Santa Barbara’s spectacular botanical garden Ganna Walska Lotusland was the former estate of Polish opera singer Ganna Walska and is considered one of the top ten botanical gardens in the world. The 37-acre (15 ha) garden contains over 3,500 different plants from around the world, many quite rare. Similar species are grouped together to form…
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Israel
Tel Aviv’s historic Old Jaffa neighborhood was founded more than 4,000 years ago, and is one of the oldest port cities in the world. Over the centuries a virtual Who’s Who of civilizations and leaders have conquered and ruled the city, ideally perched on the Mediterranean Sea, including the Egyptians, Alexander the Great, the Greeks,…
The Spy Museum in Washington, DC – Part 4
continued… In 1945, WWII ended and then-President Truman dissolved the OSS. But with the Cold War brewing, people convinced Truman they needed to peacetime intelligence agency to prevent another Pearl Harbor from happening. To try to garner public support, they … Continue reading →
The Spy Museum in Washington, DC – Part 3
continued… We can’t remember what the purpose of this machine was… since it was in the exfiltration section, we think it may have been a machine used to help train spies on escaping capture. There was a small theater playing … Continue reading →
Granville Island
We’ve spent many nights at Granville Island in Vancouver over the years, all of them in our first boat on the public dock managed by the Canadian Corps of Commissionaires. The little-known gem was right below Bridges restaurant, where we enjoyed many meals, and steps from the excellent public market. Moored at Granville Island in…
The Spy Museum in Washington, DC – Part 2
continued… There was a room on cryptography. Since Eric was a cryptographer, he was especially interested in this one. There was a display about various encryption tools that date back thousands of years — and were commonly used until relatively … Continue reading →
The Spy Museum in Washington, DC
Sunday, Sept 21 — We’d asked several friends which DC museums they liked best. Everyone who had been to the Spy Museum said it was their favorite. So that was the first museum on the DC itinerary. Conveniently for us, … Continue reading →
Welcome to Washington DC (District of Columbia)
Saturday, Sept 20 — We didn’t have to do as many miles today as we did the previous two days, but still wanted to leave early since the current would worsen as the day progressed. It was an overcast morning … Continue reading →
The Falklands, South Georgia, and Antarctica Part III
After three busy days in South Georgia, the Silver Endeavour sailed for Elephant Island in the South Shetland Islands, off the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. Elephant Island is where Ernest Shackleton’s crew was stranded on a bleak and inhospitable small beach while their captain and five others made a treacherous 17-day, 800-mile journey across…
Passage from Baltimore to Washington DC — Leg 2: Live Fire Exercises, Crab Traps and Toilet Repairs
Friday, Sep. 19 — We again wanted to get an early start on our passage, so we got up at 0530. Much to our dismay, the mid-stateroom toilet was broken. Unfortunately, there was no time to worry about it this … Continue reading →
