Dave’s Live from Zuiderdam Voyage of the Vikings, July 30 – Sept. 3, 2019

[erewhon]

Beautiful scenery on a beautiful day,  the HAL Pea soup one of my favourites.

 

[RetiredMustang]

Aug. 9, at sea

 

This morning is mostly overcast, with calm seas and (relatively) warm at 53F/11C.  We are occasionally spotting small parts of what we think are whales popping up some distance off our balcony.  They are smaller than humpbacks, and only a bit of fin and back shows, not very far above the water.  They might be minke whales.

 

Here is today’s When and Where:

 

 

 

 

 

 

We also have received the next portion of the Voyage Planner:

 

 

 

More later,

Dave

[Krazy Kruizers]

I see you set the clocks forward 1 hour for Friday.

[RetiredMustang]

Aug. 9, at sea (Cont.)

 

It has been overcast all day so far, but no rain or fog.  What has been amazing is the placidness of the North Atlantic.  We have been in the section between Iceland and Greenland before, and found it much rougher:

 

 

 

At 9:30, we went to a deck sale on the Lido, but It was quite a scrum and we didn’t see anything we fancied.  We watched for marine life a while, and might have spotted a couple of porpoises, but they were moving fast and soon disappeared.

 

At lunch in the Lido, I saw again one of those folded paper signs advertising the new Pinnacle Grill menu featuring David Burke creations.  It reminded me that I had downloaded the menu earlier, but never posted it.  It looks a lot the same to me, with the addition of his new dishes.   So, in lieu of a photo of a whale coming by and posing long enough for me to take one, here is the new Pinnacle Grill dinner menu:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More later,

Dave

[RetiredMustang]

Aug. 9, at sea (Cont.)

 

We attended the port talk on Isafjordur and Akureyri at 2 p.m.  Jessica repeated what the captain told us at the noon update – the forecast is for sleet/snow tomorrow afternoon/evening, and he hopes to get out of port before it hits.  Well, I suppose one of the reasons we took this cruise is to beat the heat  .  We set our clocks forward an hour again tonight, so will be on Iceland time, four hours ahead of EDT tomorrow.

 

Here are tonight’s dinner and dessert menus:

 

 

 

And here is the Lido dinner menu:

 

 

 

More later,

Dave

[scubacruiserx2]

Now that we are finishing our thread we will be following along vicariously with you . We were in Isafjordur on the Zuiderdam on a beautiful June day and went to the Dynjandi waterfall . We had never heard of midges before and they were swarming there in our eyes , nostrils and ears . You can see them in front of the camera in the video clip . They do sell head nets and repellent in the store at the port . Have a great visit and we look forward to hearing about it .

 

 

 

Edited August 9, 2019 by scubacruiserx2

[RetiredMustang]

Aug. 10, Isafjordur, Iceland

 

At 5:30 a.m., we were going around some headlands, making for the fjord leading to Isafjordur.  We are experiencing a bit of wind (the outer decks are closed), and overcast skies, but no actual rain.  Temps are 45F/7C.

 

 

 

Here is today’s When and Where:

 

 

 

 

 

And here is the port guide for Isafjordur.  At yesterday’s briefing, Jessica pointed out that the locations of the tender landing and the heritage museum are incorrect.  Both are actually located on peninsula to the right near the bottom of the map.

 

 

 

 

More later,

Dave

Edited August 10, 2019 by RetiredMustang

[Krazy Kruizers]

Sleet, snow and cold.  BRRRRRRRRR

 

Hope you miss that bad weather.

 

Love the pictures.

[RetiredMustang]

16 hours ago, scubacruiserx2 said:

We were in Isafjordur on the Zuiderdam on a beautiful June day and went to the Dynjandi waterfall . We had never heard of midges before and they were swarming there in our eyes , nostrils and ears .

 

We had considered the shore excursion that went there, but it was 6 hours long, and was paired with a visit to Sudereyri, which was all about everything fish.  We decided not to take the excursion because we wanted a bit more waterfalls and a lot less fish.  The midges would have been another reason, although they probably would not have been an issue today, with wind and rain.

 

Dave

[RetiredMustang]

Aug. 10, Isafjordur (Cont.)

