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Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure #4 (2025) – The Arctic

Posted on June 29, 2025 by Bill

The answer is Yes! The question is should you consider going on an Arctic expedition cruise after going to Antarctica? Initially, we thought no. What could top Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure #3? Would the Arctic be Antarctica-Lite? Not so. Ultimately, we opted for the Arctic trip and were very happy we did.

Once again, it was a short phone call with my brother, Ted, and we were into planning Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure #4. We reached out to AdventureSmith Explorations again. This time Andrew Browning helped us get the trip that best fit our needs. He was always quick to respond to our questions. We chose an Oceanwide Expeditions cruise on the Hondius around Svalbard, Norway. The Hondius is a Polar Class 6 vessel. We had about 140 passengers on the trip. The trip was 12 days, with 2 days of travel on each end and 8 days on the ship.

Getting to Longyearbyen to board the ship was just a matter of two flights. No Drake Passage this time. We spent time exploring Oslo at each end of the trip. It’s a nice city, easy walking, with plenty to see. We arrived in Longyearbyen a day early to make sure we didn’t miss the ship. It’s the world’s northernmost populated town with about 2500 people. You can’t stray far from the town because of the polar bears. We were thrilled to visit the Global Seed Vault, a one-of-a-kind facility built into the permafrost in the far north. We didn’t find any other people thrilled to see it, but that didn’t dampen our spirits.

Most of the days followed a similar pattern. Each day a zodiac cruise (video) to a glacier and a landing with a hike. In between each activity the ship would be deployed to the next location. We also had two days heading north of Svalbard in the Arctic Ocean pack ice (video). We reached 81.6 degrees north before encountering too much ice to continue.

The two big highlights occurred in the pack ice. An amazing close-up visit by a polar bear and a walk on an ice floe. According to the expedition leader, getting both experiences on the same trip was incredible.

The first polar bear sighting was a tiny binocular image in the distance. We hoped for more, but you can never guarantee it. The next day one of the guides spotted a polar bear on a large ice floe and the ship pulled around. A small image visible with the naked eye to start with. It sensed our presence and slowly walked all the way to the side of the ship (video), sniffing for food! After 30 minutes, it turned and casually walked away. It was more than we could have hoped for!

The ice flow walk was totally unexpected. I suppose it was possible because of the calm water, little wind, and no precipitation at all. We noticed the ship pulling up to a large ice floe. The ramp was lowered and several guides got out and started testing the ice and setting up a perimeter with guides armed with binoculars and rifles for polar bear protection. We were told to suit up for an outside adventure and be ready for small groups to get 10-15 minutes on the ice! Walking on an ice floe in the Arctic Ocean? This activity was not on our radar. What an amazing experience!

Besides these two highlights, we had lots of other quality experiences that would have made the trip worthwhile on their own. Since Ted did the polar plunge off the ship in Antarctica, I had to do the polar plunge in the Arctic. My polar plunge was from a rocky shore and the water temperature was probably a couple of degrees warmer. Still, I joined the club.

Wildlife/marine life we saw:

Polar Bears: One fantastic close-up sighting and one distant sighting
Whales: Blue, Beluga, and Minke
Walruses
Spitsbergen Reindeer: Including walking around town in Longyearbyen
Arctic Fox
Seals: Bearded and Harbor
Birds: Many species. The birders were very happy with this trip
Penguins: No penguins in the Arctic!

Hondius activities:

Monday PM: Board ship at 4pm
Tuesday AM: Tinayrebukta Glacier zodiac cruise
Tuesday PM: Camp Zoe hike
Wednesday AM: Texas Bar snowshoe hike and polar plunge
Wednesday PM: Monacobreen Glacier zodiac cruise
Thursday AM: Alkefjellet Cliff bird viewing. Too much ice for zodiac cruising.
Thursday PM: Fakesevagen hike
Friday: Headed north into the pack ice. Fantastic ice floe walk. Reached 81.6 degrees north.
Saturday: Still in the pack ice. Amazing polar bear visit.
Sunday AM: Graveneset burial ground landing and Magadalenefjioden Glacier zodiac cruise
Sunday PM: Gullybukta zodiac cruise. Walrus herd on the shore.
Monday AM: Disembark at 9am

