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.......