Freemans Bay, Auckland, New Zealand

Beautiful, clear day with a wonderful view of the snow-capped Southern Alps from the plane – just over an hour and half to Auckland. Ross met me at the gate dressed in his Cunard overalls – what a hoot! Headed for his house which is on a beautiful leafy street lined Victorian houses and bungalows. Ross’ house is the oldest (1855) on the street and is an Early Colonial. He has added on to it at the back and has done extensive renovations, which are just gorgeous. The back is all French doors, which open out onto a deck and a garden below, with fountains bubbling away. Met Paris the gorgeous tortoiseshell cat. We picked up Phyllis, Ross’ Mum, and her best friend Norma and went off for coffee and Lamingtons – a local specialty that I first had in Australia, chocolate sponge coated in coconut. These were served with great lashings of clotted cream. Then back home for a chat and watching photos of the cruise and other places. Then off to Bolliwood, an Indian restaurant that plays Bollywood videoclips on a huge movie screen. Ross and I got decked out in our Indian finery. A friend, Malcolm, joined us – he has just closed his gorgeous B&B/restaurant and is whiling away his time awaiting future plans. By 10:30 I was exhausted. Slept for 9 hours – the best night I’ve had on the trip!!!

Milford Sound, New Zealand

The wind woke me at about 4am - it was really blowing, so I had the feeling that the weather had changed once again, according to NZ custom. I went back to sleep and the tour company picked me up at 10 am. It was indeed overcast somewhat gloomy, though not cold. Our group was small today, because it was a nature cruise. We were only about 26. We had a fabulous coach with angled seats and roof windows…and a terrific guide. In fact, I have been pleased with Real Journeys from start to finish.

We drove north along Lake Te Anau, the second largest lake in NZ - another beautiful drive despite the weather. As noted before this is the wettest part of he country with rainfalls of up to 10 meters a year. That’s more than 30 ft., guys!! We followed the lupin-lined Eglinton River for some time, through stands of tea trees or manukas and red, silver and black beech. As we climbed higher into the mountains, it started to rain. By the time we reached the Homer Tunnel at 2000 m., the mountains were shrouded in mist. Very beautiful, nevertheless. We made quite a few photo-op stops, one at a group of lakes and others at the sites of tree avalanching due to rain or seismic activity. The beeches are very shallow-rooted trees; they intertwine their roots in the shallow topsoil of moss and humus. When severe rains or earthquakes dislodge just one tree, it takes a whole host down with it, scouring the mountain and blocking roads. The road we were on was closed twice in the past few years, once for 4 days and again for 6 days. There are also many ferns here; there are 200 varieties of ferns of which the silver fern is one of the symbols of NZ. These forests are considered benign for humans, though there are some toxic plants. There are, however, no toxic animals except for the katapo, a poisonous spider – but one is not likely to encounter them. In fact, the biggest threat to man in this marine-dominated weather system is hypothermia.

Homer Tunnel is one way in the spring and summer and so we had to wait for the traffic lights. The area was almost completely shrouded in mist and there was snow on the ground. There was a terrific surprise awaiting us – two lively keas. The kea is a NZ parrot, dark green with a flash of red. They are very gregarious birds. We could walk right up to them. They seemed to enjoy sitting on top of the buses or cars. The two of them were on a car when it drove off…they were quite unperturbed but flew back towards us after a little way. Delightful!

After exiting the tunnel, we descended to Milford Sound following the Hollyford River, which was running very high. Temporary waterfalls abounded and added drama to the grey day. We boarded a three-masted motor-sailer, which the company uses for overnights on the sound – it has 15 cabins. Very nice. We picked up our picnic lunches and left the dock. Milford Sound is very much the same as Doubtful Sound, but there are many more excursion boats and cruise ships call in. The Noordam came into the sound as we were returning. The flora and fauna are the same. We saw more seals and crested penguins, which was exciting. What was striking here was the number of permanent waterfalls of all types. There were also lots of temporary falls, but the permanent ones were very dramatic, falling from different heights in different ways. It was interesting, too, to see one Sound under blue skies and the other shrouded in mists. I met a couple from, of all places, Wrentham, Mass. Very good companions on the excursion. After a four-hour drive back to Queenstown, via Te Anau, I found my hotel on the waterfront, had a quick dinner at 9 pm in my room, wrote this and now I am ready for bed. But I will post first, since I can sleep in tomorrow.

