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Bucket list to visit as many countries as we can, while we can afford it. Read more New Zealand
  • Traveler2019 Europe Trip
    Day 17

    Day 15 Reykjavik, Iceland Day 1

    August 16, 2019 in Iceland ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    This was the day in Reykjavik we weren’t supposed to have... Following the forced abandonment of a day in Greenland due to weather we arrived back in Iceland a day early for the first of now three days in the capital. We didn’t bother organising a tour and spent the day exploring the city. The local council put on free shuttle buses and we arrived in the city centre about 10.30 am and spent about four hours wandering the streets. It’s a pretty enough city, dominated by a large church at the top of a hill which can be seen from almost everywhere.

    The bus dropped us outside the new Harpa which is a large concert/conference venue on the waterfront. We roamed the historic centre of the city, now dominated by the usual array of pubs and souvenir outlets and which gave us the opportunity to finally upload some blog content. We had been relying on the ship’s wifi alone for the last few days since leaving Isafjodur and which does not have enough enough oomph to upload anything containing a picture.

    Observation - Reykjavik is expensive! Actually Iceland in general is expensive, the meal we had at the Sweet Pig gastro pub (that is the english translation, it has an Icelandic name which I won’t attempt to replicate here) which was a burger for Christine and a pulled lamb dish for me plus a Prosecco and an on site brewed “Orange Blood Pale Ale” (very nice) cost the equivalent of about $110 NZD!!

    There are loads of pubs and craft beer venues, and “happy” hour beers come in at about 1000 ISD which is approx $12.50 NZD - the “ordinary” price is approx double that, so not an especially happy hour...

    I also visited the Iceland Punk Museum which is a tiny little place dedicated to detailing the history of punk music in Iceland and run by one of Iceland’s original pioneers of the genre, really interesting.

    Otherwise we saw the town hall which sits on an artificial lake (pond), the Parliament, several pretty cool sculptures and art works before returning vis the local Vinbudin (Govt run wine, beer and spirits store) to purchase some local beer and wine for responsible in cabin consumption over the next few days. The other interesting thing we came across was the brand new Scenic Eclipse which is a new commercial super yacht run by an Australian outfit and is (after much delay) leaving for her first ever voyage from Reykjavik.

    Photos attached show... The pub we had lunch at; flowers celebrating Gay pride week which starts tomorrow; part of the historic district; me with a street monument; the church in the background of almost everything you see; a loo!!; two downtown shots.    Read more

  • Traveler2019 Europe Trip
    Day 16

    Day 14 Tasiilaq, Greenland

    August 15, 2019 in Greenland ⋅ ⛅ 6 °C

    Today we visited the substitute port of Tasiilaq part of South Eastern Greenland. Greenland is now it’s own country with appropriate representation and governance although it still retains Danish currency and close economic and militate you ties. The population is mainly Inuit and they have their own language although most have some Danish and some English as well.

    The township itself is about 2500 strong and is as you might imagine fairly basic. There is a small supermarket, a couple of other souvenir/tourist shops, a post office and bank. They have a decent size hospital and school, a couple of churches and a largish port (the main industry being fishing). It takes about an hour to do a loop of the township and see the sights such as they are. The day was an absolute cracker, cool - about 9 degrees - but clear sunny skies after the morning fog had lifted and no wind. the harbour is quite small and there is a lot of loose sea ice floating around (photos attached).

    We left the ship using tender craft to get ashore about 10.30 and were ready to return about 12.15 but very worthwhile despite the short stay.

    A sea day tomorrow as we make our way to Reykjavik where we now have 3 days instead of two due to the other cancelled Greenland port.

    Trivia update - a somewhat frustrating 3rd place today but still regularly featuring in the top three so still happy enough...

    Photos attached - Sea ice; Sea ice and fog!; Tasiilaq; more ice; 3 shots of err downtown...; the local bar (closed when we called in); the Red Church; Nautica at anchor in Tasiilaq harbour    Read more

  • Traveler2019 Europe Trip
    1
    Day 13

    Days 12 & 13 Cruising the Denmark Strait

    August 12, 2019, North Atlantic Ocean ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    Two days at sea here and a change of plans. Today we were supposed to be viewing Prince Christian Sound in Greenland. However bad weather meant that wasn’t possible and nor were either of the planned Greenland ports. So a few phone calls and renegotiations later and we are visiting a different Greenland destination - Tasiilaq on the South East of Greenland (Ammassalik) . However that is tomorrow’s story....

