Our arrival in Amsterdam signaled the halfway point of our cruise. We had just under two days in Amsterdam and had opted to do a tour on the first day called Grand Holland that got us into areas of The Netherlands that we hadn’t previously visited.
We set out in rain for our first stop, which was Delft. On our way we passed the town of Aalsmeer, which boasts an enormous flower auction. The guide described it in detail, explaining that it covers an area of about 150 soccer fields! Two of our friends on the cruise later told us that they’d been there and it’s truly an amazing sight to see. We had to satisfy ourselves with the outside, but it would be something to consider another time!
Our guide explained in detail how they build up the land in the Netherlands, describing the dike system and the reclaimed land for homes and farmland. Very interesting to see the canals everywhere we go!
Just as we arrived in Delft, we began to see patches if blue in the skies, and we hoped that it was a good sign. We entered the Delft factory (now just more or less for show), and immediately headed for the restrooms. I was fascinated by all the Delft patterns in the tiles on the walls in there – and they even had a pattern in the toilet. (I think this is the first time I’ve ever taken a picture of a toilet bowl, but I couldn’t resist!) Our tour guide in the factory explained the process of hand-painting and firing the pieces. The painting looks black, but the cobalt in the paint turns blue when fired. We were interested in seeing the process, and it was amazing to see a life-size delft “piece” of Rembrandt’s The Night Watch on display there. Naturally the end of the tour brought us to the gift shop, where I left more than a few Euros behind!
When we came out, the sun was shining and the skies were blue – finally!!! From the factory we proceeded to the center of Delft, where we were given a choice of free time or going with the tour guide on a short walking tour. We opted to stay with the guide, and it was well worth it! We saw some very interesting sites, including the old meat market (adorned with sculptures of cows and sheep), as well as the Old Church. When we looked up at it from nearby, it looked fine, but when our guide took us down the canal, we saw that the steeple was leaning because of the weight of the bell. It leans 2 meters in one direction and one meter in another. It was quite obvious when we were a distance away. Now they only ring the bell on Christmas, Easter, and state occasions. We also took a walk along the longest bridge in the Netherlands. Dubbed the Butter Bridge, it runs quite a distance, but because the water isn’t visible underneath the bridge, we weren’t even aware that we were on a bridge!
We were given a few minutes of free time before returning to the bus, and we were sure to be back with time to spare. Our bus (the second of two taking this tour), set off, making a u-turn and continuing down the street before someone told the tour guide that they thought two people were missing. The guide had counted before we left and had thought she had the correct number. But when she recounted, she realized that two people were definitely missing! So we had to get back to the meeting site, which took longer since a canal bridge was being lifted to allow the passing of a canal barge. We commented that if it had been us, we’d have been mortified to get on the bus, having been late and made it necessary for the bus to return. Someone else commented that the people owed everyone a beer for having wasted 15 minutes of our time. We were stunned when the people got on, absolutely irate that they’d been left behind. They were late – obviously the last two people back on both buses, and they hadn’t even been in time to see that the bus made a u-turn right in front of the meeting spot. But they were angry, saying that according to their watches, they were on time! (Seems strange that they were the only ones whose watches were wrong!) However, you can well imagine that for the rest of the day when the tour guide said, “We are leaving at such-and-such a time,” everyone was back on the bus!
We had lunch in a seaside restaurant with a nice view of the ocean. The food was very good, but this time when given the choice of salmon or chicken, we both opted for chicken as we didn’t want to press our luck! During our conversation, we found that a few people had connections to Chicago. Toward the end of the lunch, the man next to me got up and went out. I was talking with his wife, and she said, “He started a little company in Chicago. You may have heard of it. It’s called US Cellular.” I assured her that, yes, I had heard of that little company! She in turn assured me that he had retired, turned the helm over to someone else, and was on a world cruise when he read a blurb in the online newspaper that stated that the company had bought and renamed Comiskey Park, US Cellular Field. She commented, “That was not my husband! He would never have done that!”
