Port cancelled

Right now it is 11:20 AM and I am sitting at the desk playing on the computer.

The day was supposed to be spent in Isafjordur Iceland. We are in the midst of what the Commodore labeled a strong low pressure system barreling towards us from the east. The ship is passing Isafjordur and spending the night in Reykjavik. The commodore said we will dock as soon as The Royal leaves the berth, in that way we can avoid having a rough night at sea. But I had to smile because that means that the Royal will have the rough night out at sea. Right now we are experiencing the roughest seas we have ever experienced. The ship is banging and crashing and the water is flying past our window. Yes I said water, not spray , it is the actual waves.  So far my stomach has been behaving itself but I have just taken a Gravol as insurance.

Now back to yesterday. We met our friends and retrieved the rental car and away we went. We planned to drive to the falls first and then make our way back from there. I wasn’t really expecting much at the falls. We have seen lots of waterfalls all over . But was mistaken; these falls were very special. I would have to call them the Niagara of Akureyri. There was lots of volume, lots of sound and lots of spray and lots of opportunity to take photos. But boy it was cold. The wind and the spray did not help at all. There was a sign directing us to the little café and gift shop with WC so we joined the mob from the Princess Busses and got into the long lines. I was planning to make a purchase but wondered about the line up. Well the busses pulled out so I was able to get to the register. I purchased a hot pin for Ken. It was made in the shape of the country and had the flag superimposed on the front. Most times we pay 3 or 4 dollars for these and this one was the equivalent of $5.60 which was a very good price considering where we were.  A  small calendar with Icelandic scenes was selling for $35.00. Needless to say I did not buy one. But we did want a hot drink of coffee. Ken had to pay $8.00 for 2 small, half full cups of black coffee.

Next we drove to a lake that had steam plumes rising from it. I don’t know the name. Anyway Theo stopped the car and we all piled out to take pictures. I stepped on loose gravel and my foot slipped out from under me and down I went. I twisted my knee, sprained my ankle and did who knows what to my big toe joint, all on my right foot. It happened so fast one second I was up and the next second I was down in a heap. I sat for a minute to catch my breath and them Ken and Theo helped me up. I got to the car and for the rest of the afternoon I flexed it as much as I could and I put weight on it and walked around the car while the others took pictures. Basically I messed up my right leg from the knee down.

Well I have been taking Advil and icing it and I am happy to report that it looks better today and it feels better also. I was secretly glad that we missed the port today because I could not have gone anyway. I spent the day with my foot up and had all my meals in the room. Because the ship has been dancing all day I decided I didn’t want to take a chance on falling again. The good news is the fact that I didn’t break anything.

We have a 3 hour Princess excursion planned for tomorrow and then there are three sea days so I should be back to normal by the time we get to NFLD. Tomorrow’s excursion is to the Blue Lagoon in Reykjavik and I really want to go so I am hoping that I can.

This entire day has been spent lying low. The sea has been very rough with waves rolling up past out window all day long. When the Commodore came on at noon he said we should be docked around seven this evening IF the Royal Princess leaves her berth. It will be interesting to find out what plan B is if the captain of the Royal decides not  to face the open Atlantic tonight.

Here is the announcement now!! He is still using the word IF.

He said that we would anchor in sheltered waters if the Royal is not able to leave her birth, so I guess that is plan B

Now to describe Iceland. We did not spend any time in town but from what I have seen it is like all other mid sized cities.

But the open countryside is very barren. They have very few trees and there are acres and acres of volcanic rocks and lava floes.

The population is very spread out with very small sheep farms across the land. We saw some dairy cattle and some sheep and some Icelandic ponies. There are many high hills or low mountains. Some still had traces of snow on them. There are many streams and small rivers, and lots of tundra like land. We saw no wild life and as I said very few trees. As a result most buildings are made of stone. We saw a farm where all of the fences were made from piled pieces of lava.

I did not see a school or an actual village so the children must go into the city for their education or they are home schooled. I never did see a school bus sign so I am assuming that meant no school busses. The roads that we travelled were for the most part in very good condition, recently paved.

I will try to download pictures for you.

Sunday's report

Right now it is 11:20 AM and I am sitting at the desk playing on the computer.

The day was supposed to be spent in Isafjordur Iceland. We are in the midst of what the Commodore labeled a strong low pressure system barreling towards us from the east. The ship is passing Isafjordur and spending the night in Reykjavik. The commodore said we will dock as soon as The Royal leaves the berth, in that way we can avoid having a rough night at sea. But I had to smile because that means that the Royal will have the rough night out at sea. Right now we are experiencing the roughest seas we have ever experienced. The ship is banging and crashing and the water is flying past our window. Yes I said water, not spray , it is the actual waves.  So far my stomach has been behaving itself but I have just taken a Gravol as insurance.

