Thursday 29th August 2024
Berthed very early as usual.
Up about 7am. Finished tidying up the cabin then off to Explorers Lounge to wait our turn to disembark.
Soon enough off we go, collected cases and then the car and then it’s off home, good weather, good journey.
Wednesday 28th August 2024
Weather looking much better today.
Breakfast buffet, then actually found a good seat for morning coffee in the atrium.
Time for some trivia before some shopping to use up our remaining on board account, including an unexpected compensation payment for disruption of the itinerary.
Lunch in the buffet.
Packing today!!!
Lovely warm sunny day on the balcony in between bouts of packing. Light winds, warm air and calm sea as we cruise the English Channel.
Dinner in the buffet before finishing the packing and cases out.
Tuesday 27th August 2024
Here we go again, another day at sea, overcast and calm sea. Not conducive to spending the day out on deck.
Buffet breakfast, coffee today in the Explorers Lounge while waiting for the music trivia, lunch, more trivia (still no wins) and a diy cuppa.
Dinner in Steamers for some more fishy options, including lobster and crab, mmmm.
Monday 26th August 2024
Heading back towards Southampton now, weather overcast, cool with calm sea.
Dropped back into sea day mode. Early enrichment lecture by the naturalist, this time on Arctic birds. Again would have been more useful before we got to the Arctic.
Late breakfast, coffee in cabin and relaxation.
Popped out for a hotdog and an ice cream to keep us going.
Skipped the Captain’s cocktails, really cant be bothered to dress up at this stage of the cruise.
Once more dinner in the Crown Grill, this really is the best place to eat on board.
A cocktail in the atrium to watch the world go by before retiring for the night.
Sunday 25th August 2024
Already berthed when we woke up this morning. Weather looking promising, sunny periods, light winds and cool.
As usual too late for dining room breakfast, so it’s the buffet, no great loss judging by the one time we did make it.
Off ashore today, ship berthed at Skarfabakki Cruise Terminal, rather remote from city, this seems to be becoming the norm with many ports. Sensibly the city put on a free shuttle bus for transfers to the city.
We picked up the shuttle bus after not too long a wait, about a 10 minute drive to the Harpa Concert Hall dropoff.
Just a bit of a walk planned for today. A leisurely fairly short stroll up the hill via the rainbow pavement to the Hallgrimskirkja Cathedral.
Only external access to the cathedral due to a Sunday service being in progress. No chance to visit the tower for panoramic views over the town. Just a few photos to try to capture the Cathedrals’s interesting architecture and construction and of the Lief Ericsson statue.
A return back down the hill and as there is nothing else around the town to attract us it’s back on the shuttle for a return to the ship.
On our return we are happy to see a quiet ship, plenty of seats in the atrium, perfect for a coffee and a snack.
The afternoon spent in our cabin and balcony with a decent cup of do it yourself tea. Definitely a slight sulphur smell on the balcony and a strange looking cloud in the distance, must be from the volcano near Grindavik on the Reykjanes Peninsula.
Dinner in the buffet.
Late sailaway today, 9:30ish.
Captain announced there will be chance to view the volcano at about midnight as we sail by.
Almost immediately an announcement that the volcano was in view already at 10:15.
As usual we are on the wrong side of the ship and we needed to go up to the top deck for views over the port side.
Saturday 24th August 2024
This morning notification of another change, the expectation is that later today there will be high winds around Isafjordur which would compromise the use of tenders. Even though it’s OK now where we are in the approaches to Isafjorur the the call has been cancelled and so a reverse of course to start our cruise to Reykjavik.
The change of plan means no rush at all today, leisurely breakfast in buffet, weather starting to brighten up a bit, but sea a bit rougher out at sea. Not as windy and rough as it was for a while during the night.
Up to Skywalkers lounge in search of a seat, any seat! Found a space, not in the best position, but make do for now. Ordered a coffee to be delivered, still waiting, a bit slow!
