During our recent visit to Sydney, we enjoyed strolling along the harbour site with its parks, water vistas, navy wharfs and the iconic silhouette of the Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. Sydney Harbour is regarded as one of the most beautiful ports in the world. But as Francien and I stood on top of the arch of the harbour bridge, taking in a stunning view across the bay and the city, it occurred to me that in the more than four decennia traveling across the world, we have seen some other spectacular ports in the world.
Sydney, Australia with the Harbour Bridge and Opera House in the background
Going back to 1982 when we settled in South Africa, we stood on top of Table Mountain, gazing across Cape Town located on the legendary Cape of Good Hope, between the Indian and Atlantic Ocean. We saw Robben Island in the bay where the Apartheids regime incarcerated Nelson Mandela. At the time this evoked a feeling of adventure, being at the other side of the world far away from home. This natural harbour had welcomed immigrants from around the world, evoking a special connection with ourselves as immigrants and indeed migrants to this day.
1982. Sitting on top of Table Mountain enjoying the view across Cape Town and Table Bay
In 1992 we strolled across the Golden Gate bridge in San Fransico. There was a cool breeze and sea fog was hanging a few meters from the bridge. The water was cold and we saw seals swimming in the water. A cargo ship left the bay for the open Pacific Ocean as it passed 70 meters below. The historic fortifications, Alcatraz and the hills on which this city is built made for an impressive view of the skyline, its bay and harbour. This city has transformed the way we live in the last 30 years due to the rise of companies like Apple, Alphabet, Meta and Amazon. These companies would not have established themselves in the The Bay area if not for its natural harbour. Yes, large and important cities have always been built on the water because of the trade routes. These port cities therefore often offer a special atmosphere and above all they always have an interesting history.
1992, San Francisco with the Golden Gate Bridge
Like when we visited Ellis Island in the harbour of New York, another gateway to this promising land for immigrants. The World Trade Centre Twin Towers (eight years later to be destroyed by the 9/11 terrorist attack) and skyscrapers in Manhattan dominated the skyline. The Statue of Liberty stood guard at the entry to one of the world's most vibrant cities. The sheer size of the city impressed me and I tried to imaging how difficult it must have been for those millions of immigrants, who arrived here on steamships, to start a new life in this city and beyond.
1993, New York harbour with the World Trade Center Twin Towers dominating the skyline
A similar feeling of sheer size: Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong. In this city East meets West. When we crossed the harbour on one of the iconic Star ferries we saw a dazzling display of skyscrapers, neon lights, and bustling activity. Framed by the towering peaks of Hong Kong Island and Kowloon Peninsula, this South China Sea harbour is a spectacle of modernity and tradition. We saw traditional junks, ferries and state-of-the-art cruise liners. Queen’s Pier, Victoria Park, Stanley Bay and King’s College are remnants of the British colonial time. Cars, buses and pedestrians filled the streets. People scurrying in and out the ferries, offices and shop. Everyone seemed to be hurrying, giving this city a hectic and overcrowded atmosphere.
Frank and Marcella in 2015, visiting Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong
Fly across the harbour of Singapore and you get a sense of the size of this iconic port city. Marina Bay Sands towers over the Gardens by the Bay, the Supertree Grove and Singapore's iconic landmarks, like the durian-shaped domes of the Esplanade as well as one of the biggest and most advanced ports in the world. The combination of futuristic bridges and skyscrapers, with the vastness of the sea on the horizon, dotted with hundreds of ships waiting at anchor to unload or pick-up their cargo, creates a sense of grandeur. This city is further developing into a high-tech logistics hub. The way the numerous ports are weaved into the city makes for some priceless views. This South East Asian city is more West than East and gives me a feeling of high paced businesses and money making. 80 Years ago, this city was a mere Kampong settlement in the middle of tropical swamps and rainforests.
Singapore, view across Marina Sands and ships waiting at anchor to (un-)load their cargo
A big contrast with the port city of Stockholm, 10 time zones to the West. The only fully intact 17th-century ship that has ever been salvaged, the 64-gun warship Vasa, towers over the Stockholm harbour in the middle of the city. Colourful 13th century buildings line the harbour fronts. We explored this modern and wealthy city on foot, never far away from water. We met friendly and welcoming people.
