Just around the time I finally got around to watching the movie,  Conclave  ( Rotten Tomatoes  93/86 ), the  real Conclave voted American Cardinal Robert Prevost as the new Pope Leo XIV.   No one saw this coming.  No American had ever been pope since the first one nearly 2000 years ago.  For those who know nothing about religion, Pope Leo XIV now becomes the Bishop of Rome and leader of the Catholic Church with a membership of 1.4 billion for as long as he continues.  By the way, St. Peter, one of the apostles of Jesus, was the first pope. No one saw this coming. The heavy favorite was Cardinal Pietro Parolin (right), the Vatican's secretary of state under Pope Francis. Cardinal Prevost's betting odds hovered in the range of 2% to 1%....or less . He was born in Chicago, spent periods in Peru, but most of his youth and professional life in that city. Started with a math B.S. from Villanova in 1977, but went on to earn a Licentiate of Canon Law and ...

After nearly 7 days at-sea, we arrived in Kodiak, Alaska during lunch.  Never snowed, but I don't think the temperature once hit the 40's during that period on the ocean.  Kodiak?  45F high.  Some thoughts about cruising on the Oceania Riviera. The problem I had on our previous trip going east, last year for that 39-day Norwegian Encore from Seattle to Southampton, then two weeks on the Viking Tir for a Christmas cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest, that of not being able to sleep, has largely disappeared.  My body remembered that trauma, and kept me sleepy thoughout this current journey. The Oceania Riviera. Entered service in 2012. Capacity of 1250 passengers in 625 staterooms.  800 crew members.  Quite adequate. 15 levels.  We are in 8000, right up front on the eighth deck.   If we had any chance to get a similar cabin on a future cruise, this would be ideal.  This way we can see both port and starboard, with the same view as the c...