Dad, Grant and I left Edmonton Aug. 5 for New York on Air Canada via Toronto.  The Pearson airport in Toronto was hellishly busy and we had less than 45 minutes to get through customs and through U.S. Customs.  Fortunately our stars were aligned (ie. Air Canada staff who guided us to the front of several lineups) and we made the flight – well actually it was late, so there wasn’t a huge rush after all.

We arrived at La Guardia airport where we found that you can rent a cart for $5 or rent a man with a cart for $5.  So we got the man.  He helped us for about 50 feet, where the cabs were.  The sun was going down just as we were entering Manhattan.

August 6

Grant booked the hotel for this part of the trip through Hotwire.com.  Apparently you don’t know where you are booking, but if you are booking a 4 star hotel, you book it and once it is paid for, then you find out what hotel you are staying in.  So Grant paid up and found out we are staying at the Roger Williams Hotel (for anyone who is unaware, our brother’s name is Roger).  Alignment of the stars in spirit too, apparently.

We are two blocks from the Empire State Bldg.

We took a Grayline bus tour today, one of those ones where you can get on and off as you wish.  Our big diversion was from Battery Park (a fort built to protect New York 200 years ago) where we could see the Statue of Liberty, through the World Financial Centre which is across the road from Ground Zero.  Dad and Grant were taken on a Dale adventure down a service elevator and through the back end of a restaurant in order to find the actual restaurant.  The elevator was a bit sketchy (it jumped up and down – this is in the financial centre of America) and we surprised the staff, some of whom had no idea there was a secret entrance.   We continued the bus trip and ended up on Broadway.  We ended there (near the Mama Mia production) because the bus shut down.  Time was up!  We were directed to the city buses for the ride home.  However we got a bite to eat before going to the hotel and then a cab home.  A few pictures of the day are included below.

Sphere which was located between the two towers.

First new building going up at Ground Zero – to be approx. 1700 ft. tall

Ground zero

Dad and Grant surveying ground zero

Boat dock at World Financial Centre

Somewhere downtown New York.

Aug 7, 2011

Breakfast at a little ethnic deli.  There are 2 or 3 of these little restaurants to a block in this area.  Then up the Empire State Bldg. to the 86th floor.  There was airport style screening on the 2nd floor.  Apparently things are different since “Sleepless in Seattle” days.  Due to the chair though, we were whisked past everyone else in the line ups for tickets and elevators (It takes two elevators to get to the 86th floor).  Given the number of people in line, that really helped.  And this was Sunday morning.  Pictures below from building.

We boarded the Ocean Princess mid afternoon and left towards sunset.  Room is good size, lots of room for the three of us and our stuff (about 12 x 20 feet plus a 5′ balcony  the full width of our room with a great view from 8th deck.

As we left, there was a great view of South Manhattan.

Met our shipmates at our designated dinner table that night.  One couple, Mark and Joyce from Texas, Jim also from Texas, and Ray and Dolla from California.  All are experienced cruisers.

As we entered the ocean, the ship began to move in many directions.  The hallways were uphill, then downhill, then tipping sideways.  Lots of pitching and rolling, yet the sea looked reasonably calm.

The rolling was great for going to sleep though, felt like being rocked.

Aug 8^th

Fog.

Attended a lecture by an elderly scholar of shipping who spoke on the Titanic, its sister ship the Olympic, effects of tsunamis on ships and people he had studied (when talking with one passenger who had been in his stateroom when a tsunami hit the ship he was in and which threw him across the room, the passenger informed him, “First time I’ve been in Emily’s bed in 15 years!).  So not all disasters.  One other story he told.  A lady had trouble with a screw sticking out of the paneling in her stateroom.  It snagged on her clothing regularly, but she did not report it.  One evening she had been downing a few, and when she returned to her room, her dress caught again on the screw and the dress ripped.  She then decided to take matters into her own hands and use her nail file to turn the screw into the wood.  Unfortunately the screw would not go further in, so she turned it out.  Virtually upon removal of the screw, the ship was hit broadside by a tidal wave.  She was sure she had caused the event and hurriedly attempted to put the screw back.

