2006 Maasdam - Voyage of the Vikings A 35 day journal

[WCB]

Hi "the2ofus",

 

This trip has been on the horizon for us for the last five years. It was a super trip, and well worth the wait!

 

 

Hi Marianne and Harvey,

 

Most of our trip was smooth sailing, except for a few days here and there. Guess we got lucky! We saw more icebergs than we ever expected..some were as big as the ship, and others the size of three football fields.

Glad you are enjoying the reports.

 

Mary Ann & Bill

[esther e]

You are terrific to do this. We are so looking forward to this trip next year. I love reading your journal and visualizing the trip. We were to Greenland and Iceland a few years ago and loved Iceland. Can't wait to get back. And not to have to fly is perfect!!!!! We drive to NYS every year to see family, so it works out just fine!!!

 

Esther

[WCB]

Howdy,

 

The Maasdam arrived to Nuuk, Greenland today at 7 am today. It was partly cloudy and cool, but no rain as predicted by the Captain.

 

Greenland is actually a region of Denmark, and 85% of the interior is covered by an icesheet, some of which is over 3000 feet deep.

Greenland is also the world's largest island, with the population of 80% Inuit and the rest Danish. Their economy is based on fishing and fish products. Nuuk, or Godthab (Danish for good hope), is the capital with 15,000 inhabitants, making it the world's smallest capital. It is a seaside community with towering ice-covered mountain ranges in the backround.

 

It was necessary to use tender boats today. We also had to carry our passports with us in order to get back on the ship. We were on the second tender boat to shore, bundled up in our jackets, and ready to walk. There were no excursions here, so the best way to see the town was on foot. We climbed the highest knoll to the statue of Nuuk's founder, Hans Egede. While taking pictures up here, we recognized another couple from the world cruise last year. That makes 12 of us so far. Continuing on, we saw colorful houses, monuments, churches, a few stores,a cemetery, and government buildings.Many dandelions and a type of cotton -tufted weed grows here. What you won't see are trees, shrubs, or flowers. This area is a truly tundra landscape. There was a museum and a cultural center, however they did not open until 10 or 11.We all thought it to be strange that most everything was closed ,since we were leaving at 1pm. some small tourists stores were open, and we found a few trinkets.

 

As the day warmed up, thousands of pesky mosquitoes swarmed all of us. With a few exceptions, they did not bite, thankfully. It was funny to watch everyone swatting the bugs as they walked. We all looked spastic! Never thought to bring insect repellant along......

 

Much of the housing here consists of subsidized government high rises. Most of the citizens are Inuit, and the unemployment rate is high. On the hillsides facing the ship, several men and women sat, drinking beer, and watching the tourists go by. Many young moms brought their kids down to the pier to see us. Souvenier stands had been set up with little trinkets of stones, embroidery, and beaded Christmas ornaments. One vendor was dressed in the Inuit garb, which reminded us of Alaskan Eskimos. Then a very bizarre couple danced around the passengers as they waited in line to board the tender boats. The woman must have been representing ghosts of the past. She was actually scaring all the little kids. Only 2 boats were being used,so the line took forever to move.

 

We did leave at 1pm, right on schedule, and headed south towards the tip of Greenland.

 

Bettine Clemen' show was tonight after dinner, and it was the same show we saw on the Navigator last fall. Was better this time.

 

Until tomorrow,

 

Mary Ann & Bill

[RuthC]

Weren't those bugs awful! :eek: I don't remember bugs anywhere else ever being that bad. Including Alaska.

When I was there the tide had gone out, making the approach to the return tenders difficult to dangerous. Those steps down were slippery, then there was a ramp at a bad angle. All I remember is four or five (or six) officers grabbing me and pulling me along.

All in all, not a bad memory. ;)

Thanks for another stroll down memory lane.

[WCB]

Hello all,

 

We woke up at 8 am this morning to see huge icebergs floating by our window! Boy, it looks cold out there. Not wanting to miss the scenery, we decided to walk the promenade first, and eat later.

