2006 Maasdam - Voyage of the Vikings A 35 day journal

[WCB]

Greetings to all,

Well, here we are again, heading for the Northern part of the Atlantic! There are many countries and cities in this area that will be new for us. And it is also the first longer cruise we have taken during the summer months. This particular itinerary only can be sailed during July, and the ship only does it once a year, so we sacrificed our summer weather for the cooler climate of the North Atlantic.

The first day of travel is always a "bear", no matter how much prior planning goes into it. Our flight from San Francisco, scheduled to leave at 1:30, was delayed an hour, due to overbooking, and other air traffic problems. One thing we totally forgot to factor into the equation, was the holiday involving the 4th of July. Everybody and their brother cram the airports to fly home, away from home, or on vacation everywhere. So therefore, flights are overbooked. The airline, in this case, American Air, did offer some pretty good perks to give up your seats......free hotelstay in SF, with all meals included, and a $500. voucher for a future flight. Not bad. There were some takers, but not until after we all boarded.

Flying is not always our favorite thing to do, but necessary if you want to go from point A to point B in a short amount of time. This is what we kept reminding ourselves as we were surrounded by several babies and small children, each one trying to outdo each other in the screaming department!! We have decided that we have a magnet effect when we get our seating on the plane. If there are small kids, we will be right in the middle of them.....Murphy's Law, right?? One good thing that the parents have now compared to when our kids were little, are the computer-type toys or DVD players. They are worth $1 million dollars to all of us when the parents whip them out of their bags! Treats and snacks work well too. Bring out that candy, mom and dad!

We arrived to Boston Logan Airport at 10 pm, EST. The airport was a mob scene, even that late. Luckily, we were met by a Holland rep, who helped us with luggage collection and getting us together for our transfers. We had an hour wait for a shuttle to the Hilton at the airport ( 10 minute ride). Check-in was swift, and we finally got to bed by midnight. We had instructions to have our luggage ready for pick-up at 8:30 the next morning, which was rudely early, but do-able. It is a bit hard to jump ahead 3 hours and not feel the time change. We decided to skip dinner, since we indulged in snacks of peanuts and crackers ( brought from home) all the way to Boston. Airlines are not what they used to be as far as the food department. We had water, soda, and juice served to us, but if you wanted a snack box or a lunch salad, the cost was about $5.00. On our last trip, they ran out of all the food, so this time we came prepared. This was probably a good thing, since we will be sailing for 35 days, and enjoying lots of haute cuisine, we hope!

Saturday

This morning, we woke up to a beautiful day in Boston. Despite the deluge of rain they have been having recently, the skies were clear and the temperature was heading upwards to 80 degrees. In hind sight, we should have come two days ahead of the cruise. That way, we would have had time to see this lovely city. We did visit here in 2004, but in one day, you can only see so much. Good excuse to do another New England cruise someday.

After getting our luggage ready for pick-up, we headed for a very expensive breakfast in the Hilton restaurant. Since this hotel is at the airport, we are trapped company, as far as eating choices. However, the food was good, slow service, but ample portions were given. We met after check-out with the Holland reps and the rest of our large group. It took about an hour for the buses to arrive. Our luggage was shipped by a moving van to the ship, thank goodness. Next time we see it, should be in our cabin, we hope........

The ride to the pier took only 15 minutes, and we arrived at 11 am. Most cruise lines only allow passengers to board in the afternoon, so it was a nice surprise to get onboard early. While we were waiting to be called upstairs to the check-in counter, four people came over that recognized us from the world cruise last year! What a nice surprise to see some familiar faces. We had pre-registered online at home, so embarkation was pretty easy and quick. The most important item besides our passports for the officials to see, was the almighty credit card!

We boarded by noon, but the cabins were not ready yet. So we opted to drag our carry-ons to the pool bar for a much needed cold beer. We sailed the Maasdam from Copenhagen to Norway 10 years ago, so our memory of the ship was spotty. Actually, it was much nicer than we had remembered. Recently, this ship underwent a re-do, updating to HAL's signature of excellence upgrades. And many public areas were refurbished, so the ship shines! Our cabin is located almost midship, although we did not get a balcony suite this cruise, since they were already taken by the time we booked. The square footage is 197 square feet with plenty of storage space, a very spacious desk, many drawers, and a couch with a chair and table. The bed has been fitted with a deep mattress and plush pillows......best we have slept on so far. Even the bathroom is comfortable, though not as large as Regent's, but way nicer than Princess. We even have a tub/shower! Closet space could be better, but there are four compartments, some with shelves and three with hanger poles. It may be tight for a world cruise, but there is always the space under the beds, where you can store extra clothes in your suitcases. We have a new large flat screen TV with a DVD player that we can see well from anywhere in the room. The only problem we ran into, was the fact that the previous tenant locked his safe before he disembarked. It was an easy fix though. We just went to the front desk, and the nice girl came to our room with their master key. These safes are the old fashion kind that uses a credit card to open and close it. Not liking to have to carry a credit card in our pocket everywhere, we decided to try our CSAA auto club card.....and it worked. The only bad thing that can happen if we lose that card, is someone can call for a tow truck or to fix a flat tire!! Not much chance of that happening on a ship. Ha-ha.

The rest of the afternoon was spent unpacking, then off for the sailaway and drinks in the Crow's Nest. That had been remodeled completely, with the addition of a neat 10 foot by 20 foot video screen of an ocean scenery, swiftly moving with whales, dolphins, and colorful reef fish. It was mesmerizing. Dinner was at 8pm on the upper level of the Rotterdam Dining Room. We had a large, round table for 10, and met 8 very well-traveled and nice people. Hurrah!! However, dinner was a bit disappointing. We could have re-soled our shoes with the NY sirloin steaks we were served. Many of us checked our knives to see if they were sharp, since it was so hard to cut. So most of them went back to the kitchen, and another entree was brought out. Now for the dessert, that was a different story. We ordered the apple strudel with vanilla ice cream, and it was super! Skipped the show after dinner, since we are looking forward to a much needed night of sleep while the ship sails onward.

Bill & Mary Ann

[middle-aged mom]

..... I can cozy up to my computer screen with a good cup of coffee and really savor this wonderful review.:) Bless you, bless you, for keeping a journal, and taking us along with you. I can tell this is going to be a GREAT thread!

Karin

[happy cruzer]

This is great fun! Thanks for sharing! :p

[RuthC]

I am so looking forward to reading each and every entry! I'll hang on every word. :)

This is the first time in several years that I didn't do this cruise; friends were trying to talk me into in for next year. I think I'll know everything about the ports that you post, but I'll be "seeing" it through fresh eyes this time.

Oh, this is a treat. :)

[esther e]

We're so excited about this thread because we're going on the cruise next July. So, my coffee is ready, my computer is buzzing, and my feet are up....ready to keep reading!!!!!

Esther

[starysacz]

Hi WCB: Looking forward to your review. Unfortunately, we had to cancel out the cruise due to medical problems which are now under control. Your reviews will the next best thing to being on the cruise. Thank you.:)

[WCB]

Thanks for the compliments on the Maasdam reports! We are a bit late in posting this trip, but just figured that people would still enjoy reading about it.

We will try to post an entry every day. We will be happy to answer any questions.

WCB and MAB

[RuthC]

We are a bit late in posting this trip, but just figured that people would still enjoy reading about it.
Better late than never, as they say. You figured right, at least as far as I'm concerned. So few people have gone to St. Pierre/Miquelon. I will love to read what you say about it.

I'm glad that HAL is changing this itinerary ever so slightly. I did get kind of sick of some of these very tiny ports, but am sure I'll get interested again in a year or two. Just thinking about it gives me a little thrill.

[kakalina]

Thanks for us also for this wonderful journal. We too had planned this cruise but reasons beyond our control forced us to cancel. We have high hope of taking this cruise in '08. Looking forward to sitting each day with a nice cup of tea and vicariously enjoying your travels. Thanks again

[WCB]

Sent: Wednesday, July 05, 2006 12:48 PM
Subject: St. Pierre Monday 7-03-06 Report # 2


Hi Gang,

We woke up this morning around 7 am to the sound of thunder and lightening and driving rain. Not a good sign. However, it did let up and the weather appeared better by the time we were to dock at 11 am. The only problem was fog.....big time fog. Have we sailed to San Francisco by accident?? Apparently, in this part of the Atlantic, the temperatures are unpredictable, cool and inclement all year.

Even though the ship docked at a pier, we had to use the tender boats to access the town about a mile away. We decided to go off the ship, and walk the road to the settlement. It was so foggy, we could see only 20 yards ahead of us. We began to see brightly colored houses on the roadside as we climbed over the hill. Spotting a little red and white lighthouse, we walked out the bulkhead to check it out. The little islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon belong to the French, and have been used as a supplier of cod over the years. Since the waters were depleted of cod, this area has become a tourist attraction for the simple fact that this island was a "home away from home" to Al Capone during the prohibition years.

Despite the fact that the Maasdam was here, all the stores still closed at their traditional lunch break, from 11:30 to 2pm. However, they had a very nice information center, complete with maps, tour brochures, snacks and a taste of their local wines. Parked outside the center, was a funny little tram, complete with music, which reminded us of the Disneyland people movers. The driver gave a short tour of the town for a few dollars.

We hiked up the streets, seeing the many happily painted houses. There had to be a reason for the bright colors....perhaps to see them through the fog, or maybe to lift their spirits on these gloomy, foggy,and cold days. We counted a total of 2 gas stations (no pricing), a few quaint hotels,2 restaurants, a school, a postoffice, a museum, and a church. We did have a chance to tour the Episcipal church, which must be the main gathering place for the townfolk.The most popular store was the patiserrie, where a young baker must have been prepared for the onslaught of 1200 people. By the time we made our way there, all she had left were a few sweet rolls and chocolate eclairs. We did split a
sweet roll, and it was good. That would have to do for lunch today. We did find one small boutique where we found a shotglass for the growing collection at home

By 2:15, we made our way back to the tender drop to meet with the small group for the tour to Ile Aux Marins, or Sailor's Island. We all boarded a tiny ferry to this little island,about 10 minutes away from town. A small community of French fishermen and their families lived here in the late 19th century. The men would go out to sea for days at a time, then bring back the catch. The girls and women would clean them, then lay them out on rock beds to dry for 5 to 7 days. Their houses were made from brick and rock, and decorated in the style of French homes of the era. Life must have been tough in those days on such a barren and desolate rock. After visiting the cemetary, you could see the short lifespans of the people. The main attraction was the church, which is still being restored from the inside out. A few houses were scattered around the hillsides and are used today for a day camp for kids. A couple of cute kids ran by us, saying "bonjour" during our brief stay.

Our walk continued without our guide, since she was trying to keep the group together. The terrain was steep and rocky, and not
recommended for disabled passengers. But there are always some people that ignore the warnings and go anyway. Unfortunately, they get left behind and have to wait for the group to return. Going uphill a bit more, we saw the stations of the cross, a monument to the brave sailors, and a shrine to St. Bernadette and Our Lady of Lourdes. This was a favorite place for the wives to go to pray for the safe return of their husbands.

We returned back to the ferry, then back to the tender for the short ride back to the Maasdam. The ship left at 6 pm, and by 6:15, we could no longer see the island due to heavy low fog. Nice place to visit, but we sure would not want to live here!

The clocks went back one-half hour tonight, which is strange, but happens in a few remote places in the world. Hey, an extra 1/2 hour of sleep will be most welcome.

Until tomorrow,

Mary Ann & Bill

[esther e]

More, more......

[RuthC]

Thanks for the update. It sounds like HAL had a new tour there this year; last year there was just a short bus tour around St. Pierre. I'm glad to see there are new and interesting things to do.

What was the cemetery on that smaller island like? I took a walk through the one on the main island and found it very interesting. As a matter of fact I thought it was similar to one I walked through on Nuka Hiva! The headstones listed out relatives, much as an obituary does.

[GrammyPL]

Mary Ann & Bill ---- Thanks so much for doing this journal. We are signed up for this cruise next July and I will be waiting to hear about all the different ports. Penny & Todd

[WCB]

Hi Ruth C.,

The cemetery on Sailor's Island was very old and in bad shape, since all the headstones were sinking. They were in the process of re-doing the headstones. There was a road leading to the top of the island that was lined with Stations of the Cross. At each station was a headstone of a sailor that had lived on the island. It was an interesting tour, but the cemetery did not look the same as on Nuka Hiva. More reports coming soon! WCB

[WCB]

Greetings all,

The Maasdam arrived to the port of St. John's, Newfoundland around 7:30 this morning. The day looks promising with partly cloudy skies and a cool breeze. No fog! Our tour does not start until 12:45, so we decided to walk the downtown area for a few hours. There was a welcome table onboard, right by the ship's exit, where a nice lady was handing out maps, free pins, and candies. This was a first. A Newfoundland dog named Sailor was greeting passengers as they disembarked. We even got free buttons with his picture on it. On the pier, were two large tents where vendors were selling small souveniers and dishing outpieces of a special 4th of July decorated chocolate cake Wow, that is another first! A group of two flute players and one drummer played music as we marched down the gangplank.

St. John's is the oldest North American city. Discovered by the English explorer, John Cabot in 1497, it is now the capital of Newfoundland. He named the area after St. John the Baptist, since it was discovered on his feast day. The main industry was cod fishing, which has been replaced by the discovery of oil now a days. Drinking rum, eating fried cod tongues?, and attending high tea are the Newfie's favorite pastimes.

Our first stop was their post office to mail a few postcards. It is always fun to see how long the mail takes to reach the USA. We continued on and saw many churches, stores, parks, monuments, and boutiques. The majority of the downtown area goes straight uphill from the pier. Many streets were so steep, the sidewalks turned into stairways. Quite a workout! There were also dozens of restaurants, dance clubs, and pubs in this area. Too bad it was too early for lunch, since we spotted a really nice Mexican restaurant we would have gone to. Maybe next time. We did get a chance to see the inside of the Catholic basilica. It was remarkably in good shape, even though it had been destroyed by fire twice, and rebuilt in the 1800's. We did notice that there were no candles lit anywhere, probably for safety reasons.

After picking up a few supplies ( they readily accepted US$), we headed back to the ship, and met with our group in the main lounge by 12:30. Our afternoon tour was to the Memorial University Botanical Gardens. Located about 6 miles from the pier, the park encompasses 110 acres of bog, forest, barrens, flower and rhododendrum gardens, peat and woodland beds, rock, veggie, and medicinal gardens, and numerous ponds. On the way, we drove past a huge college campus complex, learning that students volunteer to maintain the garden grounds. The director of the park, a naturalist college professor, escorted our group on a very interesting private tour. Since gardening is our favorite hobby, we came away with some new and valuable tips and several photos, of course. Following our hour hike, we were served scones with cream and jam, and tea or coffee. Yummy!

We got back to the ship by 3:30, and were whisked aboard by security people. The ship left promptly at 4 pm. As we sailed out of the narrow harbor, the hillsides were flanked with people waving goodbye to us. We will remember the people of St. John's as being most gracious and welcoming!

While we were watching the sailaway on the upper deck, we recognized Bettine Clemens, a flautist we had met on the Navigator last fall. She did remember us, and used the meeting to announce her upcoming show on Friday, also adding that her performance has finally made it to PBS in the United States. Will have to check that out.

Until later,

Mary Ann & Bill

[RuthC]

There's so much to see and do in St. John's---and the people are so friendly---that it's worth several visits.
It's too bad you didn't make it into the Catholic Basilica to see the glorious stained glass windows. It's the only time I've ever been late getting back to a tour bus (shame on me :o )!

You're lucky that it wasn't pouring rain as you sailed away---how'd you manage that? I swear it's the "usual and customary" departure weather.

[JLT]

Hi Mary Ann & Bill,

I'm so glad to be reading your report on our trip. I never quite got around to it but you are refreshing my memory. It was wonderful, wasn't it? I enjoyed every port for many different reasons but mostly just seeing the people and how and where they lived. The crew was probably the friendliest I have met, maybe seeing each other for 35 days made us feel as though we knew each other. I enjoyed meeting you both and will keep looking for your continuing saga. I did look to see who was the other great captain that we had on the SA cruise. His name was James Russell-Dunford. Also very personable and friendly. One other thing - could you tell me again the name of the group with whom you cruised? Jeanniedoodles@yahoo.com Thanks. I'm already thinking about the next one, maybe the Baltics or a river cruise or both.
Happy sailing!

[WCB]

Hi Ruth,

We actually did get into the Catholic Basilica, since it was the only one open. And yes, the stained glass windows were beautiful. We did take several pictures with each report, but some for reason, cannot post them on this site. We took over 1200 digital pictures on this trip!

We guess it was pure luck that the weather was so nice in St. John's!

Bill and Mary Ann

Hi Jean,

Good to hear from you! We will send you the name of the travel agent we used for this trip.

It sure was a nice cruise, wasn't it?? We agree with you that the staff was super, and you will see that mentioned in later reports.

Bill & Mary Ann

[hammybee]

Thanks for making the time to share this with us and keep em coming. I am getting a big kickout of reading this through the Happy Wanderer filter.

[RuthC]

I am getting a big kickout of reading this through the Happy Wanderer filter.
I hope I'm not sounding like I'm trying to take over the thread or anything. :o It's just that I know these ports the way many posters know the Caribbean ports. I really, truly enjoy visiting them again through someone else's journal.

I agree that I appreciate WCB sharing with us like he is.

[WCB]

Good day to all,

Today has started out very cold, foggy, and drizzly. It sure made us walk the 24 laps around the promenade deck quite quickly. It was a good day to check out the theater after lunch. The show today was Fun With Dick and Jane, a bit silly, but entertaining. The best part is the popcorn!