Fog.

We had our first formal dinner today.

Fog.

During supper, the fog lifted.  Dad remarked that we must have entered Canadian waters.  No sea wheels yet, am eating light.

Aug 9th

Landed at Pier 21, the same pier Dad immigrated through in 1929.  We watched a video presentation on the phases of immigration the Pier went through and attended a walking tour.  We also found Dad’s original archives – which were scanned into the computer and recorded the arrival of his family – father, mother, sister and him.  Very cool.

We hired a cab driver to take us around town later in the morning.  He was an excellent tour guide and showed us historic sights including the blast site from 1917 which was the biggest man caused explosion until Hiroshima (the picture below is of a piece of an anchor weighing 1200 pounds which was blown 2.5 miles by the blast and put on a pedestal where it was found)

, a pond named after the man who was hanged there in the early 1800’s and the site where many of the survivors of the Titanic were buried.  The gravestones are lined up in a curved fashion resembling the bow of a ship.  You can see the stones which all look the same (rose on bottom, grey on top) towards the left of the picture.

I know, its an old bad joke, but I had to do it.

As we left Halifax one of our tablemates, Mark, played us out from the dock.

Tonight we were joined by Doug and Geraldine from New Zealand at our dinner table and lost the Californians.  Great conversation, the husband has an old Jaguar which he told me about after discovering our plans to visit the Jaguar factory in Birmingham.

Tonight we are starting for St. Anthony, Newfoundland.  Will take a full day of sailing and two nights to get there.

Aug. 10

Last night the seas seemed quite rough.  The vessel shuddered a number of times as ship hit water and the water hit ship.  We crossed the entrance to the St. Lawrence during the night and by morning the seas were calm and the ship was rocking slowly with very little movement.

Here are some pictures of our cabin.  It is quite spacious with floor to ceiling window/door.  The door opens to about 4’ width which lets in a good breeze if we want it and makes getting in and out much easier.

We are now moving up the West coast of Newfoundland which is off to starboard.

This morning we attended a lecture on glaciers, icebergs and St. Anthony and the second lecture by John Maxtone-Graham on the Titanic.  Mr. Maxtone-Graham interviewed several survivors (really) from the Titanic during his lifetime of research into maritime events, and is an excellent storyteller.

As we move North, the seas are becoming heavier, now with whitecaps and waves which look to be 3-4 feet high.  There are no swells however and the ship takes no notice of the current seas – smooth sailing still.

August 11

After a day of glass smooth sailing we arrived at the Northern end of Newfoundland this morning.  We were offshore a few miles and as we continued throughout the morning, we met up with the giant ice sheet which has been in the News of late.  The first evidence was a small iceberg close to shore and near a lighthouse.

I was able to fluke one shot of the light house with the light shining directly at the camera.

Moving closer to the ice island we saw the reflection of the ice on the clouds – apparently called an “Ice Blink” (will have to check on the spelling) according to a Dutch gentleman standing nearby.

Following are a few pictures of the ice island.

We pulled into the St. Anthony harbour about noon and once the tenders were put into the water, people were transferred to them and shuttled to town.  Many people went to L’anse Aux Meadows, and former Viking village where, according to our tablemates, there were recreations of a long house, a Viking ship, a blacksmiths shop and carpenter shop.

Grant and I opted for walking around town (as the tours were full) and found some Canadiana at the end of Canada, from which we were able to extract a famous elixir and bring some back to the ship for Dad (the coffee on board is not great unless you purchase a special coffee card with which the purchase of fresh brewed and specialty coffees is allowed).  We also found Screech, which we were told should be enjoyed with iceberg ice cubes.

We also happened on the CPA office for Northern Newfoundland.  Checked the doors but no one was home.

