Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Thursday, January 19, 2012
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles DickensMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
The first thing I thought was how did I ever get through this book as a teenager?? What I wouldn't give to have a teacher's guide with me. (Enter Wikipedia.) "What do you think the symbolism of Madame Defarge's knitting was?" This was one of the first books I read on my new Kindle and I LOVE the instant dictionary. It came in so handy when faced with the obscure or foreign words that Dickens used. Of course, they were modern words in his time.
I think the issues Dickens warned us about still exist today. With greater and greater division between the Haves and the Have Nots, the future is foretold. Dickens wrote Tale to warn England not to follow in the footsteps of France, but his warning was to the aristocrats to not be so dismissive of other people. We should heed his warnings today. Dickens also warns about the chaos of society when there are no rules or when the rules favor one class over the other. After the revolution, the people threw out all rules and their behavior regressed to that similar to animals on the hunt. Facts meant nothing compared to their need for revenge and blood. The first taste of blood fueled the need for more blood, even the blood of innocent people.
I loved the unrequited love of Sydney for Lucie and her daughter. Such a selfless love from someone who lived such a messed up life. His love for Lucie was the one bright shining light in his life, and he did not begrudge Charles for winning her love. His final sacrifice was the greatest gift he could give the one he loved. And he passed this love onto the young girl who shared his end. What a redemption for Sydney.
Postscript: After talking with my local librarians about study guides, they pointed me to the library website where I can access the Twaynes Authors Online. I found some wonderful analyses of Tale. I found it very interesting to read about the political times of Charles Dickens' life and what was happening when he decided to write Tale. There's also another website called enotes.com, but you have to pay $ in order to access the good stuff. Free accounts only provide limited access.
View all my reviews
Unbroken: A World War II Story Of Survival, Resilience, And Redemption by Laura HillenbrandMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Oh my God! What an incredible story. Reading this book was like riding a roller coaster or watching a nail-biter football game. It kept me on the edge of my seat alternating from gasping in disbelief to letting out a sigh of relief. I can't imagine how I would fare if faced with the trials that Louis Zamperini faced. I am sure I would not have survived.
When we think of WW11, we mostly think of the Germans and the atrocities of Hitler. History has glossed over the atrocities of the Japanese. After reading this book, I remain committed to my feelings against torture of prisoners. I don't like hearing the excuse "it's war." The things the Japanese did to our captured soldiers is unthinkable, unforgivable (even though we did.) The things we also do to those we hold captive is unthinkable, unforgivable.
Louis Zamperini is an amazing human. His ability to survive and forgive is something we should all strive to do. Life has not thrown even an ounce of tragedy towards me compared to what was thrown to Louis. If he can survive, so can I. No one has treated me badly compared to how they treated Louis. If he can forgive, so can I.
This book was so well-written. I was pulled into the story of Louis and Phil. I ached for them and laughed with them. Yes, the story was one that needed to be told, but Ms. Hillenbrand brought it to life.
View all my reviews
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Puerto Montt Chile
Our first port of call was Puerto Montt Chile. Southern Chile was settled primarily by Germans in the mid-1800's.
The area of Puerto Montt was covered by a dense forest.We invested in an excursion at every port. The main reason we cruise is to visit places... and we want to see those places. For each excursion, we try to pick one that will take us as far away from the port as we can afford to go. This gets us out of the town or city and gives us a taste of what the area has to offer.
So in Puerto Montt, we took a motorcoach through the Chilean countryside to an inland lake, Todos los Santos. Because of the amount of algae in the water, it is nicknamed Emerald Lake. The shores of Emerald Lake are beautiful black sand beaches. From Emerald Lake, you can see two of Chile's spectacular volcanos: Puntiagudo and Osorno. Unfortunately, while we were there it was overcast and cloudy. No volcanoes were out that day.
After taking a catamaran across the beautiful lake, we went to Petrohue Falls. These are more a series of cascades more than falls. But they are spectacular. The roar of the water gave a hint to its power as the water rushed through the lava chutes. Again, this water was green. It reminded me of the bluish-green of old glaciers. And it was clear. Where the water was still, you could see all the way down to the rocky bottom.