There are many things to do on this ship to keep you busy. Their daily activities include exercise classes, golf tournaments, trivia, jewelry seminars, lectures, culinary arts demos, art actions, bridge games, slot tournaments, dance classes, arts and crafts sessions, mahjong, tea time, movies, and shuffleboard. And this just takes you to 4 pm!!

Later in the afternoon, as we sailed north towards Greenland, we spotted some big floating icebergs. The temperature had dropped, so staying outside for too long was almost painful. We are sure glad we brought our polar jackets! The icy wind can be bone-chilling. On our tour yesterday, the park's director told us that polar bears have been known to ride these huge icebergs from the Arctic. They will actually swim ashore on Newfoundland, need to be tranquilized, and helicoptered back where they came from. Wouldn't that be a hoot to see a bear surfing an iceberg?? Coyotes have also infiltrated Newfoundland the same way, however they are threatening the native wildlife, and are being thinned out today.

We went to the Crow's Nest around 7:15 for a drink and hors'deurves. That is another nice Holland touch....the hot snacks in the bars. We were hoping to spot some whales like last night. The nice bartenders in this lounge have the best seat on the ship. They are on a constant look-out for animal life. And when they yell "whale", you have to run fast to see them, because they're gone in a flash.

Dinner was good tonight and our dinner companions have bonded well. Our waiter Hadi, and his assistant, Toya, have provided excellent service. Despite our table being so large, we are getting out of the dining room well before showtime. We notice that there are several empty tables, which also speeds up service. Most passengers have opted for early seating, or are eating in the Lido or Pinnacle Grill instead. Better for us!

We are impressed with the entertainers that have been lined up for the first segment. Besides Ms. Clemen, Lorna Luft (Judy Garland's daughter), and Robert Shields will be performing this coming week. We did go to the first singers and dancers show, and enjoyed the music of the 60's, though the dancing was a bit "high-schoolish". Still, the shows have been better than most ships.

Time for bed,

Bill & Mary Ann

[happy cruzer]

Now that is a lovely sea day! I am so jealous here in the drought. Can't wait for more.

[WCB]

Greetings,

After a smooth night of sailing, we woke up to clear and sunny skies. Hurrah!

Breakfast has been good in the dining room. We have had tasty ham and eggs, omeletes, and eggs benedict. Their pastries are too good. Of course, this makes our walk even more important to do.

The promenade deck is one of the nicest features of the Holland ships. The wide teak decks are set with reclining teak chairs, with blue-striped pads and plaid wool blankets. There is enough space for three walkers to stroll. It's a great place to meet fellow passengers and chat for a while. And protected from the elements, it is a good spot to take pictures.

So far, we have gone to the Lido buffet for salads and sandwiches for lunch.At the entrance today, was a lobster and seafood display. Upon looking closer, we noticed the lobster was still alive and was moving! The buffet is well designed with separate stations for hot entrees, pasta, Asian fare, soups, salads, sandwiches, and desserts. Outside by the indoor pool, is the grill where they serve burgers, hotdogs, and sausages. Alongside the grill, is a taco bar and a pizza stand. Sure won't go hungry on this trip!

We stopped by the showlounge just in time to listen to Lorna Luft answer questions about her career, family, and famous mother. A few people asked her about her relationship with her sister, Liza Minelli. Her answer was,well, we're sisters, what else can I say?" She warned us not to believe anything you read in the Inquirer, since most of it is fabricated just to sell more papers. Always suspecting that to be the case.

Ever since we left Boston, we have noticed that the sun is setting later and later. Tonight the sunset is 11:15! It was so strange to have the sun in our eyes during dinner, and that was 8:30.

The show star tonight was Robert Shields, formerly Shields and Yarnell, now divorced. Shields is a mime who got his start in San Francisco in the early 70's. He still is quirky, and his show is bizarre. Besides mime, he now does impersonations and wasn't bad. Never knew he could talk!

Until tomorrow,

Mary Ann & Bill

[the2ofus]

I'm really enjoying your cruise diary. Thank you for taking the time to share. This is a voyage I'd like to experience someday. (If I ever win the lottery. Shucks, first I'd have to play the lottery.:) )

[Broon]

Thanks for sharing your diary. We were on the MAASDAM in July 05, along with RuthC, for the portion from Boston to Rotterdam, and thoroughly enjoyed the cruise. On our crossing to Greenland, the seas were quite rough, VERY rough. We didn't get to see any icebergs until we went through Prince Christian Sound where we had one of the best sea days EVER. Amazingly picturesque. We really like the Lido for breakfast and lunch and the Lower Promenade walking deck is a real plus for us. This thread is an enjoyable way to re-live a great cruise. Thanks again.

Harvey & Marianne

[WCB]

Hi "the2ofus",

This trip has been on the horizon for us for the last five years. It was a super trip, and well worth the wait!


Hi Marianne and Harvey,

Most of our trip was smooth sailing, except for a few days here and there. Guess we got lucky! We saw more icebergs than we ever expected..some were as big as the ship, and others the size of three football fields.
Glad you are enjoying the reports.

Mary Ann & Bill

[esther e]

You are terrific to do this. We are so looking forward to this trip next year. I love reading your journal and visualizing the trip. We were to Greenland and Iceland a few years ago and loved Iceland. Can't wait to get back. And not to have to fly is perfect!!!!! We drive to NYS every year to see family, so it works out just fine!!!

Esther

[WCB]

Howdy,

The Maasdam arrived to Nuuk, Greenland today at 7 am today. It was partly cloudy and cool, but no rain as predicted by the Captain.

Greenland is actually a region of Denmark, and 85% of the interior is covered by an icesheet, some of which is over 3000 feet deep.
Greenland is also the world's largest island, with the population of 80% Inuit and the rest Danish. Their economy is based on fishing and fish products. Nuuk, or Godthab (Danish for good hope), is the capital with 15,000 inhabitants, making it the world's smallest capital. It is a seaside community with towering ice-covered mountain ranges in the backround.

It was necessary to use tender boats today. We also had to carry our passports with us in order to get back on the ship. We were on the second tender boat to shore, bundled up in our jackets, and ready to walk. There were no excursions here, so the best way to see the town was on foot. We climbed the highest knoll to the statue of Nuuk's founder, Hans Egede. While taking pictures up here, we recognized another couple from the world cruise last year. That makes 12 of us so far. Continuing on, we saw colorful houses, monuments, churches, a few stores,a cemetery, and government buildings.Many dandelions and a type of cotton -tufted weed grows here. What you won't see are trees, shrubs, or flowers. This area is a truly tundra landscape. There was a museum and a cultural center, however they did not open until 10 or 11.We all thought it to be strange that most everything was closed ,since we were leaving at 1pm. some small tourists stores were open, and we found a few trinkets.

As the day warmed up, thousands of pesky mosquitoes swarmed all of us. With a few exceptions, they did not bite, thankfully. It was funny to watch everyone swatting the bugs as they walked. We all looked spastic! Never thought to bring insect repellant along......

Much of the housing here consists of subsidized government high rises. Most of the citizens are Inuit, and the unemployment rate is high. On the hillsides facing the ship, several men and women sat, drinking beer, and watching the tourists go by. Many young moms brought their kids down to the pier to see us. Souvenier stands had been set up with little trinkets of stones, embroidery, and beaded Christmas ornaments. One vendor was dressed in the Inuit garb, which reminded us of Alaskan Eskimos. Then a very bizarre couple danced around the passengers as they waited in line to board the tender boats. The woman must have been representing ghosts of the past. She was actually scaring all the little kids. Only 2 boats were being used,so the line took forever to move.

We did leave at 1pm, right on schedule, and headed south towards the tip of Greenland.

Bettine Clemen' show was tonight after dinner, and it was the same show we saw on the Navigator last fall. Was better this time.

Until tomorrow,

Mary Ann & Bill

[RuthC]

Weren't those bugs awful! :eek: I don't remember bugs anywhere else ever being that bad. Including Alaska.

When I was there the tide had gone out, making the approach to the return tenders difficult to dangerous. Those steps down were slippery, then there was a ramp at a bad angle. All I remember is four or five (or six) officers grabbing me and pulling me along.
All in all, not a bad memory. ;)

Thanks for another stroll down memory lane.

[WCB]

Hello all,

We woke up at 8 am this morning to see huge icebergs floating by our window! Boy, it looks cold out there. Not wanting to miss the scenery, we decided to walk the promenade first, and eat later.

The icebergs went from small "bergie bits" to large, as big as houses. We soon saw some the size of jets. And it was surprising how close the ship was to them. Gosh, wished we hadn't watched the National Geographic special on the sinking of the Titanic! We tried to remember if the Captain had said he had sailed these waters before????

Dozens of people, including room stewards and waiters, poured outside to take pictures, but their stay was brief. The air temperature, standing still, was 44 degrees. However if you add the chill factor of the wind and sailing speed, it felt like 5 degrees! Without the proper clothes, the freezing winds would drive you right back inside. It sure would have been nice to have one of the seal fur coats we saw in Nuuk yesterday. Too bad it was forbidden to buy any seal skin product or whale bone ivory items. And just as well as they were quite pricey.

The ice flow seemed to be getting thicker as we sailed slowly past the picturesque mountain range on the port side. At one point, we actually came to a complete stop. Captain Van der Loo announce that the ice flow was 7 miles long and impassable. Then he headed away from the coastline in an attempt to go around it. But he ran into another ice flow that was 10 miles wide and would take us 10 hours to navigate. He had no choice but to back-track for 2 hours. And due to orders from headquarters in Seattle, he canceled our sailing through the Prins Christian Sound, scheduled from noon to 5. He explained that it was too dangerous and time consuming to attempt the scenic sailing. Guess that's why the brochure for this itinerary reads, "weather and ice conditions permitting". Hopefully we will be able to see it on the return trip.

We were requested to turn in our passports today for the upcoming custom's checks in Europe. They conducted it very well, alphabetically, and there was no wait. We shouldn't need them again until we go to Paris. Then we went off to lunch.

As we were eating lunch in the dining room, an iceberg passed by the windows that was the size and length of the ship! Wow! This should satisfy the few "grumpies" that were complaining about the cancelled Sound. Since a large number of passengers are only on for 17 days, they won't have a chance to see Prins Christian Sound on the way back.

It still seems strange to be eating dinner at 9 pm, and the sun is still shining. Today, the sunset was at 11:30pm, and the sunrise will be 4:50am! And it never really gets dark, so the night time is called twilight. The clocks have to go ahead tonight, so we will be 6 hours ahead of home time. We would be lying if we said it did not effect us. It makes it harder to get up every morning, and harder to go to sleep early. Westbound it definitely the best direction to go!

Until tomorrow,

Mary Ann & Bill

[WCB]

Hi Ruth C.,

Yes, the bugs were awful! We had to be very careful when we talked or laughed!

The pier with the cement steps is no longer used, thank goodness. They have installed a floating pier with a ramp. So much easier than what you encountered.

Bill & Mary Ann

[esther e]

I love icebergs!!!! Took many photos of them in Antarctica on the Marco Polo and look forward to seeing many more. Well, even if I see just one, it'll be worth it!!!!!:D

Esther

[middle-aged mom]

Hi Bill and Mary Ann:

Just wanted to let you know how much I am enjoying each and every entry here about your cruise! You obviously kept a very detailed journal. Thanks so very much for the opportunity to travel with you:)

Karin

[RuthC]

The pier with the cement steps is no longer used, thank goodness. They have installed a floating pier with a ramp. So much easier than what you encountered.
Oh, that's good to know. Thanks for posting that. I'm sure I'll take this cruise again some day, and I'm happy that I can count on going into Nuuk and still get back safely.

[WCB]

Greetings,

The Captain has put the "metal to the pedal" in order to make good time towards Iceland. The seas were rougher and the early morning skies were overcast. Walking the promenade today was easy, since few people ventured outside. We have left the icebergs behind, as they tend to stay close to the east coast of Greenland.

Today at noon, we had a Cruise Critic meeting in the Crow's Nest. To our surprise, the Captain, cruise director, hotel manager, guest relations lady, and the food and beverage manager attended our gathering. We got first-hand information about yesterday's cancelled sailing, and what to look forward to in the upcoming ports. And to make it nicer, we were served hot canapies. Had we been more prepared, we're sure that all of us could have asked a lot more questions. The Captain said he would be available all throughout the trip to answer any more questions we may have. So far he has been the most hands- on captain we have had. Of course, he is also a reader of Cruise Critic online, so he will expect to see some good postings about this trip.

There was a special medal awarding cocktail party in the showlounge before dinner tonight. It pays to know the bartenders. One nice bartender from the Crow's Nest spotted us, and had our drinks delivered before we even sat down. Since we have reached the 300 day level, we received our silver medallions. We just expected a group awarding, but they called us up one at a time, and had our picture taken with the Captain and Hotel Manager. Our group numbered about ten, and there were also a few 500 day awardees. Now when you hear of 4000 day passengers, that's worth a big award!!

Later on, we had reservations in the Pinnacle Grill, but decided to cancel because of a special dinner in the Rotterdam dining room. This was something we had never heard of, so did not want to miss it. We all had chef hats on our table setting, with a special menu in it. Then, the dining room staff, cruise activites staff, and the Maasdam singers and dancers came in the doors, dancing down the aisles! Even the dining room captains and maitre'd joined in the fun. They did this between each course, all the way through dessert. It sure livened up to dining room. Almost feels like a Carnival cruise! This is nice to see........the fact that Holland is trying to update their ambience by appealing to a younger crowd. Come to think of it, the music is more contemporary, movies have been newer, and they even have a five-piece band that plays in the pool area at lunchtime. This is good.

Tomorrow......Iceland!

Bill & Mary Ann

[WCB]

Good day to all,

Our arrival to Iceland was 3 hours late, because of the lost time navigating from Greenland. However, Captain van der Loo announced that we would be able to stay later and still have full tours.

We sailed into the port area to see the Sea Princess and Aida-blu already docked. Reykjavik, being the captial of Iceland, with a population of 300,000, should have enough guides and buses to handle all the tours, we hope. Disembarking today was tedious. We didn't have an available gangplank, and because of the high tide, we had to bend over and crawl out of the small exit on deck three. They even had to keep the Maasdam in a listed position to make the exit work for us. The Captain was there to make sure everyone "minded their heads" while leaving.

The shore excursion we booked today should take us out of the city to three major sites of this area. Luckily our bus # 6 had a super guide, we suspect a teacher, who had tons of information about his homeland. Other buses were not as lucky, we found out later.

Reykjavik appeared to be a very modern city complete with freeways and traffic like home. It must rain a lot here, because the hillsides are lush green and dotted with blue lupines and huge yellow dandelions. We passed by many car dealerships, mostly Japanese and Korean cars. Our guide said that there is one car for every citizen, and that includes children. The bad news is that fuel runs around $7.00 a gallon! Ouch!! And since they have a poor public transportation system, everyone drives.

As we headed out of town, we passed many shopping centers and malls with Burger Kings, Ruby Tuesdays, KFC, and McDonalds. The further away we went, the more barren the landscape became. It was quite apparent that the island was formed by volcanoes millions of years ago. Lava fields, covered in moss, lined the steep slopes. No trees grow here, just grass, and the hills are spotted with free-ranging sheep, Icelandic horses, and a few cattle. No grains are grown here since the soil levels are too shallow. But we did see hundreds of bales of grass laying in the fields to be used for winter feed for their animals. Agriculture was created in a different form here......greenhouses. With the use of natural steam and warm underground water, the Icelanders can grow vegetables quite successfully in the spring and summer. And their produce is huge, due to the long daylight hours.

The terrain supports a geological system, similar to Yellowstone. Hot springs and geysers spout everywhere, sometimes even under homes. Hot water heaters are not used here, since heated water is provided by the state via the hot underground springs. Steam from these fields produces their electric supply, also cheap, if not free.

Some more quick facts about this country are, there are 1/2 million sheep, many shepherd dogs, and famous Icelandic horses. Families have an average of 2 children, schools are free to 12th grade, and university is very inexpensive, although many students go to Denmark and Sweden for college.

Our first stop was in a small rural village at a reststop/restaurant/store. Surprisingly they accepted US dollars, and we seemed to get a better exchange. They also had a beautiful greenhouse attached to the store, but we only had 2 minutes to see it.

Our next stop was at Skolholt to visit a Catholic turned Luthern church. Our guide remarked that most Icelanders are not that religious, and usually pay a visit to a church 3 times in their life......baptism, marriage, and funeral. But they are superstitious, believing in good elves and bad trolls. At the church grounds, we saw a team of students escavating the grounds to uncover the old church remains. After a quick tour inside the church, we proceeded to the next attraction.

Gullfoss is the name of a spectacular glacial waterfall. We were given 10 minutes to hike the narrow trail to the waterfall's edge. And we did get soaked with the heavy spray while we tried snapping photos. There were a few pesky mosquitos, but the rain also kept them away from us.

The next stop was at the Geysir geothermal complex, where we were served a three course luncheon of cream celery soup, poached salmon,with julienne vegetables and boiled potatoes. Dessert was a small chocolate layer cake, served with very strong coffee. Yum! Despite the light rain, we walked around the thermal springs and erupting geyser named Strokkur. And of course, the remainder of our 2 hours there was spent in the gift shop. They had some very nice woolens and typical souveniers. Many credit cards were on fire!

The final stop was in Thingvellir National Park, where due to major earthquakes eons ago, a huge rift appeared on a geological fault. It created very usual rock formations with beautiful views of lakes and streams. This area became the spot for Europe's oldest legislative assembly, the Icelandic Althing. It was established in 930 AD, and they convened every summer for 8 centuries. We had quite a vigorous hike to walk up the steep canyon to the vista point on top. It was worth it though.