 

A couple of days ago, the Lido shifted from milk cartons from a U.S. supplier to ones from a Belgian company.  The milk is just as good but the packaging again struck me as funny at breakfast this morning.  I said, “what, are they serving mad cow milk, now?” 

 

 

(I guess you had to have been there.)

 

 

We turned into the fjord, and the wind let up enough to allow people outside.  I took a few shots of our approach to the town, past some salmon hatcheries, and a shot of sunlight filtering through the clouds:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Turns out, that was the best weather we would have for the morning.

 

 

More later,

Dave

[RetiredMustang]

Aug. 10, Isafjordur (Cont.)

 

We had rejected going to the waterfall and the fishing town, but when we decided we would like to go on a bird-watching tour, we found out that a lot of others had the same idea before we did – they were all sold out.  We put our names on the waiting list, but didn’t have any high hopes.  As it turned out, there were no cancellations for the bird-watching, so we decided to walk about the town.

 

The weather was getting worse, and we were wondering if it might not have been such a bad thing not to have taken the bird-watching shore excursion.  We caught a tender at about 9 a.m.  Here is a photo of the town from our anchorage; it is a wide-angle shot, so the town appears farther off than it really is.  The tender ride was only about 10 minutes.  The tender pier is around the corner at the far left; the church and small park are at the far right. 

 

 

 

 

Here is a photo of the tender pier, with Zuiderdam in the background. 

 

 

 

We walked from the tender pier to the main street and the along it.  The wind was blowing about 15 knots, with a list, misty rain.   We passed the tourist info center a short distance from the pier, then passed a supermarket en route to the church:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nearby is a statue of fishermen, and the Old Hospital, which has been converted into a culture center with the public library and an art gallery.

 

 

 

 

Just past the culture center was Jonsgardur, which has a whale-bone arch:

 

 

 

We turned back at the point; with the wind at our back, it was easier going.  But, we noticed that the clouds/fog had lowered while we walked, and covered the tops of the hills:

 

 

 

We passed one monument as we went.  I couldn’t read the plaque, but there is no doubt what one creature thought it was a monument to. 

 

 

 

We then made it to a small central plaza, which has the Hotel Isafjordur facing it:

 

 

 

More later,

Dave

 

 

Edited August 10, 2019 by RetiredMustang

[RetiredMustang]

Aug. 10, Isafjordur (Cont.)

 

At the plaza, we turned left and went a few blocks through the old section of town, which holds many buildings built 100 years ago or more

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And, we also noticed one house that was a bit newer:

 

 

 

We then returned to the central plaza.  Across from the hotel is the Gamla Bakariid (Old Bakery).  They had many tempting things on offer:

 

 

 

 

But we settled for a hot coffee (which was more suitable for a cold, windy morning instead of a beer with a seafood lunch).  We had Icelandic kroner (ISK) with us, so I don’t know if they took Euros or other currency.  I suspect they take credit cards.  The coffees were about 400 ISK each, about U.S. $3.25.

 

We then walked back to the tender pier.  It sounds like a long hike, but the town is small – all told, we only walked a bit more than two miles/3 km.

 

More later,

Dave

[scubacruiserx2]

1 hour ago, RetiredMustang said:

 

We had considered the shore excursion that went there, but it was 6 hours long, and was paired with a visit to Sudereyri, which was all about everything fish.  We decided not to take the excursion because we wanted a bit more waterfalls and a lot less fish.  The midges would have been another reason, although they probably would not have been an issue today, with wind and rain.

 

Dave

 

There is a nice water fall about 3 km or a 6 minute ride from downtown . It's called Skutulsfjordur if you want to take a cab there .

 

[Krazy Kruizers]

Wonderful report.

 

I can see the lousy weather behind all the buildings.

 

The pastries look delicious.

 

Great pictures.

[RetiredMustang]

Aug. 10, Isafjordur (Cont.)

 

The captain came on the announcing system in the early afternoon to say that he had been watching the weather and that a large storm was forming northeast of Iceland, with winds ups to 45 knots, due to hit Akureyri late tomorrow afternoon.  As a result, he is cutting short the port visit to Akureyri – we will now leave at 5 p.m. instead of 11 p.m. as originally scheduled.  That will put us at sea and better able to handle the winds when they arrive.  He said the full tour schedule will run tomorrow, but that some may have to go earlier than planned; those affected would be notified by a note in their mailbox.