After lunch we drove the very short distance to our next stop, called Madurodam. This can only be described in one way – The Netherlands in Miniature! It was opened in the early 1950s in memory of a young man named George Maduro. He was an only child, and when he died in Dachau early in 1945, his parents decided to honor him by donating the money to build this miniature city. All proceeds go to charity, and everything in the village is exactly 25 times smaller than in reality. We strolled through the village, amazed at the small replicas of well-known places as well as the ones we were not familiar with. We got a kick out of seeing two men on their knees trimming the landscaping around the Peace Palace (which we later saw in real life). This, along with a seagull sitting on top of a building, really put the sizes into perspective. We were fascinated by watching the activity at the miniature Schipol Airport (Amsterdam) and strolled across the miniature Erasmus Bridge (Rotterdam landmark). We watched a barge canal boat sailing along, and suddenly a fire broke out on board. Out came the fire department boat and immediately doused the fire. One thing we really got a kick out of was watching some small children feeding the carp in one of the canals. Numerous fish came to the surface and practically “climbed” on top of each other, mouths open, trying to get to the bits of bread the children were offering . We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to this amazing little village!
Our final stop was at the Peace Palace in The Hague, especially interesting having seen it in miniature just an hour or so before. We had a bus tour of The Hague also, driving past the Royal Palace where Queen Beatrix lives and also past the Houses of Parliament. It was a lovely city.
Arriving back a few minutes early, we even managed to get to dinner without being more than a few minutes late. We really enjoyed the excursion.
We had been warned that they were doing some safety checks on the ship, including a test of the stabilization of the ship. Therefore, there would be no food available between midnight and 5:00 AM, as well as no ability to go ashore during those hours. They told us to be sure to stock up on food just in case we thought we’d get hungry between those hours, and they also indicated that we may notice the ship “tipping” a little. We had visions of trying to sleep on our heads, but of course we were completely unconcerned about having enough food to sustain us between midnight and 5:00! We have no clue what was done as we weren’t aware of any differences – fortunately! We got up as usual, and had breakfast as usual, so everything must have gone as expected.
We took a short walk to Central Station in Amsterdam, not far from the Cruise Port. We had been in Amsterdam last year and had stayed in almost the same location, so we didn’t take a lot of time to explore.
We did discover that there was free Wi-Fi in the cruise terminal, so we both had a chance to get caught up on email without spending a lot of minutes of our onboard account. Unfortunately , I hadn’t had a chance to write this blog.
We are now starting into our very busy stretch. We have eight days in a row when we’re in port. (Yesterday and today are two of them, but we at least had time to catch up today.) The next six will each be in a different port. Not only that, but we’ll be switching between Pounds and Euros five of the next six days! Tonight we gain and hour; tomorrow night we lose an hour; the next night we gain an hour as we go from The Netherlands to Dover, England to St. Malo, France, to Falmouth in Cornwall, England.
Barb
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Monday, August 8, 2011
Edinburgh, Scotland
Next to London and possibly Betws-y-coed in North Wales, Edinburgh has been our most frequently visited and one of our most favorite places to visit. This was my 8th time and Barb’s 6th time there, dating back to 1974 when I spent two weeks there taking some college classes that summer through Indiana University and going out on frequent day trips to see southern Scotland. Over the years in various trips, we have explored Edinburgh extensively and have enjoyed the old Royal Mile area between the Edinburgh Castle which rises high above the city and Holyrood Palace at the end other end of the Royal Mile, as well as bustling Princes Street in the newer part of the city with its shopping and business district.
Therefore this year we decided to do some things farther from the city on a shore excursion called “Edinburgh, Floors Castle, and Dryburgh Abbey”. We were anchored in the same place as we were on our trip to Edinburgh last year, near the two bridges across the Firth of Forth in S Queensferry, about 40 minutes north of Edinburgh. (I had asked my tour guide in Invergordon why it was necessary to tender for a major city like Edinburgh – his response was that the waters near Edinburgh are just too shallow to accommodate large cruise ships.)
When we boarded the bus, the sky was partly cloudy with some chance of rain later in the day. There were only thirty of us so we had plenty of space to spread out and have individual seats if we wanted, so Barb sat behind me. We drove south to the borders region between England and Scotland, an area of historic contention between the two historic monarchies. Some of the area had gone back and forth between England and Scotland but the area we visited is now part of Scotland.
