Celebrity Cruising: 15 ships offer splendid itineraries, stylish traveling

We boarded Celebrity's Eclipse for an exciting 15-day cruise from Buenos Aires to the Antarctic.
Here, we joined fellow cruisers to board our bus for a shore excursion and spectacular wildlife. 

CELEBRITY'S FLEET SPANS THE WORLD, WITH CLASSY STATE OF THE ART VESSELS

Celebrity ships are easily recognized by the
trademark "X," here on the line's Edge.

STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS

PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER

Celebrity's shore excursions include a wide range of activity,
including biking. "Cookie and Keller" enjoy a ride in Vietnam.

THE GREEKS have long been good travelers.
So it's no surprise that Celebrity Cruises owes its heritage to the Greece based Chandris Group, which launched the company in 1988-89.

We're Celebrity fans, dating back to the year the line was founded by the Greece-based Chandris Group with its first ships, Mercury and Meridian. The respected Chandris organization established the cruise line's reputation as an up-market big-ship operator. 

ONE CAN easily spot a Celebrity ship with the line's signature "X," displayed on the funnel. It's 

Close-up communion with king penguins was a highlight of our recent
 Celebrity Antarctic cruise from Argentina, a wondrous 15-day voyage. 

the Greek letter chi for "Chandris." If Chandris sounds familiar, you're old enough to remember Chandris Line, a Greek shipping company founded in 1960 by popular ship builder and developer Antonios Chandris. His began operating ocean liners between his native Greece, to Europe, Bermuda and Australia. Chandris initiated the "X" tradition on its funnels, paying homage to the first letter of  Chandris in Greek: Χανδρή. The chi was the logo for Chandris then for its successor,  Celebrity Cruises.

CELEBRITY IS rightly  proud of its ships "bells and whistles' and modern venues, including state-of-the-art cabins, restaurants, bars and attractions geared towards R&R. Its Edge is touted as "revolutionary -- designed to raise the bar of cruising."
It features a trend-setting outward facing design encouraging guests to feel connected to the sea. An expansive terrace pool deck provides spectacular views as the ship sails between ports. 

Heading out to explore aboard Celebrity 
for a thrilling wildlife adventure in Antarctica.

The resort deck offers a beautifully tended rooftop garden with an urban “playscape,” unique to Celebrity. An  asymmetrical pool also faces the sea. Comfy seating encourages a picnic while watching a movie in the garden.

Celebrity Cruises operates 15 vessels. We've cruised on 7 of those, including two trips on the line's dowager ship, Celebrity Millennium, which is nearly 24 years old and still a favorite. A highlight of our 155 cruises was a spectacular itinerary through Asia, with Bali's breathtaking landscapes and gorgeous sails into Hong Kong and Singapore.

MILLENNIUM also goes to India and South Korea and smaller ports in Malaysia.

Cookie and Keller on Celebrity,
enjoying the scenery in Halong
Bay off the coast of Vietnam. 

 Celebrity doesn't rest on its laurels, coming out with a new ship every two years. It typically keeps vessels for around 20 to 30 years before retiring them.

Several Celebrity ships offer art classes, here
glass blowing classes and demonstrations.

We were fans in the line's busy period between 2000 and 2002, when Celebrity launched four ships: Millennium, Infinity, Summit and Constellation -- all carefully chosen names carrying on the sentimental naming tradition of Chandris, who came up with Romantica for an early ship.

Writer Christene "Cookie" Meyers gives a
reading aboard Celebrity Millennium. 

These larger, modern Celebrity ships carry 2,200-plus passengers -- still reasonable compared to today's largest ship, Icon of the Seas, with 7,600 passengers.  We like Celebrity's sizes and its all-glass elevator banks, lively art lectures, stunning onboard art collections, variety of inviting, relaxing areas and a focus on culinary experiences.
THE LINE also initiated a series of programs and enhancements designed to improve onboard experience, including glass blowing among the  expanded adult enrichment program, afternoon tea and a spa cafe dinner option. This is Blu, open exclusively to passengers staying in AquaClass cabins. We've also sampled Celebrity's 98-passenger Celebrity Xpedition (a delightful 48 passengers) which gives a wonderful close-up view of the creatures and landscape of the Galapagos.  The ship, in fact, helped put Celebrity -- and Darwin's famous islands -- on the map. For Celebrity's 2024-25 itineraries, discounts and more: celebritycruises.com

School children across Montana learn to enjoy
Shakespeare thanks to inventive direction and
fine acting of Montana Shakespeare in the Schools.

