The following image was taken from the sliding door of our stateroom. Cheryl was enjoying the view.
Dr. Julian Dowdeswell gave a presentation on the glaciers of New Zealand. He shared the importance of all frozen water on the planet, differentiated ice sheets vs. glaciers, shared how he had worked near the poles, and finished with how glaciers are affected by climate change (mainly shrinking, of course).
Fun fact: The UK and American pronunciations are different. Julian called them “glassiers” as opposed to the American pronunciation of “glaciers”. He pointed out the difference, making a bit of fun of the American version…
This was Julian’s last presentation. We will miss him.
Richard Lovelock gave an overview of all the wildlife we have seen since leaving Los Angeles. Does not make for a great blog post, but it was great to see all the photos he has taken.
Sue Stockdale discussed her five favorite explorations: Greenland, Patagonia, Antarctica, the Ibera Wetlands, and Wadi Rum Desert.
While discussing Patagonia and the Ibera Wetlands, she highlighted the efforts of Doug and Kristine Thompkins and the Thompkins Conservation organization. From the website: “The visionary force behind Tompkins Conservation, Douglas Tompkins (1943-2015) co-founded The North Face and Esprit before leaving the business world in 1990 to dedicate his life to environmental activism, donating land to create national parks and rewilding. Together with his wife, Kristine McDivitt Tompkins, they are ranked amongst the most successful conservation philanthropists in history, inspiring others to join in their mission.” Amazing to see people do such incredible and wonderful things with their wealth.
While discussing Antarctica, Sue called out the efforts of Robert Swan, who leads a yearly Team Inspire International Antarctic Expeditions: “Swan led the first corporate expedition to Antarctica in 2003. The expedition members witnessed firsthand the effects of climate change in Antarctica. They were tasked by Swan to become leaders in sustainability upon their return home. The expeditions include leadership development, climate change training, sustainability education, and training on Antarctica.” Yearly, he leads a group of young adults through an Antarctic expedition and tasks them with educating people in their countries. Amazing.
Cheryl: Today, I participated in a walking tour on board showcasing a reproduction of the Bayeux Tapestry. This is considered one of the most significant pieces of art from the Norman Romanesque period. It depicts the story of the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, led by William, Duke of Normandy. Segments of this 230-foot-long by 20-inch-high embroidered cloth are replicated at each of the stairwell landings on the ship. Dr. Babcock made history interesting and told us about what different colors/styles of the embroidery meant from the perspective of conveying a story.
Bob: This is the third and likely last entry on the Bayeux Tapestry. The tapestry is very important to Viking Sky.
We both believe Bryan is a great storyteller and has given both the French and English perspectives while educating us about this important artifact.
Along with many other passengers, Cheryl and I toured the kitchen, laundry, and administrative areas of the ship. We were able to see many parts of the ship that only the crew sees. A very enlightening tour, as one quickly realizes the significant infrastructure in place to support us passengers.
Cheryl: These facilities are on two whole decks of the ship. It’s like a city within the ship. Kitchen facilities were massive, with different kitchens producing different foods and using conveyor belts to bring the meals all together. Quite high-tech, actually. We saw the pantry/cooler areas too and realized that the ship doesn’t take on fresh ingredients as often as we had expected. The cruise meals and the quality of groceries needed to be procured were figured out months in advance, based on sophisticated algorithms about what people like to eat, how much they will each consume, and their varied consumption. Passengers tend to eat a lot in the first few weeks while trying all the food options and then settle into a more regular pattern of consumption. Assistant General Manager Shauvik said that “Diet Coke was the bane of his existence”! The US produces Diet Coke, but Coke Zero is standard in the rest of the world, and sometimes that makes American customers grumpy. (bypassing the even smaller footprint: “Coke Light”).
Additional kitchen, laundry, and administration images, likely more than anyone cares to see, are available here.
We dined with Jeff and Gail Levine at Manfredi’s. They lived in Oregon for many years before relocating to Austin, Texas. Like many Portland area residents, Jeff and I both worked for Tektronix (I met them outside the ship gym wearing an old Tek tee-shirt).
All four of us then attended Jobie’s set in the Torshaven lounge.
Many of the images in this posting are likely best viewed from the web page.