June 22, 2024

The Alster River Canals - Hamburg

In medieval times, a dam turned the Alster River into a water reservoir to power all the mills operating on it's banks. This shaped the face of central Hamburg, as it is now, made up of two lakes called the AuBenalster (outer) and Binnenalster (inner). The river is feed from a spring outside of Hamburg and flows into the Elbe river just south of city center. We took a two hour cruise on the lakes and the many canals that the Alster runs through.

  • Which city in the world has the most bridges?

    Chongqing China is #1 with 10,000 bridges.


    Hamburg is #2 with 2,496 - more than the combined bridges from Venice, London and Amsterdam.


    Berlin is #3 with 1700 bridges.

  • Which city in world has most canals?

    Hamburg wins! with more canals than Venice and Amsterdam combined.

Above is Hamburg's most exclusive Hotel Atlantic Hamburg - the globe that sits on top of its marque has been transformed into a soccer ball in honor of the UEFA 2024.

Rondeelteich is the most exclusive neighborhood in Hamburg and the only way you can get one of these mansions is to marry in or inherit it. There were lots of kayaks, dragon boats, canoes and paddle boarders throughout the lake - almost all are wind or paddle operated. The only motorized vehicle's were our ferries and a few small boats for supervising the sail boat lessons.

Pattaya, Thailand - My healthcare

By Pat Patrick • October 23, 2026
This Blog is more than a journal of my travels around the world, it's a major memory tool for me in documenting all the events along the way. You often ask me how we take care of medical things, as we travel non stop and today is a perfect example. A fellow resident had posted on one of our WhatsApp groups ( this is the main way we all- residents, crew and stateside support all communicate ) that she had an excellent contact for anyone looking to get medical appointments in the Pattaya / Bangkok area.

Off the Coast of PATTAYA, THAILAND

By Pat Patrick • October 20, 2026
Off the coast of Pattaya, Thailand a talented and dedicated group of residents, the Odyssey Troubadours , performed A Night of Broadway for the enjoyment of all the other residents and senior staff on board. The group of 20 performed, 15 Broadway songs that had some special Odyssey edits, personalizing them to our journey. We loved it ! Such a clever, talented and fun loving group. I was upfront and focused on getting candid pictures of the talented cast.

NONG NOOCH TROPICAL GARDENS, Pattaya, Thailand

By Pat Patrick • October 20, 2026
We were up for breakfast at 7 and then hired a private small tram to take us around the gardens, for an overview, because it came with a guide. Problem was, guide barely spoke English, so we had a hard time figuring out the history of this crazy place. Even with translate app his answers were questionable. Did it start as gardens? What's with all the statues? Is there a master plan? It seems to be growing with no real connections, that we could make out. Web & Chat GPT seem vague on details too! We had fun with it, finding more and more absurd things, until the heat won out!