Our next stop was at a farm in the Chilean countryside for lunch. Because of the German influence in Chile, the entire meal was German, including the Kuchen for dessert. In the ladies' room, there was a tiny grey and white kitten. Even though I am deathly allergic, I couldn't resist picking up this purring bundle of fur. As I was taking care of business, I felt something tickle my bare thigh. I didn't realize Kitty had come into the stall with me. Scared the crap out of me!! (Ha!) I'm sure this was a ploy in order to find Kitty a home. They also had llamas and rheas and a baby deer - not in the bathroom... out on the lawn. There were mountains in the background and Lake Llanquihue in the foreground. The dining room had floor to ceiling windows with wooden plank walls and wooden beams on the ceiling. This is what I want our B&B to look like if we go to Costa Rica.
The next stop was Puerto Vera, a quaint, German town on the shores of Lake Llanquihue. The area of Puerto Vera was covered by a dense forest. In fact, the forest was so dense, the settlers didn't know the second largest lake in Chile, Lake Llanquihue, was right in front of them. As they would move into the forest to explore, they would become lost and many would not return. The locals sometimes call Lake Llanquihue The Hidden Lake.
We were let out briefly to shop at a little outdoor bazaar of local artisan crafts. Buyer beware! Even though you think you are at a bazaar of local artisan crafts, read the labels! I bought several very nice scarves to give as gifts that I was told were alpaca. The label says they are acrylic and silk. A couple of sweaters I bought really are alpaca, but they were advertised as handmade. At best these were knit by hand on a loom. No way were these hand knit. Plus, they were the same sweaters at another local artisan bazaar in Argentina. These people probably think, "Stupid Americans!" One lady at the bazaar in Argentina told a fellow traveler that her madre had made the very same sweater that I had purchased in Chile. Her madre must be a very busy woman. And she sure gets around!
So in Puerto Montt, we took a motorcoach through the Chilean countryside to an inland lake, Todos los Santos. Because of the amount of algae in the water, it is nicknamed Emerald Lake. The shores of Emerald Lake are beautiful black sand beaches. From Emerald Lake, you can see two of Chile's spectacular volcanos: Puntiagudo and Osorno. Unfortunately, while we were there it was overcast and cloudy. No volcanoes were out that day. 
After taking a catamaran across the beautiful lake, we went to Petrohue Falls. These are more a series of cascades more than falls. But they are spectacular. The roar of the water gave a hint to its power as the water rushed through the lava chutes. Again, this water was green. It reminded me of the bluish-green of old glaciers. And it was clear. Where the water was still, you could see all the way down to the rocky bottom. Our next stop was at a farm in the Chilean countryside for lunch. Because of the German influence in Chile, the entire meal was German, including the Kuchen for dessert. In the ladies' room, there was a tiny grey and white kitten. Even though I am deathly allergic, I couldn't resist picking up this purring bundle of fur. As I was taking care of business, I felt something tickle my bare thigh. I didn't realize Kitty had come into the stall with me. Scared the crap out of me!! (Ha!) I'm sure this was a ploy in order to find Kitty a home. They also had llamas and rheas and a baby deer - not in the bathroom... out on the lawn. There were mountains in the background and Lake Llanquihue in the foreground. The dining room had floor to ceiling windows with wooden plank walls and wooden beams on the ceiling. This is what I want our B&B to look like if we go to Costa Rica.
The next stop was Puerto Vera, a quaint, German town on the shores of Lake Llanquihue. The area of Puerto Vera was covered by a dense forest. In fact, the forest was so dense, the settlers didn't know the second largest lake in Chile, Lake Llanquihue, was right in front of them. As they would move into the forest to explore, they would become lost and many would not return. The locals sometimes call Lake Llanquihue The Hidden Lake.
We were let out briefly to shop at a little outdoor bazaar of local artisan crafts. Buyer beware! Even though you think you are at a bazaar of local artisan crafts, read the labels! I bought several very nice scarves to give as gifts that I was told were alpaca. The label says they are acrylic and silk. A couple of sweaters I bought really are alpaca, but they were advertised as handmade. At best these were knit by hand on a loom. No way were these hand knit. Plus, they were the same sweaters at another local artisan bazaar in Argentina. These people probably think, "Stupid Americans!" One lady at the bazaar in Argentina told a fellow traveler that her madre had made the very same sweater that I had purchased in Chile. Her madre must be a very busy woman. And she sure gets around!
Monday, January 2, 2012
Cruise Food & Over Indulgences
The thing about cruises is the food. There is a lot of it and it's available almost 24 hours a day. We did find a few hours here and there when there was no food available (much to Carey's dismay!)