 

More later,

Dave

[RetiredMustang]

Aug. 10, Isafjordur (Cont.)

 

About 4 p.m., the captain reiterated his weather report and decision to depart Akureyri early.  He also said that at about 9 or so this evening, we would pass north of the Arctic Circle, and thus become members of the Order of the Blue Nose.  We were hoping to get one of those.

 

Here are tonight’s dinner and dessert menus:

 

 

 

 

And, the Lido dinner menu:

 

 

More later,

Dave

[RetiredMustang]

Aug. 11, Akureyri, Iceland

 

The ship did some rocking last night and early this morning, as we had rougher seas than we have had so far.  But, a short while ago, we turned south into the Eyjafjord and are heading down the longest fjord in Iceland to Akureyri at the end, and the wind and waves relented quite a bit.  We are moving in fog, rain and mist, but can the sea and the land, if somewhat dimly in the early morning light.  DW and I have booked a whale-watching shore excursion for this morning and hope the conditions at least stay the same or, even better, improve a bit.

 

Here is today’s When and Where:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And, here is the Akureyri port guide:

 

 

 

 

More later,

Dave

Edited August 11, 2019 by RetiredMustang

[erewhon]

Hope the weather improved for your whale watching excursion.

Thank you for your reports.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Sorry to hear that you are running into bad weather.  Hope it clears soon.

[RetiredMustang]

Aug. 11, Akureyri (Cont.)

 

Well, the whale-watching shore excursion turned into a whale-looking-for one; the crew spotted two almost immediately, but by the time we all fell over ourselves getting outside, they were gone.  We thought we would have plenty of opportunity, since some whales had been spotted so soon, but that was the entirety of the whales for the trip.

 

We entered the port just before 7 am., passing a small cruise ship Le Chamberlain, of the Ponant line, which was moored at one pier at the end of the port area.  We turned the corner to approach our moorage, and I got a shot of part of the town and our pier.  The weather was pretty raw, with a strong wind and some rain.

 

 

 

 

We gathered in the show lounge, and were called and stickered before going ashore to meet our guide.  There were 14 or so of us.  The guide then led us about 600 yards/meters along the shore to the tour boat.  I got a shot of the church as we went. 

 

 

Some passengers seemed surprised that we had to walk, but the tour description and the tickets themselves said it would take a 15-20 minute walk to the boat.  Our guide set a somewhat faster pace than that, and we were there in about 10 minutes; she was much younger than us.  Here is a photo of the tour boat:

 

 

 

We were not the only passengers on the boat, and in fact it was packed and we had to search to find empty seats in the main cabin.  The crew had waterproof overalls we could use if we wanted, and most passengers did; some were still putting them on as we sailed up the fjord when the whales were spotted, which caused a bottleneck as we all tried to get to the weather decks for a look.

 

 

 

DW and I stayed outside for a while, scanning for whales, but went inside later.  The winds increased, and the seas got rougher, I presume because the storm we are leaving early to avoid is starting to affect the Akureyri area.  I did get a photo of some of the farmlands and buildings we were passing:

 

 

 

After about 90 minutes, the boat turned around, and went back down the fjord.  We would go out for a while, and then go back inside to warm up.  But, the only things I spotted besides lots of birds were Zuiderdam and the other ship as we approached the port:

 

 

 

This is probably a decent tour in good weather.  But, as always, wildlife will do what it wills to do, and you still may not see any whales.  In bad weather like we experienced, we would probably give it a miss if we were to go to Akureyri again.  The company offered free tickets for  whale-watching trip anytime in the next two years, which was very nice of them since they did not have to do so.  The company has a branch in Reykjavik, and as we have no excursions booked for the first day there on the return trip, we took the free tickets.  If the weather in Reykjavik is fine, we may just take their tour.

 

 

More later,

Dave

Edited August 11, 2019 by RetiredMustang

[RetiredMustang]

Aug. 11, Akureyri (Cont.)

 

The captain came on twice this afternoon to tells us, basically, in Navy-speak, to rig for heavy seas.  He said he expected the storm to hit 45+ knot winds and 6.5 meter/20 ft. seas.  He said by leaving early, we would avoid some of the storm, but still expected 6 meter/18 ft. seas around midnight.  He said the winds should slack later in the morning.  He also said to stow anything that may fall off or fly about (Navy: secure all missile hazards).  The outside decks are closed.

