Wednesday, 13 July
Greetings ... we are off the ship and awaiting our flight from Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen (Svalbard) to Oslo. Had a fantastic voyage ... here's a photograph from one of our landings ... more to come.
Walrus Haul Out at Torellneset
Teaser from Tromsø
Saturday, 2 July
Walking back across Tromsøbrua (Tromsø Bridge) we chance upon Silversea’s Silver Explorer coming into port. This is the ship that will be taking us on our expedition voyage to Svalbard. Sweet surprise!
There’s our ship … we embark on 3 July.
Arctic: Redux
Wednesday, 29 June
I’ve been telling an untruth for nearly a year now and it’s time to fess up.
When asked about our upcoming trip, I’ve been saying to people that I’m looking forward to my first visit to the Arctic. I don’t know why I’ve been thinking that, but a few weeks ago, the light bulb went off — this isn’t going to be our first time to the Arctic; it’s going to be our second. (I don’t count our trip to Churchill, Canada in the same category since we were below the Arctic Circle then. You can read about that adventure here.)
Our first Arctic adventure was in 2001 and it took place in Alaska. After spending several days in the vicinity of Anchorage on our own, we joined a Princess CruiseTour that took us to Denali and Fairbanks by train, and up the Haul Road (Dalton Highway) by bus. Along the way, we crossed the Arctic Circle — that imaginary milestone circle at latitude 66°33’44” N; overnighted at a truck stop motel in Coldfoot; and finally reached Deadhorse where the Prudhoe Bay oilfields are located. Our explorations took us to the edge of the Arctic Ocean where we spared our tootsies and just dipped our fingers into the frigid waters. Our northernmost point on that trip was 70°15’19” N.
It's taken us 10 years, but we're finally returning to the Arctic.
(map from the public domain)
Ten years later, we’re returning to the Arctic for another adventure. This time an expedition cruise to the Norwegian Arctic. Our itinerary has us flying from Washington DC to Tromsø, Norway by way of Copenhagen, Denmark and Oslo, Norway. It’s going to be a loooong trip just getting to our embarkation city — especially since I’ve not mastered the art of sleeping upright on an airplane (Mui doesn’t have that problem). We depart DC around 5:00p tomorrow, June 30, and arrive in Tromsø around 6:00p on July 1. Discounting the 6 hour time difference, that’s a 17 hour trip (including the airport layovers).
Annotated Google Maps image showing our itinerary for this trip.
We’ll be in Tromsø for two nights before we join the ship that will be taking us to points north — specifically to the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard. This group of islands is located between 74° N and 81° N, about midway between Norway and the North Pole. How far north we get is TBD and will depend on the extent of the Arctic ice pack. The same holds true for the actual places where we’ll be making landings. Our itinerary spells out the names of a few possible locations, but weather and ice conditions will be the determining factor for where we eventually end up going.
The only place we know we’ll be going for sure is Longyearbyen, the debarkation port for our expedition cruise. As for the rest — Mother Nature has the last say in our itinerary.
I’ll be taking my laptop with me on this trip, but I won’t be blogging along the way — sorry. For one thing, I’m not sure what, if any, internet connection we might have at sea. And, frankly, I’d rather be out exploring new horizons instead of being cooped up in my stateroom writing a blog post. I can do that when I get home.
That said, if the opportunity presents itself during our post-voyage stay in Oslo, I’ll try to post a few teaser photos to whet your appetite for what’s to come.
The day we dipped our fingers in the Arctic Ocean in Deadhorse, we had sunshine, blue skies, and temps in the 60F (15.5C) range. The temperature was an unexpected bonus, which I can’t imagine repeating during this voyage. Frankly, I’d be worried if we see those kinds of temperatures in Svalbard. But I do hope we have plenty of sunshine, clear blue skies, and smooth waters.
See you all on the blog when we get back.
X-Stitch: Swans a-Swimming
When I look at this cross stitch project, I almost always start singing the Twelve Days of Christmas …
On the seventh day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.
OK … OK, I know there are only two Swans a-Swimming in this piece, but what can I say — my mind has a mind of its own.
This was one of my earliest projects. It was also the one that took the longest to complete. Not because it was an overly difficult pattern, but because I got bored with the repetitive nature of the leaf trim. Finally, in 2009, I found the kit tucked into the corner of a drawer and decided to just get it over and done with. I buckled down and in less than a week I was taking the finished work to the local crafts store to get it framed.
