Because of heavy fog and rainy weather, we haven’t been able to get online for several days. Sorry it’s been so long between posts. We’ve been trying but haven’t had any success until tonight (Monday, August 8th).
This morning we saw something unusual – something we hadn’t seen since briefly in Reykjavik. It was some blue sky and sun. Not only that, but we were in a virtual heatwave with temps in the upper 60s.
We had visited Invergordon, the gateway to Loch Ness on our 2010 UK cruise a year ago, so both of us opted to do something that didn’t include Loch Ness and Inverness despite the fact that we always enjoy visiting that area. We had noticed an excursion called Photo Expedition in the Scottish highlands which would provide photographic opportunities that others on more traditional excursions wouldn’t see. However when we came to book, we found that there was only one space available. Barb suggested that I do it and she would waitlist with the assumption that someone between when we booked and when the excursion took place would cancel and she would get it then. However that never happened. We found out that it was a very specialized excursion with a professional photographer in the area and he would take four people in the morning and four in the afternoon and that would be it from the entire ship.
Barb had booked a different excursion for the morning so I took the opportunity to go into town to explore, something I don’t do frequently since we usually we book excursions in the morning. The town is small and there is one short main business district. What was distinctive was the fact that on the walls of many buildings were beautifully painted murals depicting events important to Invergordon. After a bit of shopping, I returned to the ship, had an early lunch and met my other three tour members and the guide outside the security area of the ship.
I had anticipated that it would be a technical photographic tour but it turned out that it wasn’t. He focused more on the history and geography of the area. We visited three spots which most visitors don’t see since we were “off the beaten path” and on dirt or gravel roads most of the time. The first visit was to a large estate but we visited just the area near the Dower House where a mother-in-law and her servants might live. We passed cows and sheep in the fields and climbed higher for some better views. He pointed out various kinds of Scottish thistle in bloom and we could photograph the thistle, the animals, and the house. From there, we took another unpaved road up higher and higher and finally reached a quite spectacular viewpoint with a panoramic view of the firth and an estate on the other side. Again, the Scottish wildflowers were in bloom with more Scottish thistle and lots of purple “heather on the hill.” After a short rest room break in the quaint village of Tain¸ we headed for our final scenic picture site, a small lighthouse on the firth. Again, nearby the beautiful Scottish wildflowers were in bloom.
Then we had to race back to the ship as our return was to be the time of the final boarding before the gangplank was to be raised. Fortunately some large tour busses were arriving at the same time, so at least we didn’t suffer the ignominy of having the entire ship waiting for the four of us. It had been an interesting trip given the fact that we had been in this area several times in the past.
Chuck
As Chuck mentioned, I took a different shore excursion, a scenic drive through the moors and the Highlands of Scotland. It first took us to the quaint village of Dornoch. Since we’d arrived early, we were also given a quick drive through the Royal Dornoch Golf Club, which apparently is quite prestigious. Not being an avid golfer, I’d never heard of it, but it was a pretty course, right on the firth.
We were given 45 minutes to explore Dornoch, which included a cathedral. By the time I’d done a little shopping and run to the post office, I had only a few minutes to pop into the Cathedral, which I have to say was the smallest I’d ever seen, before boarding the bus again for our trip to the Falls of Shin. Once again the trip was very scenic, and we enjoyed the views from the bus.
Having grown up so near to Niagara Falls, I’ve found that most falls I see just don’t quite compare. This was also the case for the Falls of Shin. However, they aren’t known for their spectacular beauty, but they are known for the salmon that swim upstream. Since this is “salmon season”, we had the opportunity to see several salmon struggling to jump up the falls to the next level. This in itself is very impressive, and it’s been 23 years since I’ve experienced that phenomenon.
We made one last stop at a panoramic view of the highlands and firth. The heather is just coming into bloom, so the carpet of purple splashed across the hills was becoming evident.
This is our first of three stops in Scotland, and they brought on Scottish entertainment this afternoon. “Music Scotland” performed for those of us who were back on the ship by mid-afternoon. It was a variety of pipes & drum, vocal, highland dancing, and Scottish fiddling that had the audience singing, clapping and tapping their feet to the lively music they provided.
Barb
Monday, August 8, 2011
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Unexpected Day at Sea & Djupivogur, Iceland
After a wonderful day in Reykjavik, we were looking forward to Heimaey, a small port in the Westman Islands of Iceland. This was to be Holland America’s very first time visiting Heimaey, but it was not to be. After much maneuvering of the ship and further discussion with the local pilot, it was decided that the swells were too great to chance tendering back and forth to the island. We were very disappointed because we had two excursions booked for this port, and one was specifically to see the puffin colonies that are located here. However, as disappointed as we were, we’re sure that the people on the island who had prepared for our arrival were even more disappointed! We got the cost of our excursions credited back immediately (one of the advantages of booking directly with HAL), but of course, the locals lost all the revenue that our visit would have generated!
People were very philosophical about it, realizing that safety was of the greatest importance, and if we missed the puffins, better that than the dangers we might have been in! So we had an extra day at sea and did some scenic cruising in the Westman Islands. It is a beautiful area, and volcanic activity is very evident. We were interested in seeing the newly created island of Surtsey which emerged from the sea during a volcanic eruption between 1963 and 1967. Only scientific study is permitted there and cruise ships must remain at least a half mile away. And I am positive that I did see some puffins through my binoculars, small black-backed birds frantically beating their wings as they skimmed the surface hunting for fish.
Because of the unexpected sea day, the cruise director Bruce came up with some very quick ideas to keep us entertained, including an informative Q&A with the ship’s captain, hotel manager, chief engineer, and first officer. One thing we learned was that the captain has a terrific sense of humor! He kept us laughing as he gave detailed answers to the questions.
Our third port in Iceland was Djupivogur (I’m still struggling with the pronunciation of that town – seems like they leave a lot of letters out when they say it). Despite dense fog, the seas were calm enough to allow us to tender in for our shore excursion, “Valley of the Waterfalls” (or in the pronunciation of the local guide Johann, “Walley of the Vaterfalls”). This wasn’t advertised as an off-the-beaten-path tour, but it was definitely. We always enjoy those because they offer such adventure! We boarded a van that held ten people, in addition to the driver and tour guide. We lucked out because there were seven vans and only one tour guide. He was miked into all the vans, but we had the advantage of being able to ask him questions as we drove.
The weather continued to be miserable – rainy and foggy, so that detracted from what would have been absolutely amazing scenery. We didn’t allow the weather to dampen our spirits though, and we enjoyed the scenery we could see, as well as the entertaining ride. One person commented that she felt like she’d been a four-hour carnival ride as we jiggled and jounced our way through the valleys and up the mountainsides. We made several stops at locatoins that would have been very scenic had the weather not been such a deterrent.
Our guide explained what life was like on the farm we were crossing. His parents owned virtually all the property in the valley and it was an enormous sheep farm. When someone asked him about farming, he commented, “I don’t know. I’m not a farmer. My father’s the farmer.” We so badly wanted to ask him how old he was because we figured he couldn’t have been more than 23 at the most! But he was an excellent tour guide and kept us entertained on the entire trip! Amazingly, he speaks four different languages: Icelandic, Danish (which is taught in all the schools), English, and Spanish!