 

The icebergs went from small "bergie bits" to large, as big as houses. We soon saw some the size of jets. And it was surprising how close the ship was to them. Gosh, wished we hadn't watched the National Geographic special on the sinking of the Titanic! We tried to remember if the Captain had said he had sailed these waters before????

 

Dozens of people, including room stewards and waiters, poured outside to take pictures, but their stay was brief. The air temperature, standing still, was 44 degrees. However if you add the chill factor of the wind and sailing speed, it felt like 5 degrees! Without the proper clothes, the freezing winds would drive you right back inside. It sure would have been nice to have one of the seal fur coats we saw in Nuuk yesterday. Too bad it was forbidden to buy any seal skin product or whale bone ivory items. And just as well as they were quite pricey.

 

The ice flow seemed to be getting thicker as we sailed slowly past the picturesque mountain range on the port side. At one point, we actually came to a complete stop. Captain Van der Loo announce that the ice flow was 7 miles long and impassable. Then he headed away from the coastline in an attempt to go around it. But he ran into another ice flow that was 10 miles wide and would take us 10 hours to navigate. He had no choice but to back-track for 2 hours. And due to orders from headquarters in Seattle, he canceled our sailing through the Prins Christian Sound, scheduled from noon to 5. He explained that it was too dangerous and time consuming to attempt the scenic sailing. Guess that's why the brochure for this itinerary reads, "weather and ice conditions permitting". Hopefully we will be able to see it on the return trip.

 

We were requested to turn in our passports today for the upcoming custom's checks in Europe. They conducted it very well, alphabetically, and there was no wait. We shouldn't need them again until we go to Paris. Then we went off to lunch.

 

As we were eating lunch in the dining room, an iceberg passed by the windows that was the size and length of the ship! Wow! This should satisfy the few "grumpies" that were complaining about the cancelled Sound. Since a large number of passengers are only on for 17 days, they won't have a chance to see Prins Christian Sound on the way back.

 

It still seems strange to be eating dinner at 9 pm, and the sun is still shining. Today, the sunset was at 11:30pm, and the sunrise will be 4:50am! And it never really gets dark, so the night time is called twilight. The clocks have to go ahead tonight, so we will be 6 hours ahead of home time. We would be lying if we said it did not effect us. It makes it harder to get up every morning, and harder to go to sleep early. Westbound it definitely the best direction to go!

 

Until tomorrow,

 

Mary Ann & Bill

[WCB]

Hi Ruth C.,

 

Yes, the bugs were awful! We had to be very careful when we talked or laughed!

 

The pier with the cement steps is no longer used, thank goodness. They have installed a floating pier with a ramp. So much easier than what you encountered.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[esther e]

I love icebergs!!!! Took many photos of them in Antarctica on the Marco Polo and look forward to seeing many more. Well, even if I see just one, it'll be worth it!!!!!:D

 

Esther

[Old As Dirt Mom]

Hi Bill and Mary Ann:

 

Just wanted to let you know how much I am enjoying each and every entry here about your cruise! You obviously kept a very detailed journal. Thanks so very much for the opportunity to travel with you:)

 

Karin

[RuthC]

The pier with the cement steps is no longer used, thank goodness. They have installed a floating pier with a ramp. So much easier than what you encountered.

Oh, that's good to know. Thanks for posting that. I'm sure I'll take this cruise again some day, and I'm happy that I can count on going into Nuuk and still get back safely.

[WCB]

Greetings,

 

The Captain has put the "metal to the pedal" in order to make good time towards Iceland. The seas were rougher and the early morning skies were overcast. Walking the promenade today was easy, since few people ventured outside. We have left the icebergs behind, as they tend to stay close to the east coast of Greenland.

