Category: Flat Hal
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More From The Flat Friends Day In Ha Long Bay, Vietnam…
#flathal #flatstanleyproject #vietnam Flat Hal had heard buildings in Asia look different than at home, but seeing them was really special. Sloping roofs arc up to points, with fancy decorations, allowing the temple buildings to stand apart from the modern office buildings around them. Flat Halena wandered around, discovering the flowers that grow on the…
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In Hạ Long We Focused On History And A Natural Wonder…
#flathal #flatstanleyproject #vietnam Việt Nam translates from the Vietnamese language as “people (or tribe) of the South”. Of the tribes of Imperial China, they were the southern tribe. The Vietnamese people broke away from China and united as one nation. Then the French came—their history has many periods of conflict, and fights to remain united…
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Da Nang Was More Than We Imagined.
#flathal #flatstanleyproject #vietnam #danang A big city, with a harbor packed full of little fishing boats. In the garden, we met kind, thoughtful people — once again we were reminded that as we travel we see new things, and we see familiar things (and flowers). If we are lucky, we share a magical moment with…
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Inspired By The World Around Us, And Our Photography Of It…
#flathal #flatstanleyproject #vietnam #art Flat Hal loves taking photos of the places we visit. It is a fun way to capture memories. As the saying goes, “a picture is worth a thousand words” (or can tell an entire story without a single word.) Flat Halena has been trying to create art from our pictures. Technology…
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Ba Na Hills Is An Amazing Treat An Hour From Da Nang, Vietnam…
#flathal #flatstanleyproject #vietnam From Da Nang the Flat Friends ventured almost an hour away from the port to Bà Nà Hills where a company called SunWorld has set up a resort and amusement park. We had a very limited time in port, just over 5 hours, which gave us less than three hours at Bà…
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The Flat Friends Discover Vietnam…
#flathal #flatstanleyproject #Vietnam For almost 70 years the French Colony of Indochina existed in Southeast Asia. The Flat Friends have only ever known Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam on the map, but the generations before them have seen the borders in this part of the world shift, and the names change—even as the native people remained…
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More Beautiful Birds From Our Visit to Bird Paradise in Singapore…
#flathal #flatstanleyproject #singapore #birdparadise Lory Loft is an aviary full of colorful birds! Our long held wish to photograph a bird with dazzling colors wasn’t just met, it was exceeded while we were at Bird Paradise. Flat Hal was amazed that birds with bright red feathers could blend in with the trees, while Flat Halena was shocked how close to us…
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Singapore’s Bird Paradise
#flathal #flatstanleyproject #singapore #birdparadise As the name suggests, Bird Paradise is a haven for bird lovers. Winged Sanctuary has smaller cages, with only two or three types of birds in each—we saw amazing Hornbills in this area! Unfortunately the enclosures prevented photos. From there we went to Penguins cove for a snack and a visit…
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Walking Around the Night Safari in Singapore
#flathal #flatstanleyproject #singapore #nightsafari We realized early in our walk around the park that “active at night” isn’t the same as “awake when we walk by.” Both leopards were napping when we visited, but WOW, we can’t imagine sleeping in a tree with our limbs dangling down around the branch! One trail connected to the next, making…
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Night Safari in Singapore with the Flat Friends
#flathal #flatstanleyproject #singapore #nightsafari Night Safari in Singapore is one of the excursions the Flat Friends have been looking forward to since early in our voyage. This is a wildlife park full of animals that are active at night (nocturnal) and rest during the day. These are the animals we often hear about, but don’t…
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The Flat Friends Discover Singapore, A City-State
#flathal #flatstanleyproject #Singapore Singapore is an amazing place. Home to six million people it is a city-state, which is a fancy way of saying the entire country is really one big city. Athens and Rome were city-states, hundreds of years ago. There are basically three city-states in the world, each famous for different reasons. Monaco—famous…
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Do You Dream Of Sailing The Seven Seas?
#flathal #flatstanleyproject #7seas #geography The Flat Friends love sea days! We can play games, relax—and look up the answers to any questions that have popped into our heads! We sailed out of Bali in the Lombok Strait, to the Bali Sea. Now we are in the Java Sea headed north to the equator and Singapore.…
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Exploring What Makes Indonesia Unique…
#flathal #flatstanleyproject #Indonesia The Flat Friends visited just 2 of the 17,000 islands that make up the country of Indonesia! (Bali & Komodo) Even though they only saw a small part of this giant archipelago (a big chain of islands), they learned so much. A group of local dancers performed on our ship. They wore…
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The Flat Friends Saw The Tide Come In!
#flathal #flatstanleyproject #indonesia #tide The Flat Friends often hear about the tide, but it’s rare to see the change so clearly! Top: At low tide, the water disappears and leaves ‘mud flats’ behind. Middle: As the water creeps back in, you can see two big rocks near the center. Bottom: At high tide, the rocks…
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It Turns Out Bali And Bali Hai Are Not The Same Place
#flathal #flatstanleyproject #bali #indonesia Flat Halena was a little disappointed to discover when we arrived at Benoa, Bali, that we were not visiting the mythical Bali Ha’i. Instead, we arrived at a very real place, full of its own culture and wonders. Even if it didn’t inspire James Michener, it did us! Flat Hal wore…
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Komodo Island was one of the most anticipated stops on our trip.
#flathal #flatstanleyproject #komodoisland #indonesia Komodo Island was one of the most anticipated stops on our trip. Not just the Flat Friends, but countless other guests were eagerly looking forward to seeing a Komodo Dragon in person. There are only about 3,000 Dragons left in existence, and we were going to their home, as tolerated guests—so…
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The Flat Friends Are Looking Ahead To Komodo Island And Bali
#flathal #flatstanleyproject #Bali #komodoisland #indonesia Today we are sailing towards Komodo Island. When the Captain announced where we were in his daily new briefing over the public address system the name he gave for the sea didn’t match our map. This is the same Captain we had for part of our Pole to Pole adventure.…
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Learning About Australia— Its States And Territories
#flathal #flatstanleyproject #Australia The Top End of the Northern Territory has a lush, green, tropical environment. The rest of the territory might also get a lot of rain in the wet season, but it is mostly desert, and red rock. Looking at our path sailing around Australia: For countless generations—long before European ships arrived—First Nations…
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We met some amazing feathered friends at the Territory Wildlife Park!