Toward the end of the tour, we did get some breaks in the clouds so we could appreciate the full beauty of what we were seeing! We’ll just have to come back and visit again – and hopefully on a better day!
Back on the ship, I made what seems to be my “annual” visit to the ship’s doctor for medicine for a sinus infection. He thinks it’s a cold, but it’s really behaving more like sinuses. Anyway, I’m now on medication and hopefully it will knock it out of me quickly. Tomorrow (Thursday) is a sea day, and that will help.
Because I didn’t want to spend the time in the main dining room and possibly spread germs, I ate alone on the Lido. So much happened up there that I can’t begin to repeat it all, but the most interesting thing was that someone overheard me say that I was originally from Western New York and asked where, When I said Lancaster, someone else heard that name and asked if it was New York or Pennsylvania. (They hadn’t been paying attention to anything till they heard me refer to Lancaster.) It turns out that the lady has lived her entire life in Lancaster and lives on Broadway no more than a couple miles from where I grew up! We spent several minutes talking about people we knew in common (though she’d graduated from high school the year before we moved there, and we moved there when I was 2). We decided we should meet at lunch soon so Chuck could participate in the conversation also. Small world! Two cruises in a row we’ve met someone with ties to Lancaster! Pretty amazing!
Barb
People were very philosophical about it, realizing that safety was of the greatest importance, and if we missed the puffins, better that than the dangers we might have been in! So we had an extra day at sea and did some scenic cruising in the Westman Islands. It is a beautiful area, and volcanic activity is very evident. We were interested in seeing the newly created island of Surtsey which emerged from the sea during a volcanic eruption between 1963 and 1967. Only scientific study is permitted there and cruise ships must remain at least a half mile away. And I am positive that I did see some puffins through my binoculars, small black-backed birds frantically beating their wings as they skimmed the surface hunting for fish.
Because of the unexpected sea day, the cruise director Bruce came up with some very quick ideas to keep us entertained, including an informative Q&A with the ship’s captain, hotel manager, chief engineer, and first officer. One thing we learned was that the captain has a terrific sense of humor! He kept us laughing as he gave detailed answers to the questions.
Our third port in Iceland was Djupivogur (I’m still struggling with the pronunciation of that town – seems like they leave a lot of letters out when they say it). Despite dense fog, the seas were calm enough to allow us to tender in for our shore excursion, “Valley of the Waterfalls” (or in the pronunciation of the local guide Johann, “Walley of the Vaterfalls”). This wasn’t advertised as an off-the-beaten-path tour, but it was definitely. We always enjoy those because they offer such adventure! We boarded a van that held ten people, in addition to the driver and tour guide. We lucked out because there were seven vans and only one tour guide. He was miked into all the vans, but we had the advantage of being able to ask him questions as we drove.
The weather continued to be miserable – rainy and foggy, so that detracted from what would have been absolutely amazing scenery. We didn’t allow the weather to dampen our spirits though, and we enjoyed the scenery we could see, as well as the entertaining ride. One person commented that she felt like she’d been a four-hour carnival ride as we jiggled and jounced our way through the valleys and up the mountainsides. We made several stops at locatoins that would have been very scenic had the weather not been such a deterrent.
Our guide explained what life was like on the farm we were crossing. His parents owned virtually all the property in the valley and it was an enormous sheep farm. When someone asked him about farming, he commented, “I don’t know. I’m not a farmer. My father’s the farmer.” We so badly wanted to ask him how old he was because we figured he couldn’t have been more than 23 at the most! But he was an excellent tour guide and kept us entertained on the entire trip! Amazingly, he speaks four different languages: Icelandic, Danish (which is taught in all the schools), English, and Spanish!
Toward the end of the tour, we did get some breaks in the clouds so we could appreciate the full beauty of what we were seeing! We’ll just have to come back and visit again – and hopefully on a better day!
Back on the ship, I made what seems to be my “annual” visit to the ship’s doctor for medicine for a sinus infection. He thinks it’s a cold, but it’s really behaving more like sinuses. Anyway, I’m now on medication and hopefully it will knock it out of me quickly. Tomorrow (Thursday) is a sea day, and that will help.
Because I didn’t want to spend the time in the main dining room and possibly spread germs, I ate alone on the Lido. So much happened up there that I can’t begin to repeat it all, but the most interesting thing was that someone overheard me say that I was originally from Western New York and asked where, When I said Lancaster, someone else heard that name and asked if it was New York or Pennsylvania. (They hadn’t been paying attention to anything till they heard me refer to Lancaster.) It turns out that the lady has lived her entire life in Lancaster and lives on Broadway no more than a couple miles from where I grew up! We spent several minutes talking about people we knew in common (though she’d graduated from high school the year before we moved there, and we moved there when I was 2). We decided we should meet at lunch soon so Chuck could participate in the conversation also. Small world! Two cruises in a row we’ve met someone with ties to Lancaster! Pretty amazing!
Barb
Reykjavik, Iceland
Visiting Iceland was a wonderfully unique experience. I had always thought it would be a country I would like to visit “someday”. I had even considered a special fare I read about through Icelandic Air once that would give a three day visit to Iceland and return but the timing wasn’t quite right.
Iceland was worth the wait and I would highly recommend it to anyone who would love a refreshingly different opportunity. We knew we had a very busy day in Reykjavik planned and it lived up to expectations. The captain had warned that Iceland’s weather was notoriously unpredictable and while rain was forecast, maybe we would be lucky and this time since he had never been to Reykjavik without rain. Hopefully, we thought, since he had jinxed himself saying that while only 35% of cruise ships that planned to enter Prince Christian Sound, had been permitted to do so, he had always been fortunate enough to do so. But ice conditions precluded it this time, so since he said he always had rain in Reykjavik, maybe he would be wrong again and there would be no rain. This time we weren’t so lucky and we had several downpours, especially in the morning.
Since Iceland had been in the news for its active volcanoes, we chose a morning shore excursion called “Ancient Ring of Fire” which took us immediately out of Reykjavik without seeing any of the city to see the nearby Hengill Volcano. It was considered active since it had “only” been about 2,000 years since its last eruption and about 10,000 years is required to make a volcano “inactive.” Along the good, but little trafficked road, we saw large pipelines that looked like the oil pipelines of Alaska. Instead these were bringing hot geothermal water to Reykjavik and environs. (This excursion, by the way, was pretty scientific for non-scientists, so the descriptions are not likely to be up to scientific standards.) Because Iceland is known as the “Land of Fire and Ice”, and because of its active volcanoes, there are plenty of hot springs and geysers similar to what one might see at Yellowstone National Park. This makes it possible to use geothermal power to provide hot water to much of Iceland. It’s a real benefit since if petroleum were required for heating, the cost in this remote area would be prohibitive.