Before reaching the ruins of the Dryburgh Abbey, we stopped at what’s called “Scott’s View” which was Sir Walter Scott’s favorite site, where he would always have his carriage stop for about ten minutes so he could soak in the view of the hills and the Tweed River. (We agreed that it was beautiful view.) From there we went to the nearby Dryburgh Abbey and walked around the ruins of the abbey. During the 16th century when there was much religious and political conflict, many of the Catholic abbeys were ravaged, leaving them in ruins. Sir Walter Scott’s tomb is at the abbey in his beloved Borders region of Scotland. When his body was being transported to Edinburgh following his death, his horses stopped automatically at Scott’s view as they had always done.
From there, we visited Floors Castle near Kelso, the home of the Duke of Roxburghe. It’s more like an estate home rather than a castle. The family still lives there, but certain rooms are made available for public tours. When we arrived on the estate, the guide told us there would be time later to take pictures of the outside and the grounds, but while we were touring the interior, the heavens opened and the rain poured down. It was too wet and rainy to want to walk outside so we huddled under umbrellas or in the gift shop until the bus was ready to board. From there we went to lunch at the Cross Keys Hotel in Kelso for a Scottish lunch of barley soup, fresh salmon and locally grown vegetables, followed by a delicious desert of meringue, fresh mixed berries and whipped cream. What’s so notable is that Barb and I usually turn up our noses at fish of almost any kind but when we were told we could have chicken as a substitute, we decided to be brave and see if we could eat the salmon since salmon seems to be the least objectionable fresh fish for both of us. Believe it or not we both said it was the best salmon we had ever had!! Our lunch companions were pleasant to visit with and we hadn’t met any of them on the ship. Perhaps the most unique person we ate with mentioned that he had invented the keyless remote for cars. He wasn’t bragging; it just came up as a natural part of the conversation. We asked about the internet warnings we receive from time to time which suggest people not use the remote to lock cars as the codes can be stolen which would be intercepted and used by those up to no good. He said that had been true before the remote could also be used to unlock cars as well, but he indicated there was a different code for that and once person locked the car, a different code, already programmed into the keyless remote would be needed to open the car.
After a brief lull in the rain, as we returned to Edinburgh, the heavy rains returned. The itinerary required some free time in Edinburgh despite the pounding rain, so we had the option of hopping off the bus into the rain or sitting on the bus for 45 minutes. With the annual Edinburgh Tattoo season having started, there were throngs of people on the street, umbrellas up, zigzagging through traffic and dodging raindrops. We took refuge in nearby St. Giles Cathedral. Barb ventured out into the rain to find the Elephant House, the coffee house where JK Rowling sat for hours writing the first of the Harry Potter series. She’d hoped to find some memorabilia there, but all she found was a sign in the window and regular coffee house fare so was satisfied with just getting a picture. After reboarding the bus, we did a driving tour of major tourist locations in Edinburgh. Barb and I were anxious to get back to the tender as we had booked reservations for The Pinnacle¸ compliments of AAA, for that evening since we knew we would be back too late for dinner in the main dining room and because so many would have booked reservations for the Tattoo on the Castle esplanade in the evening. While we always enjoy Edinburgh, the constant rain and need to get back for our dinner reservations made us wish we could skip the tour. However for some people it was their first visit to Edinburgh and they were enjoying the new city.
We finally returned to the port, quickly boarded the tender and returned to the ship at 6:20! Needless to say, we waited on no ceremony and were quick change artists as we strolled into The Pinnacle for dinner. As we ate we felt sorry for the people who had spent large sums of money to attend the performance of the Military Tattoo. Having seen it last August, we knew how good it was and realized that the people this year were getting completely drenched. (We heard later that people who attended were soaked and were shivering long after returning to the ship.)
As we departed Edinburgh, we have one Sea Day followed by eight straight days of ports before heading back across the North Atlantic.
Chuck
Therefore this year we decided to do some things farther from the city on a shore excursion called “Edinburgh, Floors Castle, and Dryburgh Abbey”. We were anchored in the same place as we were on our trip to Edinburgh last year, near the two bridges across the Firth of Forth in S Queensferry, about 40 minutes north of Edinburgh. (I had asked my tour guide in Invergordon why it was necessary to tender for a major city like Edinburgh – his response was that the waters near Edinburgh are just too shallow to accommodate large cruise ships.)
