Water, Water Everywhere

Taking a cruise ship across an ocean was fashionable once. In fact it was the only way to get from the Americas to anywhere else. While some may see transatlantic or Pacific cruises as slow, expensive or a waste of time they are anything but those things.

Having done a transatlantic out of Florida last year we knew what to expect and we looked forward to it. It does take days instead of hours but you do not suffer any of the irritations of flight. No jet means no jet lag. Time zones change one day at a time so you are not disoriented upon arrival at your destination. You are not forced to try to sleep in an upright position locked into a chair and eating microwaved food whenever the flight attendants get to you. You don't have to share a bathroom with numerous other people. You get privacy, space and countless food options available virtually 24/7.

Cruise ships are moved from place to place depending on the weather and season. Our ship had concluded the Alaska cruises for the year and was going to Asia for the Winter months. There are fewer ports so the price is considerably cheaper. If you have the time to spend getting to your destination a repositioning cruise may be less expensive than airfare.

With almost no opportunity to leave the ship the activities available on board are extensive and varied. Movies run in the theater and the staterooms, games and contests are in all the lounges and the casino is open all the time (that may not be an advantage for some).Culture lectures, art classes and auctions and of course on board shopping are held almost daily. But perhaps the best thing is the ability to do absolutely nothing. There is no place to go, nothing to see, nothing to do unless you choose to. If you want to get away from it all( with someone else doing the cooking and cleaning) repositioning is for you.

And so we are off. One port at the beginning 3 ports at the end and nothing but time in between.

My daily cup of tea

North by Northwest

And now for something completely different. Our travels to this point have been limited to two continents: North America and Europe,( although we have cruised some Caribbean islands and in his single days John did hit a few places in North Africa.) But those were vacation destinations, not part of our wandering lifestyle. So now we are headed for uncharted territory-Asia. It started with an offer we couldn't refuse. Celebrity Cruises was repositioning a ship to Japan at a price well below our $100.00 a night lodging target. It is a Trans-Pacific so we won't see land for a while but if you have the time it is a great way to travel long distances. Because of this, to go east we must go west. And not just west but north west. The ship leaves from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

We decided to come up a week early for a few reasons:

1. It is 107 in Southern California. Canada HAS to be cooler.

2. It is opening weekend of college football and we want to see as many games as possible without completely taking over someone else's televisions for 5 days.

3. Vancouver is a cool city and we have not been here since 1992.

It was easy getting here. We were able to fly out of John Wayne Airport in Orange County instead of LAX. After about a 3 hour flight we caught the Metro train to downtown where our apartment was a short walk from the station. By early evening August 31 we settled into our high rise downtown apartment to watch Ohio State play Indiana,( John had recorded on his computer.)

Unfortunately, our apartment does not have air conditioning. This would not be a problem except that Vancouver is experiencing a heatwave this week. They are expecting the temperature to hit 90 degrees. We are on the 21st floor and hot air rises so it is more than a bit warm in here. Thankfully there are two large fans that we are running day and night.

Friday September 1 we headed out to see the neighborhood before the evening games came on. Our walk took us about five miles around the waterfront and over to Gastown, where the city was established. A light lunch at Flying Pig http://theflyingpigvan.com/ then back to the apartment for

steam powered clock

dinner and Washington vs Rutgers.
GameDay Saturday. If you know us you know that for the last few years this is how we spend Saturday in the Fall. Luckily the television here picks up feeds from Seattle so we were able to get the games on ABC and FOX while we watched others on the computer. Both Michigan and Penn State were victorious so it was a good day.

Since location is close to great restaurants we decided to go for Sunday Brunch. Not quite a mile away is Forage http://www.foragevancouver.com/ a farm to table restaurant. I had a duck confit and Kale frittata, John went for the local speciality Shakshuka which is eggs in a pepper and tomato sauce.

Like many major cities Vancouver has a large permanent farmers or public market. Here it is on Granville Island, which is really a peninsula. Just a short city bus ride

away this was the perfect place to shop, have a quick lunch and people watch next to a harbor. A hike in Stanley Park ended our visit here. TIme to board the ship and sail into the great unknown,

Windsor

Our last full day in England took us to the granddaddy of castles-Windsor. Named after the town where it is located WIndsor Castle was built on order of William the Conqueror to provide protection for London and a part of the Thames. A luxurious palace was added in the 13th century making it the longest occupied palace in Europe. With our love for castles it was a must see.

But we didn't. Not the inside anyway. After so many lovely days visiting beautiful places with hardly any other visitors we were somewhat horrified by the mobs of tourists surrounding the castle. We just didn't want to fight the crowds and stand in line for hours. Instead we walked through the town, seeing the real Windsor.

We ate lunch in a pub, visited a park with a statue of the Queen and her corgis and stopped in at a butcher shop to discuss spring lamb (one of the most delicious things we have ever eaten). It seemed fitting that we end our time in this country we had come to know so well not as a tourist but as a local. The castle has stood for almost a thousand years; I’m sure it we will be there when we return.

Windsor Lady inn Bachelor Acre, WInndsor

Battle

As a former history teacher I can honestly tell you that memorizing a lot of dates and names is almost always a waste of time if you want to learn about history. Almost. There are some dates and names that you must know and they usually are connected in some way. In the United States one example is George Washington and July 4, 1776. For the English there is not a date or person more significant than October 14, 1066 and William the Conqueror. So naturally we had to visit Hastings to see the place where WIlliam and his Norman forces triumphed over Harold and the Saxons.

  The battle actually took place a short distance from the seaside town of Hastings in a field

surrounded by woods. This place is now known as the town of Battle. Self guided tours around the battlefield come with wood caeved knights next to signs that indicate significant moments in the battle. An outline remains of the church William had built to honor the dead of both sides. He specifically directed that the altar be built over the sight where King Harold had died,(an arrow through the eye, ouch).

This battle was the last successful conquest of Britain. It also introduced new language, culture and systems of government that spread worldwide as a result of British Colonization. This one day has had a tremendous impact on much of the world making it a date worth remembering.

A plaque marks the spot of Haeolds death