Dodging the raindrops as much as possible, we made several stops. First stop was to see the rugged Hengill Volcano area with a markup 3-D design of the volcanic region and to show us how the North American Plate and the European Plate meet right through Iceland and near Reykjavik. We visited the UNESCO World Heritage Site at Thingvellir where we crossed from North America into Europe. First time we had ever gone between those two continents by land! I had never thought of North America and Europe meeting in Iceland. There was rough terrain, evidence of earthquakes that left the region scarred and giving opportunities for volcanic eruptions.
A very short visit to the village of Hveragerdi let us observe several hot springs and even see some eggs being boiled in the hot, steam waters. Unfortunately the rain was coming down pretty heavily there, so many headed back to the bus very quickly. Nearby we were taken to a very modern hotel for an Icelandic lunch using virtually all locally grown produce. The tour continued to the Hellisheidi Geothermal Plant Visitor Center for a short presentation of the world’s geothermal plates, including those that cut through Iceland, and an opportunity to see some of the equipment. This just opened in 2007 and is a showcase for modern Iceland’s geothermal energy. Upon our return to the ship, we were each given a small rock from last year’s volcanic eruption. This tour certainly opened our eyes into how Iceland deals with its volcanoes and harnesses the benefits through their geothermal part.
Before leaving home, we had made arrangements for what we knew would be a very special part of our entire Voyage of the Vikings. Way back in 1963-64, while we were still living in Lancaster, NY, some very close family friends hosted an exchange student from Iceland for a year. Barb is still in contact with the eldest daughter in the family who immediately contacted Grétar in Reykjavik. We had just thought that she might be interested to know that we were visiting Iceland, but much to our surprise and delight, Grétar emailed Barb and said he would be happy to show us around Reykjavik, and we arranged to meet at 3:00 PM. After sharing updated pictures, we easily met just outside the security gate of the terminal and spent the rest of the day seeing the city and their home.
We saw so much that, not having taken notes, I couldn’t possibly adequately describe everything we saw. Grétar suggested that since it was rainy and since we were on “The Voyage of the Vikings”, we might be interested in seeing two special exhibits at two Reykjavik museums. One featured Viking documents and the Edda Poems¸ some ancient Icelandic sagas. It would be like seeing original copies of the Declaration of Independence, except these documents are much older, some dating back to the 14th Century. The other museum was on the site of some excavations for modern building that uncovered some ancient Viking homes. This museum showed life in early Iceland. From there we did a walking tour of downtown Reykjavik and saw various government buildings including Parliament and City Hall which overlooks a lovely and actively used lake.
We took a break in our tour to visit Grétar’s home and meet his wife, Kristin, and later, their daughter, Lydia. Kristin served coffee and sweets as we had a chance to visit. We enjoyed the opportunity to see their beautiful home and think we may have been the only people on the ship to have had the good fortune to have visited in an Icelandic home. Barb was particularly interested in the nameplate on the door which had the name of each person in the family with their four different last names. In Iceland, a person doesn’t typically change names after marriage and until recently the last name would be the father’s first name followed by -son or
-dottir depending on gender. Now it is permitted to use the mother’s first name if that is desired. (Our tour guide this morning was was Rosa Maria Sigurbardsdottir since she was the daughter of Sigurbard. The last name of Grétar’s children is either Grétarson or Grétarsdottir.) Fascinating.
As we continued our tour, we visited the observation deck of round building which afforded spectacular views of this dynamic city. From there we drove to the magnificent Lutheran Cathedral which took from the late 1930s until 1986 to complete. Grétar told us that his parents had been on the building committee of the church and had given one of the large organ pipes for the church. The church was both simple in style and elegant in its beauty. After a stop at the site of the famous 1986 meeting between Reagan and Gorbachev which marked the beginning of the end of the Cold War, we went out to see the home of the prime minister. Unlike in the US and most countries, there is absolutely no security around the home. We got out of the car, walked past the chapel in front, and saw the home from a short distance. Considering ourselves privileged to have been invited to see Grétar and Kristin’s home, we decided not to press our luck by going to the prime minister’s door.
After a short stop back near the ship to see some interesting wall murals painted on buildings, we returned to our home away from home, considering this to have been the best day of our voyage!
Chuck
Iceland was worth the wait and I would highly recommend it to anyone who would love a refreshingly different opportunity. We knew we had a very busy day in Reykjavik planned and it lived up to expectations. The captain had warned that Iceland’s weather was notoriously unpredictable and while rain was forecast, maybe we would be lucky and this time since he had never been to Reykjavik without rain. Hopefully, we thought, since he had jinxed himself saying that while only 35% of cruise ships that planned to enter Prince Christian Sound, had been permitted to do so, he had always been fortunate enough to do so. But ice conditions precluded it this time, so since he said he always had rain in Reykjavik, maybe he would be wrong again and there would be no rain. This time we weren’t so lucky and we had several downpours, especially in the morning.
Since Iceland had been in the news for its active volcanoes, we chose a morning shore excursion called “Ancient Ring of Fire” which took us immediately out of Reykjavik without seeing any of the city to see the nearby Hengill Volcano. It was considered active since it had “only” been about 2,000 years since its last eruption and about 10,000 years is required to make a volcano “inactive.” Along the good, but little trafficked road, we saw large pipelines that looked like the oil pipelines of Alaska. Instead these were bringing hot geothermal water to Reykjavik and environs. (This excursion, by the way, was pretty scientific for non-scientists, so the descriptions are not likely to be up to scientific standards.) Because Iceland is known as the “Land of Fire and Ice”, and because of its active volcanoes, there are plenty of hot springs and geysers similar to what one might see at Yellowstone National Park. This makes it possible to use geothermal power to provide hot water to much of Iceland. It’s a real benefit since if petroleum were required for heating, the cost in this remote area would be prohibitive.
Dodging the raindrops as much as possible, we made several stops. First stop was to see the rugged Hengill Volcano area with a markup 3-D design of the volcanic region and to show us how the North American Plate and the European Plate meet right through Iceland and near Reykjavik. We visited the UNESCO World Heritage Site at Thingvellir where we crossed from North America into Europe. First time we had ever gone between those two continents by land! I had never thought of North America and Europe meeting in Iceland. There was rough terrain, evidence of earthquakes that left the region scarred and giving opportunities for volcanic eruptions.
A very short visit to the village of Hveragerdi let us observe several hot springs and even see some eggs being boiled in the hot, steam waters. Unfortunately the rain was coming down pretty heavily there, so many headed back to the bus very quickly. Nearby we were taken to a very modern hotel for an Icelandic lunch using virtually all locally grown produce. The tour continued to the Hellisheidi Geothermal Plant Visitor Center for a short presentation of the world’s geothermal plates, including those that cut through Iceland, and an opportunity to see some of the equipment. This just opened in 2007 and is a showcase for modern Iceland’s geothermal energy. Upon our return to the ship, we were each given a small rock from last year’s volcanic eruption. This tour certainly opened our eyes into how Iceland deals with its volcanoes and harnesses the benefits through their geothermal part.
