Skip to main content

Posts

Thank You 500,000 readers

Destination - The Only Response to the Attack in Barcelona Is to Keep on Travelling

If you want the terrorists to win, refuse travelling. But there is only one response to the Barcelona attack, keep on travelling. Yesterday a concert of Allah-Las in Rotterdam was cancelled because of a terror warning. The lorry with gas cylinders was stopped and the driver arrested and interrogated. The warning came from Spain. by Earl of Cruise Las Ramblas, Barcelona - Photo by peresanz, courtsey Getty Images It is not possible to know what counts as being “too soon” when it comes to the idea of life returning to normal in the aftermath of any tragedy. Especially after a terror attack. In a troubled era when the “Breaking News” ticker begins flashing on your TV, phone or computer screen at any moment, and the information it brings may well be another shard of despair, it is difficult to say what constitutes day-to-day existence, or whether we can slip back into it when it has been ruptured by a bomb blast, a knife rampage, or a delivery va...

HISTORY - THALIA Austrias TRAUMSCHIFF of the BELLE ÉPOQUE

During time of BELLE ÉPOQUE [ bɛleˈpɔk ] Austria-Hungary´s LLOYD AUSTRIACO had a Traumschiff on its own. While HAPAG had its PRINZESSIN VICTORIA LUISE. The first purpose built cruise ship ever. The term "cruise" was not in use in those days, the "cruises" had been called Pleasure Voyages, Gesellschaftsreisen or Vergnügungsreisen. LLOYD AUSTRIACO wishing to participate in this lucrative and new maritime business, they choose as many others, the way of reconstructing older liner tonnage into an Austrian BELLE ÉPOQUE pleasure travel boat. And some still send out their liners to pleasure voyages. by Earl of Cruise THALIA in a Norwegian Fjord, by H. Heusser - Source: Wikipedia After the Franco-Prussian war in 1870 and proclamation of the German Empire in 1871, the 1866 constituated "lesser Germany" (Kleindeutsche Lösung) had been cemented. This consolidation made Austro-Hungary finaly a south-east European power, dominating the Balkan. And after th...

Popular posts from this blog

HISTORY - Traveling with airliner LZ 129 HINDENBURG was the most luxurious airtravel

The real airliner LZ 129 HINDENBURG enabled the most luxurious airtravel for decades. Imagine, gliding through the air while the landscape or the sea below can be seen ... LZ 129 HINDENBURG marks the climax of airship construction. On May 6, 1937, the story of civilian airship ended in a tragedy. In Lakehurst, New Jersey, the largest flying object and has been with the similar sized LZ 130 GRAF ZEPPELIN II the most luxurious of all time. How this came about can be reconstructed logically, a series of fatal physics concatenations . The airship LZ 129 HINDENBURG marks the climax of airship construction. It was in its time the fastest and most exclusive traveling object between Europe and America. The challenges of the construction of the giant of the heaven were immense. by Earl of Cruise LZ 129 HINDENBURG, 1936, in Lakehurst - digital copy of a coloured cover photo, originally by Bill Schneider, published in Dan Grossman´s book ` ZEPPELIN HINDENBURG: AN ILLUSTRATED HI...

HISTORY - ss LA BOURGOGNE - Women and Children last

What had happend on sinking LA BOURGOGNE? Why had been so few women and children been rescued ? by João Martins , editing by Earl of Cruise ss LA BOURGOGNE - editors collection From our viewpoint of today we see this disaster of ss LA BOURGOGNE as one of egoism and the right of the stronger, with no "heroism", or stepping back for the weak to be saved. And we blame the crew for not doing their duty ... Are we allowed to judge? Are we allowed to chide? Are we alowed to claime it as typical ... for the seamanship of France - I have heard and read so! - ?  No, we have not been on board.  This tragedy is not the place to be chauvinistic! And looking in todays world we see a lot of chauvinism again and egoism! The ss LA BOURGOGNE was a 7,395 GRT French ocean liner built by the FCM in Toulon for the Transatlatic mail and passenger service of Cie. Gle. TRANSATLANTIQUE and completed in 1886. She was an iron and steel construction, 150 metres long, had two funnels an...

