The New Colossus

By Emma Lazarus

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,

With conquering limbs astride from land to land;

Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand

A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame

Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name

Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand

Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command

The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.

“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she

With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

 

Unless you are full-blooded native American, you or your ancestors came to America as immigrants. For me, it isn't possible to see the Statue of Liberty without being moved by it as a symbol of our freedom and promise. I pray we never lose that.

We arrived in Portland, Maine just before noon this morning.

Here is an old fortification for the harbor -

The trees are sporting their fall colors -

The harbor is busy with 2 cruise ships and many tour boats, lobster boats and sailboats

After a US Customs inspection, we wandered around town for a couple of hours - it was HOT!

Tomorrow is our last sea day; we arrive in NYC on Friday morning.

We arrived in Halifax early this morning. There are 6 cruise ships in this harbor so there were a lot of tourists wandering the city today. The day was overcast, but the little bit of rain abated as soon as we stopped to put our rain jackets on. We walked along the harbor and then into town. Halifax is a lovely city with a mixture of older and new buildings.

We did not see the Titanic Cemetery, but the city of Halifax sent rescuers to the sinking Titanic only to realize that their mission was to be one of recovering bodies instead. The White Star Company maintains the burial place of 121 Titanic fatalities.

Only a few years after the Titanic disaster, two ships collided in the narrows of the harbor. The Cargo of munitions and fuels exploded. Thousands were injured or killed and over 1600 buildings were destroyed.

The Halifax Public Gardens were a highlight of our walk. This beautiful Victorian Garden was severely damaged by a hurricane in 2003 but rebuilt by volunteers. The garden has 140 varieties of trees and beautiful beds of flowers that have something blooming year-round.

After 2 rough days at sea, we arrived at St. John’s Newfoundland late this morning. Finally, the wind has died down and the rain has stopped. We took advantage of the beautiful weather and took a hike up to Signal Hill and then along the shore back to the ship. In a few hours, we leave for another day at sea and then Halifax, Nova Scotia.

October 3 & 4 – Yesterday (the 3^rd) we arrived in Reykjavik around 10:00am. Right after an early lunch, we walked into the city along the waterfront. It was still cold and windy but manageable. I would love to show you pictures of the places we saw, but our current internet connection just won’t allow it!

We visited the Harpa, the very modernistic performing arts center. Its glass exterior is made to look like the basalt columns of the rock of the area. We also visited Hallgrims Church. It is both simple and beautiful; we were entertained by strains of organ music as we looked around the church. One picture I can’t show you is a sign saying not to interrupt the organist in English and Icelandic. We all know organists who don’t want to be interruptedJ

Today, we took an 8 hour tour of highlights of the countryside. We saw beautiful scenery including geothermal features (and a geyser erupting), the huge Gullfoss waterfall, the widening valley formed where two tectonic plates separate an additional 2 centimeters each year. All along the way, we took in the stunning scenery and enjoyed watching Icelandic sheep and horses.

We arrived back at the ship late this afternoon. We leave this port soon. The wind is howling! It may be a bumpy night. We now have 2 days at sea so I doubt I will be able to post anything. I’ll be back when I can.

October 1 – Today we visited the Shetland Islands, the city of Lerwick to be more exact. Last night turned very windy and rough so we are happy to be able to be on land for a few hours. I had some doubt that the Tender Craft would be able to transport us to shore from our anchorage in the harbor.

This morning’s sunrise had a bit pink and orange.

 

We did some walking around town in the windy 40 degree weather. We went by St. Magnus Episcopal Church and the Methodist Church as well. We enjoyed the excellent museum that has displays on the history and culture of the Shetlands. Too soon, we had to head back to the Norwegian Jade and wave goodbye to Lerwick.

October 2 – The captain warned that the night would be bumpy, and he was right. I am happy that Norman has his transderm patches. The barf bags have appeared in public areas! I’m not sure you can appreciate the 21.3 foot waves from this photo –

When we walked/ran on the treadmill this morning, we felt every bit of the roll of the ship. The feeling was like a treadmill on a base of pudding.

 

 

September 30 - It is our first morning at sea. We got underway at 5:00pm our time. Norman always enjoys looking at a refinery so I took this picture for him -

 

We have a lovely and roomy cabin -

Our spacious bathroom even includes a bath tub!

We shared a table at dinner with a couple from England and a couple from Canada and enjoyed lively conversation covering many topics. We have not escaped the wind; the waves are about 8 feet and, with the wind, the result is some slight rolling of the ship.

This morning we had a colorful sunrise (red sky at morning, sailors take warning).

Well, this is a lovely picture you won't get to  see right now. Our internet connection is very poor. It will take some time to catch up. Stay tuned....