Doubtful Sound and Te Anau, New Zealand

A beautiful day – clear blue skies, not much wind. Great, considering that this is a very wet and cloudy area. Despite the brochures, there are only about 50 days a year of clear blue skies and they say here that you can experience all four seasons in one day. Crossed the street to the Real Journeys office and at 6:55 am, we set off for the Doubtful Sound excursion, part one of my two day trip to Fiordland. We drove along the eastern shore of Lake Wakatipu, heading south, with a lovely view of the Remarkables, a saw-toothed range. Once we turned west, we were in the Te Anau basin, a flat area of sheep, cattle and deer ranches. The European red deer was introduced to provide venison for overseas markets and horns for Asian markets (aphrodisiacs). A ten-minute ride to us to Matapouri at the head of its eponymous Lake. We took a boat from Pearl Harbour across the lake to West Arm, the site of an underground power station (more later). Absolutely breathtaking (have I used that word yet??!!! A coach took us across the Wilmot Pass, to Doubtful Sound on a road built for the power station and great expense. The steepest road in NZ, without which the only access to Doubtful Sound would be by sea. Cool temperate forest dominated by silver beech, which are evergreens and look like overgrown bonsai trees. NZ’s trees are mostly evergreen; only 12 deciduous varieties. The views were spectacular as we made our way up to the top of the pass. Geographical names are interesting here. Apart from the lovely Maori names, most places are named after English or Scottish towns and famous people, notably the great surveyors. We were on an Irish road, viewing the Kepler, German, range and another Matterhorn, by the Spey, Scottish, and an unpronounceable Welsh waterfall. As for Doubtful Sound, James Cook so named it because he doubted he would find safe harbour in the fiord. Well, think of those French explorers who named the Grand Tetons!!!

When we got to Deep Cove on Doubtful Sound, the second largest fiord, we were in the heart of Fiordland, an area of snow-capped mountains and vivid blue lakes. This is the largest of New Zealand’s national parks and is a world heritage area. The area is virtually impenetrable. The Maoris called this area Atefenoa – or Shadowlands. They did not live here, but came to find greenstone or nephrite jade, which they used for weapons and adornment. When the European settlers came to this area, they found an abundance of flightless birds, of all sizes. The enormous moa and others were hunted to extinction. The birds evolved this way because they had no predators. Colonists introduced rabbits and opossum for the fur industry, which was not successful; later stoats and weasels were introduced to get rid of the rabbits, but they also went after the birds, many species of which are endangered. Stoat traps are set out every day and little by little bird populations are recovering. We saw no birds, but heard their beautiful songs from the forest. Once can only imagine what the first settlers heard!!!!

On interesting botanical factoid – the flowers here are all white and that is because there are very few bees, due to the humidity, and only a few bats for pollination. So? You say. Well, pollination takes place at night – by moths! The white color is more visible at night.

Although the settlers named these arms of the Tasman Sea sounds, they are, in fact, not sounds, but fiords, carved out by glaciers in the last ice age. We embarked on another boat, a beautiful catamaran. We had an excellent guide – informative, but not obtrusive. Shall I use the words stunning and breathtaking again? Well, it’s true. The pristine beauty is almost beyond description. The lush forests meet the deep blue water, which is dotted with island at the upper end. There are no landfalls. The captain turned the engines and generator off at one point; told us all to go to the upper deck and ordered us not to talk, walk or take photos for 3 minutes. “This is Fiordland”, he said…..and we listened to the sounds of silence. A beautiful moment.

We nosed up to an island, looking for the blue penguin, the smallest of all penguins and found two of them, just visible, behind a low-hanging branch. We then headed out to the Tasman Sea to explore some islands at the entrance to the fiord, named for the captain and the botanist on a Spanish Expedition in 1793. We found a large colony of fur seals, with a big bull guarding his harem. To everyone’s delight we found a small group of Fiordland crested penguins. They have a distinctive yellow stripe over each eye. These wildlife sightings were very exciting.

