Silver Cloud #1918, Circumnavigation of Iceland - Live!

[rich48100]

We did a different excursion than JP and Chris.  It was a horse show, botanical garden, church and Nonni Museum.  The church was a bust.  Construction on the outside meant we couldn’t get in to see the stained glass windows.  

 

On to the the botanical gardens which were nice with lots of colorful flowers and plants.  Could have spent more time there.  The Museum had some interesting history of Iceland life and Jon Stephenson the author of children’s books.

 

then went to the horse farm for the horse show and refreshments.  Horse show lasted for about 20 minutes of the hour we were there.  All in all a three hour trip that was just ok.  But only my opinion.

 

here are some pics.

[RachelG]

August 10, 2019–Akureyri, Iceland

 

We sailed up a long fjord during the night and arrived at Akureyri.  Only 60 miles south of the Arctic circle.  When I looked outside, there were low lying clouds and it looked windy, but at least it wasn’t raining.  The town is surrounded by low mountains, and there was still snow on the tops of some.  

 

We were docked a little outside of town.  We were supposed to be docked closer but ostensibly couldn’t because of wind.  However Viking Sun and Oceania Nautica we’re docked downtown.  

 

There was a shuttle running continuously to downtown.  The tours were to a herring processing place (yuck) or to the botanical gardens and a horse show.  You can guess which we chose.  I was a little disappointed that there was not a tour offered to the Godafoss waterfall as it is supposed to be pretty spectacular.

 

We first made a quick photo stop at the church, which would have been a good photo except that it is covered in scaffolding.  You couldn’t go inside either, so it was hard to appreciate the stained glass windows.

 

Then we visited the botanical garden which is pretty amazing.  There was a profusion of vibrantly colored flowers, big trees, and lush plants.  Most of them would never make it in Oklahoma, but they do great here.  We had only 45 minutes which was not near enough.  Would have been better to skip the church.

 

Next up was the very small local museum.  Mostly a bunch of old stuff, but with an interesting collection of maps of Iceland, some dating back to the 1600s.  

 

We then drove through the countryside to a horse farm where they raise Icelandic horses.  They demonstrated the different gaits that the horses can do, and George got to pet and feed grass to them.  There were 3 foals, one only a week old, that were so cute.  The adult horses are much smaller than what we are used to, but they have beautiful manes and tails, very thick and long.

 

On the way back to the ship, the bus dropped off those of us who wanted to stay in town.  I had found a restaurant that we wanted to try.  On trip advisor, it said they served puffin.  George really wanted to try some, but alas, no puffin was to be found on the menu.  The waitress told us the restaurant across the street served guillemot, but we decided to stay where we were.  The meal was absolutely delicious, albeit pricey.  We started with edamame which were in a ginger and lime soy sauce, then langoustine mussel soup.  George had cod fish and chips while I had pesto cod with salad.  It was a great meal that we will remember.

 

We decided to walk back up to the gardens and spend some time there, then just walked around the town which is really very nice.

 

The shuttle took us back to the ship for another trivia win.

 

The Venetian society reception and dinner was tonight.  We had dinner with JP and Chris in La Terraza.  The food was excellent as was the scenery and company as we sailed out of the fjord.  As promised, once we were out of the fjord, the seas turned very rocky.  I went up to the lounge to listen to Monk’s show, and it was a very twisty route home for sure.

[jpalbny]

Akureyri, a brief wander.

 

Lunch in LT, then we caught the 2:00 shuttle to town. Because we aren't at the usual pier, it's not really feasible to walk into town.

 

It was at least a 15 minute drive to the stairs at the base of the church. As others have already said, the church was closed. So now we are 0 for 3 trying to visit. Must be a sign.

 

We walked up above the church and had a nice view of Viking Sky, and Oceania Nautica, who had bumped us from the pier.

 

 

There had been a tiny bit of blue sky but that left quickly. It remained windy and chilly, so we headed to the relatively sheltered botanical gardens. 

 

Some nice looking houses along the way. 

 

 

The building in the background is a Catholic church. Didn't realize that while I was taking the picture. 

 

 

This statue is a mystery. A guy holding a child, with a dog. 

 

 

Our favorite part of the gardens. So tranquil! 

 

 

Lots of blooms.

 

 

Last visit, it was about 9PM and the bees were huddled in the flower blooms, trying to stay warm. Today they were a little more active. 

 

 

Back down the steps to the main shopping street. This looked like an interesting menu. Too bad we were still full from lunch.

 

 

Some troll statues along the street.