Heritage - Boabdil the last Muslim King in Spain

Abu `Abd All āh Mohammed XII, the Spanish name him Boabdil, is the last Muslim king in Spain and at the very end of a 700 year lasting, most fruitful realm. Based on original research, and drawing attention to the connections between the medieval Moorish king Boabdil , actually Abu `Abd All āh Mohammed XII, and current social and political concerns in Europe today, Cambridge academic Elizabeth Drayson presents the first full account in any language of the Moorish sultan of Granada, and head of the Nasrid dynasty. As historian I am fascinated by the once liberal cultur of al-Ándalus . It was once a thriving center of cultural exchange between christian Europe and the Arabian world and knowledge, that Arabian cientists, doctors, astronomers, historians and intelectuals saved from ancient times and developed further on. by Earl of Cruise Especially the knowledge and developments in navigation, shipbuilding and rigging, made it possible for the comming age of discovery. As well the...

ss NORMANDIE 1935 - 1942 IX

s s / te NORMANDIE starting from cold Owners: COMPAGNIE GÉNÉRALE TRANSATLANTIQUE BUILDERS: PENH Ö ET, St. Nazaire, France   by Stephen Carey © , editing by Earl of Cruise   This document is almost exclusively about the engineering aspects of NORMANDIE , mainly on how to start her up from cold. If you are looking for photos of the passenger spaces, there is a plethora of them on the web, in Facebook groups - Admirers of the ss Normandie , ss Normandie photographic file , The French Ocean Liners / Les Paquebots Fran ç ais , ss Normandie , GREAT LINERS OF THE PAST & PRESENT , and others, Pinterest and in articles about NORMANDIE here in the blog, please see at the end of the article. Using "ss" for NORMANDIE is quite incorrect, as NORMANDIE was a Turbo Electric vessel and not a steamship, therefore NORMANDIE should be adressed as "te".   by Earl of Cruise te / ss NORMANDIE berthed in Le Havre, Gare Maritime May 29th, 1935 - colouring courtesy ...

Ocean Liners in Movies or Films at Sea (updated Nov 2017)

For liners and the shipping companies movies and films had been a top marketing tool Movies or Films and liners at sea, had been intriguing me since I have read about in my youth in LUXUSLINER - BILDER EINER GROSSEN ZEIT by Lee Server ( THE GOLDEN AGE OF OCEAN LINERS ). But earlier, mot only since my first crossing, I was keen watching movies with liners in it, and disapointed, which was an understatement, when I realized the films have been made in a set ashore in some movie "factory". That was after my first crossing.   by Earl of Cruise an essay in progress `Sabrina´, Humphrey Bogart in the office, while LIBERTÉ is sailing out of New York harbor - screenshot Ocean liners, especially those of the luxury category, had been the location of dramas, love stories, thrillers, suspense and catastrophies sinde film was born, or nearly. In this list, the most descriptions are taken from Wikipedia, as I guess no one can expect having seen all these films ... otherwise I w...

Expedition Cruises - ULSTEIN© embarks on expedition cruise market

Embarking on the expedition cruise market and following the ULSTEIN © motto - "Stay different" by Earl of Cruise "Stay different." The niche of ULSTEIN , their credo, even when embarking in the expedition cruise market. Years ago, attending the SMM in Hamburg, a friend of mine and me got an idea, when seeing the X-Bow of the ULSTEIN models of Offshore vessels , " Couldn´t this be the right bow for expedition cruise vessels? "  We got into a heated discussion. Me pro, he contra. In his opinion it was too far off from the mainstream what a cruise passenger is expecting from the design of his cruise or expedition ship.  We had been discussing too the up-and-down discussed freak wave casualties. Stay different." The niche of ULSTEIN ©, explorer cruise vessel with X-Bow - courtesy © ULSTEIN "Stay different." The niche of ULSTEIN © , explorer cruise vessel with X-Bow - courtesy © ULSTEIN The expedition cruise market had...

