Where is Chris - Museum Comes to Life Day

In our Where is Chris mini series, we've often written blog posts related to one of the day's themes as featured on checkiday.com.  We couldn't resit "Museums Come to Life Day" which occurs on June 24th each year.    The first thing that came to mind when seeing this day, was the "Night at the Museum" movies.   Wouldn't it be cool to be in your favorite museum when the "inhabitants" came to life?   Before reading the text, can you guess Where is Chris?

Click to enlarge - National Museum Album

We've visited many museums around the world, so we thought we'd feature some of them here and you can let your imagination bring them to life.

National Museum

Let's start our journey through museums of the world in one of our most recent visits. While on a Southeast Asia cruise we visited Kuala Lumpur, or commonly known as KL, Malaysia. Our first stop was at the Malaysia   National Museum, which was built in the style of a Malay palace. Can you just imagine if these pre-historic figures came to life during your visit?   Visit the virtual gallery where the museum comes to life.  (flash enabled)

Sabah Museum Album

Sabah Museum

Next stop on our journey today is the Sabah Museum in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. The first thing that greets you as you enter the museum are enormous skeletal remains. My first thought was dinosaur! It was only when I walked closer and read the information that it was a Bryde’s whale.

As you walk through the museum, you come across a Bajau horsemen in full regalia. These horsemen perform as outriders for ceremonial and state functions. Imagine he comes to life and takes you through the rest of the museum,  just like in "Night at the Museum". He'd probably lead you to the Galleri Busana Textile Gallery, where some of his friends were waiting to tag along.

Salesian Museum

Salesian Museum Album

Our final stop on this museum tour today is in South America.  After seeing penguins in their natural surroundings in Punta Arenas, Chile, we explored the city.

The tour took us to the Salesian Museum. One of the most visited rooms is the one devoted to Southern Patagonia, which displays a faithful recreation of the Cave of the Hands.

The objects and documents from the Salesian days, the handicrafts and tools made by the natives, along with the fossils and petrified animals from the area are also part of the displays in the museum.   Imagine if these cave men or the animals came to life.

These are just a few of our candidates for museums that could come to life.   If you've not found enough inspiration, explore many more museums in our Cruise Diaries posts.

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Museums Come to Life Day

Often we write blog posts related to one of the day's themes as featured on checkiday.com.  We couldn't resit "Museums Come to Life Day" which occurs on June 24th each year.    The first thing that came to mind when seeing this day, was the "Night at the Museum" movies.   Wouldn't it be cool to be in your favorite museum when the "inhabitants" came to life?

Click to enlarge - National Museum Album

We've visited many museums around the world, so we thought we'd feature some of them here and you can let your imagination bring them to life.

Malaysia National Museum

Let's start our journey through museums of the world in one of our most recent visits. While on a Southeast Asia cruise we visited Kuala Lumpur, or commonly known as KL, Malaysia. Our first stop was at the National Museum, which was built in the style of a Malay palace. Can you just imagine if these pre-historic figures came to life during your visit?

Sabah Museum Album

Sabah Museum

Next stop on our journey today is the Sabah Museum in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. The first thing that greets you as you enter the museum are enormous skeletal remains. My first thought was dinosaur! It was only when I walked closer and read the information that it was a Bryde’s whale.

As you walk through the museum, you come across a Bajau horsemen in full regalia. These horsemen perform as outriders for ceremonial and state functions. Imagine he comes to life and takes you through the rest of the museum,  just like in "Night at the Museum". He'd probably lead you to the Galleri Busana Textile Gallery, where some of his friends were waiting to tag along.

Salesian Museum

Salesian Museum Album

Our final stop on this museum tour today is in South America.  After seeing penguins in their natural surroundings in Punta Arenas, Chile, we explored the city.

The tour took us to the Salesian Museum. One of the most visited rooms is the one devoted to Southern Patagonia, which displays a faithful recreation of the Cave of the Hands.

The objects and documents from the Salesian days, the handicrafts and tools made by the natives, along with the fossils and petrified animals from the area are also part of the displays in the museum.   Imagine if these cave men or the animals came to life.

These are just a few of our candidates for museums that could come to life.   If you've not found enough inspiration, explore many more museums in our Cruise Diaries posts.

Follow Us On

        

Sign-up for Exclusive Email Offers

King's Wharf Bermuda

Time to turn the pages on your 2012 Extraordinary Vacations calendar...

This month we feature King's Wharf, Bermuda.  Sail from New York or Boston to this lovely island, whose pink-sand beaches are unlike any others in the Caribbean.  Norwegian Cruise Line offers several cruises to Bermuda.   We loved Bermuda, especially the friendly people.  We invite you to read more about Bermuda and consider that destination for your next Caribbean adventure.

Your NCL cruise will dock at King's Wharf, where you can explore beaches, golf courses, restaurants, shops and historic monuments at your leisure.  Or try out one of the many water sports offered in and around this gorgeous harbor.