We then headed back down the fiord, exploring Crooked Arm along the way. Back on the coach and over the Wilmot Pass again. Before we got to West Arm, we entered a 2 km long tunnel, the access tunnel to the Manapouri Power Station, the largest hydro power station in NZ. Power is generated from units housed in a cavern 200 m below the surface of the lake. The station was built to take advantage of the height difference between the lake and the sea, the mountains providing a natural dam. The electricity generated is used to power the aluminum smelter in Bluff, at the southernmost point of South Island. The bauxite comes from Australia. We visited the generating room where only the tops of the generators were visible; there were still more levels below us. It was very impressive.

Once back at Deep Cover, we boarded our boat for the return trip across Lake Manapouri and then I boarded a bus for Ten Anau where I spent the night. I had just enough time to drop off my suitcase and then it is was off on another adventure. An evening cruise on Lake Te Anau, taking us to the Te Anau glowworm caves. Another beautiful lake with stunning views of the mountains. The trip into the caves was absolutely fascinating. We made our way along a walkway, ducking from time to time, above a rushing torrent – a river from a mountain lake, making its way through the limestone and sandstone, to Lake Te Anau. There was very little light. Gradually, we made our way to the main cave and entered a flat boat, which the guide maneuvered through the water by means of a chain affixed to the rock. We moved in silence, no talking, no cameras, in pitch-black darkness. And when I say pitch black, I mean pitch black. It was definitely eerie…..it felt as though we were crossing the River Styx! And then, there they were…..tiny fairy lights, some white, some green…everywhere. The guide stopped the boat from time to time so we could just gape. We could only see the light, which is in the glowworm’s tail, not the entire creature. The light acts as a lure for insects, some larger than the worm itself!! The worm spins a thread from its mouth, from which little droplet of mucous hang; the worm then reels the strand in and attaches it to the rock; the worm makes many of these “fishing rods” which look like strands of miniature pearls. It then waits for its dinner, which can be a tiny gnat or a large moth. It senses the vibration when the prey is caught in the mucous and it reels it in straight into its mouth. The worm is actually the larval stage of a fly. All it does is eat for 9 months, then enters a cocoon stage from which a large fly emerges. The fly has no digestive system; it exists purely to mate and die. Then another cycle begins.

I struck up a conversation with a delightful English couple from Essex who are seeing every inch of NZ by campervan. We got along famously and they were very good company. We took the boat back to TeAnau at dusk. The sky was a lovely yellow and grey. I had a very late, 9:30, dinner which I could barely eat I was so tired and went to bed. The blog will have to wait until tomorrow!

Lake Te Anau at sunset.

Queenstown, New Zealand

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! Took an early flight down to Queenstown - barely 30 minutes in the air. The pilot announced that the arrival would be dramatic and that he loved this route. Well, he was right! It was not quite Paro, but pretty close as he turned between mountains and then dropped into the valley and the airport. The view from the plane of the snow-capped Mackenzie Range in the distance were stunning. We left Christchurch in bleak overcast weather; but the sky is brilliant blue here with a few puffy clouds. It is hot with just a hint of a cool breeze, especially on the lake. Queenstown is a holiday mecca on Lake Wakatipu. It looks like a combination of Switzerland and the Italian lakes; but the town itself is modern. Lots of hotels, youth hostels, B&Bs and nice shops. Queenstown is also the center of extreme sports in New Zealand (billed as New Zealand's Adventure Capital)- basically their birthplace. You name it and you can do it here...and they do. And they are all very young!!!! Hang gliding, bungy-jumping (NZ spelling); parasailing; gliding; sky-diving; jet boating and skiing in the winter and much more. And - lots of hiking trails, some taking days to complete. My hotel is a little gem right on the lake and I have a balcony with an amazing view of the lake and the mountains. I plan to be on it until the light fades round about 9 pm. I left my luggage at the hotel (the room wasn't ready) and took the gondola up the local peak (no name?) for spectacular views and a delicious buffet lunch with a local Otego Sauvignon Blanc. Watched the hang-gliders, some coming down right in front of the window! Also watched the lugers. If you want to luge, you rent a plastic luge and a helmet, you take a chairlift from the Skyline Restaurant to the very top of the mountain with the luge attached to the seat and then you race, as fast as you want, down the luge run. After lunch, I took an old coal-fired steamer for a little cruise on the lake. It was wonderful basking in the sun on the open deck. The scenery here is absolutely breathtaking. A picture is worth a thousand words, so I'll let you judge for yourselves. And here's the view from my balcony




Tomorrow I leave early for an overnight fiordland trip and I spend the night in Te Anau - try finding that on your maps!