On the scenic ride back to the ship, we learned a few more interesting facts. The average salary here is $35,000 a year, of which they are taxed 25%. High salaries can be taxed up to 57%. They work a 50 hour week, and receive health care from the state. There is zero unemployment here, but have a big shortage of professionals. The major industries are fishing, banking, and tourism. A small 3 bedroom condo costs $200,000, while a 3 bedroom house costs $400,000.

Our six bus convoy returned to Reykjavik by 7 pm, and we watched the sailaway from the Crow's Nest at 7:30.

Tonight at dinner, we were treated to champagne following dessert. It was Captain van der Loo's way of apologizing for our delayed tours. He is A-OK in our book!!

Until later,

Bill & Mary Ann

[happy cruzer]

wonderful, we are planning our secound trip to yellowstone for next year. you account of Iceland makes me very anxious to see those geysers again.

more, please.

[CoconutFish]

Thank you for writing this phenomenal log and congratulations on your Silver Medallion.

I was interested to hear about the special Medallion awards party. Sounds delightful and a great way to recognize Medallion milestones.
I was wondering if this party included the Copper Medallions, or just Silver and up?
Also, were the passengers receiving a new medallion the only ones invited or all those holding medallions previously?

Thanks again for this wonderful log; I love the way you are posting day by day.

[WCB]

Hi Coconutfish,

Nice name! The Medallion medal party was for everyone, even if you had already received a medal in the past. The newly awarded passengers were announced one by one, or by two's, and we got our medals from the Captain and Hotel Manager. The next day, we were invited to take a group picture with our medals, however this photo was not complimentary.

Glad you are enjoying the reports!

Mary Ann & Bill

[jimmy2x]

Just wanted to add my appreciation for your travelog. This is absolutely a must do cruise for my wife and I - hopefully in 2009 after I retire:)

[WCB]

Today started cold again, and we were to have some heavy winds and rain later in the afternoon. It was a good day to go to a movie after lunch, which we did. We saw "The Shaggy Dog" and it was silly, but good.

We had an invite to meet at the back pool at 1:30 for us 300 dayers to get a group picture. Since it had just started to rain, we lined up under the overhang, and the photographer had to almost step into the pool to get us all in the picture. When we got back to our room, we found a complimentary photo with the captain and hotel manager in our mailbox. That was very nice.

We have hit the first major storm of the trip so far, with gale force winds of 8, and 10 to 12 foot seas. Really heavy rain hit around dinner time.

We also had an unusual invite to a private party in the lower atrium area. Along with the Captain, several of the staff attended and visited with all of us. We met the nurse, who was a character. We also enjoyed special hors'deurves with our drinks. Four of our tablemates were there too, making it a bit uncomfortable at the dinner table later. Maybe the others will be invited sometime during the second leg of the cruise.

It is still hard to see the sunset at 11:40 pm, and the sunrise at 4:39am. Thank goodness for blackout curtains in our rooms!

Tomorrow, Lerwick, Shetland Islands.

Mary Ann & Bill

[RuthC]

We have hit the first major storm of the trip so far, with gale force winds of 8, and 10 to 12 foot seas.
Actually, in that area that isn't too bad---at least the seas aren't.
Were you told to stay indoors?

[WCB]

Hi Ruth C,

We don't remember the promenade deck doors being locked, but there were signs posted warning of high winds and slippery decks.

We have seen worse on other ships, where the doors were locked, and for good reason!

Bill & Mary Ann

[WCB]

Hi gang,

The Maasdam sailed into the bay of Lerwick around 9 am this morning. Luckily the rain had stopped, and we just had wind. Since we were anchored, we had to get tender boat tickets to go ashore. They are very strict about this, and will turn you away if you do not have the right ticket.We are on a CSI tour today, so we had to wait for Holland's tours to go off first.

By the time we got to town, it was after 11, but that still gave us plenty of time for exploring. A very nice lady had come onboard the ship earlier and handed out maps and brochures, and gave some good hints about where to go., and what to buy.

Lerwick appeared to be a quaint little town, very European in architecture and citizens. Everyone spoke with a Scottish brogue, and were quite friendly. We visited several small stores, finding the prices very high. Most did take US dollars, but at a rate of 2 for 1.

We continued on to find Commercial St., where shops lined the narrow cobblestone lanes. We saw markets, pubs, boutiques, restaurants, and wool stores. Making our way uphill, we passed several churches, government buildings, stone houses, the town hall, library, and the old fort complete with cannons. We had to be careful crossing streets,because the cars race around the turns very quickly.

By 1 pm, we joined our CSI group which numbered 62. Today the tour is complimentary, which is nice. Our guide was a nice Scottish lady who gave us some facts about the area. Herring fishing was the main industry here for years, until the oil discovery in the North Sea took its place. They call the oil "local gold". Sheep raising was the next industry, and that became apparent as we left the city and traveled into the countrysides. There were few trees to be seen, except around the farmhouses. Our guide said that the extreme winds prevent the trees from growing. Actually she said that in 1991, the Shetlands were hit with 197 mph winds that caused a lot of damage. The old stone buildings held up the best. Many of the newer homes were made from a modular design, shipped in marked pieces, and constructed like a puzzle. Interesting.

We saw herds of multi-colored Shetland ponies grazing on the hillsides, as we climbed up to a bluff. The bus pulled over for a picture stop of a valley that ran down to the sea with a 16th century castle, called Scalloway Castle. It lays in ruins now, but had a very spooky past history.

We continued on from here to Tingwall Valley, passing small farms, where they grow mainly root vegetables and raise sheep or cows. The sheep had already been sheared and many of them had lambs by their sides. Their numbers total 330,000, and we think we saw about half of them!

The hillsides were scored with strange looking fissures, which we found out were peat diggings. The soil was cut into chucks, dried, then burned in fireplaces to heat homes. Speaking of homes, our guide said that an average home costs about $150,000, US$. Most were built of stone with slate roofs, and their fencing was made from rock pilings.

Our next destination was the Weisdale Mill, a textile working museum. However bus #1 was already there, and the place was so small, we would never all fit in there. So our driver took us for a 20 minute ride to see western Shetland. Our guide entertained us with a Scottish ditty, and had us sing along. We had more than a few grumpy people on our bus, and our guide was getting complaints about the tour. Why do people have to be that way, making it uncomfortable for the rest of us. One gal in front of us in the bus made a loud remark that the price was right for this tour, so "shut up"! Good for her. By the time we returned to the museum, these people insisted we stay for 20 minutes, then be taken back to town. Well, it didn't work. We had an hour visit there to see the museum and have coffee, tea, and a snack.

We did see all the different types of wool used to make knitted clothing such as sheep, llama, alpaca, camel, musk ox, Shetland pony, rabbit,and even dog. There was a woman spinning the yarn into skeins, and a lady knitting a hat. Too bad the actual building was so small. We all felt like "bulls in a china closet"! Looking forward to getting our snack, we had to laugh when we saw the size of the added on hot house cafe. It would comfortably seat twelve, but there were 30 people in there trying to get coffee and food. Forget the coffee, we just wanted a cookie or a KitKat bar. Well, the cookie looked good, but it tasted what we thought a dog biscuit would taste like. We all had a laugh over that one!

The better choice here, was to take a walk outside, and right across the road was a small fish hatchery. We asked the bus driver about it, and he said rainbow trout were raised and released there. Wish we could have toured this place.

The ride back to town was 25 minutes,and we tendered back to the ship for a late lunch. We even met the three Scottish bagpipe players that rode the boat back with us. They were on their way to do a show in the lounge.

Prior to leaving at 6 pm, the Captain said we would be hitting another storm on the way to Norway. Hope tomorrow in Bergen is nice.........

Until then,

Bill & Mary Ann

[happy cruzer]

The shetland tour sounds nice to me. I think you saw about twice as much as we did in Faukland Islands, I mean they don't have Rockefeller Plaza...

Did anyone give the grumpies the option of getting their money refunded and being put of the bus right then:p . Could be a long cold walk.....:p

I love seeing any different lifestyle. Tell us more....

[WCB]

Hello Happy Cruzer,

We think we did see most of the Shetland Isalnd that we were on. The lifestyle there appeared to be laid back and easy going. You are right......there was no Rockefeller Plaza!! One thing we noticed was an over abundance of thrift stores in the downtown area. Many cruise passengers were checking these stores out as well as the souvenier shops.

As far as the tour went, it was complimentary, so no refunds there. However, we are sure that had the grumpies paid for this tour, they would have been first in line at the shore excursion desk to get whatever refund they could!

Mary Ann & Bill

[esther e]

Bill and Mary Ann
Did I miss something along the way about CSI tours? What are they and how did you find them? Thanks.
Esther

[WCB]

Howdy folks,

Before retiring for thr evening last night, we had to put the clocks forward one hour again. We are now 9 hours ahead of Pacific Standard Time. Hopefully, this will be the last time change. Most everyone is feeling the effects of the lost hour of sleep for the last week, especially the crew.

The Maasdam entered the port of Bergen, Norway this morning very early.We had sailed under a few bridges for about 12 miles to reach the pier, right in the heart of the city. Bergen has been compared to San Francisco for its bridges and many hills. Even the weather is similar in the summer......cold wind and fog most of the time.

Since we were here in 1996, and had seen most of the city, we decided to take a hiking tour for four hours. We met our guide, who was from Brazil, and taught Portuguese in schools here. Go figure? He led our group of 14 brave souls from the pier to the city's only castle. It was built in the 11th century by King Olaf, and had been partially destroyed during WW2.

Continuing on, we strolled around the old wooden warehouses, where the German office of the Hanseatic League was located. This league regulated the shipping traffic in the Northern Sea. There was a carpenter in the back of the warehouses trimming and chopping a pine log for use in the authentic restoration of the buildings. These antique buildings became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980. It was common back in the old days to use cod liver oil to light their lanterns. And that caused a fire that destroyed these warehouses in 1702. They were reconstructed and now house many restaurants and stores.

Next, we walked to the Flobanen funicular, where we rode up to Mt. Floien. This funicular was built in 1918, has a 15 to 26 degree gradient, and slowly rises to 1000 feet above the city in eight minutes. The cars were recently replaced with new vehicles from Switzerland, and hold about 100 people. They probably cost a gazillion dollars too. We saw a spectacular view from the top before we started our hike to Skomakerdikel Lake. Don't you just love these crazy long words??

After passing the scary troll, we reached the forested tree line at this elevation. The lakes, streams, and ponds were beautiful. As we walked along the gravel road, we saw some ducks, crows, and even a few sheep grazing in the mountain meadows. We had to be careful where we stepped, if you know what I mean! The guide mentioned that Bergen gets rain 250 days a year, and we were lucky to have a nice day, even if it was overcast and windy. Luckily it was cool, since our walk was becoming quite vigorous.

Eventually we reached the summit at Rendemannsvegen at 1800 feet. Most of our group had slowed down, despite our frequent stops, but no one threw in the towel. The guide did say that if we were getting short of breath or felt sick and dizzy, we should stay behind and wait for the group to come back down. We gladly stopped at the top to take pictures, giving us a chance to cool down. That was no problem, it was darn freezing up there! And as luck would have it, the rain started to fall pretty heavily as we headed back down the mountain. Most of us were prepared for rain, except for one lady who wore shorts, and just had a plastic poncho to keep her dry. Needless to say, the rain just ran down the poncho and filled her shoes with water. She was a good sport about it though.

The rest of the walk downhill was much easier, and we eventually all met at the funicular at Mt. Floien. It was great to sit down for the rest of the way down to the city. Our guide let most of us continue on to the famous Fish and Flower Market, while he guided the rest of the group back to the ship. We remembered this market for its colorful display of seafood and handmade knitwear and souveniers.Reindeer hides and their horns were for sale, but pretty hard to bring massive horns home on the plane! Their t-shirts were of good quality, as were the beautiful sweaters and hats. The fish and produce sections were full of cod, salmon, shrimp, shellfish, lobsters, and some pretty scary-looking fish. Believe it or not, we tasted a sample of minke whale meat. It had been smoked and marinated, making it taste similar to beef. Not bad. Fresh shrimp sandwiches were being consumed by the dozens. They were also selling the biggest strawberries and cherries we have seen. We were surprised to see that the vendors would accept US dollars (about 7 to 1), as well as Norweigan kroner, and the Euro. A favorite treat for the locals is cloudberry jam, which is said to be very tart, but good over ice cream. Ooooo, we're getting hungry!!

It began raining again, so we headed back to the ship, stopping in all the shops on the way back, of course. The Maasdam sailed away from the busy port at 6 pm. Watching the scenic 12 mile stretch to open seas for 2 hours was a great way to end the day!

Tomorrow, Stavanger, Norway.

Mary Ann & Bill

[WCB]

Hi Esther,

CSI is a travel group that we have booked many trips with. They have many good perks, such as complimentary tours, cocktail parties, and many gifts. If you need more info, post your e-mail address, and we will send you all we know.

Bill & Mary Ann

[Copper10-8]

Hi Bill and Mary Ann, thanks for taking the time to post your cruise journal for us. This particular itinerary from HAL, the northern Atlantic route, really interests me. From reading your reports however, it appears that one should not hope for a lot of "nice" weather even in the month of July;) .

[JYGresham]

Hi Esther,

CSI is a travel group that we have booked many trips with. They have many good perks, such as complimentary tours, cocktail parties, and many gifts. If you need more info, post your e-mail address, and we will send you all we know.

Bill & Mary Ann
I too am interested in learning more about your CSI agency and would appreciate your sending me the same info as Esther. My email address is JYGresham@aol.com. We are booked on this same cruise next year through another agency whichwe have frequently used but it never hurts to learn about another.

[WCB]

Hi Copper10-8,

From talking to passengers that had done previous sailings in this area, we figured that we got lucky with the weather. We had more calm seas most of the trip, and the temperatures went from cold to a heat wave in Paris!
We had to pack for both possibilities, as you will read with the next 21 reports.

Bill & Mary Ann

[Broon]

While on the same cruise on the MAASDAM in '05, for our day stop in Bergen, we had prepared to visit one of the rainiest cities in Norway. However, fortune was with us and we had a beautiful, warm sunny day. Oslo, reputed to be one of the sunniest, was the opposite. It POURED all day. For anyone interested, at wunderground.com (a weather site) it is possible to type the name of most cities anywhere and do a search on that city's weather history. It helped us when deciding what to pack for the North Atlantic crossing.

Keep these reports coming from the MAASDAM's 06 crossing....they're great!

Harvey

[RuthC]

Harvey, you are so right! That day in Oslo was awful. I don't know what you were doing that day, but I was on the schooner sail of the fjord. There were lots of tables and chairs set up on the decks, and everyone was squished inside to get out of the rain.
Couldn't see a thing, either. Then we had to walk back along the pier in all that water.

What a great memory.

WCB, keep 'em comin' cause I'm lovin' it. :)

[WCB]

Howdy,

When we woke up this morning,a strange beam of light was shining through our curtains. Lo and behold, it was the sun!! Looks like we are going to have a dry and warm day.

We booked an 8:15 tour today that will takeus up to Lysefjord for site-seeing. After getting our tour stickers in the lounge, we headed outside, walked right in front of the Maasdam, and loaded onto a 130 passenger boat. The seats on the inside deck looked like those on an airplane.Wanting to get the best pictures, we climbed up the steps to the open deck. The wind was nippy, so we found a sheltered spot near the navigation room. Still cold, but tolerable.

We cruised past dozens of small islands dotted with summer homes. In a lot of places in the water, we spotted colored buoys attached to sunken cages. It turned out they were mussel traps. Further into the first fjord, Hogsfjorden, we saw more circular covered cages. The guide told us they were salmon farms. These structures were made with nets that went to depths of 40 feet, with the salmon living inside the nets.

Just as the boat turned into the start of Lysefjord, we passed under a new bridge that had been built in 1997. The bridge enabled the natives to get to the mainland by car as well as by boat. The guide mentioned that the depths of Lysefjord measure 1500 feet in spots and the mountain cliffs are just as high. It is mind boggling to realize that glacial ice as thick as 6000 feet was responsible for carving these canyons 10,000 years ago.

As we inched along, the boat swung into a narrow cavern with huge boulders stuck halfway between the crevices of the steep cliff. Our guide said that in medieval times, men would be lowered on the boulders until they agreed to pay their taxes!! No late filing taxes in this neck of the woods.

Our first stop was at a place called Helleren, a big outdoor open-air restaurant, hidden in the trees in the heart of the fjord. Norwegian waffles were served with sweetened sour cream and tart strawberry jam. Yum! The hot coffee was most appreciated, since our tour was quite chilly.

We reboarded the boat, and sailed up to glacial waterfalls. The boat got so close to the falls, that we could have reached out and touched the granite boulders. The guide actually collected a bucket of water for us to drink.

The highlite of this tour was seeing Pulpit Rock, a peculiar granite formation jutting out of the top of a 1500 foot cliff. It was naturally square- cut, with a flat top, and we heard that about 2600 daredevils parachute off the edge every year. Unfortunately, not all of them do it successfully, and some have died. It was difficult to gauge the size of the formation, which is sandwiched between impressive cliffs. Bill did spot some people on the top, and they looked like the size of ants!! We could see no railings up there either.

The guide was glassing the shorelines for sea lions that live in this fjord. Their colony only has about 200 animals, so sightings are rare. We did see a few stick their heads up briefly to check up out, but quickly disappeared. Maybe they were shy. On a small patch of green grass near the water, we saw three goats, who came running to the boat for a treat of bread given by the crew. A few ladies had squirreled away some buns from the Lido, and tried to throw them to the goats. But they fell short, and seagulls scooped them up in a hurry.

The boat headed back to Stavanger very slowly, giving us a chance to film sod-roofed houses,cabins, boat docks, orchards, and sailboats. We got back to the Maasdam by noon, then went for a 2 hour walk through the city's cobblestoned streets.

