Tuesday September 15, 2015

Reykjavik, Iceland yesterday and already after a full day steaming towards Greenland it feels a million miles away. We spent Monday visiting the Blue Lagoon. You've probably seen photos of this place. It's a large, organically shaped pool filled with beautiful milky blue water with lots of steam rising from its heated surface and various overweight, bikini clad Europeans.

Stop. Back up. The bus ride to the Blue Lagoon was interesting. Reykjavik, at least the bits that I saw, held little charm for me. It's a modern city, not really walkable (again at least the parts that I saw) and it was a bit jarring to see so many vehicles, sprawl and modern highways after our previous three stops each of which was progressively smaller and more remote than the last.

It's hard to see but there is a big crack in the earth right beside the highway 

Are we on the moon?

At a couple miles outside city, the landscape changes noticeably becoming cracked and split

as if an earthquake has just happened or the magma has just cooled. It's very different these geological landscapes (that is landscapes where the force of geology predominates as opposed to say a vegetative landscape or an oceanic landscape) such as we've seen in the Faroe Islands and here in Iceland. Makes you understand why some people go gah-gah for geology (actually it doesn't make me understand it completely but that's another story). 

Basalt predominates. Sharp stones are everywhere and it looks as if you would need surfing booties to walk on them. In some areas the effect is softened by a blanket of moss and lichen.

The weather is as it has been, that is to say cold and gray. The guides and cruise ship people keep referring to the "fine" weather we are having or even the "beautiful day" but I just can't buy it. Calling the weather "fine" and "beautiful" does not actually make it so and if these people think that  forty eight degrees in the middle of the day in September with no sun to speak of is "fine" or "beautiful" then I want some of what they're smoking.

I digress. So the landscape is sharp, porous black volcanic stone. As we walk from the parking lot to the entrance we are sheltered by two walls, eight feet high of what looks like plowed macadam. Strange. 

Two walls of plowed macadam along the walkway to entrance

The Blue Lagoon itself is thirty minutes outside the city. It's rather an elegant building with a nicer-than-they-have-to-be shop and cafe. They've got an interesting system involving bracelets that you wear (they're waterproof) and swipe over sensors to open a locker or purchase anything. All in all its well done and it's hard for me not to envision the schlocky, honky-tonk, overdone, over merchandised travesty that this place would be in America.

Note the preponderance of white faces

The water itself is a perfect temperature. Warm enough to banish the cold air but not too warm to make you sweat and overheat. Some people are rubbing white mud on their face and hair. I refrain. About the only thing to do is to relax, search out warmer areas or find a place to sit. After an hour or so it's time to go and I can cross that one off my nonexistent bucket list.

Photos from the boat in the afternoon 

Today was spent, in part, attending lectures onboard. At nine am (easy to make despite my propensity for late mornings because we've been turning our clocks back) there was a lecture on the arctic. That was given by a retired Army Captain who was well prepared and informative. At ten there was a lecture on Greenland. Both of these lectures were very well attended. A zoo you might have called it. Russell and I had good seats because we arrived twenty minutes early. For the two o'clock lecture on our next ports of call we knew we were going to have to get there early so we arrived at one thirty, a full thirty minutes before the lecture was set to begin and the place was already one third full. By quarter to two it was standing room only and fights were breaking out over "held" seats. I am telling you these people are vicious. It's like they've got nothing to do all day. Oh wait -- they don't have anything to do all day!

At any rate, this third lecture was immediately put up on the ship's television station so that those who were too stupid to arrive early -- wait, I mean those people for whom there were not enough seats -- could watch it. If they had only said prior to the lecture that it would be broadcast immediately after it was given they might have prevented the overflow crowd and at least a couple of ugly moments. 

Sunday September 13, 2015

Sunset last night -- note how calm water is.

Our first stop of two in Iceland was today. We anchored off Isafjordor, the major town in the West Fjords area of Iceland. The weather today was mostly punk though probably not as bad as it could have been in this neck of the woods (upper forties and grey, with low clouds that receded a bit during the day and then returned later in the afternoon during our sail-away).