    We have two sea days to report on before then. There are some photos of the ship attached, but before that an indication of what a typical day at sea looks like... Breakfast can be challenging as everyone tends to go at the same time meaning getting a seat in the Terraces cafe can be a mission but we usually manage it and tend not to stay long as breakfast for us is usually just cereal and fruit, rather than the full three course event that some make it. Then it’s off to Horizons bar for various games (golf putting; cornhole - it has various names but it’s a throwing game trying to get a bean bag into a hole - and of course bingo!). Combine that with lots of reading and its soon lunch time.

    Same deal at lunch and it’s usually easier to go to the main dining room as the buffet area again gets packed at peak times between noon and about 1.30.

    Ordinarily it would be pool time after that, but as this is a cold weather cruise it’s more reading and further games in the afternoon before Trivia in the late afternoon. All of these activities are in pursuit of Big O points. You get these for winning or placing in the various competitions and they are traded at the end of the trip for tee shirts/bags and other branded gear depending upon how many you have to spend.

    By then it’s time for happy hour in the late afternoon and whale spotting. We’ve seen quite a few today and hope to encounter more close up on a tour we have later in the trip. The evening is taken up with dinner about 7 - 7.30 followed by late night trivia or a show (although we’re not big on those as they tend to be show tunes or the like which neither of us are keen on).

    Photos attached show Our cabin; Horizons Lounge; Our cabin from the other end!; the Nautica lounge (where all the shows take place); our quiz team (I’ve named them the Undertones which they are a bit non-plussed about) in order the people are Kent and Lynette both former biotech doctors from just north of San Francisco, Donna and Malcolm from Chilliwack in Canada; Glenda and Andy (he’s a former naval dentist) from San Diego; one of the officers on board who looks disturbingly like Boris Johnson    Read more

  • Traveler2019 Europe Trip
    Day 12

    Day 11 Isafjordur, Iceland

    August 11, 2019 in Iceland ⋅ ☁️ 4 °C

    Isafjordur I think roughly translates to icy fjord which is fair enough as even in the middle of the Icelandic summer it was pretty cold. We had arrived hoping/expecting to be able to go whale watching. Unfortunately due to the weather and poor sea conditions, that got cancelled so we were left to our own devices in this thriving metropolis....

    Well actually it’s a small township of about 4000 people and as it was a Sunday there wasn’t much open, so after a quick trip into town which mostly consisted of having a hot chocolate in a local cafe so we could use the wifi, we came back to the ship after only a couple of hours ashore. As it happened most of the ship was back on board soon after midday as the afternoon excursions were cancelled as well (again due to weather). I didn’t think it was quite as a cold as the previous day, but the forecast top temp was 5 degrees, you’ve got to love an Icelandic summer....

    Ship life update - Christine had a “win” at bingo! She won $65, but having spent $25 that day and the previous day that bingo was played meant she is only up $15, but still...

    Trivia Update - another day another second place. The team that usually gets everything correct had their gun players back and predictably beat us with a perfect score to our 19/21.

    It may be a couple of days until we can post this and the Greenland updates as the wifi access is getting pretty limited. Will post a couple of around the ship shots as well as we have a couple of sea days coming up.

    Photos attached... 1; the only place in town you can buy alcohol (I had hoped to get some Icelandic beer or wine, but being Sunday this photo of the outside is as close as we got.. 2; the Viking Sky also in port that day (it’s the same ship that almost sunk off the coast of Denmark - NB may have been Germany... a few months ago. 3; Downtown! 4; Isafjordur harbour    Read more

  • Traveler2019 Europe Trip
    1
    Day 11

    Day 10 Akureyri, Iceland

    August 10, 2019 in Iceland ⋅ ⛅ 8 °C

    We arrived early in Akureyri (a ku rare ri) and had arranged another independent tour with 10 other passengers. It was a long day of Waterfalls, thermal activity and hot springs.... Akureyri is Iceland’s second largest city with a population of around 22,000.

    We first visited Godafoss (waterfall of the gods) which is a little like the Huka Falls only a bit bigger. By this time it was apparent that Iceland was going to live up to its name as it was getting seriously cold. The supposed top temp for the day was meant to be 7 degrees but if it reached that I’d be surprised and we had driving wind and sleety rain most of the day.