#flathal #flatstanleyproject #wildlife #australia The Emu might be the tallest bird on this page, but the Jabiru (Black-necked Stork) has the longest legs! There is a lot to enjoy on an adventure at a wildlife park or sanctuary. The Territory Wildlife Park outside Darwin in the Northern Territory of Australia concentrates on animals found in…
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Different Countries Have Different Ways Of Governing… Let’s Learn About Where We’ve Been!
#flathal #flatstanleyproject #government Another sea day, another chance to dig up answers to what’s on our minds. This time the Flat Friends decided to try and learn a little about the governments of the countries we have been visiting. (Flat Hal visited Ecuador and Peru last year, so he included them while we were looking…
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The Flat Friends Wanted To Learn About The Māori and Aboriginal Peoples…
#flathal #flatstanleyproject #maori #aboriginal While we were in New Zealand the Flat Friends heard a little about the Māori. The Māori are the indigenous Polynesian people of mainland New Zealand (Aotearoa). When we got to Australia we began hearing about the Aboriginal people. They are the diverse indigenous peoples of mainland Australia and its islands,…
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The Flat Friends Are Sailing The Coast Of Australia…
#flathal #flatstanleyproject #australia The Flat Friends are moving between seas, through the Torres Strait as we sail Australia’s coast from Sydney to Darwin.
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Flat Halena Gives Flat Hal Some Postcard Writing Ideas…
#flathal #flatstanleyproject #postcard Today’s sea day conversation was a little different, Flat Hal was bemoaning how hard it can be to think of what to write on postcards when we are on shore and want to send a message home. Flat Halena suggested we make some pretend postcards from our photos, and practice. The Flat…
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Did The Flat Friends Sail The Great Barrier Reef?
#flathal #flatstanleyproject #greatbarrierreef #australia While Flat Hal and Flat Halena were spending a day on the Kuranda Scenic Railway and the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway, friends and fellow passengers went snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef. The Great Barrier Reef is the only living thing satellites can see from space! It is the world’s largest coral…
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A Scenic Railway In Cairns, Australia…
#flathal #flatstanleyproject #cairns #australia Cairns, Queensland, Australia offered the Flat Friends another opportunity to ride a scenic railway! From the Freshwater Station up through the Wet Tropics Rainforest and Barron Gorge National Forest we travelled for almost an hour and a half on the scenic railway up (literally up) to Kuranda. Kuranda is a welcoming…
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More Animals Of The Billabong…
#flathal #flatstanleyproject #billabong #australia The word billabong has its roots in an aboriginal word, with many believing the original term bilabaŋ means “a watercourse that runs only after rain”, another way of saying floodwaters. A lush, green area forms, with fresh water for animals to drink, and trees for birds to nest in. The Flat…
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Townsville, Queensland, Australia — 200,000 people call this city in Northern Australia home!
#flathal #flatstanleyproject #townsville #australia We had a lot of choices for how we could spend our day in Townsville, but once the Flat Friends heard about Billabong Sanctuary their decision was made. Could anything be more fun, and interesting than seeing the animals that call this land home? First up was making sure we understood…
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The Flat Friends have tried to compile a list of the waterways we have traveled so far.
Periodically, the Flat Friends try to visualize where we have been so far. This time, as we looked at the map we found ourselves wondering how many oceans and seas we have sailed. How many rivers? We are trying to compile a list of the waterways we have traveled so far… can you help? #flathal…
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What If South Was “Up” Instead Of North?
#flathal #flatstanleyproject #map #geography #history North is “UP” or the top on maps because it has been agreed upon, and we need consistency to help maps be useful. That doesn’t mean north is better, or the South is under it. In 1979 an Australian published a map he had been working on since he was…
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The Flat Friends LOVED the music of Australia…
#flathal #flatstanleyproject #music #australia Kids – Great Aussie Songs as discovered on YouTube Ten Thousand Miles AwayBound for Botany BayThe Wild Colonial BoyWaltzing MatildaTie Me Kangaroo Down SportAlong The Road To GundagaiWith My Swag On My ShoulderClick Go The ShearsI Still Call Australia HomeI Am AustralianAdvance Australia Fair Kids the world over learn our home…
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The Flat Friends Visited Sydney, Australia
#flathal #flatstanleyproject #sydney #australia Sydney is the biggest city in Australia, with approximately 5.25 million calling it home. That’s almost the same number of people as call the entire country of New Zealand home! The harbor in Sydney is one of its real highlights. We sailed in too early for it to be considered bright…
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There are definite similarities and differences between these neighboring Island Nations
#flathal #flatstanleyproject #australia #newzealand Our guide in New Zealand referred to his homeland as a nation of farmers who are almost all comfortable on a boat. A country that once had 50 million sheep now has a mere 25 million sheep! Australia was built on mining and some say its economy (how the people earn…
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Taking A Moment To Get To Know The Flags Of Australia And New Zealand…
#flathal #flatstanleyproject #flags #newzealand #australia We don’t have to know what the symbols on a country’s flag mean to recognize and appreciate the flag. However, someone (usually a lot of people) worked hard to design each flag—it was a major class project for them (with “class” being “country” here.). Let’s take a moment to understand…
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International Waters — the common heritage of all humanity
The deep blue waters of the Earth are important to all of us, so no one person owns them. #flathal #flatstanleyproject @#internationalwaters When we first sail out of a port it feels pretty obvious we are in their waters. We are within sight of land, often local residents are out on their boats, fishing, and…
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The Flat Friends tried to imagine what their trip would look like if their passport had been stamped at every port.
Real passport stamps are in the language of the country stamping your passport… English for the United States, French for France, etc. We made these stamps for our trip, so the languages aren’t always right, but we tried. What languages do you see in the stamps? For which countries? Does this glossary help you understand…
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The Flat Friends are Australia bound!