View from cabin this morning 

Love the light in this pic

Since we anchored off shore it was necessary to take tenders ashore which can be rather a tedious procedure. Plus given the fact that our tour meeting time was 8:00 am I was not in the best of humors. Still the tour was pleasant and interesting. As my friend Lauren pointed out in her comment to my last post, the landscape here is quite similar to the Faroe Islands. Large geologic formations are carpeted with low lying vegetation that is punctuated by waterfalls and sheep of various hues.

Our guide who is a student at the local University was certainly enthusiastic about the place. We drove through a tunnel that was nearly ten kilometers long and included an intersection! Also for a good portion of the way the tunnel is only one lane with frequent pull-outs for traffic going in one direction to allow traffic going in the other direction to pass. Strange but it seems to work.

Life on the other side of the tunnel is even more remote than Isafjordor. We stopped in one town where at the church we were serenaded by two local youths who sang traditional Icelandic songs and wore traditional costumes. Later we went for some coffee and a bite to eat at a community center and then visited a small museum which depicted life in remote Iceland during the forties and fifties.

Afterward we drove to a botanical garden that was founded over one hundred years ago by a monk. The garden is modest, as you can well imagine, but it is maintained scrupulously and clearly well loved. It was a little oasis of green in the green and gray landscape of moss, lichen and grass.

Couldn't decide which flower pic to use.

Back at the boat we had a quiet afternoon reading and needlepointing. It's dinner time now and we are headed south toward tomorrow's stop, Reykjavik.

Saturday September 12, 2015

Nice quiet day today, cruising the coast of Iceland. We are headed around the island, counter-clockwise and will enter the Arctic Circle (briefly). The weather is as you might have guessed cool (low fifties) and foggy. Good needlepoint weather. Also, good weather to attend a couple of lectures offered by the ship on upcoming destinations.

Capital city home

Also in capital city

Yesterday we visited the Faroe Islands. These islands (I think they said that there are something like eighty of them) are further north and west of the Shetland Islands. Similar landscape in that it is green (very), rocky, and no trees. I would say however that the Faroe Islands have a more dramatic landscape with ridges, cliffs, hills and valleys. Also it would seem, based on my limited experience, that the Faroe Islands have a larger area and population than the Shetland Islands.

On the way to Vagar Island 

Rings in water are a salmon fishery -- big business here

We had a late morning bus trip that took us from the capital city, Torshavn, to the island of Vagar. There wasn't a whole lot to see on Vagar aside from a couple of small communities but it was great to get away from the port area and explore the country a bit. Never could figure out whether Faroe Islands are their own country or whether they are a protectorate of Denmark (or both).

Icelandic ponies

Poor R has to take pictures of himself because I don't stop when he does!

I'll let the pictures do most of the talking as I haven't anything too insightful to say. I will say that despite what you see in the photos yesterday's weather was a fine summer day according to our local guide. Russell asked me, "Can you imagine living in a place where it rains 285 days a year and where the temperature doesn't often go below 40 or above sixty?" My answer -- "Absolutely not!" It certainly is an odd prescription for happiness but if that sounds like Nirvana to you then check out the Faroe Islands. I warn you though houses are not cheap. I think our guide said the average house price was around three hundred thousand dollars for 2000 sq ft.

Our boat is in middle ground 

Small town living Faroe Island-style

Probably more of these than people though they didn't say that

Oh, and one other thing. Apparently the cruise company won't be stopping in the Faroe Islands next year. Apparently the locals are committed to hunting Wright(sp?)Whales (anywhere from 300 to one thousand per year). They say that the hunt is part of their heritage but it's attracting protests and the cruise company wants none of that. Too bad because it's an interesting place and I sincerely doubt the whale meat is needed for survival any longer.

Thursday September 10, 2015

I am going to start with today and then I'll  talk about yesterday (I probably should have blogged yesterday but was lazy). Anyhow, today we were in Lerwick, Shetland which is part of Great Britain. I didn't know what to expect here and at first it seemed there wouldn't be much to see. No trees at all just rolling green hills, a rocky coastline and a small harbor town with gray stone buildings. We had to tender to the island so Russell and I waited until the initial surge of guests left the boat before we tried to get off and that proved the right decision.

Shetland from the boat

On the way out of town

Typical houses

Not a sign you see every day -- what exactly does a shipchandler do?