On returning to the embarkation point, we checked out the Grenfell Interpretation Centre named after a local doctor and humanitarian who moved to the area in 1900 after several years of work in Northern Newfoundland.  At first I thought, given the Viking heritage, they meant Grendel – but given the different vocational pursuits, eventually caught on.

Lots of fishing boats in St. Anthony.

Pictured below are the tenders which transported us into the harbour from the mooring point and a couple pictures of the ship.

Strangely enough, the ships personnel informed me as I was just about to get on the tender (which was moored at a hatch just above sea level (I’ll get a picture of that next time), that I would be unable to get off the tender in town.  The dock was “impossible.”  I then indicated that I would just like to go for the ride and come back when the tender returned (they went back and forth constantly).

So we boarded the tender in rather heavy seas.  It was bouncing up and down beside the hatch so we had to time the crossing precisely.  Grant pulled me across with some help from the staff and all was good.  When we got to town, the dock was fabulous, just a short ramp on the side of the tender, over the edge and onto the dock which was about 6 inches below – in calm water.  The dock had a gentle ramp and we were on shore in a jiffy.  Obviously the ship’s personnel did not have the right information.

At dinner, Doug and Geraldine mentioned that since the big earthquake at Christchurch, there have been about 7500 smaller quakes.  Apparently about a quarter of the city residents do not have water or sewer facilities and there are Port-a-Loos in front of the houses.  The repair crews cannot make repairs.  Many people and businesses are moving because the buildings are unusable.  Some cars are still trapped in parking garages since the big one.  And, according to our tablemates, the fault under Christchurch was not a well known geologic phenomenon prior to the major earthquake.

Gaye, this one’s for you.  Geraldine is a former Reading Recovery and special ed. teacher.  She is retired now, but says she absolutely loved her career and would do it over again if she could.  I indicated you had a similar career path and also love it.

Tonight we are headed for Greenland.  One day and two nights will put us into our first Greenland port, Qaqortoq.

August 12

A cruise day.  Here is some boring filler.

For me all this cruise business is new.  In preparation for the trip, I took the camber out of the wheels of the chair and narrowed its width to just under 24”.  This gets me into the cabin (albeit not without some damage to the door).  The washroom is another story though.  The door is considerably narrower.  Fortunately however there are 3 wheelchair accessible bathrooms in close vertical proximity to our stateroom and with us just around the corner from a set of elevators (which are fast), washing up is easy.  Some irony in having what is essentially a cold water flat at cruise prices.  However, no matter, I knew the probability.

A pod of what looked like dolphins just swam by.  All we could see were the dorsal fins surfacing (none jumped) and a couple of partial body lengths about 2-300 metres away.  They showed no interest in the ship, continuing stolidly on their way.

I indicated earlier I’m carrying medication on our trip.  Given my recent history of breaking bones, a specialist has prescribed a bone building medication which I am to take for 2 years.  It is called teriparitide and, I believe, works hormonally to create extra osteoblasts which deposit bony material.  The medication must be kept between 2-8 degrees centigrade and I am to inject it once per day.  Just prior to leaving on this trip, a nurse from the company which produces this medication called to set up the use protocol.  It appears my doctor had jumped the gun and got the injections started ahead of the company’s standard contact procedure.

So started a bit of a saga.  We were leaving in three days.  The company needed to get a refrigerator box (Styrofoam with gel packs) to us so we could carry the medication.  I would have thought I could just stop taking it while we were gone.  However, once started the medication “pen” must be used.  Otherwise it must be thrown out.  And at $1500 per pen that was not the preferred option.  To be on the safe side, Gaye checked at Shoppers and they did have a shipping box, so we got that and some gel packs.  To keep tabs on the temperature, I bought an indoor/outdoor thermometer from London Drugs (National Geographic brand). This worked great, the outdoor sensor in with the drugs and the main unit with me.