#flathal #flatstanleyproject #australia Do you know why some of the first Europeans moved to Australia? Hint: it wasn’t by choice! They created a culture known for kindness, humor, and funny songs called “bush ballads”
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Flat Hal & Flat Halena’s New Zealand Bird Spotter Checklist
#flathal #flatstanleyproject #birds #ornithology Keep this checklist handy as you look back through the journal! Can you identify all the birds that Flat Hal and Flat Halena spotted on their New Zealand adventure? [ ] Sparrow – An “immigrant” bird that originally came all the way from Europe! [ ] Blackbird – Another European traveler…
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Waitangi, Bay of Islands, New Zealand
#flathal #flatstanleyproject #waitangi, #newzealand New Zealand has a population of just over 5 million people—nearly one third of whom live in the Auckland area. Less than 9,000 people live in Bay of Islands, where the Flat Friends made our second stop in New Zealand. Waitangi, the community our tenders brought us into, has a population…
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2026 — A Lunar Eclipse
#FlatHal #FlatStanleyProject #LunarEclipse After we sailed from Auckland, on our way to Waitangi, Bay of Islands, New Zealand, the Flat Friends stayed up as late as they could and tried to take some photos of the lunar eclipse. The Earth slid between the sun and moon, and around the world people tried to get pictures…
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Weta Workshop — Where Movie Magic And Movie Monsters Feel Real
#flathal #wetaworkshop #newzealand From the moment we arrived at Wētā Workshop the tone was set… we followed colorful footprints left by monsters up to where our tour began beneath glowing bubbles near the ceiling! The Flat Friends were a little uneasy when our guide said we were going to be out to work as interns.…
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Neither Flat Hal nor Flat Halena has been to New Zealand before!
#flathal #flatstanleyproject #newzealand Our arrival in Auckland (a day early thanks to cyclone Urmil) started with a chance to walk around the city center (downtown)/ central business district or CBD as the locals call it. Auckland is a great city for walking! We were amazed how many intersections let us go diagonal across the street.…
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The Flat Friends Are Looking At The Map…
#flathal #flatstanleyproject #cruising #southamerica Appreciating where we have been, the waterways we have sailed, and some of the amazing discoveries we have made. The Flat Friends have been having a lot of fun trying to understand the international dateline, but it was a real brain bender when a friend explained there is a period each…
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Dodging a Tropical Storm at Sea
#flathal #flatstanleyproject #tropicalstorm #tonga The Flat Friends made an art challenge out of trying to visualize where the storm we are avoiding is… and why we are avoiding it. 12 meter waves are more than our cruise ship can handle—now we are trying to imagine Captain Cook, or Captain Bligh facing seas like that! We…
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Sea Day Discoveries…
#flathal #flatstanleyproject #internationaldateline Sea days can be a fun time to look back at where we have already been, as well as looking forward to where we are going. Flat Hal and Flat Halena each have friends and family back home who want to know they are staying safe and healthy as we travel. There…
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Have you ever read a time travel story?
#flathal #timetravel #marktwain There are lots of really famous ones, but one of our favorites is A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court. It mixes the fun of time travel with the “magic” of Camelot. There are some fun movies inspired by Mark Twain’s book, like A Knight in Camelot with Whoopi Goldberg, or A…
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Adventure! Sometimes Adventure Means Adapting and Changing Plans…
#flathal #tonga #tropicalstorm Today, the Captain announced we are adjusting our course to avoid a tropical storm. While we could get to Tonga, we would be hit by 30-foot waves leaving, because of the storm by Fiji! Fiji is approximately 500 miles from Tonga, which sounds like a long way to the Flat Friends. However,…
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Nim’s Island — Our Next Flat Friends Book Club Destination!
#flathal #nimsisland #bookclub Flat Hal and Flat Halena wanted the next book they read to feel like it took place on one of the islands we visited. Nim’s Island has something very special in common with Pitcairn Island— Nim’s family calls it home, but they don’t have lots of neighbors. They aren’t part of a…
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SOLAS — Safety Of Life At Sea
#flatstanleyproject #flathal #SOLAS At the beginning of every cruise, and once every 30 days after that on epic voyages, passengers take a few minutes to review safety procedures. On some cruises most of the information is shared through a video, like the ones airlines show at the beginning of a flight. At least once every…
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A return visit to Bora Bora for the Flat Friends!
#flathal #borabora #tahiti #frenchpolynesia The Flat Friends really enjoyed walking around Vaitape (the community around the tender port where a small boat brought us ashore from our anchored cruise ship) on our own last time we came to Bora Bora. We strolled at our own pace, stopping anywhere we wanted, as often as we wished…
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Moorea, French Polynesia offered something for everyone.
#flathal #flatstanleyproject #moorea #frenchpolynesia After 50 days of traveling together, the shipboard community has developed friendships and routines. Each evening, fellow passengers share photos from their day. Thanks to our friends we have seen dolphins spinning in the air, and underwater wonderlands visited by the snorkeling excursions. Today we shared our photos of the amazing…
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Flat Friends read Jack and the Geniuses: At the Bottom of the World by Bill Nye and Gregory Mone in Book Club
#flathal #flatstanleyproject #billnye Flat Halena found this library book, and Flat Hal agrees it was a great book club choice! Kids not only have a fun life, but they go on an adventure to Antarctica. So much fun to read a book that took place (in part) where we recently traveled!
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The Flat Friends explored Papeete, the capital of Tahiti, when we were here a year and a half ago!
#flathal #tahiti #watercolor (Flat Stanley was traveling with Flat Hal at the time. Flat Halena played with them from time to time, but hadn’t discovered the fun of the journal yet.) There are quite a few ports ahead of us, many we will be visiting (or touring) for the first time, so we decided to…
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But, where in the world are the Flat Friends?
#flathal #pitcairn #marktwain Flat Hal and Flat Halena feel like they are in the middle of the South Pacific Ocean, seemingly a million miles from anywhere, but that can’t be true. No matter how far away “civilization” (other communities) feel like they are, surely there are other noteworthy landmasses within reach, right? Living on such…
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The Flat Friends Saw Pitcairn Island
#pitcairn #flathal As much as things change, some things stay the same — supplies have always been brought in to Bounty Bay, and still have to be taken up the Hill of Difficulty to the community of Adamstown. The residents now have quad bikes, and machines to go up a concrete paved road, but the…
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Pitcairn Island Greeted The Flat Friends With A Dynamic Sunrise
#pitcairn #flathal Our visit to Adamstown, Pitcairn Island is an unusual one. Instead of passengers going ashore, more than half the local population (28 people) came onboard our ship! Imagine how our 1,000 passengers would have overwhelmed this community of 44 people — 6 of whom are government representatives, not residents. They set up tables…
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When Do New Journal Pages Get Shared?