The island with its gray stone buildings in what I imagine to be Scottish style doesn't exactly scream "Welcome" but as we walked further from the town the island began to reveal its charms. Not the least of which was the abundance of flowering plants. Based strictly on the amount and variety of blooms you would have sworn it was May and not September. We saw monarda, hosta, fuchsia (including in hedge form!) potentilla, marigolds, roses, I could go on. The point is that it was lovely and completely unexpected. The weather, which I have failed to mention so far, was, I suspect, just about as good as it gets here in the Shetland Islands with variable sunshine, a light breeze and low sixties. So, between the weather, the flowers, the tidy houses, the stunning vistas and the well-maintained path that took us around the back of the island before dropping us at the opposite end of the harbor's Commercial Street, I was ready to start looking at houses for rent. I am kidding of course but life on Shetland is not without its charms though I suspect they are normally more sparsely doled out than they were today.

Lovely garden we just happened upon

Enjoying the view

Where do I sign the lease?

We even managed to find a bookstore -- in English -- wahoo! Lunch was at a small cafe across from the town pier where we discovered, after lunch, that our afternoon tour had been canceled due to the weather/sea conditions. I am not sure what they were referring to because the weather this afternoon continued to be calm and generally pleasant. We didn't complain though and instead took it as an opportunity to needlepoint (me) and download/organize photos (R).

The quiet afternoon also gave us a chance to recover from our rather busy day in Bergen, Norway. We began the day by forgetting the camera, not an auspicious start, however things got better. Our first stop was the funicular which unfortunately was also the first stop for many of the other cruise ship passengers. The line moved fairly quickly and the view of Bergen from the top was spectacular. We were lucky with the weather in Norway also as it was sunny and warm-ish (for them at least -- 67 degrees). We didn't spend a whole lot of time at the top of the mountain as we had a tour to catch to the Edvard Grieg House. This was something I had arranged and so I was a little nervous about it and perhaps also a little fuzzy on some of the details as well. Fortunately it all worked out and we got on the correct bus which it turned out wasn't just a ride to the Grieg house but actually a guided tour so that was a bonus.

Line for the funicular-- surely wish I hadn't forgotten the camera this morning! Might have been able to beat the crowd.

View of Bergen, Norway from up top

Couldn't resist including this shot because our camera although having taken some incredible pictures this summer has developed an unwillingness to open the lens cover all the way thus necessitating a little flick with your fingernail! Be careful not to touch the lens though.

A very discrete McDonald's

The Grieg house itself is a little disappointing as it is small, Victorian and yet plain also, if you can imagine that. It is also located in what had originally been a remote area but which is now rather developed, almost suburban in feeling. The real special part of the visit was the thirty minute piano concert of Grieg's music that took place in the well-designed and ideally situated performance hall. The pianist was quite good though more than a little bit affected. Still, it was a special experience -- to hear Grieg's music looking out over the water in Norway with his special outbuilding where he composed just yards away.

Grieg house

Performance space from outside

And inside

Back in town, we grabbed a quick bite to eat before meeting up with our private guide for a walking tour. The guide's name was Sue and she was full of information. First stop was the fish market where I tried two local specialties -- hot-smoked salmon (very good) and smoked Minke whale meat (not so good). Sue took us to the backstreets of Bergen where we were able to see all the wooden houses arranged both helter-skelter and cheek by jowl. She also took us behind the row of stores on the main drag that is a Unesco world heritage site and whose name I am blanking out on. Honestly some of the places she took us I would never have even known existed so I am glad we hired her. 

Bergen, Norway

With the guide

They say it's safe but I ask you -- does it look safe to you? Me neither.

Fire was a serious problem in Bergen -- I wonder why?

But it was a long day and we were back at the boat only a half hour before take off. The exit from Bergen brought us through another archipelago of picturesque islands which made for pleasant viewing at dinner. Later in the evening we passed a half dozen or so oil rigs on the North Sea. It was interesting to see them (they certainly were large) and surprisingly the sea was quite calm, tranquil almost. Tonight however we are experiencing a little rocking and rolling as well as squeaking and moaning to accompany the normal slamming of doors and thud-thud-thud of the heavy footed upstairs "neighbor". (You see? It really is me. I know that you were worried someone else had commandeered this blog what with all the positives I dished out tonight. So, I thought I better include just a hint of negativity to prove that it's really me writing this!)

Leaving Bergen

North Sea oil platform(s) from our balcony