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Showing posts from 2015

Stonehenge, UK-The Winter Solstice Rocks

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On the wind swept plains of a green peaceful  Wiltshire field stands an enigma which reaches back in time some five millennia. Who built it, why they built it and how they were even able to build it with their primitive tools of the time remains a mystery to this day. Yet this is what makes Stonehenge one of the most iconic sites in the world. With over a million visitors a year m aking  the pilgrimage to this wind swept plain  Today,  I feel privileged because on The  Winter Solstice, it is 100% open to the public, amd  we get to walk in it and  on sacred ground for the Pagan Yule Christmas a pagan holiday? Yule be surprised Druids and pagans are among thousands of people travelling to Stonehenge on Tuesday morning to witness the sunrise on the shortest day of the year. Me too.  The sun rose over Stonehenge at 8:04 am on Tuesday morning.  The winter solstice is the annual event which mar...

Salisbury Cathedral

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It is easy to be inspired by the tranquility  of The Peaceful Cloister This medieval cathedral city in the southern English county of Wiltshire is  8 miles south of the iconic prehistoric stone circle at Stonehenge, Again, it is easy to get a real sense of history, walking down The Close, One of the four remaining original 1215  Magna Carta's is on display in the church Magna Carta - crib sheet for the  Declaration of Independence written here (and remains). Latin for "The Great Charter" it is one of the most important documents in history as it established the principle that everybody, including the King, was subject to the law and had the right to a fair trial. The Magna Carta is also considered one of the first steps towards establishing parliamentary democracy in England. So Quintessential British, thatched roofs, all we need  is some rain and a few sheep, and we are transported back to rural England

Half Moon Cay-Ride Captain Ride

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December 6 2013...3 years ago today People on horses look better than they are. People  on ships look worse than they are. I used to bet on them. Now I am riding them. The horses here are fun to swim with. I have had another splendid morning in this  Bahamian Cay and private island for Holland America. 

Over 1, 222,020 Page Views

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The Academy award-winning short film of this year will probably be watched by a few thousand, while an obscure  YouTube clip  of mine shot on a Samsung S5 camera phone might be watched by twenty thousands. I haven't hit the nose bleed millions of viewers on my Y OUTUBE  channel but I have hit the million viewer mark on this Cruise Ship Travel  BLOG . But as of Today Google+ will no longer be tracking the views publicly. They will only track subscribers. It's been a while  since ABC TV Nightline and Good Morning America used some of my footage but what a thrill to see  one of my videos go nuclear in less than an hour. That was the first time I felt the impact of TV watching me instead of the other way around.My own Ed TV show. Andy Warhols"Everyone will be famous  FOR 15 minutes" is now amended: Everyone WILL be famous IN 15 minutes...or less. I can see the future and it works! Point and Shoot My cellphone is my credential, my ABC Press ...

WTM London Day 3

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Around The World in 80 Minutes Belgian Artist René Magritte bowler-hatted Surrealists. Jai ho जय हो! It is Yoga O'clock. In Trini, they say, Doh hot yuh head – Don’t worry about it!   Beauty has a new address-Oman,  a business - class ticket to cool with complimentary mojo on take off   Winner of WTM's  best designed exhibition, kirei desu na 美しい?   Belgian Chocolate is a new food group.   Wasta I graduated from Doha Qatar University today; failed the test but passed the class. Bali, Komodo Island, Jakarta, only 50 more islands to go.

World Travel Market-London

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Staged annually, WTM London is the  leading global event for the travel industry.The UK  is hosting and I took a few laps around the various exhibitors. An international showcase of the best globetrotting has on  offer. "Strong cups of coffee from around the world and a peer group I'm having a blast". Instead of bringing back 3000 refrigerator magnets,I return from my trips  with a collection of small but life-enhancing/extending moments.I felt the same way about the show. Met some wonderful people who are passionate about travel, their countries and their brands. In RL (Real Life), you have to (physically)  travel to great lands to get the culture, the people, the sense of place.  An event like the WTM, shatters time and space. It's all front row and center. When you exhibit at a trade show, you put out a lot of time, effort and money, so it's important to maximize that investment and get your point across. There was definitely a lot of traffic on op...

London-The Gem Association of Great Britain

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I stopped by Gem A in  London's historic Hatton Garden last night to have some fun looking at beautiful gemstones. Getting some refresher knowledge from the longest established gemological teaching organization in the world. Iolite-The Viking Compass was used as the first pair of polarized  lenses to navigate and determine latitude accurately. The property that made iolite so valuable to the Vikings is its extreme pleochroism.The gem has a Tamzanite- Sapphire  violet blue  at one angle, completely clear at a 2nd angle , and hints of yellow at a 3rd angle.  Using the basic tools of the trade, and following their motto "Do every test you can on every stone you have", Gem Testing with the Spectroscope had me thinking like a proton and staying positive! Using a London Dichroscope while in London is like eating a croissant in Paris-delicious, and authentic. A vibrant royal blue saphire

Canterbury,UK-Small Is Beautiful

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It may not be the biggest but it is the oldest...Canterbury Cathedral:in a country full of old cathedral's, this is one of the oldest, going back to 597 AD. Our (USA) sidewalks are as big as their (UK) roads here, and our doors well, they are HUGE compared to some of these Medieval passageways. An American,Scott Waters, was in England last week. These are his observations that went viral: Funny but True: * Almost everyone is very polite * The food is generally outstanding * There are no guns * There are too many narrow stairs * Everything is just a little bit different * The pubs close too early * The reason they drive on the left is because all their cars are built backwards * Pubs are not bars, they are community living rooms. * You'd better like peas, potatoes and sausage * Refrigerators and washing machines are very small * Everything is generally older, smaller and shorter * People don't seem to be afraid of their neighbors or the...

Getting Stoned In Hatton Garden, UK

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Building a ring in London, Tiffany setting, Hallmarked an Assayed 18K Yellow Gold.The center stone is a stunning white emerald, considered the Mother of Genstones-known as Goshenite, as in Oh My Gosh! Actually a large deposit was discovered in Goshen Massachusetts.  It's pure Beryl. When there is blue traces it's Aquamarine;  pink and peach beryl, Morganite; Yellow Beryl Heliodore, and Red Beryl, well that is called Simply Red. Notes From The Underground

Eastbourne, UK-Beachy Head

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Another amazing day-this time overlooking the White Chalky cliffs of  Beachy Head, United Kingdom The Other side of the cliff- You could easily loose your footing, and the chalk erodes constantly with rainfall- The Empire Strikes Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack- November 2013 , in the Middle East chasing sheep and November 2014 Same Day Different Year Sailing On Board Disney Wonder in 2011 and Holland America Noordam in 2012 The View from the Crystal Serenity after 110 Days at Sea 2011 World Cruise

Henley-On-Thames-Flow

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Beauty is Unity in Variety When I rowed on the Charles River (1980), the  state of flow was often triggered.  It's that place where action and awareness merge, and you feel a tremendous amount of self control and focus.  What is even more amazing is the total lack of emotion(s) in this spaciousness  You can't create experiences like this, you undergo them.  Today, in Henley-On-Thames, I jump into a light single and skull down the river-someday is the longest day of the week, but someday I'm rowing down The Thames!For sure.   The Secret is about results, flow is about process rather than achievement. The ends  justify the means is about the outcome. Flow  is means without ends-the joy is simply doing it, but doing it optimally is, nonetheless  the consequence. Travels Chemical Romance- DOPE-amine 20,ooo Leagues Into My Brain, the 3lb Universe  and The Travel Molecule. Our brains aren't computers-they are qu...