 

 

There were a few shops and we went into one to browse. I got some salt for about $10. Our usual souvenir. 

 

Back to the bus stop to catch the 3:30. It was standing room only. But we made it.

 

A lazy few hours before the briefing at 6:00. Looks like more rain and chill tomorrow. Then the Venetian party was at 7:00. It was sparsely attended, as many invites had seemingly gone undelivered. 

 

We sat with RachelG and Emtbsam. Bob and Victoria were the #1 cruisers on this voyage, with over 500 days! Impressive! 

 

Dinner at LT with Rachel and George was lots of fun. We enjoyed the views and the company, and George ordered a special bottle of wine for the occasion, which was enjoyed by all.

 

Off to be rocked to sleep...

[jpalbny]

Sunday, August 11th. Enroute to Vigur Island. 

 

Plenty of movement overnight but nothing got knocked off of our shelves, so we've had worse.

 

We decided to skip the bird cliffs at 5:30, and stayed in bed until 9:00. Breakfast snacks at Panorama, then we popped outside as we entered Ísafjarđardjúp. That's a mouthful!

 

 

The seas calmed quickly as we entered the protected fjord. We stayed out for a bit watching for whales and other marine life. Plenty of birds, a brief sighting of dusky dolphins, but no whales.

 

But the landscapes were really pretty. Lots of snow, with waterfalls too.

 

 

We passed the tiny town of Isafjörđur. There are THREE cruise ships on port today. Nuts! One was an Oceania R-ship, and another was a Princess ship, seemingly another R-ship as the build looked identical. Could not get a good enough glimpse at the third one to identify it. 1500+ passengers in Isafjörđur? No thanks.

 

 

When we got cold, we went in for some hot broth, then out again. Still no whales. Oh well. Still pretty.

 

 

Lunch in LT. We got another pizza. Really tasty, along with some Carmenère. 

 

 

During lunch, we anchored off Vigur Island.

 

 

Today will be a bumpy zodiac ride ashore, then a brief hike around parts of the island to see puffins and Arctic terns. It looks rough out there. Hope we make it!

 

 

Time to gear up with every waterproof item of clothing we've brought. More later!

[RachelG]

That is the same pizza that we ordered.  So good!

[RachelG]

 

 

  From yesterday.  The horses all expected George to feed them.

[57 varieties]

Today will be a bumpy zodiac ride ashore, then a brief hike around parts of the island to see puffins and Arctic terns. It looks rough out there. Hope we make it!

 

 

Time to gear up with every waterproof item of clothing we've brought. More later!

 

JP when we went to Vigur in mid June we were soaked on the return trip.  One of our friends had her life jacket inflate in the zodiac!   They work.  It was rather exciting.  Hope you had fun and many thanks for the updates.

[TLCOhio]

2 hours ago, jpalbny said:

Today will be a bumpy zodiac ride ashore, then a brief hike around parts of the island to see puffins and Arctic terns. It looks rough out there. Hope we make it!  More later!

 

YES, this zodiac rides can be fun and exciting.  Look forward to seeing the puffin and other wildlife visuals.  Great sharing and posts in this wonderful thread. 

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Sydney to NZ/Auckland Adventure, live/blog 2014 sampling/details with many exciting visuals and key highlights.  On page 23, post #571, see a complete index for all of the pictures, postings.  Now at 223,761 views.

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[RachelG]

August11, 2019–Hornbjarg Cliffs and Vigur Island, Iceland

 

Last night, the captain had warned us that it would be very rocky though the night as we sailed along the north coast of Iceland in open ocean.  He was, of course, correct.  We rolled along through the night, but it certainly wasn’t the roughest seas we have encountered.  Actually it made for a good sleep.

 

We were to arrive at the Hornbjarg Cliffs at the northwest tip of Iceland at around 5:30 am.  No way were we getting up that early for cliffs, even spectacular ones.  The waiter up in Panorama Lounge told me we didn’t miss much as it was very foggy.

 

When I got up at 8:00, there were still cliffs visible to one side with low lying clouds, so that you couldn’t see the tops.  Sun was peeking through in a few spots.  Kind of eerie looking, like something at the start of a suspense movie.  It was cold outside, around 38F, with a damp feel, but no rain yet. The wind was definitely blowing.

 

We had morning trivia.  We came in 3rd,so I guess we do better in the afternoon.  We only missed 3 questions though, and for two of those, we had no idea of the answer.

 

We had pizza for lunch in La Terraza, and it was excellent, probably the best I have  ever had on a ship.  The crust was perfect, which is hard to do.