 

Today at noon, we had a Cruise Critic meeting in the Crow's Nest. To our surprise, the Captain, cruise director, hotel manager, guest relations lady, and the food and beverage manager attended our gathering. We got first-hand information about yesterday's cancelled sailing, and what to look forward to in the upcoming ports. And to make it nicer, we were served hot canapies. Had we been more prepared, we're sure that all of us could have asked a lot more questions. The Captain said he would be available all throughout the trip to answer any more questions we may have. So far he has been the most hands- on captain we have had. Of course, he is also a reader of Cruise Critic online, so he will expect to see some good postings about this trip.

 

There was a special medal awarding cocktail party in the showlounge before dinner tonight. It pays to know the bartenders. One nice bartender from the Crow's Nest spotted us, and had our drinks delivered before we even sat down. Since we have reached the 300 day level, we received our silver medallions. We just expected a group awarding, but they called us up one at a time, and had our picture taken with the Captain and Hotel Manager. Our group numbered about ten, and there were also a few 500 day awardees. Now when you hear of 4000 day passengers, that's worth a big award!!

 

Later on, we had reservations in the Pinnacle Grill, but decided to cancel because of a special dinner in the Rotterdam dining room. This was something we had never heard of, so did not want to miss it. We all had chef hats on our table setting, with a special menu in it. Then, the dining room staff, cruise activites staff, and the Maasdam singers and dancers came in the doors, dancing down the aisles! Even the dining room captains and maitre'd joined in the fun. They did this between each course, all the way through dessert. It sure livened up to dining room. Almost feels like a Carnival cruise! This is nice to see........the fact that Holland is trying to update their ambience by appealing to a younger crowd. Come to think of it, the music is more contemporary, movies have been newer, and they even have a five-piece band that plays in the pool area at lunchtime. This is good.

 

Tomorrow......Iceland!

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[WCB]

Good day to all,

 

Our arrival to Iceland was 3 hours late, because of the lost time navigating from Greenland. However, Captain van der Loo announced that we would be able to stay later and still have full tours.

 

We sailed into the port area to see the Sea Princess and Aida-blu already docked. Reykjavik, being the captial of Iceland, with a population of 300,000, should have enough guides and buses to handle all the tours, we hope. Disembarking today was tedious. We didn't have an available gangplank, and because of the high tide, we had to bend over and crawl out of the small exit on deck three. They even had to keep the Maasdam in a listed position to make the exit work for us. The Captain was there to make sure everyone "minded their heads" while leaving.

 

The shore excursion we booked today should take us out of the city to three major sites of this area. Luckily our bus # 6 had a super guide, we suspect a teacher, who had tons of information about his homeland. Other buses were not as lucky, we found out later.

 

Reykjavik appeared to be a very modern city complete with freeways and traffic like home. It must rain a lot here, because the hillsides are lush green and dotted with blue lupines and huge yellow dandelions. We passed by many car dealerships, mostly Japanese and Korean cars. Our guide said that there is one car for every citizen, and that includes children. The bad news is that fuel runs around $7.00 a gallon! Ouch!! And since they have a poor public transportation system, everyone drives.

 

As we headed out of town, we passed many shopping centers and malls with Burger Kings, Ruby Tuesdays, KFC, and McDonalds. The further away we went, the more barren the landscape became. It was quite apparent that the island was formed by volcanoes millions of years ago. Lava fields, covered in moss, lined the steep slopes. No trees grow here, just grass, and the hills are spotted with free-ranging sheep, Icelandic horses, and a few cattle. No grains are grown here since the soil levels are too shallow. But we did see hundreds of bales of grass laying in the fields to be used for winter feed for their animals. Agriculture was created in a different form here......greenhouses. With the use of natural steam and warm underground water, the Icelanders can grow vegetables quite successfully in the spring and summer. And their produce is huge, due to the long daylight hours.

 

The terrain supports a geological system, similar to Yellowstone. Hot springs and geysers spout everywhere, sometimes even under homes. Hot water heaters are not used here, since heated water is provided by the state via the hot underground springs. Steam from these fields produces their electric supply, also cheap, if not free.

