Feb 27 was our second day in Alta. Situated right around 70N. My sister and I slept in after our late night excursion to see the Northern Lights. Around 930am, our parents went for breakfast. Shortly thereafter, the ship conducted their safety drill, with many announcements. Thus our sleep was over.
My sister got up and joined our parents in the Explorer’s Lounge while I showered and joined them after. Then my sister went to work out, and I was ready for some food. So my parents and I headed to the World Cafe. We were docked right next to the Alta airport (ENAT), so we saw several planes taking off thru our visit.
After lunch, dad decided he needed to nap. He had slept well, and when he woke up in the middle of the night, he had some insight into Goldbach’s conjecture. For the matheticians reading along, and those who have know our dad for any length of time, you may recognize this phrase. He feels he was able to make some headway on it in the wee hours of the night.
At 2pm, we gathered in the atrium to head our on our tour of Alta excursion. We had 2 stops, the Cathedral of the Northern Lights and the Alta museum.
First stop in the cathedral was downstairs to watch a video of the northern lights and to visit the displays the had there.
Then we went upstairs to the cathedral main room.
Next stop was the Alta Museum, where we learned about the rock carvings, and other things about Alta.
Our group stepped outside the back of the museum first to see where some of the rock carvings are, but during the winter they are covered in snow.
The museum has year round information and some of the rock carvings. These are believe to be 7000 years old – dating back to 5000BC.
After returning to the ship, I went for a short workout, and my sister enjoyed the sauna, cold plunge and snow grotto in the spa. Then we met up for our 7pm reservation at Manfriedi’s thr Italian restaurant on the ship.
Over dinner I asked our parents what historical event that they remembered profoundly in their lifetime.
Mom said the assassination of JFK. She was living in DC at the time. And after learning all that happened, she felt a need to return home, and made arrangements to do so.
Dad had to think a little more explaining that he was often so focused on his world/life. But he then said he remembered that when he did some volunteer work with NUCAP, he saw some black students who were very somber one evening. Ans the next day at church, the priest mentioned Martin Luther King, Jr assassination. And that was what clicked for him with regards to the students response the night before. Dad mentioned MLK and the civil rights movement a few more times during dinner, making it quite clear that it was a movement that had an impression on him. He said he had been excited to see what MLK was doing.
My sister said Hurricane Gloria, which impacted us in CT in 1985. And a lot of that centered on her memories of preparation and the impacts after, including the lack of power.
For me it was the Challenger explosion in January 1986 (so only a few months after Hurricane Gloria). In part because I have distinct memories from that day, and that when I moved to Hawaii, I learned of Ellison Onizuka, the astronaut from Hawaii who was on the Challenger that fateful day.
We talked about how our dad’s parents met. And how he didn’t know for sure, but that he surmised it was when his mother was playing camogie (irish field hockey) in NYC, and his father likely was watching. My dad also mentioned that he has never had a desire to travel to see things but certainly to see people. He mentioned trips via busses and walking from the Bronx to New Jersey to visit family and friends. And how that was a big deal growing up. He mentioned a desire to visit Ireland again to visit family there.
My mom talked about how her parents met, and some crazy connections years later. Her mom worked at the phone company, and one day a co-worker said her cousin (or was it boyfriend) could give her a ride home. Well whe ln he arrived to pick the women up, he was also giving a ride to a young man. And that was how they met. Then years later, my mom met a man in CT, and in conversation they realized he was the cousin in that story!
Tonight we begin heading south, and will arrive in Tromso in the morning.
