Voyage Of The Southern Sun

In 2015, Michael Smith set out on a remarkable mission and became the first person to fly solo around the world in an amphibious plane. This is the often funny, occasionally terrifying and always inspiring story of that trip, and how it came about. With limited flying experience, no support team and only basic instruments in his tiny flying boat, the Southern Sun, Michael risked his life to make modern aviation history. His adventures include an unexpected greeting by Special Branch on his arrival in the UK, a near-death experience while leaving Greenland, and a wondrous journey up the Mississippi. Showing a very Australian ingenuity and openness to experience, Michael worked his way around the globe. In seven months he made eighty stops in twenty-five countries, visiting many unusual places and, more often than not, encountering the kindness of strangers. ‘Great Aussie spirit in a good old-fashioned, seat-of-the-pants adventure’ —Dick Smith ‘The blue-sky dreaming of Walter Mitty, the resourcefulness of Phileas Fogg and – dare I say it? – the over-confidence and geniality of Mr Toad in a flying machine. Surely these literary figures were the inspiration for such an adventure. A marvellous exploit and wonderfully told.’ —A.J. Mackinnon, author The Unlikely Voyage of Jack de Crow Michael Smith was named Australian Geographic’s Adventurer of the Year in 2016. He is also one of Australia’s last independent metropolitan cinema operators, after he restored and re-opened the beloved Sun Theatre in Yarraville, Melbourne.

In 2015, Michael Smith set out on a remarkable mission and became the first person to fly solo around the world in an amphibious plane. This is the often funny, occasionally terrifying and always inspiring story of that trip, and how it came about. With limited flying experience, no support team and only basic instruments in his tiny flying boat, the Southern Sun, Michael risked his life to make modern aviation history. His adventures include an unexpected greeting by Special Branch on his arrival in the UK, a near-death experience while leaving Greenland, and a wondrous journey up the Mississippi. Showing a very Australian ingenuity and openness to experience, Michael worked his way around the globe. In seven months he made eighty stops in twenty-five countries, visiting many unusual places and, more often than not, encountering the kindness of strangers. ‘Great Aussie spirit in a good old-fashioned, seat-of-the-pants adventure’ —Dick Smith ‘The blue-sky dreaming of Walter Mitty, the resourcefulness of Phileas Fogg and – dare I say it? – the over-confidence and geniality of Mr Toad in a flying machine. Surely these literary figures were the inspiration for such an adventure. A marvellous exploit and wonderfully told.’ —A.J. Mackinnon, author The Unlikely Voyage of Jack de Crow Michael Smith was named Australian Geographic’s Adventurer of the Year in 2016. He is also one of Australia’s last independent metropolitan cinema operators, after he restored and re-opened the beloved Sun Theatre in Yarraville, Melbourne.

University dropout Michael Smith built a multimillion-dollar business fitting out movie theatres around the world, before restoring Melbourne's Sun Theatre and becoming one of the country's last independent cinema operators. After a business deal went bad, and shaken by how close he had come to being wiped out, Smith took an even bigger risk- to become the first person to fly solo around the world in an amphibious plane, retracing the 1938 Qantas, Imperial and Pan Am flying boat routes between Sydney, Southampton and New York. With limited flying experience, no support team and only basic instruments in his tiny single-engine flying boat, the Southern Sun, Smith risked his life to make modern aviation history. His adventures include an unexpected greeting by Special Branch on his arrival in the UK, a near-death experience while leaving Greenland, and a journey up the Mississippi, landing on the river and sleeping on sandbanks at night. He made eighty stops on his flight around the globe, exploring cities and communities, as well as visiting some seventy cinemas. All along the way Smith was updating his online journal, cheered on by more than 50,000 followers. Smith's historic flight lasted seven months, and took him from Australia to East Timor, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Crete, Croatia, Italy, France, England, Ireland, Scotland, Iceland, Greenland, Canada, the United States, Japan and the Philippines, before finally returning to Australia. This is the incredible story of his journey.