 

Some more quick facts about this country are, there are 1/2 million sheep, many shepherd dogs, and famous Icelandic horses. Families have an average of 2 children, schools are free to 12th grade, and university is very inexpensive, although many students go to Denmark and Sweden for college.

 

Our first stop was in a small rural village at a reststop/restaurant/store. Surprisingly they accepted US dollars, and we seemed to get a better exchange. They also had a beautiful greenhouse attached to the store, but we only had 2 minutes to see it.

 

Our next stop was at Skolholt to visit a Catholic turned Luthern church. Our guide remarked that most Icelanders are not that religious, and usually pay a visit to a church 3 times in their life......baptism, marriage, and funeral. But they are superstitious, believing in good elves and bad trolls. At the church grounds, we saw a team of students escavating the grounds to uncover the old church remains. After a quick tour inside the church, we proceeded to the next attraction.

 

Gullfoss is the name of a spectacular glacial waterfall. We were given 10 minutes to hike the narrow trail to the waterfall's edge. And we did get soaked with the heavy spray while we tried snapping photos. There were a few pesky mosquitos, but the rain also kept them away from us.

 

The next stop was at the Geysir geothermal complex, where we were served a three course luncheon of cream celery soup, poached salmon,with julienne vegetables and boiled potatoes. Dessert was a small chocolate layer cake, served with very strong coffee. Yum! Despite the light rain, we walked around the thermal springs and erupting geyser named Strokkur. And of course, the remainder of our 2 hours there was spent in the gift shop. They had some very nice woolens and typical souveniers. Many credit cards were on fire!

 

The final stop was in Thingvellir National Park, where due to major earthquakes eons ago, a huge rift appeared on a geological fault. It created very usual rock formations with beautiful views of lakes and streams. This area became the spot for Europe's oldest legislative assembly, the Icelandic Althing. It was established in 930 AD, and they convened every summer for 8 centuries. We had quite a vigorous hike to walk up the steep canyon to the vista point on top. It was worth it though.

 

On the scenic ride back to the ship, we learned a few more interesting facts. The average salary here is $35,000 a year, of which they are taxed 25%. High salaries can be taxed up to 57%. They work a 50 hour week, and receive health care from the state. There is zero unemployment here, but have a big shortage of professionals. The major industries are fishing, banking, and tourism. A small 3 bedroom condo costs $200,000, while a 3 bedroom house costs $400,000.

 

Our six bus convoy returned to Reykjavik by 7 pm, and we watched the sailaway from the Crow's Nest at 7:30.

 

Tonight at dinner, we were treated to champagne following dessert. It was Captain van der Loo's way of apologizing for our delayed tours. He is A-OK in our book!!

 

Until later,

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[happy cruzer]

wonderful, we are planning our secound trip to yellowstone for next year. you account of Iceland makes me very anxious to see those geysers again.

 

more, please.

[CoconutFish]

Thank you for writing this phenomenal log and congratulations on your Silver Medallion.

 

I was interested to hear about the special Medallion awards party. Sounds delightful and a great way to recognize Medallion milestones.

I was wondering if this party included the Copper Medallions, or just Silver and up?

Also, were the passengers receiving a new medallion the only ones invited or all those holding medallions previously?

 

Thanks again for this wonderful log; I love the way you are posting day by day.

[WCB]

Hi Coconutfish,

 

Nice name! The Medallion medal party was for everyone, even if you had already received a medal in the past. The newly awarded passengers were announced one by one, or by two's, and we got our medals from the Captain and Hotel Manager. The next day, we were invited to take a group picture with our medals, however this photo was not complimentary.

 

Glad you are enjoying the reports!

 

Mary Ann & Bill

[jimmy2x]

Just wanted to add my appreciation for your travelog. This is absolutely a must do cruise for my wife and I - hopefully in 2009 after I retire:)

[WCB]

Today started cold again, and we were to have some heavy winds and rain later in the afternoon. It was a good day to go to a movie after lunch, which we did. We saw "The Shaggy Dog" and it was silly, but good.