Old Stavanger has more than 150 old wooden houses that were built in the 17th and 18th centuries. Most of them are occupied by shopkeepers now, but retain their old character. They were painted every color of the rainbow, making a good photo op. Hanging flower baskets and gas street lamps lined the narrow lanes. There was a musical group from Russia entertaining the tourists and locals in the main square.

A few interesting facts about Stavanger are, its population is 111,007, and their main industry is off-shore oil drilling, replacing the fishing and cannery industry of the past. Again, the prices were high. For example, a 16 0z. bottle of soda cost over $4.00, and a bag of potato chip was $5.00. Yearly salaries can start at $40 to $60 thousand, with a 40% tax. Most households had 2 people working.

Sailaway was at 6pm, and the ship made its way up the Lysefjord the view the Pulpit Rock. When we approached the new bridge, we had doubts that the ship would clear it. There was maybe 10 feet to spare! It was beautiful to see the views from the ship, but we were glad to have done the small boat for an "up close and personal" tour. Still, we stood on the top deck forward for 2 hours enjoying the sights again.

Tonite, the ship had a BBQ in the closed-in pool area, but our table, except for one, went to the dining room. Dress code tonight was informal, so wearing a sportcoat to a BBQ was not a good idea.

Tomorrow, Kristiansand, Norway.

Mary Ann & Bill

[RuthC]

When I took the Lysefjord tour it was raining, but not so hard that it would stop a few of us from going outside every once in a while.
Those pancakes were yummy. :)

By the time the Rotterdam sailed up the fjord that evening the rain had stopped. I so agree with you---what a difference seeing it from that small boat and the large ship!

[Broon]

Last year at Stavanger, the first time there for either of us, we marvelled at the ancient cathedral, the 150 old houses that you saw too, and I went to the oil drilling museum...quite a place. Basically, we went on our own walking tour around town. Prices? YIKES! For a roll of mints, the equivalent of US$3. At home, for less than that, we can buy 4 rolls.

There was an international food fair in Stavanger that day and it was interesting to watch the crowds of people gather as the day went on. Many, many sights and sounds and smells. Many small boats came into the harbour and docked in front of the MAASDAM...which was alongside the 150 old houses. The small boats were tied one to the other. There wasn't enough pier space. No problem...all these boats, and the boaters, made for an even greater party atmosphere both on the water and all around the harbour perimeter, where the fair was.

By sailaway, there was some Norwegian beer on board and I had one, paid for at ship's prices, not the local Norwegian price, which was many $ higher.

That evening, we stayed away from the dining room and went to the Lido for dinner, at a table right up against the glass, from where we could get a much better view of the journey through the fjord. What a good decision on our part. The scenery on the way to Pulpit Rock is spectacular. And then the area underneath the rock...we were told that it is 2000 feet from the water surface to the top of the rock. Quite a site.

Slowly the ship turned around in the fjord and we made our way out to open water. A great end to a great day.

[airlink diva]

I really enjoy reading the onboard logs from HAL cruisers on the longer trips. Each time that HAL sends a brochure with the longer cruises I wish I could take them.
Unless I win the powerball or if my only rather rich aunt favors me, I can only dream!
But thank you so much!!

[WCB]

Greetings to all,

We arrived very early to the port of Kristiansand, Norway, a small city of less than 70,000 people. Because this city lies close to Denmark, it is a main ferry port connecting the two countries.

Today we are on a tour that will take us away from Kristiansand, to the town called the jewel of Sorlandet, Lillesand. We boarded a bus, and had a scenic one-half hour drive through the green countryside. Lillesand has many old traditional mariner's houses and holiday homes. About 3,000 lucky residents live here year round, but the city swells to 8,200 in the summertime. Many white-washed cottages, built in the 17th and 18th centuries, line the hillsides. We walked the main street along the sheltered harbor, while we waited for the boat to arrive. Being that today is Saturday, the streets were full of families, old and young, buying fresh produce at the outside stands. We also saw the church and the townhouse, as well as several shops with all their summerwear on sale. Hmm, just like home!

Then we lined up to board the tour boat. We had to laugh when we noticed some people prying their way to the front of the line, even though there would be plenty of room on the boat. Come to think of it, these are the same people that have to be first in the Lido, the dining room, the showlounge, and first to go ashore! Every ship has this group, no matter where you travel! Sound familiar??

Anyway, we boarded the boat, and made our way to the top deck. The weather today was perfect.....clear and sunny and in the high 70's. It is no wonder that Norwegians flock to this area for vacation.

All the little islands had either cabins, comfortable homes, or landscaped mansions. Our guide said the prices range from 500,000KR to 5 millionKR (about 7 Kroner to the dollar). During the 2 1/2 hour scenic cruise, we literally saw hundreds of boats of all sizes. Just about everyone speeding by waved a welcome to us. Everyone must have a boat here, since that is the only access from the islands to the mainland. Sure looks like a fun place to stay.

We got back to Kristiansand by 1:30, and walked to the main square called Posebyen. The central point of the square was Domkirke, the main old church built hundreds of years ago. Surrounding the church were parks with fountains, flower beds, and statues. Many Norwegians were sitting on the park benches, enjoying ice cream, their favorite treat here. A produce and flower market stretched along the cobblestone street. We did find an avenue of stores, including McDonalds. There were many restaurants, pubs, and boutiques, but nothing resembling tourist stores.We spotted an unusual table with Kenya articles, but they wanted to tack on a 17% surcharge, so we passed. Probably, not many cruise ships stop in this port. Speaking of McDonalds, the dining room captain told us his friend bought lunch there, and it cost him $17.00!!

The ship left at 5 pm, and the sailaway was quite pleasant to watch from the aft pool deck.

Tomorrow..........the last Norway port, Oslo.

Until then,

Bill & Mary Ann

[RuthC]

You're starting to remind me of me. Thirty-five days at sea isn't enough, so you also have to take shore excursions that are on water!

I did this same tour last year. Difference on mine was that it was a rough ride. Enjoyable for me, but we did have to hang on when standing.

I think you'll be finishing your journal just about the time I'm leaving for my next cruise. Good timing because I really want to read it all.
(ps, I leave on 10/6 if it makes a difference in your posting schedule. hint, hint. wink, wink.)

[Broon]

Last year, in '05, during the stop in Kristiansand, I was very keen to go on the steam train excursion and was glad I did. Got to see a lot of the countryside during the bus trip there and back (different routes) and had a great train ride as well. Don't stick your head out the window, or you'll get a face full of soot.

Afterward, my wife and I got together for our own walking tour of the downtown area of K'sand, including the main church and other places as described below by Bill & Mary Ann.

As we were to disembark in Rotterdam, at this point last year, we were getting ourselves ready for just one more port stop in Oslo before leaving behind this fabulous journey that we had been on.

Harvey

[WCB]

Hi RuthC,

The reports should be finished just in time for your trip that begins on October 6th!

We are debating whether to post daily reports on the 07 World Cruise, or wait until we are home in May. Sometimes internet service is spotty on the ship.

Bill & Mary Ann

[Grumpy1]

We haven't been checking the boards for the last month and just found this thread. Glad to see you guys posting. It sounds like it was a really good cruise.

We are debating whether to post daily reports on the 07 World Cruise, or wait until we are home in May. Sometimes internet service is spotty on the ship

I vote for daily... or close to daily... reports.

[RuthC]

I vote for daily... or close to daily... reports.
Is this open to a vote? I didn't understand that. :) In that case I agree with Grumpy. It's lots of fun to feel like I'm taking the cruise with you at the same time!
I have found that when I post from on board I get more out of the cruise myself. I pay more attention to things as I know I will need to be able to answer questions. I tend to remember more when I post, too.

Whatever you decide, your reports of the cruise are appreciated.

[WCB]

Hello to all,

Our port of call today was Oslo, the capital of Norway, with a sprawling population of 500,000 people. The city is famous for its sculptor park,Vigeland, numerous museums, including the Kon Tiki boat display, palaces and castles. But its most renowned sight is the Norwegian Nobel Institute, where their commitee takes on the task of awarding the Nobel Peace Prize every year.

We were blessed with a beautiful, warm day, despite the early morning layer of fog. Having visited this city twice before, we chose a cruise of the Oslofjord on a restored sailing schooner built in the 1800's. Even under engine power, (no sails used), it was neat to experience what it must have been like to cross the oceans on such a small vessel. The highlights of the fjord were narrated by a history/language teacher, who gave us detailed information on centuries-old sights. We saw ancient lighthouses, monastery ruins, and more summer cottages, similar to Lillesand's. On the shoreline, we spotted many sunbathers laying on the smooth boulders or on the small beaches. High up in the nearby mountain slopes, we could see the Holmenkollen Ski Jump, used by the most experienced Norwegians skiiers. Our guide said that most children get their first cross-country skis at 2 years old, and are experts by 5 years old! The oldest known skiier in Oslo is 97 years old!!

Midway during the slow sailing, we had a buffet of small shrimp, bread, butter, and our choice of coffee, water, beer or wine. Even though it was 10:30 in the morning, the shrimp and the local beer, Ringnes, tasted really good. The shrimp was not cleaned, and it was a little hard looking at their eyes while you clean them. And something we haven't seen before, was the fact that they were full of tiny eggs. Caviar!

We learned from the guide that Oslo's past was quite violent with attacks from Denmark, and devastation from Bubonic Plague, cholera, and tuberculosis. Fire destroyed so much of the old city, that most buildings are under 100 years old.

Getting back to the pier at 12:30, we had time to walk the city's waterfront. We saw the Akerhus Fortress near the ship, the main plaza outside the Nobel Institute Building, and several fountains and statues. Parents let their youngest children play in the fountains totally nude. Here and there, were musicians playing for coins, and even one organ grinder with a stuffed monkey.

We strolled the Aker Brygge, the pierside promenade. It housed rows of nice restaurants, with small hotdog and ice cream stands in between. However, since it was Sunday, most all the stores were closed. Good for the wallet, though! There was a convenient souvenier store right next to the pier by the ship. We remembered buying our Dale of Norway sweaters here in 1996 and 1999. Glad we did, since today's prices were way higher than then. One nice thing here, is the desk where you can get the value added tax refunded back to you. At 17% VAT, it can add up to big bucks quickly.

The Maasdam sailed out of Oslo, through the fjord, and out to the North Sea. And sailing was smooth as glass, as we watched from the pool deck and later, the Crow's Nest.

We had a meeting with another nice couple from last year's world cruise and the guest relations manager regarding a get-together of all 2005 world cruisers. When asked for a meeting place and date, it was denied by the ship's cruise director, saying it had to be cleared by the bosses in Seattle. Well, guess we were asking the wrong person, since it was a piece of cake to get an OK by the guest relations girl, Mylene. It was posted in tomorrow's newsletter to be held in the Crow's Nest at 9am. Hope the rest of the group will read it in time.

Dinner tonight was formal and the farewell to 300 guests, who will be leaving in 2 days. The typical dinner of lobster and filet mignon, and other equally good entrees, was followed by the parade of baked Alaska, with sparklers on top. The waiters obviously enjoyed doing this, especially when their tables cheered them on. To add to the fun, we celebrated a tablemate's birthday with a large cake with candles. Jordan, who turned 36, was quite pleased. His mom, Perry, treated us all to champagne and wine. Another nice couple, Margaret and Keith, brought a bottle of champagne from their room. However, the wine steward would not serve it without charging a $15. corkage fee. The head sommlier was summoned to our table to also deny the serving. But he relented when we all objected. Sometimes they don't handle these situations well. Anyway, after all that, we decided we had had enough champagne, and Keith took his bottle back to his room.

There is a chocolate buffet tonight, but I think we will pass. Looking forward to a quiet day at sea tomorrow,

Bill & Mary Ann

[WCB]

Hi Jerry and Wilda and Ruth C,

OK, we will try to post every day or so, depending on the service speed. We normally send these reports to friends and family anyway.

Grumpy,

Enjoyed reading your reports on the Roman Empire!! You gave it your "special touch"!!

Bill & Mary Ann

[CoconutFish]

Again, thank you for this informative log of your cruise!

It is good to hear about the mild weather: we would love to get out of "warm weather" cruising areas and have some cool/cold weather, even with rain!

Very glad to hear that Mylene is still on HAL. You were lucky to have her as Guest Relations Manager. She is the best Guest Relations Manager we have ever had, with the right personality for the job. I am not surprised that she was so helpful.

I, too, would vote for daily or mostly daily reports from your 2007 World Cruise. Anything you are able to work into your schedule on board would be greatly appreciated and highly anticipated!

[WCB]

Hi Gang,

After a smooth night of sailing, we woke up to another sunny morning. At 9am, we met with 20 other 2005 World Cruisers in the Crow's Nest. Even though we may not have formally met last year, we all seemed to recognize each other. A few passengers had been part of the Cruises Specialist group, some of us had taken tours together, and many we met while taking our walks around the promenade deck.

Anyway, Cindy, the nurse from 2005, joined our group, and gave us updates on some of last year's staff. Some of the crew had gone to Celebrity, including Sherry and Randall Powell. Captain Gunderson and most of his staff remained on the Prinsendam, while a few favorites will transfer to the 2007 World Cruise. They include Stephane, the maitre'd and Fekko Ebbens, hotel manager. While keeping in touch with a friend from last year who also sailed this year, we found out that many staff members were being trained to serve on the Amsterdam.

Several lecturers have come and gone on this trip since we left on July 1st. We usually don't attend them if the weather is nice outside. Showlounges are like buses....for some reason , once they are full of people, everyone starts nodding off!! Very embarrassing! So if they lectures are good, we can watch them on TV later at night. Our tablemates usually grade the talks at dinnertime, so we know which ones to watch.

There have been many jewelry seminars, and sometimes they can be quite imformative, if one is in the market for that. The best aspect of buying loose stones, for instance, is that they are totally duty-free. However, if the gems are set in a necklace, bracelet, or ring, you must declare them on your custom's declaration. A word to the wise..........always do your homework before leaving home. Sometimes better purchases can be made in other countries, or better yet, at home.

Dinner tonight was in the Pinnacle Grill - table for two. Starter choices for us were crab cakes and beefsteak tomato salad, followed by the best grilled steaks we have had since last year world cruise. They were seasoned with a salt rub, and cooked perfectly. Along with the steaks, we had delicious mushrooms, fully loaded baked potatoes, and creamy spinach. We had a slight bit of room for lemon angel cake with berries, and a flaming small baked Alaska with Ben and Jerry's cherry ice cream. Yum. We will have to walk at least 20 miles tomorrow in Rotterdam to work off this meal!! In comparing the dining service to last year, we found it lacking. The waiters seemed to be stressed, even though the small restaurant was not full. However, we happened to be seated next to an officer and his girlfriend, and they received the extra touches, maybe way overboard, in our opinion. But the price was right for us, since the dinner was complimentary from CSI. It does costs $20. per person to dine here, but it was worth it!!

Until tomorrow,

Mary Ann & Bill

[middle-aged mom]

Hi Mary Ann and Bill:

I'm still along for the ride, and still enjoying myself immensely. There is so much "brouhaha" taking place on other threads right now on the HAL board, that it is a relief to follow a thread which reminds us why we all decided to go cruising in the first place...:) I'm not sure which one of you is doing the writing, or perhaps both of you are, but your observations and descriptions are excellent!

Karin

[WCB]

Hi Karin,

Thanks for the compliment! It has been a very positive experience posting these reports on CC!!

We both contribute to the report contents, but Mary Ann does the typing.

Bill

[cool change]

Thank you for your report. I am now printing this whole thread as its easier to read. This is a cruise I would love to do but might have to wait until there is enough time/money to pull it off. Gotta dream..

[WCB]

Hello,again,

During the very early morning hours, we sailed into the Rotte River from the North Sea to the world's largest port, Rotterdam. The city is a mix of old and new, since it was heavily damaged during World War 2. About 600,000 friendly people live here.

We went on a tour with our CSI group, about 42 of us, and our host, Nancy Wright. Today 300 passengers left the ship, and we gained another 300 back. Despite the disembarkation, we were allowed to leave the ship to take the scenic bus ride to the tour boat. On the way, we saw the modern Erasmus Bridge, many unusual apartment buildings, and more outrageous extreme-designed highrises. The architects are quite modernistic here, boardering bizarre. We could see other bridges, most still operational, and others preserved for viewing, but not used anymore.

The traffic was heavy, but it seemed to be more complicated with long stop lights. There is even special bike lanes, separated from the road by curbs, and having their own stop lights. Great idea.

A short distance across the harbor from the Maasdam, we boarded the large sight-seeing boat, and again made our way to the top deck. It was remarkably hot today, around 95 degrees. Our guide mentioned that Rotterdam had been in the middle of a "heat stroke", or like we would say a heat wave. Sure beats the rain, which they get a lot of here too. From the boat, we passed old narrow row houses, with ornate brickwork. In the distance we could see steeples of churches, a tall tower with a revolving restaurant, and one old windmill.In the olden days, the windmills were used to power the pumps that drained the marshlands. They were actually still in use until the 1950's. Alongside the bank, we saw a replica of a wooden ship being constructed the old way with the old tools used centuries ago. It was started in 1999, and had a long way to go to completion.

Many cargoships, barges containing gravel and coal, ferries, and small pleasure boats passed by us. Since oil is the biggest employer in Rotterdam, refineries lined the banks. And despite the availability of the refined oil, their gas prices were still 1.50 Euro to the liter, computing to $6.00 a gallon US. And that was their lowest price. No bargain here. And maybe that is why we saw so many bicycles on the streets. Rotterdam is an excellent city to cycle, since it is so flat. Most of Holland is under sea level, and because of this, they have massive flood control facilities. It's not just the little Dutch boy with his finger in the dyke!!

The boat turned around at the massive loading docks, and slowly headed back. Several dry docks are in the harbor as well. We saw many green parks with small beaches, people eating a leisurely lunch on benches, and kids swimming in the river. Some interesting restaurants were on the water's edge, such as the Chinese Pavilion, that resembled the Jumbo Floating Restaurant in Hong Kong.