Christchurch and Lyttelton, New Zealand

Well, two alarms and a wake-up call got me out of bed at 4 am to check on the ballooning. The news was bad on the other end of the phone line. Weather conditions were not appropriate. Well, I needed a sulk – but no malt scotch was available and it was too early for chocolate. So I went back to sleep, very disappointed. When I got up at a reasonable time, I booked a wildlife cruise in Lyttelton Harbour and a gondola ride for the afternoon. I spent the morning finishing my tour of Christchurch, especially the walk along the banks of the meandering Avon River with its magnificent trees and romantic punters. Very English. Went inside the Anglican Cathedral – very pretty and very simple. I noted that there would be a Choral Evensong Service at 5:30 and thought of going. After a lunch of delicious soup and bread in the Cathedral café, I sat in the sun in Cathedral Square and watched the world go by - schoolboys of all ages in uniforms of knee pants and knee socks; lots of office employees having their lunches; tourists from all over the world; and the gnome, a local personality dressed like a wizard, albeit a very tatty one!

At 12:45 I boarded the bus, which took us down to Lyttelton Harbour, about 20 minutes from the city centre. We boarded a small catamaran and headed out to search for Hector’s Dolphins, the smallest dolphin species in the world and one of the rarest. Well, since dolphins are curious fun-loving creatures, they did not disappoint. They are lovely, only a little over 4’ long; pale blue/grey with distinct black markings on the fins, tail and head, which have earned them the nickname “panda of the seas”. They delighted us with their antics. As we made our way to the Pacific, we saw pied and spotted cormorants and terns. We also passed some gun emplacements in the cliffs at the entrance to the harbour – installations dating back to the “Russian scare” when, in the 19th century Russia and Great Britain were at war over Afghanistan and New Zealand feared reprisals from the Russians. Needless to say, the Russians never came. We also saw the remains of a fortified island, and also a mainland camp, for the quarantine of immigrants. The harbour lies in the crater of an extinct volcano and the scenery is stunning, the water turquoise. It was warm, even hot at times and sunny, but very cold heading into the wind.

After the cruise, some of us took the gondola to the top of the Port Hills, on the crater rim. The views of Christchurch, the Canterbury Plains, Banks Peninsula, Lyttelton and the Pacific are stunning. Thanks to a tunnel through the basalt, Lyttelton is a thriving harbor with a small container port.

During the cruise, I struck up a conversation with a Yorkshirewoman, Maureen, and we did the gondola ride together. She is staying at the same hotel and so we arranged to have dinner together. As we left the bus that had taken us back to Cathedral Square, I said I was going to take the trolley ride around the city and then go to Evensong. She asked about the service and I asked her if she was Anglican. Turns out she is a retired
Anglican priest!!! So, yes, she is Anglican! Not only that, but also, as our dinner conversation revealed, she was the first woman priest ordained in England. She came very late to her calling and retired after only 11 years as a parish priest. She said, had I not asked about her religion, she never would have raised her profession – very private.

The trolley ride was fun and I saw lots of lovely old houses and B&Bs and part of the University’s Oxford-like buildings – students in black and white striped blazers. So English, yet again! The Evensong service was lovely with an excellent choir. We had a very nice dinner in the hotel dining room – complete with Sauvignon Blanc, of course. I had a delicious fish whose name I could not understand – very like grouper (or groper as they pronounce it in the Antipodes). We had some wide-ranging conversations, including the current problems facing the Anglican Communion. It was interesting to hear her perspective, of course.

Tranzalpine Train over the Southern Alps

Today I took the Tranzalpine train from Christchurch on the Pacific to Greymouth on the Tasman Sea. A trip of four and a half hours each way with a one hour stop in Greymouth. It was quite an adventure, made all the more exciting by the weather: gale force winds and driving rain for most of the way. I did venture out onto the open-air viewing platform for quite a long time before the rain become really bad. I thought I was going to be blown off the train at one point. So, I decided that caution was the better part of valor and - what did it matter if there were a few reflections on my photos.