The colors of this piece would actually work great in the kitchen/dining area of the condo, but alas there is no wall space big enough there. Since the rest of the walls are filled with other projects, this one has been wrapped and placed in storage for now.
Those little butterflies in the corner — they’re my addition to the pattern. Somehow a few small stains had developed on the fabric (probably from being stuck in a plastic bag with some colorful floss). It was either find a way to cover the spots, or toss out the completed project. I think they worked out nicely with the swans and lilies.
Stone Bridge at Manassas National Battlefield Park
Saturday, 4 June
This wasn’t our first visit to the park, which was the site of two Civil War battles — First and Second Manassas (aka First and Second Bull Run) — fought in 1861 and 1862, respectively. Located about 20 minutes from where we live, this is a favorite place for a stroll that takes us back into history even as we get some exercise. Usually, we start at the Visitor Center, stop off at Henry House, and make our way to Stone House. With now-silent guns that once spewed death and destruction placed throughout the grounds, there is more to see in that area of the park. (Click here for photos from a previous visit.)
This time, we decided to wander around the Stone Bridge area. There were quite a few cars in the parking lot when we arrived at 9:30a, and a few small groups of people were loitering on the bridge, but we had the trail to ourselves ... no complaints in the too-many-people department. The temperature was just past the 70F (21C) mark, there was no humidity, the sky was blue, a light breeze rustled the leaves of the trees that had greened out nicely to provide shade on the trail ... no complaints in the weather department either.
For those interested, here’s a bit of information about the Stone Bridge (from the National Park Service website):
The Fauquier and Alexandria Turnpike bridge over Bull Run, known simply as "the Stone Bridge," was originally built in 1825. Its ability to carry traffic across the steep sided stream even at times of high water gave the Stone Bridge a key role in the Civil War. Both sides recognized its strategic importance.
The first shots of the First Battle of Manassas, fired by Union artillery on the ridge to the east, flew over the bridge but there was little more than heavy skirmishing in its vicinity on July 21, 1861. The Union Army made only a diversionary attack here. It had been rumored (falsely) that the Confederates had mined the bridge so Union forces chose to cross Bull Run at fords farther upstream. The approaches to the bridge were cleared of obstacles in time for the Union retreat but the vast majority of Union refugees used the upstream fords they were more familiar with.
The Stone Bridge served the needs of the Confederate Army through 1861. On March 9, 1862, the Confederates evacuated their winter camps in Centreville and Manassas in anticipation of fighting closer to Richmond. On orders from General Joseph E. Johnston, the Confederate rear guard blew up the Stone Bridge to prevent its use by the Union forces that soon occupied the area.
Union Army engineers eventually constructed a temporary wooden span across Bull Run using the remaining bridge abutments. This bridge served Union General John Pope's army at Second Manassas, August 28-30, 1862. After suffering another costly defeat, Union forces used the Warrenton Turnpike bridge as their primary line of retreat. In the early hours of August 31, the bridge was again destroyed, this time by the Union rear guard.
from signage near the Stone Bridge;
the wooden span built by the Union Army engineers is visible to the right.By 1884, the Stone Bridge was fully rebuilt. The new bridge, very similar to the original bridge, remained open to traffic until 1926. In that year the road was realigned and a modern highway bridge constructed just downstream. The National park Service acquired the Stone Bridge in 1959.
[You can see a bit of the modern highway bridge in the background of the first bridge picture above; it's nowhere near as aesthetically pleasing.]
Once we left the immediate area around the Stone Bridge, the trail had little entertainment value — that is, no scenery. The relatively level path wound its way through the woods. Butterflies flitted about and we saw two tortoises ponderously making their way to the stream running far below the path. We came across some wildflowers here and there that prompted me to stop and click the shutter, but there wasn’t much color left this late in the season.
All in all, we had a pleasant spring day outing. We assuaged any guilt we felt for playing hooky from the last of the move-related chores — namely, hanging my cross-stitch art — by returning home after our picnic lunch and taking care of business. Now that we’re fully settled into the condo, we can start playing again — assuming the weather cooperates. The weather forecast today was hinting at some unseasonably hot and humid days heading our way (again), so I guess we’ll just have to play it by ear.
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