Closer to the Maasdam, we saw the original Holland America Line building, that has been turned into the New York Hotel.

After the harbor tour, we drove to the downtown area to the Engels Restaurant, right next to Central Station. Here we had a buffet lunch that included lunchmeats, cheeses, fried herring, tender beef chunks, meatballs, chicken wings, and a yummy vegetable lasagne. Salads were marinated cucumbers, coleslaw, and potato salads. Wheat rolls and fresh French bread complimented the meal, as well as juice, milk, or ice water. But the best part of the meal, was the chocolate and strawberry mousse. It melted in our mouths. The restaurant was crowded since several groups of kids were there with chaperones, also eating lunch. It is common to see groups of kids on a three week field trip, touring Europe in the summertime.

We finished lunch by 1:30, and made our way back to the ship. It would have been nice to see more of the downtown area, but time was limited, and we had to be back to the ship for another life boat drill. Oh what fun. There were a few stands of souveniers set up in the pier building, and again they were accepting US dollars as well as Euros.

The ship pulled away from the pier with a 50 man chorus group and band serenading us with Dutch songs. They gave a robust performance dressed in their native costumes and wooden shoes. Sure was a nice send-off.

As we sailed out the river to the sea, two fireboats shot plumes of water into the skys around the ship. The mist actually created multi- rainbows. It was apparent that Rotterdam is the home base for Hooland America ships!

Tomorrow...............Paris, France...............Ooooo la-la!!

Bill & Mary Ann

[RuthC]

Another report that brought back memories---I, too, did a tour on the river.
Speaking of the river.... You posted it as the Rotte; I remember it as the Maas. One of us is wrong, and it certainly makes sense that it would be the Rotte.
Can anyone confirm the river that Rotterdam is on?

[BernardNL]

The answer is the Maas.

[RuthC]

Thanks, Bernard. I started wondering after I asked about it if there could possibly be two rivers---one branching off from the other, or some such thing.
I'm glad to know that my memory isn't totally failing yet.

[Broon]

This will likely be my past post on this thread, but I'll keep reading the remainder of the posts that Bill & Mary Ann are very kindly letting us see.

A year ago, we disembarked the MAASDAM at Rotterdam. We had got up early in the morning to get out on deck while the ship sailed upstream into the massive harbour. Quite a sight, just after sunrise. Then a fireboat came and put on a large display for us. Impressive.

Upon docking, we got our luggage and headed out by taxi to my wife's relatives who live in an apartment nearby. Later in the day, when the MAASDAM was about to sail off on its crossing back to the U.S., we stood on the apartment balcony and raised our glasses to the ship that we had so much enjoyment sailing on.

The next day, in the Rotterdam paper, there was a full page spread of the MAASDAM's arrival in port, with photos and a good article. We looked closely at one of the photos and could pick ourselves out standing by the railing at the bow, which had been opened for the arrival into the harbour. A nice souvenir.

After our short stop in Rotterdam, we went by train to visit friends in Belgium and Germany, then back to Holland for more relatives, and finally a flight home.

In all, a 35 day adventure for us, ship & shore, and thanks again to Bill & Mary Anne for allowing us to relive a portion of the summer of '05...while looking at your reports from the transatlantic crossing of '06.

Harvey & Marianne

[WCB]

Hi RuthC and BernardNL,

Oooo, a thousand lashes for us!!!! You are right, in reading part of the daily newsletter, we picked the Rotte River incorrectly. So that sent us on a fact finding mission as to where the Rotte River actually plays into the story. We found that Rotterdam in 1283, was a small, quiet fishing harbor that grew around a dam on the Rotte River. Hence the name, Rotter-dam. We could not find a map large enough to show rivers, but we assume the Rotte fed into the much larger Maas River, which of course, went into the Atlantic.

These things can happen when one stays up past midnight to post reports!! Glad to see some of you are observant!

Mary Ann & Bill

[WCB]

Greetings from France,

The Maasdam sailed into the second largest port in France, Le Havre, around 10 am. This port was a major contrast from Rotterdam. It is strictly a working facility. The city of Le Havre was heavily damaged during World War 2. Therefore, little remained of its 16th century buildings.

But our much anticipated highlight today was an all day trip to Paris, a three hour scenic drive from Le Havre. And it looks like it will be another hot day like yesterday. Actually, while we were getting our tour stickers, the captain announced that free bottles of water would be handed out for all tours. This was a first for Holland America, as far as we could remember.

Anyway, we lucked out and got bus number one, which happened to be a double decker bus. And, of course, we rode on the top level. So far, all the buses we have toured with have been almost new and very spacious. We had a six bus caravan, with 50 people in each bus.

Our guide was a young French girl, probably a college student, who gave a continuous history talk all the way to Paris. It would be tedious to go into depth on French history, so we will just relate some interesting facts we learned today. The French people in the old days, did not bathe with water, since they believed water contained dangerous bacteria that would enter under the skin, and kill them with disease. So they washed with wine, milk, or cologne. Then they applied powdered wheat flour to their faces, giving them that pasty appearance. Now, the hair treatment was really gross. They rubbed a greasy oil into their hair, supposedly to smother lice, then put on elaborate wigs, which they wore for weeks. Do you remember seeing those filmy nets that were canopied over the beds? Well it wasn't for mosquitos, but it was to keep the rats off of them during the night! Of course, the rats smelled the flour, and came to snack on them at night. So disgusting!

Back to better subjects. The scenery on the way to Paris was so much like driving in California. The hills were covered with evergreens, and the valleys were full of pastures, dairy cows, and charming old farmhouses. Even the freeways were pleasantly uncrowded. Maybe the fact that we had toll roads every 40 miles, kept some of the traffic off the road. The toll for the bus was 4 Euros. We scanned the rolling hills to see if we could spot vineyards, but they were not in this region.

As we got closer to the outskirts of Paris, the traffic increased and shortly became bumper to bumper. Eventually, we reached the famous Seine River, and our first sighting of the magnificent Eiffel Tower. Trying to get photos was a bit difficult, since the right and left banks of the Seine are lined with London plane trees, or sycamores, as we know them in California. Our guide promised us an excellent photo stop after lunch, so we had to be patient.

We continued driving back and forth across the river, going over old bridges. We counted ten such bridges in the central district. It was neat to see all the glass- domed tourist barges seeing the sites. There were so many we lost count.

Our first stop was lunch. There is a law in Paris that all buses must stop for lunchtime between 1pm and 2pm.or they will be fined. So that sounded OK to us. We went to a French brasserie called Chez Jenny. Since there were 300 of us, a banquet room was used on the upper level. We were served a meal of salad, french bread( of course), chicken breasts with a mushroom gravy, and a yummy cheese- topped potato casserole. Dessert was an apple tart, the size of a salad plate. Two types of wines were served with the meal, making us all happy campers!

We reboarded our coaches and continued the journey, passing by the Place de la Concorde at the city's expansive central square. Here we saw the 3000 year old Egyptian Obelisk, taken from a Luxor temple in 1829. Next, we passed the largest museum in the world, The Louvre with the modern glass pyramid in front. We never realized the size of this museum. It goes on for blocks and blocks.

We saw the Arc De Triomphe, driving on the Champs-Elysees, navigating the round-about that is so famous. Traffic was crazy, because cars and buses are coming in from all sides. Sure glad we are not driving here! We saw many blocks of open tents lining the main street, and were told that the Tour De France ends here with a huge celebration this weekend. Boy, did we get lucky, since all these streets will be roped off to traffic.

We viewed the Opera House, cathedrals , palaces, and Napoleon Bonaparte's tomb. Our final stop was at the base of the Eiffel Tower, built in 1889 for the World Exposition. It was much larger in person, compared to viewing it on TV. Our guide gave us 20 minutes to take photos, and to buy souveniers. A group of sweet ladies on our bus had us take their picture, doing the can-can, in front of the Tower.

On our way out of the city, we drove past the extravagant hotels and high-end designer stores. I think the husbands were glad that we did not stop here! Our guide pointed out the hotel where Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed left the night of their fatal accident nine years ago. We drove under the streets in the tunnel where the accident occurred. A new eternal flame monument happens to be erected over that same tunnel, but we believe it was actually a war memorial.

Around 5pm, we started the ride back to Le Havre. No sooner than we left, the rain started to fall. Now that is what we call great timing. It did help bring the temperature down from 95 degrees, and it got cooler as we headed northwest to the coast.

We all agreed that to see this vibrant city, you would need at least a week. But today was fantastic, and has given us a taste of Paris. And who knows, maybe one day we will be back! The best word to describe Paris??? Ooooo la-la!!

Mary Ann & Bill

[JLT]

for the wonderful details of a fantastic day. And for taking the picture of the can-can ladies. My family loved that! It really was a good day. Keep those memories coming.

[boatlover]

This journal is such a delightful read. I check in everyday. Thank you.

[WCB]

Hi Gang,

Today's port was Plymouth, England, famous for the sailing of the ship, the Mayflower in 1620. She carried 102 brave passengers and crew on her first trans-Atlantic voyage. Explorers Sir Francis Drake and Captain James Cook departed from Plymouth on their famous journeys. Because the bay was shallow, we had to use tender boats to go ashore. Plymouth ferries also help transport passengers from the ship.

Our destination today was out of the city, to the National Park of Dartmoor in Devon County. It is a huge park with wide open moors, granite outcrops, wooded valleys, rivers, and wildlife. Our group of 39 had a 40 minute ride to the Moorland Visitor Center. Here they had a museum display of the history of the park, its wildlife, and the tin mining industry.

Two park guides joined us, and after sizing up the group, they decided we would do any easy walk. Well, that was a mistake! Most everyone voted for the long hike, even if it meant that we were late for lunch. One thing a guide should never do, is put two options on the table, since it never works for everyone. The final decision was the long, harder walk.

So we literally went uphill and down dale, as they say here. We split into two groups....one took the low road, while we took the high road. All around us were Scottish black-faced sheep, cattle, and a few horses. So we had to watch where we stepped, if you know what we mean!! It was mentioned that these ponies can be aggressive, so they have been transported out of the park to be sold for 20 pounds each, or turned into a spicy sausage. Hmmm, never tasted that before??

The group made its way, slowly, but surely (not everyone was young either). Up the steep slopes we trekked with barely a trail to follow. Walking was a bit difficult because the rugged terrain was covered in heather, bracken, and gorse.....all of which are scratchy and thorny. This was surrounded with tufted grass closely knit together, making not as easy to hike as one would think.

When we reached the midway point, there was an upright granite stone in the ground. It had been used as a line marker, east to west, or north to south. It dated back 4000 years ago. It is believed that these markers were used for landmarks during the foggy season, so one would not get lost in the moors. Making our way to the highest point, 1400 foot level, we climbed rugged tors, or granite outcrops, formed 280 million years ago. Now, that's old. Older than dirt!

Our guide entertained us with tales of yesteryears. He said wolves roamed these hills, along with ghosts, witches, and mythical banshees. The story of the Hounds of the Baskervilles originated here. And it was particularly eerie, when we came upon ancient gravesites from thousands of years ago. We even climbed a wire fence to see one of these restored graves. One little elderly lady decided she could roll under the wire, but we helped her go through the middle. Funny thing was, we could have seen this grave without climbing the fence. We think the guide was punishing us for taking the long hike!

In the valleys of the hills, were copses of spruce trees, apparently planted by the landowners for a cash crop of lumber. We had to walk through a section of deadfall, where one man took a fall. He did keep going eventually, and was no worse for the wear. Then another fellow lost his shoe while walking through a bog field. We couldn't help but laugh when his wife had to pry the shoe out for him. He was so embarressed, but then none of us left there with clean shoes.

Thankfully, the trail ended, and the bus picked us up and took us to Postbridge for a pub lunch. The tavern, Warren House Inn, was located high on a hillside, with a fantastic view. It was, however, on the busy narrow roadside, and we had to be very careful crossing the street. And the cars do not slow down either! It is so hard to get used to the traffic driving on the "wrong" side of the road.

Lunch consisted of celery potato soup with a fresh sourdough roll. That was followed by a salad, cheese, and another stick of bread 12 inches long. And to make it authentic, local beer was served with the meal.

We headed back towards Plymouth, passing a famous old prison with a dreary, violent history. the driver also took us through the Barbican historic district of Plymouth, which was full of shops and restaurants. We did not have time to explore here, but we did see the Mayflower steps, where thousands of immigrants left England for their 60 plus day journey to the New World.

We got one of the last tenders back to the ship, and sailed away at 6pm, heading for Ireland.

Until tomorrow,

Bill & Mary Ann

[happy cruzer]

yummmm, Devonshire cream tea. that can put a smile on any face!

What a hike. Thanks for report.

[WCB]

Hello all,

We were welcomed today to the port town of Cobh, Ireland. Cobh is famous for being the last port that the ill-fated Titanic and the cruise liner, Lusitania, sailed from in the early 1900's. From 1848 to 1950, six million immigrants left the country, due to the potato famine and the lack of work. Simply put, they were starving. Thankfully, the situation has had a turn-around in recent years.

Most tours this morning were going to the Blarney Castle and Stone, the Jameson Distillery, and the Waterford Crystal factory. We chose a CSI excusion that took us on a tour of Cork and Kinsale.

Four of our tablemates joined us, along with 30 others CSI'ers and our host, Nancy. While on our 15 kilometer ride to Cork, our guide said our visit was timed just right, because two days ago, the temperature was 94 degrees. It was the hottest day in Cork in the last 10 years! And, it was apparent by the green hillsides, that the climate is usually cool and damp, with a lot of rain. "Luck of the Irish" for us today!!

Our guide gave us a brief talk about Ireland's past, saying that the main occupation years ago was fishing for salmon, trout, and eel, to name a few. Creamy Irish butter was traded with neighboring countries during the 17th and 18th centuries. A huge employer in Cork was the whiskey and beer industries. And they freely admit to imbibing daily, some more than others. The Irish call their beer the "water of life"! Is it Guiness, Beamish, Murphy's, or Miller time yet? Hey, it's 5 o'clock somewhere, right??? Anyway, many factories, pharmacuticals, and technologies have relocated in Ireland, helping their economy serge dramatically. And because of this, people are now immigrating from the Baltics, and eastern Europe to work and live here. Minimum wage is 8 Euro an hour, with the yearly income of 35K to 40K Euro for a nurse, for example, and 100K Euro for a doctor. The tax rate is from 25% to 42%. Citizens that are 65 years old and up, receive free bus and rail travel passes, and 70 year olds receive totally free health care. Unemployment is low at 4%. Pretty good turn-around for the Shamrockers!

Our first stop in Cork was at St. Fin Barre's Cathedral, a French Gothic Anglican church. Built originally in 606 AD, eleven churches preceeded the current church built in 1865. We had a thorough tour with an excellent church guide. The statues, mosaic floors, and stained glass windows were the best features. But the organ with its machinery of hundreds of pipes, 14 feet under the floor, was fascinating to see. Sure would have liked to play it. Bet it lifts the parishoners right off their pews! On the outside of the cathedral, two steeples towered at 240 feet high.

The bus continued on, heading south to the small, quaint seaside resort of Kinsale. This area looked more like the image we've had of Ireland from watching travel programs. The rolling hills were green, green,and greener with pastures, while the roadsides were lined with hedges and trees. Sheep and dairy cows dotted the peaceful farmlands. Our guide said that homes in Kinsale cost around 450,000 Euro. That may buy a 2 bedroom home with 3/4 acre lot. She followed by saying that property everywhere in Ireland has soared recently.

We had a short photo stop at a seaside fortress,Charles Fort, that had protected the coast from Spanish invaders centuries ago.

Then we were off to lunch in the Trident Tavern at the Trident Hotel. The elegant and ample lunch consisted of vegetable soup, rolls, rib roast with mashed potatoes, and vegetables. A pint of beer or a glass of wine was also served (cold too) . Coffee or tea was offered with lemon cheesecake. And we were happy campers once again!

After the delicious meal, we were taken to the heart of Kinsale to work off a few calories that we had consumed. And, of course, we had time for shopping. Treasures sold here are Waterford Crystal, Irish linens, wool sweaters, and bone china. We bought the usual t-shirt, shotglass, and Irish pin. Nice and small package, and easy to pack. We also visited the small grocery store for supplies.

By the time we got back to Cobh, it was too late to explore that town, since we got involved in commute traffic. We did get some nice pictures of the wharf as we sailed away, heading for Dublin.

Until tomorrow,

Bill & Mary Ann

[WeLoveCruising]

Just wanted to thank you for all your posts. I really enjoy your style and feel as if I'm on the trip with you. Due to my busy work schedule, I cant visit these boards as often as I would like, but I am now on every day looking for your next update.

Thanks again!

[Ine]

I love reading your daily reports of this cruise. It must be great to see icebergs floating by...and of course the differences of climate from cold to hot.
I recently made photos of Maasdam in Rotterdam, which I think was your cruise. You can see them on
http://s73.photobucket.com/albums/i208/Inevd/Maasdam%20in%20Rotterdam/

[WCB]

Hello all,

We were welcomed today to the port town of Cobh, Ireland. Cobh is famous for being the last port that the ill-fated Titanic and the cruise liner, Lusitania, sailed from in the early 1900's. From 1848 to 1950, six million immigrants left the country, due to the potato famine and the lack of work. Simply put, they were starving. Thankfully, the situation has had a turn-around in recent years.

Most tours this morning were going to the Blarney Castle and Stone, the Jameson Distillery, and the Waterford Crystal factory. We chose a CSI excusion that took us on a tour of Cork and Kinsale.

