Day 9 of our cruise - Rekjavik take II

I'd seen a few tourist brochures over the last couple of days regarding whale watching in Rekjavik. Since we weren't on tour I half had it in my mind that we could go for it. The tours were advertised as starting at 9 am and 1 pm. OK, so we hadn't got up early enough for the 9pm tour, but I thought it might be worth trying for the 1pm one. Working it backwards, the ship was due to sail at 5pm, which meant we would have to be on board by 4.30pm, which meant we would have to be in a taxi and on our way back by as soon as possible after 4pm, which meant we could fit in a 3 hour whale watching tour.

Oyster Catchers ignoring us in Reykjavic

So a leisurely breakfast and then off for the day, except we got a shock as we reached the gangplank to get off. The captain had changed the times, and we had to be back on board by 3.45pm! We took the same walk as yesterday, and made our way down to the old harbour and asked anyway. But sadly, the tours are 3 hours long. It would have cost us 53 Euro's each, which isn't much, so it was a shame we couldn't make it.

A colourful and bizarre wall mural in Rekjavik.  Another example of the quirky Icelandic sense of humour

Feeling a bit disheartened, we decided to try again for the EVE monument for my son. This time we made our way into the maritime and asked the receptionist there who was the least receptive receptionist we've come across for a long time. It felt like we were the most tiresome people she'd ever had to deal with. She did explain to us though that the monument we'd found was the right one. The reason we'd not found all the names (500 000 of them), was that they were carved into the floor tiles, and that they so small, you'd need a magnifying glass to see them.  So, photographs taken, that was a mission accomplished. Time for a little wander around the city to see what we could see.

At first we had a plan to go back to the Harpa Concert Hall, for a cup of tea and a bit of cake. As we'd discovered yesterday, the building is fantastic, and we thought it would be nice to spend a bit more time inside and wonder at the glorious architecture.

A view inside the Harpa Concert Hall

Thing is, we got to the little cafe place inside and then realised it was one of those places that was going to take all day to get served, and to be honest, we had plenty more that we wanted to see, rather than wait around there. We did get some more photographs from the inside of the hall though. It really is the most fantastic space.

From the hall we made our way over to a small lake, full of swans, ducks and geese.

Love Birds.  

Before heading for the cathedral. I was using a tourist map to find our way, and as we walked through the quiet streets nearby we came across "C is for Cookie", a wonderful little cafe with a very relaxed atmosphere and large portions. No waiting for service here. Our soup was served in a couple of minutes. Really nice.

We found the cathedral.

Rekjavik Cathedral

And then started to make our way back, past Hofdi House, which is where Reagan and Gorbachov held a summit meeting which was the start of the end of the cold war.

Hofdi House, Rekjavik

And then we followed the coastal path back to the ship. My last treat was to see a duck I've not seen before.

Long Tailed Duck in Rekjavik, Iceland

Back on board ship, the Captain warned we were due for rough seas. Luckily they held off until after dinner. By bed time the ship was beginning to rock n roll, and this is due to carry on until tomorrow. Let's see how we go then eh?

Day 8 of the Natural Wonders and Total Eclipse cruise

Well, the ship certainly did a little bit of rocking last night, and it was still rolling when we woke this morning, but not too badly, and the sea got calmer has the morning progressed.

Today we went and sat in on the photography lecture, and I'm really glad we did, I've started learning how to use my camera at last, after owning it for a good year already. I've learnt the settings I need should I get the chance to photograph the Northern Lights. I admit I took about an hour trying to work out to get the camera off "illustrative", (and I've no idea how I switched that on!), before I could start playing with shutter speeds and aperture size, but Hey Ho, it's all good fun.

So then it was Peter's art class, a bit later than usual, at 12 midday. He has about 20 regular's and then the rest of the Lookout Lounge is filled with people lounging with their ipads and tablets, books and knitting. As it turned out, they were also listening in on Peter's lesson. We know this because the whole lounge burst out laughing when one of the passengers got confused over the name of the oar rests on rowing boat........... They're actually called rollocks, but this lady got her r's and b's mixed up.