 

We had an invite to meet at the back pool at 1:30 for us 300 dayers to get a group picture. Since it had just started to rain, we lined up under the overhang, and the photographer had to almost step into the pool to get us all in the picture. When we got back to our room, we found a complimentary photo with the captain and hotel manager in our mailbox. That was very nice.

 

We have hit the first major storm of the trip so far, with gale force winds of 8, and 10 to 12 foot seas. Really heavy rain hit around dinner time.

 

We also had an unusual invite to a private party in the lower atrium area. Along with the Captain, several of the staff attended and visited with all of us. We met the nurse, who was a character. We also enjoyed special hors'deurves with our drinks. Four of our tablemates were there too, making it a bit uncomfortable at the dinner table later. Maybe the others will be invited sometime during the second leg of the cruise.

 

It is still hard to see the sunset at 11:40 pm, and the sunrise at 4:39am. Thank goodness for blackout curtains in our rooms!

 

Tomorrow, Lerwick, Shetland Islands.

 

Mary Ann & Bill

[RuthC]

We have hit the first major storm of the trip so far, with gale force winds of 8, and 10 to 12 foot seas.

Actually, in that area that isn't too bad---at least the seas aren't.

Were you told to stay indoors?

[WCB]

Hi Ruth C,

 

We don't remember the promenade deck doors being locked, but there were signs posted warning of high winds and slippery decks.

 

We have seen worse on other ships, where the doors were locked, and for good reason!

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[WCB]

Hi gang,

 

The Maasdam sailed into the bay of Lerwick around 9 am this morning. Luckily the rain had stopped, and we just had wind. Since we were anchored, we had to get tender boat tickets to go ashore. They are very strict about this, and will turn you away if you do not have the right ticket.We are on a CSI tour today, so we had to wait for Holland's tours to go off first.

 

By the time we got to town, it was after 11, but that still gave us plenty of time for exploring. A very nice lady had come onboard the ship earlier and handed out maps and brochures, and gave some good hints about where to go., and what to buy.

 

Lerwick appeared to be a quaint little town, very European in architecture and citizens. Everyone spoke with a Scottish brogue, and were quite friendly. We visited several small stores, finding the prices very high. Most did take US dollars, but at a rate of 2 for 1.

 

We continued on to find Commercial St., where shops lined the narrow cobblestone lanes. We saw markets, pubs, boutiques, restaurants, and wool stores. Making our way uphill, we passed several churches, government buildings, stone houses, the town hall, library, and the old fort complete with cannons. We had to be careful crossing streets,because the cars race around the turns very quickly.

 

By 1 pm, we joined our CSI group which numbered 62. Today the tour is complimentary, which is nice. Our guide was a nice Scottish lady who gave us some facts about the area. Herring fishing was the main industry here for years, until the oil discovery in the North Sea took its place. They call the oil "local gold". Sheep raising was the next industry, and that became apparent as we left the city and traveled into the countrysides. There were few trees to be seen, except around the farmhouses. Our guide said that the extreme winds prevent the trees from growing. Actually she said that in 1991, the Shetlands were hit with 197 mph winds that caused a lot of damage. The old stone buildings held up the best. Many of the newer homes were made from a modular design, shipped in marked pieces, and constructed like a puzzle. Interesting.

 

We saw herds of multi-colored Shetland ponies grazing on the hillsides, as we climbed up to a bluff. The bus pulled over for a picture stop of a valley that ran down to the sea with a 16th century castle, called Scalloway Castle. It lays in ruins now, but had a very spooky past history.

 

We continued on from here to Tingwall Valley, passing small farms, where they grow mainly root vegetables and raise sheep or cows. The sheep had already been sheared and many of them had lambs by their sides. Their numbers total 330,000, and we think we saw about half of them!

