Tag: geography
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
Europa Point Lighthouse, Gibraltar
#flatstanley #flathal #gibraltar On the way to Europa Point Lighthouse we rounded a corner and a giant, manmade waterfall emerged from the rock of Gibraltar! Flat Hal and Flat Stanley were delighted with the sight their guide had warned them to watch for. This water is the waste water (brine) discharged from a desalination plant…
-
Taking A Moment To Look Back…
Having started in Florida, Flat Hal and Flat Stanley sailed from the Caribbean through the Panama Canal, down the Pacific, around the southern tip, and up the Atlantic, including an unforgettable journey up the Amazon, giving them the opportunity to experience South America from nearly every angle – a virtual circumnavigation of the Continent. From…
-
Flat Hal and Flat Stanley are sailing the Southern Ocean!
#flatstanley #flathal #southernocean The Southern Ocean surrounds Antarctica. Whether you are coming from the Atlantic or the Pacific, you can sail as far south as you can, and reach the Southern Ocean. Here you will find a place where scientists from around the world gather to study and do research. Flat Hal and Flat Stanley…
-
Hawaii!
Did you figure out our first stop was going to be Hawaii? There are websites where you can follow the daily progress of a cruise ship. This is one way my friends and family can “follow along” when I travel. In this second map you can see the Hawaiian Islands, and San Diego… we had…
-
Another day at sea — do you know where we are sailing towards?
There are several places a cruise ship can go to from San Diego, can you think of some of the possibilities? We could be heading North. We could be sailing South… or even going on a cruise through a Canal. After catching the end of a pretty sunset tonight Flat Stanley, Flat Hal and I…