FUN-travel: End of A&K Arctic Cruise – Reykjavik, Iceland – Day 1

November 5, 2014 by · Comments Off on FUN-travel: End of A&K Arctic Cruise – Reykjavik, Iceland – Day 1 

Day 52 – Thursday, August 21 – Reykjavik, Iceland – End of A&K Cruise – full on sun – balmy summer day – high mid 50’s

What I LIKE

  • 6:45 – get up
  • Ready for next big adventure!
  • 8:00 – packed up
  • 8:15 – out of cabin
  • 8:20 – breakfast (closes @ 8:30)
  • *9:15 – bus to city center
11 Reykjavik, Iceland  2014

City Center

 Cruise Recap – Really smooth well stabilized ship with good sized rooms for the price (and all with balconies). A&K is a 5 star experience and who we have gone with in Antarctica and Egypt. Both have been most favorite trips. The ship is French and the staff was for the most part friendly. The food was a bit disappointing. We had done a river cruise on Uniworld through the Burgundy and Provence region and the food was spectacular. We really expected to see a whole lot more wildlife and icebergs. Heard they were going to do this same trip next year one month earlier which I assume will make a big difference. We wouldn’t recommend this trip unless you’ve been everywhere else and really want to hunt for polar bears in the wild. Antarctica still wins as the “best vacation we ever had!” The abundance of wildlife is phenomenal.

  •  10:30 – arrive Reyjkavik4You Apartments

    25 Reykjavik, Iceland  2014

    Hallgrimur’s Church

  • – get upgrade to 1 bdrm w/full kitchen
  • –great to have so much space!
  • –free fast Wifi
  • 12:00 – plan out next 4 days
  • – make dinner reservations
  • – make tour reservations
  • Front desk fabulous! Handles everything for us
  • 2:00 – take off for stroll thru Old Town & city center
  • 2:15 – coffee break @ Kigali
  • – buy fresh ground espresso for morning coffee
  • 2:30 – run into 2 couples from ship – doing same as us
  • – self guided tour & lodging
  • – while I like meeting new people it’s nice to be on our own
  • 3:30 – wine store stop – Vinbudin – only retail place in town for alcohol
  • 4:30 – snack break @ Durum Restaurant
  • – Cajun chicken quesadilla ala Icelandic style
  • – brown thin bread w/yogurt sauce
  • 5:15 – check out restaurant on our list
  •  server recommends Icelandic Bar
  • – so we cancel more formal dinner and go there
  • 5:30 – grocery store just around corner
  • – they have separate really cold room for the meat & dairy
  • 6:30 – put name on list – go back to room
  • 7:40 – get seated

19 Reykjavik, Iceland  2014

FUN-food – Icelandic Bar – Loved the coziness! If you’re into beer this is the place to be. I like my wine and they had some of that too. The appetizers come in cute little jars. We had grilled minke whale (tastes like steak) and fried shrimp topped w/blueberry glaze and arugula which was divine! Fish & chips were good. Yalumba 2010 Cab – dinner cost = $80

FUN-surprise – 9 pm on Thursday nights in summer they have a vintage car show in town – 50’s- 60’s – 70’s & 80’s models – saw Mustangs, Cougars, Cadillac’s, Fords, Lincolns, Mercedes, BMW’s, etc – for over an hour they paraded past our window table!

78 Reykjavik, Iceland  2014

Opera House

 What I DON’T LIKE

  •  *only takes 15 mins to city but w/all drop offs takes 75 mins
  • – then driver tries to drop off 2 blks from our hotel
  • – cost of post cruise hotel outrageous!
  • Trying to find deal on souvenirs impossible
  • – too expensive here!

FUN-fact – Iceland was discovered by the Viking Eric the Red in 985.

