31 July 2024 - Reykjavik, Iceland

This is the third time I've been to Reykjavik, and I was really looking forward to it. This cold is a bit of a bummer, and I didn't want to mix with people to much, so Peter got me a bacon butty from the Grill for breakfast. The plan was to walk into town from the ship, it takes about half an hour and the last time we did it, (in 2015), I really enjoyed it.

But today the weather was a bit on the dull side, and so was I, so it didn't seem quite as enjoyable as last time. But once we got to the "Recycled House", I perked up.

Apparently, it's the home of an Icelandic film director where he created stuff fir his films. It's a fantastic place and you are very welcome to wander and look around. We loved it the first time we visited, and we loved it again today.

From there, we continued the walk into the city. There is a lot to see, good views and all sorts of structures and sculptures.

And then we got to town. Basically we just wandered a little. I wasn't up to a full day of walking, so we visited the cathedral.

And then walked about the area around it. I still love the quirkiness of the place.

And then it was time to go back, we walked back to the took the shuttle bus from the Opera House (amazing building) and once back on board I spent the afternoon going through the worst of the cold, feeling properly sorry for myself. Dinner in the cabin again and a good night's sleep needed - tomorrow is a sea day, and I will need to help Peter with his classes.

30 July 2024 - Isafjordur, Iceland

OK, so now I have a cold. It's going around the ship, and I don't really want to spread it any further. We're in port though and I can get off and away from everybody. The ship was supposed to be docked, but apparently the port authorities haven't dredged the necessary bit for us, so we are having to tender in. Funny how the massive Aida ship was able to berth though.

Spirit of Adventure at anchor in the fjord.

We've not been here before and I've not got round to researching the area. A look on Maps.me shows paths that might be interesting, but a look out from the balcony tells us that getting to any sort of height in the surrounding hills is probably a bad idea. The cloud base was really low and the day felt cold and dreary

After a late breakfast we took our time, with the aim of having a walk about to see what there was to see. In all honesty..... Not much.

We found a supermarket, bought a couple of bananas and some chocolate, and decided to make our way to the edge of the town for a walk up the hill. We could see the path disappeared into the clouds as it rose, but we thought we'd go as far as we could.

Then it was back to enjoy the comforts of the ship and nurse my cold. To avoid spreading it further, we decided to take advantage of room service for our evening meal, which was surprisingly easy. This also meant that we were able to spend time watching from the balcony hoping to see whales as we left the fjord.

And we did! A couple came up to the left of our balcony, towards the front of the ship. They were so close it was the noise of the blow that made us turn and look. Then we saw a few more, some distance away, which Peter was able to film. I haven't worked out what type they were yet - either fin or humpback, but what a thrill, especially when you add the large pod of dolphins that we saw a little later. Awesome.

Room service was OK, eating in the Grill is better, but at least we didn't have to get changed for dinner. The only real hitch was that the little table in the room isn't really big enough for two people to eat from.

Tomorrow we are in Reyjavik which is somewhere we really like. Hopefully my cold will have improved.

29 July 2024 - Akureyri, Iceland

After two days at sea, we have arrived in Akureyri, in the North of Iceland. We've been here before when it was cold with snow on the ground. We tried and failed to get to the Godafoss Waterfall on that occasion, this time we are in luck, since it is an included excursion for the cruise.

Godafoss waterfall is 45 minutes east of Akureyri by bus, and we were on the first set of buses out. It's well worth the drive.

There's a footbridge allowing visitors to access both sides of the falls and Peter and I used up the hour plus that we had at the site, getting back to the bus with just a few minutes to spare. A wonderful place made better by good weather.

Sadly we had to leave, and the bus took us back to Akureyri, with a stop at the botanical gardens on the way. We were back in time for lunch though.

I'm starting to come down with a cold, and my throat is a bit sore - so we decided to take it easy in the afternoon. Next stop Isafjordur tomorrow. Cool.

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?