#flathal #flatstanleyproject I am currently putting up posts with new Journal Pages three times a week, following a Monday, Wednesday, Friday schedule. The Flat Friends have a lot of adventures ready to be shared! The work that needs to be done is getting it from the journal pages onto the webpage. Flat Stanley went home,…
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45 Days Of Travel So Far…
It feels like every day the Flat Friends discover something new and/or exciting. Tomorrow’s port is Adamstown, Pitcairn Island. Where our ship safely and successfully rounded Cape Horn, the Bounty encountered rough seas there — so rough they gave up on sailing west, and sailed east instead! It took the Bounty three months to get…
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Most Readers Don’t Know Tom Sawyer Went Abroad!
Mark Twain captured the magic of youth, particularly the antics of boys discovering the world at large, in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Much of the world considers the two books to be for young adults, but Mark Twain actually said he wrote them for adults. There is joy,…
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A Little Easter Island Reading…
Rapa Nui (Easter Island) has captured the imagination of the Flat Friends, just like it has for millions of other people around the world. Its remote location means we have sea days before our next port. Sea days are proving to be a great time to find answers, and dig deeper into the history of…
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Easter Island = Rapa Nui, Chile… Learn Something New Every Day
A Moai Statue stood sentinel over the tender pier where we first arrived on Rapa Nui — like it was waiting to greet us! The Rapa Nui say the Moai were carved to honor someone (a chief or leader) who had died. The Moai were set up on a platform, looking out over the clan,…
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A Day At The End Of The World — Rapa Nui aka Easter Island
2,000 miles from South America, this speck in the South Pacific has a unique culture. Its history is full of twists and turns. Here’s one such twist — the birds that early explorers discovered on Easter Island are no longer there! The endemic (native) birds are believed extinct, and the current birds are “immigrants” —…
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4 days in a row at sea? Where are the Flat Friends going?
Our Rapa Nui (Easter Island) Timeline 1722: Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen became the first European to make recorded contact with the island! Because his ships arrived on Easter Sunday (April 5th), he cleverly (?) named the island “Paasch-Eyland” (Easter Island). He reported seeing great statues standing (Moai) and the inhabitants living their lives. 1774: Famous…
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Ferdinand Magellan and The Age of Discovery!
Flat Hal and Flat Halena feel like time travelers bouncing around time. Events make a lot more sense in order, so let’s slow down a moment. Ferdinand Magellan — 1520 — Discovered Magellan’s Straits between the Atlantic and the Pacific. (He saw a species of Penguin, named Magellanic for him!) HMS Beagle — 1831 to…
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The Flat Friends have been making stickers for the first segment of our grand adventure.
(As a side note: the Flat Friends had a lot of fun sharing the stickers we designed with our fellow passengers! Everyone enjoyed having a fun way to remember the amazing places we visited.)
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Ernest Shackleton did NOT reach the South Pole First
#flathal #ErnestShackleton #Antarctica He did NOT achieve his goal of walking across the frozen continent. It would be easy to look at his four expeditions and see where he fell short. But remember, he didn’t just a take journey or go on a grand adventure. He might have had fun along the way, but he…
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Sailing away from San Antonio, Chile… Where To Next?
The Flat Friends were already planning to do a little cabin organizing as we sail from San Antonio, Chile, even before the wind kicked up and delayed our departure. We are going to have four days in a row at sea, on a nice big ship, with over 1,000 other people. Imagine what it was…
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Flat Hal and Our Journals… Reflecting on San Antonio, Chile
#flathal #Chile #SanAntonio Charles Darwin famously kept journals while traveling aboard the HMS Beagle. Darwin’s journals were more focused than ours, Flat Hal and his friends are curious about almost everything we encounter! Today in San Antonio, Chile, Flat Hal was excited to share with Flat Halena what he discovered about Tetrapods last year. When…
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Beaufort Wind Force Scale
Agreement On The Meaning Of Words Gives Them Strength In the early 1800s a man named Francis Beaufort understood this better than many. He and Charles Darwin were both on the HMS Beagle making discoveries. While Darwin was recording animals never before recorded, or named, by Europeans, Beaufort was creating a standardized language for sailors…
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On such an exciting journey it can be hard to fit everything on our minds into a single entry…
…we try to stay focused, and share the adventure the best we can. Here’s a special milestone moment from our San Antonio port call. Flat Hal and Flat Halena are pausing for a moment as we sail towards San Antonio For over a month the Flat Friends, along with just over 1,000 other passengers have…
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Puerto Montt, Another Port The Flat Fellas Photographed Last Year
Puerto Montt is a tender port. A place where the big ship stays at anchor, and smaller boats, called tenders, transport groups of passengers back and forth to shore. Some passengers really enjoy these little boats because they offer a chance to be down on the water, and feel the motion of the ocean. Others…
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Flat Hal Photographed Punta Arenas in 2025
Flat Hal thought an easy day on our ship might be fun when we docked in a city (Punta Arenas) that he and Flat Stanley explored together last year. Initially, Flat Halena thought staying onboard would be restful and calm, but as the day progressed we began to understand why weather can be such an…
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Flat Hal Sailed the Beagle Channel!
Sailing the Beagle Channel was amazing. Some of the surrounding mountains reach over 3,000 feet, and here we were, looking up at them from sea level. On our return to the city the Flat Friends decided to walk around before returning to the ship. In Ushuaia two monuments stood out as ways to get a…
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Ushuaia, Argentina, A Wildlife Tour At The End Of The World
Ushuaia has been nicknamed Fin Del Mundo, the end of the world, because of how far south it is in South America. For many, this community on the Beagle Channel serves as a last stop before departing for Antarctica. For the Flat Friends it was a return to civilization, and a chance to discover a…
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A Well Timed Day At Sea
At home, the weekend comes after five days of school, unless there is a holiday or something special, it is predictable. A routine we know, and can pace ourselves for — but when we travel sometimes we have four amazing, full days in a row, other times we get an easy day after each day…
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The Flat Friends Final Day Of Scenic Cruising In Antarctica Was A Huge Success!
