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Copyright © 2023 JACK L. WINEGAR All Rights Reserve.
Tower of London – 2023.
Disneyland Paris, Disneyland Park – 2023.
Disneyland Paris: After landing at the Charles de Gaulle Airport at noon and exiting immigration at 1:00 PM. We then Ubered, East an hour to the Villages Nature Paris and checked in. Then we got on a public bus for a 30 minute ride to Disneyland Paris on Monday, June 19, 2023.
During the following two and a half days we visited the parks together and/or separately. Disneyland Paris is separated into two theme parks; Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studios Park.
Disneyland Park, is divided into: Adventureland ● Discoveryland ● Fantasyland ● Frontierland ● Main Street, USA. To enter the Disneyland Park you walk through/under the pinkish Disneyland Hôtel (being refurbished in June, 2023).
Main Street, USA.
Disney Stars on Parade: is the daily parade that went through Main Street USA, in June, 2023. The parade celebrates the discovery of the lands of imagination, represented by various Disney and Pixar films, such as Toy Story, The Jungle Book, The Lion King, Finding Nemo, Peter Pan, Sleeping Beauty, and Frozen.
Dream … and Shine Brighter! Is a 30 minute joyful daytime show specially created for the 30th Anniversary. Jordan and I were right next to the Central Plaza stage and photographed all the Disney Characters happily making their way to the celebration in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle.
Gardens of Wonder: We wander through these enchanting displays near the Sleeping Beauty Castle specially created for the 30th Anniversary of Disneyland Paris. There are 30 unique sculptures (many in motion) of Disney characters bringing a world of magic to life!
Fantasyland.
Adventureland & Discoveryland.
Frontierland.
Back to Sleeping Beauty’s Castle.
After an epic adventure day in the Disneyland Park we ended our day with a dazzling spectacularly jaw-dropping fireworks and magical effects on the Sleeping Beauty Castle, with Peter Pan’s shadow leading the fireworks through several Disney stories.
Disney D-Light nightly fireworks display.
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London, a Hop On – Hop Off, Walkabout – 2023.
Friday morning June 23, 2023 after a complimentary breakfast in our hotel we walked a mile along The Queens Walk to the City Sightseeing Hop On – Hop Off big red open top observation touring bus and boat. They advertise 31 some stops over their various routes.
Start of River Thames Cruise from the Tower Millennium Pier.
Above is a Jubilee Underground Tube Train speeding away from the Station at 62 MPH! To get around London we would walk ⅓ of a mile from our London hotel in the Southwark area of London into the Underground Tube Train Station. Then we would get into one of Jubilee Line’s seven carriages which runs about 30 trains an hour.
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Copyright © 2023 JACK L. WINEGAR All Rights Reserve.
Dianna, Princess of Whales, Kensington Gardens – 2023.
On Saturday morning, June 24, 2023 Peg and I walked ⅓ of a mile from our London hotel to the Southwark Underground Tube Train Station. We purchased all inclusive tickets to ride London’s busses and trains all that day and that evening to and from the London Stadium to watch Baseball.
We got into one of Jubilee Line’s seven carriages which runs about 30 trains an hour for a 20 minute ride to the Green Park Underground Station. There we transferred to the #9 Bus for a 10 minute, Bus to the Royal Albert Hall, stop, by the Kensington Gardens.
Above is Peg and me speeding off at 62 mph from the Southwark Station.
Jordan was on a ten-mile walkabout of London, eventually meeting up with us for “Afternoon Tea” at the Kensington Palace.
Once part of Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens offers a mix of old and new park pastimes and green space. Including contemporary art, historic Kensington Palace, with the Victorian splendor of the Albert Memorial, and the Diana Memorial Fountain and Playground.
Anne (1665 to 1717), Queen of Great Britain, lived in Kensington Palace from 1702 to 1714. She sponsored my most distant relatives (Uldrich Winegar & Anna Arnoldt with their three children) with a free ride to America in 1709.
As well as being a popular visitor destination, Kensington Palace is the official London residence of TRH The Prince and Princess of Wales and their children. Diana, Princess of Whales lived at Kensington Palace from the time of her wedding, in 1981, until her death in 1997. She admired the seasonal displays in the Sunken Garden, (where the Princess’ statue is located) often stopping to “talk” to the gardeners.
Beneath the statue is a plinth engraved with The Princess’ name and the date of the unveiling. In front of the statue is a paving stone engraved with an extract after the poem, ‘The Measure of A Man’ which was included in the programme for the 2007 memorial service for Diana, Princess of Wales.
On Saturday the Cubs won 9 to 1. Sunday the Cubs lost to St. Louis 7 to 5.
Follow Uncle Jack’s blogs and you’ll see why he’d rather fly over an ocean to see the Cubs loose a Baseball Game there, than to travel to St. Louis and see them loose!