The trip started in a suburb of Christchurch, Addington, and we rode through the Canterbury Plains, a dry area with warm, blustery (and then some!) winds, carved into a patchwork of grazing and croplands. Closer to the coast, there are rolling farmlands interspersed with wide, “braided” rivers. On its way to the Pacific, the great Waimakariri River carries rocks and shingle debris from the Southern Alps to create the fertile Canterbury Plains. I noticed the river formation from the air when I flew in and thought it was most unusual. These rivers are called “braided” because the strands of the river braid with the debris. Does that make sense? I guess you have to see it! As we approached the Southern Alps, which divide South Island in two, the farmlands gave way to tussock vegetation and beech forests. (Incidentally, there are only two roads and one railroad through the Alps.) We climbed through alpine foothills and the Waimakariri Gorge to Arthur’s Pass, at 737 m, surrounded by high peaks with some snow. Arthur’s Pass National Park is a mecca for walkers and trampers (hikers) and skiers. By this time, the rain was torrential and the Taramakau River, which flows to the Tasman Sea, was a rushing grey torrent, the likes of which I have never seen, not even in the Swiss Alps in the spring. We emerged from the Otira Tunnel into the rainforest of the West Coast, a completely different landscape – very primeval with palms, ferns and lush vegetation. This area has the highest rainfall in New Zealand and currently is having the highest rainfall in 7 years, with its incipient flooding problems. Along the way, we saw blue and pink lupins along the riverbanks and on shingle islands, and yellow broom, both of which were introduced. The only wildlife we saw were recently sheared sheep and their lambs. I caught a glimpse of a red-beaked black shorebird, but have no idea what it was.

Our trip ended in Greymouth, on the West Coast, which lived up to its name today! It is becoming a tourist destination, but today it looked bleak. We had an hour to poke around while the train was taken off to be cleaned. The weather did not get any better until we were close to Christchurch where is was and still is sunny and mild. (And it will be light until 9pm!). I treated myself to a cream tea on the train – the weather simple demanded it!!!

The journey was 231 kms. long and took us through 19 tunnels and over several viaducts, the highest of which is the Staircase at 73 m. We saw several lakes, renowned for fishing and summer activities. Gold was once mined in the Greymouth area, but now it is coal, which is transported on the same railroad line as the Transzalpine; in fact, without the coal, there would be no railroad. We passed the site of a recent derailment of a coal train – crews were busy trying to right the enormous coal cars. Coal is an important part of the West Coast economy; 1.5 million tons are exported each year.

Despite the weather, I enjoyed the beautiful and dramatic scenery and learning the history of the area. I am looking forward to exploring the southern part of the Southern Alps in Fiordland later this week.

Christchurch, New Zealand

Yes, it’s Monday. I lost Sunday, never to be found again! Arrived here at 10:30am after an excellent 13-hour flight to Auckland on Qantas and a quick 1 hr. 20 min flight down here. I slept most of the way over….but I am exhausted. So today is mainly devoted to catching up on rest, especially as I have a long day tomorrow. It was pouring in Auckland when we arrived – I was sure I had landed on the wrong island and gone straight to the UK! Down here, though, it is warm, muggy and overcast. My hotel backs onto the very pretty Victoria Square, with its statues of Queen Victoria and James Cook, and the Avon River. The Square’s famous floral clock has been dismantled for planting which is done twice a year. I walked around most of the central area, which includes Cathedral Square and the Gothic Revival Christ Church Cathedral. Trolleys still run here and one has been turned into a restaurant. I walked up Colombo Street to find stores for some errands and then returned to the hotel for a nice long bath and nap. On
Wednesday, I’ll finish my tour of the city.

Christchurch is the provincial capital of Canterbury, and, at a little over 300.000 is the South Island’s largest city. That tells you a lot about the population of South Island. Two thirds of the country’s 3.93 million people live on North Island, and just over one million of those in Auckland.

RMS Queen Mary, Long Beach, California

Today is dedicated to photographing the interior of the Queen May before I leave for the airport this afternoon.

The RMS (Royal Mail Ship) Queen Mary was built in Clyde Bank, Scotland and launched in 1936. She proudly displays Liverpool on her stern as her home port, for that was the headquarters of Cunard. At that time she was considered the grandest ocean liner ever built. She carried mail and passengers between Southampton and New York, later accompanied by her sister ship, the Queen Elizabeth, for 41 years. This reign was interrupted only when she became a troop carrier and hospital ship, operating under the alias “Grey Ghost” because of her new camouflage to avoid u-boats.