    That did put a downer on bits of the day as it was just too cold and wet to really appreciate the sites we were seeing. this became especially apparent at the Dentafoss Waterfall (forgive the spelling) which is Europe’s most powerful waterfall and seriously impressive. Unfortunately by the time we arrived the weather was at it’s worst and it is a posted 15 minute walk to the falls from the car park.

    Christine and I managed to do it in about 7 minutes with the rest of our group trailing way behind but it was so cold and wet we literally took a couple of photos and headed back. Despite our rain gear we were seriously wet and cold when we got back to the van. Then it was off to the Myvatn Hot springs where I was the only one of our group brave enough to take a swim (and it was well worth it!).

    We saw some Game of Thrones filming locations and view other scenic locations featuring lava fields and lava stacks.

    Trivia update - we had been on a run of first and second places but came crashing back to earth today, not featuring in the top five.

    Photos - Godafoss falls; and another shot of Godafoss; me (wearing almost every piece of clothing I bought with me) in front of some lava stacks; lake Myvatn’s crater lake; Dentafoss falls; Myvatn baths; another shot of the baths (I’m in there somewhere...).    Read more

  • Traveler2019 Europe Trip
    Day 10

    Day 9 Cruising the Atlantic Ocean

    August 9, 2019, North Atlantic Ocean ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    Not much to report today, a day at sea moving between the Faroe Islands and Iceland. Seas have been a little rough and the temps are starting to drop noticeably.

    We have seen a few pods of passing dolphins though, see pictures attached.

    Photos - passing pod of dolphins.    Read more

  • Traveler2019 Europe Trip
    Day 9

    Day 8 Torshavn, Faroe Islands

    August 8, 2019 in Faroe Islands ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

    The Faroe Islands are a self governing nation and a semi dependant part of Denmark using the Danish currency and military but otherwise a fully functioning nation of it’s own. There are 52,000 Faroese, most of them living in two towns, with Torshavn the capital having about 22,000 citizens.

    We (along with some other fellow passengers) had arranged an independent walking tour of the city in the morning and a RIB (rigid inflatable boat) tour of the sea caves and Puffin colonies in the afternoon. The walking tour was interesting enough but the guide we had (her name is almost unpronouncable in English) over explained everything and a result the tour moved at glacial pace. Too slow for us and after an hour we left them to it so we could conduct our own walking tour of Torshavn, the unintended highlight being when Christine locked herself in a restroom when the handle fell off the inside of the door!

    Anyway she was quickly rescued and in a massive irony the exact same thing happened to one of our companions later in the day, says something for the quality of Faroese toilets I guess....

    The RIB tour was fantastic, we saw heaps of Puffins, a seal swimming in the ocean and the sea caves and sea stacks were amazing, the boats were able to get right inside the caves and in one case all the way through to the other side. Really rugged country, I’m not sure the photos are able to do it justice.

    Trivia update - again only a six but we had a win. The team that had won every day to date were short of their two key players and didn’t even feature in the top 4.

    Photos - Tórshavn old town; grass roofed houses; RIB tour; the suits we wore while on the RIB; a sea stack; the next few are sea caves/sea stacks.    Read more

  • Traveler2019 Europe Trip
    1
    Day 8

    Day 7 Kirkwall, Orkney Islands

    August 7, 2019 in Scotland ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    Kirkwall, heard of it? Well I’m guessing probably not so I’ll tell you a little about it. It is the capital of the Orkney Islands situated off the northern end of the Scottish mainland and was a key naval stronghold in both world wars. The township itself is larger than we expected and appears to have about 9000 people living there with a good array of sites, shops and pubs.

    The weather can be challenging but played ball for us today with temps about 14 - 16 degrees and no rain. Remember this absolute peak summer.... Regardless it is a really pretty place with a surprising amount to see. We didn’t do any of the formal tours on offer, instead deciding to find our own entertainment.

    That consisted of firstly a visit to the wireless museum, it’s tiny but packed with old radio equipment, games and gimmicks, including a game of the original Pong which we played and should you ever find yourself in the area, part willingly with the 3 pound entry fee and treat yourself to some old radio nostalgia (see photos!).

    Then off to the actual Orkney Museum to take a look at the exhibition they had about the scuttling of the German Fleet at the end of the First World War. 52 ships were scuttled in Scapa Flow (the area of water almost completely surrounded by the Orkney Islands) by the German Navy commander after they were forced to surrender and sent to the Orkneys where they could be kept secure and boxed in.