As with our Antarctica cruise, much can be said for the incredible expedition team. They were always scouting, leading our hikes, zodiac cruising, sharing their passion for the expedition, presenting in the lounge, and answering our questions. Our fellow passengers were extremely friendly, sharing in the experience. Every person we met was a pleasure to interact with. From the dining staff to the cleaning staff to the front desk and the captain/crew. Everyone made you feel they were happy to be there with a goal of making it a special trip for everyone.

Will there be Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure #5? Nothing on the radar at this point. Time to enjoy the memories of this experience.

Posted in cruise, expedition, travel | Tagged Adventure, Arctic, Cruise, expedition | Leave a comment

Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure #3 (2023) – Antarctica

Posted on April 20, 2023 by Bill

Visiting Antarctica is a tale of two adventures. A tale of the journey through rough waters followed by a visit to an incredible part of the world.

Antarctica had been on my bucket list for many years. It was going to be my seventh continent. My wife had no interest. So, I called my brother, Ted, with the idea for Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure #3. After about 2 minutes on the phone, he was in. With the help of Justin Massoni, our AdentureSmith Explorations travel expert, we settled on the right trip in terms of dates, the ship, time planned in the Antarctic Peninsula, and cost. We chose a Quark Expeditions trip on the World Explorer.

The journey to arrive at the Antarctic peninsula was everything it was cracked up to be. An overnight flight on January 24th from New York to Buenos Aeries followed by a flight to Ushuaia. Our short time in Ushuaia was a nice stop making sure we didn’t miss the ship departure. Ushuaia is billed as the southernmost city in the world. All went well on this part of the journey. We boarded the ship in the afternoon and had a very pleasant cruise through the Beagle Channel. The ship was amazing in every way. Next up would be the famous Drake Passage between the southern tip of South America and the northern tip of Antarctica. No turning back now. Would we get the Drake Lake or the Drake Shake?

We were greeted by forty-eight hours of non-stop 20-24-foot waves. When I say non-stop, I am not exaggerating. The captain commented that this trip was about an 8 out of 10 in terms of rough seas. Not the worst you see on YouTube, but nothing to sneeze at. Lots of staggering through the ship reaching for walls, railings, and furniture. The good news is that it felt like we were riding the waves more than fighting the waves. We never feared for our safety, but we both feared getting seasick. With some great medication from the ship’s doctors, we persevered.

Each day we had presentations by the expedition team which kept things interesting and focused on the fun ahead. The rough seas took more time than planned, so we had to skip the South Shetland Islands in favor of the full itinerary in the Antarctic Peninsula. It was a good trade-off. Upon our arrival in the Antarctica Peninsula, the waters calmed, and the fun began.

We spent four days in the peninsula. Each day followed the same pattern. Boarding the zodiacs in the morning for a landing and cruising on the water. Over lunch, the ship would move to a new location and the afternoon included another zodiac cruise. Each day ended with a recap meeting with the expedition team and presentations about what to expect the following day. Each evening there was an interesting and often off-beat “bar-talk” by a member of the expedition team based on their expertise and life experiences. The Antarctic is spectacular, with icebergs and glaciers at every turn. During the journey, we encountered only a couple of distant ships and only one other while in the peninsula waters.