Now back to yesterday. We met our friends and retrieved the rental car and away we went. We planned to drive to the falls first and then make our way back from there. I wasn’t really expecting much at the falls. We have seen lots of waterfalls all over . But was mistaken; these falls were very special. I would have to call them the Niagara of Akureyri. There was lots of volume, lots of sound and lots of spray and lots of opportunity to take photos. But boy it was cold. The wind and the spray did not help at all. There was a sign directing us to the little café and gift shop with WC so we joined the mob from the Princess Busses and got into the long lines. I was planning to make a purchase but wondered about the line up. Well the busses pulled out so I was able to get to the register. I purchased a hot pin for Ken. It was made in the shape of the country and had the flag superimposed on the front. Most times we pay 3 or 4 dollars for these and this one was the equivalent of $5.60 which was a very good price considering where we were.  A  small calendar with Icelandic scenes was selling for $35.00. Needless to say I did not buy one. But we did want a hot drink of coffee. Ken had to pay $8.00 for 2 small, half full cups of black coffee.

Next we drove to a lake that had steam plumes rising from it. I don’t know the name. Anyway Theo stopped the car and we all piled out to take pictures. I stepped on loose gravel and my foot slipped out from under me and down I went. I twisted my knee, sprained my ankle and did who knows what to my big toe joint, all on my right foot. It happened so fast one second I was up and the next second I was down in a heap. I sat for a minute to catch my breath and them Ken and Theo helped me up. I got to the car and for the rest of the afternoon I flexed it as much as I could and I put weight on it and walked around the car while the others took pictures. Basically I messed up my right leg from the knee down.

Well I have been taking Advil and icing it and I am happy to report that it looks better today and it feels better also. I was secretly glad that we missed the port today because I could not have gone anyway. I spent the day with my foot up and had all my meals in the room. Because the ship has been dancing all day I decided I didn’t want to take a chance on falling again. The good news is the fact that I didn’t break anything.

We have a 3 hour Princess excursion planned for tomorrow and then there are three sea days so I should be back to normal by the time we get to NFLD. Tomorrow’s excursion is to the Blue Lagoon in Reykjavik and I really want to go so I am hoping that I can.

This entire day has been spent lying low. The sea has been very rough with waves rolling up past out window all day long. When the Commodore came on at noon he said we should be docked around seven this evening IF the Royal Princess leaves her berth. It will be interesting to find out what plan B is if the captain of the Royal decides not  to face the open Atlantic tonight.

Here is the announcement now!! He is still using the word IF.

He said that we would anchor in sheltered waters if the Royal is not able to leave her birth, so I guess that is plan B

Now to describe Iceland. We did not spend any time in town but from what I have seen it is like all other mid sized cities.

But the open countryside is very barren. They have very few trees and there are acres and acres of volcanic rocks and lava floes.

The population is very spread out with very small sheep farms across the land. We saw some dairy cattle and some sheep and some Icelandic ponies. There are many high hills or low mountains. Some still had traces of snow on them. There are many streams and small rivers, and lots of tundra like land. We saw no wild life and as I said very few trees. As a result most buildings are made of stone. WQe saw a farm where all of the fences were made from piled pieces of lava.

I did not see a school or an actual village so the children must go into the city for their education or they are home schooled. I never did see a school bus sign so I am assuming that meant no school busses. The roads that we travelled were for the most part in very good condition, recently paved.

I will try to download pictures for you.

Saturday continued

Just waiting for our breakfast to arrive.

As I said we are sailing into the fjord that leads to the city of Akureyri

(Akureyri rhymes with Tipperary)

From our window we can see patches of snow on the hillsides, so it is not very warm out there.

We have arranged to spend the day with another couple, actually 3 couples. We are renting two cars and we are adventuring out to see some of the countryside. Theo, our driver has researched this thoroughly so we are putting faith in him.

Akureyri  is called the capital of Northern Iceland sine it is the only city of any size in this area. There are fewer than 20,000 people living here however,

We are told that people are generally surprised when they visit Akureyri  for the first time. It is modern and friendly and spotlessly clean and very compact. Ocean currents keep the climate warmer than you would expect. Flowers are so plentiful that it is hard to remember that you are such a short distance from the Arctic Circle.

Though the Arctic Circle is only 37 miles north of Akureyri, the coastal climate is relatively mild, a result of the Gulf Stream and its warm ocean currents. Summer temperatures rise up to 24 degrees C  and winter temperatures average around 0  degrees C. For 2 of the 3 months in summer there is continuous daylight and early spring and late autumn enjoy long twilight. Last evening it was very noticeable, it seemed as if was never going to get DARK..