So after the class we took it easy, watching the world go by until we reached Reykjavik. We got there earlier than expected, at about 4ish. Peter and I decided to take advantage and walk to the old town. It's about 3 miles from the new harbour where Voyager is berthed, to the old harbour where we were headed. We took the easy path that followed the coastline and I can recommend it to anyone. The views were stunning!  It is about 3 miles though.

My destination was to reach a monument on behalf of my son.

He's a gamer, and he wanted me to get to a particular sculpture that had been erected in "honour" of the game of Eve. Apparently, every player that was registered on a particular day has their name carved into plates on this sculpture. My son wanted me to take a photograph of a particular plate with his gaming characters name on.

On the way, we passed various sculptures,

Briefly visited the amazing Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Centre.

The Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Centre looks amazing from the outside.

But he looks even more exciteing from the inside

Before reaching the site where my son had told me the sculpture was located. We found a sort of monument, but it didn't seem to have any relevance with online gaming, and certainly didn't have a load of plates with names carved into it.

We looked around the area again, which was essentially a building site, and gave up. We had to hurry back to the ship to get there in time for dinner, but the views across the bay were still spectacular.

After dinner, we decided it might be worth going out on deck to see if the Lights were going to make an appearance. They did, and I was able to put my new found camera knowledge to the test. I admit to a squeal of delight when I realised I'd managed to capture the glow.  I've still a lot to learn though, I took loads and loads of photographs, here is one of the two that were worth keeping.

Faint Northern Lights from the back of the Voyager whilst we were berthed in Rekjavik.  I have to admit that the camera sees much more than the eye.  To us they were almost invisible.  

Tomorrow we have a full day in Reykavik, and no escorting duties. It should be a good day.

Day 7 of our cruise - Akureyri

We arrived at Akureyri about 7pm last night. I should have explained this, as it was at Akureyri that we saw the Northern Lights, from the back deck of the ship. We spent a very still night in Port, and woke quite early ready to venture out and see what we could of the little town. It's Peter's Birthday today, and as we opened the door of the cabin I walked into a few streamers dangling from above the doorway which were attached to balloons. Our cabin steward burst into laughter at our puzzled faces, and came to wish Peter a Happy Birthday. What a nice touch. Obviously organised by the ship, but very thoughtful nevertheless.

After a good breakfast we were out of the port and ready to find our way about the town. aActually, what we were really after, if possible, was to get to the Godafoss waterfalls. We checked with the bus driver, who didn't know which buses went that way (and buses are free in Iceland), and then we checked with a taxi driver who told us it would cost around £100 to get out there. This is still cheaper than the ship organised tour, and might have been good if we found another couple of passengers who also wanted to go...... But not for us today.


This seal was investigating a little pool we passed as we walked into town.  Lovely to see

Instead we satisfied ourselves with a pleasant walk along a small river that runs along the outer edges of the town. There is a proper path suitable for a wheelchair or a pram, and if you cast your gaze to the right view and from the right angle, you could almost cut out any semblance of the town and be in the middle of the country.  There's a little power station and a small gorge along the way.

We took the walk as far as we dared, until we reached the top of the town. From there we walked back down straight through the middle, enjoying a cup of tea and a pastry from a very nice little bakery come cafe about half way. I was under the impression that Iceland was very expensive, but our little teastop worked out at about £6, so not bad at all.
We carried on to take quick look at the church, from where we got a good view of our ship, and then through the little town centre back to the Voyager.

The Voyager from Akureyri Church

We noted that there is plenty of wi-fi available in the coffee shops and bars whilst we passed through, ready to take advantage of later. So it was a quick lunch and then back into the little town for a beer and bit of broadband.

