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


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Aug. 2, Sydney (Cont.)

 

We spent the afternoon relaxing and then at happy hour before dinner.  Here is the MDR dinner menu:

 

49623750_2Augdinner1.thumb.jpg.23f5e20fcd9cf7dc71a30bd726089244.jpg1948207323_2Augdinner2.thumb.jpg.7d61adc7ac45a455cecf276baa24340f.jpg

 

 

 

We both had the barlotti bean soup to start.  DW then had the ossu bucco with polenta, while I had the rigatoni.  As it turns out, we both had all Ethan Stowell dishes.  He has several restaurants in Seattle, and we dined at one on Seattle’s Capitol Hill in June.  We are fans of his food,

 

Here is the Lido dinner menu:

 

1606706335_dinnerlido2Aug.thumb.jpg.4434034f712a0e142e74d453052c6c1b.jpg

 

 

More later,

Dave

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Aug. 3, Corner Brook (Cont.)

 

 

 

We picked up the pilot about 6:45 and sailed another 10 miles or so past pretty scenery to approach Corner Brook:

 

932711033_approachingCornerBrook.jpg.e48223acf7fcc7acaf8dc9b16f616328.jpg

 

 

We have been in Corner Brook only once before-- almost 10 years ago, when Eurodam diverted from a scheduled stop at St. John’s to avoid the still-powerful remnants of a hurricane that was to pass to the east of Newfoundland.  At that time, we took a ship’s shore excursion to walk the Corner Brook stream trail.  It was a blustery, rainy day, but we enjoyed it.  We also discovered it was easy to do on your own without having to take a tour and proceed at the pace the tour guide sets.  Sometimes we want to go faster, and sometimes we are the slow ones and have to hustle to keep up.  So, this time, we planned to take the trail again, at our own pace.

 

The ship was moored and cleared by 8 a.m.  The weather was quite nice, again about 68F/20C.  It being nice and a Saturday, DW and decided to step out quickly to hit the trail before it got crowded.  We left shortly after 8, and went to the tourist info booth at the port and picked up a map and received some general advice from the very helpful lady there.  She showed us how to find the way to town, and where to pick up the stream trail once we got there.

 

The way to town was up the road from the pier area, and up an overpass:

 

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The road became Main Street.  We walked past a few businesses and, about a half-mile from the port, we reached the city Hall.  In the square outside the city hall were a few vendors, and an attractive memorial to the city’s war dead:

 

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We crossed Park Street beyond City Hall, and walked a short way down it to the Stream Trail entrance.  We went down about 50 wooden steps to reach the trail, and found it to be a well-maintained gravel-topped hard dirt trail, easy to walk on:

 

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We went along the trail for several hundred yards/meters and reached a street at the historic Glynmill Inn:

 

892443805_GlynmillInn.jpg.9f879e69dfee09591a627e6a45b58ba9.jpg

 

 

We walked on a sidewalk for about 50 yards to reach another entrance to the trail system.  Again, it was down stairs, this time 60 or more:

 

728547824_staircasetoGlynmillPond.jpg.249b4fff09fcdc03bf44d758dd8f96f2.jpg

 

 

But, the view was over the Glynmill Pond, and it was beautiful.  I stopped at a platform halfway down to take a photo of a graceful mute swan swimming on the pond:

 

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I also took another shot of the pond after we reached the bottom and went along the path:

 

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A bit further on, we saw a footbridge over the point where the stream entered the pond:

 

94092189_footbridgeasstreamenterspond.jpg.2fd79ada16acfec762b47245d4205eeb.jpg

 

 

More in the next post,

Dave

 

 

 

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Aug. 3, Corner Brook (Cont.)

 

We could have crossed at that footbridge and returned on the other side, but decided to go further up the path to Margaret Bowater Park, where I took a photo of a park sign showing distances, one of which was the 1.38 km which we had come from City Hall:

 

183887058_parksign.jpg.a0756b2f0bcd595d0205357b0a2e55f0.jpg

 

 

Also at the park, we found another footbridge over the stream, which was running pretty swiftly for August:

 

795019217_footbridgeoverstream.jpg.1140b1c20560824f82edd1e9a09ff1da.jpg

 

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The path continued down the other side of the pond.  At one point, there was a great viewpoint across the pond to the historic inn.  You can also see the staircase to the right that we used to get from the street to the trail:

 

1092588592_Innacrosspond.jpg.8c5382bde62e8d4059230ad87d9486b7.jpg

 

 

The trail then continued through the forest, where we found four trees growing strait from a large rock it seemed.  Actually of course, the tree roots had gone through cracks and around the rock to find the soil they needed.  But it seemed a pretty good metaphor about perseverance … or possibly pure dumb luck or something like that:

 

717247418_lifefindsaway.jpg.d43f0798bbb2f9e0ece3a82a228b68a3.jpg

 

 

We also passed another footbridge across the lower stream that would have taken us back to the Park St. entrance.  We decided not the climb the 50 or so stairs back up to City Hall, so we pressed on to the end of the trail.  At one point, we did have to takes stairs to cross over a pipeline or conduit:

 

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Not long after, we were back at Main Street, a couple of blocks away from City Hall.  We didn’t have to climb many stairs to get to the street, but Main Street was uphill to City Hall, of course.  The map showed another path that would have taken us past the mill and then back to the port, but we decided to go back the way we came.