Some of the marine life we saw included:

Penguins: Adelie, Gentoo, and Chinstrap
Seals: Weddell, Leopard, Crabeater, and Fur
Whales: Humpback and Minke
Flying Birds: Albatrross, Petrel, Cormorant, Tern, Gull, and Sheathbill

We visited the following locations:

- Monday AM: Cuverville Island
- Monday PM: Paradise Harbour
- Tuesday AM: Petermann Island
- Tuesday PM: Yalour Islands
- Wednesday AM: Neko Harbour, a continental landing

Wednesday PM: Errera Channel – Kayaking and the polar plunge (for Ted, but not for me)
Thursday AM: Portal Point at the entrance to Charlotte Bay, another continental landing
Thursday PM: Foyn Harbour, Enterpise Island in Wilhelmina Bay

After the four days, all that was left was the return trip through the Drake Passage and into the Beagle Channel. Our trip back wasn’t as rough except for one night when there was a big storm that had us rocking and rolling all night. Very little sleep and being tossed around so much that the prospect of getting up to see outside was something neither of us chose to attempt. Upon our return to Ushuaia, we were ready to board our return flights on February 5^th.

Looking back, none of the challenges of the voyage took away from the incredible trip. I should note that everyone on board the ship was phenomenal. Our fellow passengers were extremely friendly, sharing in the anticipation and enjoyment of the trip. The expedition team was enthusiastic and showed their passion for Antarctica on every excursion and during every presentation. Each person we encountered was a pleasure to interact with. From the dining staff to the cleaning staff to the front desk and the captain/crew. Everyone appeared to enjoy their jobs, even though it included going through the Drake Passage twice on every voyage!

Visiting Antarctica was truly a once in a lifetime experience. A tale of two adventures, both packed with memories. Nothing left now except sorting through photos, telling stories, and planning for Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure #4.

Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure #1

Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure #2

Posted in travel | Tagged travel | 2 Comments

Will I ever see a photo of any of my great grandparents?

Posted on March 21, 2023 by Bill

I assume the answer is no. I watch genealogy shows like Finding Your Roots and find myself wishing I could be a subject of an episode. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. often holds up a photo and says something like “this is a picture of your three times great grandfather, how does that make you feel?”. I’ll tell you how that makes me feel, jealous 🙂 I’m just wishing for one great grandparent. I don’t think I’m getting greedy here.

Of my eight great grandparents, six never set foot in the United States. In Ireland, they lived in very rural areas. My Sweeney’s lived on a small mountain subsistence farm. I doubt a camera ever found it’s way there. My Horan’s faired a little better, but I’ve never seen a photo from any cousins still living there. My Gaetz’s in Nova Scotia seemed like a possibility, but again nothing has appeared. So, what about my Brennan’s in Providence? I assume there were photos, but they were probably lost back when my grandfather died in 1947.

I’ll bet there are some photos, but it will probably take Henry Louis Gates, Jr. to find them.

Posted in family, genealogy | Tagged genealogy, ireland, sweeney | Leave a comment

Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure #2 (2019) – Ireland & Scotland

Posted on August 25, 2019 by Bill

My brother, Ted, and I have made two trips together to Ireland to explore our Sweeney roots. Back in May 2016, we were off on Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure #1. We visited McPherson and Brennan cousins as well as the the Sweeney, Horan, and Brennan homesteads.

The 2016 trip was such a great time, we needed to cook up a good reason to do it again. In April 2019, we did just that. Taking a trip without our spouses needed to be very Sweeney family history focused (appearance of being boring), not too long (that would be excessive without our spouses), and yet have it turn out to be a fantastic time. My brainstorm for Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure #2 was to see the most prominent Sweeney castles in Ireland and Scotland. Along the way we would see our McPherson cousins and some sights in Ireland we hadn’t seen before. Neither of us had ever been to Scotland, so we had to squeeze in visits to Edinburgh and Glasgow. Unfortunately, there was no time for the Loch Ness monster.

Doe Castle stands on the shores of Sheephaven Bay in Donegal. Built in the early 15th century, it was a MacSweeney stronghold for almost 200 years. The castle is open and we were free to walk around.

Castle Sween is an impressive structure located on Loch Sween in Knapdale, Argyll, Scotland. It dates back to the 12th century. Like Doe Castle, we were free to walk around the castle ruins.

Edinburgh was spectacular and Glasgow was also definitely worth visiting. I would like to claim Edinburgh Castle as the third Sweeney castle we visited, but I doubt anyone would believe that.