For four days it has seemed like something amazing was just waiting to be discovered just outside our cruise ship. We sailed among whales… truly among them! They were on all sides of us, several everywhere we looked! Penguins raced alongside the ship, and posed for pictures on shore. We sailed near icebergs that seemed…
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The Sun Set And The Snow Moon Appeared!
Flat Hal and Flat Halena were really confused as they were taking pictures. Sunset was easy enough to recognize, and it was fun trying to capture the golden hues of the setting sun around the stark, frozen landscape of Antarctica. But less than an hour after the put away their cameras it looked the sun…
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The Flat Friends Watched An Iceberg Calving
Flat Hal and Flat Halena stepped out on deck to see if the sun was setting. It was 9 at night, and the sky was starting to change colors. An iceberg that seemed as big as a building caught our attention, so we decided to photograph it. Suddenly a loud cracking sound startled us. A…
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Flat Hal and Flat Halena ExperiencedSummer Snow Flurries In Antarctica!
Being told it is summer doesn’t make it feel like summer, no matter how many games we play. No matter how many feet of snow and ice we see, stacked up across countless miles, it is still hard to believe the Flat Friends have come to Antarctica. But somehow, it all began to feel real…
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Scenic Sailing in Antarctica
Overnight our ship seemed to aimlessly meander through an area we had sailed during the day. In reality this was part of the “safety first” motto aboard. The ship returned to water it had “scouted” during the day. The bridge officers knew of any hazards, how much ice was present in the water, and made…
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Photographing Whales in Antarctica!
Flat Hal and Flat Halena made a game out of seeing who could get the most interesting photo of one of the whales. At one point we thought we counted five swimming near the ship! We tried to get one blowing. We decided just because the human eye can see something doesn’t mean the camera…
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The Flat Friends Almost Missed The Penguin Colony!
It seems like the bright white bellies, and bold black backsides of penguins would make them easy to see, but Mother Nature knows what it is doing! These animals are able to blend in to the rocks, and water. At first glance it was hard to believe we had arrived at a much anticipated stop…
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The Flat Friends Are Ready To Begin Their Antarctica Sailing Adventure!
Flat Hal Returns To Antarctica With A Friend! Some experiences are so amazing the moment you get home you want to share it with your friends. Flat Hal had so much fun visiting Antarctica with Flat Stanley he couldn’t wait to share it with Flat Halena. Our first day it was foggy, and really hard…
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The Flat Friends Returned To (Port) Stanley And Our Ship
It was another three hours by 4×4 back to the ship… the majority of that time spent bumping along the trail and chatting with our guide and fellow travelers. Our visit was the end of January and Flat Halena was shocked the schools were just reopening after summer break! It never occurred to her that…
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The Flat Friends Picnicked Near A Penguin Colony!
Our 4x4s took us back down the hill and across the water to a beach, and an area with picnic tables. The drivers parked around the tables, blocking the wind, and encouraged us to bundle up and go photograph penguins while they set out lunch. (Hot soup, hot drinks and sandwiches.) Can you identify the…
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(Port) Stanley, Falkland Islands —- A Chance To See Penguins
Last year, Flat Hal and Flat Stanley saw Gentoo and King Penguins in the Falkland Islands. This year Flat Hal and Flat Halena signed up for a longer tour, in a 4×4 vehicle that went off road. It took them to see FIVE different kinds of penguins! Can you see the trail for our vehicles…
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The Flat Friends Explored Montevideo, Uruguay
Last year, Flat Hal, Flat Stanley, and some new friends from the cruise ship explored Montevideo together by foot. They walked as far as they could, or so it felt, then walked some more after having a good meal. This year the Flat Friends took a bus tour, and ventured further from the pier. Grapes…
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Sailing Into The Sunset
#flatstanley #flathal #geography #west The Flat Friends went forward on one of the upper decks tonight to take sunset pictures. It looked like we were sailing into the sunset — or aiming for it? Remembering our research about the stars, and Peter Pan, they got curious… if a ship points its bow towards the setting…
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Punta del Este, Uruguay
#flathal #flatstanley #uruguay #puntadeleste Flat Hal and Flat Halena are visiting a town that usually has 12,400 people. But today, there could be almost 450,000 people here! Why did everyone show up? Because it’s beach weather! Even though it is January, it is summer in Uruguay. Since we crossed the equator to the Southern Hemisphere,…
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Gatsby Night At Sea
#flathal #flatstanley #gatsby #fscottfitzgerald The party is named after a character named Jay Gatsby from a famous book. In the story, Mr. Gatsby was a man who wanted to get the attention of a friend he hadn’t seen in a long time. To try and get her to visit, he threw the biggest, shiniest, and…
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Another Sea Day Discovery
#flatstanley #flathal #phytoplankton A striking sunrise started off a pleasant, if somewhat bouncy day at sea. It was drizzling rain just 20 minutes before this picture, offering clouds for the sun’s rays to illuminate. Later in the day the Flat Friends noticed this portion of the ocean between Brazil and Uruguay has areas with a…
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Sailing Into Rio De Janeiro Is Simply Inspiring
#flatstanley #flathal A mix of modern & older buildings wait to greet the Flat Friends when we step ashore. Birds race around our ship as we sail in, escorting us to our dock, & high up, overlooking everything is a statue this remarkable community (& the world) came together to make. Nearly a hundred years…
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Two Days At Sea
#flathal #flatstanley The Flat Friends have been enjoying two days in a row at sea. At home, every weekend is different, the same is true of sea days. The easiest way to show how different they can be is the sunrise yesterday (a bit dark, moody and gloomy, above) compared to the sunrise today (vibrant,…
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Recife — A Second Visit For Flat Hal
#FlatHal #flatstanley Flat Hal and his pal Flat Stanley visited Recife, Brazil, less than a year ago, on this same cruise ship. Some of the same officers, staff and crew were aboard, so there have been a lot of familiar faces, and friends onboard. With a lot of exciting ports still ahead, the flat friends…
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Belém, the Gateway to the Amazon
#flathal #flatstanley Imagine a city so big it has tall skyscrapers, millions of people, and busy streets filled with cars—but it’s located right at the edge of the world’s largest rainforest! That city is Belém (pronounced beh-LEM), Brazil. Many people think the Amazon is just tiny villages and trees, but Belém is a huge city.…
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Where in the world are the Flat Friends on St Patrick’s Day?
