Where in the world ?

[bluemarble]

5 hours ago, sfred said:

Here's another common Cunard port that I was going to post today in the "sunrise" thread, for the reflection off the buildings as we approached the pier.  But a search here indicates that while we've had this port in the anagram games, it doesn't look like we've seen it yet.

 

 

 

I'm getting an early start today to say this one looks like Melbourne, Australia. Indeed, a well visited Cunard port that we haven't seen before on this thread.

[sfred]

8 hours ago, bluemarble said:

I'm getting an early start today to say this one looks like Melbourne, Australia. Indeed, a well visited Cunard port that we haven't seen before on this thread.

 

Correct! 

 

I was surprised that after over 2,100 posts we were still missing Hong Kong and Melbourne.  Glad to have fixed the gap.

[sfred]

While we still work on @carlmm's challenging post #2091, here is another contribution for today.  There isn't much to go on from the photo, so here are some early hints.

• We've heard of this port before in two of the Cunard port games.
• We've seen this Cunard port before in a bridgecam photo, although the bridgecam did not capture the actual port metropolis.
• The photo was taken recently on 6 January 2021 during our Christmas holiday trip, so unfortunately it was not taken from a Cunard or any other cruise ship.  That should narrow the possibilities considerably.

 

 

[bluemarble]

@sfred, as the "perpetrator" of several of the posts alluded to by your clues, I may be particularly well positioned to identify your latest port photo. 😉

• Your third clue places this port in Australia.
• From your second clue, as our webcam guy, I posted one bridge webcam image of an Australian port that definitely "did not capture the actual port metropolis". That was the image I said showed "Whitsunday Islands" per the Cunard brochure.
• From your first clue, at that time I was not aware of the port metropolis serving the Whitsunday Islands which became apparent during our "Q" ports game. This port was also mentioned subsequently during our port name anagrams game and at the end of our game to name the ports first in alphabetical order for each ship.

Just to confirm I was on the right track, I was able to match some of the elements of your photo to available online photos of this port.

 

I think your port photo is showing Airlie Beach (Whitsunday Islands), Queensland, Australia.

[sfred]

1 hour ago, bluemarble said:

I think your port photo is showing Airlie Beach (Whitsunday Islands), Queensland, Australia.

 

Correct - well done!  As you deduced, it had to be an Australia port given the date of 6 Jan 2021.  With our international borders closed, like many Aussies we did a domestic driving trip this Christmas, and stayed close to home.  Of course, "close" is a relative term in Australia.  Airlie Beach is about 1100km north of Brisbane, and Cairns about 1700km, both still within the state of Queensland.

 

While in Airlie Beach, we stayed at a wonderful waterside hotel a short stroll out of the bustling port metropolis.  During the warm sultry summertime evenings, from the balcony of the hotel room we could hear the waves on the rocks below and see the lights of the boats bobbing in the harbour.  It was easy to imagine we were on a Cunard ship.   ** sigh **

 

As you've indicated, the Cunard itineraries variously refer to the port as either Airlie Beach, or Whitsunday Islands.  Your post 1037 in this thread had QM2's bridge webcam pointing out to sea towards the islands at the time, so it missed capturing the town which would have been roughly astern.  Cruise ships anchor just offshore, and tender to a marina area around the far corner of Airlie Beach.  The town itself is rather small, but the attractions of the Whitsunday Islands are all reachable by tourist boat transfers.

 

 

[bluemarble]

On 1/26/2021 at 5:12 AM, carlmm said:

If the search function is correct, we have neither seen nor named this port of the QE2 in this thread so far.

 

This one took less than a week to identify, but then I didn't spend several days this time going down a rabbit hole as happened with @carlmm's photo of Propriano, which I was originally convinced had to be a port on the Adriatic.

 

I'll also tell you the precise location where I believe this photo was taken. I've never been there, but it's rewarding to see what can be done in this case using websites and videos about the site to closely match the details of this particular scene (minus QE2 of course).

 

I think this photo is showing Portoferraio on the island of Elba. In addition, I think it was taken from a window on the upper floor of the Palazzina Napoleonica dei Mulini (Villa dei Mulini) in Portoferraio, one of Napolean's residences during his time in exile there, now a museum.

[Host Hattie]

That's advanced level detective work there @bluemarble, it looks beautiful.