Recently there has been a seemingly endless stream of books praising the glories of ancient and modern Rome, fretting over Venice's rising tides and moldering galleries, celebrating the Tuscan countryside, wines and cuisine. But there have been curiously few writings that deal directly with Italy as the country of origin for the grand- and great-grandparents of nearly twenty-six million Americans. The greatest majority—more than eight out of ten—of those American descendants of immigrant Italians aren't the progeny of Venetian doges or Tuscan wealth, but are the diaspora of Southern Italians, people from a place very different than Renaissance Florence or the modern political entity of Rome. Southern Italians, mostly from villages and towns sprinkled about the dramatic and remote countryside of Italian provinces even now tourists find only with determination and rental cars. In Under the Southern Sun: Stories of the Real Italy and the Americans It Created, journalist Paul Paolicelli takes us on a grand tour of the Southern Italy of most Italian-American immigrants, including Calabria, Basilicata, Puglia, Sicily, Abruzzo, and Molise, and explores the many fascinating elements of Southern Italian society, history, and culture. Along the way, he explores the concept of heritage and of going back to one's roots, the theory of a cultural subconscious, and most importantly, the idea of a Southern Italian "sensibility" – where it comes from, how it has been cultivated, and how it has been passed on from generation to generation. Amidst the delightful blend of travelogue and journalism are wonderful stories about famous Southern Italian-Americans, most notably Frank Capra and Rudolph Valentino, who were forced to leave their homeland and to adjust, adapt, and survive in America. He tells the story of the only large concentration camp built and run by the Fascists during World War II and of the humanity of the Southerners who ran the place. He visits ancient seaside communities once dominated by castles and watchtowers and now bathed in tanning oil and tourists, muses over Matera—what is probably Europe's oldest and most unknown city – and culminates in a fascinating exploration of how one's familial memory can influence his or her internal value system. This book is a celebration of Southern Italy, its people, and what it has given to its American descendants.

Insight Guides Cruising & Cruise Ships 2024 - formerly Berlitz Cruising and Cruise Ships - features enhanced user-friendly design, extra images, new coverage of cruise history and ultimate cruising experiences, new Author's Choice recommendations, along with the expert reviews and ratings readers have trusted for over 35 years. Insight Guides Cruising & Cruise Ships 2024 (formerly Berlitz Cruising and Cruise Ships) is the world's most authoritative and longest-running guide to cruising and cruise ships. Fully updated post-Covid, this iconic, industry-leading bible for millions of cruise-goers and crew members now features larger font for greater readability, and more images, making for a fresher, more user-friendly experience. In addition, Insight Guides Cruising & Cruise Ships 2024 boasts a new section on the history of cruising, along with the author's hugely-anticipated evaluations and scores, with 320 ships reviewed and rated. It also includes new user-oriented features on the Best of Cruising. From exploring fjords and enjoying icy expeditions, to embarking on wildlife voyages and idyllic Caribbean cruises, ten Ultimate Experiences are showcased. This is supplemented by a new Author's Choice section that sees Douglas Ward - the world's foremost authority on cruising and cruise ships - share his rundown of Top Ships and the best cruises for all kinds of travellers, from families and romantics, to solo voyagers and cruise-goers with accessibility needs. Features of Insight Guides Cruising & Cruise Ships 2024 - Douglas Ward is the world's foremost authority on cruising and cruise ships. - Over 400 pages of information, with new sections covering cruise history, ultimate cruising experiences, and Author's Choice recommendations. - Features more full-colour images than ever before, and larger font for greater readability. - 320 ships reviewed and rated. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Regarded as the world's top authority on cruising and cruise ships, Douglas Ward has completed over 6,200 days on ships and riverships on almost 1100 cruises, 158 transatlantic crossings, and countless Panama Canal transits, shipyard visits, ship-naming ceremonies and maiden voyages. Often described as a maritime Sherlock Holmes, Ward's reviews leave no stone unturned, examining everything from the fluffiness of the towels and the quality of china and silverware, to the welcome aboard and disembarkation process. PRAISE FOR BERLITZ CRUISE BOOKS 'No other annual guide charts the growth of the modern cruise industry the way Douglas Ward's authoritative annual Berlitz Cruising and Cruise Ships has done' The Business Travel News 'The author is the most feared critic in the business' The Times, London 'Read before cruising' Daily News, New York 'The serious cruise traveler's Bible' Cruisediva.com 'Legendary' USA Today 'Level of detail and rigorous research are unbelievable' BookPleasures.com 'This is the encyclopedia of cruising' The Times-Picayune, New Orleans

If you want a holiday that's hassle-free, virtually pre-paid, and that lets you see lots of places while only needing to pack and unpack once, then you should try a cruise. This best-selling book is the cruise industry bible: it gives you all the information you need to choose the right cruise for you. Meticulously updated every year by cruise expert Douglas Ward, it is divided into two main parts: the first helps you work out what you're looking for in a cruise holiday and how to find it; the lively text and colour photographs describe every aspect of life on board, including safety, the highs and lows of the cruise experience and how to save money. The second part contains unbiased reviews and fascinating detail of almost 300 ocean-going cruise vessels, and grades them on service, food, entertainment and facilities, using an internationally recognised ratings system.