Before leaving home, we had made arrangements for what we knew would be a very special part of our entire Voyage of the Vikings. Way back in 1963-64, while we were still living in Lancaster, NY, some very close family friends hosted an exchange student from Iceland for a year. Barb is still in contact with the eldest daughter in the family who immediately contacted Grétar in Reykjavik. We had just thought that she might be interested to know that we were visiting Iceland, but much to our surprise and delight, Grétar emailed Barb and said he would be happy to show us around Reykjavik, and we arranged to meet at 3:00 PM. After sharing updated pictures, we easily met just outside the security gate of the terminal and spent the rest of the day seeing the city and their home.
We saw so much that, not having taken notes, I couldn’t possibly adequately describe everything we saw. Grétar suggested that since it was rainy and since we were on “The Voyage of the Vikings”, we might be interested in seeing two special exhibits at two Reykjavik museums. One featured Viking documents and the Edda Poems¸ some ancient Icelandic sagas. It would be like seeing original copies of the Declaration of Independence, except these documents are much older, some dating back to the 14th Century. The other museum was on the site of some excavations for modern building that uncovered some ancient Viking homes. This museum showed life in early Iceland. From there we did a walking tour of downtown Reykjavik and saw various government buildings including Parliament and City Hall which overlooks a lovely and actively used lake.
We took a break in our tour to visit Grétar’s home and meet his wife, Kristin, and later, their daughter, Lydia. Kristin served coffee and sweets as we had a chance to visit. We enjoyed the opportunity to see their beautiful home and think we may have been the only people on the ship to have had the good fortune to have visited in an Icelandic home. Barb was particularly interested in the nameplate on the door which had the name of each person in the family with their four different last names. In Iceland, a person doesn’t typically change names after marriage and until recently the last name would be the father’s first name followed by -son or
-dottir depending on gender. Now it is permitted to use the mother’s first name if that is desired. (Our tour guide this morning was was Rosa Maria Sigurbardsdottir since she was the daughter of Sigurbard. The last name of Grétar’s children is either Grétarson or Grétarsdottir.) Fascinating.
As we continued our tour, we visited the observation deck of round building which afforded spectacular views of this dynamic city. From there we drove to the magnificent Lutheran Cathedral which took from the late 1930s until 1986 to complete. Grétar told us that his parents had been on the building committee of the church and had given one of the large organ pipes for the church. The church was both simple in style and elegant in its beauty. After a stop at the site of the famous 1986 meeting between Reagan and Gorbachev which marked the beginning of the end of the Cold War, we went out to see the home of the prime minister. Unlike in the US and most countries, there is absolutely no security around the home. We got out of the car, walked past the chapel in front, and saw the home from a short distance. Considering ourselves privileged to have been invited to see Grétar and Kristin’s home, we decided not to press our luck by going to the prime minister’s door.
After a short stop back near the ship to see some interesting wall murals painted on buildings, we returned to our home away from home, considering this to have been the best day of our voyage!
Chuck
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Qaqortoq, Greenland and Days at Sea
The day began very early for us and in a most unexpected and unwelcome way! At about 1:45 the emergency alarm went off throughout the ship. Ugh! Chuck got up to see what was going on, but I chose to stay in bed and wait for further information. Several people were poking their noses out of their staterooms, wondering the same thing. A few minutes later, the captain came over the PA: “Ladies and gentlemen, this is the captain speaking. A fire alarm has gone off and we have detected some smoke. We are checking to find the source of the smoke. At this time there is no need for guests to do anything. We will keep you informed.” So we waited, and about five minutes later, “Ladies and gentlemen, this is the captain speaking. We have discovered a small fire near a dishwasher in the pantry of the crow’s nest, and the crew is working to put it out. We will keep you informed.” Great! Six hours from Greenland, somewhere in the North Atlantic, and there’s a fire on the ship! A few minutes later, “Ladies and gentlemen, this is the captain speaking. The fire has been extinguished. Have a pleasant night.” (Yeah, right! Maybe we’ll be able to sleep, now that visions of lifeboats can be replaced by visions of sugarplums!) It certainly made us a little bleary-eyed when it was time to get up.
Despite the early morning emergency, we arrived at our next port right on schedule. Qaqortoq was a real surprise! We expected cold, damp weather, and we got marvelous sunshine and about 55°! Walking around in sweatshirts and jackets proved to be much warmer than we’d anticipated!
We arrived right on schedule, but since there were no shore excursions, we opted to have a good breakfast before tendering into town. Being 4-star mariners definitely has its perks – we were able to go in whenever we felt like going without having to get tickets and wait for a specific tender.
This area is very hilly, so everywhere we went we were walking either up- or downhill. The population of Qaqortoq is about 3500, and we are convinced that about ¼ of them are children under the age of 5! We must have encountered at least 40 children out for walks around town with adults. We assumed they must be day-care children, but we decided that they are definitely doing their part to increase the population of the village. We wondered if there were so many out because of the nice weather.
The houses are among the most colorful we’ve ever seen – bright reds, oranges, yellows, greens, blues, and even a few very vivid purple ones! There were boats everywhere, and we were amazed at all the clotheslines out and loaded with clothes. We must have encountered almost as many forklifts driving around town as we did cars and trucks!
We really enjoyed wandering around the community and greeting so many friendly people. We visited a couple of small but very picturesque churches, popped into a few stores just to see what they had to offer, and we decided that we really didn’t need to buy things like refrigerators or washers and dryers! We also checked out what appeared to be an outdoor fish and meat market. As we’d expected, the meat was reindeer meat. No, thanks. Not interested in having Dasher or Dancer for dinner! They don’t have many tourists, so the only places we were able to find anything of interest to us was at the tourist information center.
Back on board the ship, we were able to get a few pictures of some medium-sized icebergs in the bay. We’re hoping to see more tomorrow, but the captain informed us that about 65% of the ships aren’t able to navigate through the Prince Christian Sund (Sound). They send out helicopters to make sure that it’s safe for a ship to venture in. After all, we do want to be able to venture back out again, and the helicopters make sure a ship isn’t ice-locked once it enters the sound.
We were up early to view all the icebergs surrounding the ship. We were making our way very slowly through the waters off the coast of Greenland because of all the ice. When the helicopter checked the water in Prince Christian Sound, they found it to be ice-locked, so we were unable to enter the sound. Despite that, we had beautiful views of the icy waters and unique and colorful ice formations. When seeing these ice floes, you are really able to see for yourself just how much ice appears below the surface of the water.
In addition to the ice, we saw numerous seals relaxing on the sheets of ice. As the ship approached, some seals held their ground, but most escaped into the icy waters and swam away. Some floes had a single seal, but we spotted some floes with as many as half a dozen seals sunning themselves. I’m sure glad that I don’t have to spend my life slithering around on ice in these frigid waters!
Sunday found us enjoying another sea day. The ship has really picked up speed and the seas are rocky, so I really started feeling the motion of the ocean! Fortunately some Coke and a Bonine did the trick, and I was able to go on with the day’s activities as planned. These included another excellent port lecture by Barbara about Invergordon/Inverness and Edinburgh. Despite having been there many times, we were interested in hearing her take on these locations. From there it was on to the 4-star Mariner Brunch. We always enjoy that as well as picking up a Delft tile. (I really like this year’s design, which incorporates King Neptune into it.) It was way too cold and windy to walk outside, so I opted to do a lap around each of the eight decks that are available to passengers. Then it was on to a lecture about pirates.