By the way do not buy Springfield instruments from Home Depot.  My experience is, they are crap.  Two bought, two duds.

The “official” box did not arrive until about an hour before we drove to Edmonton.  As we had the unofficial box loaded up according to instructions, this was the test.  Of course, I had not followed instructions and loaded far more frozen gel packs than directed.  The medication had to be warmed a couple of times to above 2 degrees.  The following morning I did use the official container, packed to the letter.

Security at the airport wasn’t too intense.  Although I had a letter from the physician indicating the contents, the security folks insisted on a search, but did let us through.  With the box safely stowed in the overhead compartment I was able to monitor the inside temperature and we easily made the hotel in New York.  The bar fridge in the room kept the temperature in range while we were there.

The ship was another matter as the fridge in our cabin was registering 17 degrees.  Fortunately our steward was able to keep the medication refrigerated until a technician made repairs.  The repairs consisted of unplugging the fridge, turning it upside down for a few minutes, then righting it.  Presto!  Similar to the way I used to fix computers.

Back to today  – we attended lectures by the presenters, one on ancient and current Greenland and another on sea travel in the early 1900s.

The entertainment tonight was an elite violinist, Iwona Boesche, originally from Poland, now living in London.  She put on an excellent show with material including Cole Porter, gypsy music and a number of vigorous and melodic compositions with origins unknown to me.

August 13

This morning we arrived in Qaqortuq at approximately noon after cruising several miles up a fjord.  After clear (and calm) weather all the way across the Labrador Strait, there was fog near the island and at the entrance to the fjord.  It cleared as we sailed inland at 3 degrees Celcius.

Qaqortoq is vibrant with colours.  At one time there was meaning and order to the colours with government buildings one colour, service another etc., but now building colours are an individual choice.

The Greenland government commissioned 11 Inuit artists to travel to Qaqortoq and carve images into stone.  The first area we saw was a cliff face opposite the tender launch in which numerous images were carved.  Below are a few pictures.

We checked out a grocery store and found most things to be at least twice as expensive as at home.  Most products apparently come in from Denmark, a kingdom within which Greenland is a country.  I did find Stimorol gum, which I have not been able to find in Canada for years.

Dad and I found a small restaurant/pub and had a Tuborg Pilsner beer (good @ $9 per) while Grant split for the hills.  We did not go too far as the slopes were steep.

Grant hiked to the top of the hill behind the houses and took pictures of the fjord (which is approx. 1000 feet deep) as it stretched inland and some of the mountains further on.  It looks barren, however there are a number of farms in the area which keep sheep, so there may be more fertile lands nearby.

The Ocean Princess picture shows how the fog encroaches into the fjord.

Grant met up with a number of local residents.  The girl in pink in the picture of the family below spoke English and was visiting from elsewhere in Greenland.  The family was just about to sit down to a barbeque.

The fountain above is the only water fountain in Greenland.

The children below are jumping off an island in the town’s water reservoir, which appears to be a good sized lake and which drains via a stream through town.

Approximately 97% of the Greenlandic population belongs to an evangelical Lutheran church.  Above is the local church located beside the reservoir stream.

Lots of children were about, riding bikes and playing.  This young fellow had an interesting scooter which was propelled by oscillating the two rear scooter decks with his feet.

I went along the shoreline for a bit and saw a man working on a fishing net, an Inuit hunter (seal?) putting a rifle away and a man working on a boat.  He was refibreglassing an area on the hull about 7 feet by 2 feet.  He gestured that the boat had been hulled by a rock.

Although there is not much road in town and no roads connecting any of the communities nearby, at least one person has a serious ride – Nuka John.

Below are a couple of pictures of the inside of the tender and the hatch, which is lowered to water level for tender launching.

August 15

Yesterday we were ashore from about 10:30 to 3:30.  Nanortalik was easy to get around in as it was situated on a shore with little variation in elevation.  Once again the Princess shore party wanted to deny access to the shore.  They indicated the dock was unsafe.  However, once again we found the dock to be quite suitable and with Grant’s help I made it up the ramp (which was a little steep due to low tide).