We elected for fixed dining. On the Princess cruise, we had open dining. We thought we would enjoy the flexibility, but once on board, we found there were many more benefits to the fixed option. The wait staff learn your names and your preferences and, if you have pleasant people to dine with, it's fun to share your day's activities over dinner.
Our servers were Jay and Arya. Jay seemed to me to be the most personable of all the servers. He learned our names the first night and used them frequently the rest of the cruise. He laughed at our jokes and even joked back. Arya was slower to warm up, but soon caught our jokes. I don't know how these guys pull off the serving as well as they do. We didn't take a tour of the ship so I don't know how far the galley was, but I know it wasn't just next door. Arya had very well developed muscles in his arms from carrying trays full of heavy dishes. Each plate was covered and then other plates stacked on top. I saw one server walk past with a tray piled with 12 plates.
Our dining companions were MJ from South Carolina, Cher and her 89 year old father Danny from California, and Nick and his son Alex, also from California. Toward the middle of the cruise MJ found Verner from Copenhagen and invited him to join us to fill out our table. The first night Verner joined us, Carey convinced the entire table to order two desserts. Everyone was in fine form that night, and I remember laughing a lot. Verner asked MJ later if we were always like that. I think we had just finally reached that level of comfort with one another that we were no longer strangers, but were becoming friends. Double desserts will do that to you.
We tried to eat in the formal dining room as often as we could. The food was better there than on the Lido deck. We could also order off a menu instead of going through the buffet line. By eating in the dining room for breakfast and lunch, we were able to sit with new people and expand the possibility of meeting new friends. This is how we met Phil and Colleen from Darwin Australia. This is how we met Melanie and Aunt Dee. This is how we heard about the foul German (more on that at a later time.) We were also able to meet up with others we had met like Diane and Dev.
Of course, when you agree to dine with others, you're opening yourself up to the possibility of encountering some less than pleasant people. Thankfully, we were never seated next to the foul German or any other unpleasant fellow travelers. But we did hear stories from others!
Carey tried to get the most from the available dining options. The morning we had breakfast with Phil and Colleen, Phil ordered two breakfast entrees. (Phil is a very large man and probably needs the extra fuel to power his towering body.) Carey hadn't considered the option of two entrees, but Phil revealed the possibilities to him. After that, Carey would always order two breakfasts (after a danish starter): an egg sandwich on an English muffin, and his choice of pancakes, french toast, or waffles. (Carey is NOT a large man. In fact, he's rather slight. I have no idea where he put two breakfasts, but he did clean his plate at every meal.) For lunch he would have the full complement: appetizer, entree, and desert. In the mid-afternoon, you could find Carey at the pool-side grill having a burger or hot dog, or sometimes a large plate of nachos, loaded with whatever toppings a man could desire. For dinner, appetizers, soup, one or two entrees depending on the options, and always two desserts. In Carey's defense, the desserts were a little on the smallish side. Even Danny felt they were being quite stingy with the ice cream.
Oh, but wait! There's more! Every night at 11:00, the Lido deck would open their late night snacks. Every night at 11:00, Carey would be on the Lido deck having not one, not two, not three, but four, yes, FOUR pieces of pizza. And more ice cream.
Carey thought he would outsmart his cholesterol test by taking it before we went on the cruise. When we got home there was a message from our doctor's office. She needs to see Carey regarding elevated cholesterol levels. That was before the cruise food fest! I wonder what it is now!
Now Carey wanders through the house seeking double entrees and double desserts.
We elected for fixed dining. On the Princess cruise, we had open dining. We thought we would enjoy the flexibility, but once on board, we found there were many more benefits to the fixed option. The wait staff learn your names and your preferences and, if you have pleasant people to dine with, it's fun to share your day's activities over dinner.
Our servers were Jay and Arya. Jay seemed to me to be the most personable of all the servers. He learned our names the first night and used them frequently the rest of the cruise. He laughed at our jokes and even joked back. Arya was slower to warm up, but soon caught our jokes. I don't know how these guys pull off the serving as well as they do. We didn't take a tour of the ship so I don't know how far the galley was, but I know it wasn't just next door. Arya had very well developed muscles in his arms from carrying trays full of heavy dishes. Each plate was covered and then other plates stacked on top. I saw one server walk past with a tray piled with 12 plates.