Four of our tablemates joined us, along with 30 others CSI'ers and our host, Nancy. While on our 15 kilometer ride to Cork, our guide said our visit was timed just right, because two days ago, the temperature was 94 degrees. It was the hottest day in Cork in the last 10 years! And, it was apparent by the green hillsides, that the climate is usually cool and damp, with a lot of rain. "Luck of the Irish" for us today!!

Our guide gave us a brief talk about Ireland's past, saying that the main occupation years ago was fishing for salmon, trout, and eel, to name a few. Creamy Irish butter was traded with neighboring countries during the 17th and 18th centuries. A huge employer in Cork was the whiskey and beer industries. And they freely admit to imbibing daily, some more than others. The Irish call their beer the "water of life"! Is it Guiness, Beamish, Murphy's, or Miller time yet? Hey, it's 5 o'clock somewhere, right??? Anyway, many factories, pharmacuticals, and technologies have relocated in Ireland, helping their economy serge dramatically. And because of this, people are now immigrating from the Baltics, and eastern Europe to work and live here. Minimum wage is 8 Euro an hour, with the yearly income of 35K to 40K Euro for a nurse, for example, and 100K Euro for a doctor. The tax rate is from 25% to 42%. Citizens that are 65 years old and up, receive free bus and rail travel passes, and 70 year olds receive totally free health care. Unemployment is low at 4%. Pretty good turn-around for the Shamrockers!

Our first stop in Cork was at St. Fin Barre's Cathedral, a French Gothic Anglican church. Built originally in 606 AD, eleven churches preceeded the current church built in 1865. We had a thorough tour with an excellent church guide. The statues, mosaic floors, and stained glass windows were the best features. But the organ with its machinery of hundreds of pipes, 14 feet under the floor, was fascinating to see. Sure would have liked to play it. Bet it lifts the parishoners right off their pews! On the outside of the cathedral, two steeples towered at 240 feet high.

The bus continued on, heading south to the small, quaint seaside resort of Kinsale. This area looked more like the image we've had of Ireland from watching travel programs. The rolling hills were green, green,and greener with pastures, while the roadsides were lined with hedges and trees. Sheep and dairy cows dotted the peaceful farmlands. Our guide said that homes in Kinsale cost around 450,000 Euro. That may buy a 2 bedroom home with 3/4 acre lot. She followed by saying that property everywhere in Ireland has soared recently.

We had a short photo stop at a seaside fortress,Charles Fort, that had protected the coast from Spanish invaders centuries ago.

Then we were off to lunch in the Trident Tavern at the Trident Hotel. The elegant and ample lunch consisted of vegetable soup, rolls, rib roast with mashed potatoes, and vegetables. A pint of beer or a glass of wine was also served (cold too) . Coffee or tea was offered with lemon cheesecake. And we were happy campers once again!

After the delicious meal, we were taken to the heart of Kinsale to work off a few calories that we had consumed. And, of course, we had time for shopping. Treasures sold here are Waterford Crystal, Irish linens, wool sweaters, and bone china. We bought the usual t-shirt, shotglass, and Irish pin. Nice and small package, and easy to pack. We also visited the small grocery store for supplies.

By the time we got back to Cobh, it was too late to explore that town, since we got involved in commute traffic. We did get some nice pictures of the wharf as we sailed away, heading for Dublin.

Until tomorrow,

Bill & Mary Ann

[WCB]

Hello all,

We were welcomed today to the port town of Cobh, Ireland. Cobh is famous for being the last port that the ill-fated Titanic and the cruise liner, Lusitania, sailed from in the early 1900's. From 1848 to 1950, six million immigrants left the country, due to the potato famine and the lack of work. Simply put, they were starving. Thankfully, the situation has had a turn-around in recent years.

Most tours this morning were going to the Blarney Castle and Stone, the Jameson Distillery, and the Waterford Crystal factory. We chose a CSI excusion that took us on a tour of Cork and Kinsale.

Four of our tablemates joined us, along with 30 others CSI'ers and our host, Nancy. While on our 15 kilometer ride to Cork, our guide said our visit was timed just right, because two days ago, the temperature was 94 degrees. It was the hottest day in Cork in the last 10 years! And, it was apparent by the green hillsides, that the climate is usually cool and damp, with a lot of rain. "Luck of the Irish" for us today!!

Our guide gave us a brief talk about Ireland's past, saying that the main occupation years ago was fishing for salmon, trout, and eel, to name a few. Creamy Irish butter was traded with neighboring countries during the 17th and 18th centuries. A huge employer in Cork was the whiskey and beer industries. And they freely admit to imbibing daily, some more than others. The Irish call their beer the "water of life"! Is it Guiness, Beamish, Murphy's, or Miller time yet? Hey, it's 5 o'clock somewhere, right??? Anyway, many factories, pharmacuticals, and technologies have relocated in Ireland, helping their economy serge dramatically. And because of this, people are now immigrating from the Baltics, and eastern Europe to work and live here. Minimum wage is 8 Euro an hour, with the yearly income of 35K to 40K Euro for a nurse, for example, and 100K Euro for a doctor. The tax rate is from 25% to 42%. Citizens that are 65 years old and up, receive free bus and rail travel passes, and 70 year olds receive totally free health care. Unemployment is low at 4%. Pretty good turn-around for the Shamrockers!

Our first stop in Cork was at St. Fin Barre's Cathedral, a French Gothic Anglican church. Built originally in 606 AD, eleven churches preceeded the current church built in 1865. We had a thorough tour with an excellent church guide. The statues, mosaic floors, and stained glass windows were the best features. But the organ with its machinery of hundreds of pipes, 14 feet under the floor, was fascinating to see. Sure would have liked to play it. Bet it lifts the parishoners right off their pews! On the outside of the cathedral, two steeples towered at 240 feet high.

The bus continued on, heading south to the small, quaint seaside resort of Kinsale. This area looked more like the image we've had of Ireland from watching travel programs. The rolling hills were green, green,and greener with pastures, while the roadsides were lined with hedges and trees. Sheep and dairy cows dotted the peaceful farmlands. Our guide said that homes in Kinsale cost around 450,000 Euro. That may buy a 2 bedroom home with 3/4 acre lot. She followed by saying that property everywhere in Ireland has soared recently.

We had a short photo stop at a seaside fortress,Charles Fort, that had protected the coast from Spanish invaders centuries ago.

Then we were off to lunch in the Trident Tavern at the Trident Hotel. The elegant and ample lunch consisted of vegetable soup, rolls, rib roast with mashed potatoes, and vegetables. A pint of beer or a glass of wine was also served (cold too) . Coffee or tea was offered with lemon cheesecake. And we were happy campers once again!

After the delicious meal, we were taken to the heart of Kinsale to work off a few calories that we had consumed. And, of course, we had time for shopping. Treasures sold here are Waterford Crystal, Irish linens, wool sweaters, and bone china. We bought the usual t-shirt, shotglass, and Irish pin. Nice and small package, and easy to pack. We also visited the small grocery store for supplies.

By the time we got back to Cobh, it was too late to explore that town, since we got involved in commute traffic. We did get some nice pictures of the wharf as we sailed away, heading for Dublin.

Until tomorrow,

Bill & Mary Ann

[WCB]

Sorry for the triple posting, but we are having trouble posting report 21, which is for Dublin. Will try again.

Bill

[WCB]

Greetings,

After sailing a short distance from Cobh last night, we docked in Dublin early this morning under gray, foggy skies. Situated at the mouth of the River Liffey, Dublin, the capital of Ireland, is a large bustling city of thousands. It is obvious to us, that to see this city, it would take days. But CSI hosted a complimentary city and boat tour, so that was the plan today.

Two bus loads of our group met on the working dock at 9 am. Just before we left, a new family that just joined the ship in Rotterdam jammed onto the bus and squeezed into the seats at the back. The parents had a total of seven kids with them, one being a baby of 8 months old, screaming at the top of her lungs. Luckily bus #2 had extra seats, so at least six of us vacated our seats, giving the family more room to spread out. It turned out to be a good move, since bus #1 was to go on the boat ride first, while we toured the city. But there was NO boat, and they were stuck there for almost an hour waiting. A glitch in communications, we guess.

Well, on with the tour. We passed the impressive 18th century Custom's House on the north bank of the River Liffey. The riverbanks were lined with stores, restaurants, and lots of colorful pubs.. Our guide told us that the river had been cleaned up over the last few years,since it had a very foul smell to it. Looks like they still have a long way to go.

Crossing the river, we headed for Trinity College and their library that holds the Book of Kells - a hand illuminated manuscript of the Gospels. This college is Ireland's oldest, founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I. This whole area is surrounded by parks and student housing. It is a popular summer school for Italian, French, Spanish, and Japanese students to learn English during the summer. Two hours of class each day, then it's party time!

We passed dozens of Georgian mansions with interesting doors and windows. We also saw Dublin Castle, City Hall, Christchurch Cathedral, and St. Patrick's Cathedral. Unfortunately, long lines and parked buses prevented a visit to this famous church.

From here, we drove to Phoenix Park, Europe's largest enclosed public park. There are fallow deer roaming the park, as well as a zoo, polo and soccer fields, gardens, alfalfa fields, and exhibitions. There was a huge cross in a field that was built to commemorate the first visit to Ireland of the Pope in 1978. Hundreds of thousands of people came to see him.

It was around this point, that we realized the driver was lost. We had gone from one end of the park to the other, and back again, looking for a bathroom stop. Turns out that it was the driver's first day of work. Oh boy........in attempting to turn around, he lost part of the bus's bumper. At least he got lost in a nice neighborhood, and we got to see some high-end homes. On the way to the boat ride, we passed the Guiness Brewery, and the main shopping street/mall, Grafton.

The sightseeing trip on the River Liffey took us to the same sights we had passed earlier. But we did see the wharf theater where Michael Flatley, the Riverdance star, introduced his popular show. The Liffey Voyage boat went under two famous bridges, the O'Connell and the Ha'Penny. It turned around at this point and headed down the left bank of the river to see Dublin's newest high-rise apartment buildings. The guide told us that actor Colin Farell had a flat in one. Also, the Irish band U2 donated money to build a new complex, where they practice their music when in town.

The bus arrived back to the ship, and we figured that there would be enough time to ride the free shuttle back to the downtown area. Being that today was Saturday, the Grafton mall area was a total mob scene! And wouldn't you know, it started to rain. The streets were full of young college kids, shoulder to shoulder for miles. We walked the avenues watching street artists and checking out shops, mostly to get out of the rain. We wondered through the old college buildings with the idea of seeing the Book of Kells, but the line was long and we did not have the time to wait. Not wanting to get stuck in a traffic jam, we rode the shuttle back to the Maasdam.

Sailaway was cool and windy as we headed north towards the Faroe Islands.

Looking forward to a day at sea,

Mary Ann & Bill

[WCB]

Hi Happycruzer and Welovecruising,

Thanks for reading the reports. It has been fun to share with you all!


Bill & Mary Ann


Hi Ina,

Yes, we were on the Maasdam when you took those photos. It was such a beautiful day there in Rotterdam. Glad you are enjoying the posts!

Bill & Mary Ann

[RuthC]

It was worth the effort to get the Dublin entry posted; it brought back many memories for me.
Again, I took a tour that got me out on water! I took the duck tour along the same waterway. I agree---the water still looks pretty dirty. Glad I didn't have to swim to safety.

I can't imagine bringing seven children along on a bus tour! For the sake of the others on the bus I hope that baby quieted down.
You got lucky.

[WCB]

Hi RuthC,

Glad we are stirring up good memories for you!

We were told by friends on the other bus in Dublin, that the baby never quieted down, saving the worst crying for the boat trip. Yes we did get lucky only because we left the bus, along with several other couples. Actually, we did not know that the buses were going to split up and do separate tours until it happened.

We did have a couple of younger boys, brothers, on our bus. But they were very well mannered, and and it was a pleasure to see them enjoying the tour.

Mary Ann & Bill

[WCB]

Howdy,

Finally,a day to kick back and relax. After leaving Dublin, the Maasdam sailed past Northern Ireland during the night, and eventually reaching the west coast of Scotland. Later in the day, we transited the Sea of Hebrides and into the Minches, the large rugged penisulas of Scotland.

The weather was cloudy, but not too cold. The sun did peek out occassionally between the grey clouds, making it a perfect day for walking.

We found it strange that when the ship is in port, the dining room is closed for lunch. So, we decided to go there for lunch today, and watch the many Scottish islands as we sail along. The food has been quite good, especially the Chinese and Mexican dishes.

Tonight was the first formal evening since we started the second segment in Rotterdam on July 18th. CSI hosted a party in the Crow's Nest to meet the new passengers. We met a nice couple from Vermont, that we had toured briefly with in Dublin. They had gotten stuck on bus #1 with the crying baby. They told us that the poor child cried during the entire bus tour and the boat ride. Poor baby. This reminded us of the reason we usually do not cruise during the summertime.....way too many kids. Don't get us wrong, we like little children, but not when they are allowed to run throughout the ship all day and night. We have a small number on this trip, thank goodness.

At dinner this evening, the chief engineer and his wife joined our table. We had hoped to keep our table for only 8, since Donna is in a wheelchair, and needs the extra space. But Margaret has been asking for an officer to join us, and she finally got her wish. It's funny how that can change the whole atmosphere of the group. We felt a bit uncomfortable to talk with each other, because the Dutch officer commanded the attention of everyone. It is fine for one evening, but we do hope he visits other tables for the remainder of the trip.

Bill & MaryAnn

[WCB]

Greetings,

One word to describe Torshavn, Faroe Islands, a self governing region of Denmark, is FOGGY! The Maasdam sailed into the harbor early this morning, but the fog was too dense to see anything. Hopefully, it will lift for the tour to the countryside of Gota later.

Sixty of us loaded on two buses, and headed up the narrow, steep, old streets of Torshavn. Our guide gave us some historical facts on the islands, as we left the harbor.

The Faroe Islands are an archipelago consisting of 18 islands, with a population of 48,000. They lie midway between Norway and Iceland, close to the Arctic Circle. The barren mountains and valleys are believed to be over 60 million years old, and are remnants of a vast volcanic plateau. Waterfalls and rivers just spring up everywhere, and cascade down the hillsides. Because of the very shallow soils, we saw few trees, only grasslands full of sheep. Just 6% of of these islands can be cultivated, while the rest is considered wastelands.

Speaking of sheep, 70,000 of them roam freely everywhere you look. In the summertime, 40,000 of them, including lambs and 6 year old yews, are slaughtered. A favorite staple for the Faroese is dried lamb meat, which our guide said tasted like roqueford cheese. The softest wool is used for clothing, such as underwear, sweaters and hats, while the outer wool is used for carpets and woven wall hangings.

While driving from Streymoy island to Eysteroy island (here goes those strange names again!),we went went through a fairly new tunnel, that must have been over one and a half miles long. The tunnel, and many more like it, have been bored through the mountains to save time from transiting to each island, since the roads are steep and narrow, and impassable during the coldest dark winter months.

Our first stop was at a Luthern Church in Southgota, a small village of a few hundred people. The Gota Kirkja (church) was a modern Danish structure with interesting light fixtures and stain glass windows. All the wood used to construct to church, including the pews, had to be imported from Denmark, as is the case with most of their buildings. The only natural materials here is the rock. One thing we did not expect to see, were the green slopes by the church covered with the remains of a concert that took place over the weekend. Apparently, 8000 people came to the rock performance, mostly from Denmark and Norway. They must have had one heck of a good time here! Pup tents, sleeping bags, blankets, mats, and loungechairs were simply abandoned for the locals to clean up. Our guide said to close our eyes to the mess, since she was very embarrassed.

At the next stop, we toured the remains of an ancient farm complex that belonged to a famous Viking chieftan. The green sod roof of the church and homes was very interesting to see close up. Half of the church's roof was being replaced, so we got to see the underlayment as it was redone. The sod roofs insulated the homes against the worst winds that blow here most of the time.. The little houses seemed to be built for Lilleputians, since they were so small. Each house had a central stove for heating and cooking, an eating area, cubbyholes and tiny bedrooms for sleeping, but no bathrooms. They must have had outhouses. The ceiling height and the doorways were so low we had to bend over to enter, leading us to visualize the Faroese as little people......but a hardy stock for sure.

Some of the wildlife native to these islands are 40 species of birds, the cute puffin being one of them, foxes, rabbits, and lakes full of trout and salmon. The sheep, cows, and horses were imported from Ireland and Denmark.

Closeby, we went to the Toting woolwear factory and store. Their sweaters were similar to the Norwegian style, but heavier, we thought.

On our way back to Torshavn, we made a stop at a panoramic vista point to take photos of the colorful village built in the valley near the sea.

Continuing on, our guide mentioned that fishing was the main occupation of the islanders, as it was in the past. Salmon fish farming has become a flourishing industry. The fish fry are raised in floating nets until they are 12 to 18 months old, then harvested and shipped to Denmark.

In regards to salaries, a teacher could earn 25,000 Kroner a month, which computes to $4166.( US). Unskilled labor rates are $19.50 an hour. However, prices on food and clothing are high, so it is relative. They do have subsidized and fuel, where a heating and electric bill may run $179 a year, and diesel costs 98c a liter.

After the pleasant tour, we ate lunch on the ship, then took the free shuttle back to town. Here we walked the quaint old town, ducking in and out of shops to keep out of the drizzling rain. We were told that the climate is pretty mild all year, rarely dropping below freezing, and with a high of 60 degrees in the summer. We were not to see the sun today, but we were glad to have seen such different, scenic landscapes and a taste of how these people live.

We left at 6 pm to the sounds of our foghorns, and we suspect will be hearing them throughout the night. Nancy Wright, our host, joined our table for dinner tonight. She is such a gracious lady, who is very easy to get to know.

See you all later,

Mary Ann & Bill

[cool change]

I'm printing your lastest posts for my night-time reading. Its the best.

