Leo72

Ever since I was a little kid, I have always dreamt of sailing the seas in a tall ship. Pirate movies, Hornblower, were all products I used to stimulate my imagination and dream of the vast empty spaces of the ocean. It was a romantic image of freedom to me. As an adult, and a historian, I have learned the truth of the hardships of life on the tall ships; the filthy conditions, the violent discipline, all contributing factors that made the sailors life on board hell. Oh yeah, and the sheer terror of the battle! Today, HMS Victory sits in dry dock at Portsmouth Harbor. It is the oldest commisioned ship in the Royal Navy, but it is mostly a tourist destination and used for ceremonies. The vessel is the most famous sailing ship of ... read more

Well, here is the first sand storm since I've made my return here. It was pretty thick, but not as thick as I saw last time I was here. I'm sure there will be plenty more time for some more of these to come on down! It seems almost as if you are standing in a sci-fi movie, on some distant planet. It seems incredible that people have lived through these for thousands of years and never once complained about it. Well, I'm sure some have, just like the English complain about their rain. Check out the oics, that's me!... read more

Hello everyone! This is my third entry, and it concerns my recent cruise with my wife to the Bahamas. Our cruise ship left Port Canaveral, for the Bahamas, with stops at Nassau and Coco Cay (Royal Carribean's private island). Nassau is a very colorful place, with their pink, yellow and orange buildings and lots of palm trees. I wasn't too impressed with the waterfront area, aside from the shops of trinkets and jewelry. There was a lack of restaurants for the people coming off the ships. The tour of the island was very nice, and our bus driver/tour guide was hilarious and added much to the Carribean atmosphere. The Pirate museum in Nassau was one of the highlights for me; it came complete with a replica pirate ship and marroned island with the unfortunate pirate and ... read more

Trier is a magical place where history maniacs (like myself) can step back in time to the era of the Late Roman Empire or the age of Charlemagne. The ruins of the amphiteather are incredible, but the piece de resistance had to be Porta Nigra. The amphiteather complex can be fully visited; the day we went there it was pouring it down, and although the mud was a mighty foe, it could not prevent us from exploring the underground chambers and passages. The great gate, Porta Nigra, kept us dry for awhile. You can climb the tower and the interior all the way to the top. The intricate workings of the gates are still quite visible. The Carolingian cathedral was quite an impressive site; most of us have an image of decayed cities and unwashed people ... read more