After your day of exploring the island, return to your ship for a massage, dinner, relaxing by the pool, or enjoy the evening's entertainment.  Whether you want to dance the night away or simply relax, there's something for you to do either onboard or back onshore.   Your ship is your floating hotel for the week.

Swim With the Fishes

Our favorite excursion was Hartley's Helmet Dive.  The Hartley family invites you to join them on their famous "Undersea Walk".   Here you will don a helmet and and walk among the fishes as they swim up to greet you.   In fact, they might even do some tricks for you.

Read more about this underwater adventure in our blog post: 

NCL Dawn Bermuda - Hartley's Helmet Dive

There's lots of adventure that is reachable from your ship's berth in King's Wharf.  We sailed on Norwegian Dawn when we last visited Bermuda.   Here are some articles detailing our visit.

• NCL Dawn Bermuda - Glass Bottom Boat
• NCL Dawn Bermuda - Aquarium

  

  Visit our Shutterfly Page

• NCL Dawn Bermuda - Crystal & Fantasy Caves
• NCL Dawn Bermuda - Nightlife
• NCL Dawn Bermuda - Shopping
• NCL Dawn Bermuda - Fort Hamilton
• NCL Dawn Bermuda - Underwater Exploration Institute
• NCL Dawn Bermuda - Night Snorkeling
• NCL Dawn Bermuda - Maritime Museum
• NCL Dawn Bermuda - Hartley's Helmet Dive

Dining and Entertainment on your NCL Ship

• NCL Dawn Bermuda - Freestyle Dining
• NCL Dawn Bermuda - Evening Activities
• NCL Dawn Bermuda - Sea Days
• NCL Dawn Bermuda - El Dorado Spa
• NCL Dawn Bermuda - Disembarkation
• NCL Dawn Bermuda - Garden Cafe & Other Dining
• NCL Dawn Bermuda - Le Bistro French Restaurant
• NCL Dawn Bermuda - Impressions Italian Restaurant
• NCL Dawn Bermuda - Cagney's Steakhouse

• NCL Dawn Bermuda - Sail Away from NY
• NCL Dawn Bermuda - Welcome Aboard
• NCL Dawn Bermuda - Pre-Cruise New York

Cruising Bermuda

Continuing our quest for a new cruise destination beyond the Caribbean, we next turn our attention to Bermuda. While often thought of as part of the Caribbean, Bermuda is actually located 650 miles east of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, 774 miles from New York City and 3,000 miles from London. The 21-mile-long island is two miles at its maximum width. Bermuda has a year-round mild semitropical climate, with temperatures ranging from 68 to 84 degrees and relative humidity from 71 to 84 percent.

As the climate is ideal year-round for sports, active travelers can enjoy some of the best wreck diving in the world, scuba diving, over 80 tennis courts and top-rated golf courses. Bermuda also has yacht-racing, museums, a top-rated aquarium, cricket and of course, its famous pink sand beaches. Wherever you are in Bermuda, you are never more than a mile from a beach.

Bermuda's many forts help to trace its interesting maritime history. All British built, they give visitors an idea how important Bermuda was to the British government for centuries, as well as to its allies, the United States and France, during World War I and II. Most of these forts have been restored and offer magnificent views.

Because of these many attributes, Bermuda has also become a popular cruise destination, with major lines visiting here from April to October, when temperatures are in the 70s and 80s. The three main ports-of-call are Hamilton, St. George and King's Wharf in the West End. Cruises to Bermuda typically originate in New York or Boston and some are part of Transatlantic crossings.

Surrounded by turquoise water, Bermuda beaches are famous for their pink sand. This unique colored sand is from finely pulverized remains of calcium carbonate shells, plus skeletons of invertebrates, including clams, corals and forams. This rare mixture offers another amazing feature: the sand does not get hot, even in the summer!

Bermuda boasts over 150 restaurants, with something to please every palate and for every price range. Hamilton is noted for its selection of international cuisine, including Caribbean, Indian, Italian, Greek, Chinese, English, French and Mexican.

Shoppers can find everything from sophisticated department stores to exclusive boutiques, as well as antique stores and art galleries in Bermuda, with a wide selection of both goods and prices. Bargains are available in Hamilton and St. George's as well as other parts of the Island. The Royal Naval Dockyard in the West End offers extensive shopping facilities.

Bermuda has established itself as one of the world's top dive destinations by offering ideal conditions. Aquatic adventurers can immerse themselves in summer water temperatures averaging 83 F, considered to be the clearest water in the Western Atlantic and the world's most northernmost coral reefs. The ocean floor is covered with hundreds of wrecks dating from the 15th to the 20th century, earning it the title "Wreck Capital of the Atlantic."

Bermuda is a unique island offering visitors beautiful beaches, dive sites, fine dining, history and much more in a relaxed, genteel atmosphere with a distinct British flavor. There is something for everyone in Bermuda. It is a great alternative to a Caribbean Cruise Vacation.

In future articles, we'll take a closer look at a seven day cruise to Bermuda. I hope by now you are starting to realize that there are fabulous destinations to cruise to beyond the Caribbean.