 

We dropped anchor near Vigur Island.  I was up on the walking track to get all my steps in.  It was getting very overcast, starting to spit rain, and the wind was really picking up.  They put out the zodiacs, which I had never watched before in all our expedition cruises.  They have a neat automated system on this ship, and can do it very quickly.  

 

Looking down from the top deck, I wasn’t surprised when Moss came on with the announcement that due to worsening sea conditions, a landing would not be possible.  It was just too rough and windy, with big whitecaps coming up.

 

So an afternoon onboard.  We had dinner in the main dinningroom with emtbsam and Bob.  Great conversation.  I love the connections we make.  The ship is moving again, so time for bed.

Edited August 11, 2019 by RachelG

[RachelG]

Attempt to land on Vigur.

[jpalbny]

Dynjandi!

 

The seas were calmer this morning though it was still barely 40F.

 

Nice view from the Panorama Lounge. This is our target today.

 

 

We bundled up for a zodiac ride. Since we hadn't landed yesterday, we were first off today, and we timed it perfectly so we were the first ones off the ship.

 

A short zodiac ride in.

 

 

A wet landing but only a step or two. There was a duck nesting right where we landed, so we had to be careful to avoid her.

 

We found a picnic table and changed our boots for hiking shoes. Off we went! 

 

There are seven waterfalls along the way until the top cascade. The trail started out wide and inclined gradually, but then got rocky, narrow, and steep in spots. 

 

We stopped at the intermediate falls, all with cool but unpronounceable names. Like Bæjarfoss. Actually that was an easy one.

 

 

Eyes on the final destination. Upward!

 

 

Göngumannafoss. These names!

 

 

Strompgljúfrafoss. Yup, both the ascent, and the names, are getting more challenging. 

 

 

But the view from here is worth it. What a gorgeous place. 

 

 

Finally, the base of Dynjandi. We made it! 

 

 

Now that's a vista. Silver Cloud looks so tiny and insignificant. So are we.

 

 

You could climb up a little higher, along the side, to get close enough to feel the powerful spray. 

 

 

Lots of moss along the rock walls. And some odd orange-red stuff that looked like slime. Marcel said it was a lichen, the same as a species in Antarctica! Apparently the migrating terns bring it here on their wings.

 

 

Now it was time to head down, against the current of uphill climbers. Not a big problem, just an excuse to stop for more pictures. 

 

 

One happy climber. Chris would walk miles through broken glass to see a waterfall. Glad this one was easier.

 

 

Last view of Strompgljúfrafos, with Dynjandi in the background. 

 

 

Back down, we relaxed for a few at our picnic table, changed into waterproof boots, then had to walk further to the new zodiac landing site. The tide is going out and our original site was now too shallow.

 

An easy ride back, and we were on board at 9:15. Time for a relaxing second breakfast in LT, then a rest in Panorama, enjoying the view of where we had been.

 

Spectacular morning! 

[QueSeraSera]

52 minutes ago, jpalbny said:

Now that's a vista.

Agreed!  Thanks for sharing these beautiful pictures.

[jpalbny]

Yesterday afternoon. No Vigur Island for us!

 

So we went on deck with all of our zodiac gear on, so we didn't roast in our suite. The weather was ugly, as expected. We did laps while we waited. The zodiacs gave it a go but didn't think it was safe. From the looks of it, I couldn't disagree. 

 

So it was a sea day. There were some lectures, including one by Victoria on Vikings. Then the briefing for tomorrow (today). 

 

Due to the non-landing, we pulled up anchor early and this meant we were in the open ocean earlier than expected. Hope we don't get bounced around too much for our dinner in La Dame!

 

But at dinner time, the captain slowed down and despite the swells, it was smooth. We had a nice window table.

 

 

We started with lobster mango salad,

 

 

And seared foie gras which was stupendous. I need a jar of Lipitor but it was worth it.

 

 

They were surprisingly forward with the connoisseur's list. We had OBC to spend so we got a bottle of Burgundy. Why not?

 

 

Mushroom bisque. With a cracker and caviar. Chris shared a little.

 

 

Lobster bisque for me.

 

 

Then the sorbet. Cool glass disk full of cold liquid, to keep it from melting. 

 

 

Duck, cooked nicely pink.

 

 

Rack of lamb. The only miss. Beautiful preparation, delicious herb sauce, but overdone. They recommended medium, but it was more medium-well. Tasty but could have been better. My fault...should have gone with medium-rare like I always do.