ON TAP: In the next weeks, we romp with dolphins, try a tuk-tuk tour in Lisbon and join lucky kids enjoying Montana Shakespeare in the Schools. Fortunate students are enjoying a spirited offering of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" now until mid-December. Find out how your school can book a regional touring company.  There are many across the U.S. Then soon we head to Gibraltar's famous bay which offers a view of two continents and splendid sea life.   Remember to explore, learn and live and catch us weekly for a fresh spin on travel, performance, nature, family and more: www.whereiscookie.com

Pride, patriotism, awe as Mount Rushmore is cloaked in fall splendor

Autumn is a perfect time to visit Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota's Black Hills.
 Fine fall weather is predicted for the next few days making for prime viewing of the spectacular art. 

MEMORIAL ATTRACTS INTERNATIONAL CROWD, EVOKES EMOTION AND AWE

STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS

An "Avenue of Flags" welcomes visitors -- an impressive
and colorful array of flags of the 50 U.S. states, territories,
commonwealths and the District of Columbia.

PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER

A FEELING of intense pride overcame me as I gazed in wonder at Mount Rushmore.

Surrounded by an international crowd of admirers -- many with children, hundreds with cameras -- I heard French, Italian, Hindi, Hebrew, German, Mandarin, Japanese and Polish as people absorbed the accomplishment.  Fellow Americans wiped tears and I found myself emotional, too.

Many children are part of the crowds each day as
three million people from all over the world visit annually.
 

ONE ENTERS  Mount Rushmore National Memorial through an impressive hall of flags.  The display forms an artful promenade -- flags gently waving in autumn winds. The "avenue" was established during the 1976 U.S. Bicentennial as part of the celebration. It was fun to find our two states' flags -- California and Montana. We watched as fellow Americans took photos by their state's emblem. A woman from Mexico proudly recalled her naturalization ceremony here in 2007. "My whole family came," she said emotionally.
There's a fine book store, ranger talks, an excellent film about the monument's making, a beautiful viewing terrace, nature trails, fascinating artful museum, a classy gift shop, and "Carver's Cafe" where the ice cream junkie in our family tasted Thomas Jefferson's own recipe. Thumbs up! "Rich and delicious," he said.

Bruce Keller and Christene
"Cookie" Meyers on site.

THE STAR of the show is Gutzon Borglum's massive carving on the granite mountain. Four remarkable U.S. presidents gaze back at us, from left: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln.  Borglum chose them for their contributions to the country, their ethics and morals, global thinking, environmental interests and preservation of the principles of the constitution. 

Borglum inspected the monument
many times between the work
which lasted from 1927 to 1941.
--photo courtesy Mount Rushmore Memorial

Carving began in 1927 as the son of Danish immigrants undertook his most ambitious project. 
One imagines him supervising as tons of dynamite blasted through the spirelike granite formations of the Black Hills. Borglum was "hands on," dangling from ropes to inspect the work as his vision took shape.  He was concerned with how morning and midday light would affect his figures, and visited at various times of day to document his perceptions. 

Thomas Jefferson's recipe for
ice cream is one of many unique
displays at Rushmore. 

 BOTH federal funds and private donations made it possible to blast more than 450,000 tons of rock from the mountain with the skills of 400 laborers.  No one was killed, remarkably, and the workers are honored on a giant plaque. The original cost of under $1 million seems modest compared to the $56 million spent during an enormous redevelopment project in the 1990s.   

WE'VE VISITED monuments and memorials worldwide -- hundreds of them commemorating fallen war heroes, statesmen, suffragists, sea battles and sailors lost, politicians, economists, scientists, explorers, city founders, musicians and artists, even beloved dogs. None had the effect that seeing this colossal, internationally known stone sculpture had on me.

Crazy Horse reaches out to his peoples' lands in the work-in-
progress sculpture. The hole shows where the leader's arm
will extend. One can see his finger pointing. His horse will
eventually be carved beneath him. Carving began in 1948.