We are looking forward to our arrival in Reykjavik tomorrow.
Barb
Despite the early morning emergency, we arrived at our next port right on schedule. Qaqortoq was a real surprise! We expected cold, damp weather, and we got marvelous sunshine and about 55°! Walking around in sweatshirts and jackets proved to be much warmer than we’d anticipated!
We arrived right on schedule, but since there were no shore excursions, we opted to have a good breakfast before tendering into town. Being 4-star mariners definitely has its perks – we were able to go in whenever we felt like going without having to get tickets and wait for a specific tender.
This area is very hilly, so everywhere we went we were walking either up- or downhill. The population of Qaqortoq is about 3500, and we are convinced that about ¼ of them are children under the age of 5! We must have encountered at least 40 children out for walks around town with adults. We assumed they must be day-care children, but we decided that they are definitely doing their part to increase the population of the village. We wondered if there were so many out because of the nice weather.
The houses are among the most colorful we’ve ever seen – bright reds, oranges, yellows, greens, blues, and even a few very vivid purple ones! There were boats everywhere, and we were amazed at all the clotheslines out and loaded with clothes. We must have encountered almost as many forklifts driving around town as we did cars and trucks!
We really enjoyed wandering around the community and greeting so many friendly people. We visited a couple of small but very picturesque churches, popped into a few stores just to see what they had to offer, and we decided that we really didn’t need to buy things like refrigerators or washers and dryers! We also checked out what appeared to be an outdoor fish and meat market. As we’d expected, the meat was reindeer meat. No, thanks. Not interested in having Dasher or Dancer for dinner! They don’t have many tourists, so the only places we were able to find anything of interest to us was at the tourist information center.
Back on board the ship, we were able to get a few pictures of some medium-sized icebergs in the bay. We’re hoping to see more tomorrow, but the captain informed us that about 65% of the ships aren’t able to navigate through the Prince Christian Sund (Sound). They send out helicopters to make sure that it’s safe for a ship to venture in. After all, we do want to be able to venture back out again, and the helicopters make sure a ship isn’t ice-locked once it enters the sound.
We were up early to view all the icebergs surrounding the ship. We were making our way very slowly through the waters off the coast of Greenland because of all the ice. When the helicopter checked the water in Prince Christian Sound, they found it to be ice-locked, so we were unable to enter the sound. Despite that, we had beautiful views of the icy waters and unique and colorful ice formations. When seeing these ice floes, you are really able to see for yourself just how much ice appears below the surface of the water.
In addition to the ice, we saw numerous seals relaxing on the sheets of ice. As the ship approached, some seals held their ground, but most escaped into the icy waters and swam away. Some floes had a single seal, but we spotted some floes with as many as half a dozen seals sunning themselves. I’m sure glad that I don’t have to spend my life slithering around on ice in these frigid waters!
Sunday found us enjoying another sea day. The ship has really picked up speed and the seas are rocky, so I really started feeling the motion of the ocean! Fortunately some Coke and a Bonine did the trick, and I was able to go on with the day’s activities as planned. These included another excellent port lecture by Barbara about Invergordon/Inverness and Edinburgh. Despite having been there many times, we were interested in hearing her take on these locations. From there it was on to the 4-star Mariner Brunch. We always enjoy that as well as picking up a Delft tile. (I really like this year’s design, which incorporates King Neptune into it.) It was way too cold and windy to walk outside, so I opted to do a lap around each of the eight decks that are available to passengers. Then it was on to a lecture about pirates.
We are looking forward to our arrival in Reykjavik tomorrow.
Barb
Thursday, July 28, 2011
At Sea between Canada & Greenland
As we headed north from Newfoundland to Greenland through the chilly North Atlantic, we had two days at sea. Wednesday morning found us up early as our captain told us we might be able to see icebergs but fog was predicted to roll in mid-morning and remain for the next two days. After looking out the window at 6, all we saw was blue sky and sea but by 7, there were a few smaller icebergs beginning to pass by. So it was out on deck to see what we could. However, the biggest iceberg of the morning was the one we observed from our stateroom earlier; we later found that the captain had diverted out of his way so we could see them.
On sea days, we typically have breakfast in the main dining room and are randomly seated at tables for four. On each day we have met interesting people and today was no exception. We met a couple from near Vancouver. Otto was born in Holland and Ida in the Philippines. We told them that they were the third couple in a row where each spouse was born in different countries and had settled in Canada. They were a wealth of knowledge about world travel, offering several excellent suggestions. We find we are such rookies when it comes to travel!
We had hoped to attend Cruise Director Bruce’s “Good Morning Maasdam”, a takeoff on morning TV’s interview shows, but once again time got in the way. We wanted to hear Travel Guide, Barbara Haenni’s, informative presentation on things to see and do in Reykavik, Iceland. Once again, virtually without notes, she gave historical information and lots of description of things to see in that far northern city. As she finished, we remained seated for the next speaker, Tim Runyan, a Professor at East Carolina University, speak on “What’s under the Ship” – mostly about the topography of the sea floor and various shipwrecks including the famous and the infamous Titanic.
After lunch and laps around the deck, we attended an absolutely fascinating presentation on “What is Linguistics?”, by Ron Barasch, Professor of Linguistics at University of California at Irvine. Anyone with an interest in English language and other languages would enjoy what he had to say.
The predicted fog never materialized all day long and, as we moved farther north, it was still somewhat light after 10 PM – a further bonus to our trek north. However, the downside is the predicted high of 43 on Thursday. Predicted high for Chicago is 90!
As we pushed farther north on Thursday, temps continued to drop and the long-promised fog took over by early Thursday afternoon. Barbara Haenni delivered one of her wonderfully informative talks about what we can expect to see and do in the two smaller Icelandic ports we visit on our eastbound journey, Heimaey and Djupivogur. Dr. Ron Barasch spoke in the afternoon on the subject of Languages of the World.
There’s never a lack of things to do on the ship when we have days at sea. Tomorrow – Greenland!
Chuck
On sea days, we typically have breakfast in the main dining room and are randomly seated at tables for four. On each day we have met interesting people and today was no exception. We met a couple from near Vancouver. Otto was born in Holland and Ida in the Philippines. We told them that they were the third couple in a row where each spouse was born in different countries and had settled in Canada. They were a wealth of knowledge about world travel, offering several excellent suggestions. We find we are such rookies when it comes to travel!
We had hoped to attend Cruise Director Bruce’s “Good Morning Maasdam”, a takeoff on morning TV’s interview shows, but once again time got in the way. We wanted to hear Travel Guide, Barbara Haenni’s, informative presentation on things to see and do in Reykavik, Iceland. Once again, virtually without notes, she gave historical information and lots of description of things to see in that far northern city. As she finished, we remained seated for the next speaker, Tim Runyan, a Professor at East Carolina University, speak on “What’s under the Ship” – mostly about the topography of the sea floor and various shipwrecks including the famous and the infamous Titanic.