 

 

Dessert was a chocolate and strawberry concoction for Chris

 

 

And the soufflé for me. Yum!

 

 

We weren't as stuffed as we've been before, so we had energy for dancing in Panorama with Alfredo. A fun night.

 

Edited August 12, 2019 by jpalbny

[TLCOhio]

9 minutes ago, jpalbny said:

Yesterday afternoon. No Vigur Island for us!   So we went on deck with all of our zodiac gear on, so we didn't roast in our suite. The weather was ugly, as expected. We did laps while we waited. The zodiacs gave it a go but didn't think it was safe. From the looks of it, I couldn't disagree. 

 

Sorry that the zodiac adventure did not work.  Ugly weather can be a challenge.  Love the super nice food and wine pix's.  Looks like you are having FUN!!

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Barcelona/Med: June 2011, with stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Great visuals with key highlights, tips, etc. Live/blog now at 248,273 views.

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[jpalbny]

Sailaway. With a 4G signal. Love this landscape! 

 

 

Nobody in the pool, though. 

 

 

Lectures, then bird cliffs this afternoon. 

 

[markham]

Yours seems like an especially spirited and resourceful Silversea cohort! Great photos and comments about the cuisine and tours in particular. 

 

I have been reading about your cruise daily. We join on 26 Aug and have not sailed on Cloud. Our only Silversea experience was on Whisper.

 

One quick question: has anyone been using the pool? If it’s heated a bit I will give it a go.

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

[jpalbny]

Hi markham, thanks for following! 

 

I've not seen anyone in the pool this cruise. It's been closed often. The hot tubs are open but haven't seen anyone there either. So they should be free for you, if you'd like!

 

PS they say the pool is 82°F. Haven't tested that...

Edited August 12, 2019 by jpalbny

[RachelG]

There were people in the hot tubs today and yesterday.  I have not seen anyone in the pool.

[jpalbny]

A most unusual sighting tonight! What is this bright object? I might need sunglasses!

 

 

Dinner should be smooth, as we've just turned a corner into a fjord where we'll shelter overnight. 

 

Captain's farewell just a few minutes ago. Where has the time gone? At least we'll be back in a few months. 

[RachelG]

 

August 12,2019–Dynjandi, Iceland

 

Since we have now turned the corner and are sailing south along the west coast of Iceland, the sea was much smoother during the night.  We sailed up and anchored in a fjord with Dynjandi at its end.

 

Dynjandi means thunderous.  It is actually a series of seven waterfalls about 100 m high with the main waterfall, a beautiful bridal veil at the top.  

 

The zodiacs took us over to the rocky beach below the falls.  It was cold and windy on the way, but no rain, just clouds.  A path leads all the way up to the top waterfall.  It was pretty steep and rocky in parts, but then had longer flatter sections, and there were plenty of photo op stops along the way.

 

We made it to the top!  On the way back down, George got yelled at because he decided to go cross country.  I stayed on the path to the bottom then hiked along the dirt road beside the beach for a couple of miles before taking the zodiac back to the ship.

 

I finally got to see and use the mud room on this ship.  It is very large with lots of seating, a good area to clean your boots, and plenty of boot jacks.  A big improvement over the one on Explorer.

 

After lunch, we sailed down the fjord.  There were high mountains of both sides, very beautiful with the clouds against the cliffs.  We saw several whales, spouting and an occasional tail popping up.  I really like having the forward observation lounge where you can see well, but not freeze.

 

We exited the fjord, and the seas and wind immediately picked up considerably with whitecaps all round.  We were supposed to go by some really big cliffs, they the ship was rocking so much we could not get close with winds at 45 knots.

 

[englishusa]

You were correct! George got yelled at!

[Lois R]

Hi JP, everything looks wonderful. The scenery AND of course the FOOD

[RachelG]

We had a delicious dinner last evening with Rich and Barbara.  They are continuing on the next voyage so hopefully Rich will start a new thread about that voyage.  BYW the sugar free gluten free tiramisu is delish!

[zigtraveller]

Just catching up on this as you are nearly finished.  

Thanks to JP and everyone else for the great commentary and photos.  The weather hasn't been kind, but you have persevered and by the looks of it had a wonderful experience, and enjoyed some fabulous food.  Glad to hear some of the team I have sailed with previously have been onboard and are doing well - Dom, Hillman and Gilbert.  

Did I miss the name of the executive chef?  I possibly did as I was reading quickly to catch up with you all.  

Thanks again for taking the time to post and share your voyage 😀

[jimbri]

Wonderful photos!