Since tourism is the major service industry there are many cultural attractions that you would only expect in larger towns.

Icelanders are famous for their literary traditions. Everyone knows the Norse and Viking sagas from the 13^th century . These stories of feuding, murder and revenge represent Europe’s first significant literature since the decline of Latin.

This little city has all of the comforts of home and yet it is so near to untouched natural beauty

One third of the world’s volcanoes are in Iceland, but fortunately most of them are of the friendly sort and we hope they stay that way during the next three days.

Iceland is in the time zone of GMT, The government is a republic, in fact their parliament is over 1000 years old. The language is Icelandic, the population is just over 300,000, it is the size of Virginia, the capital of Iceland is Reykjavik and the currency is the Icelandic Krona.

I will continue this evening when I can tell you what we saw and what our impressions were.

Arctic Circle

Arctic Circle

This is Saturday morning and right now we are heading for Akureyri, Iceland. We are due to dock in three hours. According to the little map on the TV we are sitting right on the arctic Circle.

Yesterday was a sea day and we had a very nice day. We had lunch with friends from Seattle, and last night there was a new production show which was very very good.

Through Cruise Critic they set up a chain to call people if the northern lights made and appearance and last night we got that phone call around eleven. The lights put on quite a display. It was bright but did not have the vibrant colors I remember. Perhaps there will be another display tonight. Seeing the aurora was something Ken was hoping for so that was a very good thing.

The satellite or something ?? was very weak yesterday morning and so I was unable to post pictures. Perhaps it is the aurora or sun spots or who knows what.

If I can I will post pictures of Lerwick this morning but if it is slow again you will have to wait till things get better.

But know we are continuing to have a grand time and making lots of memories.

Hugs

Shetlands

Today we were in the city of Lerwick which is the main city of the Shetland Islands.

When the day began the fog was thick and we wondered if we would see anything but by the time we left the ship the fog had dissipated and we were able to enjoy the views of the day. This was a tender port but the tender ride was only a few minutes long and the sea was smooth. We were seated downstairs and it so happened that the couple sitting across from us were from Victoria. We had a good short visit but it so happened that they were taking the same bus tour to Jarlshof that we were.

Because we are not the pushy type we were at the end of the line and when we finally got on the bus there were no regular seats left. Both Canadian couples were given the front seats that are normally reserved for the disabled. We were so lucky.

. These buses were the best we have been on so far. All of the seats had lots of leg room and the aisles were wider as well. There were wonderful windows and being in the front seat we were able to enjoy the front window as well.

Our guides name was Margaret and she was very good indeed. She told us about the country side we were passing through. She knew of the history as well as the local folklore.

The Shetlands are the most northerly part of the British Isles. There are more than 100 islands in all, but only 12 of them are inhabited. Very little of the land is flat here but the climate does not favor farming. Sheep and Shetland ponies live here easily but other domestic animals do not.

 The islands are remote and the many inlets and coves can make sailing these waters a challenge. People live here because of the fishing. The clear cold waters teem with many varieties of fish and marine life.

Now the oil industry provides a lot of the jobs and is th e draw for many people living here.

The country side is very barren looking because there are no trees. Margret told us that trees do not survive the harsh winds from the sea and the young trees get eaten by the sheep which will eat everything. Because of the lack of trees most if not all of the older buildings are made of stone. Fences are also built with stone. We passed miles of stone fences.

Our first stop was at the southern tip of the island to a place called Jarlshof, which has remnants of stone age buildings that may be up to 3 500 years old A violent storm uncovered the ruins in 1905, and since then archaeologists have also found artifacts from the bronze and iron ages.

Another ancient relic is the “broch”. It is a curious type of fortified tower farmhouse peculiar to Scotland. We were able to visit one here in Jarlshof. To be able to pass through all of these periodsin man’s history at just one site was really very amazing.

One stop was at Horwick and here I gave in and bought myself a Shetland cardigan sweater. It is plain and is a beautiful blue red color. At first I left it in the shop and was almost at the bus when I decided to go back. I knew I would be so sorry if I didn’t at least try it on. Well I did and it looked great on me. So I do have a souvenir of this wonderful trip, my beautiful  red handmade Shetland Wool sweater.

Soon it was time to head back toward town and the Ruby Princess.

We had a grand day and we could have spent several days not several  hours. They have 6 lighthouses here . One lighthouse is square in shape and the others are round. We were only able to
 admire one of them from a distance. On the next trip we will have to visit the lighthouses.