[WCB]

Hi all,

Today we are sailing towards northern Iceland. It is a bit chilly outside, but not as cold as we thought it would be. This area is affected by the Gulf stream from Mexico, believe it or not, and it keeps the temperatures more tolerable,

Our morning walk this morning was almost lonely, as people are attending lectures, playing golf putting, or eating....a favorite passtime on this ship!

At noon, we were invited to a Mariner's lunch in the lower Rotterdam dining room with Captain Van der Loo and the hotel manager. Since none of our tablemates were included, we assumed the event is for 300 plus day Holland America Mariners. No one could crash this lunch, since we were screened by an assistant before entering the dining room. We know for a fact that the cocktail party in the first segment was crashed by some people, because our invitation was not requested to be shown.

Anyway, we were seated in the central section of the room with a very nice Austrian couple from Canada, who shared cruise stories with us. This was a first for us to be invited to a lunch, but they said they had done this on shorter trips, such as this one. The waiters handed us a set menu with choices of appetizers and entrees. A salad or fruit plate started the meal, followed by red snapper or torneodos of beef. Two wines, white and red, were freely poured throughout the delicious meal. The Captain gave a welcome speech to us and thanked us for coming back. Dessert of lemon cake was served and it was goood!

A funny thing happened when the Captain was visiting each table. The subject of his marital status was brought up at our table, and when he came over to us, the Austrian lady asked him straight out if he was married! To our surprise, he said no, he was recently divorced. And with that, he ran to the next table. Bookmark that thought.............be careful what you ask and in front of whom!!

As we were on our way out of the dining room, we were stopped by a couple from last year's world cruise. They were quite unhappy about the repetitions of the entertainment onboard this second segment. The chorus group has done their show going on four times now, and the in room TV has started over from the start. We can live with it, but considering how much people are paying per day, they expect a 35 day itinerary. We know it can be done. To us it is a no-brainer. All we can do is get together as a group, and take our complaint to the guest relations manager. She did help us with our 2005 reunion.

Tonight at 10 pm, the Captain and his officers are supposed to swim over the Arctic Circle, except in the closed pool. That should be funny!

Tomorrow, Iceland again!

Bill & Mary Ann

[RuthC]

Did they have a "swim across the Arctic" for passengers, too? :confused:
It took 'til my third chance before my schedule (hey, I'm a busy woman on cruises!) matched the event, but I did get my certificate of membership in the Polar Bears Club. It was a kick! :D

[WCB]

Hi Gang,

Sailing into the longest fjord of Iceland, Eyjafjordur, we docked at the second largest city of the country, Akureyri. It was covered in a dense chilly fog, which is common in these protected fingers of the sea. Akureyri has a population of 15,000, and is basically a small fishing town. Their fishing company is actually the largest in Iceland, making the city's shipyard the busiest in the country.

Our tour today is out of town and into the countryside. We had a total of 5 full buses with 250 people. We drove across Vikerskard Pass to Fnjoskadalur Valley, passing beautifully built farmhouses and pastures.We saw a few of the 300,000 sheep that reside in Iceland, but most of them are in Reykjavik. Icelandic horses and milk cows were in the meadows. The homesteads became spread out as we left the town. As we climbed up to a higher elevation, the fog lifted, and the weather surprisingly warmed up once the sun poke out between the high clouds.

We spotted the spray coming from Godafoss waterfalls, but our guide promised to stop there on the way back. Three of our buses were already parked there, so better to wait until later. We came across the first big lake and a few rivers, where our guide told us about the salmon and trout in these waters. He said that it costs between $200. to $2000. for a license to fish for one day. The limit of fish is 15 per day,( some of the trout weigh 12 pounds). That is still expensive. Some of the fishermen sport fish....catch and release. The farmer whose land the river runs through, charges for the fish. He owns that part of the river and the fish in it, and he can fish for free. Needless to say, we saw few fishermen! Commercial fishing is their big industry in Akureyri, mainly salmon and cod. And the fish are also farmed in the fjords quite successfully here. An interesting fact we learned, was that cod fish heads were shipped to Nigeria during their famine years ago.

Continuing on, we passed a large hydro-powered geo-thermal plant, built in 1979. They ran into major problems when a nearby volcano erupted, and caused a lot of damage to their pipelines. We stopped for quick photos.

Then we went onto Lake Myvatn, situated about 75 miles from Akureyri. This fairly shallow lake, about 9 to 20 feet deep, has no rivers flowing into it, only rivers flowing out. Its source is from underground springs. When the lake freezes in the winter, the natives go ice fishing. The men cut a hole in the ice, then net the fish. There are about 28 species of birds in this area, but the main inhabitants are loons and the golden-eye ducks. There are few predators around the lake, with the exception of arctic foxes and minks (accidently let loose from farmed animals).

We stopped at a large rest area that had a market, gas station, and a mini-museum, and of course, many bathrooms. While waiting in line for the restroom, I was able to read about the importance of the pesky, lazy flies that plague the lakeside. The larvae hatches from the algae on the bottom of the lake, become the flies, then are consumed by the birds and the fish. They will bite, but they are so slow, you can swat them away. The tourists complain about them, but they are a necessary part of the food chain. We'll just have to remember to bring insect repellant if we ever come back to this region.

Our next stop was at the most unusual moonlike landscape, the sulfur pits in Hverarond. The grounds around these pits were totally barren, probably a result of the stinky steam that unfurls from the boiling mud. Some of these pits were very large, and heaving with black mud-like mush. Rock pillars stuck out of the ground, and hissed with boiling hot steam. We think our clothes and hair reeked of the stench by the time we left there.

We then drove up a volcanic mountainside , where we walked to a large caldera full of water. This was what was left of a volcano that blew over 300 years ago. The hillsides were barren no matter where we looked, since little rainfall occurs in this area. The turf is more tundra-like, so we saw very few sheep compared to the sheep we saw in Rekjavik.

The next stop was at a rift that happened millions of years ago. Under the rift, ran a series of caves and caverns that held hot water in them. Our guide said that people come here to sit in the water in the dark caves to bathe. Bill actually climbed the steep rocks to go into one, but I was chicken. My luck, one wrong step, and I would be in the steamy water, clothes and all! Many hikers were enjoying their bag lunches, while our groups ran all over the rifts rocks. Unfortunately for the hikers, we loaded upon the buses, and left them in clouds of dust. Not nice!

By now, we were hungry for lunch, and that was our next stop. Hotel Gigur, located on the southern shore of Lake Myvatn, had a large dining room that held all 250 of us. Tasty wheat bread with a sun-dried tomato relish was waiting for us while we filled the numbered tables. Creamed cauliflower soup was served, family style. The main course was poached catfish , drizzled with a lemon/honey mustard sauce. Mixed veggies and small white potatoes made a nice presentation. Dessert was a fruit custard tart, that was delicious.

We had a little time left to walk across the road to a couple of small souvenier stores. The lines were long with people eager to spend their money. And spend they did, because everything in Iceland is terribly expensive. Our guide said that because most all products have to be imported making Reykjavik, for instance, the second most expensive city in the world to live............Tokyo being the first.

Heading back towards Akureyri, we stopped at a volcanic park named Dimmuborger. We took a 20 minute circular hike amongst the strange monoliths created by massive lava flows eons ago. And not one of them is alike. We usually follow up the rear, in order to take photos, so when we heard people ahead of us saying "ooooooooooooo", we wondered what they saw. It was funny when we rounded the corner, to see a huge lava formation with as big "O" in the center!

Our final stop was at Godafoss, the famous glacial waterfalls in this area. Even though the falls weren't that high, they were mighty powerful. A walkway along its edge, led us to a bridge where the bus waited.

We have to say that today's tour was well planned and very active. We made so many stops that we did not see anyone sleeping on the bus!!

The Maasdam left the fjord at 6 pm, and we were still sailing into the sunset at 11pm. Sunrise was at 3:30 pm. Crazy, huh??

Until tomorrow,

Mary Ann & Bill

[RuthC]

We must have very similar interests as, again, we took the same tour. When I took it it was also a cool, foggy morning. I heard one person attempting to cancel w/refund as he thought there would be nothing to see. (He was not successful, but didn't take the tour.) Just as on your tour, the fog also lifted on mine. :)

The biggest "kick" for me was the point in the walk through the lava field where the North American and European tectonic plates meet. I was able to stand there with one foot on each continent. Neat. :)

There are things in this post that I had forgotten all about. Thanks for refreshing my memory.

[WCB]

Greetings from Westfjord, Iceland,

We got lucky today at Isafjordur, since this was supposed to be a tender port. But the fishing boats were out, and we got to pull alongside the dock. This made the Maasdam the largest HAL ship to have docked in this port to date. The Prinsendam was here two days ago , but she is smaller than us. It had been raining all morning, but it seemed to be letting up.

Our tour today is a boat trip to Vigur Island, a privately-owned mini farm on an island that has been in the same family for four generations.A young farmer , his wife, and two of their youngest children live there year round. Their two oldest kids were in Reykjavik for school, and they were probably glad. This island is 2 kilometers long, and half as wide. Fourteen cows and a few sheep graze the fields, but the main reason we came here, was to see the birds, such as puffins, eider ducks, and pigeon guillemots.

About 60 bundled up passengers boarded two small tour boats, and headed out of the fjord and away from town. We had a forty minute ride , taking us in between the steep slopes of ancient volcanoes. Thankfully, we wore our heavy jackets, since the wind was icy and stung our faces while the boat sped up.
Stepping off the boat was like walking into a time warp. With the exception of motor-driven farm machinery reflecting the current time, the houses and barns had the look of mid 19th century buildings.

We started our walk by the old windmill, where our guide handed each of us a stick with a little flag on top. At first, we thought the sticks were markers to keep us from getting lost. But we soon found out their real purpose..........to keep the diving terns off of our heads! As we wandered too close their nests, they went crazy. At this point, some people decided that the walk would be too hard, so they went back to the farmhouse. The formation of the island was mounded in the center, with slopes going down to the sea. We did have to be careful where we stepped, because there were holes and cow patties.

The guide led us to an old wooden barn, weathered over the years, for a talk about the puffins and their activity in the fjords. They are migratory birds that can live for 50 years. The season for them in Iceland is from April through August. They dig a 6 foot hole where they lay and hatch one egg. The couples raise the chick to the end of the summer. The farmer has to kill many of them, since the would overtake the island, and it would look like swiss cheese. Only the breast meat of the puffin is edible, and one serving takes 3 birds. Being that the puffins eat nothing but fish, we suspected that they would taste fishy.

The group then left to see the other side of the island, but we stayed with a few others that were interested in taking photos. With just a couple of us there, the birds calmed down, and came back to perch on the rocks, posing for some great photo shots. What a picturesque setting this family has, with the ice- covered mountains in the distant fjord. High above the snowdrifts, we can see Drangajokull Glacier, a relic of the last Ice Age. Rivers cascade down the chasms and tumble into the sea. We can just picture in our minds, whales being hunted with harpoons in the late 1900's.

Making our way back to the farmhouse, we noticed our group stumbling along on a narrow beach watching the terns. On the far end of the beach, we saw the farmer's cows. We believe that beyond the point, the sheep were grazing. This was the perfect opportunity to get a jump ahead of the crowd and see the farmhouse and have our cake and coffee. The farmer's wife and sister served a yummy rhubarb tart, buttered raisin nut bread, and homemade donuts. Hot coffee really hit the spot. We had a chance to ask the wife about their kid's schooling. She said the kids were picked up by a boat and taken to the mainland. They attended school from Monday through Friday and boarded with grandparents. They come home by boat for the weekend. She said it was very quite while the kids were gone. However, they had plenty of work to keep them busy. One of their jobs is to harvest the down from the eider ducks. They did this by collecting the feathers from the bird's nests, and selling it for clothing and sleeping bags.

All too soon, we had to board the boats, and speed back to Isafjordur. Once back, we ate a quick lunch, and walked back to the town, just a few blocks away. It is hard to believe that this small town is actually the third largest city in Iceland. Only 2900 people live in this remote region of the Western fjords. We passed old wooden houses that contained a museum, historic fishermen houses, shops, and little cafes. Located in the middle of these houses, was a modern church with an old cemetery that dated back to the 1800's. On our way back to the ship, we passed the hospital, community center, one book store, and a souvenier store. Large buildings by the pier held fish factories, and fishing gear. We saw tubs full of partially baited fishing lines that stunk to high heaven. Had to walk really fast to escape that odor!

The Maasdam had to be backed out of the fjord for a mile, before the Captain could swing her around. So long and farewell to Iceland, a most wonderful country to visit!

Bill & Mary Ann

[WCB]

Hi y' all,

Today the sea are still rough after a night of rocking and rolling. Several people left the dining room, probably due to sea sickness. And by the looks of the seas this morning, it will remain rough. Also, the temperature has dropped to 51 degrees with a wind chill factor of 10 degrees due to the fog. We just had to walk faster on the promenade deck to stay warm.

After a leisurely lunch in the dining room, our big event today was picking up our passports. It was handled in a very organized manner, alphabetically and according to a time schedule. We found it odd that the only stamp was from Reykjavik, Iceland.

Since the weather was so bleak outside, we figured it was a good day to see a movie. We saw "Take the Lead" in the Wajang Theater and for a change it was actually good. We enjoy the popcorn too,

Tonight the dress was formal, and we were due to have an officer join our table again. We were pleased to have the Hotel Manager for our guest, since he was able to answer many questions in regards to the food we have been enjoying. He was quite informative and unlike the Chief Engineer, he was a much better conversationalist.

The clocks went back tonight again, but the Masked Ball was still too late to attend. We all had a different color mask for each of us at our table at dinner, which was another first. Many ladies wore them going to the ball, in hopes of dancing with an officer at the ball.

Good night for now.


Report # 28

Hi again,

We were scheduled to sail through the Prins Christian Sound this morning, but to our disappointment, the ice blocked the entrance once again. The Captain sailed as close as he could to the entrance, and we did get some nice pictures. The sky was a pale blue with some clouds in the distance. It sure would have been nice to see this mountain-lined passage, but there was no way that we could do it. The Captain spent some time at this spot, circling the ship for all to see for about an hour. Then, we slowly sailed south around the tip of Greenland. We did see some large icebergs, so the day wasn't so bad after all. And thankfully, the seas smoothed out like silk.

We went to another movie in the theater, but this one, "The Cave", was not as good as yesterday's show. Sometimes we wonder who chooses the movies. Perhaps the plan is to show some bad ones, so the passengers would rent the DVD's for $3.00 each. Can't say we see many people renting them. In the same vein, the specialty coffees are no longer free. That was always a special Holland feature, now they have gone the way of all the other "nickel and diming" cruise lines. Too bad. One plus, however, is that we can order the special coffees for dinner at no charge, and everyone at our table takes advantage of that.

Until tomorrow,

Mary Ann & Bill

[RuthC]

Ride 'em, cowboy! Your description of report #27 is the very reason I love this itinerary! To me it's a perfect time to spend alone out on deck. You're making me long to go back.

Can't be sure I recall exactly, but didn't you miss Prins Christian Sound on the east-bound portion, too? That's a pity; it's such a pretty ride in there. There's a teeny-tiny village (settlement?) in there that makes you wonder who on earth---why on earth---lives there.

Thanks for another great report.

[WCB]

Greetings,

We woke up early this morning, looked out the window, and saw the coastline of southern Greenland lined with huge icebergs. The Maasdam sailed into the Julianehaabsfjord and anchored in the little harbor of Qaqortoq (pronounced ka-kor-tok). This small community houses 3200 people of Inuit and Danish descent and a mixture of both. All of the wooden houses and structures were brightly painted with the colors of the rainbow. What a picture opportunity! The air is unusually clean and clear, and we have been blessed with a sunny day with a cool wind. So walking up the hills and exploring the town should be a pleasure this morning.

The short tender boat ride got us to shore by 9 am. As we were getting off the boat, we heard the church bells chiming, and decided to find the church. Gertrud Rask's Kirke is the modern church, and the services are spoken in the native Inuit language. The mass was in progress, so we just peeked in the door. A baby dressed in baptismal clothing was waiting outside with the parents to be baptized, and we heard that a wedding was taking place later in the day.

We made a quick stop at the tourist info center, only to realize that we forgot our wallets on the ship. Oops, we did it again! Since there were no organized excursions here today, we did not have to get our tickets out of our safe. So therefore, it was easy to forget the money. Oh well, we just got on the tender boat and rode back to the ship. Unfortunately, we had to wait to come back to town, since most people had eaten breakfast and were coming over in droves.

Once back in town, we hiked to the highest hills passing their version of the Hard Rock Cafe. Judging from the Tuborg beer bottles laying around, we suspect this is the hottest place in town! We passed by a couple of stores set in between the houses, but since it was Sunday, nothing was open. A few local kids came out to check us out. We can't imagine that too many cruise ships stop here.

Following a creek, we crossed one bridge and found a large lake, which probably was the town's water source. Six large brown ducks were perched on a rock in the lake. They were the only wildlife we spotted on land, besides three dogs.

Working our way back to town, we passed two cemeteries, a smelly fishmarket (closed), and the old church built in 1832. Services here were conducted in Danish, but there was no mass today, so the tourists could see the inside of the church.

We saw the oldest fountain in Greenland in the Torvet Square. A nearby restaurant featured seal meat with rice, and raw whale rind. Gee, too bad they were closed, too!??!

The tiny museum showed the ancient Inuit weapons and kayaks used for hunting seals, as well as the history of the Viking colonists that settled in Qaqortoq. It was too crowded to go in there, however, since this town cannot accommodate 1200 invading people!!

There was a tannery on the far end of town , but assuming that it was also closed, we did not see it. Margaret, our tablemate, mentioned that a lady did see it, and got a mini-tour of the factory. She said that seal and polar bear hides were processed here for all of Greenland.