We interrupt your regular distribution of journal pages for a real-time newsflash! The Flat Friends are traveling this year on St. Patrick’s Day. It might take a while, but eventually, you will find out how we got here! For now… HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S DAY! There is no end of fun on a cruise ship! Today…
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Navigating By The Stars…
In the age of Pirates, ships didn’t have computers and GPS navigation, but sailors still looked to satellites for help navigating. They looked to “naturally occurring” satellites… the stars in the sky! Using equipment they brought with them, and knowledge passed down for generations about the position of the stars, they could find their way……
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Crossing the Equator!
Today the Flat Friends sailed from the Northern Hemisphere into the Southern, by gliding across an invisible line known as the equator! We made certificates to celebrate: By Royal Decree:To all Mermaids, Whales, Sharks, and Flying Fish of the Deep:Be it known that on this day, the vessel carrying Flat Hal and Flat Halena has…
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Canceled Port Call At Devil’s Island
#flathal #flatstanley Devils Island was originally a prison, off the coast of French Guiana. Now it is mostly jungle and ruins, with a small hotel at the top of the mountain. We were unable to visit because the island was having issues with their water supply… it wasn’t safe to drink! The Flat Friends couldn’t…
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Barbados: From Pirates to a Proud Nation! 🇧🇧
#flathal #flatstanley We’ve learned all about the pirates and privateers who used to sail these blue waters. But a lot has happened since those days of “Letters of Marque” and hidden treasure! Here is how Barbados became the amazing country it is today: Barbados TodayThe “Pirate’s Triangle” is now a place where people from all…
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Bridgetown, Barbados… No Real Pirates in Sight
#flatstanley #flathal The pirates and privateers of the 1700s would be shocked! Flat Hal and Flat Halena sailed from Florida to Barbados in just 3 days. On the ship, these young travelers spent their time playing games, making friends, and reading. Pirates didn’t have much time for fun. They spent their days pulling heavy ropes,…
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Flat Stanley Went Home!!
#flathal #flatstanley Flat Hal had so much going on during his final 2025 adventure with Flat Stanley! Between preparing to say goodbye to his friend after nearly a year of travel and exploring new shores, his journal isn’t quite ready to be shared. It’s currently a collection of memories and pieces that still need to…
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Crossing Into Oklahoma!
#flatstanley #flathal The Flat Fellas were excited to drive across the state line into Oklahoma, so Flat Stanley could visit another State in the United States of America. Here they encountered, ever so briefly, the Choctaw Nation… a tribe of people who have lived on this continent since before the founding of the United States.…
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Denison, Texas, Birthplace of Dwight D. Eisenhower
#flatstanley #flathal This was a detour from our “blue line”. Sometimes you see a sign on the side of the road & can’t help being intrigued and seeing where it leads. When the 34th President of the United States was born in 1890, the population of Denison, Texas was approximately 11,000. This small town has…
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Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge
#flatstanley #flathal The only thing we knew about the Hagerman Wildlife Refuge when we put it on our “blue line” was that it might be a good place to see birds. Given how many birds the flat fellas have tried to photograph around the world , photographing some in Flat Hal’s home state sounded like…
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Birds @ Cameron Park Zoo, Waco
#flatstanley #flathal Gulls, Pelicans, even Herons and Egrets were familiar from our travels… but a few new-to-us birds made an appearance as well. How many of these birds can you identify??
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A 300 mile (each way) Road Trip in Texas
#flathal #flatstanley The Flat Fellas have traveled the world… but you don’t have to go thousands of miles to see interesting places. Cameron Park Zoo Going on a 133 day cruise taught the flat fellas a lot about the world. One of their simplest lessons was that every place they visited had something to offer.…
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Help Flat Hal share the world with others
#flatstanley #flathal This travel journal is constantly evolving. With each day, and each entry, the flat fellas have helped me to learn about the places we visited, and inspired me to be more aware of my surroundings. I encourage you to share Hal’s journal with others. Share the Instagram and Facebook pages. Share his website…
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Flat Hal’sPole to Pole Adventure!
#flathal #flatstanley #poletopole #hollandamerica The journal is done! All it needs now is a cover! I drew this map as we traveled, so I would always remember where we had been on our BIG “Pole to Pole” adventure aboard Holland America cruise line’s MS Volendam. It shows everywhere we went! You can print it out…
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Earth Is An Amazing Planet
#flathal #flatstanley We think the count stands at:31,856 Nautical Miles133 days of travel540+ passengers for all 133 daysapproximately 1,700 passengers onboard for a portion of the voyageOver 100 species (including subspecies) of birds seenIn 67 portsAcross 29 countries and territories The flat fellas visited almost 10% of the nations and territories of the world on…
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133 Days On An Epic Adventure
#flatstanley #flathal It is hard to believe all the places we have visited and journaled about since boarding this cruise just over four months ago. It is approximately 24,901 miles around the Earth at the equator. The flat fellas knew they would be traveling far and wide on this adventure… but around the world? We…
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Boston, Massachusetts
#flatstanley #flathal A city rich in history, Boston is full of historic sites. Our shuttle from the ship into town drove us past a replica of the Boston Tea Party Boat. From where we were dropped off many of our fellow passengers went and walked as much of the Freedom Trail as they had time…
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The Flat Fellas Went Walking In Portland, Maine
#flatstanley #flathal Portland offered a nice mix of small town feel with plenty of places to get a snack (like a gluten free donut for Flat Jay), buy a unique souvenir, or pick up some essentials like a new book to read on the flight home. A variety of older buildings caught our eye, including…
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Saint-Pierre Showed Its True Colors To The Flat Fellas
#flatstanley #flathal Often, when you visit somewhere, a guide will take you from place to place, introducing you to the location and its highlights. Flat Hal and Flat Stanley have enjoyed exploring on their own in a lot of ports, and Flat Jay got into the spirit as they walked around this community of less…
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St. John’s, Newfoundland, Offered A Colorful Walk Through Town
