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

[Mickb]

Shame you didn’t get a chance to visit the Titanic Museum - it’s amazing!

[Lovely other]

Glad you enjoyed your visit to my home turf ... the route you took from the causeway to the viewpoint over carrick-a-rede would have taken you past my house 😎

[erewhon]

Your report brings back good memories of our stay in Portrush and visit to the Giants Causeway.

Beautiful countryside.

 

[RetiredMustang]

Aug. 21, at sea

 

We are in the North Atlantic today, making for our next stop at Djupivogur, Iceland.  So far, the seas and weather haven’t been too bad, but the captain said it would build this morning and diminish this afternoon. 

 

Here is today’s When and Where:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CTD Jonathan is scheduled to give a port talk at 2 p.m., and Jessica seems to have left, so it seems Zuiderdam is now in the transition period until the new canned port presentations are distributed.

 

More later,

Dave

[Krazy Kruizers]

Sounds like a great tour you had in Belfast.  The heather is beautiful this time of the year.

 

Hope the seas aren't too bad today.

[VMax1700]

Thanks for the pics of Dunluce Castle!  Many. many years ago, when we lived in the 'Wee North' our trips to the Antrim coast would always include play time for my brother and myself to play in Dunluce Castle.  Yep, 'play' as in run around and climb all over the place with no one else there!  And the Giant's Causeway was also just a place we stopped off for a 'wee while' to run around, again with no one there!   

Anyway, Dave, thanks for a few wistful moments!

 

[puppycanducruise]

Loving the pictures and info.

Thanks.

[RetiredMustang]

Aug. 21, at sea (Cont.)

 

The weather has worsened and we are doing some rocking, but not as rough as during the storm we had on the trip across.  During his noon report, the captain said we should outrun the system overnight, and that tomorrow we would see showers rainbows – so, a rain jacket and sunglasses for going shore.

 

For this sea day, I will share some photos of the Explorers’ Lounge:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And the Lincoln Center Stage:

 

 

 

 

 

 

And two busts just outside:

 

 

 

More later,

Dave

[RetiredMustang]

Aug. 21, at sea (Cont.)

 

Conditions are improving, and in fact the sun came out about 3 p.m. or so.  But, the rolling continues, since the wind and swell direction takes the seas quartering across the ship, so it has been advisable all day to hold on to the handrails.  It looks like a lovely day outside, and the seas don’t even have whitecaps now, but we are still rolling.  Looks like a great night’s sleep for me tonight.

 

At about 5 p.m., the captain announced that a water leak in the engine room required the shutting off of water so repairs could be made.  I thought it would not take long to fix, and sure enough, about 5:20 the captain announced that repairs had been made and water restored throughout the ship, although the engineers would bring up the water pressure slowly to avoid issues in the pipes. 

 

Here are tonight’s dinner and dessert menus:

 

 

 

Here is tonight’s Lido dinner menu:

 

 

 

 

More tomorrow,

Dave

 

Edited August 21, 2019 by RetiredMustang

[Krazy Kruizers]

Glad that the seas are calming down.

 

Love the pictures of the changes on the ship from we were last on her.

 

Bet everyone was glad that the leak was fixed quickly.

[oakridger]

Hi Dave,

 

Regarding the above August 21st dinner menu.  What the heck is "Pan Seared Witch"???

Some of the menu descriptions are kind of "odd" to me and I have noticed on other HAL cruises that the menu descriptions are not always really what is served!  Most of the time I can just go with the flow, but................

 

Thanks again for your postings.  I am really enjoying following along with you and sansterre on this cruise!

 

~Nancy

 

Edited August 22, 2019 by oakridger
added word

[RetiredMustang]

45 minutes ago, oakridger said:

Hi Dave,

 

Regarding the above August 21st dinner menu.  What the heck is "Pan Seared Witch"???

Some of the menu descriptions are kind of "odd" to me and I have noticed on other HAL cruises that the menu descriptions are not always really what is served!  Most of the time I can just go with the flow, but................

 

Thanks again for your postings.  I am really enjoying following along with you and sansterre on this cruise!

 

~Nancy

 

 

Nancy,

 

It is a type of flounder or sole-type  fish:

 

https://northumberlandseafood.co.uk/portfolio-item/witch/

 

Dave

[oakridger]

Ah ha!  Thanks Dave.  I suppose I should have just Googled it myself, but I assumed it was some kind of typo. 😏 Did you have it?  I love sole and plaice so I should try this if it's on a future menu.

 

~Nancy

Edited August 22, 2019 by oakridger
grammer

[RetiredMustang]

10 minutes ago, oakridger said:

Did you have it? 

 

No, I'm more of a carnivore -- I had the flat iron steak.

 

Dave

[RetiredMustang]

Aug. 22, Djupivogur, Iceland

 

We are making our way to Iceland in calmer seas, but unfortunately the fog is back.  Hopefully, the captain can get a safe tendering operation going and we can go ashore.  We have booked a ship’s shore excursion to the Valley of the Waterfalls.

 

Here is today’s When and Where:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is the Djupivogur port guide:

 

 

 

 

More later,

[Krazy Kruizers]

Hope the fog lifts and you get to do your excursion.

[RetiredMustang]

Aug. 22, Djupivogur (Cont.)

 

We came out of the low fog as we entered the harbor, but the bad news was that it started to rain.  I did not get a decent shot of the village, but I did get one of the crew lowering a tender.

 

 

 

Our tour was one of the early groups called to the tenders.  We arrived and were directed to our vehicles – there were seven, I think, mainly Ford Econoliner 13-passenger vans, but also some stretch-body pickups and similar vehicles with rough terrain features like huge tires.  Unfortunately, some of the group did not make it to the main tender, and we had to wait a few minutes for them to arrive on the next one.