Our dining companions were MJ from South Carolina, Cher and her 89 year old father Danny from California, and Nick and his son Alex, also from California. Toward the middle of the cruise MJ found Verner from Copenhagen and invited him to join us to fill out our table. The first night Verner joined us, Carey convinced the entire table to order two desserts. Everyone was in fine form that night, and I remember laughing a lot. Verner asked MJ later if we were always like that. I think we had just finally reached that level of comfort with one another that we were no longer strangers, but were becoming friends. Double desserts will do that to you.
We tried to eat in the formal dining room as often as we could. The food was better there than on the Lido deck. We could also order off a menu instead of going through the buffet line. By eating in the dining room for breakfast and lunch, we were able to sit with new people and expand the possibility of meeting new friends. This is how we met Phil and Colleen from Darwin Australia. This is how we met Melanie and Aunt Dee. This is how we heard about the foul German (more on that at a later time.) We were also able to meet up with others we had met like Diane and Dev.
Of course, when you agree to dine with others, you're opening yourself up to the possibility of encountering some less than pleasant people. Thankfully, we were never seated next to the foul German or any other unpleasant fellow travelers. But we did hear stories from others!
Carey tried to get the most from the available dining options. The morning we had breakfast with Phil and Colleen, Phil ordered two breakfast entrees. (Phil is a very large man and probably needs the extra fuel to power his towering body.) Carey hadn't considered the option of two entrees, but Phil revealed the possibilities to him. After that, Carey would always order two breakfasts (after a danish starter): an egg sandwich on an English muffin, and his choice of pancakes, french toast, or waffles. (Carey is NOT a large man. In fact, he's rather slight. I have no idea where he put two breakfasts, but he did clean his plate at every meal.) For lunch he would have the full complement: appetizer, entree, and desert. In the mid-afternoon, you could find Carey at the pool-side grill having a burger or hot dog, or sometimes a large plate of nachos, loaded with whatever toppings a man could desire. For dinner, appetizers, soup, one or two entrees depending on the options, and always two desserts. In Carey's defense, the desserts were a little on the smallish side. Even Danny felt they were being quite stingy with the ice cream.
Oh, but wait! There's more! Every night at 11:00, the Lido deck would open their late night snacks. Every night at 11:00, Carey would be on the Lido deck having not one, not two, not three, but four, yes, FOUR pieces of pizza. And more ice cream.Carey thought he would outsmart his cholesterol test by taking it before we went on the cruise. When we got home there was a message from our doctor's office. She needs to see Carey regarding elevated cholesterol levels. That was before the cruise food fest! I wonder what it is now!
Now Carey wanders through the house seeking double entrees and double desserts.
South American Cruise - Part 2
We set sail aboard the MS Veendam on Dec. 8, 2011. (This ship had no sails; can you really set sail with no sails?) We left Valparaiso at 5:00 pm and headed south. The weather was clear and warm. The ship was smaller than the one we were on for our Alaskan cruise. The Coral Princess held 1970 passengers and was 964 feet long, while the MS Veendam only had 1350 passengers and was only 719 feet long.
It is hard to accurately compare the two ship experiences. Over six years divide our cruise experience. It's hard to determine if we feel Princess was nicer than Holland America because of a true comparison, or was it that Princess, being our first cruise, really impressed us with the opulence and fine dining available on most cruises. The MS Veendam seemed a bit tired looking, which was disappointing because we had read that she had recently gone through some serious renovations. Once on board, we found out that only certain parts of the ship had been refit to provide more cabins with balconies. This left our cabin without an update thus the tired look and feel.
This ship felt smaller than the Coral. It didn't take nearly as long to walk from one end to the other. It also did not have as much retail space as Princess seems to offer. I view this as a serious plus! It seemed just as much space was dedicated to the library and internet cafe' as was given over to the overpriced and heavily discounted retail area.
Carey didn't think the food was as good, but he's got a history of NYC restaurant dining to compare it to. I thought it was just fine! The formal dining room offered better dining than we can get here locally, IMHO.
The waters of the Pacific Ocean were definitely rougher than the inside passage of Alaska. So much rougher that I, and several of my fellow passengers, got seasick in the first couple of days. As I was leaving dinner our first night, I ran into a couple from Portugal that we had met earlier in the day. Pat took one look at me and put her arm around me to escort me to their cabin and her stash of remedies for every occasion. If I ever felt the need for a visit to the ship's doctor, all I had to do was find Pat and Frank's cabin. Feeling quite green but well armed with motion sickness drugs, I headed to bed. I discovered motion sickness is best endured in a horizontal manner. Vertically, you are challenged to predict the direction, pitch, and speed of the motion and attempt to counter it with your own body. Horizontally, you can pretend you are rocking in a hammock; sometimes with a gentle breeze, sometimes with a more forceful gale.
