After 7 full days on the ship – and the slow torture of one-hour time changes every other night – we hit the port of Galway, Ireland with great anticipation! It was our family’s first foray into Ireland. And it didn’t disappoint – friendly locals, Guinness everywhere, castles, crazy driving, sheep, Guinness everywhere, lush landscapes,…
Toronto – The more things change, the more they stay the same!
We enjoyed four quick days in Toronto, as a waypoint before heading to the ship in Halifax. The boys finally got to spend some time with their cousins from Toronto, up at their cottage on Lake Muskoka. We had a great couple of days on the lake! Monday and the days following saw us venturing…
Colorado – Leaving on a Jet Plane
We had a frantic final several weeks in Colorado as we prepared for our nine months of travel – not just Semester at Sea (SAS) but also the five months of travel to follow our ocean journey around the Atlantic. It was tough enough to get all the usual tasks associated with long term travel…
And….so it begins!
7AM this morning – here’s what an early departure to Toronto looks like. Not tooooo much stuff for four months of travel! One entire suitcase of kid school books! Now we have 4 days in Toronto before an early flight to Halifax to meet our fellow voyagers and board the ship!
6 days until we fly – 11 days until we sail!
Well, here we are again. Following on our wonderful voyage in the Fall of 2009, we will soon be setting out for our second Semester at Sea experience (third for Christy). This time, instead of circling the globe from Halifax to San Diego, the route will take us around the Atlantic from Halifax to Europe,…
San Diego – The Last Leg
As we made our delayed departure from Honolulu, we expected to hit some big waves, and maybe do a little cruise ship surfing. However, we encountered nothing but smooth waters on our 6 day crossing to San Diego. The last few days on ship were filled with final papers and exams (for the students) and…
Coming to America – kind of – Hawaii!
During our uneventful 10 day crossing from Japan, we re-entered tropical waters on our way to Hawaii. The warmer temperatures allowed the boys to burn off some energy on the ball court and get back into the ship pool again. The return of nicer weather was tempered by the knowledge that our voyage was coming…
Land of the Rising Sun
Well, we have left the final foreign port on our voyage around the world. We now have 10 days at sea to look forward to as we cross the Pacific to Hawaii. We spent our last five days in Japan, porting first in Yokohama (outside Tokyo) and then in Kobe. Jay had been looking forward…
Shanghai, China
In Shanghai, our ship was docked in the heart of the city of 12 million people. The city has grown at an amazing pace over the past 15 years and is now one of the largest in the world. We were perfectly located to watch the nightly light show displayed on the downtown buildings and…
Hong Kong
Pulling into Hong Kong harbor, we were astounded by the row upon row of tall apartment and commercial buildings. For a city of 7 million people, HK is surprisingly livable city with manageable traffic and an abundance of green space. We understand why Jay’s brother, Loron, has made it his home for the last 15…