 

Our guide came around to the vehicles to introduce himself, and as we set off, we discovered a unique situation – he was in one van, but was linked (by radio I suppose, but possibly by wifi) with the sound systems of all the others, or so I presume, so we could hear his commentary; we heard him in our van at least.

 

We drove in convoy northwards up highway 1 for about 10 miles, and then turned onto a gravel road.  A short distance away, we stopped and walked about 50 yards/meters to a viewpoint overlooking the Nykurhyls falls, and a small falls from a rill that flowed into the river just below it:

 

 

 

 

The rain had turned to spotty showers, which soon stopped and we had only a very occasional light shower the rest of the tour.  We drove a short way to a campground and hostel that also had public toilets.  Afterwards, we drove a bit to a stop, where our guide, Johann, walked us to a spot where a farmhouse had been abandoned in the 1940s.  You can also see the mix of vehicles we were using.

 

 

 

 

It turns out that ¾ of the entire valley is owned by Johann’s family – his brother owns half and his grandmother owns ¼; the rest is owned by another farmer.  His family is in the sheep business, selling wool, which brings in some income, and lamb meat, which brings in much more.  Johann is not in the sheep business – he lives in Reykjavik and is a pilot with an Icelandic Air subsidiary, but runs tours in the summer onto his family land.  The road is a public road because the Icelandic government pays part of its maintenance, but it runs through private land.

 

The name of the valley in Icelandic is Fossardalur, which translates to Valley of Waterfalls.  This turns out to be an apt description, as the main river through the valley was fed by countless streams and rills that fell down from the slopes above:

 

 

 

 

 

We started on a gravel road, which got worse after the campground and nearby farms, turning into a rough two-track.  Then it got worse, as we went farther.  Then we climbed in elevation.  The road got much worse.  Johann later told us that, as valley roads go, this was a good one.  The tour description says the road will be bumpy and is not suitable for those with back or neck problems.  Believe it.  We were hanging on to anything we could, while we jounced and bounced up scree slopes I would take with caution on foot.  Near the top, we stopped at an upper falls of the river, while the vehicles went on to a turn-around point.  Johann said this falls has no name, but the family calls it something in Icelandic that translates roughly to five fingers, because the flow becomes five different falls in lower water.

 

 

 

We could also see the river below us, flowing to the sea:

 

 

 

On the way back, we stopped at a meadow for a coffee ans snack break.  There were juices for those who did not want coffee, as well as for all tins of commercially-produced chocolate chip cookies, a sweet of what appeared to be Rice Krispies with brown sugar, chocolate, dates, and, according to our guide, licorice, but I did not detect any in the one (or three) I had.  There were also some fried doughnut-like things that were delicious. 

 

 

 

 

The meadow also included sheep.  These could be spotted here and there along the way, and nearly every bit of green verge and meadow wherever we stopped were marked with abundant sheep doots (which sounds like a Dave Barry rock band name), so we were careful to watch down as well as out as we walked.

 

 

 

On the way back down, we stopped again to get photos of Mulafoss:

 

 

 

We then stopped to see a barn where the sheep stayed in winter,. Then, after a rest stop at the public restrooms, and an unscheduled stop to view a caribou out in a sheep pasture across the river, too far away for my cheapie camera to capture, we made our way back to the port, only about 45 minutes late.  We took the next tender back to the ship, where we rushed through showers and I discovered a very slow internet, and then went to happy hour and dinner.

 

Our opinion:  this was a very good tour.  It was expensive, but everything in Iceland is, and it supports Johann’s family and all the vans and drivers, etc.  You should not take this if you have back or neck problems, and you need to be able to get into and out of a van often, sometimes from the vary back row, over the wheel well.  So, wheelchairs and walkers may be problematic unless you could get the shotgun seat next to the driver.  There was very little walking involved.  But the scenery was superb!

 

 

More later,

Dave

Edited August 22, 2019 by RetiredMustang

[RetiredMustang]

Aug. 22, Djupivogur (Cont.)

 

We went to dinner for our usual early fixed seating.  Here are tonight’s dinner and dessert menus:

 

 

 

 

Here is tonight’s Lido dinner menu:

 

 

 

More tomorrow,

Dave

[esther e]

I am a waterfall fool and love the photos you posted!!!!  How I wish I were there also.  Thank you so much!!!!!

[Krazy Kruizers]

Another wonderful excursion.

 

Snacks sounded great.

 

We are also suckers for loving water falls.

 

Great pictures.

[erewhon]

Interesting to learn about the witch fish.

Thanks for your reports and photos.

[RetiredMustang]

Aug. 23, Reykjavik, Iceland day 1

 

We are due to pull into Reykjavik today.  The captain said last night that he expected to be alongside the pier by about 11 a.m.  We stay until tomorrow.  We have booked a tour tomorrow, which may be a good day to get out of town as the Reykjavik Marathon is tomorrow as well.  We have been on many tours here before, including the Golden Circle and the Reykjavik Highlights.  Today, we thought we would just go into town and try to see more of the magnificent Hallgimskirkja church.   The captain said that the weather would be cloudy, but no rain, with a fairly cool temp of 48F/9C.  Great for a walkabout.

 

Here is today’s When and Where:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is the Reykjavik port guide:

 

 

 

 

More later,

Dave

Edited August 23, 2019 by RetiredMustang

[RetiredMustang]

Aug. 23, Reykjavik (Cont.)

 

We picked up the pilot about 25 minutes ago, and just now passed by downtown Reykjavik en route to the pier:

 

 

 

More later,

Dave

[Krazy Kruizers]

Hope the captain is right and it will just be cool with no rain.

 

Enjoy your day in town.

[mocruzer]

VoV is on our bucket list, so very much enjoying your outstanding review.