18 Reykjavik, Iceland  2014

FUN-travel: Grundarfjörður, Iceland – A&K Arctic Cruise Day 12

October 26, 2014 by · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Grundarfjörður, Iceland – A&K Arctic Cruise Day 12 

Day 51 – Wednesday, August 20 – Grundarfjörður, Iceland – A&K Cruise Day 12 – sun w/clouds in distance – low 50’s

What I LIKE

  • 7:45 – full on sun!
  • 8:30 – usual breakfast
  • 9:30 – start packing
  • 11:30 – Recap slide show in main theatre
  • 12:15 – lunch no theme
  • 1:45 – start line up for tour
  • 2:00 – depart for land tour Wonders of the West
  • – small fishing villages hug dramatic coastline
15 Grundarfjordur, Iceland 2014

Djúpalónssandur

  • 3:00 – first stop Djúpalónssandur – walk thru lava rock formations
  • – down to black sand beach
  • – filled w/pebbles & stones of all shapes & sizes
  • – varying shades of black & gray
  • – fishing boats dot the horizon
  • 3:50 – back on bus for

20 Grundarfjordur, Iceland 2014

  • 4:10 – 2nd stop – Arnarstapi
  • – small seaside village
  • – nice walk along cliffs of more lava
  • – huge lava sculpture welcoming all
  • 4:50 – back on bus for

26 Grundarfjordur, Iceland 2014

  • 5:15 – 3rd stop Budi – small village
  • – black church & cemetery
  • – short walk to beach w/yellow sand
  • – more lava rocks w/high grass & rolling dunes
  • – miniature flower clusters like Greenland
  • – only bigger versions of daisy, daffodil & roses
  • 6:00 – back to ship – nice drive along seaside
17 Grundarfjordur, Iceland 2014

Alice, Bill, Chris & Me

  • 6:30 – arrive ship
  • 8:00 – dinner Deck 6
  • – YIKES everyone had the same idea and it’s full!
  • 11:00 – night night for big day tomorrow

What I DON’T LIKE

  • No satellite & have seen everything on TV
  • 12:45 am – totally missed the Aurora Borealis! AKA Northern Lights

FUN-fact – People names – In Iceland the child is given a first name and the last name is the first name of the father with their gender added. Example: John Erikson

1 Grundarfjordur, Iceland 2014

FUN-travel: Húsavík, Iceland – A&K Arctic Cruise Day 11

October 25, 2014 by · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Húsavík, Iceland – A&K Arctic Cruise Day 11 

Day 50 – Tuesday, August 19 – Húsavík, Iceland – A&K Cruise Day 11 – blue skies w/high wispy clouds turns dark & cloudy late afternoon – high 58 – sunrise 4:51 – sunset 9:14

3 Husavik, Iceland 2014

Godafoss

What I LIKE

  • 8:30 – depart for full day land tour – Jewels of the North
  • *9:10 – 1st stop – Godafoss – translates Waterfall of the Gods
  • – nice walk across bridge
  • – landscape is green rolling hills
  • – mixed w/lava fields & snow capped mtns
22 Husavik, Iceland 2014

Lava Formations

  • 9:50 – depart
  • 10:45 – 2nd stop – Lake w/lava formations
  • Huge glacier visible from 90 miles
  • 11:10 – depart
  • 11:30 – 3rd stop – lunch – Free Wifi! Catch up on all the email!

FUN-food – OMG is best yet! – tomato soup – Icelandic trout (looks & tastes like salmon) w/mashed potatoes & fresh green beans – dessert is special Icelandic yogurt

26 Husavik, Iceland 2014

Dimmuborgir

  •  :15 – depart
  • 1:25 – 4th stop – Dimmuborgir – large geothermal field
  • – hot bubbling sulfur pits
  • @ base of majestic Namafjall Mountain
  • 3:00 – 5th stop – Whale Museum
  • 4:00 – nice short walk for cappuccino break @ main bakery – VG
  • 4:30 – shuttle back to ship
27 Husavik, Iceland 2014

Dimmuborgir

  • 5:00 – set sail
  • 7:00 – Captain’s Farewell cocktail Party
  • 7:45 – dinner
  • 9:45 – opt out of Oo La La Paris show in theatre
  • 10:30 – ready for bed

 What I DON’T LIKE

  • Wake up all nite long
  • 6:30 – get up
  • 8:10 – tour line snaking thru reception area
  • *- lots of mosquitoes

FUN-fact – 1/10 of Iceland is covered by ice and is the biggest glacier in Europe.

