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Total Eclipse : A pictorial review of the Tradewinds Transatlantic crossing 2015


scubacruiserx2
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48 minutes ago, Gracie115 said:

 

I like the idea of "celebrating the end of hurricane season"  Actually this cruise leaves on Halloween so I am sure the first night will be great fun.  We did this same cruise last year on the Regal and sailing out of Brooklyn with the Statue of Liberty and NY skyline directly in front of us was just wonderful.  The weather was perfect that day, hoping for a repeat this year!!!

 

We usually booked one after season cause the rates we good and we would go diving but we're not doing that much any more . We haven't been to NY but we were suppose to do it on a TA from London in the Fall after we did our cruise . Pat had her accident a couple of weeks before we were scheduled to go . We hope to do it next year on the Regal in the Spring and the Zuiderdam in August . It will have Norway , Iceland and Greenland . This year the same cruise got a Dorian blow by near Halifax which took the brunt of the storm after wiping out Grand Bahama . They did change our final port from NY to Boston next year . So when's the Baltic cruise ?

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2 hours ago, scubacruiserx2 said:

 

We usually booked one after season cause the rates we good and we would go diving but we're not doing that much any more . We haven't been to NY but we were suppose to do it on a TA from London in the Fall after we did our cruise . Pat had her accident a couple of weeks before we were scheduled to go . We hope to do it next year on the Regal in the Spring and the Zuiderdam in August . It will have Norway , Iceland and Greenland . This year the same cruise got a Dorian blow by near Halifax which took the brunt of the storm after wiping out Grand Bahama . They did change our final port from NY to Boston next year . So when's the Baltic cruise ?

 

 

It's the Sky TA & Baltic leaves Ft. Lauderdale April 11...25 nights!! Can't wait!!!

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35 minutes ago, Gracie115 said:

 

 

It's the Sky TA & Baltic leaves Ft. Lauderdale April 11...25 nights!! Can't wait!!!

 

Duh , I forgot , must be the old timer's disease kicking in ! We've been renewing my life insurance this week and the IV tech said that I was officially elderly so no tip for her ! The monthly rate from my old policy will be increased 5 x higher and go up every year . I do remember that our Regal TA is about a week behind you and we'll be having Ireland and the UK before changing ships for a week in Norway - If I live long enough 😊

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2 hours ago, jenseib said:

Loving all the pictures. I bet it has been fun looking over some forgotten memories!

 

I'm doing good, but busy. I don't get much time to read lovely reports like yours anymore. But being busy is a good thing

 

Thanks Jenseib , it's so nice to hear from you again !  Yes we found some good memories from this TA and the Baltic with Tyler . And yes sometimes busy is a good thing  - especially if it's travel . We had 2 really great cruises on HAL and lived to write about them , so if you get some free time you might want to take a look . We had wanted to go to Antarctica and finally made . Loved the Whales , Penguins ,  glaciers and scenery .

 

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Here's the link for the whole thread :

 

 

 

We also got to go to the Arctic circle Iceland , Norway and Scotland

 

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Puffins in Iceland

 

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The Zaandam in Iceland

 

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We loved this aft balcony !

 

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You can read all about this and a Baltic cruise here :

 

 

 

Edited by scubacruiserx2
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In our last episode we were in GUM and preparing for a street walk

 

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Our next sighting was much more sobering the infamous Lubyanka Prison . Former home of the KGB and now home to it's successor the FSB .

 

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http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Lubyanka.aspx

 

Home to torture , interrogations and murders , it was joked in the USSR that " it was the tallest building in Moscow , because you could see Siberia from the basement " ( where the tortures took place ) . Also home to the KGB , it used to have a large statute of it's founder iron Felix Dzerzhinsky in front of the building .

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felix_Dzerzhinsky

 

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The previous photo was taken in St. Petersburg , but the original statue in Moscow was torn down by a crowd in Moscow , during the break up of the USSR . It now has a more humble place - the Fallen Monument Park , where children sit on it .

 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallen_Monument_Park

 

The famous Bolshoi (Big ) Ballet Theater

 

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolshoi_Theatre

 

TsUM high end  fashion department store

 

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TsUM_(Moscow)

 

We don't know this building but we like it 

 

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Yuri Dolgorukiy the founder of Moscow

 

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His photo on a coin from wikipedia

 

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Moscow loves bicycles

 

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and Alexander Pushkin

 

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Pushkin

 

And they really love the Cathedral of Christ the Savior .

 

 

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It has a long and and interesting story which can be read at this blog :

 

http://io9.com/5981106/the-strange-history-of-the-moscow-cathedral-that-couldnt-be-destroyed

 

 

Or seen on this video :

 

 

 

 

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Basically , it took 44 years to complete the cathedral which was opened in 1883 . It was looted and blown up by Stalin's orders in 1931 to build the tallest skyscraper in the world , with a giant statue of Lenin on the top . The plans were changed when the USSR was invaded by Germany in WW II . After the war had ended , it became the world's largest swimming pool . With the end of the Soviet Union in 1990 , the cathedral was rebuilt by the will and donations of the people , including a large gift from Mc Donalds . We saw the plaques in the church recognizing the gifts of various donors . But we were not allowed to photograph the inside , however , the video shows the interior .