Akureyri Town Centre

Eider ducks in the bay as we made our way back to the ship

When we got back to our cabin, we discovered our cabin steward had left Peter another present.

Towel art in honour of Peter's Birthday

As we left Akureyri, everyone marvelled at the beauty of the fjord and the mountains under the beautiful blue sky. But the Captain had warned us. Once back out to sea, the wind would increase and the sea swell would start chucking the ship around again. In fact, the weather was so bad that he'd already checked and we are not going to be able to get into our next port of Grundarfjordur. We are heading straight for Rekjavik and should arrive about 6pm tomorrow night. (There were lots of groans from the passengers, as many of them were looking forward to our next stop, which is exceptionally scenic it seems.)

Leaving Akureyri

Luckily, the weather gods saved the wind and snow until after dinner and the end of the cabaret in the Darwin Lounge. So at about 10.30 I took advantage of the fact that it was bedtime and jumped into bed as the ship started to lurch about.

Tomorrow is another sea day then, as we make our way to Rekjavik. Peter will have another class, and I am hoping I will have found my sea legs at last, as I'm fed up of feeling groggy and nauseaus every time the sea gets rough. As Peter says..... Bring it on!

Day 6 of our Iceland Cruise - Not Husavik

Our first view of Iceland

We woke quite late, had a leisurely breakfast, and went upstairs to get the first views of Iceland. The Voyager was due to dock at Husavik at midday, and we would be straight off to escort the Whale Watching tour, so we wouldn't really have time for lunch, except they laid on the meal early (starting at 11.15). It seemed like no sooner had we had breakfast, we were eating our midday sandwiches prior to the tour.

The wind was pretty strong, and I had thought it might affect the tour, but the Shore Excursion team told me that they'd not been told of any problems and it would go ahead, but.........

Husavik from the fjord

But the wind was too much for the ship, and the Captain couldn't get her to the dock. He apologised, and we sat out in the fjord for an hour or so hoping the wind would die down. Instead, it got worse. On the plus side, the clouds were blown away, the skies turned blue, and the air warmed in the glorious sunshine.

Iceland looking beautiful in the glorious sunshine

The Capt came on over the loudspeaker system again to tell us that there was no way he could get the ship docked in this weather. He'd contacted our next port, Akureyi, and although the wind was pretty bad there as well, it was a lot more sheltered, and they had a tug that could help. So the anchor was lifted and off we chugged.

The wind catching the surface of the waves, creating little funnels of spray

And we took the scenic route. That is, the Captain took the ship into the next fjord so that we could enjoy the breathtaking views....... and it was stunning! We all stood on the top deck, almost blown away by the scenery, and almost the same again by the wind.

But eventually they closed the decks and the clouds came over and we went back inside. We didn't venture back out again until after dinner (which was lovely again by the way). We were sat enjoying a quiet drink when one of the lecturers came to tell us that if we went out on the back deck we could see the Northern Lights. And we did!

OK, the green glowing curtain didn't appear that strongly, and the lights from the town sort of dimmed the effect, but it was still wonderful.

I was very disappointed not to have been able to go whale watching today, but tomorrow we do not have any escorting duties so we get to wander freely. I wonder what Akureyri is like?

Day 5 of our Eclipse tour - The Eclipse

The anticipation on the ship was tangible as everyone was up early and eager for the event of the cruise. The moon was due to start covering the sun at 08.43, and continue on that path until it completely hid it at "totality" at 09.44. Despite the rough seas and miserably dark overcast sky, everyone was out on deck by quarter to 9, us included.

But as I said, the sky was miserably dark and overcast - ever so often the clouds would part slightly and show us a vague outline of the sun, and everyone was full of hope. We were all armed with our silly eclipse specs, photographers had covered their camera lenses, and everyone waited.........

And then the clouds parted. Just enough to see it - there.... the moon was starting to move into the sun's path. Using our silly specs we could see the dark shape of the moon, edging into the sun's path and blocking the rays. And then it was gone again.

