Bar Harbor and Winter Harbor

Acadia National Park

There are few places on earth as gorgeous as the coast of Maine. I loved Camden and all the little beach towns along the way, when my husband and I traveled there by car in 2009. Last time I was there in late September, and it was nippy. But nothing prepared me for the bitter cold and wind when we arrived in Bar Harbor on our cruise from Fort Lauderdale to Montreal on the Holland America Veendam.

The day was clear, our guide Woody was great and we took a van ride to the Naval facility at Winter Harbor. It was important to the two Navy guys we had along on the tour. I tagged along and was glad I did.

View from Cadillac Mountain

We first went to the Naval facility and then wound around for the rest of the tour through Acadia National Forest. It is stunning, but the winds were treacherous at Cadillac Mountain. One tidbit I learned is that the Mountain is named after the same guy as the car. Who knew that Cadillac was a person? He was one of the original founders of Detroit. 

Information on the Naval facility at Winter Harbor

View of the plaque at Winter Harbor

The Naval facility has a very interesting history. It served as the location of the Naval Security group from 1935 to 2002. Fun to learn a little bit of Naval history.

Me in Santorini

Me in Santorini

This photo was taken through an opening in a display of frescoes in Santorini, Greece. I realized right away that the display was not an original and asked our guide to tell me where the original was located. She told me in Athens, so the next year I took a trip to Athens to see the originals. The above photo was taken by my niece on a Holland America cruise aboard the Noordam. A gentleman chastised me for taking this photo. He thought I was being disrespectful, but I really wasn't. I was just having a little fun! :)

More information on the Santorini wall paintings or frescoes can be found here. 

Akrotiri painting - handmade reproduction

Pulling in to Monaco

Arriving at Monaco with our first glimpse of the Casino

First off, I want to say how sorry I am to not be posting lately. I have had some family issues in the states that prevented me from being in the state of mind to work on my blog. As much as I enjoy it, since it is a creative effort, I have to get in the mood. Normally that is no problem, but I have been struggling with a family member's addiction problems. She is now seeking treatment and I am praying a lot for her. So I can go back to doing what I love  ... post about my travels.

So here I am back in Monaco. There is nothing so thrilling as pulling in to such a wonderful locale. I have read about, seen movies and generally pined for my first glimpse of Monaco. Thankfully, it does not disappoint. Many of us were poised holding on to the edge of the balcony as we pulled in on a sunny, spring morning.

The photo above was my first view of the Casino. Wow, and it was even more amazing in person. Unfortunately cameras are not allowed, so I couldn't snap any photos. But Monte Carlo and Monaco are amazing.

No graffiti, by the way. Gargoyles would feel quite welcome though.

Monaco Harbor

Fellow traveler on the Eurodam

On the Holland America Eurodam, we arrived right before the world-famous Gran Prix. I was told it was kind of hard to walk around town due to all the bleachers set up to view the race. I opted for a tour of Eze, Nice and a walking tour of Monaco that stuck close to the Cathedral and the Casino. All it did was make me want to go back. I loved it!

Me at Monaco

I took a photo of me doing my best Grace Kelly. I also got a snapshot of a beautiful woman in a big hat. I love the way she has her bag slung over her shoulder.

Beautiful woman at Monaco

Ainu People: Graffiti-Inspired Tattoos

Ainu woman by Joseph Deniker

The Ainu are a group of indigenous people from Hakkaido, Japan. The cruise I would like to take next year has a tour to visit these wonderful people. Having been an anthropology major for my undergraduate and master's degrees, I love studying indigenous cultures.

In 2008, Japan called upon its people to recognize the Ainu as "an indigenous people with a distinct language, religion and culture". More information on these noble people can be found on Wikipedia here.

One of the most fascinating things about them is their tattoo techniques, which are so graffiti-inspired. 

To me, the most interesting thing is the reasoning for these tattoos and the fact that only women had these tattoos. The last Ainu tattooed woman died in 1998. The reasoning for these tattoos is to dispel evil spirits from entering the mouth. Girls were started with small tattoos when 7 or 8 years old, and then the tattoos were enlarged as they grew older toward child-bearing years. The arm tattoos also were to dispel evil spirits.

One of the best articles I found on this is from Lars Krutak and can be read here. Fascinating!

4th Year Anniversary of the Costa Concordia Disaster

Photo Courtesy of Jonathan Danko Kielkowski/White Press

Hard to believe it has already been four years since the horrible accident of the Costa Concordia. In this Esquire article, the industrial photographer Jonathon Danko Kieldowski takes us on an eerie journey of what the ship looks like now. It appears to be something right out of a horror movie.

Photo Courtesy of Jonathan Danko Kielkowski/White Press

The recovery process to remove the ship from Giglio Island is considered the most expensive wreck recovery of all time, according to the Esquire article. It sure has a gargoyle-inspired look.

Photo Courtesy of Jonathan Danko Kielkowski/White Press

Now this is a bar I wouldn't want to frequent! God bless those who lost families and friends. The 32 people who died on the Costa Concordia will not be forgotten.

More About Sardinia

Beautiful Bosa courtesy of www.thejourneycollector.com

I found some amazing photos and tips on a website called www.thejourneycollector.com. The photos on their site are just to die for and the info is extremely helpful. A link for their post on Sardinia is here.

Another of Bosa from www.thejourneycollector.com

I love that The Journey Collector site focuses on great architectural elements, as my blog does. These photos of Sardinia are outstanding. You can read up on their site of the distance between Cagliari and Bosa and Alghero.

Alghero door courtesy of  www.thejourneycollector.com

They even take photos of doors, right after my own heart!

Cruise to Cagliari

Photo from Cagliari courtesy of www.thejourneycollector.com

There is nothing I like more than crumbling, earth-toned buildings in Italy - or in this case, Sardinia. What's not to love? I haven't been to Sardinia yet. I adore Italy and I have been to Sicily and found it Heaven on Earth. So Sardinia is the next step!

Photo from Cagliari courtesy of www.thejourneycollector.com

Cagliari is the port town where we will dock for my April 2017 cruise I have on hold. Okay I admit it, I even gave a deposit, when the deposit was only $200 dollars. 

Photo of Cagliari courtesy of Royal Caribbean

Up until recently, Sardinia has not been a common port on the Western Med cruise route. But with the unrest in Tunisia, it seems to have been added and it is one of the main reasons I chose this cruise, of course on Holland America, which I love. It is actually (2) seven day cruises back to back leaving from Barcelona, arriving in Barcelona and stopping for one day at Barcelona in the middle. I am psyched.