 

 

The front view

 

 

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The Kremlin in the distance on the Moscow River

 

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We choose premium class for our return to Saint Petersburg which includes a smaller , quieter room from the main station , with internet .

 

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And fewer people in our car

 

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We left Moscow promptly at 19:40 . Here's the announcements :

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dinner was served not long after

 

 

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Followed by sunset

 

 

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We swapped seats for a snooze and arrived in St. Petersburg at about 23:40

 

 

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And hustled onto the Metro before they shut down @ 00:30 . The view from our apartment's bedroom .

 

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A few parting shots of Saint Petersburg

 

The Leica Cafe and Bar . A Leica is the camera that my wife was using .

 

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The Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood

 

 

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_the_Savior_on_Blood

 

This marks the place where Czar Alexander II was assassinated

 

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The Rostral Columns

 

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Saint_Petersburg_Stock_Exchange_and_Rostral_Columns

 

The Peter and Paul Fortress , Peter and Paul Cathedral and a hydrofoil

 

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_and_Paul_Fortress

 

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Our walk brought us to the Albert Memorial where we had a good view of the Royal Albert Hall

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Albert_Hall

 

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We would be going to this concert and the people at the box office seemed perplexed when I asked if we could come in and count the holes .

 

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Al and his band which included several of the original members played 2 full albums . His lead guitar player , Tim Renwick has also played in Pink Floyd . Peter White has had a successful solo career playing guitar and keyboards . The first album performed was Past , Present and Future .

 

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Past,_Present_and_Future_(Al_Stewart_album)

 

The final song is about Nostradamus and his supposed ability to see into the future . During a dual guitar solo a percussionist played a Shekere .

 

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Here's the video from the cheap seats :

 

 

 

 

After an intermission The Year of the Cat album which was Al's most famous song and album followed .

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Year_of_the_Cat

 

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We loved seeing the full band in the RAH . This album came out the year I my my DW in 1976 whichI used to refer to as The year of the Pat .

 

A couple more long distance photos .

 

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We both agree that this may have been our favorite concert experience . We are used to seeing Al with a smaller band and venue like here near where we live . Dave Nachmanoff who plays with Al is excellent as seen here :

 

 

 

We are scheduled to see Al with a full band at the same place on February 13 and we have front row seats .

 

Edited by scubacruiserx2
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We stayed at this efficiency near the RAH .

 

In this photo is the entrance door , twin doors which we thought were a closet , a new bathroom , and a wardrobe on the right .

 

 

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Behind the double doors was our mini kitchen which met all of our needs .

 

 

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A bay window , a desk and a bed . Home sweet home !

 

 

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We had never seen the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace and so we went on a beautiful day . Pat stayed by the bars of the fence while I stepped back to the fountain for a few shots .

 

 

 

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Returning to Pat , the place was packed and it almost impossible to take any good video footage where we were .

 

 

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Our only chance for taking photos was between the bars . We didn't recognize any of these folks .

 

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As this group began marching a scrummage began with phone and cameras coming from all around us

 

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I even had a vanity stick with a phone come over my shoulder right in front of my camera ! Much Ado about nothing .

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  • 1 year later...

Hi Joe and Pat! I got an email notification from Cruise Critic that you just posted here, so I popped on over to say “hi”! Hope you’re doing well and staying healthy.

 

Barry and I are both well. We’re fully vaccinated and hoping we get to sail on Allure in September. We’re not getting too excited yet, though, since pretty much anything could happen between now and September.

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14 hours ago, perfect match said:

Hi Joe and Pat! I got an email notification from Cruise Critic that you just posted here, so I popped on over to say “hi”! Hope you’re doing well and staying healthy.

 

Barry and I are both well. We’re fully vaccinated and hoping we get to sail on Allure in September. We’re not getting too excited yet, though, since pretty much anything could happen between now and September.

 

Well hello Barry and Nancy . It sure was a nice surprise to hear from you and we sure hope that your cruise on the Allure goes as planned ! 😉

 

We have cancelled several cruises during the Pandemic and have a large credit still with Princess which we need to use , hopefully soon . Nothing in the works currently for Celebrity . 

 

Our last 4 cruises have been on HAL and we will post the links to the photo travelogues of each one if you or anyone else interested . We finally made it to Antarctica for penguins and whales and a visit to Patagonia after having to cancel it on the Eclipse . We were in a Neptune Suite on the Zaandam for the cruise portion and spent 9 days on land . It was in December of 2018 and we spent New Years Eve between Antarctica and South America on the Drake Passage !

 

 

 

We did an anniversary cruise on the K Dam's sister ship the Nieuw Statendam which we wish we had not done during the Spring break . We do like the older ships better .

 

 

 

We did enjoy a B2B on the Zuiderdam to the Baltic followed by a cabin change for a cruise to Iceland , Scotland and the Shetland Islands in May and June of 2019 . The puffins and Shetland Ponies we great as well as the waterfalls and scenery .

 

 

 

We finally made it down to the ABC islands in our favorite Neptune Suite # 5191 on the Zuiderdam in December of 2019 . 

 

 

 

We just took photos and wish that we would have taken our dive gear as this turned out to be our last cruise . Hopefully this won't be our last and we will be cruising soon and will get to meet with you and Barry on a cruise soon . Pat and Joe 

 

🙂 😊

 

We're not sure why some of our photos and videos have been changed from the originals but we will try to correct them .

 

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