But the clouds repeatedly parted, acting as filters so that we didn't need the specs. And each time the moon was covering more and more of the sun, until the sun began to look like the moon, a bright, bright crescent in the sky, getting thinner and thinner - smaller and smaller until there was just the tiniest sliver.

And then the clouds covered the scene again. People waited and the world went dark........... Properly dark, as if it was night time. Quite weird.


And just as everyone was about to give up hope the clouds parted to show us the eclipse. The dark circle of the moon outlined by the bright light of the sun. Quite a spectacle!  I didn't take any pictures, but Peter managed. Here's the one I stole off him.

Total Eclipse, from MV Voyager 20 Mar 2013

After such an event, the world returned to normal. People swapped camera stories, Peter started getting ready for his class and everyone started to notice that the rough seas that I mentioned at the start of this post were getting rougher.

I managed to help Peter get his class ready, but I had to come downstairs and lie down by midday, as did a lot of other passengers. But it eased off and by 5 o'clock I was back upstairs and hungry. We made do with half a tube of Pringles until dinner time.

After another delicious steak dinner we listened to Derek Aidoo, the Cruise Director in the Darwin Lounge. He's actually a very good singer, and obviously enjoys it. We're due to visit Husavic in Iceland tomorrow and down for escorting a whale watching excursion. I am so looking forward to it. 

Day 4 of our Eclipse Cruise - Torshavn

Torshavn, Faroe Islands

I'd worked out that Torshavn wasn't that big a town, and probably didn't have that much to offer the casual visitor. The Faroe Islands are beautiful though, and definitely the sort of place for the walkers and outdoor enthusiasts. For this reason Peter and I volunteered to act as escorts for the tours that would take us out to see the landscape and scenery. It was probably the absolute best way to see much of the island that day, since the weather was foul. Cold, overcast, grey and wet! But we were able to admire the fjords and steep glacial valleys of the island through the bus windows.

Our bus made a couple of stops, the first was at Kollafjordur church. A tiny but charming wooden building, quite lovely inside.

Kollafjordur church with it's traditional turf roof.  Tiny, but absolutely charming inside.

Waterfall at Saksun Bay, Faroe Islands

We then went on to visit the Saksun museum, which is really an old farmhouse which used to belong to a wealthy family in the Saksun village. The village is tiny, and our guide told us how the villagers are leaving to live in the city of Torshavn and beyond. There are now only 20 or so inhabitants, all in the "old" category. She feared that in 20 years time there would be nobody left.
The museum was interesting enough, with explanations of how people would have lived there, everything as it was originally. But the real beauty of Saksun is the surroundings. It was beautiful despite the cold wet weather.

Saksun Bay, Faroe Islands

Really, really lovely.  And there was more spectacular scenery on the way back as we returned to the ship for lunch.

Sculpture in Torshavn, Faroe Islands

After lunch we took a walk into Torshavn to have a look round. As I said earlier, there wasn't a lot to keep tourists interested, but the old part of the town is quite pretty, and various bits of street furniture demonstrated the Faroese sense of humour. We can also recommend the library for a good cup of tea and free Wi-Fi.

Fun bench in Torshavn, Faroe Islands

Another fun bench in Torshavn, Faroe Islands

Part of the Old Town, Torshavn, Faroe Islands

 

Fish cleaning sculpture, Torshavn, Faroe Islands

Back on board ship, we enjoyed another wonderful meal in the Veranda Restaurant before I proceeded to trash my laptop. Very irritating! We worked out, bit by bit, what it would need to fix it but tomorrow is the day of the Eclipse. The excitement among the passengers is building. Lets hope the weather improves, because we've had nothing but mist, rain and thick grey clouds up until now.

Day 3 on the Voyager, another Sea Day.

So my last blog post was written on Tuesday, after our first night on the Voyager, so you could say it was Day 2 of the cruise.

