Part of a series: Around the World
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- March 4, 2001 (Day -4)
- March 6, 2001 (Day -2)
- March 7, 2001 (Day -1)
- March 8, 2001 (Day 1)
- March 10, 2001 (Day 3)
- March 11, 2001 (Day 4)
- March 12, 2001 (Day 5)
- March 13, 2001 (Day 6)
- March 14, 2001 (Day 7)
- March 15, 2001 (Day 8)
- March 16, 2001 (Day 9)
- March 17, 2001 (Day 10)
- March 18, 2001 (Day 11)
- March 19, 2001 (Day 12)
- Time Check: Day 12
- March 20, 2001 (Day 13)
- March 21, 2001 (Day 14)
- March 22, 2001 (Day 15)
- March 23, 2001 (Day 16)
- March 24, 2001 (Day 17)
- March 25, 2001 (Day 18)
- March 26, 2001 (Day 19)
- March 27, 2001 (Day 20)
- March 28, 2001 (Day 21)
- March 29, 2001 (Day 22)
- March 30, 2001 (Day 23)
- Time Check: Day 23
- March 31, 2001 (Day 24)
- April 1, 2001 (Day 25)
- April 2, 2001 (Day 26)
- April 3, 2001 (Day 27)
- April 4, 2001 (Day 28)
- April 5, 2001 (Day 29)
- Time Check: Day 29
- April 6, 2001 (Day 30)
- April 7, 2001 (Day 31)
- April 8, 2001 (Day 32)
- April 9, 2001 (Day 33)
- April 10, 2001 (Day 34)
- April 11, 2001 (Day 35)
- Time Check: Day 35
- April 12, 2001 (Day 36)
- April 13, 2001 (Day 37)
- April 14, 2001 (Day 38)
- April 15, 2001 (Day 39)
- April 16, 2001 (Day 40)
- Time Check: Day 40
- April 17, 2001 (Day 41)
- April 18, 2001 (Day 42)
- April 19, 2001 (Day 43)
- Time Check: Day 43
- April 20, 2001 (Day 44)
- Intermission
- April 21, 2001 (Day 45)
- April 22, 2001 (Day 46)
- April 23, 2001 (Day 47)
- April 24, 2001 (Day 48)
- April 25, 2001 (Day 49)
- April 26, 2001 (Day 50)
- April 27, 2001 (Day 51)
- April 28, 2001 (Day 52)
- Time Check: Day 52
- April 29, 2001 (Day 53)
- April 30, 2001 (Day 54)
- May 1, 2001 (Day 55) – Part I
- May 1, 2001 (Day 55) – Part II
- May 2, 2001 (Day 56)
- May 3, 2001 (Day 57)
- May 4, 2001 (Day 58)
- May 5, 2001 (Day 59)
- May 6, 2001 (Day 60)
- May 7, 2001 (Day 61)
- Time Check: Day 61
- May 8, 2001 (Day 62)
- May 9, 2001 (Day 63)
- May 10, 2001 (Day 64)
- May 11, 2001 (Day 65)
- May 12, 2001 (Day 66)
- May 13, 2001 (Day 67)
- May 14, 2001 (Day 68)
- May 15, 2001 (Day 69)
- Time Check: Day 69
- May 16, 2001 (Day 70)
- Time Check: Day 70
- May 17, 2001 (Day 71)
- May 18, 2001 (Day 72)
- May 19, 2001 (Day 73)
- May 20, 2001 (Day 74)
- May 21, 2001 (Day 75)
- May 22, 2001 (Day 76)
- May 23, 2001 (Day 77)
- May 24, 2001 (Day 78)
- May 25, 2001 (Day 79)
- Intermission – Part II
- May 27, 2001 (Epilogue)
Our collection of thoughts and memories from the second half of the trip: from boarding the ship in Osaka to returning to London. The second portion was a much different trip than the first – less moving about, less packing and unpacking, more members of groups than traveling on our own.