Nanortalik is a different town than Qaqortoq in that it seems more natural.  There was little activity in the port, yet even though it was Sunday everything was open, whereas in Qaqortoq, many of the businesses were closed on Saturday.  Nanortalik seemed to look forward to interaction with the ship’s passengers.

Our waiter, Cesar, went ashore with the tender.  He, like all the staff works hard to ensure we enjoy a 5 star experience.

The town put on demonstrations of folk dancing, dances learned years ago from sailors and built into tradition.

Also on the itinerary was a demonstration of kayak handling and a umiak (women’s boat).  One of the kayakers (who is also a town policeman) dislocated his shoulder and had to be escorted to shore.

Nanortalik has an open air museum consisting of many original buildings and some recreations showing the technology and lifestyle of earlier times.  A few pictures are included below.

Both Qaqortoq and Nanortalik are located on the SE coast of Greenland and both are a few miles inland.  Apparently Qaqortoq is often sealed off from the ocean by sea ice blocking the fjord while Nanortalik remains more or less ice free.  Odd, considering the number of icebergs in both places in August.

The icebergs in this area are considerably larger than in Newfoundland.  We were informed that the ocean currents go South down the East coast of Greenland and then North up the West coast, then Southward again down Baffin Island and Labrador to Newfoundland.  So the icebergs we are seeing must be those captured by the Northward current.

Denmark provides approximately $633 million dollars per year to Greenland to keep things going.  Most supplies come via Denmark and most vehicles are either European or Japanese.  There are however, a few north American vehicles.  I’ve seen a jeep, mustang and a few Chev Astro vans.  Most vehicles, however small, are diesels.

Today was a cruise day.  The captain had to make a 150 mile detour overnight to avoid a large ice pack coming down the East coast.  We have one more cruise day before reaching Iceland.

Tonight we snuck into the Captain’s Circle courtesy of Grant who is a Gold member of Princess (compared to Dad and I who are only blue members).  Free drinks and snacks and prizes to those who have cruised 900 days or so with the cruise line.

August 16

This morning, I attended a lecture given by the ship’s chief chef.  He and some assistants created potato pasta w/pesto sauce, a ratatoiue w/scallops and a black forest cake.  I’m writing it all down here so I remember it and find it later.

Potato pasta – boil 2-3 old potatoes in skin.  Cool.  Peel.  Grate.  Add an egg yolk.  Mix up.  To determine how much flour to add, cut off about a quarter of the potato mixture and add in an equivalent amount of flour.  Mix the separated potato mix back in.  If the mix is too dry add in another egg yolk.  Roll mixture into cigar shapes and cut the rolls into approx. 1” lengths.  Roll the little pieces over a fork to give them grooves.  Once all are done set aside while making pesto sauce.

Pesto sauce – The chef mixed in a blender about a cup of olive oil, probably the equivalent of a quart of fresh basil (he prefers smaller leaves which are sweeter) and about 3 cloves of garlic.  Blend.

Serving – Place the potato pieces into boiling water, wait for them to rise (like pyrogies) and give an extra minute.  Place pesto sauce in a dish, lift potato pieces out of water with perforated spoon and mix with pesto sauce.  Presto pesto.  If desired, peel a tomato, roll up the skin and place it on top of the pesto/potato mix.

Scallops and ratatouie – olive oil into frying pan, add garlic, a couple of sprigs of rosemary and a bay leaf.  Let cook for a couple of minutes.  Add onions, peppers (green, red and yellow) cook for about 8-9 minutes, add tomatoes (he used cherry tomatoes) for a couple of minutes then at the end add black olives, mix them in and set aside (olives are just to be warmed by the mixture).  Olive oil into frying pan, salt and pepper scallops then flour them and place in frying pan.  Brown the scallops.  Once browned, place the vegetable mixture in a bowl and add scallops.

