The Living Journey

We took a Zodiac from the Ship to the Signehamna landing on the shore of Krossfjorden
 
Sailing north on the western side of Spitsbergen Island, Svalbard, our next stop was at the Signehamna landing site on Krossfjorden. With an Arctic historian who was part of our expedition team,

A panorama of the deep blue UNESCO-protected Geirangerfjord and the surrounding majestic, snow-covered mountain peaks, wild waterfalls and lush, green vegetation, Geiranger, Norway; photographed at 1,500 meters (nearly 4,900 feet) elevation at the Dalsnibba utsiktspunkt (Dalsnibba outlook), south-south-east of the fjord
 

The Blue City of Chefchaouen, Morocco
 
A pleasing blend of Moroccan and Andalusian influences, the Blue City of Chefchaouen is nestled in the Rif Mountains about two hours south of Tangier. Named for the brilliant hue adorning most of its buildings (originally chosen by Sephardic Jews fleeing the Spanish Inquisition),

From a distance, the main island of the Fernando de Noronha archipelago, about 354 kilometers (220 miles) off Brazil’s northeast coast, is recognizable by its largest volcanic peak, Pico Mount, viewed here from the west
 
Fernando de Noronha,

Búzios, Brazil, is a Brazilian resort set on an ocean peninsula east of Rio de Janeiro, known as an upscale vacation destination with numerous beaches
 
A sleepy fishing village propelled into the spotlight by a vacationing Brigitte Bardot,

When we sat down at the Oasis restaurant, São Conrado, Brazil, we were immediately presented with a number of snacks and meat accompaniments, the first being some Portuguese empanadas filled with cheese
 
On our afternoon visit to the Rio de Janeiro neighborhood of São Conrado,

Pâté Of Louisiana Rabbit & Chicken Livers, perfumed with truffles, country bread croutons, Luke, New Orleans, Louisiana
 
After a morning walk of more than 10,000 steps in the French Quarter, we then headed off to eat brunch at Luke (restaurant),

A view of the Caribbean Sea from near a summit on our jeep ride up the Gran Parque Nacional Sierra Maestra Mountains
 
From our pier near downtown Santiago de Cuba, we were driven in a jeep about an hour-and-a-half into the surrounding mountains with stunning landscapes.

From the top deck of our ship at the pier, a view of Nassau, Bahamas
 
The Bahamian capital of Nassau blends colonial British heritage with a beach lifestyle in the warm waters south of Florida. In addition to sunbathing,

The downtown skyline fronting onto Biscayne Bay (I)
 
The allure of Miami, Florida, is undeniable, from chic South Beach with its beautiful beach-goers posing against the pastel hues of Art Deco hotels to the on-fire arts scene in the Wynwood district,

The epitome of romanticized Cuban street life, Parque Céspedes — surrounded by colonial architecture and the Cathedral — is a vibrant mix of conversation, flirting, dancing and music in the heart of Santiago de Cuba, Cuba
 
Located closer to Haiti and the Dominican Republic than Havana,

From Cienfuegos we had a chartered bus drive a group of 12 of us from our ship to Havana for a three-day, two-night exploration of the historic capital of Cuba. In retrospect, almost all of us had the same recollection of our time there – a city full of great spirit — with the locals’ joi de vie very evident – and a city that is a living museum,

One of many composite images evoking memories of a visit to Cuba – on the street in Cienfuegos, Cuba
 
Cuba. The name evokes numerous mental images and memories – rum, cigars, music, Hemingway,

From Yakutat Bay we sailed into Disenchantment Bay to approach the Hubbard Glacier, the largest tidewater glacier in Alaska (the tidewater edge is up to 400 feet /122 meters tall) – to reach the face of the glacier we sailed to the right of Haenke Island,

As we hiked up from the beach of Mendenhall Lake, Mendenhall Glacier came into view
 
After we beached our canoes near the Lake Mendenhall tidewater entrance of the Mendenhall Glacier, we put on hard hats and packed up our ice spikes and headed out across the glacial moraine toward the retreating ice edge of the glacier.