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Copyright © 2023 JACK L. WINEGAR All Rights Reserve.
Villages Nature Paris, France – 2023.
Villages Nature Paris; Is advertised as an educational eco-friendly farm, with a huge outdoor playground, and aquatic adventure park near Disneyland Paris just an hour East of Paris. Our main reason for staying here Monday, June 19 to Thursday, June 22, 2023 was because they accepted our vacation club points and it has easy public bus access to Disneyland Paris, every 30 minutes.
Our Uber driver from the Charles de Gaulle Airport had problems finding where to check in at the Welcome House because there are very few auto roads on the premises, none directly to the “Welcome House.” Depending where you stay you may have to rent luggage carts to get suitcases to your room.
There is a nice restaurant below our room plus a small well stocked grocery store where you can even purchase fire wood for our rooms Fire Place, plus a couple bars and a few shops and a bowling alley.
Our apartment VIP room had a large landscaped balcony terrace for a close stay with nature. Two bedrooms with a large pullout couch in a spacious living/kitchen area with a Fire Place. Two showers, one bath tub and only one toilet. No, Air Conditioning. There were color coded bags in our room for recycling into the same color coded recycling bins, right outside our room. You are asked to wash your dishes and remove bedding prior to leaving!
At the Villages Nature we could have discovered the fauna and flora at the many learning points throughout the facility. We did not have time to explore this 250 hectares (620 acres) nature estate.
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Cabo San Lucas, Mexico – 2023.
Cabo San Lucas, is an expensive resort city next to San Jose del Cabo on the very southern tip of Mexico’s Baja California (the worlds longest peninsula). It is known for its beaches, water-based activities and nightlife. Playa El Médano is Cabo San Lucas’s main beach, with outdoor restaurants and numerous cantinas.
The town is very expensive because of its remoteness with everything needing to be shipped in. What surprised me was all the Pharmacies. They are obviously offering things not available elsewhere! I took a Sea and Land excursion from the ship and saw all of the above. I left the ship on one of the ship’s Life Boats at 7:00 AM. The ship anchored in the Bahía de Cabo San Lucas, because there is no place for a big cruise ship to tie up in town. I took a local launch back to the ship around 11:00 AM. Ya, you say; “What a party pooper!” The ship left at 12:30 PM and most of the cantinas in town had yet to open. I was planning to walk around town, but only the Gold Watch and Diamond Bracelet shops were open!
Past the marina is the Land’s End promontory, site of Playa del Amor beach and El Arco, a natural archway in the sea cliffs. Sierra de la Laguna is the mountain range seen in many of my photos.
Playa El Medano, or Medano Beach, is the center of tourist activity in Cabo San Lucas. This area is home to a succession of luxurious high-rise resorts, many of the all-inclusive variety, and boasts plenty of palapa-shaded cantinas and excellent al fresco dining options.
This beach, as are all Mexican beaches, is free for everyone to use. It is recommended that with enough time in a day, you can easily walk along the whole length of Cabo San Lucas’s beaches from one end to the other, to Playa del Corsano.
The Sunset Monalisa, is known as one of the best fine dinning restaurants. It is 5-miles from downtown Cabo San Lucas along the 20-mile Tourist Corridor (México Route 1.) swath of sun-drenched beaches, world-class golf courses and luxurious resorts linking the cities of Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo. The setting is stunning, with cactus-studded hills, an untouched ecosystem between the 4-lane highway and the aquamarine waters of the Sea of Cortez.
We were told this is a great place to watch sunsets, but our ship was leaving in a couple hours at 12:30 PM.
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Copyright © 2023 JACK L. WINEGAR All Rights Reserve.
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico – 2023.
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Copyright © 2023 JACK L. WINEGAR All Rights Reserve.
Puerto Caldera, Costa Rica – 2023.
Costa Rica has no standing Army since 1948 security is maintained by a series of police forces, The OIJ and the National Police (Fuerza Pública) are Costa Rica’s two principal law enforcement bodies. Our guide claims some police are not too honest. Tourists in Costa Rica are those who stay more then 24 hours, the rest of us are classified as visitors who just participate in a day excursion.
Puerto Caldera is an island. It is one of the most important port cities in Costa Rica. Puerto Caldera often a host for cruise and industrial ships. It is set along the Gulf of Nicoya, Puerto Caldera is a residential area flanked by tropical dry forests down from the Guanacaste Mountains with stretches of sandy beaches.
Us visitors took a 90 minute bus ride to the Corobici River for a leisurely two hour lazy river float at the end of the dry season when the river is slow and low. The Corobici River flows through a tropical dry forest which origimates from the southern slopes of the Tenorio Volcano in the Guanacaste Mountains.
