Oh the Places I'll Go

 Western history tells of the explorations and “discovery” of new worlds by the Portuguese, Spanish, English, and Dutch.  Many of the modern nations in the Americas and Africa were at one time or another occupied and controlled by one of these explorer nations.  A decree by Pope Alexander VI in 1494, in negotiations with Spain and Portugal, divided the world by establishing a line of demarcation approximately 370 miles (600 km) west of the Cape Verde Islands.  Spain was given the right to control lands west of the line, including the Americas, while Portugal could conquer the lands east of the line, including parts of Africa and Asia.   In 1506 the line of demarcation was moved farther west so that Portugal could lay claim to what is now Brazil.  Many of the nations I visited on the Grand Voyage I am currently undertaking speak either Spanish or Portuguese, depending on which country colonized them. Nearing Africa, our cruise ship (Oceania’s Marina) ...

           It took six and a half days to cross the Atlantic Ocean by ship—a trip we could have completed in a little more than eight hours by air—but Scott had long wanted to do an ocean crossing, so we decided to take the long route over and the more efficient one back.   Queen Elizabeth in port at Ponta Delgada,  Azores We chose to make this voyage on one of the storied “Cunard Queens” as they are the grand dames of transatlantic crossings.   The Queen Mary 2 regularly sails between New York City and Southampton (London) while the Queen Elizabeth makes the journey only a few times each year, sailing between Fort Lauderdale, Florida and somewhere in Europe.   In our case, the end point is Barcelona. As we sailed, we explored the history of this ship and cruise line and found many fascinating details.   Samuel Cunard began providing transatlantic steamship service in 1840.   His company was established primarily to provid...