Scotland ⋅ ⛅ 73 °F

    I met Dawn through my newsletter. Last fall, we exchanged emails about historic cemeteries. Today we met in person, and she took us for a unique whirlwind tour of the Scottish Highlands.

    What a special day!

    For those who don’t know, every Sunday, I send an email with news and tidbits about historic cemeteries, and Dawn is a subscriber. (If you’re interested in receiving it, drop by my website TuiSnider.com and click on “free book.)

    When Dawn saw on FindPenguins that Larry and I were visiting her neck of the woods, she offered to show us around! She met us at the cruise port in Invergordon and gave us a wonderfully unique whirlwind tour.

    First, she whisked us to the picturesque Urquhart Castle ruins on Loch Ness. As you can see, it was quite a sunny day which prompted her to warn, “Don’t get the wrong idea about Scottish weather. We never have days like this.”

    Our next stop was Culloden Battlefield, where a bloody battle on April 16, 1746 put an end to the Jacobite uprising which sought to restore the Stuart monarchy to the royal throne.

    In less than an hour, 1600 men were slain at Culloden, and 1500 of them were Jacobites. Afterwards, the Highland clans were persecuted. Even their tartans and pipes were banned.

    After that solemn slice of history, we dropped by Cawdor Castle, which looks like something out of a fairytale and is mentioned in Shakespeare’s Hamlet.

    I don’t know the story behind the cute red “gypsy wagon,” but it reminds me of the one I used to live in many years ago.

    I’ll also have to ask Dawn the name of that distant castle in these photos. Sinclair? Andrews? She will know.

    Before she dropped us off at the end of our busy day, Dawn remarked that we really had taken both the high and the low road that day adding, “That is, if you’re familiar with the song,” to which I began singing, “You take the high road and I’ll take the low.” (My dad used to sing that song when we’d go hiking.)

    I’ll share more about our fun day with Dawn in upcoming posts! (As you can imagine, we also visited a couple of historic cemeteries along the way, of course.)    Read more

  • TravelerAugust 2022
    Day 12

    Arctic Terns

    August 11, 2022 in Scotland ⋅ ⛅ 75 °F

    Whoo hoo! I finally got a decent photo of an Arctic Tern.

    Ironically, it wasn’t taken while out birdwatching. There just happens to be a colony of them nesting right by the walkway at the Port of Invergordon. (Most people simply rushed by this marvelous sight while muttering under their breath about the noisy birds.)

    When we were in Iceland, I learned that these petite birds migrate all the way to Antarctica each year!

    It was easy to peek at them because they were on a raised section of land behind a fence as we walked ashore.

    Most of the birds stayed behind the fence, except for one who seemingly stood guard on the outside, squawked loudly at all who passed. (You’d be squawky, too, if you nested on the ground.)

    The babies were so well camouflaged that I often didn’t see them until they moved or peeped.

    I enjoyed watching the parents fly over the fence, then take a sharp dive into the marina. Each bird carried a single small fish in its beak as it returned to the colony.

    What a delight to see!    Read more

  • TravelerAugust 2022
    Day 12

    Nairn Fishwife

    August 11, 2022 in Scotland ⋅ ☀️ 72 °F

    Dawn gave us a tour through her hometown along the way, the pretty little seaside village of Nairn.

    The statue you see in my photos is the Nairn Fishwife. Here’s what the plaque says about her:

    “In Nairn, when the fishing industry was at its height in the late 19th century, the Fishwife played a very important role within the community.

    As well as being responsible for caring for house and family she also gathered bait, baited lines, gathered durkins (pinecones for smoking fish), prepared and smoked fish, including the famous Nairn Spelding, then sold them throughout the local area from the creel on her back.

    Please visit Nairn Museum for further information. Statue erected as part of Highland Year of Culture 2007.”    Read more

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