Review of Visits to Norway/Iceland/Greenland on Fall 2018 Cruise.

[cat shepard]

I am eagerly awaiting your next installment. Visiting Iceland is in my future, and I appreciate the wealth of info in your review. And your gift for writing.

 

Thank you.

[GeorgeCharlie]

58 minutes ago, cat shepard said:

I am eagerly awaiting your next installment. Visiting Iceland is in my future, and I appreciate the wealth of info in your review. And your gift for writing.

 

Thank you.

 

I appreciate your view of my writing capabilities. I actually do not consider myself a writer, especially when compared to the review blogs written by other people. Plus, my editing is really bad, as I continue to miss the simplest mistakes in spelling and grammar - regardless how many times I re-read it.

[cat shepard]

Do you really believe a typo, missing comma, or anything else someone misses ruins the reader’s experience? Perhaps English teachers and Grammarians might have some heartburn. And people whose joy comes from finding fault with others.

 

But you have a gift for helping people experience what you did and saw, and your pictures illustrate the beauty of something as simple as a rock collection.

 

Do not sell yourself short.

 

P.S. If you read your post backwards, you might catch misspellings, but that won’t help with anything else. Let it go!😎

[GeorgeCharlie]

5 minutes ago, cat shepard said:

Do you really believe a typo, missing comma, or anything else someone misses ruins the reader’s experience? Perhaps English teachers and Grammarians might have some heartburn. And people whose joy comes from finding fault with others.

 

But you have a gift for helping people experience what you did and saw, and your pictures illustrate the beauty of something as simple as a rock collection.

 

Do not sell yourself short.

 

P.S. If you read your post backwards, you might catch misspellings, but that won’t help with anything else. Let it go!😎

 

Thanks, but I have to admit I don't lose any sleep over my mistakes and you're right - the pictures are what really tells the story and I can't take any credit there, as most of them had been taken by Lynne.

[cat shepard]

Kudos to Lynne! She has a great eye for a pic.

[GeorgeCharlie]

We stopped at the Skogar Museum to get some quick photos of sod houses. The museum first opened in 1949 and is now one of the largest museums in Iceland. We did not have time to do a full tour, so we just grabbed some photos of the outdoor part of the museum from the parking lot.

 

 

 

 

The museum is just a short distance away for the Skogafoss waterfall, which we visited earlier in the day (post #164).

 

Edited November 12, 2018 by GeorgeCharlie

[GeorgeCharlie]

Our last stop on the tour was a visit to the Seljalandsfoss waterfall.

 

This waterfall is the same height (60 metres) as the Skogafoss waterfall, as it also flows over the cliffs of the former coastline, but it does not have the massive water volume that Skogafoss has.

 

 

What makes this one of the Iceland's most famous landmarks, is that it is one of the very rare waterfalls (anywhere in the world) where it is possible walk behind.

 

There is a pathway which will take you around behind the falls, but be prepared to get a little wet.

 

 

The view from behind the falls.

 

 

It is recommended to take the path counterclockwise. There is a bit of a climb over some rocks on the left side of the falls, which could make it tricky to try get down if you went the other way.

 

 

The site is well developed, with a smooth walkway into the falls from the parking lot. There is also a souvenir  shop and snack place in the parking area.

 

 

[GeorgeCharlie]

Some video clips of the Seljalandsfoss waterfall.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Krazy Kruizers]

Another wonderful report.  Your wife takes excellent pictures and videos.

[puppycanducruise]

Great pictures and comments.

Thanks to you and your wife.

[Turtles06]

Bill, thanks again for the great review, and thanks to you and Lynne for the wonderful photos.  Since Eileen and I did some things that were different from what you did of course, it’s especially interesting to see the same trip from your perspective.  

 

I am jealous (and happy for you) that you got to see puffins at the black sand beach. We were also there that day with GeoIceland as you know, and just about everyone in our group spent considerable time looking with binoculars or long camera lenses, but no luck. We all joked with our guide that we could not leave until  we spotted a puffin!

 

For us, that South Coast tour was one of the best and most beautiful days of the whole trip.

 

I look forward to hearing about your Golden Circle tour with GeoIceland the next day. (The guide on our ship-sponsored tour was just awful.  I am confident you had a far better experience!)

 

Judith

[GeorgeCharlie]

4 hours ago, Turtles06 said:

Bill, thanks again for the great review, and thanks to you and Lynne for the wonderful photos.  Since Eileen and I did some things that were different from what you did of course, it’s especially interesting to see the same trip from your perspective.  

 

I am jealous (and happy for you) that you got to see puffins at the black sand beach. We were also there that day with GeoIceland as you know, and just about everyone in our group spent considerable time looking with binoculars or long camera lenses, but no luck. We all joked with our guide that we could not leave until  we spotted a puffin!

