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


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27 Aug., Qaqortoq (Cont.)

 

There are a museum and a couple of supermarkets in town, but we did not visit them.   After visiting the new church, we slowly ambled along the roads to complete a circle and ended up back at the tourist info place.  As we walked, I took photos of some artwork carved into stones; there are many of them around town, I understand:

 

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And, as we went, I took photos of some of the many multi-colored buildings.

 

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We then caught a tender back to the ship, and I was able to get another photo of buildings on the hillside:

 

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We were disappointed not to have seen the Viking ruins, but we enjoyed our walkabout in Qaqortoq.

 

More later,

Dave

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27 Aug., Qaqortoq (Cont.)

 

We sailed from Qaqortoq about 4:45, and now, two hours later, we are in fog with the horn blowing.  The Captain told us this afternoon that the weather for our sea day en route to St. Anthony should be with fairly good seas and winds, with cloudy skies.  But, we (he) will have to watch for icebergs tomorrow in the Labrador Strait.  He also said that conditions for the aurora borealis were favorable tonight ... if we had clear skies.  With the fog horn going now, I'm not staying up.

 

Here are tonight’s dinner and dessert menus:

 

590335297_dinner27Aug_1.thumb.jpg.6d82902e766a82beab46f391257fa86a.jpg156870065_dinner27Aug_2.thumb.jpg.12747ebca8f8f3121073c15ada4be6b7.jpg

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Here is tonight’s Lido dinner menu:

 

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More tomorrow,

Dave

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28 Aug., at sea

 

We are heading southwest toward Newfoundland.  It is cloudy with winds about 20 knots coming across the starboard side.  The temp is 47F/8C, and the seas are causing a bit of rolling of the ship.

 

Here is today’s When and Where:

 

28Aug_1.thumb.jpg.0d1d73b7b4cdfe6f7da806c54e2123ef.jpg28Aug_2.thumb.jpg.a533d192cb9b70119aa544e638d03341.jpg

 

 

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More later,

Dave

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On 8/25/2019 at 11:13 PM, esther e said:

If you hsve  minute, go into the Pinnacle and look at the ceiling.  I couldn't stop taking photos.  Love your posts.

 

 

Thank you.  

I took your advice.  I had earlier taken a couple of photos of the exterior and entrance:

 

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1863397795_entrancetoPinnacle.jpg.dbc0909c3a730785d556d53ec528cc72.jpg

 

 

But, I had not done more than take a quick look inside.  After your post, I went back, and went inside and looked up.  I saw what you meant:

 

1611268182_PinnacleGrillceiling.jpg.8c4853666262deb6dd0ce8f99572fa4f.jpg

 

 

Here are some more photos of the inside of the Pinnacle Grill:

 

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More later,

Dave

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28 Aug., at sea (Cont.)

 

Starting at 10 this morning, there was the Lido Market Place around the Lido pool.  This consisted of several tables with experts to demonstrate or talk about things, like towel animal folding and spa massages.  I took several photos.   First, the bread artistry, and the fruit and vegetable carver (I rarely see these on the food lines anymore):

 

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There was a table about the Pinnacle, and it had actual plates of the tomahawk steak and the lobster tail that they sell for a supplement:

 

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There was a table selling clothing and other things from the shops:

 

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And, a display of fine wines, which when I was there, was being checked out by the captain and cellar master:

 

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At 11:30, the Lido lunch featured a dessert buffet, on the starboard side, in the area usually serving salads:

 

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More later,

Dave

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28 Aug., at sea (Cont.)

 

At 1 p.m., the first officer, Julian I think is his name, and his navigation officers demonstrated a liferaft launching.  It started with the officers coming out wearing white bathrobes … with shoulder boards.  Julian went through some of the equipment available while the others held them aloft.  Here is a photo of them holding light sticks:

 

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Then, Julian got the officers together each with a survival suit and a lifejacket, and had them race to put them on properly:

 

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He then had them line up at the pool, and after having bar staff heave some buckets of ice into the pool, ordered the officers to jump in as if they were jumping from a ship to the ocean.  Here are some preparing to jump, but I missed the actual leaps from my vantage point. 

 

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Julian them had them demonstrate some survival techniques, including the huddle for warmth, and what I call the Esther Williams for what I missed, but presume to be seen better.

 

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Julian then had them get out of the pool and prepare to launch a liferaft.  The one they used was a smaller demo raft, to fit better in the pool.  Again, I missed the actual popping of the container from my vantage.

 

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Julian then ordered them to flip it, so they could demonstrate how to flip in rightside up if in actuality they found it upside down.

 

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Then, he had them demonstrate getting in the raft, and helping an injured shipmate get aboard.