Somehow, we accomplished everything in just 5 days. On the first trip, I did all the driving. One minor mishap occurred, but we don’t need to speak of that. On this trip, Ted did all the driving and except for pulling into oncoming traffic once, I was very happy to be in the passenger seat.

Our next mission is to devise a plan for Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure #3. There must be some family history left to explore somewhere in the world.

Posted in family, genealogy, ireland, travel | Tagged genealogy, ireland, sweeney, travel, vacation | 2 Comments

Connecting my Brennans back to Ireland – DNA makes it official

Posted on May 22, 2018 by Bill

Even when I’m sure something is true, it’s always great to get verification. That happened recently with my Brennan family tree. How amazing to connect two families, separated by an ocean 180 years ago.

My great great grandfather, Michael James Brennan, left Roscommon in 1833. He settled in Providence, RI. Tracing him back to Ireland seemed like a long shot. Meeting cousins seemed beyond the possible. Here’s the latest chapter of the story.

Charles Brennen (1947)

Back in 2010, I first met my Brennan cousins at the family homestead in Roscommon. I had built on research done by my mother back in the 1970’s. She based her work on a hand drawn family tree made by her father, just before he died in 1947. I was able to identify the townland, Carrownamaddy, and was lucky enough to find them still living there. For the story of my 2010 trip, see Irish Family History Tour.

Just before my trip in 2010, I noticed an ancestry.com message board post by Noel Masterson. Noel said he was researching Brennans from St. John’s Parish in Roscommon. I contacted him when I returned from my trip. I had no idea he was connected to the Brennans I just met. He was surprised and pleased to tell me I had met his uncles. What a connection! We assumed it would bear more fruit as we agreed to exchange our family trees and other Brennan related information. Noel had done quite a lot of research, so I would have to say I benefited more. But, he was happy to get my information as well.

Vincent, Mick, and Eamon Brennan (2010)

My siblings and I visited the Brennans in Roscommon several times over the years. They are always very welcoming. For the story of my 2012 visit, see A Cornucopia of Irish cousins … What a treasure to have this connection. Noel and I have stayed in touch, vowing someday to meet in person.

Recently, I mentioned to Noel that it would be great to verify our connection using an autosomal DNA test at ancestry.com. He asked his mother if she was willing, and she was. Her test results supported what we “knew” to be true, that our mothers were 3rd cousins!

It only took 180 years, but it was worth the wait.

Posted in family, genealogy, ireland | Tagged ancestry, ancestry.com, brennan, genealogy, ireland | Leave a comment

A little DNA, time, and luck uncovered a new Sweeney connection

Posted on January 3, 2017 by Bill

It took almost two years from the first DNA match email I received to reach a definitive connection between our Sweeney families. Alex O’Brien Feldman first emailed me in January of 2015 with an Ancestry.com autosomal DNA match. We quickly determined our Sweeneys lived in the same Providence neighborhood in the early 1900’s and went to the same church. Surely, they must have known each other, But were they related?

Alex sent me copies of hand drawn family tree information from his grandmother, Esther Sweeney O’Brien. My ancestors and even my siblings were listed on the paper. Sure seemed like we were related, but there was nothing to confirm it. Was that just research information or did she know the families were connected? There we sat for about a year.

I created a summary of four Sweeney lines in Leitrim in the late 1800’s. Two families in town and two up on the mountain. I assumed at least two of these lines were probably connected. But which ones? My Sweeneys were from Gubnaveagh on the mountain and Alex’s family was from Ballinamore.

In April of 2016, things got more interesting when Alex contacted his Sweeney relative in Virginia in hopes of something more concrete. Then in October, we cracked the code! Alex’s relative had a letter from Alex’s grandmother about a Sweeney cousin in Narragansett. The letter named the cousin, Patrick Sweeney, and his son, Robert Sweeney. I knew they were also cousins of my family! At this point, the flood gates opened.

