This is probably the smallest "dot" or "pin" on our entire voyage. Saipan is 12.5 miles long and 5.5 miles wide. But, it is also a good example for me that you can learn something new every day, no matter how old you are. Saipan is one of 15 tropical islands here in the western Pacific Ocean which is officially named: The capital of the ´United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands¡. I didn't know until today that there was another U.S. commonwealth other than Puerto Rico. Saipan is a little oasis of the USA. Cars drive on the right [View Full Entry]

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Another place for a pin, but not much to see here except an active volcano named ´Turvurvur¡'. It first erupted in 1994-95 and almost completely destroyed the town of Rabaul, not from flowing lava but because it was completely covered up with ashes. I have enclosed a photo of Turvurvur as it looked when we sailed away last evening. It was in full glory, spewing forth smoke and ashes which made the air around town most unpleasant. The second photo is of the waterfront and you can see that it doesn't compare at all to the beauty of the waterfronts in [View Full Entry]

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Dear Doolittle/Martins and Sarah Merriwether: As you can see from the photos, we are in Sydney, Australia, one of our favorite places in the world. This is our 4th visit to Australia and we would come more often if it weren't so far from Naples. We are docked directly across the water from the Sydney Opera House, the building that looks like some white tents and is recognized the world over as the land mark of the Sydney harbor. The photo of the needle like building is the Sydney Sky Tower where we went for lunch yesterday. We dined in the [View Full Entry]

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Today is Wednesday for us and we are at sea between Tasmania and Sydney, Australia, our next stop tomorrow and Friday. We are 16 hours ahead of you, so it is still Tuesday back home. We had a wonderful time in Hobart with our old friends who gave us a welcome deserving of royalty, a tour of the city and entertained us in their home. Two Photos: (1) from the top of Mt. Washington overlooking the city and (2) a picture of the old and the new together-a scene I couldn't resist on our walk back to the Queen Victoria after [View Full Entry]

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11 AM on Saturday morning. Lyttelton is the port town for the city of Christ Church, the largest city on New Zealand's South Island. It looks, feels and tastes like Oxford, England and is regarded as the most English city outside of that country. It is another pin place! When we leave here, we will be heading for Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, and island state off of the southern coast. Find it on the map. Granny Lynne and I once spent a wonderful week here, driving around and staying in bed and breakfast establishments. We are being met by Australian friends [View Full Entry]

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It is 9 AM on Thursday morning here in Auckland and 3 PM on Wednesday in Columbus and Naples where the Doolittle/Martins and Sarah Merriwether are coming home from school. We are 18 hours ahead of you. This would be a good day to check the ship's bridge camera as you can see from the pictures that we are docked right down town in Auckland, the largest city in New Zealand. The other photo is of an orchid plant in our room which has just started to bloom the beautiful lavender flowers. As it continues to bloom, I'll send more pictures [View Full Entry]

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Yes, it is Monday for us. We didn't have Sunday, which you are enjoying even as I write this. We are now a day ahead of you. We are in the Kingdom of Tonga, one of the few countries left in the world that is ruled by a king. As you can see from the two photos, it is too shallow for our big ship to dock at the harbor, so we are using little boats from the ship, called tenders, to take people ashore for tours. Granny Lynne and I have been here before and as we know there is [View Full Entry]

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This is the place for another pin in the map. A little dot in the middle of hundreds of miles of the Pacific Ocean. It is most famous as the place where the famous author, Robert Louis Stevenson lived for the last 5 years of his life. He authored the book, Treasure Island. He moved here late in life because he had tuberculosis and felt the climate would be favorable. He and his wife died here and are buried here. His house is now a museum and is one of the main tourist attractions. That alone should give you an idea [View Full Entry]

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This entry is primarily for the Martin/Doolittle grandchildren and Sarah Merriwether. Today is the first day since we left Los Angeles that you can stick a pin in your world map to show our actual location---a little speck of land in the Pacific Ocean. The next place for a pin will be Samoa, another tiny speck which is 5 days away. Honolulu is the site of Pearl Harbor. Your parents can tell you a lot more about Pearl Harbor, but it was where the Japanese navy attacked the anchored US naval fleet on the morning of December 7th, 1941. (Google) It [View Full Entry]

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Good Friday morning for us. We are now 4 hours behind EST. No photos today as there is nothing to see except water water everywhere! Check the Spot Tracker to see our progress across the Pacific to Honolulu. The Queen Victoria is a beautiful ship and still brand new. It is quite a contrast to the Queen Mary 2. The layout and the décor are like that of a large yacht. You can get an idea what it is like if you go to the Cunard web site and click on “Our Ships” then “Queen Victoria” and then “Virtual Tour”. More [View Full Entry]

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