| Impressions | |
| Steven: | Culture shock at all of the Americans on the ship and the glut of use of the English language. |
| Anna: | That it is done! We really did it. |
| Most memorable moments | |
| Steven: | Sailing out of Muroran |
| Storm in the Atlantic | |
| Anna: | Winning at trivia |
| Seeing family and friends in the US | |
| Storm while crossing the Atlantic | |
| Favorite city | |
| Steven: | Muroran - The pleasant reception was an unexpected surprise |
| Vancouver | |
| Anna: | Vancouver |
| Favorite site or museum | |
| Both: | Sea Life Center, Seward - informative, well-presented and suitable for all ages |
| Ellis Island | |
| Favorite park or garden | |
| Both: | Stanley Park, Vancouver |
| Best scenery | |
| Both: | Alaska |
| Kodak moments | |
| Steven: | Almost anywhere in Alaska |
| Anna: | Almost anywhere in Alaska |
| Hot Springs in Hokkaido | |
| Best meal | |
| Steven: | Fish and Chips in Ketchikan |
| Anna: | Greek in Vancouver |
| Pizzas on the Regal Princess | |
| Best food | |
| Steven: | Dining in NYC (thanks Uncle Mark) |
| Funky Soy Sauce Pringles | |
| Anna: | Food did not seem as special this part of the trip |
| Worst meal | |
| Steven: | The absence of late breakfasts on the QE2 |
| Anna: | Can't think of any, they were all fine |
| Favorite foods | |
| Steven: | Green Mill Pizza |
| Anna: | Pizzas on the Regal Princess |
| Favorite drink | |
| Steven: | Bottled water on the QE2 - it felt like the freshest thing |
| Anna: | Water |
| Milk was also a treat | |
| Favorite hotel or accomodation | |
| Both: | The Regal Princess |
| Worst place you stayed | |
| Steven: | QE2. It was dingy, cramped, and smelled funny. |
| Anna: | The train from Chicago to NYC - only because the toilet facilities were in the room without a divider |
| The QE2 cabin was second | |
| Best mode of transport | |
| Steven: | The taxi in Southampton. Point to point, fast, friendly, and little traffic |
| Anna: | The Regal Princess was very comfortable |
| Worst mode of transport | |
| Steven: | Packed bus in Chicago during rush hour |
| Anna: | Any form of public transport where we had to carry our bags |
| Favorite store | |
| Both: | Target |
| Best purchase | |
| Both: | Duffle bag in Seward to hold all our accumulated stuff |
| Favorite souvenir | |
| Steven: | UN T-shirt |
| Anna: | Sweatshirt in Alaska - what a deal! |
| Funniest experience | |
| Steven: | Wearing hiking boots with a tuxedo to be introduced to the Captain of the QE2 |
| The amusement park outside Muroran where the guide warned everyone away from a ride but commented that I could go | |
| Anna: | Hate to admit this, but probably the North Dakota penguin |
| Moment you wondered why you were there | |
| Steven: | The amusement park outside Muroran |
| Anna: | Getting to Uncle Mark's place from Penn Station |
| Time you wished you were alone | |
| Both: | Never really wanted to be alone. Better to have someone to share this experience with |
| Time you were glad you were not alone | |
| Steven: | Every time we had to had to haul our bags around |
| Anna: | On the QE2 - I think it would have been very lonely |
| Place you wish you could have spent more time | |
| Steven: | Vancouver |
| NYC | |
| Anna: | Vancouver |
| Time with family | |
| Place you wish you could have spent less time | |
| Steven: | The amusement park outside Muroran |
| Anna: | The bus between St. Paul and Chicago |
| Things you were glad you saw | |
| Steven: | Alaska |
| UN, especially the Security Council chambers | |
| Anna: | Train ride across the US |
| QE2 | |
| Alaska | |
| Ellis Island (again) | |
| What was better than expected | |
| Both: | Dutch Harbor. The museum was great, the bald eagles wonderful |
| Most over-rated site or event | |
| Steven: | The amusement park outside Muroran |
| Anna: | College Fjord because the weather did not allow us to see anything |