I had photos from a Sweeney family party in Narragansett in 1976. Turns out the photos included Alex’s grandmother and her sister, Ethel Sweeney Moffit. My parents moved away from Providence just before I was born, so I asked a Providence cousin if they remembered either of these people at our grandparents when we were growing up. They didn’t, but they did know Joseph Sweeney and his wife, Peggy. They lived behind my grandparents. This was Esther’s brother! My cousins used to walk through the backyard to visit them. My cousins were young and unaware of the relationship.

Alex and I plan to meet in Providence sometime soon. I doubt we ever met as children, but with all these connections anything is possible.

With two of the four Sweeney lines now connected, I wonder if we’ll find out about the other two families at some point. There is always another mystery to tackle.

Posted in genealogy, ireland | Tagged genealogy, ireland, irish, sweeney | 8 Comments

Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure #1 (2016) – Searching for a Sweeney link from Leitrim back to Donegal

Posted on July 7, 2016 by Bill

My brother, Ted, and I made a trip to Ireland in May. We had fantastic visits with our McPherson and Brennan cousins, as well as our friends, the Clarkes. Gerry Clarke has been a great help in our family research over the years. We saw the old Sweeney (Leitrim), Horan (Sligo), and Brennan (Roscommon) cottages. We found out more about our great uncle, Thomas Sweeney, through stories over tea at neighbors. We also had a nice visit with Michael Mohan, whose family bought the Sweeney property adjacent to theirs. It was another amazing visit.

We spent a couple of days in Dublin before departing and I couldn’t resist a little more genealogy research. I found the death record of Thomas’ wife, Mary Agnes Foley, from 1963. She was the last Sweeney to occupy the cottage in Gubnaveagh. I was also able to trace back the first ancestors to live on the mountain in Gubnaveagh. I got a copy of the original deed from 1807 when the Gannons acquired the property. Terence Sweeny married Bridget Gannon in 1867. Soon after the marriage, the Gannons divided the property in two and the Sweeneys were entered into the land records.

So, when did my Sweeneys arrive in Gubnaveagh? John Sweeney is listed on Terence’s marriage record as his father. John may have been born around 1810 and died in 1875. However, I can’t find his birth record. I have a possible marriage record.

It is documented in local history that a group of people came down from Donegal to Leitrim around 1795. There is a monument to the Ultachs on the mountain. There were Sweeneys in the group, but I’m not sure if my Sweeneys were among them. Did John’s father come from Donegal in 1795 or did John arrive later on his own? I think I can only resolve this with the help of DNA testing. I have found four distinct Sweeney lines in the area, but can’t push any of them back far enough to see how they might be related or where they came from.

I have a 111 marker Y-DNA test, an autosomal test, and the Big-Y. I’m looking for ideas as to how I can find out if any Sweeneys in Donegal share my DNA? Most of my Y-DNA matches are from much further back in Scotland. I am in the Sweeney DNA and Ulster DNA projects.

Posted in genealogy, ireland, travel | Tagged genealogy, ireland, sweeney, travel | 2 Comments

Go big or go home. Our trip to South Africa.

Posted on May 6, 2016 by Bill

I am now approaching another trip to Ireland, so it’s about time I posted a summary of our last trip. In July, 2015, we went on a family trip to Capetown, South Africa. It had nothing to do with my family history journey. The primary goal was to go somewhere interesting and check off another continent. Just Antarctica left to visit!

It was a great trip. I would recommend it. We lucked out with fantastic weather in what normally would have been a cool, rainy period. We enjoyed the coast, the city, and ventured inland for some great sightseeing. The Cape of Good Hope, several wineries, an overnight at Inverdoorn Game Reserve, a cheetah sanctuary, and many more sights.

Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned, was quite a moving experience. Climbing Table Mountain was a real adventure. We somehow picked a fairly challenging trail. We made it, but it wasn’t pretty. It was a steeper climb than I imagined. Being overdressed didn’t help. Next time, we will take the cable car.