 

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The deck sailors may have been faster and more adept than the officers were, but it is important for those to have the skills as well. This was a demo of  serious necessary skills.   But it was also a hoot to watch, and the crowd loved it.

 

More later,

Dave

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28 Aug., at sea (Cont.)

 

During happy hour in the Ocean Bar this afternoon, we saw two humpback whales not too far from the ship, off the port side. Luckily, others saw them as well.  The seas have calmed during the day.  We hope they stay that way.  The captain said we would have a long tender ride tomorrow in St. Anthony, and we would like a smooth a ride as possible.  We set our locks back half an hour tonight, to align with Newfoundland time.

 

Here are tonight’s dinner and dessert menus:

 

80423092_dinner28Aug_1.thumb.jpg.1b6b30b204e3bba8cbb69c53f73fa6ec.jpg1182069434_dinner28Aug_2.thumb.jpg.5718d6a669acc7ae747af96026ca1dfa.jpg

 

427788765_dessert28Aug.thumb.jpg.3bae242db75397c86fb72482127835f4.jpg

 

 

Here is tonight’s Lido dinner menu:

 

792826991_dinnerlido28Aug.thumb.jpg.c9d62b90f505e12d9caa2dfccd3ebf09.jpg

 

 

More tomorrow,

Dave

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Wonderful pictures from around the ship.

 

We had a laugh many years ago on the Zaandam.  I don't remember which ship we were on but the crew had their lifeboat drill at the aft pool.  They opened that portable raft and it kept getting bigger and bigger and once completely inflated, it flowed out of the pool.  In other words, it was too large for that pool.  

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Aug. 29, St. Anthony, Newfoundland

 

There is very little wind and the seas are pretty calm as we approach St. Anthony.  I hope we don’t have any issues with tendering today, as we have booked a ship’s shore excursion to L’Anse aux Meadows, the Viking settlement about 30 miles/50km from St. Anthony. 

 

Here is today’s When and Where:

 

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Here is the St. Anthony port guide:

 

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More later,

Dave

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2 hours ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

Those Orange Party tea shirts are very ORANGE. Were they selling well, or do people not bother about wearing orange for the Orange Party?

 

They were moving some of them, but it seems a lot of people  brought orange clothing of some sort with them.  This is the second cruise where we have seen the Orange Party held, and wonder if we should get an orange polo shirt or something to bring on cruise in case.

 

Dave

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Just now, RetiredMustang said:

 

They were moving some of them, but it seems a lot of people  brought orange clothing of some sort with them.  This is the second cruise where we have seen the Orange Party held, and wonder if we should get an orange polo shirt or something to bring on cruise in case.

 

Dave

 

Thanks. I'll probably bring something orange with me. I buy and wear souvenir t-shirts, but I just don't see me walking around in that one!

 

I loved your comments and pics from Rekjavik. I had the same frustration photographing that always-backlighted church when I was there. 

 

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Aug. 29, St. Anthony (Cont.)

 

We tendered ashore about 8 a.m. – we were anchored quite a way out, but the tender ride was only about 10 minutes long, not counting loading and unloading.  We were spilt into two groups, each with a different bus number.  We then boarded school buses and left at our scheduled 8:30 departure.  Our guide said our bus would go first to the reconstructed village while the first went to the historic site, and then we would go to the other site.

 

The reconstructed village is called Norstead, and it is only a mile or two from the historic site.  We entered through the gift shop:

 

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The area has been designed to recreate the village/camp at L’Anse aux Meadows, to show how the people lived.  There are a vegetable garden and a sheep pasture:

 

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There are also a pig and a chicken enclosure, but I did not take photos of those.

 

The first large structure we encountered is a reconstructed longhouse, which has a wooden front, but a turf roof:

 

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Inside that building is a replica Norse trading vessel.  According to info I looked up on the Norstead website, the ship is called a knarr, built in the 1990s.  In 1997, 12 men set out to recreate Leif Ericsson’s journey from Greenland to Newfoundland.  The journey last from July until September.  They called the ship “Snorri” after the name of the first Norse child born in the New World. 

 

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Outside that longhouse is a much smaller boat, beyond which in the photo are other reconstructed buildings, including a church.

 

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Inside another longhouse, there are displays of how the people at L’Anse aux Meadows would have lived, including some re-enactors.

 

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We then returned to the entrance, and walked a short path nearby, from where I took a photo of the shop, the restrooms, and our transportation:

 

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I will post this now, and will return later to discuss the historic site.

 

More later,

Dave

Edited by RetiredMustang
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Aug. 29, St. Anthony (Cont.)