    There is also the remnants of an Earls’ Palace, a really large non-denominational cathedral, some lovely shops in a pedestrian area and about 6 pubs!

    We had lunch (and a pint of Orkney Gold for me) at the largest of the Hotels - the Kirkwall, my lunch included a haggis filling which was very tasty.

    The islanders consider themselves to be as much Norwegian as they are Scottish, although that said we were farewelled by the local highland dance troupe!

    Trivia Update - our team was reduced to 6 tonight but still managed second place and we were well happy with that.

    Photos - Highland Dancers waving us goodbye; the Kirkwall Hotel; the Wireless Museum; Pong!; Downtown (me in foreground again), Earls’ Palace (i am again in the way); the Bishop’s Palace; St Magnus Cathedral    Read more

  • Traveler2019 Europe Trip
    1
    Day 7

    Day 6 Edinburugh, Scotland

    August 6, 2019 in Scotland ⋅ 🌧 17 °C

    Edinburgh, or the Dunedin of the North as some with a very vivid imagination might describe it. We arrived to a really great Scottish summer’s day, well it was raining and about 17 degrees so pretty typical I guess. It got better as the day went (see photos for evidence) and didn’t rain during our entire time ashore.

    We docked in Leigh which is a seaside suburb and were berthed right next to the former royal yacht Britannia (more of that later). We did not have a tour booked so went into the city and walked the Royal Mile which runs between Edinburgh Castle at the top end and Holyrood Palace/the Scottish Parliament at the other with a few side excursions into the small lanes and surrounding streets.

    The Edinburgh fringe festival was well underway and the Edinburgh Military Tattoo is about to start it’s run, so the city was packed and really lively. We walked for bloody miles interrupted by a stop at the Castle Arms for a drink and the World’s End pub for lunch (photos attached...). We didn’t go into the castle grounds as it was chaos up there with thousands of people on site. Lots of Harry Potter themed stuff around as it was the place where J K Rowling wrote the first of the novels. Loved the city, it’s extremely picturesque and well laid out.

    After returning to Leith we went and did the tour of the Britannia which is well worthwhile if you’re ever in town. It’s smaller than you might imagine but did play host to most world leaders at some point up until it’s decommissioning in 1997.

    Ship life update - our newly formed trivia team (4 Americans, 2 Canadians and us) finished second on day one of the ship team trivia contest, beaten by a team that got a perfect score. On day 2 we were forth (there are about ten teams) and the same team that won on day 1 got a perfect score again, I’m a little suspicious.....

    The photos show... The Royal Mile, leading up to the castle; the Elephant House cafe above which J K Rowling wrote the first of the Harry Potter books; Victoria terrace overlooking Victoria Street; Edinburgh Castle with me in the foreground; the Tollbooth Tavern on the Royal Mile; the grounds outside the Castle ready for the Tattoo; the World’s End pub with me in the foreground again; the Queen’s bedroom on Britannia; the Royal yacht Britannia; the Castle Arms where we had a drink on the terrace.    Read more

  • Traveler2019 Europe Trip
    Day 5

    Days 4 and 5 Southampton/Bon Voyage

    August 4, 2019 in England ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    We had a bit of free time on Sunday morning as we weren’t due to board the Nautica until 1 pm. So I went out for another walk early, making it as far as St Mary’s stadium (home of Southampton FC). Typically for a lot of British stadia it is in the middle of an industrial/council housing area but only a 15 minute (if you know where you’re going) walk from the city centre.

    Also typically there a few signs pointing you in the general direction and you can often see the place but it takes a series of dead end guesses as to which actual street is the correct one! Anyway several false starts and curse words later, I found it (see attached photo) and took an alternative route back to town.

    Following that we did a bit of shopping and took the 3 minute taxi ride to the ship. Boarding was really easy and we were having lunch and a drink within 15 minutes of turning up dockside.

    Hotel review.... We stayed at the Premier Inn Westquay. Pros - it’s really close to town, the port and transport routes and it’s pretty cheap. Cons - just about everything else. It has no reception to speak of, the rooms are really basic (no fridge!), and there aren’t too many staff around to do anything.

    We are en route to Edinburgh and had a sea day for the first day of the cruise so not much to report or see. Lots of reading, forming of quiz teams, playing of games and lazing around.

    Photos attached ..... Southampton FC’s St Mary’s Stadium, Central Hall and the Premier Inn Westquay.    Read more

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