Again chose to go back to cabin for a bit more comfort and space.
Today’s lunch buffet Mexican themed. Very disappointing, not much Mexican about the choices.
Back to cabin for the afternoon, called in to Skywalkers for snacks and a cocktail before dinner in the Island Dining Room, Italian theme tonight.
Relaxing evening still hoping for a call to Reykjavik tomorrow.
Friday 23rd August 2024
Considering that hurricane Ernesto has caused our itinerary change and we are following it across the Atlantic the weather stays calm, clear, sunny and with only light winds. The third fine day in a row.
So it’s another relaxing sea day mostly in the sun on the balcony following our preferred routine.
Distant sightings of whales today, need something nearer for photos, perhaps another day.
Once more managed to fit in a lecture, today by the ice pilots who had been onboard since Cobh to ensure our safety (and the ship’s) whilst in possible ice areas. Years of experience in icy waters, satellite surveys and forecasts with a knowledge of all the different types of ice and their dangers to ships, particularly when the ice cover exceeds 10% which stops cruise ship entering the ice. (Perhaps a bit late for us, but I guess they have been busy). Everything from this seasons ice to blue ice from the lower levels of glaciers.
Tonight it’s dinner in Steamers, a fish speciality restaurant option.
Thursday 22nd August 2024
An amazing clear sunny day cruising steadily following the distant Greenland coast in light winds and calm seas.
A really nice relaxing day pretty much following the standard at sea routine for nice weather days. Buffet for breakfast, trivia, coffee on the balcony, snack for lunch, relax on the balcony watching for wildlife in the sun. Actually really warm with clear skies and sun all day, despite being mid-atlantic and more or less at the Arctic circle.
Fitted in a nice walk around the promenade and attendance at todays enrichment lecture on whales and dolphins which may be seen on this voyage, should be all sorts around particularly in Icelandic waters, lets hope.
Dinner tonight in the Crown Grill. Really delicious Surf and Turf, excellent.
Time to relax and digest
Wednesday 21st August 2024
Another foggy night with regular blasts on the foghorn. Woke up while the ship was moving very slowly into the fog just approaching a narrow fjord. Sun trying to break through above the fog. Most wonderfully long foghorn echos in the closely confined spaces in the fjord. Already steep rocky sides rising to high peaks, looks very promising for a great day.
Sun steadily clearing to a clear blue sky sunny day revealing a spectacular scene.
Ship moving very slowly through the fjord, all part of a passage through the southern part of Greenland between the Labrador Sea and the Irminger Sea. Some very sharp corners to negotiate, hardly looked like a ship of this size would fit. All around us high peaks, steep cliffs topped with the Greenland icecap melting into waterfalls.
Sailed past the tiny settlement Aappilattoq, just a few houses isolated alongside the fjord, no roads!, access only by boat whist ice free and then only by helicopter.
Several small glaciers along the way and a couple of larger ones discharging small ice into the sound.
The geology of south Greenland is made up of Palaeoproterozoic supracrustals - rocks that formed original as stratified rocks on Earth's surface (sediments, volcanics) before being dunked down into Earth's crustal interior and subjected to intense metamorphism and ductile deformation.
Impressive folding of the rocks alongside the sound together with minor glaciers and the calm weather made for some great reflections.
Spent some time near the biggest, once a couple of other ships had vacated the best viewing spot. All around the ship lots of bits of ice slowly melting and releasing air bubbles in the ice to the accompaniment of a popping sound.
It took all day to pass through the sound. Small group of seals spotted as we left the last of the sound. Back out at sea on our way to Iceland lots more icebergs scattered about near the coast.
A fantastic day, doubly so being an unexpected addition to the cruise, can’t imagine why any cruise to Greenland doesn’t include this passage in the itinerary, it’s certainly would be much better than having two similar days in port. I wonder if the fine weather helped?
Dinner tonight in the Island Dining Room, better choices on the menu for tonight.
Back to the cabin to relax.