 

After about an hour at Norstead, we got back on the bus and jounced a few minutes to the historic site.  Our guide said we would have 1-1/2 hours at the real L’Anse aux Meadows.  Our bus let us out at the top of a small hill, where there is a visitor center.  As we entered, I took a photo of the Parcs Canada plaque. 

 

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There is also a sign indicating this is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  The visitor center has some displays and dioramas of the area, as well as clean restrooms … and a gift shop (gasp!), but no café or other source of caffeine or food (or beer).  What it did have is a small screening room where we watched an excellent 20-minute video that put the place in perspective.  For one thing, “Viking” means a Norse raiding party.  L’Anse aux Meadows is therefore not a Viking settlement, but a Norse one. 

 

The park sign says “short-lived Vinland camp.”  This is definitely not Vinland; there are no wild grape vines here.  In a nutshell, and I hope I don’t misconstrue the work of the archaeologists and historians who have labored here – this was a supply and wintering-over camp.  Eric the Red had sold Greenland as a great place to farm, not mentioning that there were no trees there to build ships, homes, etc.  So, they needed a source of lumber.

 

Eric’s son Leif explored west and south from Greenland, and sailed by what they think is Baffin Island, the Labrador coast, and the tip of Newfoundland, where he established a camp, not as a colony, but as a base, one situated so that those sailing from Greenland could easily find it.  From there, he explored south and west and discovered a land with grape vines and hardwood trees that he called Vinland.  This may have been in what is now New Brunswick, Quebec, Nova Scotia or further south.  Trees/lumber and wine were much in demand in Greenland, and he brought back both. 

 

Others, including Leif’s brothers, led teams to the area (the brothers did not make it back).  There is archaeologic evidence of native Americans having temporary, but not permanent, occupation of the L’Anse aux Meadows area for thousands of years, but were apparently not there when the Norse arrived.  But at some point in their exploration, the Norse encountered native American people.  There is speculation that relations with the native people soured, and the Norse retreated to Greenland because of this.  The Park rangers said a likely alternate explanation is that the Greenlandic Norse had discovered how to hunt walruses, and thus obtain ivory, which they could trade for lumber and wine and other things they needed more easily than going hundreds of miles to find some.  In short (too late!), the camp lasted only a few years and fell to economic forces.

 

After the video, we had a few minutes before meeting up with a park ranger.  He led us down some flights of steps to a boardwalk:

 

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You did not have to take the steps.  The bus would stay at the visitor center for a while, and then drive to the lower parking area.  From there, you could walk on mostly flat boardwalk through the site … but, you would miss the commentary by the ranger.

 

A short while after we hit the level boardwalk, the ranger paused at a sculpture.  He explained that the meeting between the Norse and the natives was the first known meeting of the humans who spread east to Asia and then the Americas, and those who went west to Europe, and so eventually, by way of Iceland and Greenland, to America.  He said the sculpture obviously indicated that 😉.

 

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He then led us to a site that has been identified as a furnace to smelt iron out of the peat bog, and then to remnants of the walls of the Norse buildings.  He said the finding of metal objects, including a cloak pin of Norse design, clearly indicated this was a Norse, not native, settlement.

 

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At one point, our guide pointed out remnants of a comparatively large building, with an attached workshop.  He said evidence indicated that the attached area was one in which ships were built or repaired.  The consensus is that this was probably Leif Ericsson’s house.

 

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After that, I took a photo back toward the visitor center:

 

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Our ranger guide left us at the reconstruction the park service had made of a longhouse and outbuildings, again to show how the Norse lived.  The park has this re-creation to explain the site; the Norstead is a commercial enterprise that also attempts to do the same; I don’t know if there is an official connection, but visiting both is an excellent way to get a sense of what this area was all about.

 

The reconstructed longhouse shows newly-cut peat to form the walls, and there are interior displays to illustrate Norse life here:

 

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After visiting the reconstructed buildings, I took a long shot of the site, to help show what is involved in visiting the historic site. 

 

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It involved walking on a boardwalk, and a few dozen steps if you could manage them, but you could ride the bus to the bottom and walk on mostly flat areas to see the building remnants.  We then walked a short way to our bus in the lower parking area, which also has restrooms, but I recommend using the ones in the visitor center.

 

Our tour guide had said that some would prefer Norstead while others would prefer the real thing.  We enjoyed them both, and think they complement each other.  I learned that the history of L’Anse aux Meadows is more complex, and fascinating, than I had anticipated.  We are delighted we visited the sites.  (But, I wish the school buses had better suspension or the Newfoundland roads had smoother pavement. 😁)

 

More later,

Dave

 

Edited by RetiredMustang
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