[carlmm]

1 hour ago, bluemarble said:

 

This one took less than a week to identify, but then I didn't spend several days this time going down a rabbit hole as happened with @carlmm's photo of Propriano, which I was originally convinced had to be a port on the Adriatic.

 

I'll also tell you the precise location where I believe this photo was taken. I've never been there, but it's rewarding to see what can be done in this case using websites and videos about the site to closely match the details of this particular scene (minus QE2 of course).

 

I think this photo is showing Portoferraio on the island of Elba. In addition, I think it was taken from a window on the upper floor of the Palazzina Napoleonica dei Mulini (Villa dei Mulini) in Portoferraio, one of Napolean's residences during his time in exile there, now a museum.

Most perfect. Great work!

[sfred]

2 hours ago, bluemarble said:

I'll also tell you the precise location where I believe this photo was taken.

 

I think it was taken from a window on the upper floor of the Palazzina Napoleonica dei Mulini (Villa dei Mulini) in Portoferraio, one of Napolean's residences during his time in exile there, now a museum.

 

I am in awe, and all socks completely blown away!

[ExArkie]

17 hours ago, bluemarble said:

 

This one took less than a week to identify, but then I didn't spend several days this time going down a rabbit hole as happened with @carlmm's photo of Propriano, which I was originally convinced had to be a port on the Adriatic.

 

I'll also tell you the precise location where I believe this photo was taken. I've never been there, but it's rewarding to see what can be done in this case using websites and videos about the site to closely match the details of this particular scene (minus QE2 of course).

 

I think this photo is showing Portoferraio on the island of Elba. In addition, I think it was taken from a window on the upper floor of the Palazzina Napoleonica dei Mulini (Villa dei Mulini) in Portoferraio, one of Napolean's residences during his time in exile there, now a museum.

Couldn't you name the specific room? 

[carlmm]

It get's harder and harder to find some old pictures of ports we have not seen here (AFAIK) and that at the same time include at least a bit of both the port and the Cunard ship.

Edited January 29, 2021 by carlmm

[Underwatr]

I honestly don't know whether this one's been posted or not.

 

 

Big hint in this photo, come to think of it.

[bluemarble]

25 minutes ago, Underwatr said:

I honestly don't know whether this one's been posted or not.

 

 

Big hint in this photo, come to think of it.

 

I don't think we've seen this port city yet. We've had a webcam image I posted of a Panama Canal transit in progress near the Pedro Miguel Locks. This looks like a view of the skyline of Panama City, Panama near the Pacific entrance to the canal (and served by nearby Fuerte Amador). I'll add this to the list of Cunard ports we've now seen on this thread.

 

I suppose the hint in the photo is all the people at the railing to view the Panama Canal transit?

[bluemarble]

On 1/29/2021 at 9:36 AM, carlmm said:

It get's harder and harder to find some old pictures of ports we have not seen here (AFAIK) and that at the same time include at least a bit of both the port and the Cunard ship.

 

Oh, I think I've found this one. If I'm right, it's a port we've seen here before, but its name is transliterated a couple different ways into English, similar to what happened before with Heraklion/Iraklio(n). I think we may have seen this one before in the very first post by @Host Hattie to start this thread. That photo of hers also showed QE2 anchored there. This is a different view of the port though, that's for sure.

 

That photo starting this thread was identified as Zakinthos. That's how it's spelled in the hard-copy Cunard brochures I have. But it is listed as Zakynthos on other itineraries I've found online. The spelling using a "y" instead of an "i" appears to be the more common spelling and @carlmm, I suspect that may have been the spelling you used to search this thread for previous mentions of this port. I see this destination also goes by the name Zante to add a bit more potential confusion.

 

That distinctive hillside profile in the top photo is an excellent match to what I'm seeing in online photos of the port of Zakynthos/Zakinthos, Greece. That tall, thin tower on the waterfront seen in the bottom photo is also a very good match to the bell tower of the Agios Dionysios/Dionisios church there.

[carlmm]

4 hours ago, bluemarble said:

 

Oh, I think I've found this one. If I'm right, it's a port we've seen here before, but its name is transliterated a couple different ways into English, similar to what happened before with Heraklion/Iraklio(n). I think we may have seen this one before in the very first post by @Host Hattie to start this thread. That photo of hers also showed QE2 anchored there. This is a different view of the port though, that's for sure.