HOWEVER, THE project has not been accomplished without controversy.  Some thought the proposal would compromise the natural wonder of architecture formed millions of years ago.  Many Native Americans felt that placing the sculpture on their sacred Black Hills land would represent continuing betrayal of trust, and another in a string of broken treaties.  For centuries, Plains Indians including Arapaho, Cheyenne and Lakota Sioux have used the area for prayer, medicine, and for gathering food and building materials. In the latter half of the 19th century, U.S. expansion into the Black Hills led to the infamous Sioux Wars. In the 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie, the U.S. government granted exclusive use of all of the Black Hills to the Sioux. So one understands the objection to the sculpture.

A sculpture of Gutzon Borglum
by his son, Lincoln Borglum in
on display at the Memorial.

TO PAY RESPECT to these great cultures and in the spirit of apology for many broken treaties, another memorial is in progress. We visited it, too, and recommend it as a companion visit to Rushmore.  The nearby Crazy Horse Memorial is just a half hour or 17 miles down the road from Rushmore. It is an impressive complex on Thunderhead Mountain, with a museum and elaborate displays of Indian beadwork, paintings and sculpture. Its focal point is the  sculptural work in progress of the great Lakota leader and his horse.  Another ambitious project, it was begun more than 75 years ago, in 1948, and continues today. The project was commissioned by Henry Standing Bear, a  respected Lakota elder. The massive carving of Crazy Horse was inspired by his heroics at the Battle of the Little Big Horn, in which General George Custer was defeated. Survivors contributed memories of the battle to sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski who undertook the project and worked on it for many years.  

This photo shows the back of the granite with
the figure of George Washington peeking out.

 AFTER Ziolkowski died in 1982, his widow Ruth and family continued the project, operated by the nonprofit Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation, which also runs the museum and cultural center. The monument reflects desire to create a symbol of Native American heroism and resilience. Fees range from $7 to about $15.

Rushmore admission is free. $10 for parking.

mtrushmorenationalmemorial.com

crazyhorsememorial.org

Celebrity Cruises offers 15 ships and interesting options to
 entertain guests, here a glass blowing demonstration & class.

UP NEXT: We have fun in store, with Montana's Shakespeare in the Schools, San Juan and the rain forest of Puerto Rico, a Halloween preview and a special cruise with glass blowing classes. Some of our favorite cruises offer an opportunity to learn a new art and we tried our luck at glass blowing on a recent Celebrity Eclipse cruise to Antarctica.  It's a cool way to educate oneself at sea, and you keep what you make, including a novel urn for ashes of a beloved pet. More on the Bard in rural schools  and a recent Celebrity cruise to the far reaches of the Earth.  Remember to explore, learn and live and catch us weekly for a fresh spin on travel, performance, nature, family and more: www.whereiscookie.com

Falklands lure Yanks to discover "Islas Malvinas," learn about the war

Port Stanley, Falkland Islands, or "Las Malvinas" to Argentine people, is a peaceful town of less
than 3,000 people. It is one of the smallest and most remote capital cities in the world.

FISHING, PENGUINS, ENGLISH INFLUENCE CLOSE TO ARGENTINA BUT REMOTE

English influence abounds in Port Stanley,
including old-fashioned telephone booths.
Here, Bruce Keller and Christene "Cookie"
Meyers take a stroll through the village.

STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS

PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER

WE ALL remember when Queen Elizabeth 2 famously requisitioned her namesake ship, QE2, converting it to a troop ship  during the 1982 conflict in the remote Falkland Islands.
Many of us went to our atlas to find exactly where the islands were.
So 40 years later, there we were, on the Falkland Islands during a Celebrity cruise.
Our day there was full and fun, beginning with several hours at the fascinating penguin preserve on Bluff Cove.

There are several lovely rural retreats in the Falklands, offering hill walking and birdwatching. We saw both King and Magellanic penguins,  gentoo penguins, Cobb's wrens, and striated caracaras. We also saw the Upland Goose and Falkland Steamer Duck.

A courtyard near the museum features remnants
of the Falkland's War and old fishing boats.

On the penguin trail in the Falklands

Imposing Christ Church Cathedral on Stanley's main street.