#flatstanley #flathal The flat fellas took a short walk around town, enjoying the colorful buildings and mix of old with a dash of new. But our excitement was for watching the scenery as we sailed away in the afternoon. A narrow channel between dramatic cliffs leads into St John’s, Newfoundland, and as we sailed out…
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A Brief Stop In St. Anthony, Newfoundland
#flathal #flatstanley With a population of less than 3,000, St. Anthony is not a port most people take a look at and say, “of course we are stopping here! No cruise would be complete without it!” Most passengers ask, “why are we stopping in this little village on the east coast of Canada?” Flat Hal…
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Visiting The Fourth Largest Town In Greenland— Qaqortoq
#flatstanley #flathal Greenland has a population of just over 56,000 people. In many countries that would be the population of a single city! Qaqortoq has just over 3,000 people. Qaqortoq has a similar feel to a rural community in the United States with a population of just a few thousand people. Unlike a rural community…
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The Flat Fellas Embraced The Scenic View In Paamiut, Greenland
#flatstanley #flathal Paamiut was a tender port. After two days of rough seas Flat Hal, Flat Stanley and their friend Flat Jay decided to stay on the cruise ship, and take photos from its decks. Where the weather in Iceland had been surprisingly comfortable, some might even say warm, Greenland offered freezing temperatures— good for…
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Passengers Enjoyed The Moment While The Bridge Planned Ahead
#flathal #flatstanley While the flat fellas and our fellow passengers were enjoying our time in Reykjavik the bridge crew was monitoring the weather and seas between us and our next port, in Greenland. The first decision they made, and announced, was to extend our time in port by 12 hours, allowing a weather front to…
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Exploring In Reykjavík
#flathal #flatstanley After walking over seven miles in Reykjavik the first day we returned to the ship where some fellow passengers asked what Flat Hal and Flat Stanley had spent the day doing and seeing. It was a deceptively hard question to answer. All those miles covered, so much fun had… but what to list?…
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A Visit To The Capital Of Iceland — Reykjavik
#flatstanley #flathal The Flat Fellas made the most of our time in Reykjavik, walking around the city, visiting local grocery stores and small book shops and enjoying the beautiful weather. The sun was out most of the time we were in town, with the temperature near 50 degrees Fahrenheit… particularly nice for a May Day…
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Isafjordur Proved To Be A Hidden Gem
#flatstanley #flathal Approximately 2,700 people call Isafjordur, Iceland, home. Located on the Westfjords Peninsula, and considered to be the region’s capital, in part because it is the largest town, Isafjordur offers visitors access to waterfalls, Vigur Bird Island, and a variety of hiking trails for those who want to “stay local”. Fog creeped in around…
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Amazing Birds at Every Turn On Vigur
#flatstanley #flathal Here the Flat Fellas saw Arctic Terns. It brought to mind seeing the Cayenne Tern on Devil’s Island… different parts of the world have similar birds! They also saw a lot of Eiders (male and female), as well as Guillemots. Typically the Guillemot is mostly black, with white on their wings. An unexpected…
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Flat Hal And Flat Stanley Visited Vigur Bird Island
#flathal #flatstanley The flat fellas did not spend much time in the charming little town of Isafjordur, Iceland. Instead they walked three quarters of a mile through town from Volendam to a smaller (much smaller) boat that took a group of perhaps 40 of us to Vigur Bird Island. Vigur has a population of less…
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The Flat Fellas Discovered Some New To Them Birds In Djúpivogur, Iceland
#flatstanley #flathal Remember the Oystercatcher we saw in South America? Looks like we found his “Icelandic Cousin”.
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Úlfseyjarsandur —Djupivogur’s Black Sand Beach
#flathal #flatstanley Flat Hal and Flat Stanley had only one destination in mind as they set out walking in Djupivogur. The black sand beach! Not only is the sand black (thanks to the lava rock and volcanoes on Iceland) this area is said to be home to lots of different species of birds. The flat…
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Djupivogur, Iceland… Where The Flat Fellas Wanted To Hang With The Locals
#flatstanley #flathal As we got off the tender local kids greeted us. They had set up little booths selling painted rocks and other handicrafts they had made. Playing with them looked like fun, but Flat Hal and Flat Stanley decided to stick with their planned walk, and went exploring.
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The Flat Fellas Saw Too Many Puffins To Count Near Gjesvær, on the island of Magerøy
#flathal #flatstanley Having never seen an Atlantic Puffin in person before, Flat Hal was almost overwhelmed by how many wild puffins were around Stappen Island, a nature preserve for birds in Norway. Our bus drove us away from our port of Honningsvåg, and a small boat took us out on a “bird safari” tour. The…
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Flat Hal and Flat Stanley visited Tromsø, Norway…In The Rain
#flatstanley #flathal The sky was moody as we first started taking pictures in Tromsø. Just before the rain began, as we stood in the crisp, chilly air, gazing at the snow covered mountains, we wondered if there is a single month of the year when they don’t get snowfall. Looking over at the skyline of…
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Our Local Pilot Approaching To Board At 2:30 AM
#flatstanley #flathal The sailors and bridge crew of our cruise ship have navigated over 25,000 nautical miles during this cruise. Without looking at a map, Flat Hal and Flat Stanley can easily recall sailing the Caribbean Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, and the North Sea, as well as the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, and the…
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The Night It Was Never Pitch Black Dark — Above The Arctic Circle, In the land of the midnight sun
#flathal #flatstanley The flat fellas once again stayed up as late as they could, wanting to see what the sun would do now that we had crossed above the arctic circle. They took some short naps… but time and again we were drawn to the light continuing to shine through our curtains. How could we…
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The Flat Fellas Explored Trondheim…
#flatstanley #flathal Flat Hal and Flat Stanley were not surprised to see a statue of King v, who is connected to the founding of the city. After all, he is a King, and did many well known, great things. Carl Adolf Dahl is not recorded in many international history books, but he too has a…
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Trondheim — On Trondheim Fjord In Norway
#flatstanley #flathal With the water this peaceful, and reflective it was hard to believe our ocean liner had brought us to this city of approximately 200,000 people. Nearly a quarter of the population is affiliated with the local University and College community, which might account for some of the fun games the flat fellas saw…
