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We were on the previous sailing of Apex and had Jay and Djordy for our serving team. They provided great service. Jay can be very funny when you get to know him.

I am looking forward to following your journey. We are hoping to do a similar trip in a couple of years when I retire.

Nice photos! We were thinking about going to the Isle of Wight if we sail from Southampton again. We booked the Pig in the Wall months ago. They only have 12 rooms so I’m sure they fill up quickly.

In London, we chose a hop on hop off bus tour so we could get an overview of the city. It included a walking tour which was very good. St. James Palace Buckingham Palace

We enjoyed touring Windsor Castle.

Our driver arranged for us to have lunch at The Ivy which is across the street from Windsor Castle. Delicious food and wonderful views of the castle.

Sadly our cruise ended on Monday. Despite the rain and chilly temps we enjoyed this cruise and found the sea days to be very relaxing. Debarkation was very quick and easy . We had pre-arranged for a car service to take us to Stonehenge and Windsor on the way to London. We were able to tour the stones before it started raining.

Kirkwall photos

It was very chilly and rainy. Our tour guide said it was sunny and much warmer the prior week.

Akureyri, Iceland

In Kirkwall, we took the shuttle bus into town. This is a very walkable town. We went to St. Magnus Cathedral which is a beautiful red sandstone building. We toured the Bishop’s Palace and the Earl’s Castle. We walked through the center of town where you will find little shops and restaurants.

We were in Akureyri on Thursday. We took the Diamonds of the Nortth tour which was about 8 hours. We saw lava fields, waterfalls, and strange rock formations in the Glacier River. This tour included a lunch - beet root soup, Arctic Char, potatoes, and a small salad. We hiked to the waterfall which is supposed to be the most powerful in Europe. It rained lightly most of the day and temperatures were in the mid 40’s F. I will try to post some pictures later.

We did not have to tender. The pier is out a little way. There were complimentary shuttle buses running all day. They drop you off at the visitor center.