F&B, Style - A Beautiful Jug, a Cup and a Bucket

About a jug, a cup, a champagne bucket. by Richard Arebalo for the Texas Wine and Food Foundation editing by Earl of Cruise I’ve collected antique silver for many years, but lately the pace has accelerated and the size of the collection has grown the more I am inspired by the beautiful scenes in Downton Abbey. While watching my guilty pleasure, I am particularly drawn to the details of preparing, presenting and serving the food and wine. In every kitchen scene depicting frantic food preparation, there is always a gallery of beautiful copper pots and dessert molds in the background. In the dining room, be it breakfast or dinner, table settings and service pieces are stunning and, thanks to the show’s historical advisor, Alastair Bruce, meticulously accurate for the period. top and below, Tastevin - courtesy TEXAS WINE & FOOD I can definitely imagine seeing Mr. Carson, the butler, using a couple of my recent wine-related purchases--an Edwardian wine ewer fr...

HISTORY - The CUNARD - WHITE STAR Liner rms QUEEN ELIZABETH (1938-1972)

Over years, in my early youth, the QUEEN ELIZABETH was shaping my mind for the perfect ocean liner, despite having made my first experiences with a liner onboard the HANSEATIC (1), ex EMPRESS OF SCOTLAND, ex EMPRESS OF JAPAN. When leaning at the rail of HANSEATIC entering the port, my eyes where every where and I wished to by a camera, I took all in. And when seeing the QUEEN ELIZABETH with my own eyes, the nice behaving young boy turned into a tomboy, that my grandmére was no longer able to tame ... I did draw quite a lot of looks, back then. I found, while on research, this article and thought it interesting publishing in my blog: written and published by John Sheperd at liverpoolships.org editing and comments by Earl of Cruise I ( John Shepard ) joined the CUNARD LINE in March 1962 as an Assistant Purser and sailed the QUEEN ELIZABETH throughout that year, before transferring to the Liverpool-based CARINTHIA in November, where I remained as Crew Purser for the next five...

ss NORMANDIE 1935-1942 XIII - Le NORMANDIE the great triumph and tragic end of the greatest ship of France

NORMANDIE at sea - courtsey coloured by Daryl LeBlanc Le NORMANDIE , the greates ship of France, was a great triumph for the French industry, economy the most gracious ambassador of France - a symbol of cultur and Savoir de Vivre. NORMANDIE never surppassed by any liner. But whom the gods love, they beat him to a tragic ending. In case of NORMANDIE the gods let do their dirty job by careless, ignorant and arrogant US Navy officials and their sub contractors.   by Earl of Cruise   NORMANDIE had 4 years of living and the chance to bring Glitz, Glamour and Luster into a world that was just in front of an abyss since October 1929. Sailing with NORMANDIE , created to cater primarily the First Clas clientele, and enjoying life on board seems to me today, as a Dance on the Volcano, that errupted in 1939. Longitudinal cutaway of PARIS - own collection copy from a CGT broshure ÎLE DE FRANCE , Cie Gle TRANSATLANTIQUE provoking ART DÉCO liner - own collection  ...

Ships of State - BREMEN the shocking modern German Greyhound

When BREMEN , the first of the two, the world shocking last German Greyhounds , and ` Ships of State ´, was introduced in 1929 - BREMEN had provoking radical new streamlined lines and broke with any traditions. When asking todays public: what is a typical liner, BREMEN is named among the first five. Only ten years after the Versailles Peace Treaty , with 20,000,000,000,000.00 Goldmark anual reparations for the next 58 years, an occupation of the Ruhrgebiet , a raging inflation till 1923 (then introduction of the Rentenmark ), the resurging Germany and NORDDEUTSCHER LLOYD back at the top again. And BREMEN and EUROPA had been financed private! Bank loans from German and US American banks, plus the liberation of frozen LLOYD capital from pre WWI. by Earl of Cruise BREMEN, in her first years with the squat funnels - courtesy coloured by Daryl LeBlanc The difference to EUROPA are the paired windows in the front of the promenade deck and the big ventilators, the last remains o...