After lunch and laps around the deck, we attended an absolutely fascinating presentation on “What is Linguistics?”, by Ron Barasch, Professor of Linguistics at University of California at Irvine. Anyone with an interest in English language and other languages would enjoy what he had to say.
The predicted fog never materialized all day long and, as we moved farther north, it was still somewhat light after 10 PM – a further bonus to our trek north. However, the downside is the predicted high of 43 on Thursday. Predicted high for Chicago is 90!
As we pushed farther north on Thursday, temps continued to drop and the long-promised fog took over by early Thursday afternoon. Barbara Haenni delivered one of her wonderfully informative talks about what we can expect to see and do in the two smaller Icelandic ports we visit on our eastbound journey, Heimaey and Djupivogur. Dr. Ron Barasch spoke in the afternoon on the subject of Languages of the World.
There’s never a lack of things to do on the ship when we have days at sea. Tomorrow – Greenland!
Chuck
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Cap-aux-Meules, Quebec & Bonne Bay, Newfoundland
Our first port of call was Cap-aux-Meules, located in the Madeleine Archipelago of Quebec. After our short tender ride, we boarded local school buses to take the ride to La Grave, a small historic village located on a nearby island. The island, accessible by roads, extended along a very narrow peninsula of sandy beaches. The bus took us as far as it could go, and we could have walked to the end, if we’d wanted (or had time) to see where they hold the sand castle competitions. (You know – the ones we later see in picture on the Internet!)
Instead, we walked through the picturesque village. Most of the industry revolves around lobster fishing, but the season has just ended, so we were able to see piles of lobster traps. Also important is the tourist industry so the one main was lined with small shops. Outside one shop was a man beginning to build a sand castle. He spent some time explaining how to get the detail and how to make sure the castle didn’t easily fall apart. At least that’s what I’m assuming he was telling. I didn’t take time to listen, and the Quebecois French accent isn’t easy for me to pick up. I did enjoy watching the process, though.
On the way back to Cap-aux-Meules, our guide told pointed out the enormous wooden church, explaining that it was the second-largest in North America. There was quite a story behind the wood they used for the church, and it involved trying to get wood from Canada to England that kept getting shipwrecked on the island. After the third attempt to bring wood (and third shipwreck), they gave up, blessed the wood, and built the church.
It was a short and easy excursion, but we enjoyed it. When someone asked our tour guide how long she’d been giving tours, she told us that we were her very first tour! She did a great job for being brand new! Not only that, but we were the first cruise ship of the season to visit Cap-aux-Meules; they only get about two ships a year visiting their area so we felt we were fortunate to be able to visit.
As mentioned earlier, we had used school buses for our tour. Later we learned that the children were given a day off from school (in late July!!!) so that the buses could be used for the tours the community provided. Obviously the arrival of a ship is a really big deal to everyone here!
At lunch, we heard a real horror story! Someone at the table next to us commented that there were people on the tender who were arriving with their luggage. They had flown from Arkansas, through Chicago, to Boston, and because of the storm in Chicago, they arrived in Boston late, just a half hour after the ship had sailed. So they had to manage to get themselves to the tiny island of Cap-aux-Meules. The tour guide had told us that there was something like one flight in and out a day! We considered ourselves very fortunate to have gotten out before the storm created more havoc!
Tuesday found us arriving in Woody Point, at the edge of Bonne Bay, Newfoundland. It’s a pretty little village that’s considered the gateway to Gros Morne National Park. Our arrival was heralded by mummers dancing in the streets, accompanied by Santa Claus! At this port we opted for a scenic cruise of the bay. Our cruise took us along the shores of rugged countryside with Gros Morne as a highlight in the distance. One set of jagged rocks was nicknamed Tenerife by Captain James Cook when he visited the area in the 1700s. (He certainly did get around – he was highlighted on our South Pacific cruise in 2009, and now here he is again, in Canada in 2011!)
Across the bay the terrain was less populated – by humans, at least! We managed to spot a few bald eagles. While not nearly as prevalent as they are in Alaska, they are a common sight here in Newfoundland. Our guide said that they usually appear in pairs. Later, as we turned into a smaller arm of the bay, we had a wonderful view of a waterfall, which the guide claimed they were trying to tout as competition to Niagara Falls. He told us that there was someone scheduled to go over the falls in a barrel this afternoon. We got a chuckle when we saw the gentle falls – no more than 10 feet high! They certainly have a sense of humor. As we watched the many kayakers in the water, we were startled by a minke whale. I’m sure glad I wasn’t in one of those kayaks, though it didn’t seem to bother them – or the whale! Apparently minkes are loners and don’t surface for very long or in a very dramatic fashion. We got a few glimpses of backs and a small dorsal fin, but that was it before he did a deep dive and went on his way. On our way again after our whale siting, we saw a very impressive geological formation – many strata of rock nearly perpendicular with the water – an old sea bed pushed to the surface after millions of years. The cruise certainly afforded a variety of interesting sights!
Back in the village, we wandered the main street. The people were very friendly and thrilled to have a ship come in. We heard that this was the first decent weather they’d had. The last time the Maasdam was here (two years ago), it was pouring rain, so the community was very pleased to put their best foot forward, both as hospitable people, but also with very hospitable weather – sunny and about 70°! We also had a warm greeting from a Royal Canadian Mounted Police, as well as Chap, the chocolate Labrador retriever. (The province is Newfoundland & Labrador, and we were told we’d be greeted by a dog, but we thought it would be a Newfoundland!)
We took a short walk to a quaint little lighthouse overlooking the bay and were afforded a beautiful scenic view of the bay, the town, and the ship.
It’s been a long time since I’ve been in Newfoundland, and I have to admit that the lsat time wasn’t the most thrilling! We made a fuel stop in Gander when I was flying home from my semester in France back in 1970! I remember getting out at the airport and not seeing much at all other than the airport itself. This visit was much more pleasant!
Barb
Instead, we walked through the picturesque village. Most of the industry revolves around lobster fishing, but the season has just ended, so we were able to see piles of lobster traps. Also important is the tourist industry so the one main was lined with small shops. Outside one shop was a man beginning to build a sand castle. He spent some time explaining how to get the detail and how to make sure the castle didn’t easily fall apart. At least that’s what I’m assuming he was telling. I didn’t take time to listen, and the Quebecois French accent isn’t easy for me to pick up. I did enjoy watching the process, though.
On the way back to Cap-aux-Meules, our guide told pointed out the enormous wooden church, explaining that it was the second-largest in North America. There was quite a story behind the wood they used for the church, and it involved trying to get wood from Canada to England that kept getting shipwrecked on the island. After the third attempt to bring wood (and third shipwreck), they gave up, blessed the wood, and built the church.
It was a short and easy excursion, but we enjoyed it. When someone asked our tour guide how long she’d been giving tours, she told us that we were her very first tour! She did a great job for being brand new! Not only that, but we were the first cruise ship of the season to visit Cap-aux-Meules; they only get about two ships a year visiting their area so we felt we were fortunate to be able to visit.
