While cruising in Alaskan waters, I discovered rivers of solid ice, sometimes thousands of feet thick! I call them “glaciers” and arranged for a helicopter ride at once for a closer examination.
Tag: Cruise
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Rivers of Ice
I really should have been an arctic explorer. I think I rather look the part. 
My mighty steed ready to carry me to the river of ice. 
Glacial overboots. Very fashion-forward, everyone is wearing on the glacier. 
The soles of the boots with the little metal studs that bite into the ice. 
Glacial run-off. The intensity of the blue ice is incredible. It really is that bright blue, no photoshopping or anything! 
The Heart of Alaska. 
The river of ice meets the sea. -
Seattle
I made a quick inspection trip to Seattle, on my way to intercept the Queen Elizabeth, a Cunard liner. Seattle is very nice…a sort of clean and non-hostile San Francisco.
I visited the iconic Space Needle. Am amazed they could build it in less than a year. One wonders what corners were cut to achieve that! 
Pie in the sky? They called it pie, but, as you can see, it is not a wedge. Pie is served in wedges. Tasty, though, despite their misnomering. 
This is Dale Chihuly, manager of a glass factory. There is an exhibit of his products at Seattle Center, near the Space Needle. 
At Chihuly’s factory, they make many bowls like these. Pretty, I suppose, from a certain perspective. Lacking in utility and not dishwasher safe. 
Luckily, Chihuly manufactures decorative forest adornments, compensating for Nature’s lack of beauty. 
I discovered a transit vehicle—a sort of train—called a “monorail.” Weirdly, it has only a single track, like a unicycle train! Engineers are still trying to work out how it maintains its balance. Most trains require two, sometimes three, tracks. 
Seattletonians specialize in odd structures like this one. The inexplicable lack of straight walls and right angles leads to an inefficient use of interior volume. Wasteful! -
Queen Mary 2: The Atlantic Crossing
Addendum to the New York post: Prior to my visit, I did not realize that New Yorkers are fond of dressing in antique clothing. Several, perhaps many, of the men walk the streets in old-fashioned “suits,” complete with colorful streamers tied around their necks! Just like in the olden days! I asked one if he was a docent illustrating New York of yesteryear; he became huffy and inarticulate. There are several antiquarian shops selling various articles of clothing from that era.
Brooklyn, NY, to Southampton, UK, on the Queen Mary 2 is what I imagine a magic carpet ride would be. Smooth, Serene, Leisurely. My stateroom was twice the size of my earlier crossing, five years ago. My long-time friends, Merrill & Gennaro, had a stateroom twice the size of mine! Even larger quarters are available. For a hefty price.
I lost two ping-pong tournaments here. Only one was my fault, as it was a singles tournament. The second was doubles and I blame my so-called “partner.” Met some nice teenagers, though, from Canada and SoCal. The SoCal kid and I liked to make fun of the British. Did you know they apologize for scoring points? They do. They also apologize for winning. Peculiar! 
One of the many lounges aboard QM2. Someone seems to have left a martini laying around. 
This is not an abstract sculpture. These fins are, in fact, actually spare propellor blades QM2 carries around, in case some get damaged by running aground. Not an inspiring vote of confidence in the captain. 
Pretty art pieces adorn the stairwells of QM2.
