Donald Fink

Norwegian Cruise Line’s Epic – Epic Trip, or Epic Failure?

Norwegian Cruise Line’s Epic – Epic Trip, or Epic Failure?

Over the years, we’ve made eleven cruises on various ships and cruise lines. From that experience we’ve always maintained that “we never met a cruise ship we didn’t like”. We’ve been on Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Disney, and lately our last three cruises were on various Norwegian Cruise Line ships, the latest being the Norwegian Epic. The Epic is the largest ship we’ve sailed on, but it’s a far cry from the best, at least in our estimation. Continue reading →

Posted by Donald Fink in Blog, Cruising, 0 comments
Driving on the Left Side

Driving on the Left Side

I don’t know how many times I’ve heard someone from the US ask if a particular country drives on the wrong side of the road. When they say that, they are of course referring to driving on the left side rather than the right side of the road as is the rule here in the States. Often, I’ve heard them say it in the presence of someone who comes from a country that drives on the left, not realizing how that kind of question, phrased in that way, could leave another person feeling a little put out. Continue reading →

Posted by Donald Fink in Europe, Travel, 0 comments

Off To a New Adventure

Today we’re scheduled to board the Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Star for an Atlantic Crossing re-positioning cruise. we’re in Miami at the moment and will leave here at around 5:00 PM.

Our first stop will be several days from now in the Azores, a small island group in the Atlantic Ocean east of Portugal. From there we’ll stop in England, Estonia, Denmark, Germany, Sweden, Russia, and Finland, but not in that order. From there we’ll leave the ship and travel to London where we’ll pick up a car and drive up to Scotland.

Internet is both expensive and slow aboard the ship, but we’ll post as often as we can about what we find. Once we’re back on dry land, we should be able to put up new articles about our brief stops on the cruise and of course the great things we’re hoping to see in Scotland too.

Posted by Donald Fink in Blog, 0 comments
Mesa Arch

Mesa Arch

In the red rocks of Utah, almost everyone has seen the famous Delicate Arch of Arches National Park. While most people haven’t actually walked up to it in person, they’ve at least seen it on the Utah State license plates. The walk up to Delicate Arch is three miles round trip, and is a bit more than some people want to tackle.

There’s another arch that attracts a lot of attention too, and it’s just ½ mile round trip from the closest parking area. That’s Mesa Arch. Mesa Arch is located in the Island in the Sky District of Canyonlands National Park. It’s popularity probably comes from the extreme red glow it seems to emanate, and the close proximity for viewing when you arrive. You can almost reach out and touch it, but not quite. Continue reading →

Posted by Donald Fink in Blog, State Parks, The West, Travel, 0 comments
Mono Lake as a Winter Destination

Mono Lake as a Winter Destination

 

If you’re a photographer and you live in California, you’ve probably been to Mono Lake at least once. Mono Lake seems to be a required stop for all amateur photographers at least once. The reasons are obvious if you’ve been, with the quiet beauty of the eastern Sierras in the background, the unusual formations called Tufa Towers, and the opportunity for large vistas. All of the possibilities that are apparent at Mono Lake are coupled with its proximity to Yosemite National Park just over Tioga Pass, and Bodie State Park (the famous 19th century ghost town) just north and slightly east on Highway 395, make this stop a must see, especially if you’re visiting other attractions in the area. Continue reading →

Posted by Donald Fink in Featured, The West, Travel, 0 comments
Windsor Castle

Windsor Castle

We don’t follow the British Royals as closely as some, and don’t even know much about them, but when you do visit England, and you happen to spend some time looking over the palaces and castles, it’s hard not to be totally awed by the experience. Continue reading →

Posted by Donald Fink in Blog, Europe, Featured, 0 comments
Gingerbread Carousel at Yacht and Beach Club

Gingerbread Carousel at Yacht and Beach Club

Not long ago we posted a note about the Gingerbread house at the Grand Floridian. We thought it was a lot of fun to see, and kind of unique. And while it is unique by most standards, it turns out that it isn’t alone in the Disney scheme of things. There are others, and have been for some time.

Today we want to show you the Gingerbread Carousel, presented by the chefs and engineers at the Yacht and Beach Club resort Hotels. Like the gingerbread house at the Grand Floridian, this tradition has been around for fourteen years and is an amazing piece of confection to see. Located in the lobby of the Beach Club, this rotating gingerbread delight includes 2013 pieces of gingerbread, 14 hidden Mickeys, and displays images of the “Fab Five”, which is Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald, and Pluto. If you visit this display, take a moment and see how many of the hidden Mickeys and Fab Five you can spot.

Gingerbread Carousel Ingrediants

A complete list of ingredients showing what it takes to create the Gingerbread Carousel at Disney’s Yacht and Beach Club Resort. It’s impressive to watch the team of chefs at work. Photo by Donald Fink.

Continue reading →

Posted by Donald Fink in Blog, Disney, Florida, Theme Parks, 1 comment
Festival of the Masters

Festival of the Masters

This weekend was another hit at Downtown Disney. It was time for the annual Festival of the Masters art show. Judging from the lack of parking on Saturday, it was one of the more popular events on the year. Of course, there’s a lot of construction in progress as Disney creates Disney Springs and that’s sure to have contributed to some of the parking situation, but Downtown was certainly busy.

We were impressed with the high quality of all of the art. Ranging from paintings of nearly every type, to photography, sculptures, and jewelry, there was something for nearly everyone. We’re photographers, and we saw everything from classic canvas prints to the new glass mounted panoramas.

The event was held for three days, Friday, November 8, 2013 through Sunday, November 11th, and with the volume of artists displaying, from Cirque Du Soleil on the West Side all the way to Earl of Sandwich in the Marketplace, it would have been difficult to see everything.

If you’re a local, or if you’re here during the Festival next year, it might be worth a visit to see this incredible art; maybe pick up a piece for home.

Posted by Donald Fink in Blog, Disney, Theme Parks, 0 comments