 

For us, that South Coast tour was one of the best and most beautiful days of the whole trip.

 

I look forward to hearing about your Golden Circle tour with GeoIceland the next day. (The guide on our ship-sponsored tour was just awful.  I am confident you had a far better experience!)

 

Judith

Hi Judith,

 

Yes, we had a excellent guide for the Golden Circle tour. Will be covering it shortly.

 

One person on our bus got a great picture of a puffin in flight - should have asked her to send me a copy.

 

Bill

[GeorgeCharlie]

On our way back to Reykjavik at the end of the South Coast tour, we inquired with our driver/guide if it would be possible for him to drop us off in downtown Reykjavik - as we were interested in seeing their famous church before it got dark.

 

He said their policy required him to go straight back to the ship at the end of the tour, but he would be more than happy to drop us off downtown after going to the ship.

 

We were happy with this and some other couples also went downtown with us.

 

He drove us up the hill to the church - which was really appreciated, as it saved us a fair bit of time, plus we didn't have to spend a lot of energy climbing the hill.

 

The church is Reykjavik's main landmark and its tower can be see from almost everywhere in the city.

 

 

The design of the church was commissioned in 1937 and was to resemble basalt column formations found in Iceland's natural landscape - similar to what we saw at the black sand beach (post #167). It was also meant to represent the mountains and glaciers of Iceland. 

 

The construction of the church started in 1945 and was finally completed in 1986 - some 41 years. The tower is 74.5 metres (240 ft) high and a visit to the top gives viewers awe-inspiring views and on a clear day the Snaefellsjokull glacier can be seen - a distance of 120 km.

 

Yes, there is an elevator to take you to the top.

 

Standing directly in front of the church, and predating it by 15 years, is a statute Liefur Eiriksson - the first European to discover America. The statute was a gift from the United States in honour of the 1930 festival commemorating the 1,000th anniversary of the establishment of Iceland's parliament in 930.

Edited November 13, 2018 by GeorgeCharlie

[GeorgeCharlie]

The Interior of the church is 1,676 square metres (18,040 sq ft) and houses a pipe organ which has 5,275 pipes. It is 15 metres (49 ft) tall and weights 25 metric tons (55,000 lbs). The largest pipes are 10 metres long. The organ was financed substantially by private gifts and I understand people still have the opportunity to purchase some individual pipes. Their gift shop has deeds of gift that can be bought, which certify the purchaser is the patron of a particular pipe. Just what you need for a Christmas gift for that hard-to-get person. 

 

Organists worldwide take pleasure in playing it and in recording in the church.

 

 

 

[oakridger]

Do they ever give organ performances during the day that cruise passengers could attend?  Thank you for this review.  I'm enjoying the pictures and detail!

 

~Nancy

[GeorgeCharlie]

From the church we walked down through the mostly renovated part of the old town, with the intent of ending up at the Harpa Concert Hall, where we could catch the shuttle bus back to the ship.

 

View of one of the streets.

 

Seemed like there was a souvenir shop on every corner.

 

 

And in between. 

 

With most of them selling the famous Icelandic wool sweaters. Didn't buy any, but it seemed the prices in Akureyri were better.

 

There was a cat laying on one of the displays and we had to actually feel it to confirm it was live. Noticed a number of other people also check and it obviously was used to be handled, because it barely opened an eye.

 

Edited November 13, 2018 by GeorgeCharlie

[GeorgeCharlie]

When we got to the concert hall, I went in the purchase shuttle tickets. After waiting around for 15-20 minutes while the only staff member chatted to a guy about a tour, we decided to walk back. Much further than we thought!

 

The Harpa Concert Hall.

 

A statue along the way - or maybe it's just piece a lava rock that fell off a truck going by and someone painted it, then set it up on some stones by the pathway.

 

 

A drinking fountain along the pathway.

 

A commemorative statue.

 

 

Edited November 13, 2018 by GeorgeCharlie

[GeorgeCharlie]

One of the main reasons we decided to walk back to the ship was to get some photos of the Sun Voyager statute.

 

The statute is to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the city of Reykjavik. It was unveiled on the birthday of the city, August 18, 1990.

 

It is constructed out of stainless steel and stands on a circle of granite slabs.

 

The Sun Voyager is described as a dreamboat, or an ode to the sun. The artist (Jon Gunnar Amason) intended it to convey the promise of undiscovered territory, a dream of hope, progress and freedom.

 

 

There has been some dispute about how the Sun Voyager should be envisioned.

 

Some feel it is a common misunderstanding that it is a Viking ship, which is quite understandable that many tourists think like this when travelling to Iceland, the land of sagas.