| I wouldn't miss this for anything, but what am I doing here? | |
| Steven: | Watching the bald eagles in Dutch Harbor in the extreme cold |
| Anna: | The QE2 during the storm |
| Standing in the cold watching the glaciers calve | |
| Most romantic spot | |
| Steven: | NYC |
| Anna: | Watching bald eagles hover only about 20 feet above us. |
| Strangest word in a foreign language | |
| Steven: | French woman breaking into English to say, "Been there, done that, got the T-shirt" Regal |
| Anna: | No foreign languages on most of this part |
| Coolest people you met | |
| Steven: | Our trivia team members on the Regal |
| Anna: | Our trivia team members on the Regal |
| George and Amy | |
| Oddest foreigners | |
| Both: | The Brits, desperately clinging to the image of Empire, especially on the QE2 |
| Ugliest Tourists | |
| Steven: | Anyone on a shore excursion with us from the Regal, thumbing their nose at the locals |
| Sammy and his family | |
| Anna: | Probably me again |
| Overall, tourists by definition are ugly | |
| Kindest strangers | |
| Steven: | People we met on the Regal who were interested in talking to us no matter what |
| Anna: | Tour bus driver in London who helped us find the Reform Club |
| Best conversation | |
| Steven: | Brewery owner in Ketchikan |
| Ana (at the restaurant) on the Regal | |
| Anna: | A couple of them on the Regal - usually about travel to South America and Australia |
| Worst conversation | |
| Steven: | Any one with Ron on the Regal |
| Elaine and Nelson on the Regal | |
| Anna: | Nothing comes to mind |
| Most notable event of culture shock | |
| Both: | Walking onto the Regal in Osaka and being suddenly in America. |
| Looking for chopsticks | |
| Memorable unavoidable event | |
| Steven: | Floods causing travel hiccups in Midwest |
| Weather keeping us out of College Fjord | |
| Luggage claim at Penn Station | |
| Anna: | Getting ourselves and our stuff from train station to Uncle Mark's place in NYC |
| Luggage claim at Penn Station | |
| Biggest learning experience | |
| Steven: | All of it. How to do it. Anticipating |
| Anna: | We have developed a lot of processes when we travel that seem self-evident to us but may not be so to others |
| Biggest surprise | |
| Steven: | The strong, positive reaction from our friends and family about this trip. |
| Anna: | How old the QE2 looked in some places |
| In spite of our best efforts… | |
| Steven: | We could not control the weather: College Fjord, floods, storms |
| Anna: | We still had a lot of stuff at the end of the trip |
| Biggest achievement | |
| Steven: | The whole trip. Doing what we set out to do in the time we set to do it. |
| Anna: | That this was done. We made it all the way around. |
| Biggest disappointment | |
| Steven: | The QE2 |
| Anna: | The end of the trip seemed like an anti-climax |
| Biggest regret | |
| Steven: | Sometimes only seeing the day to day to the exclusion of the whole. Not seeing the forest for the trees. |
| Being tired and not spending more time with family | |
| Anna: | That we did not meet more people on the QE2 |
| If I were to do it again, I would bring: | |
| Steven: | A pack without shoulder straps. My pack is great, but I am not using it as a backpack as I thought I would |
| A mobile phone | |
| Anna: | A sherpa |
| …I would not bring: | |
| Steven: | Nothing. I think I did fairly well on the second leg. |
| Anna: | My fleece vest for the last part between St. Paul and London |
| I must go back to | |
| Steven: | Alaska |
| Anna: | Vancouver |
| Alaska | |
| Place you could see yourself living | |
| Both: | Vancouver |
| England | |
| Thing you are most glad you brought along | |
| Steven: | PDA |
| Anna: | T-shirts for when the weather turned warmer |
| Least favorite museum or site | |
| Steven: | The aquarium in Vladivostok |
| Anna: | The 'village park' in Hokkaido |
