The term “Seven Seas”,
dating back to medieval times, referred to all of the world’s oceans. Since the 19th century, the term has been
taken to include the Arctic, Antarctic, North Atlantic, South Atlantic,
North Pacific, South Pacific and Indian Oceans. By the end of 2018, it is
estimated that 314 cruise ships will be sailing approximately 537,000
passengers on the “Seven Seas”.
Cruising those “Seven Seas”
can take you to all seven continents in the world. Though it may not afford you
hours of leisure time for people-watching or long lingering lunches, cruising
will give you a comprehensive glimpse of the whole wide world. The
following are suggestions unforgettable port stops you might want to include in
your itineraries on each of those seven continents.
1. AFRICA: Though chaotic and crowded, CAIRO,
EGYPT is one of the most exciting and exotic capitals in the world.
The largest city on the African continent, Cairo is so vibrantly alive that
even the most jaded traveler must yield to its magic. Arriving in Cairo is like
falling through the looking glass and ending up in history. Cairo’s over-all
flavor is still very much that of the Middle East. Egyptians in their
flowing galabeyas and traditional black robes often make their past seem
more vividly alive than their present. The Pyramids of Giza exude an
excitement just by the very virtue of being there. They have been considered
to be the greatest of the Ancient Seven Wonders of the World…that they alone
would survive the passing of time. “He who has not seen Cairo,” said a
traveler of old, “has not seen the world.“
 |
| THE PYRAMIDS OF GIZA |
2. ANTARCTICA: To cruise Antarctica,
the most eerily beautiful continent on earth you will go below the Equator and
beneath the Tropic of Capricorn. Having sailed the dreaded Drake Passage
and crossed the Antarctic Convergence, you will then come to the bottom of the
world… to the most hostile continent on earth. Your “port”
stops on the Antarctic Peninsula will be at the discretion of your ship’s
captain, dependent on the weather conditions.
 |
| HUMAN POLAR BEARS GO FOR A SUMMER SWIM IN THE ICY WATERS OF ANTARCTICA |
This barren, white
continent, that thrills the imagination and overwhelms the senses, is a
continent of superlatives. While it is the most forbidding, most inaccessible
land on earth, it is also the most majestic and most pristine. This harshest,
most inhospitable land is also the coldest, the windiest, the highest and the
driest. Antarctica, a land of endless ice shelves, is truly the greatest
show on ice.
 |
| SUMMER IN PARADISE BAY, ANTARCTICA |
3. ASIA: Namaste! Welcome to Bangkok,
Thailand. A doll-like Thai beauty, pressing her palms together in a
prayer-like gesture, will give you the traditional Thai greeting. Not
your ordinary everyday greeting. But then, nothing is ordinary about
Thailand. Not the ancient ruins; not the gilded temples; and, certainly,
not the ever-smiling people. Thailand's capital of Bangkok, the
"Venice of the East", is a potpourri of superlatives. It is the
best and the worst. It is the most beautiful and the most slovenly, the
most chaotic and the most serene. It is the classiest and the sleaziest,
the most exotic and the most commonplace.
 |
"NAMASTE…PLEASE BUY MY BANANAS” |
You must visit a wat.
What's a wat? That is the question most often asked in
Thailand. A wat (and there are over 23,000 of them in Thailand) is a
Buddhist Temple, a monastery where monks reside. The Klong Show, also
known as The Floating Market, is an absolute must to experience. Long-tail
boats ply the klongs (canals) and offer sights you will see no other
place in the world.
 |
| THE KLONG SHOW…BANGKOK’S FLOATING MARKET |
4. AUSTRALIA: In Australia, the only
country in the world that is also a continent, all roads lead to Sydney.
You cannot escape the presence of the sea in Sydney, a vibrant sprawling
metropolis. The harbor is breathtakingly dominated by the gracefully
arched Harbour Bridge ("The Coathanger") and the soaring sails of the
Sydney Opera House.
The Opera House--a
spectacular architectural concept rising from the sea at Bennelong Point--is
the only internationally recognized building in Australia. It has become a
national symbol. Near the Opera House, adjacent to Circular Quay
(pronounced "key") is “The Rocks”, the original settlement of
Sydney. Once one of the most unsavory areas of Sydney, today it is
a living piece of history.
 |
| THE SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE |
5. EUROPE: She has been called
the faded beauty in the family of Italian cities…“her blondness now from a
bottle and her perfume slightly stale”. Call it what you may, Venice,
Italy is still one of the most beautiful, magical cities in the
world. Dubbed La Serenissima, (The Most Serene), Venice is a city
in which you must get lost. Losing your way amid the maze of streets is
part of the Venetian experience.
 |
| GET LOST ON THE BACK STREETS OF MAGICAL LA SERENISSIMA |
Napoleon called the Piazza
San Marco (St. Mark’s Square) the largest drawing room in Europe. I call
it the most unique living room in one of the most beautiful cities in the
world. It may be the most crowded, (with people and pigeons); the wettest
(when the tide rises); or the most expensive ($15 for a cappuccino) living room
in the world, but it is by far the most unique.
 |
| PEOPLE AND PIGEONS ON PIAZZA SAN MARCO |
6. NORTH
AMERICA: One of North America's most
beautiful cities, Vancouver, Canada has a cosmopolitan atmosphere
that comes from its uniquemixture of European and Oriental people.
Vancouver's bustling Chinatown is the second largest outside of the Far East
and Stanley Park is one of the largest city parks in the world. Its natural
harbor, reminiscent of Hong Kong, is ringed by rugged snow-capped mountains
 |
| DIM SUM IN VANCOUVER’S CHINATOWN |
Gastown, the once-lively
birthplace of Vancouver, was relegated to a skid row in the late sixties.
This unhurried people-place of Victorian architecture and cobbled streets has
been rescued, restored and reborn to preserve the city's heritage. The
Gastown Steam Clock, said to be the world's first steam powered clock, has
live steam that winds the weights and blows the whistles.
 |
| GASTOWN STEAM CLOCK |
7. SOUTH
AMERICA:
“River of January”… Rio de Janeiro, Brazil…is a city of fantasy
and dreams. Like a sensual woman, the mere mention of her name connotes
romance and excitement. Before you even arrive you'll feel her
anticipatory magic under your skin. "God," say the Brazilians,
"made the world in six days. On the seventh he made
Rio." Rio is unquestionably one of the most beautiful cities
in the world. A mountain, called Sugarloaf, resembles a conical loaf of
refined sugar and another, named Corcovado (Hunchback), is the jagged lofty
perch from which an immense statue of "Cristo Redentor"
(Christ the Redeemer) outstretches his arms above the city.
 |
| SUGARLOAF MOUNTAIN AT THE MOUTH OF GUANABARA BAY |
Exuberant pleasure-loving Cariocas
will wrap their warmth around you; exotic siren-like Guanabara Bay will wrap
its beaches around you. For Cariocas, the 10-million natives of
Rio de Janeiro, the beach is their living room.
 |
| MOSAIC SIDEWALKS FRAME RIO’S UMBRELLA-STUDDED BEACHES |
Copacabana and Ipanema are
umbrella-studded crescents of sand where beauty meets the beach…where the
bikini swimsuit of the legendary "Garota de Ipanema"
("Girl from Ipanema") was reduced to the string, and the string gave
way to a minimalist swimsuit called fila dental (dental floss)
Ahhhh… “Seven Seas”…Seven
continents. Way to go!
STEINBERG is the winner of 43 national Travel Writer Awards. She is also a Travel Consultant with The Travel Authority in Cincinnati, Ohio
No comments:
Post a Comment