That’s the short version of a long trip. Now it’s time to focus on my daughter’s upcoming wedding and a subsequent trip to Ireland with two of my brothers.

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Exploring my Gaetz roots in Nova Scotia

Posted on December 1, 2014 by Bill

In July, we had another combination vacation and family history trip. Is there any other kind of vacation? This time, I was exploring my Gaetz roots in Nova Scotia. My ancestor, Johann Martin Gaetz, arrived in 1751 as part of a group of “Foreign Protestants” from Germany who were invited by the British to create settlements. My ancestors settled in Lunenburg, which is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I had a family tree from my mother, her notes, and plenty of information from online sources, but I had never been to Nova Scotia.

My grandmother, Florence Elizabeth Gaetz, came down from Seaforth, Nova Scotia to Providence, Rhode Island in 1918. My mother stayed in contact with a first cousin and his family. They visited each other several times over the years, but I never met the family. Prior to the trip, I was able to connect with a second cousin, Pat Gaetz. Pat, and her husband, gave us a wonderful tour of the family roots in the Halifax area.

We were able to see the house where my grandmother lived, which solved the mystery of a framed photo on a wall at my parent’s house. None of my siblings knew what it was, but you don’t frame a random photo and hang it on the wall. What a great surprise when saw the house! I’ve written that on the back of the photo for future generations.

Pat took us to eat at a very small, local restaurant called La Cuisine, in nearby Chezzetcook. As we were chatting with the owners, it turns out one was a Gaetz second cousin and the other married to a Gaetz! Our second great surprise of the day. To top it off, we saw the dessert menu highlighted gingerbread. We had wondered about the origin of my mother’s gingerbread. Sure enough, the gingerbread was very much like hers. Her love of molasses and gingerbread certainly came from the area. Three mysteries solved in one day!

As for sightseeing around Nova Scotia, we thoroughly enjoyed our trip. We arrived in Yarmouth via the new Nova Star ferry from Portland. It was a “cruise” experience as opposed to just a ferry. I would recommend it. All the places we visited were great. I’ve highlighted our main stops on the map below. Nova Scotia was beautiful. The weather was great, except for the last day with a visit from hurricane/tropical storm Arthur. It made our ferry back to Maine a bit choppy the next day, but not too bad.

Posted in family, genealogy, travel | Tagged gaetz, genealogy, nova scotia, travel | 1 Comment

A river cruise down the Danube

Posted on February 5, 2014 by Bill

It’s been about 18 months, so it’s about time I mentioned our vacation last July. We’ve never taken a vacation on a big cruise ship, so we decided to start with a river cruise. It was a great trip, covering five countries. The trip began in Prague and ended in Budapest. We added an extra day of sightseeing in Budapest. All the cities were beautiful.

We had such a positive experience with Globus on our trip to Italy, we decided to go with Avalon Waterways, a Globus brand. It was a middle tier priced trip, with nice hotels on each end of the cruise. There were plenty of ways to spend less or more, but this seemed like the right balance of amenities and cost.

The food on the boat was fantastic. The waters were calm, with land always in sight. It was a good choice for us. Each day there was a mix of organized excursions and free time. We had a complication with a labor strike by the lock workers. It cost us a couple of days on the river. Avalon did some quick re-planning and arranged hotels, meals, and changes to the excursions. It was a bit disappointing to lose time on the river, but the trip was still great. It would seem a little silly to complain about touring Europe in nice hotels. It was out of Avalon’s control and they made the best of it.

Here’s the itinerary:

Day 1 Arrive in Prague, Czech Republic
Day 2 and 3 Prague
Day 4 Prague–Nuremberg, Germany (Embarkation)
Day 5 Nuremberg
Day 6 Regensburg
Day 7 Passau–Linz, Austria
Day 8 Melk–Vienna
Day 9 Vienna
Day 10 Budapest, Hungary
Day 11 Budapest (Disembarkation)
Day 12 Budapest (an extra day)

I highly recommend a trip like this!

Posted in travel | Tagged danube, europe, travel, vacation | Leave a comment