Shetland Islands(Lerwick),Scotland,Sept.11

Shetland Islands (Lerwick), Scotland

The Shetlands are the most northerly of the British Isles and consist of over one hundred islands, of which a mere 16 are inhabited. Lerwick is the capital of the archipelago. Located on the eastern shore of Mainland, the largest Shetland Island, the town was largely developed by Dutch herring fisherman in the 17th century. The islands are renowned for their superb crafts ranging from woolen and cashmere knitwear to intricate lace shawls and fine jewelry.

Again I decided to do a Princess tour at this port.

Bergen Norway, Sept.10

Bergen, Norway

Bergen has played a crucial role in Norwegian history and culture since Olav the Good founded the city in 1070. Perched between the sea and seven hills, Bergen has witnessed Vikings setting sail on voyages of exploration, trade and war. In the Middle Ages, its old port was a major trading hub for the Hanseatic League, the band of Germanic merchants whose trading empire encircled the Baltic and North Seas. In the 19th century, Bergen was home to such cultural luminaries as the virtuoso violinist Ole Bull and the composer Edvard Grieg.

The city retains much of its 18th- and 19th-century charm. Visitors to Bergen will encounter a city that offers a heady blend of natural beauty, history and culture.

Here we are doing a Princess tour. I considered just walking around because it is not very large and very walkable. But this excursion involved a trip on the water and a chance that we might see lighthouses so I couldn't resist booking it.

Tour Overview

Our adventurous half-day excursion on land and sea started when we met our guide at the port before setting off on a picturesque cruise along the city's waterways and fjords. Bergen  was founded in 1070, and quickly grew to encompass a series of islands and skerries (small rocky islands), that today are connected by natural and man-made waterways, lending to it's charming ambience.

After settling onto our fun sightseeing launch, we enjoyed just under two hours on the water, as we toured the Lysefjord on the way to Buena. At Buena pier we  changed to bus for the 45 min scenic drive  back through surroundings of Bergen. Back in the city center, we then enjoyed a relaxed and informative walking tour through "Bryggen Wharf", once the domain of the Hanseatic German merchants, now a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Our guide  showed us around the old medieval port which boasts wooden wharves, warehouses and half-timbered homes, once the domain of the Hanseatic League ( the guild of German and Baltic 

Bergen Norway,

Our day began with an early breakfast in the dining room. It was a fun group with folks from Ottawa and Virginia and London. It was a mixed group and we had fun visits.

The ship was to dock at eleven and we had to meet for our tour at one o’clock. We had a light lunch at the International Café and then we went to the Explorers longue to people watch until it was our turn to go to the bus.

This port is a very busy one and for that reason people are not allowed to just walk off where ever they would like. You must take a shuttle to the city. It is only a five minute ride and the shuttles are provided by Bergen and they are free.

When the time came we were escorted to our shuttle and then taken to the boat. The shuttle was very nice with lots of leg room. Then we arrived at the dock where our boat was waiting. The tour on water was about 2 hours long and the guides were great. They told us all about the area:

Health Care is universal and free.

The average wage is equaled to  5ooo.oo dollars a month.

Average income tax is 31% and it can go to 75% if you are in a highest income bracket.

The value added tax is 22%.

Their temperatures are quite mild with below zero readings being an exception.

It rains 282 days a year, last year they had 86 days in a row when it rained.

There city has over 260 different varieties of Rhododendron.

All education is free. Day care is provided as is Maternity leave and Paternity leave.

They have a high rate on immigration with people coming from many places to find a better life there.

They can trace their city back to 1070 AD

Vikings have been here since very early recorded history.

They are promoting the use of Electric cars. If a gas using car is priced at 20,ooo you will pay that price and then double it as a tax for using gas.

There is no such tax on an electric car.

Parking is a problem but there are special parking spots complete with quick charging stations for electric cars and this parking is at no cost to the driver.

Berger is a city of around 300,000. One special food item is reindeer soup. I told Ken that someone who looks like Santa could not be seen eating reindeer soup.

Everything is very very expensive. An ice cream cone at McDonalds is 8.00and a glass of coke is 6.00

There economy is in good shape because of the oil industry. Most people living in the outskirts have boats because it might be 5 minutes across the fjord to visit your neighbor or five hours by road.

After our time on the boat we were transferred to a bus. The bus was the best ever. There was lots of leg room and there were 2 doors so you could load and unload quickly. We were told all about the area and all of our questions were answered and we made the one hour return trip to the city.

In town we were taken on a short guided tour of the historic area of the city.

Then it was time to reboard the bus for the trip back to the cruise ship.

All in all it was a great tour and I loved Norway. There are many small villages and many islands with small homes on them.  It looked very much like Nova Scotia at times. But the cost of living would prevent a person from retiring there.

Again there was so much to see and so little time. We just have to come back.

merchants) who controlled trade from England to Russia during the Middle Ages.