7 Husavik, Iceland 2014

Chris, Gabby, Brooke & Me

FUN-travel: At Sea – A&K Arctic Cruise Day 10

October 18, 2014 by · Comments Off on FUN-travel: At Sea – A&K Arctic Cruise Day 10 

Day 49 – Monday, August 18 – At Sea – A&K Cruise Day 10 – sun w/clouds – 50’s – sunrise 4:31 – sunset 9:53 – typical sea day

Danmark, Greenland 6

On Deck 6 Sailing Out of Greenland

What I LIKE

  • 9:00 –typical breakfast w/snack for the room
  • 9:45 – lecture on TV – the Future of the Oceans
  • 11:30 – lecture on TV – All about Auks
  • 1:00 – typical lunch w/no theme
  • 2:30 – nap
  • 5:00 – lecture on TV – Climate Change – Ancient Records & Modern Reality

Holm Bugt, Greenland 7

  • 7:00 – Expedition Recap – last one for the cruise – highlights of trip
  • – pictures w/music presentation on the big screens
  • – when you see them all together it looks like we had a good trip!
  • 8:00 – dinner w/Gabby & Brooke & 2 other couples
  • – celebrating their 35th anniversary
  • 10:00 – Julio (an 80 yr old fellow passenger & entertainer) serenades the group in the dining room with his singing and guitar playing
18 Margeriedal, Greenland 2014

Our Room

 What I DON’T LIKE

  •  Typical sea day – have watched everything on TV and getting bored

FUN-fact – Greenland is not a continent because it is part of the North American tectonic plate.

More FF – We crossed the Denmark Strait today which stretches 300 miles to Iceland and connects the Arctic Sea to the Atlantic Ocean.

z26 Margeriedal, Greenland 2014

FUN-travel: Scoresby Sound, Greenland – A&K Arctic Cruise Day 10

September 25, 2014 by · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Scoresby Sound, Greenland – A&K Arctic Cruise Day 10 

Day 48 – Sunday, August 17 – Rodefjord & Danmark, Greenland – A&K Cruise Day 9 – morning sun breaks thru clouds then mostly blue skies – 50’s

Rodefjord, Greenland 25

What I LIKE

  • 7:00 – first in line for…
  • 1st expedition in 1st group – zodiac tour
  • – see sun rise over fjord
  • – cloud colors change – really beautiful
  • 6000 ft high sheer granite cliffs line narrow fjord

Rodefjord, Greenland 27

  • 7:30 – massive, spectacular icebergs!
  • – some w/vivid blue centers – see a ring seal
  • – vibrant red/orange miniature flower clusters dot craggy shoreline
  • 9:00 – breakfast w/snack for later
  • 12:15 – BBQ lunch outside on deck – ribs, hotdogs, lamb chops
  • – wind kicks up & have to go inside to finish lunch

Rodefjord, Greenland 15

  • 2:00 – nap
  • *4:30 – 2nd expedition 1st group
  • – wet landing on Danmark island
  • – have no intention going out at 6 PM!
  • – get at back of line & go early
  • – really boggy w/big squishy tufts of plants
  • – big walk to top of rocky hill

Rodefjord, Greenland 21

  • – incredible view of distant snow covered mtns
  • – & icebergs dotting the bay
  • 6:00 – happy hour martini’s
  • **8:00 – typical dinner – causal Deck 6
  • 10:30 – more icebergs & ice covered mtns in distance off balcony
  • – sky is nice red w/orange colored clouds doting skyline
Danmark, Greenland 11

Sitting on Top of The World!

 What I DON’T LIKE

  •  6:30 – get up
  • *really rough seas – get splashed big time
  • – mosquitoes on shore – unbelievable!
  • – the rubber boots make climbing on uneven ground cumbersome
  • **food is getting boring – didn’t expect that for French ship
Danmark, Greenland 1

BBQ Bar

FUN-fact – There are no trees in the arctic.

Not so FF – Really expected to see lots more ice and calving of the icebergs.

Danmark, Greenland 15

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