 

All told, we figure our morning walk was a total of 3 miles/5km from the port and back.  We met many other walkers, several joggers and a few friendly dogs out walking their humans, but it was not at all crowded.  The temperature had risen some as we walked, but only to about 73F/23C.  There were shuttles running to downtown from the port which would shorten the length of the walk, and you could have taken one of the footbridges we had passed by to make shorter loop trails.  But, if you do take a loop trail, I recommend you start at the Park St. entrance, so that you are taking the stairs down and not up.  Clearly, this is not something to do if you are mobility-challenged, but if you are able to do stairs and walk paths with some elevation gain and loss, you may find it rewarding for the scenery.  We did; we found it a very enjoyable way to spend our morning in Corner Brook.

 

 

More later,

Dave

 

 

 

 

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I really enjoyed your photos of walking the Corner Brook Stream Trail.  We did the exact same thing on our day in Corner Brook on last year's VOV.  It's so easy to do on your own, no tour needed.  I remember we had a bit warmer day than you had, and a (brief) downpour in the middle of our walk.  It actually felt good.  😁

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Aug. 3, Corner Brook (Cont.)

 

I forgot to mention that last night, we set our clocks forward one-half hour to conform with the time in Newfoundland and Labrador Province.  (It reminds me of a joke sapper1, who lives in New Brunswick, told us once that apparently was an oldie in Canada – a news report: “the world ends tonight at 6, or 6:30 in Newfoundland.”)

 

I also forgot to mention that the captain came on the announcing system last night to tell us that there has been a schedule change – instead of pulling into Qaqortoq  on Aug. 7, we will call at Nanortalik instead.  We will then visit Qaqortoq on the way back instead of Nanortalik.  This is because we were to be one of three cruise ships scheduled to be in Qaqortoq, and that apparently is too many for comfort.  We have been to Nanortalik three times and even though Qaqortoq is much larger, I understand it isn't that much larger.  We understand and have no problem swapping the dates of the port visits.  But, those on board who may be getting off in Rotterdam may be disappointed – we would have been if we had missed our chance to visit Qaqortoq for the first time if it were us.  Hopefully, we can hit the port on the way back if the weather cooperates.

 

Anyway, we lounged about the rest of today before happy hour and dinner.  Here are the MDR dinner and dessert menus:

 

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DW had the borscht for starter, while I had the cannellini and lentil soup.  For main, she had the cordon bleu, while I had the tenderloin.

 

 

And, here is the Lido dinner menu:

 

1741085219_lido3Augdinner.thumb.jpg.f88a4c078f4ae1763cb4857049a1cb4c.jpg

 

 

More later,

Dave

 

Edited by RetiredMustang
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On 8/2/2019 at 2:02 PM, Vict0riann said:

I'm enjoying your Live From, Dave.  Thank you for all the trouble you are going to, scanning menus, etc.  I was wondering, also, about the new position of Cruise and Travel Director.  I imagine that means the CD does the port talks?

So far, CD Jonathan has done the port talks. He did Bar Harbor & Sydney one day and Coner Brook & Red Bay the next.

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Loving your updates. We are on the Zuiderdam 29 Day Baltic/Viking Passage next year! 

 

Have you noticed if there is a separate Indian menu in the MDR? We were discussing in an a vegetarian thread elsewhere and on some of the ships they have a separate Indian menu which includes many vegetarian options. 

 

 

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8 hours ago, newbie53 said:

So far, CD Jonathan has done the port talks. He did Bar Harbor & Sydney one day and Coner Brook & Red Bay the next.

 

Thanks for posting this.  I still haven't had a chance to chat with Jonathan about his new title and what it means.

 

Dave

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8 hours ago, shudie said:

Loving your updates. We are on the Zuiderdam 29 Day Baltic/Viking Passage next year! 

 

Have you noticed if there is a separate Indian menu in the MDR? We were discussing in an a vegetarian thread elsewhere and on some of the ships they have a separate Indian menu which includes many vegetarian options. 

 

 

 

No, I haven't seen anything like that in the MDR.  On one cruise, they held a couple of special Indian nights in the Pinnacle Grill, and I think I have seen it once or twice in the Distant Lands section of the Lido at lunch, but nothing in the MDR.  I will check it out.

 

Dave

Edited by RetiredMustang
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Aug. 4, Red Bay, Labrador

 

 

At 6 a.m., we are off Labrador, making for Red Bay.  The sky is mostly overcast, and it is chilly at 54F/12C.  We haven’t seen any icebergs yet, but still have 2 hours before our scheduled anchorage off Red Bay.  There is some wind, but not too much, and it looks like the ship may be able to run tendering operations safely.