Black forest cake – cook basic chocolate cake which ends up about 2” thick.  Cut cake into three layers.  Place bottom layer on plate.  Brush with or spoon on a liquid (cup of water, Kirsch (or Grand Marnier), some lemon peel and orange peel which has been boiled and set aside to cool).  Place generous layer of whipped cream on top of bottom layer.  Add layer of cherries (completely cover layer).  Add next layer of cake and repeat process.  Add third layer of cake and completely cover top and sides with whipped cream.  Can add decorations of whipped cream and cherries.  Finally, add chocolate shavings (they used bitter chocolate) to top and sides.  Cool for several hours to set.

Aren’t you glad you read that?  They did give out recipes as we entered the lecture, however the recipes were not what was being prepared.  As a consequence, my memory skills were sorely tested.

We attended the second lecture later this morning on Arctic and Antarctic explorations by John Maxtone-Graham.  When this man first takes the stage now, he is applauded by the audience!  Yesterday he spoke on Arctic expeditions and today on the Antarctic.

Several people have reported seeing whales.  We have not yet made this observation, but have now seen dolphins a couple of times.

Overnight the seas became a little rougher.  The ocean looks calm, but there are some long swells which look to be about 6-7 feet in height causing the ship to rise and fall in a mostly gentle manner, although there are some bigger swells thrown in for good measure every couple of minutes.

The sea temperature is much warmer here at 11 degrees Celcius vs. 0 degrees off Greenland.

Dad and I attended a wine tasting mid-afternoon:  two whites, two reds and a dessert wine c/w shot glass which we were allowed to keep.  The wine stewards each took a turn describing the qualities of their selection and telling bad jokes.

Tonight we attended the second performance by Iwona Boesche.  Her song choices and performance were amazing and it was incredible to see her standing like a rock while the bow rose and fell and shuddered as it hit the sea.  She confessed at the end of her performance that she was afraid to wear her high heels.

August 17

For those of you still reading, this morning we dropped anchor at Grundafjordur in very calm water (calm actually since midnight), a small town on the Snaefellsnes Peninsula in Western Iceland.  This is a beautiful spot with volcanic mountains, waterfalls and valleys.  Everything looks green in comparison to Greenland, although there do not appear to be any trees other than those planted in town.

As we left the ship, once again there were some staffing issues.  As I left, the supervisors said they were not able to help and I was on my own.  That was OK with me.  Weirdly, that also included operating the small elevator that lifts people who cannot manage the stairs.  As no one came to help, I grabbed the remote controller and brought the lift up, unlocked the gate and got on.  Grant was going to push the button for “down.”  Fortunately one of the more proactive staff took the initiative to be responsible and look after the lift.  No one on the launch deck or tender was allowed to help with access, even though they wanted to (and have been very helpful until now).  It appeared that the front line people are now gunshy and no longer know what to do.  I believe the ship’s hierarchy, starting with the “safety lady” on shore, has made a number of bad calls.  And instead of initially asking passengers how to help, it seemed to me she decided that she knew what was what and that was that.  Fortunately today was the last day for tender transfer.  From now on we have been told we will pull right in to port.

Everything else about the ship is great!  The food is 5 star excellent and every supper meal we have had had 3-4 choices for appetizers and second course and 5-6 choices for entrees, with about 8-9 choices for dessert.  No item has yet repeated.  And the rest of the staff have all been fabulous, willing to do whatever.

This first port in Iceland is a contrast to Greenland.  It is obvious that the population is wealthier and is better connected with the world.  There is a road system around the island and between communities. Aside from the language and slight difference in cars and architecture, we could have been in a North American community.  Grant even found a deal on hamburgers and fries – 4 burgers and a giant basket of fries and a 2l bottle of Pepsi Max for the price of 3.