In 1943, she set the record for carrying the greatest number of people on a floating vessel. That record still stands. Of course, that was due to the number of troops aboard who were sleeping everywhere – triple cots in the swimming pool!! Winston Churchill signed the D0-Day agreement aboard the Mary.

She went back into passenger service in 1947, known as “the stateliest ship on the sea”. Anyone who was anybody sailed on her. The luxurious art deco wood paneling, etched glass, chrome railings were, and still are, breathtaking. The service was impeccable.

In the early 1960s, all passenger liners began to lose money. (By now the Queens had company on the North Atlantic run – the France and the United States.) Jet air travel was taking over and Cunard put the ship up for sale. The City of Long Beach won the bid at $3.45 million. The Mary sailed on her last great cruise on October 31, 1967(the year the QE2 was launched). Because she is too wide (so is the QM2) to sail through the Panama Canal, she sailed around Cape Horn to her final destination. She was transformed into a floating hotel and tourist attraction and opened to the public in 1971. She is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

For me, this ship has a special significance for several reasons. First of all, my parents hail from Liverpool and my many members of my maternal grandmother’s family worked, as did so many Liverpudlians, for Cunard and/or White Star. I grew up with stories of the Maurie (Mauritania) and the aunt and cousin who went down with the Lusitania. My maternal grandfather and his brother were both chief engineers in the Merchant Navy. Then, of course, we, as a family, sailed to the US on the Mary. My grandmother’s cousin, who was one of my favorite “aunties” had been the head stewardess on the Mary and was living in retirement in Southampton. She came on board and introduced us to everyone. Well, I was impressed. Since my Dad had been transferred to the US by ICI, the largest chemical company in the world, along with DuPont, at the time, the company provided first-class accommodations. I, a rising teenager, had my own stunning cabin. I could never forget it. There was only one drawback, you had to be14 to eat with your family in the dining room. I had to eat early (tea) with the kiddies. I recall being so impressed with the young American girls with their strapless evening gowns. I had my first baked Alaska on the voyage – I still don’t like it! The voyage was particularly exciting because we crossed in March during a record-setting (for Cunard) storm. The ship was not full, but during the storm, nary a single adult was out and about. No stabilizers in those days. The bow plunged right into the water and then rose up again, stopping you dead in your tracks as you tried to walk. Well we kids loved it. You know how I still love a good storm! The North Atlantic does not disappoint!

A tidbit of history. At that time, the ship had distinct classes (as depicted in the Titanic) and one could not move among the various areas on the ship. Some will remember the “stairway to nowhere on the QE2 which also had classes originally. And there was still steerage and still immigration. Every ship stopped at Ellis Island and everyone of every class was scrutinized. Ellis Island closed a few months before we arrived, so ours was not the “typical immigrant experience”. And that is another story – not for here!!!

And so I leave this wonderful piece of history and set off for the ends of the earth tonight. More from New Zealand in two days. Yes, I lose two days of my life getting there. I can never fathom the dateline thing!

Catalina Island, California

I had intended to go to Universal Studios today – do the Hollywood thing…but when I woke up, I looked out of my portholes (2, count ‘em) and it was a gorgeous day. I asked myself if I really wanted to be inside and myself said – hell no. I got on the phone, called the Catalina ferry, made a reservation, called for a cab and dashed out as fast as I could. So, one less item on the Bucket List!

I’ve always wanted to go to Catalina. “26 miles across the sea, Santa Catalina is the place for me…The island of romance, romance, romance….” Memories!! And, of course, I was on a “ship”, on the water! Had a great view of the Mary as we left Long Beach.




Very comfortable 1hr+ trip. Avalon – so romantic and Arthurian – is a pretty city (looks more like a town to me) made up of colorful little (but expensive) houses, some cascading down the hills to the port area. Lots of cute shops and restaurants. Most people drive electric golf carts. There are very few cars and trucks; in fact, the waiting list for a new permit is 18 years. Good idea for an island culture. Took a 2-hour bus trip into the interior, all the way up to the Airport in the Sky, at 1602 feet. The landing strip is on top of the mountain and slopes upward to slow the planes down so that they don’t hurtle over the edge. Pretty amazing!




The ecology of the island, one of the “Channel Islands”, its endemic species and then the history of various introduced animals is fascinating. We saw bison, which were introduced by a filmmaker who then cut them out of every scene. They did, however, get rid of the goats and sheep, which stripped the island bare. There are still scars from a recent fire, which destroyed over 4,000 acres. But the undergrowth, the chaparral, is growing back.