 

The hillsides were scored with strange looking fissures, which we found out were peat diggings. The soil was cut into chucks, dried, then burned in fireplaces to heat homes. Speaking of homes, our guide said that an average home costs about $150,000, US$. Most were built of stone with slate roofs, and their fencing was made from rock pilings.

 

Our next destination was the Weisdale Mill, a textile working museum. However bus #1 was already there, and the place was so small, we would never all fit in there. So our driver took us for a 20 minute ride to see western Shetland. Our guide entertained us with a Scottish ditty, and had us sing along. We had more than a few grumpy people on our bus, and our guide was getting complaints about the tour. Why do people have to be that way, making it uncomfortable for the rest of us. One gal in front of us in the bus made a loud remark that the price was right for this tour, so "shut up"! Good for her. By the time we returned to the museum, these people insisted we stay for 20 minutes, then be taken back to town. Well, it didn't work. We had an hour visit there to see the museum and have coffee, tea, and a snack.

 

We did see all the different types of wool used to make knitted clothing such as sheep, llama, alpaca, camel, musk ox, Shetland pony, rabbit,and even dog. There was a woman spinning the yarn into skeins, and a lady knitting a hat. Too bad the actual building was so small. We all felt like "bulls in a china closet"! Looking forward to getting our snack, we had to laugh when we saw the size of the added on hot house cafe. It would comfortably seat twelve, but there were 30 people in there trying to get coffee and food. Forget the coffee, we just wanted a cookie or a KitKat bar. Well, the cookie looked good, but it tasted what we thought a dog biscuit would taste like. We all had a laugh over that one!

 

The better choice here, was to take a walk outside, and right across the road was a small fish hatchery. We asked the bus driver about it, and he said rainbow trout were raised and released there. Wish we could have toured this place.

 

The ride back to town was 25 minutes,and we tendered back to the ship for a late lunch. We even met the three Scottish bagpipe players that rode the boat back with us. They were on their way to do a show in the lounge.

 

Prior to leaving at 6 pm, the Captain said we would be hitting another storm on the way to Norway. Hope tomorrow in Bergen is nice.........

 

Until then,

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[happy cruzer]

The shetland tour sounds nice to me. I think you saw about twice as much as we did in Faukland Islands, I mean they don't have Rockefeller Plaza...

 

Did anyone give the grumpies the option of getting their money refunded and being put of the bus right then:p . Could be a long cold walk.....:p

 

I love seeing any different lifestyle. Tell us more....

[WCB]

Hello Happy Cruzer,

 

We think we did see most of the Shetland Isalnd that we were on. The lifestyle there appeared to be laid back and easy going. You are right......there was no Rockefeller Plaza!! One thing we noticed was an over abundance of thrift stores in the downtown area. Many cruise passengers were checking these stores out as well as the souvenier shops.

 

As far as the tour went, it was complimentary, so no refunds there. However, we are sure that had the grumpies paid for this tour, they would have been first in line at the shore excursion desk to get whatever refund they could!

 

Mary Ann & Bill

[esther e]

Bill and Mary Ann

Did I miss something along the way about CSI tours? What are they and how did you find them? Thanks.

Esther

[WCB]

Howdy folks,

 

Before retiring for thr evening last night, we had to put the clocks forward one hour again. We are now 9 hours ahead of Pacific Standard Time. Hopefully, this will be the last time change. Most everyone is feeling the effects of the lost hour of sleep for the last week, especially the crew.

 

The Maasdam entered the port of Bergen, Norway this morning very early.We had sailed under a few bridges for about 12 miles to reach the pier, right in the heart of the city. Bergen has been compared to San Francisco for its bridges and many hills. Even the weather is similar in the summer......cold wind and fog most of the time.

 

Since we were here in 1996, and had seen most of the city, we decided to take a hiking tour for four hours. We met our guide, who was from Brazil, and taught Portuguese in schools here. Go figure? He led our group of 14 brave souls from the pier to the city's only castle. It was built in the 11th century by King Olaf, and had been partially destroyed during WW2.