Our driver was a cheerful, good natured chap,  much like the Englishmen we've met in pubs in the UK.  In fact, that's where he was headed after our day's outing.  He'd picked us up earlier at the ship terminal, dropping us off at the preserve.  When he came to fetch us after our outing, he was looking forward to his pint, like any proper Englishman capping a long day's work.
THE LAND is flat and arid, much like parts of inland Australia, with the same sheep grazing terrain and miles and miles of dry grassland.
In Stanley, the English influence is apparent everywhere, including the supermarket. There we found English teas, kippers, chutney, sausages and black pudding.
Main street is home to fish and chip shops, and one cafe featured Cornish pastries and sticky toffee pudding.
Attractions include a delightful museum, and Government House—built in 1845 and home to the Governor of the Falkland Islands. Naturally, there's a golf course.

Keller and Cookie in the Historic Dockyard Museum,
a treasure trove of memorabilia and wildlife exhibits.

OUR AFTERNOON in  Stanley was a pleasant follow-up to the penguin excursion. We wandered the town of 2,400, and looked at a map to ground ourselves while we had a coffee. We were about 300 miles northeast of the southern tip of South America. Europeans claimed the islands as early as 1645, using them as a stopping off point for rounding the horn.

There are two main islands: East Falkland and West Falkland, and 200 smaller islands, spread out over 4,700 square miles.  

Most of the 3,758 people live in Stanley, a quiet capital city. We spent a couple hours at the fascinating Historic Dockyard Museum, two floors of treasures. An elderly docent spoke of growing up with three generations in her household. We also toured the impressive Christ Church Cathedral

A complex of town homes in Stanley.  The average
price of a home is 320,000 British pounds,
or about $415,000 American dollars. 

and the Whalebone Arch, the 1982 Liberation Memorial, the Lady Elizabeth shipwreck, and some of Stanley’s original houses. We learned of the way of life and heritage in these rugged islands, where fishing, tourism, and agriculture flourish. Fishing is the largest industry, contributing more than half of the islands' annual GDP. The islands also export wool, hides and meat.  Last year, more than $382 million in goods went to Spain, Morocco, the United States, Namibia, and Germany.  Jetty Visitor Centre has this information, along with helpful maps and a cheerful docent to field questions.

 WE ASKED our guide about the Falklands Conflict of 1982, that short undeclared war between Argentina and Britain. It was fought over the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands. We'd heard the Argentine side in Buenos Aires, where people call the islands Islas Malvinas. The conflict lasted 74 days and cost over 900 lives.

"We are a self-governing British Overseas Territory, and will remain so," he said, explaining that under the country's 2009 Constitution, the islands have full internal self-government. Meanwhile, the UK is responsible for foreign affairs, retaining the power "to protect UK interests and to ensure the overall good governance of the territory".

The courtyards of Port Stanley display artillery from the 1982 conflict.

WHAT LED to the conflict? Following World War II, the British Empire declined and many colonies gained their independence. Argentina saw this as an opportunity to push its case for gaining sovereignty over the Falkland Islands, and raised the issue in the United Nations, first stating its claim after joining the UN in 1945.
Yet, Falkland Islanders overwhelmingly prefer to remain British while many Argentine people still argue that "Islas Malvinas" is theirs.

WE ASKED our Argentine friend why the debate continues:
"The answer is simple," he said. "The Falklands -- Islas Malvinas -- belong to Argentina. They just happen to have been seized, occupied, populated and defended by Britain for hundreds of years."
As the museum docent told us, "We are British, the only life we've known for generations."

To arrange a cruise to the Falklands, we recommend Celebrity Cruises:

www.celebritycruises.com

Mount Rushmore in its autumn glory. Our next feature.

UP NEXT: A visit to Mount Rushmore in its prime autumn splendor. We take readers to this dramatic South Dakota memorial -- at its most beautiful in autumn. It pays homage to the ideals of four beloved U.S. presidents -- Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt. We explore the story behind its creation, with sculptor Gutzon Borglum at the helm. His inspiration for the monumental sculpture was the driving force of its creation as he wooed politicians and presidents to back his dream. More on this fascinating project -- and the nearby Crazy Horse Memorial, which honors Native American people and their tremendous contributions and sacrifice.  On to the Black Hills, remembering to explore, learn and live.  Catch us weekly for a fresh spin on travel, performance, family, the arts and more. Please share the link: www.whereiscookie.com