Most of us took the name of our excursion at its value; “Corobici River-Raft Float.” Ya the brochure said we might get wet. Every ride on water says you might get wet! We were told to sign a waver. OK, we’ll be floating on a uncontrolled river, assuming this was just an insurance regulation. Then we were told to put on a Life Preserver and Helmet, more insurance regulations. Then as we walk to the Rubber Rafts we are told to grab a paddle, “just for photos.”
Two hours later our Rubber Raft had six inches of water in it. We almost tipped over once and had an eight foot Crocodile dive under our raft! We were the second of eight rafts to enter the river and next to last to exit the river. Our raft was so heavy from all the water in our raft we were much heavier and therefore slower than other rafts.
WE ALL HAD A GREAT TIME! And what about those paddles; our raft pilot told us several times when to paddle hard for best route through the rapids! Great fun was had by all!
I have contacted the president of the Holland America Line and told him to change the wordage on this excursion to; “You will get wet!”
This was a very wet excursion. I had my phone and camera in plastic bags. I never had the opportunity to use my devices before I had to prepare for another white water rapid. The rafting service had a man with a camera along the river bank who took the following river photos. The lady behind me in the raft had her phone in a clear plastic case and took the photos of the eight foot Crocodile which dove under our raft, when we got too close for its comfort. OK, maybe the Crock may have only been six-and-a-half foot long! The consensus on our raft that the Crock was in the six to eight foot range!
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Copyright © 2023 JACK L. WINEGAR All Rights Reserve.
Transiting the Panama Canal – 2023.
The construction of the Panama Canal is one of those epic tales from the past. It’s a feat of engineering, ambition and courage. Over the span of a decade a little more than a century ago, tens of thousands of workers drilled dynamite holes, drove steam shovels and labored with pickaxes, all the while fighting Malaria. While the French builders of the Suez Canal ultimately gave up in Panama, American crews persevered and created a route allowing ships to travel across a continent. This route took 10 years to build and shortened a ship’s voyage by 7,800 miles!
What may come as a surprise is that only portions of the canal, at each end, are the narrow channels with locks. At its center is the huge man made, Gatún Lake. There, in the middle of one of mankind’s greatest engineering achievements, more than 100 species each of mammals and reptiles, as well as some 500 different birds. All thriving in the nature reserves on islands in the middle of the lake and along its edges.
● Sunday, April 16, 2023.
1. From the deep water of the Caribbean side, we entered Limon Bay and the Agua Clara Locks of the Panam Canal at Colone, Panama.
2. Then under the Atlantic Bridge.
3. We then went through the Gatún Locks, which raised our ship.
4. Onto the Gatún Lake.
5. Through the Culebra cut.
6. Under the Centennial Bridge.
7. Into the Pedro Miguel Locks.
8. Into the Pedro Miguel Locks which lowered our ship into Milaflores lake, and,
9. Under the Bridge of the Americas, at Balboa, Panama, into the Gulf of Panama and the Pacific Ocean’s deep water.
● The Panama Canal is about 40 miles long, shore to shore. 50 miles long from deep water to deep water.
● Our transit time was about 11 hours, shore to shore.
Ships pay to use the canal based on its weight and cargo. This Cruise Ship paid over $450,000 to go through the Canal. That included an extra $30,000 to go through the canal in the daytime, that’s around $300 a passenger.
All the electricity needed to operate the canal is generated at hydroelectric dams. The one that spans the Chagres River created the Gatún Lake.
Excursion director recommended that no one be in the direct sunlight for more than a half hour through the Panama Canal because of the sun, heat and humidity. As usual I did not follow recommendations and got sunburned! Also, I would have lost my position of semi-unobstructed views of locks for photos. When I got a position for taking photos, I didn’t want to loose that position. So I exceeded the recommendations, got sunburned and never got in any direct sun on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday!
Going through the canal is such an experience many crew members would come and watch! They had access to restricted passenger areas. One passenger disobeyed the signs and entered the restricted area for photos and was immediately escorted away.
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Copyright © 2023 JACK L. WINEGAR All Rights Reserve.
Cartagena, Columbia – 2023.
Cartagena, known since the colonial era as Cartagena de Indias is a port city on the northern coast of Colombian and the Caribbean Sea.
I took a Land and Sea excursion in Cartagena, on Saturday, April 15, 2023. It started with a bus to the 1536 Fortress of Castle San Felipe de Barajas (a World Heritage Site). After climbing up and down the Fortress ramps and through a tunnel we drove into the expensive Walled City of Old Cartagena, with squares and narrow cobblestone streets. We walked through the walled city to the waterfront and took a launch back to our ship.
This was the first stop on this cruise where it was recommended we be aware of your surroundings and have our government issued ID with us and to also keep your belongings close. I never felt threatened, but, we were always besieged by street vendors, which got annoying!
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Copyright © 2023 JACK L. WINEGAR All Rights Reserve.
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