Looking at the map of our cruise itinerary, I thought we would be closer to the shore for the first half of the cruise. I was unaware of the international gambling laws and how they would affect our cruise. In order for the ship to open and operate the casino, we had to be 12 miles off shore. That meant sailing away from the shore and further out into open waters. Let me get this straight... I got seasick so that other passengers could gamble. Dear fellow passengers, You're welcome.
Several days into the cruise the captain apologized over the intercom system for the rough waters and explained that we were experiencing 12 foot swells. The good news, he said, was that the seas would be improving later in the day - then we would only have 9 foot swells. Oh goody! Three feet less than 12, but still 9 feet more than what I would call smooth sailing.
The funny thing about swells is that they are not really waves. When you look at the ocean, it appears to be breathing. In and out. In and out. I imagined the life underneath that would create this breathing. Over 250,000 known species live in the ocean. With this much life below us, is it a wonder that the ocean should breathe?
It took several days for me to get used to the rocking and rolling and to be able to look at the breathing of the ocean while remaining in a vertical position! On particularly rough days, older gentlemen would watch me swaying while walking through the halls. They would tell me I shouldn't drink so early in the morning. I just laughed and told them if giving up drinking would allow me to walk straight again, I would give it up in a heart beat.
It is hard to accurately compare the two ship experiences. Over six years divide our cruise experience. It's hard to determine if we feel Princess was nicer than Holland America because of a true comparison, or was it that Princess, being our first cruise, really impressed us with the opulence and fine dining available on most cruises. The MS Veendam seemed a bit tired looking, which was disappointing because we had read that she had recently gone through some serious renovations. Once on board, we found out that only certain parts of the ship had been refit to provide more cabins with balconies. This left our cabin without an update thus the tired look and feel.
This ship felt smaller than the Coral. It didn't take nearly as long to walk from one end to the other. It also did not have as much retail space as Princess seems to offer. I view this as a serious plus! It seemed just as much space was dedicated to the library and internet cafe' as was given over to the overpriced and heavily discounted retail area.
Carey didn't think the food was as good, but he's got a history of NYC restaurant dining to compare it to. I thought it was just fine! The formal dining room offered better dining than we can get here locally, IMHO.
The waters of the Pacific Ocean were definitely rougher than the inside passage of Alaska. So much rougher that I, and several of my fellow passengers, got seasick in the first couple of days. As I was leaving dinner our first night, I ran into a couple from Portugal that we had met earlier in the day. Pat took one look at me and put her arm around me to escort me to their cabin and her stash of remedies for every occasion. If I ever felt the need for a visit to the ship's doctor, all I had to do was find Pat and Frank's cabin. Feeling quite green but well armed with motion sickness drugs, I headed to bed. I discovered motion sickness is best endured in a horizontal manner. Vertically, you are challenged to predict the direction, pitch, and speed of the motion and attempt to counter it with your own body. Horizontally, you can pretend you are rocking in a hammock; sometimes with a gentle breeze, sometimes with a more forceful gale.
Looking at the map of our cruise itinerary, I thought we would be closer to the shore for the first half of the cruise. I was unaware of the international gambling laws and how they would affect our cruise. In order for the ship to open and operate the casino, we had to be 12 miles off shore. That meant sailing away from the shore and further out into open waters. Let me get this straight... I got seasick so that other passengers could gamble. Dear fellow passengers, You're welcome.
Several days into the cruise the captain apologized over the intercom system for the rough waters and explained that we were experiencing 12 foot swells. The good news, he said, was that the seas would be improving later in the day - then we would only have 9 foot swells. Oh goody! Three feet less than 12, but still 9 feet more than what I would call smooth sailing.
The funny thing about swells is that they are not really waves. When you look at the ocean, it appears to be breathing. In and out. In and out. I imagined the life underneath that would create this breathing. Over 250,000 known species live in the ocean. With this much life below us, is it a wonder that the ocean should breathe?
It took several days for me to get used to the rocking and rolling and to be able to look at the breathing of the ocean while remaining in a vertical position! On particularly rough days, older gentlemen would watch me swaying while walking through the halls. They would tell me I shouldn't drink so early in the morning. I just laughed and told them if giving up drinking would allow me to walk straight again, I would give it up in a heart beat.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)