 

Jon Gunnar was himself very ill with leukemia at the time Sun Voyager came to be constructed, and he died in April 1989, a year before it was placed in its present location. Some people have thus suggested that he conceived the work during this period of illness, at a time he might have been preoccupied with death, and argued that Sun Voyager should be seen as a vessel that transports souls to the realm of death. 

 

Whatever - it's the kind of artwork I actually enjoyed looking at.

[GeorgeCharlie]

1 hour ago, oakridger said:

Do they ever give organ performances during the day that cruise passengers could attend?  Thank you for this review.  I'm enjoying the pictures and detail!

 

~Nancy

 

Didn't notice anything during our visit and don't see any reference on their website (http://en.hallgrimskirkja.is/), but you can always check with them ahead of time. Contact links are available on their website.

Edited November 13, 2018 by GeorgeCharlie

[GeorgeCharlie]

2 hours ago, GeorgeCharlie said:

On our way back to Reykjavik at the end of the South Coast tour, we inquired with our driver/guide if it would be possible for him to drop us off in downtown Reykjavik - as we were interested in seeing their famous church before it got dark.

 

He said their policy required him to go straight back to the ship at the end of the tour, but he would be more than happy to drop us off downtown after going to the ship.

 

We were happy with this and some other couples also went downtown with us.

 

He drove us up the hill to the church - which was really appreciated, as it saved us a fair bit of time, plus we didn't have to spend a lot of energy climbing the hill.

 

The church is Reykjavik's main landmark and its tower can be see from almost everywhere in the city.

 

 

The design of the church was commissioned in 1937 and was to resemble basalt column formations found in Iceland's natural landscape - similar to what we saw at the black sand beach (post #167). It was also meant to represent the mountains and glaciers of Iceland. 

 

The construction of the church started in 1945 and was finally completed in 1986 - some 41 years. The tower is 74.5 metres (240 ft) high and a visit to the top gives viewers awe-inspiring views and on a clear day the Snaefellsjokull glacier can be seen - a distance of 120 km.

 

Yes, there is an elevator to take you to the top.

 

Standing directly in front of the church, and predating it by 15 years, is a statute Liefur Eiriksson - the first European to discover America. The statute was a gift from the United States in honour of the 1930 festival commemorating the 1,000th anniversary of the establishment of Iceland's parliament in 930.

 

Note - the reference to the basalt columns at the black sand beach should of said post #169.

[GeorgeCharlie]

Day 2 in Reykjavik, which means we were off on the Golden Circle tour with GeoIceland Tours.

 

Because of the high demand for the tour, GeoIceland had to rent some extra busses and fortunately, we were on one of those busses. The bus was much nicer than the regular GeoIceland bus we were on the previous day. It was larger (20-seat), had much more leg room between seats, the seats were much nicer, and it came with Wi-Fi. Our driver/guide said he understands GeoIceland will be upgrading to similar busses for next year's tourist season.

 

The first place we visited was the town of Hveragerdi. There we visited couple of sights. The first was the Kjot & Kunst restaurant, which features geothermal cooking. They have a regular restaurant kitchen inside, but also have an out door kitchen using geothermal power. Their type of geothermal cooking is not known to be done any where else in the world.

 

We were there before they opened for the day, but we did get to see the outside geothermal cookers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[GeorgeCharlie]

A couple of video clips from the geothermal restaurant. 

 

 

Outside most restaurants you would expect to maybe find flower pots - this place has steam pots!

 

 

[GeorgeCharlie]

The second place we visited in Hveragerdi was a small shopping centre, which had a exhibition on the powerful 6.3 earthquake which struck the area on May 29th, 2008. The epicenter of the quake was only about 2 kilometres (1.25 miles) southeast of the town. The town and area around it suffered severe damage to buildings and contents.

 

The exhibition presents the huge impact the earthquake caused by showing the experiences residents had, how it affected buildings, local environments and other damage.

 

An earthquake crack that was encountered at the building site in 2003 is visible in the floor and is illuminated for visitors.

 

 

Artwork made from broken glass and other small items found in the aftermath of the earthquake.

 

 

There was also several displays showing how the interiors of some homes looked like after the quake, along with the actual items from the house in the same positions they were found in.

 

 

[GeorgeCharlie]

There were no human fatalities, but 30 injuries were reported and a number of sheep were killed. 

 

The exhibition had a number of story boards posted and the following is a few of them. I've also posted an enlargement of the English section.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[GeorgeCharlie]

The shopping centre also had a bakery and deli. Obviously very popular, as there was a long lineup of local people getting pastries, coffee and having fresh sandwiches made.

 

They even had some of those monster cinnamon buns - this time I took one.

 

Sorry "Krazy Kruizers"  - I took a butterscotch topped one!