As mentioned earlier, we had used school buses for our tour. Later we learned that the children were given a day off from school (in late July!!!) so that the buses could be used for the tours the community provided. Obviously the arrival of a ship is a really big deal to everyone here!
At lunch, we heard a real horror story! Someone at the table next to us commented that there were people on the tender who were arriving with their luggage. They had flown from Arkansas, through Chicago, to Boston, and because of the storm in Chicago, they arrived in Boston late, just a half hour after the ship had sailed. So they had to manage to get themselves to the tiny island of Cap-aux-Meules. The tour guide had told us that there was something like one flight in and out a day! We considered ourselves very fortunate to have gotten out before the storm created more havoc!
Tuesday found us arriving in Woody Point, at the edge of Bonne Bay, Newfoundland. It’s a pretty little village that’s considered the gateway to Gros Morne National Park. Our arrival was heralded by mummers dancing in the streets, accompanied by Santa Claus! At this port we opted for a scenic cruise of the bay. Our cruise took us along the shores of rugged countryside with Gros Morne as a highlight in the distance. One set of jagged rocks was nicknamed Tenerife by Captain James Cook when he visited the area in the 1700s. (He certainly did get around – he was highlighted on our South Pacific cruise in 2009, and now here he is again, in Canada in 2011!)
Across the bay the terrain was less populated – by humans, at least! We managed to spot a few bald eagles. While not nearly as prevalent as they are in Alaska, they are a common sight here in Newfoundland. Our guide said that they usually appear in pairs. Later, as we turned into a smaller arm of the bay, we had a wonderful view of a waterfall, which the guide claimed they were trying to tout as competition to Niagara Falls. He told us that there was someone scheduled to go over the falls in a barrel this afternoon. We got a chuckle when we saw the gentle falls – no more than 10 feet high! They certainly have a sense of humor. As we watched the many kayakers in the water, we were startled by a minke whale. I’m sure glad I wasn’t in one of those kayaks, though it didn’t seem to bother them – or the whale! Apparently minkes are loners and don’t surface for very long or in a very dramatic fashion. We got a few glimpses of backs and a small dorsal fin, but that was it before he did a deep dive and went on his way. On our way again after our whale siting, we saw a very impressive geological formation – many strata of rock nearly perpendicular with the water – an old sea bed pushed to the surface after millions of years. The cruise certainly afforded a variety of interesting sights!
Back in the village, we wandered the main street. The people were very friendly and thrilled to have a ship come in. We heard that this was the first decent weather they’d had. The last time the Maasdam was here (two years ago), it was pouring rain, so the community was very pleased to put their best foot forward, both as hospitable people, but also with very hospitable weather – sunny and about 70°! We also had a warm greeting from a Royal Canadian Mounted Police, as well as Chap, the chocolate Labrador retriever. (The province is Newfoundland & Labrador, and we were told we’d be greeted by a dog, but we thought it would be a Newfoundland!)
We took a short walk to a quaint little lighthouse overlooking the bay and were afforded a beautiful scenic view of the bay, the town, and the ship.
It’s been a long time since I’ve been in Newfoundland, and I have to admit that the lsat time wasn’t the most thrilling! We made a fuel stop in Gander when I was flying home from my semester in France back in 1970! I remember getting out at the airport and not seeing much at all other than the airport itself. This visit was much more pleasant!
Barb
Setting Out on the Voyage of the Vikings
A year and a half after booking our cruise, on Friday morning, July 22, we were up early for our trip to O’Hare Airport to make our flight to Boston for the start of the “Voyage of the Vikings.” We had had very little rain in about a month, but this morning, of course, “scattered thunderstorms” were predicted for the Chicago area. It was our hope that we might get out before any possible storms might hit and we kept watching the western skies as we rode to the airport.
Our check-in was routine and we passed through security with little problem. About an hour before departure, Barb went to buy something to take on board for lunch and when she returned, I did the same. I was in no rush as I figured we wouldn’t board for another half hour. As I returned, Barb was standing, motioning for me to hurry as they had already passed our group boarding. As we gave our boarding passes, Barb was motioned out of line to try to fit her carry on into the tiny carry on sizer. Naturally it didn’t fit. It wasn’t any larger than what I was carrying but hers was more in the shape of a duffle. When it didn’t fit, they made her put hers in the plane’s hold. It was the first time it had ever happened and so totally unexpected that she had to send it off, unlocked with medications and travel documents as well as a few other items that would have been a disaster to lose. I, with about the same size carry on, was waved through to my seat. Go figure!
We were boarded early and told that the fight was full and we were going to try to take off early so we could beat the storm front that was headed for Chicago. We were away from the gate before the original departure time and were taxing out toward the runway when the sheets of rain hit. Thunder and lightning began and the captain came on to say there was no way we could take off in this! Those who had wished for rain had their prayers answered as we sat wondering if we would make it to Boston or not. Not only were we wanting to get to Boston to be sure to board the cruise (the thought of a cancelled flight, rebooking, getting to Boston in an alternative manner, and the outside concern of missing the Saturday afternoon departure of the cruise somehow), but friends we had met on our South Pacific, Australia and New Zealand cruise, Tony and Jude Zeoli, were going to spend some time with us in Boston. Since they were busy in the evening, it was only going to be practical to see them if the plane was approximately on time.
After a few updates from the captain, we were told that the weather had lifted sufficiently to take off. However that cost us an hour and a half and we arrived in Boston about 2:30 PM rather than the scheduled arrival of 12:55 PM – too late to make our connection with Tony and Jude a possibility.
So we took the shuttle to our hotel just as rush hour was beginning. I should add that the temp In Boston was 103 on Friday (following 99 and 98 in Chicago on Wednesday and Thursday. We got checked in with no problem and found a Chinese restaurant within a short walk on a hot, humid day and ate there. It looked great from the outside, service and décor were excellent, but the food quality left much to be desired. Oh well.
Saturday morning we had time to kill so had a leisurely breakfast, got everything packed up and got our luggage to the lobby for a scheduled shuttle departure at noon. We got a break since we were among the earliest with our luggage ready so actually were on our way on the shuttle before 11:30 as they knew the luggage wouldn’t all fit for the people booked on the shuttle. We got to Black Falcon Pier and had our larger luggage whisked away to be delivered to our room. We processed very quickly through the boarding procedures and were on board early enough to have the Mariner’s Brunch at the Rotterdam Dining Room. We were behind a group of 8 who had met each other on previous cruises and they were busy exchanging greetings. When we were to be seated, in order for the eight of them to sit together, they needed a table for 10 and invited Barb and me to join them. We did and they were kind enough to include us in their conversation. Of course they wanted to know where we were from and that naturally elicited the comments about Illinois politics! Our response was our typical “don’t blame us, we tried to warn” response so we were forgiven.