After the tour, I had lunch on the waterfront and strolled the streets and wandered in and out of stores. Then spent some time watching Herman the pelican trying to wheedle some fish from a fisherman – they are old friends, it seems. He is so tame. Even spotted a curious seal, popping its head up to check us out until the gulls set upon it.





I am now in the Lobby Bar on the Queen Mary, drinking my cosmo, typing up the day’s events on Word, looking out through an enormous porthole (not a window) over the water at the lights of Long Beach. Magical. Time for dinner and then work on the blog.

Long Beach, California

Denver Airport may be way out of the city on the high plains, but it is quite spectacular. A series of white pinnacles rise out of the flat land – they are meant to mimic the Rockies. To me, they also look like teepees. A train links the three concourses. I had not been to the “new” airport – the last few times I was in this area, I came and went either by car or train. It is snowing this morning, very fine snow, but snow all the same. They had to de-ice the plane’s wings. Quite a difference from the two 73 degrees we’ve had – but this is my last cold day until December 21st, Ha ha!!! I’m on my way to warmer weather! After a good flight, arrived in LAX where Paul (of Paul and Amy, World Cruisers) met me and we went off to Venice Beach for the afternoon. Lovely, sunny, warm day to stroll and talk….in a time warp! Psychedelic roach coaches, peace pins, tie-dyed everything, buskers, blond dreadlocks, panhandlers, wall art…..you name it.




Here is Paul with a new friend. Sorry, Amy, we missed you – but she doesn’t compare!!!!




We stopped in a café and talked politics and US history. Then we headed for Long Beach and the RMS Queen Mary, the original. It was so exciting to see her again after 54 years. Yikes! I am actually two cabins down from the one I occupied in 1954. Not that much has changed unless you count the monster plasma TV! The twin beds covered in lovely peach satin have been replaced with a king size bed and more dramatic, but ho-hum colors. No- dramatic and ho-hum is not an oxymoron!!! But the rest is all original…..so very 30’s. After I checked in, we had drinks in the Observation Bar – all art deco. Here we are:



Then, a delicious dinner at Sir Winston’s, which is set in the old Engineer’s Quarters on the sports Deck. The service was definitely “old Cunard”. I intend to explore the ship and video it on Saturday. Not all areas are open, but enough. It seems very dark, but that is because of all the wonderful wood, real wood, mostly burl walnut. Also one tends to compare to the current Cunard crop – all blond wood! But then one gets used to it and all the memories of incredible elegance come back. And there are still two more stunning grand pianos – in addition to the one going to Dubai on the QE2!

Louisville, Colorado

I was a bed bunny until 9 am, having slept 11 hours, so I am over any jet lag. We spent the morning looking at videos of the world cruise. Then we went out to lunch to a Tibetan restaurant - very a propos after looking at the photo of Bhutan. The buffet was excellent. After more hours of talking, we drove up to Boulder and visited LaReese's social club - the CIty Club, a very elegant gathering place for meals, exhibitions, special interest groups, etc. Another gorgeous warm day with another fabulous sky. Apparently, here in flatlander country, the winters are rarely that cold. People were out in t-shirts and shorts. Then a little shopping, naturally, and home to work on the blog. Dinner at the Empire (see photo) - a real Colorado place - yummy hamburgers with all the fixins. And so to bed - the visit has been all too short. Short but very sweet. Off to LA tomorrow morning.

Louisville, Colorado

Arrived in Denver at 4:30, via Chicago, after two very good flights. It is 73 degrees and the sky is on fire with pinks, turquoises, beiges, golds - breathtaking with the Rockies as a backdrop. We drove off into the sunset as the skies turned to silver. Magical. LaReese's new home is stunning - a gentle, warm cradle rich in earth-tones. Perfect for her new life. The furniture and walls are covered with her artifacts from her 25 years of world travels. Vic-ers, the horns are duly displayed on the walls, framing the dining room, with prayer wheels in between; and the flutes are on a nearby table, flanking a Buddha. Photos herewith. We dined in a lovely local cafe, the Huckleberry Inn, - Rocky Mountain trout of course. Louisville (pronounce the "s") is a delightful little town, 7 miles east of Boulder. We spent hours chatting and on our computers, sitting at the counter, side by side.