Our last stop was in the souvenier shop, waiting in line to buy a few momentos from Greenland, knowing that this will probably be a one time visit here.

The best part of the day was yet to come.............sailing out of the fjord, and seeing some of nature's beauty at its best - the massive icebergs of Greenland. We think the pictures will speak for themselves!

Adios for now,

Mary Ann & Bill

[jcmimm]

Mary&Bill
I just got my username and password reinstated. We were on the 35 day 2005 cruise and have great memories. We had only one rainy day in Oslo and high winds a few hours before entering Prince William Sound on the return
passage.Reading your reports are like doing the cruise all over again-just wonderful. One of the best cruises we ever took. Sorry to read they have dropped Lerwick,Shetland Islands on the 2007 cruise. It was one of our favorites. The time in Nuuk also seems to have been shortened as we took a short bus tour to the backside of Nuuk where the fishing fleet is berthed and sailed later than 1:00PM.

[WCB]

Howdy,

We woke up to a very grey, cloudy morning, this last day of July. The Maasdam is crossing the Labrador Sea heading sountwest towards Newfoundland and the winds are blowing a gale of force 8. Even though the TV statistics shows waves at 7.5 foot, we estimated from the spray blown off the wave peaks, that we are having 20 foot swells.

Despite the foul weather, we bundled up, and went for our morning walk. Absolutely no one was outside. The decks were soaked from the spray and the temperature was a chilly 48 degrees. As the day progressed, the storm grew fiercer, tossing the ship like a cork in a bathtub. Luckily, we do not get seasick, and actually enjoy seeing how powerful the sea can be. Makes one appreciate the smooth sailing days we have had so far this trip.

At noon today, we were invited to a second Holland America Mariner's party in the showlounge. And again, the second segment passengers received their new award medals, having achieved 100, 300, or 500 days sailing. Champagne, bloody Marys, wine, or soft drinks were served, along with trays of hors'deurves including caviar, shrimp, and Chinese potstickers. About 450 people were invited today, but it became apparent that many were missing, probably due to the high seas. The Captain gave his well rehearsed speech, welcoming us all back and inviting us to sail in the future. He also mentioned that HAL has plans for building a new vista-class ship, due to be launched in 2008. We find it odd that this kind of party was held during the day, instead of the evening. Maybe it costs far less for HAL, since people did not drink as many cocktails, and were headed to lunch before 1 pm in the dining room. There is a "method to their madness"!

At 3 pm, we had another meeting of the 2005 World Cruisers in the Crow's Nest. The main topic of conversation seemed to revolve around speculation of next year's world cruise. With the unrest in several parts of the world, such as Israel, the Middle East, Sri Lanka, Mumbai, and Indonesia, we all assume the 2007 itinerary will be amended.

Tonight was formal, so that meant we were due for officers to join our table. We were all there on time, but no officers arrived until 8:30. We had already started our first course, when the fourth officer and his girlfriend, the port shopping lecturer, came flying in. They were quite embarressed, because they thought dinner was at 8:30. What was nice, was the fact that they were both young, and seemed to have fun with our lively tablemates.

Tomorrow, St. Anthony, Newfoundland.

Mary Ann & Bill

[WCB]

Hi Gang,

We slowly approached to northern coast of the rugged shores of St. Anthony, Newfoundland around 6 am. And looking out our window, we could see land and signs of whales. What a neat sight!

St. Anthony is famous for two reasons. The first attraction is an ancient Norse settlement from the 11th century called L'Anse aux Meadows. This site, added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1978, proves that Norwegians had been the first Europeans to discover North America.

The second attraction in this sheltered harbor are the whales. These waters are a naturalist's paradise, since they are teaming with krill, shrimp, herring, and cod, which are the whale's cuisine. And that is exactly where we are headed today........a whale and iceberg watching boat trip.

The Maasdam anchored almost on top of the little town, which was great, since we had a very short ride to shore. We left the tender, and walked right onto the whale watch boat. With no icebergs in sight, we learned that the few that were here had melted at the end of June. Our guide said that it takes two years for the icebergs to reach the coast of Newfoundland from Greenland, melting all the way.

We headed towards two huge humpback whales, and were treated to their slow-motion feeding habits. They are capable of eating 1000 pounds of fish a day. This enables the whales to gain a massive amount of blubber, so they can migrate to the Caribbean in the wintertime. It is here that they have their young, raise them, then head north again. It was a thrill to see them surface, blowing air out of their vents, then diving straight down, raising their massive tails as they submerge. Several times, we were so close to them, that the spray blew in our faces. It actually has a foul oily smell to it, like bad breath in dogs! Twice, the whales surfaced within ten feet of the boat, where we could see how huge they were.

Other species of whales that frequent these waters are the orca, minke, and the fin. An interesting fact that we learned today was that cod fishing was the primary source of income in the St. Anthony area for generations. However, due to overfishing, the cod have become smaller in size and fewer in numbers. So much smaller that Canadian legislation restricted cod fishing to the point that many people lost their jobs and moved away. Shrimping and crab processing plants have taken the place of the number one industry now. Slowly, the cod population has gotten better, but the main predator is the harp seal. These seals have been protected from hunting over recent years, and their population has ballooned to almost two million. The Newfoundlanders are hoping for a change to resume seal hunting, and an increase in orcas to the waters. The orcas are natural predators of the seals. Sometimes it is not good to fool with Mother nature!!

After spending an entire hour observing the whales feeding and diving, we sped across the harbor to the steep granite cliffs. Here we saw the native birds flying in and around a deep cave that had been carved in the granite by the wind and pounding surf. The species of birds we saw were the arctic terns, guillemot pigeons, kittewakes, and the graceful gannets.

On our way back to the pier, we continued to see plumes of spray everywhere we looked. Our guide actually had a preserved portion of a whale's upper jawbone, that showed the baleen or strainer- type substance which separates the fish from the seawater. It was fascinating to see it close up. The baleen had a horse hair feel to it, a reminder that whales are the largest mammal on earth.

The two hour tour was over too soon, and we jumped on the waiting tenderboat, and went back to the ship for lunch. Sailaway was at 3 pm, where we watched from the bow for more whales and dolphins. And we were not disappointed, since we had dozens of sightings of diving whales all around the ship. Great way to end the day, even if we were almost frozen from standing in the wind for 2 hours!

Tomorrow, Corner Brook, Newfoundland, and our last port of call!

Mary Ann & Bill

[alsas]

Thank you for telling us about your wonderful trip. We will be joining you on the world cruise 2007. Would love to have any info. on your private trip to Agra. Thank you again for your review and you should do this on the World. We were on with Grumpy and Slinkie 2005 and loved reading there review after we returned. happy sailing Alsas

[WCB]

Hello Alsas,

We are glad you are enjoying the July trip reports! We will probably do the world cruise reports in 2007.

We have decided to book the Taj Mahal tour with our travel group, instead of doing it solo. The price with our group was much better than HAL's. It will be a four day, three night trip from Cochin. We will stay 2 nights in the Shangrila in Delhi, and one night at the Jaypee Hotel in Agra. We are looking forward to it.

We were on the 2005 world cruise, and maybe we met you in the Crow's Nest at our get together towards the end of the trip with the HAL rep. We met Grumpy and Slinkie many nights for cocktails in the Crow's Nest, and they were just as much fun as their reports sounded.

Looking forward to seeing you again!

Bill & Mary Ann

[WCB]

Hi, it's just us again!

Driving rain and dark skies greeted us this morning in the last port of call, Corner Brook, Newfoundland. Corner brook is the second largest city of Newfoundland, having a population of 21,000 people. Surrounded by the Long Range Mountains, an extension of the Appalachians, the city offers scenic fjords, a rugged coastline, and thousands of acres of black spruce forests. And because of these forests, a pulp and paper mill was founded here in the 1920's. Along with the successful fishing industry, the mill provided jobs for most everyone. The mill is still in operation today, although many locals left for St. Johns with the discovery of oil in the last decade.

Luckily the rain let up by 9 am, and we were able to go on a walking tour we had booked. Our small group boarded a school bus for a short ride to Sir Wilfred Grenfell College. Located high up on the hillsides of the town, the college campus was where we began our hike. Two guides led us to the Corner Brook Stream , which was actually a river with rapids. We followed graveled trails which led us into the boreal forest. The types of trees we saw were the black spruce, the source of lumber for the mill, alders, poplars, birches, pines, and maples of all types. It must be gorgeous in the autumn with the fall colors.

We came upon Margaret Bowen Park after we emerged from the thickets. This public park on the river has a natural swimming area created by a dam, with a salmon and trout ladder on the far side. It appeared to be closed today, since the weather was cold and cloudy.

We continued our walk over bridges, down slopes and stairways, and finally reached the Glynmill Inn Pond. Four swans were gliding lazily in the water, posing for scenic photos.

Our final stop was at the Corner Brook Museum and Archives. Formerly the town's courthouse, customs, telegraph, and post office, the old building now holds displays and exhibits of the past. We viewed examples of the native plants, trees, and animals, as well as pictures of the original native inhabitants. We also read the story of Captain James Cook's map-making expeditions here. Many antiques were on display that looked similar to the old things we have from our grandparents. May have some treasures there!

We watched an interesting slide show that depicted the history of the pulp and paper mill operation from the early 1900's to the present day. The trees had been harvested with hand saws, and pulled down the mountains by sleds, horse, or man power. Mighty hardy workers, these Canadians!

A light treat of tiny cloudberry, blueberry, and lingonberry pies were served with coffee and tea during the slideshow. They were delicious, and the museum staff even gave us recipes for the desserts.

Our tour ended by noon, and we decided to walk through the town a while before walking back to the Maasdam. This city is fairly small with shopping malls that included Sears, Walmart, drug stores, and grocery stores. Looked a lot like home. There were only two small souvenier stores that offered more antiques than the usual trinkets.

The Maasdam left Corner Brook by 6 pm to windy and choppy seas. Two days at sea now, and we will be back to Boston by Saturday, ending the Voyage of the Vikings!

Godwilling, next November, we are booked for an 11 day trip to Mexico on the Dawn Princess, then another big one..........the world cruise on Holland's Amsterdam. Really looking forward to that one!

Bye for now,

Bill & Mary Ann

[Flyingfish]

Bill & Maryann, thanks so much for sharing your diary with us. I very much enjoyed this cruise with you. We (DH and I) made the Copenhagan to NYC a couple of years ago (17) days. Of course this cruise was so much more extensive, it's like we did make it to places the ship didn't! Looking forward to your World Cruise coming up in '07.

[WCB]

Hello to all,

Well, here we are safely at home. Gee, it seems like we just left! That is always an indication that we had a super time.

Thought we would end this trip with a P.S. that critiques the cruise a bit more, if just to remind us of certain aspects that seem to fade with time. Memories are not quite as clear as they used to be!

As we reached the east coast of Nova Scotia, the weather changed from sunny to cloudy and rain. So,on our last two days at sea, packing was the main job. We try to follow the specific lists for packing clothes as we packed before we came here. The number of clothes with their weight has to be the same, so we can pass the airlines restrictions. Every time we reach this point of the cruise, we wish we had brought less! And the few trinkets we picked up along the way, seem to weigh a lot. So the hand carrys will be stuffed to the gills!

On Thursday, we had the final CSI cocktail party at 11:15 in the Crow's Nest. It was well attended since our group numbered over 100. We ordered margaritas, and they came in a huge glass. See, it pays to know the bartender! We had met so many new and fun people, that the party was a huge success.

Tonight was our last formal supper. We have to admit that our waiter, Hadi, and his assistant, Toya, were the best team we have had the pleasure of meeting. At times, our table could be quite a challenge, due to some ordering double appetizers, entrees, and triple desserts! Hadi handled this with grace and patience beyond belief. Our head waiter was always hovering around us, checking how we liked our dinner. We were supposed to have an officer join us this evening, but his seat remained empty. In apology, the head waiter promised us a bottle of wine for the last dinner on Friday. Sounded like a plan to us. The evening ended with the traditional Baked Alaska parade, and also a goodbye serenade from the waiters.

On Friday, there was what we thought wa going to be a lunch buffet in the main dining room. However, it turned out to be a food and beverage presentation, with servings of shrimp and small hors'deurves. Tables of meat and fish were displayed with beef, roasts, salmon and trout. The chefs were fileting the fish right before us. The baker was rolling bread dough, and the bartender was mixing drinks. A fountain of chocolate was cascading into a bowl for dipping strawberries, while the fruit and vegetable carver demonstrated his talent. Other tables had piles of pasta, flour, sugar, and assorted cans of food set out for us to see. Luckily, the dining room was still open for lunch, so we tried their Mexican entrees. The taco salads in a crispy shell were excellent.

There have been several subtle changes we have noted during this trip, comparing the Maasdam to the Prinsendam and the Volendam. We don't know if this is the general plan for all Holland ships, or just this one. Starting with the dining room, we noticed there was no traditional Dutch night with the passengers wearing the little silly Dutch hats. The dining room was closed for lunch on many port days and sea days. In asking why, we never got a good answer, other than they did not know why. There was no large, spectacular lunch buffet with ice carvings and all the trimmings, and the food available for eating. The coffee bars are no longer free, except for dinner. Needless to say, we saw few people paying for the special coffees during the day. Ice cream was still free at the dessert bar until 5 pm every day. Other lines charge dearly for this treat. Excellent pizza (three types) was available near the grill until 5 pm every day. Many people would sneak up the stairway, and grab a plateful of pizza, then disappear, we assume, back to their room. A full taco bar was also here until 5 pm.

On longer shore excursions, Holland reps always handed out a snack bag that contained fruit, a muffin, some hard candy, and a juice as we boarded the bus. We never saw this on the Maasdam. Don't get us wrong, we would not starve, but it was a nice touch. The only alternative, and we saw everyone doing this, was to squirrel food such as crackers, cookies, muffins, and rolls and cheese from the Lido. You would be surprised how creative people can get with snack food. Most of the ports we visited did not restrict food going off shore, with the exeption of Rotterdam. Wouldn't the snack bags be easier??

No special gangway photo was ever set up with the port's name and date. Therefore there was no incentive for people to have their pictures taken. And they didn't for the most part. This is the first trip that we noticed this omission.

In the first segment, there were announcements on loudspeakers for daily events such as lectures, sporting games, and the almighty BINGO! People must have complained, because after a few days of this annoying practice, it stopped. Do they think we cannot read? Ha-ha! Perhaps, on a seven day trip, this is normal, but not on a longer trip. A new addition we noticed were neon signboards located throughout the ship, advertising the ship's services. They cycled continuously showing spa services as well as showtimes and movies in the theater. Casino events also were listed. We have learned from experience, that the casino is a bad place to frequent. The slots never pay off big, like in Reno or Vegas. Better to take your money and buy something in the ship's shops. They even have one store dedicated to $10. for anything in the shop. We have seen these stores in all the airports.

And lastly, we noticed that the bathroom amenities in our cabin were not replaced daily. Several times, we had to ask our cabin steward for soaps and shampoos. Strangely, he said he had to check with his supervisor. We think they are trained to give amenities sparingly, in order to save money. This is nickel and diming disguised. A new touch they are doing.......pillow animals on our bed every evening during the first segment. Seems like we have seen this on Royal Caribbean and Carnival in the past. You cannot imagine how many critters can be created from two towels and a washcloth! Someone is very clever, and it always brought a smile to our faces after dinner.

Disembarkation was orderly, and we were allowed to stay in our rooms while waiting for our number to be called. The ride to the airport took about 10 minutes, but there was a mixup with US Airways and American Air. The bus driver seemed to be confused as to where we all should be going. Think he may have been partying Friday night?? We all got off the bus, only to find out we had to get back on to go to American Air. Hopefully he did not unload our luggage and leave it at US Airways. Boy, this is where you find out who the crabby people are. And we had a few! One elderly couple had boarded the bus, assuming their luggage was on it. However, when we got to the airport, they found they had no bags. We heard about it for the next four hours, waiting for our flight to leave at 2:30. Their bags did arrive, and they were happy, but we all had headaches!! The flight was long, about 6 hours, but with two movies and several sitcoms, the time passed quickly. We were home by 7 pm, Pacific time, to sunny skies and warm temperatures, unusual for San Francisco this time of year. And, so ended our journey!

Again, we shall say goodbye and thanks for sharing the trip with us!

Until next time,

Bill and Mary Ann

[RuthC]

Thank you so much for your journal of this voyage. You brought back so many wonderful memories that brought a smile to my face. You make me want to do this cruise again. :)

(and your timing is perfect! thanks for that, too. ;) )

[boatlover]

Thank you for sharing with us. I hope you have a wonderful time on your upcoming cruises. Thanks again.

[airlink diva]

Once again thank you for sharing your trip!! One of my highlights of this board for the past month is your reports of the Viking voyage. For folks like me with limited funds and vacation time, I enjoy reading about the various ports, esp those that have very little cruise ship visits.
I look forward to your world tour report!!

[WCB]

Hi Gang!

Thank you all for your positive comments about the Voyage of the Vikings Maasdam cruise. We wished we could have included the pictures......they were worth a thousand words!

We leave next January for the 2007 World Cruise on the Amsterdam, so watch for reports soon after we board.

RuthC, have a wonderful and safe trip!

Goodbye until we meet again,

Bill & Mary Ann

[OldCodger73]

Bill and Mary Ann, thanks for posting your trip report. I looked for it each day.

I'm also looking forward to your World Cruise report. I put your efforts right up there with Grumpy and Ides of March for being informative and entertaining.

[hammybee]

Whew ! I waited for the final installment to be able to read it in one piece. Thank you for making the time to share some of the magic with us.

[DeltaBC]

Hi Don and I have really enjoyed your trip .Thank you for sharing your adventure with us.We will look forward to meeting you on th GWV in January.Thanks again. Iris