 

Continuing on, we strolled around the old wooden warehouses, where the German office of the Hanseatic League was located. This league regulated the shipping traffic in the Northern Sea. There was a carpenter in the back of the warehouses trimming and chopping a pine log for use in the authentic restoration of the buildings. These antique buildings became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980. It was common back in the old days to use cod liver oil to light their lanterns. And that caused a fire that destroyed these warehouses in 1702. They were reconstructed and now house many restaurants and stores.

 

Next, we walked to the Flobanen funicular, where we rode up to Mt. Floien. This funicular was built in 1918, has a 15 to 26 degree gradient, and slowly rises to 1000 feet above the city in eight minutes. The cars were recently replaced with new vehicles from Switzerland, and hold about 100 people. They probably cost a gazillion dollars too. We saw a spectacular view from the top before we started our hike to Skomakerdikel Lake. Don't you just love these crazy long words??

 

After passing the scary troll, we reached the forested tree line at this elevation. The lakes, streams, and ponds were beautiful. As we walked along the gravel road, we saw some ducks, crows, and even a few sheep grazing in the mountain meadows. We had to be careful where we stepped, if you know what I mean! The guide mentioned that Bergen gets rain 250 days a year, and we were lucky to have a nice day, even if it was overcast and windy. Luckily it was cool, since our walk was becoming quite vigorous.

 

Eventually we reached the summit at Rendemannsvegen at 1800 feet. Most of our group had slowed down, despite our frequent stops, but no one threw in the towel. The guide did say that if we were getting short of breath or felt sick and dizzy, we should stay behind and wait for the group to come back down. We gladly stopped at the top to take pictures, giving us a chance to cool down. That was no problem, it was darn freezing up there! And as luck would have it, the rain started to fall pretty heavily as we headed back down the mountain. Most of us were prepared for rain, except for one lady who wore shorts, and just had a plastic poncho to keep her dry. Needless to say, the rain just ran down the poncho and filled her shoes with water. She was a good sport about it though.

 

The rest of the walk downhill was much easier, and we eventually all met at the funicular at Mt. Floien. It was great to sit down for the rest of the way down to the city. Our guide let most of us continue on to the famous Fish and Flower Market, while he guided the rest of the group back to the ship. We remembered this market for its colorful display of seafood and handmade knitwear and souveniers.Reindeer hides and their horns were for sale, but pretty hard to bring massive horns home on the plane! Their t-shirts were of good quality, as were the beautiful sweaters and hats. The fish and produce sections were full of cod, salmon, shrimp, shellfish, lobsters, and some pretty scary-looking fish. Believe it or not, we tasted a sample of minke whale meat. It had been smoked and marinated, making it taste similar to beef. Not bad. Fresh shrimp sandwiches were being consumed by the dozens. They were also selling the biggest strawberries and cherries we have seen. We were surprised to see that the vendors would accept US dollars (about 7 to 1), as well as Norweigan kroner, and the Euro. A favorite treat for the locals is cloudberry jam, which is said to be very tart, but good over ice cream. Ooooo, we're getting hungry!!

 

It began raining again, so we headed back to the ship, stopping in all the shops on the way back, of course. The Maasdam sailed away from the busy port at 6 pm. Watching the scenic 12 mile stretch to open seas for 2 hours was a great way to end the day!

 

Tomorrow, Stavanger, Norway.

 

Mary Ann & Bill

[WCB]

Hi Esther,

 

CSI is a travel group that we have booked many trips with. They have many good perks, such as complimentary tours, cocktail parties, and many gifts. If you need more info, post your e-mail address, and we will send you all we know.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[Copper10-8]

Hi Bill and Mary Ann, thanks for taking the time to post your cruise journal for us. This particular itinerary from HAL, the northern Atlantic route, really interests me. From reading your reports however, it appears that one should not hope for a lot of "nice" weather even in the month of July;) .