So today's post is about Wednesday 18th March, Day 3 of the cruise. What can I tell you about today?. Well, it went well up to a point. Peter's class ran a lot more smoothly than yesterday, because we knew what needed to be done. The sun was out and I spent a fair amount of time up on deck, enjoying the sun and the wind........ the very, very cold wind. The food on this ship is wonderful. So wonderful, I had to take the time out to tell the chefs so last night. I'm trying not to be a pig with it though, and I've actually managed to eat sensibly so far. The only thing marring the day today was a headache which slowly built up as the hours passed until it got to the point of intolerable. I was in bed with a dose of painkillers at 5pm, and I stayed there until the morning. 

New Ship, New Cruise. First day on the Voyager - Eclipse and Natural Wonders Cruise

Scott's Lounge, Voyager

I'm sitting in the Scott's Lounge, in a deep burgundy, square armchair, amongst many other deep burgundy armchairs which are set out in rows and squares across the lounge. Voices rise and fall around me, as people talk of previous cruises, holidays, train journeys and today's programme. Others read, or doze, or sit with furrowed brows, heads down, concentrating on a crosswords.

So what's the ship like? We arrived on board yesterday and our first impression is that Voyager is a lot shorter than the ships we're used to, and a bit more square and boxy. At only 560 maximum passengers, it's bound to be. We took a quick saunter around the decks, and to us, it feels small.

Darwin Lounge, Voyager

The lounges are all relatively contemporary , clean and well maintained. So far we've sat in the Darwin Lounge to watch last night's show, eaten in the very pleasant Veranda Restaurant, and admired the gentle ambience of the Library as we've walked through. The Lookout Lounge at the front of the ship is where Peter is holding his art classes, and it's a really nice space.

Veranda Restaurant The Voyager

The Library, Voyager

Lookout Lounge, Voyager

We've had a quick walk around the external decks too. Taking a promenade all the way around the ship isn't possible, as there is only one deck to walk on, and it only extends about two thirds of the way from the rear of the ship to the front. There is the Sun Deck at the top of the ship, which I'm sure is very popular in warmer climes. For me, the lack of external deck space is a little disappointing, and adds to the boxy feel of the ship, making it feel more enclosed than we are used to.

Sun Deck, Voyager

Hot tubs and swimming pool, Voyager

Our cabin is up to the usual standards, the bed is massive because they've pushed two single 3ft beds together to give us a huge double, and we've massess of storage space in the cupboards. The bathroom is edging towards tired, but it's clean and we are happy. No kettles in the cabins again, but tea and coffee making facilities are available 24/7.

Voyager prides itself on the standard of its lecturers, so at some point we'll have to check them out.  The staff are mostly Phillipino, meaning delightfully happy, smiling and helpful. The show team, or theatre company, as they are described on Voyager, seem very skilled and professional, and the entertainment team as a whole seem well organised. Scarily, we seem to be on a well oiled machine, which bodes well for the rest of the cruise.

The Veranda, a small but very nice covered deck area off the back of the Veranda Restaurant, Voyager

Today is a sea day, and Peter has had his first class. 20 keen , eager and forgiving passengers turned up and waited patiently as we worked our way through understanding a new ship, new processes and new ways of providing materials. They seemed happy at the end of the class and promised to come back for a second time, so Peter must have done something right.

The weather today has been quite amazing. First of all the sea has been amazingly mill pond smooth, meaning the ship has hardly rocked or rolled at all. Secondly, we have been surrounded by fog all day - with only the briefest view of the sun as it tried vainly to burn its way through the mist and damp. Visibility has been so poor that we've decided we could easily be travelling around in circles on the same flat stretch of water and never know. I'd really like visibility to improve, or how am I going to get to see the whales around here?

Tonight is formal night, so time to get the posh togs out, and tomorrow is another sea day and Peter's second class. Let's see how it all goes then.......