 

Here is today’s When and Where:

 

4Aug_1.thumb.jpg.98a23f197743985fb524aa29a77b51a3.jpg4Aug_2.thumb.jpg.d1f922f45cda3a4622005f80ff0bdc31.jpg

 

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And, here is the port guide for Red Bay:

 

1650793066_RedBay1.thumb.jpg.1f4437c1bcff4cb79ebc496cc1611b82.jpg

 

383756452_RedBay2.thumb.jpg.87c3ab7f8ad5ba53291b8b6b994ba213.jpg

 

More later,

Dave

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20 minutes ago, RetiredMustang said:

 

No, I haven't seen anything like that in the MDR.  On one cruise, they held a couple of special Indian nights in the Pinnacle Grill, and I think I have seen it once or twice in the Distant Lands section of the Lido at lunch, but nothing in the MDR.  I will check it out.

 

Dave

 

Thanks Dave :)

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11 hours ago, newbie53 said:

So far, CD Jonathan has done the port talks. He did Bar Harbor & Sydney one day and Coner Brook & Red Bay the next.

 

I had an opportunity to speak briefly with Jonathan this morning; a few people were asking him questions, so I waited my turn and asked him about the Cruise and Travel Director title and job.  I didn’t drag it out, as others were waiting, but the gist, if I understand it correctly, is that the EXC staff is gone or going away.  I take it that means only the specialty presentation staff, as the ship still needs people to sell shore excursions, issue tickets, gather tours and hand out stickers, etc.  Jonathan did say they would still have guest lecturers, like Dr. Craig Cormick who is giving today’s talk about Viking settlements in North America.

 

Jonathan said the fleet was in transition at the moment.  Some of the ships on the Alaska run already have the new port briefs.  He said these were slick, professionally-produced programs to replace the ones with slides given by onboard people.  Jonathan is giving the port talks until Zuiderdam receives the new productions.

 

He also said that he is not running programs like before, and will be having a less public face.  He will still do the announcements and other duties, but will not be quite so forward as CDs in the past.  I’m not sure what this means to such things as trivia, but it was time to let someone else pester Jonathan so I moved on.  But, I did get the key info about the port talks.  It just seems a coincidence to me that the bottom line is that the HAL bottom line is better, with fewer people to pay – but that’s just me.

 

More later,

Dave

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Aug. 4, Red Bay (Cont.)

 

At about 6;45, the captain came on the announcing system to say that we had spotted the first iceberg, a fairly large one off the starboard side.  I tried to get a photo, but fog, mist and rain had descended, and the light was poor.  If memory serves, I will have ample opportunity to photograph icebergs in Nanortalik and Prins Christian Sund.

 

About an hour later, we anchored off Red Bay, tenders were lowered, and Jonathan announced the instructions on getting tender tickets and going ashore.  Here are some photos I took from the outside on deck 10:

 

683781486_RedBay.jpg.dc0821e7d0985222b216d746b2e6da1e.jpg

 

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I also got a photo of a small iceberg where the tenders were holding to await their turn at the ship’s platform:

 

 

2031079583_tenderandiceberg.jpg.efd667f890c3c4e6414218b43b13082e.jpg

 

 

From what I could see, there weren’t that many takers for the early trips ashore.  DW and I did not book a shore excursion, but thought we would go ashore to go to the visitor center, watch the film and walk about a bit.  It is still raining, so we decided to wait, and may not actually make it ashore today.

 

More later,

Dave

 

 

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Aug. 4, Red Bay (Cont.)

 

The captain has just suspended tendering.  No one is allowed to be tendered toward shore.  Tenders are being manned with deck officers to go to shore and bring back to the ship those already on land.  The weather cleared for a bit, but recently a heavy fog has descended over us.  Boats in fog on a sea with icebergs -- not a good idea.  I am glad DW and I decided to wait before trying to get a tender.  I sincerely doubt the captain will resume sending people ashore unless the weather greatly improves, and fairly quickly.


More later,

Dave 

 

 

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Aug. 4, Red Bay (Cont.)

 

About an hour ago, the captain resumed tendering, but he warned folks that if they went ashore and the fog lowered again, they may be waiting a while before they could come back to the ship.  The ship also put on some extra events -- a talk and a movie on the main stage, and a coffee talk in the Ocean Bar with some of the show performers.  The fog did lift, but only a couple of hundred feet.  DW and I decided not to go ashore and risk being stuck.  I'm not sure how many others decided to take a chance. 

 

More later,

Dave

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On 8/2/2019 at 2:02 PM, RetiredMustang said:

For menus, in the past I would take photos and usually have to re-type them.  Now, the dinner menus are posted on the Navigator.  It is easy to open the dinner menu, right-click on it and hit "save as" to save it to my desktop as a .jpg file. These files I also edit and re-size in Paint.

 

 

Thanks Dave. 🙂 

 

I too was wondering how you were downloading from the Navigator.  Screen shots were horrible so I used the menus but yours are very clear and easy to read.

 

I was sure I tried it when Navigator came out but perhaps it’s improved?  I’ll try your method next cruise.  Much appreciate you taking the time to answer 🙂 

 

Enjoying your LIVE thread (as I always do) very much 🙂 

 

Thank you for taking us along 😄 

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