Stockholm harbour
Nine years ago, Francien and I travelled on a CMA CGA containership from Rotterdam to Kuala Lumpur on a 30-day voyage through the Mediterranean Sea, Suez Canal and Indian Ocean. Our ship stopped briefly in Beirut to load and unload containers. Beirut is not known for its beautiful harbour although the Lebanon mountains on the horizon looked impressive. When we entered that port standing next to the captain on the bridge, it aroused a sense of fear. Those mountains promised harsh desert landscapes in a region full of wars and conflicts. The concrete fertilizer silos, which dominated the busy quays and warehouses, would explode and cause havoc only a few years later. Alas, harbours symbolize safety, but not so the Mediterranean port of Beirut. This city is one of the oldest in the world and in ancient times its seaport was connected by maritime trade routes with Constantinopel (Istanbul).
Disembarking the containership in the Port of Beirut
A few years later Francien and I walked the Birinci Köprü bridge across the Bosporus connecting Asia and Europe and viewed the historic old city of Istanbul dominated by the Haga Sofia and Blue Mosque. We heard the voice of the bellowing muezzins, the men who called the Muslims to prayer from the minarets, over the loudspeakers at different mosques in the city. The contrasting levels of noise seemed to be coming from every angle near and far, creating a chaotic yet soothing concert. Cargo ships ploughed between the Mediterranean Sea and Black Sea as they have done for many centuries. This conjured a feeling of history and calm.
2023: On the ferry on the Bosporus, Istanbul
Different was the port of Geiranger in Norway. Nestled at the head of the fjord with the same name, it might not be a large port, but the most scenic of any harbour we have seen. Surrounded by majestic mountain peaks, 800-meter-high cliffs and cascading waterfalls, the natural beauty feels unspoiled and authentic. Merely the occasional cruise ship landing disturbed the 250-meter deep and 15 km long water when the smoke from its engines hung in the fjord and thousands of tourists embarked to take as many Instagram pictures and possible in the shortest time possible.
Geiranger in Norway. Below in the fjord a cruise ship anchored in front of the village
Say Copacabana and Christ the Redeemer and everyone will know we talk about Rio de Janeiro. In 2023 we arrived in the city after a 30-hour flight from Kuala Lumpur and stood under the scorching sun on the Sugarloaf Mountain. Francien and I gazed across the city with its white beaches and its peaks, ridges and hills, covered by tropical forests and numerous favelas. The waters of the bays glistered in the sunlight, boats and ships dotting the horizon. The greenery of the mountains contrasted with the urban landscape and the bays. This sight against the backdrop of the Atlantic Ocean was unique compared with all those other harbours in the world.
Rio de Janeiro on top of the Sugarloaf Mountain
The most remote harbour we ever visited was Neko harbour on the Antarctic peninsula at 64.8167° S latitude and 62.5000° W longitude. There was one wooden supply hut on the towering glacier landscape of the 7th continent, inhabited by pinguins and seals. We kayaked between drifting ice, a humbling feeling to be in this pristine and hostile environment. We did not feel far away from the civilized world: - rather disconnected from it. It felt good and right.
Neko Harbour, Antarctica
Harbours are more than just docking points for ships. They enabled cities to develop. But they are also major tourist attractions which unfortunately contributes to the environmental and urban problems of these gateways. In Istanbul we witnessed how thousands of tourists push themselves through the entrance of the Hagia Sofia and Blue Mosques, degradading these historical symbols of Islam to mere Instagram-Foto-Shoot objects. In Geiranger, tourists embarking from those cruise ships overran the tiny village, destroying the authenticity of this culturally rich site. Around the iconic Opera House in Sydney Harbour, it was all but easy to walk, because of the thousands of camera wielding day tourists. Nevertheless, all these harbours were spectacular in their own way. They also provide a historic timeline of human migration and settlements. Like the city of Sydney, established only in the 18th century as it became an immigrant landing point for millions of people. This was still reflected in its cosmopolitan character. We saw people from all walks of life, from all over the world who had made Australia their new home. The contrast with the harbour of Istanbul could not be bigger as the latter served as a safe anchor place for three millenniums, but was never a city which attracted large numbers of foreign immigrants.
Sorry to disappoint you, but I cannot rank these harbours as I see the commonalities between them rather than unique features. Oh yes, each harbour is unlike any other. But from the sun-kissed shores of Sydney to the windy city of Cape Town or the glacier port of Neko, all these ports made me want to explore more new destinations. When standing in those harbours and that fresh sea breeze blew around my nose, I felt somehow... adventurous!