 

In fact, as I am writing this, we seem to be exiting the fjord and are already feeling swells and rolls.  Not much so far, but a taste of what is to come.  I expect that I will sleep well tonight!

 

We set the clocks forward an hour tonight, and so will be in synch with London, 5 hours ahead of EDT.  One more hour after that to be in the zone with Bergen and Rotterdam, but then we start having 25-hour days as we head back.

 

Here are tonight’s dinner and dessert menus (they’ve started putting the dessert menu on the Navigator):

 

 

 

 

And here is the Lido dinner menu:

 

 

 

More tomorrow,

Dave

[erewhon]

Thanks for your update, it was good of the company to offer the free tickets to use in future.

[RetiredMustang]

Aug. 12, at sea

 

We are on the first of two sea days between Akureyri and Bergen.  Last night was quie a ride, with a lot or pitching and rolling starting as soon as we let the fjord and continuing until about 4 a.m., when it settled down a bit.  We are still doing a bit of movement, but it is at a more normal level.  The weather is forecast to continue to improve throughout the day.

 

Here is today’s When and Where:

 

 

 

 

 

 

More later,

Dave

[RetiredMustang]

Aug. 12, at sea (Cont.)

 

The captain announced this morning that we have moved away from the storm, and that at the worst overnight, we had 7 meter seas and 60 knot winds.  Glad we left Akureyri early to avoid even more!  And, I really appreciate all the announcements he does to keep us updated.

 

 

I have been taking a lot of photos around the ship, and many of them turn out to be pretty much in focus.  So, as this is a sea day, I thought I would post some of them.  Today, I will focus on the EXC in the Crow’s Nest on deck 10 forward.

 

As you come to the landing, you see the signs for the space; this one is on the starboard side:

 

 

As you enter the starboard side, the first thing you see is the future cruises office.  This is an improvement over the desk in the atrium, as it is larger, more private and I understand has much more storage for the FCC:

 

 

 

Next, to the left, is the Shore Excursions desk.  The desk has a cool interactive map display:

 

 

 

 

Across from the shore excursions desk are some large pool-table-looking display tables, and against the FCC office, a display showing attractions in various places.  Some of the display tables also show an interactive map like the one at the shore excursions desk, and sometimes one or more of the tables has what I call factoid squares.  If you touch one, a factoid box pops up.  I suspect what is displayed can be changed from factoids to maps.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Along the starboard windows are several game tables:

 

 

Beyond that is the library, which is actually cases mounted on the wall around the stairs leading to deck 8.  The books are all reference types, and there are signs that ask that you not take the books away from the area.  Along one side, there are board games and picture puzzles.  There are some cushiony chairs by the library.

 

 

 

 

 

More in the next post,

Dave

 

[RetiredMustang]

Aug. 12, at sea (Cont.)

 

Around the corner, against the back wall of the space, is a very large display screen with a large table in front with small screens.  The small screens ask a daily question. 

 

 

 

 

 

 I’m not sure how many people actually use these.  It seems to me that it would be better to put the coffee bar in this area, and leave the other bar as the Crow’s Nest bar.

 

 

As you face forward from the very large display screen, there is a bunch of padded block-like seating:

 

 

 

All the way forward, at the centerline, is what is called the virtual bridge, which is a changing display of time, temperature and weather date, time to next port, sea conditions, etc.  These screens are pretty cool, but as I alluded to earlier, they also block the best view for scenic cruising.  I think HAL has recognized this, and placed large tables behind the virtual bridge that are used to assemble jigsaw puzzles.

 

 

 

 

On either side of the virtual bridge are some lounge chairs that are comfortable but too low for me to get in and out of easily.

 

 

 

To the port side of the puzzle tables are a set of café-style tables and chairs, and some other cushioned chairs.

 

 

 

In back of the café-style seating is the combined coffee and Crow’s Nest bar.

 

 

 

Along the port side aft of the bar is a set of chairs that can be arranged theater-style for presentations, but also can be rearranged for other meetings or set in groups of four as more bar seating.   Along the side is the book exchange.  Some may remember this area as the Captain’s Corner, where CC meet and greets were held sometimes.  This cruise, it was where the military meet-up occurred.

 

 

 

More later,

Dave