Norse Not Vikings.
When most people think of the Norse ships from millennium ago they think of the Viking longship. But the backbone of Norse trade was the knarr, a freighter about 54 feet long. Knarr isn’t sleek, it’s broad and looks kind … Continue reading Norse Not Vikings.
Looking for the Norse and Finding Celts.
L’Anse Meadows, Newfoundland. The first tour I booked for this cruise was to L’Anse aux Meadows outside St. Anthony, Newfoundland. For years people speculated that the Norse had landed in and explored North America. It was written about in the … Continue reading Looking for the Norse and Finding Celts.
Carnival of The Animals
One of the beloved cruise traditions is animals made of towels and washcloths appearing on your bed, sofa, chair or hanging from a hanger every night. When I first encountered it it delighted me and still does. Since the pandemic … Continue reading Carnival of The Animals
I Didn’t Get Very Far in Halifax
Halifax has a lot to see and do but I didn’t do much of it, this time. Fortunately, we were there on vacation a few years ago. On that trip I got caught in probably the largest non-urban traffic jam … Continue reading I Didn’t Get Very Far in Halifax
A Geopolitical Anomaly, Saint-Pierre et Miquelon
Saint-Pierre et Miquelon are an island group at the southern end of Newfoundland. They are a remnant of a French North American empire that included much of Newfoundland, Quebec, the Canadian Maritimes (then called Acadia), The Great Lakes (what is … Continue reading A Geopolitical Anomaly, Saint-Pierre et Miquelon
The End is Neigh.
We have a week left on this cruise and things started wrapping up a week ago. A week ago, we got a letter from Holland to choose a disembarkation time and pick up corresponding luggage tags, two weeks before the … Continue reading The End is Neigh.
Iceberg Alley
…Become Ocean! John Luther Adams, a composer who lived in Alaska most of his composing life, wrote a symphonic tone poem “Become Ocean” for the Seattle Symphony. It is about the melting glaciers in Alaska and the icecap in Greenland … Continue reading Iceberg Alley
No “U”after “Q” ?, Qaqortoq
I love it when I can correct my first grade teacher, Mrs. King, even if it is almost three quarters of a century later. There ARE “Qs” not followed by “Us”. As in Qaqortoq, a city in Greenland. Mrs. King, … Continue reading No “U”after “Q” ?, Qaqortoq
The Mother of All Parliaments. Þingvellir, Iceland
When Suzi and I first visited Iceland more than half a century ago there were no trees. It was heathland. Not barren, just treeless. Icelanders told us that in the 9th century, when settlers first arrived, the island had about … Continue reading The Mother of All Parliaments. Þingvellir, Iceland
It Don’t Come Easy, Paamiut, Greenland
We made it to Paamuit, Greenland, but in Ringo’s words, “It don’t come easy.” In past posts you got the story of our encounters with ice, hurricane force winds and 23 foot seas, our cancelation of one port and reordering … Continue reading It Don’t Come Easy, Paamiut, Greenland
Bubble, Bubble…
…toil and trouble. Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble. Hveragerdi Village has been an exurb of Reykjavik since the late 1920s. It’s close to thermal springs and it became home for people who did not need to go into the capital … Continue reading Bubble, Bubble…
Course Correction
Last night all the elevators homed in on the lower promenade deck, deck three. They do that when the ship lists more than 5 degrees. Then Captain Paul Adams came on the PA system. We were watching the film “Wicked,” … Continue reading Course Correction
Swimming in Power Plant Effluent…
…and drinking Krap. Okey, most people call it the swimming in the Blue Lagoon but it reality they are swimming in the wastewater from a power plant. And Krap? That’s the name of Iceland’s favorite blueberry slushy sold at the … Continue reading Swimming in Power Plant Effluent…
Plans Change, The Party Continues.
8:00 Wednesday morning, our second day in Reykjavik, the PA chimes ring. Captain Paul Adams comes on. Our string of luck with the weather is about to run out. A North Atlantic low will create high winds, heavy seas and … Continue reading Plans Change, The Party Continues.
A Normal Shore Day, Isafjordur
This was the type of shore day I’ve been waiting for. Get off the ship, wander for a few hours, and get back on, take a nap. Nothing special, nothing extraordinary to process afterwards (Although I love it when that … Continue reading A Normal Shore Day, Isafjordur
Splish Splash
Saturday night Volendam had its sock hop. We danced to ‘50s and ‘60s music, so you can’t really blame me for humming that ridiculous old Bobby Darin tune all Sunday morning while visiting the Forest Lagoon, a geothermal mineral bath … Continue reading Splish Splash
Tankurinn, It’s not what you may think.
Djupivogur, Iceland has decided to slow down. Its four hundred residents have opted to join the Cittaslow movement. Cittaslow started in Italy and grew out of the slow food movement. Membership is open to towns of under 50,000. The goals … Continue reading Tankurinn, It’s not what you may think.
This is the Donut Hole
Between our visit to Kamoyvaer fishing village and our return to Honningsvåg the weather cleared up unexpectedly, there was no fog and no wind. It was the perfect day to visit North Cape. North Cape (or Nord Cap) is branded … Continue reading This is the Donut Hole
East of the Sun and West of the Moon
Kamoyvaer is the type of town I love to drop an FM translator into. A translator is a low powered FM repeater. I’ve put them into small fishing towns along the Alaska Panhandle. Kamoyvaer fits the profile, in this case … Continue reading East of the Sun and West of the Moon
St. Olaf vs. the Trolls
It was like we were in Tromsø on two different days. The night before this first call north of the Arctic Circle at latitude 69o the forecast called for temps in the 30s and a “wintery mix” of rain and … Continue reading St. Olaf vs. the Trolls
The Norski Elvis
The click of a padlock and we are locked out. We were visiting the Sverresborg Trondelag Folk Museum, a open air museum with buildings collected from all over the region and assembled in a folk park. I particularly wanted to … Continue reading The Norski Elvis
Ravenheart
The Lewis Chessmen may be the perfect icon for this portion of our voyage. The Chessmen were discovered on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. They were carved from walrus ivory from Greenland, probably transited through … Continue reading Ravenheart
Hardanger Fjord
Eidfjord sits at the end of Hardangerfjord, a deep (more than 2800 feet) and long (111 miles) fjord extending inland from the Norwegian sea. At the head of the fjord is the Hardanger plateau and the Hardangervidda National Park. The … Continue reading Hardanger Fjord
Reformation and Art, St. Giles Cathedral
St. Giles Cathedral, the High Kirk of Edinburgh, is ironic in several ways. First off, I find the idea of a Presbyterian Cathedral, Presbyterians have no bishops, to be almost oxymoronic. But what I really find funny is the stained … Continue reading Reformation and Art, St. Giles Cathedral