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The Flat Fellas Saw Too Many WaterfallsTo Count
#flathal #flatstanley Eidfjord seemed to be surrounded by waterfalls. As we sailed out, back towards the North Sea, it became a bit of a game to spot waterfalls on the mountains beside us… many being fed by snowbanks. The Hardanger Bridge spans the Eidfjorden, part of the larger Hardangerfjord in Norway. The longest suspension bridge…
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The Flat Fellas Spent A Few Hours ImaginingWhat Explorers Would Have First Discovered In Eidfjord Norway
#flathal #flatstanley Often when we are walking around one of these villages, towns, or cities so far from home the conversation turns to the amazing things that have been built. Ways in which life here is similar or different from our hometowns. In Eidfjord our gazes were drawn to the mountains around town — the…
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The Flat Fellas Relived Their Day On The Bus Back To South Queensferry Where Their Ship Was Anchored
#flatstanley #flathal Some might think a half hour or 45 minute bus ride sounds like a lot of time that could have been used sightseeing. Flat Hal and Flat Stanley saw it as time to spend talking with Flat Jay and their friends… going through pictures they had spent the day taking, sharing memories, discovering…
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Princes Street Park and Gardens…A Quiet Retreat In A Magical City
#flathal #flatstanley The Flat Fellas embraced the natural retreat beforesetting out to see the manmade wonders. The Norwegian Memorial Stone reads:During the war years 1940 – 1945The Norwegian Brigade and other army unitsWere raised and trained in ScotlandHere we found hospitality, Friendship And hope during dark years of ExileIn Grateful memory of our friends and…
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Flat Hal and Flat Stanley Followed Another “Blue Line”… This Time in Edinburgh
#flatstanley #flathal #edinburgh #scotland There is something magical about designing your own walking tour! The Flat Fellas sat down with their friend, Flat Jay, who boarded the ship in IJmuiden, Netherlands, and talked about what everyone wanted to see. Other friends joined us in the conversation, and suddenly an unofficial theme for our day was…
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A Stop In IJmuiden, North Holland, Netherlands
Flat Hal and Flat Stanley decided to stay on the ship instead of going ashore in IJmuiden. Flat Hal’s friend Flat Jay was scheduled to board the ship, joining in the fun for the rest of the cruise, and we wanted to be on hand to greet him, and help him explore the ship. After…
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In Bruges The Flat Fellas Sought Out The Path Less Traveled…
Having heard it can make all the difference, taking the road less traveled, Flat Hal and Flat Stanley tried to find the places the official walking tours weren’t going to. In addition to the famous and recognizable sights, they walked residential streets. Saw the bikes locals ride (instead of driving cars) parked outside their homes,…
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The Birds of Bruges, Belgium
#flatstanley #flathal #belgium #bruges Bird sightings… including some new to us birds!
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The Flat Fellas Wandered Through Time And Space In Bruges
#flathal #flatstanley #bruges #belgium With a goal of seeing as much of Bruges, and its eye-catching architecture as possible the Flat Fellas followed their charted blue line, with cameras at the ready. Buildings from the 13th century (like Belfort) in this medieval town with cobblestone streets, and several windmills from the 1700s is a beautiful…
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The Flat Fellas Walked Around Bruges, Belgium
#flathal #flatstanley #bruges #belgium The night before we arrived in Bruges the flat fellas looked at a map and tried to figure out a walking route allowing us to see as much as possible in 5 hours. The bus that brought us into town, and dropped us at Bargeplein, drove us past the city gates……
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Téléphérique De Brest -The Flat Fellas Flew Across The Penfeld River In A Cable Car
#flathal #flatstanley #brest #france Having enjoyed the view from the cable car in Barcelona, Spain, the flat fellas decided to give the cable car in Brest a chance. This one is a short hop across a river, part tourist attraction, part public transportation. The ride was short, and the views a bit anticlimactic after Barcelona……
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Tour Tanguy —A Medieval Tower
The Tour Tanguy, Bastille de Quilbignon or Tour de la Motte Tanguy is a medieval tower across the Penfeld river from the château de Brest, in Brest, France. Probably built during the Breton War of Succession, the flat fellas were able to go inside and climb to the top for a view over the river.…
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Flat Hal and Flat Stanley Visited Brest in Brittany, France
#flathal #flatstanley #brest #france Château de Brest, a castle in Brest, France, is the oldest monument in the town. At the mouth of the river Penfeld the site has over 1700 years of history! If we visit the earliest towns or colonial sites in The United States or Canada they have closer to 500 years…
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Porto, Portugal, In The Rain
#flathal #flatstanley #porto #portugal Rain looks fantastic in photos — when it is off on the horizon, adding interest to the sky, and mood and character to the image. When the downpour is right on top of you suddenly the camera wants to focus on the raindrops, the sky looks grey (like in our photo…
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Livraria Lello has actively embraced the legacy of “The Little Prince”
#flatstanley #flathal #thelittleprince #livrarialello The Flat Fellas Found The Backroom, On The Ground Floor Of Livraria Lello. As we have since learned, with help from Gemini AI: In recent years Livraria Lello has acquired rare artifacts, partnered with the author’s foundation, created dedicated exhibition spaces, and published special editions. Livraria Lello celebrates the book’s themes…
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Livraria Lello – A Beautiful Bookstore!
#flathal #flatstanley #livrarialello #porto #portugal There are a lot of lists online of bookstores … whether they call them “greatest”, “most beautiful” or something else along those lines, Livraria Lello in Porto often appears alongside another store we visited this trip. El Ateneo Grand Splendid in Buenos Aires. Where El Ateneo was large, with a vast…
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The flat fellas visited the second largest city in Portugal — Porto
#flathal #flatstanley #porto #portugal #leixoes The itinerary said Leixões (Porto). The first thing Flat Hal and Flat Stanley set out to understand is why two places were listed — and how far apart they are. It got a little more interesting when it was announced we were being offered a shuttle to Matosinhos. A third…
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Lisbon, Portugal,When Reality Intruded
#flathal #flatstanley #lisbon #portugal Flat Hal and Flat Stanley have been traveling for roughly 95 days, and today reality and normal life refused to stay out of their trip. Spain, Portugal and part of France had a major power failure. Millions of people were without power. Less than two hours after we arrived in Lisbon,…