When we boarded the bus, the sky was partly cloudy with some chance of rain later in the day. There were only thirty of us so we had plenty of space to spread out and have individual seats if we wanted, so Barb sat behind me. We drove south to the borders region between England and Scotland, an area of historic contention between the two historic monarchies. Some of the area had gone back and forth between England and Scotland but the area we visited is now part of Scotland.
Before reaching the ruins of the Dryburgh Abbey, we stopped at what’s called “Scott’s View” which was Sir Walter Scott’s favorite site, where he would always have his carriage stop for about ten minutes so he could soak in the view of the hills and the Tweed River. (We agreed that it was beautiful view.) From there we went to the nearby Dryburgh Abbey and walked around the ruins of the abbey. During the 16th century when there was much religious and political conflict, many of the Catholic abbeys were ravaged, leaving them in ruins. Sir Walter Scott’s tomb is at the abbey in his beloved Borders region of Scotland. When his body was being transported to Edinburgh following his death, his horses stopped automatically at Scott’s view as they had always done.
From there, we visited Floors Castle near Kelso, the home of the Duke of Roxburghe. It’s more like an estate home rather than a castle. The family still lives there, but certain rooms are made available for public tours. When we arrived on the estate, the guide told us there would be time later to take pictures of the outside and the grounds, but while we were touring the interior, the heavens opened and the rain poured down. It was too wet and rainy to want to walk outside so we huddled under umbrellas or in the gift shop until the bus was ready to board. From there we went to lunch at the Cross Keys Hotel in Kelso for a Scottish lunch of barley soup, fresh salmon and locally grown vegetables, followed by a delicious desert of meringue, fresh mixed berries and whipped cream. What’s so notable is that Barb and I usually turn up our noses at fish of almost any kind but when we were told we could have chicken as a substitute, we decided to be brave and see if we could eat the salmon since salmon seems to be the least objectionable fresh fish for both of us. Believe it or not we both said it was the best salmon we had ever had!! Our lunch companions were pleasant to visit with and we hadn’t met any of them on the ship. Perhaps the most unique person we ate with mentioned that he had invented the keyless remote for cars. He wasn’t bragging; it just came up as a natural part of the conversation. We asked about the internet warnings we receive from time to time which suggest people not use the remote to lock cars as the codes can be stolen which would be intercepted and used by those up to no good. He said that had been true before the remote could also be used to unlock cars as well, but he indicated there was a different code for that and once person locked the car, a different code, already programmed into the keyless remote would be needed to open the car.
After a brief lull in the rain, as we returned to Edinburgh, the heavy rains returned. The itinerary required some free time in Edinburgh despite the pounding rain, so we had the option of hopping off the bus into the rain or sitting on the bus for 45 minutes. With the annual Edinburgh Tattoo season having started, there were throngs of people on the street, umbrellas up, zigzagging through traffic and dodging raindrops. We took refuge in nearby St. Giles Cathedral. Barb ventured out into the rain to find the Elephant House, the coffee house where JK Rowling sat for hours writing the first of the Harry Potter series. She’d hoped to find some memorabilia there, but all she found was a sign in the window and regular coffee house fare so was satisfied with just getting a picture. After reboarding the bus, we did a driving tour of major tourist locations in Edinburgh. Barb and I were anxious to get back to the tender as we had booked reservations for The Pinnacle¸ compliments of AAA, for that evening since we knew we would be back too late for dinner in the main dining room and because so many would have booked reservations for the Tattoo on the Castle esplanade in the evening. While we always enjoy Edinburgh, the constant rain and need to get back for our dinner reservations made us wish we could skip the tour. However for some people it was their first visit to Edinburgh and they were enjoying the new city.
We finally returned to the port, quickly boarded the tender and returned to the ship at 6:20! Needless to say, we waited on no ceremony and were quick change artists as we strolled into The Pinnacle for dinner. As we ate we felt sorry for the people who had spent large sums of money to attend the performance of the Military Tattoo. Having seen it last August, we knew how good it was and realized that the people this year were getting completely drenched. (We heard later that people who attended were soaked and were shivering long after returning to the ship.)
As we departed Edinburgh, we have one Sea Day followed by eight straight days of ports before heading back across the North Atlantic.
Chuck
Invergordon, Scotland
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
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
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
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)