The rest of the afternoon was spent unpacking and getting organized. There was a quick overview of the cruise and we were thrilled to learn that Bruce Scudder was the Cruise Director and Barbara Haenni was the Travel Guide. Both were on our 2009 Grand Voyage and are the premier Holland America people in those positions and masters of their jobs.
At dinner we connected first with Deris Aprianto, our table steward that we had first met on our Norwegian fjords cruise in 2007 with our cousins. We had seen him on two additional cruises and Barb in particular had become Facebook friends with him. She had told him we had future cruise plans and he wondered if we were willing to request him as steward as he liked our ship the Maasdam, and HAL tried, when possible to honor requests of those who cruised frequently with them. Of course we were happy to ask for him. We were joined at our table with Sally and Ange DiTomaso of Florida who were traveling with their friend, Marge Buschhoff, also of Florida who we met for the first time.
After dinner, we went to our rooms to try to organize and unpack. That’s when Barb determined that the battery for her computer, that she remembered packing was completely missing. She put it in her luggage, remembered exactly where she put it, but it was gone. Completely gone. A big bulky item like that had disappeared. What a waste to have brought an unusable computer. We searched everywhere, but when I opened the drawer where I had stored my camera equipment, there it was! Whew. In hauling “stuff” out of suitcases and getting things put away, it wound up in my drawer. Crisis averted.
The evening entertainment was at 9:30 and we knew clocks were to be set ahead so we would lose an hour of sleep, so we got ready for bed and I was out like a light.
We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast and met a couple of French Canadian women from Montreal at breakfast. They spoke good English and Barb practiced some French on them. We wanted to hear the future cruise consultant talk about upcoming voyages for 2012 and 2013; then it was off to a Cruise Critic “Meet and Greet” where we could finally meet people with whom we had had contact before the cruise. At 11 AM, we heard Travel Consultant Barbara and her vast store of knowledge about Greenland.
By the end of the presentation it was time for lunch and then a lecture on the historical role of the Vikings in the North Atlantic. Did anyone say they would be bored on sea days? If so, it’s their own fault!
Chuck
Our check-in was routine and we passed through security with little problem. About an hour before departure, Barb went to buy something to take on board for lunch and when she returned, I did the same. I was in no rush as I figured we wouldn’t board for another half hour. As I returned, Barb was standing, motioning for me to hurry as they had already passed our group boarding. As we gave our boarding passes, Barb was motioned out of line to try to fit her carry on into the tiny carry on sizer. Naturally it didn’t fit. It wasn’t any larger than what I was carrying but hers was more in the shape of a duffle. When it didn’t fit, they made her put hers in the plane’s hold. It was the first time it had ever happened and so totally unexpected that she had to send it off, unlocked with medications and travel documents as well as a few other items that would have been a disaster to lose. I, with about the same size carry on, was waved through to my seat. Go figure!
We were boarded early and told that the fight was full and we were going to try to take off early so we could beat the storm front that was headed for Chicago. We were away from the gate before the original departure time and were taxing out toward the runway when the sheets of rain hit. Thunder and lightning began and the captain came on to say there was no way we could take off in this! Those who had wished for rain had their prayers answered as we sat wondering if we would make it to Boston or not. Not only were we wanting to get to Boston to be sure to board the cruise (the thought of a cancelled flight, rebooking, getting to Boston in an alternative manner, and the outside concern of missing the Saturday afternoon departure of the cruise somehow), but friends we had met on our South Pacific, Australia and New Zealand cruise, Tony and Jude Zeoli, were going to spend some time with us in Boston. Since they were busy in the evening, it was only going to be practical to see them if the plane was approximately on time.
After a few updates from the captain, we were told that the weather had lifted sufficiently to take off. However that cost us an hour and a half and we arrived in Boston about 2:30 PM rather than the scheduled arrival of 12:55 PM – too late to make our connection with Tony and Jude a possibility.
So we took the shuttle to our hotel just as rush hour was beginning. I should add that the temp In Boston was 103 on Friday (following 99 and 98 in Chicago on Wednesday and Thursday. We got checked in with no problem and found a Chinese restaurant within a short walk on a hot, humid day and ate there. It looked great from the outside, service and décor were excellent, but the food quality left much to be desired. Oh well.
Saturday morning we had time to kill so had a leisurely breakfast, got everything packed up and got our luggage to the lobby for a scheduled shuttle departure at noon. We got a break since we were among the earliest with our luggage ready so actually were on our way on the shuttle before 11:30 as they knew the luggage wouldn’t all fit for the people booked on the shuttle. We got to Black Falcon Pier and had our larger luggage whisked away to be delivered to our room. We processed very quickly through the boarding procedures and were on board early enough to have the Mariner’s Brunch at the Rotterdam Dining Room. We were behind a group of 8 who had met each other on previous cruises and they were busy exchanging greetings. When we were to be seated, in order for the eight of them to sit together, they needed a table for 10 and invited Barb and me to join them. We did and they were kind enough to include us in their conversation. Of course they wanted to know where we were from and that naturally elicited the comments about Illinois politics! Our response was our typical “don’t blame us, we tried to warn” response so we were forgiven.
The rest of the afternoon was spent unpacking and getting organized. There was a quick overview of the cruise and we were thrilled to learn that Bruce Scudder was the Cruise Director and Barbara Haenni was the Travel Guide. Both were on our 2009 Grand Voyage and are the premier Holland America people in those positions and masters of their jobs.
At dinner we connected first with Deris Aprianto, our table steward that we had first met on our Norwegian fjords cruise in 2007 with our cousins. We had seen him on two additional cruises and Barb in particular had become Facebook friends with him. She had told him we had future cruise plans and he wondered if we were willing to request him as steward as he liked our ship the Maasdam, and HAL tried, when possible to honor requests of those who cruised frequently with them. Of course we were happy to ask for him. We were joined at our table with Sally and Ange DiTomaso of Florida who were traveling with their friend, Marge Buschhoff, also of Florida who we met for the first time.
After dinner, we went to our rooms to try to organize and unpack. That’s when Barb determined that the battery for her computer, that she remembered packing was completely missing. She put it in her luggage, remembered exactly where she put it, but it was gone. Completely gone. A big bulky item like that had disappeared. What a waste to have brought an unusable computer. We searched everywhere, but when I opened the drawer where I had stored my camera equipment, there it was! Whew. In hauling “stuff” out of suitcases and getting things put away, it wound up in my drawer. Crisis averted.
The evening entertainment was at 9:30 and we knew clocks were to be set ahead so we would lose an hour of sleep, so we got ready for bed and I was out like a light.
We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast and met a couple of French Canadian women from Montreal at breakfast. They spoke good English and Barb practiced some French on them. We wanted to hear the future cruise consultant talk about upcoming voyages for 2012 and 2013; then it was off to a Cruise Critic “Meet and Greet” where we could finally meet people with whom we had had contact before the cruise. At 11 AM, we heard Travel Consultant Barbara and her vast store of knowledge about Greenland.
By the end of the presentation it was time for lunch and then a lecture on the historical role of the Vikings in the North Atlantic. Did anyone say they would be bored on sea days? If so, it’s their own fault!
Chuck
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