 

That photo starting this thread was identified as Zakinthos. That's how it's spelled in the hard-copy Cunard brochures I have. But it is listed as Zakynthos on other itineraries I've found online. The spelling using a "y" instead of an "i" appears to be the more common spelling and @carlmm, I suspect that may have been the spelling you used to search this thread for previous mentions of this port. I see this destination also goes by the name Zante to add a bit more potential confusion.

 

That distinctive hillside profile in the top photo is an excellent match to what I'm seeing in online photos of the port of Zakynthos/Zakinthos, Greece. That tall, thin tower on the waterfront seen in the bottom photo is also a very good match to the bell tower of the Agios Dionysios/Dionisios church there.

 Of course you are perfectly right in all points.

 

My apologies to Host Hattie for forgetting about the very beginning of this thread, and to everybody for misguiding. 

 

Great work again, bluemarble.

[carlmm]

4 hours ago, bluemarble said:

... in the very first post by @Host Hattie to start this thread. That photo of hers also showed QE2 anchored there....

it's even worse 😉 Checking the first entries, it might even have been the same cruise in September 2008. @Host Hattie,  maybe we met that many years ago.

[Host Hattie]

2 hours ago, carlmm said:

it's even worse 😉 Checking the first entries, it might even have been the same cruise in September 2008. @Host Hattie,  maybe we met that many years ago.

I think it was the same cruise and if you went to the Cruise Critic meeting in the Yacht Club we did meet !

It was our first cruise and look what it started 😁

 

[Host Hattie]

2 hours ago, carlmm said:

 Of course you are perfectly right in all points.

 

My apologies to Host Hattie for forgetting about the very beginning of this thread, and to everybody for misguiding. 

 

Great work again, bluemarble.

No need to apologise, I didn't recognise it ! Just thought what beautiful photos.

[Underwatr]

13 hours ago, bluemarble said:

I suppose the hint in the photo is all the people at the railing to view the Panama Canal transit?

Specifically, all of the chairs for people planning to be there for an extended period as opposed to a sailaway party, for example.

 

It also occurs to me that it illustrates the sun rising over the Pacific at the start of a Pacific-to-Atlantic transit. 

Edited January 31, 2021 by Underwatr

[bluemarble]

How about this one? It doesn't really follow the rules since this photo wasn't taken from a ship nor does it show the ship or the actual cruise port facilities. Rather it was taken a few miles along the coast from where the ship was docked during a cruise on another line.

 

Still it does show a Cunard port city we haven't seen yet on this thread and this will almost certainly have to be the last photo of mine I can contribute showing a Cunard port that's new to this thread.

 

Edited January 31, 2021 by bluemarble

[ExArkie]

53 minutes ago, bluemarble said:

How about this one? It doesn't really follow the rules since this photo wasn't taken from a ship nor does it show the ship or the actual cruise port facilities. Rather it was taken a few miles along the coast from where the ship was docked during a cruise on another line.

 

Still it does show a Cunard port city we haven't seen yet on this thread and this will almost certainly have to be the last photo of mine I can contribute showing a Cunard port that's new to this thread.

 

Looks like Abu Dhabi (UAE).

[bluemarble]

19 minutes ago, ExArkie said:

Looks like Abu Dhabi (UAE).

 

That's correct. The answer to our earlier game about the first port alphabetically visited by QE.

Edited January 31, 2021 by bluemarble

[sfred]

Here's a photo I found hidden in one of my achive folders.  Taken during sailaway, looking back on the town.  This port was in our anagram game, but I don't think we've seen it yet.

 

[kmerlin14]

Here's one that I don't  think has k has been done. Should be easy to guess the ship.

[sfred]

2 hours ago, kmerlin14 said:

Here's one that I don't  think has k has been done. Should be easy to guess the ship.

 

Thanks @kmerlin14.  Looks like Skagway Alaska.  And of course the ship is QE.  What day were you there?  Looks like a relatively warm day (by Alaska standards).   We were there on 24 May 2019, and did the White Pass railroad trip and a wander of the town.  I only took photos of the railroad trip and did not think to take any of (or from) the ship, so your photo is a welcome contribution.  I imagine Skagway has been doing it tough this past year, with no ships or tourism.