At the museum in town, we learned that in the 1800’s, the primary industry was agriculture and that it was law that only landowners could marry, and that those who worked for the landowners were essentially serfs.  They worked the land and when fish were available, the workers would row for a long time, fish, return home and gut and clean all the fish.  The museum guide emphasized that the workers would be lucky to get 4-5 hrs. sleep before going out the next day.

The museum guide indicated three things essentially freed Icelanders.  They were gasoline engines, corrugated metal sheeting and …the other thing.

Gasoline engines because they permitted fast access to fishing areas and ultimately allowed people to escape to more remote areas of the coast.

Corrugated metal because there were few other building materials and when the population began to expand along the coast, corrugated metal became the primary structural material.  It is still used today.

When Iceland was populated 800 years ago, its population increased rapidly to about 50,000 people where it remained until the early 1900’s, essentially because all the forests were chopped down and used for building materials and heat.  At supper Jim mentioned that it is said “If you get lost in the National forest in Iceland, the best thing to do is stand up.”

The other thing – I know it was important.  (August 25 – It was radio.  Permitted communications with others – was subversive and also useful in emergencies)

The upshot was, these three things enabled the Icelandic population to establish fishing villages all around the island and create a new and sustaining industry for the 20^th Century.  I suspect the laws regarding marriage were either ignored or changed because the population is now in excess of 300,000.

The Museum also contained a toy section, a recreation of a store operated by a man who was a Santa like character and who, the month before Christmas would put paper over the windows of the store while he received and set up the store.  The paper would come off when he was ready.

There must be a story to this.

Early this afternoon, some of the local residents put on a show for us.  They cooked a flatbread (essentially wheat flour, water and salt), sang some songs and performed a folk dance with partners chosen from the audience.  They were short a drummer, so one of the crowd – a music teacher from Ontario, sat in and kept very good time.

The video below is an experiment.  Hope it works.

Nope.  It didn’t download.

Back to the ship about 3:30 for beers on deck!

August 18

This morning found us tied to the dock in Isafjordur.  The ship had somehow turned around either before entering or once within the fjord and now faced out to sea.

As we arrived on the dock, we learned something about Iceland.  For mid-August, the temperature sure is low, not much above freezing.

The dock was several blocks from town.  It was a cold walk.

The museum focused on the fishing lifestyle of the 1800’s and 1900’s and provided examples of tools, hooks and harpoons; and models of boats and nets to scale.  A movie showed the tough lifestyle – fishing all day, sailing/rowing back to the homestead, pulling the boat up out of the sea with a turnstile winch, hauling the fish through a couple feet of snow, and cleaning, salting and placing the fish – all before supper.  Fish guts etc were kept as feed for chickens and hogs.  That and a little barley helped chickens produce more eggs than if fed only grain.

Isafjordor architecture is a mix of new and old.  There are many older corrugated steel structures and new ones which may be similarly metal or concrete or steel and glass.

When we arrived back at the ship, several crewmen were painting the hull.  We asked our waiter about the painting.  He said there was always painting going on.  At shore – the hull.  At sea – inside.

OK so now us three guys have a bone to pick with those who think we are noisy at night.  Not one of us has yet to hear any significant snoring!  In fact, and we have discussed this and can independently corroborate the fact, our stateroom is as quiet as a tomb during the night hours.  I know that every time I wake up during the night, it’s quiet.  Same goes for Grant and Dad.  We believe we now know the truth.

August 20

Thanks for all the comments from everybody.  We all appreciate your thoughts.  I’m still working through how the comments section works.  I think the next post, I will try as a new post rather than modifying this one as the current document takes quite a while to load up on the ship.

I really want to thank my nephew, Cole Kushner, for making this blog possible.  He set me up initially and in New York I blew it up.  Fortunately he was on it and had it up and running again right away.

Today we are on our way to the Shetland Islands.  The weather is overcast with relatively strong winds.  Both sea and air temperature are 10 degrees C.  The seas are heavier than they have been recently with the ship traveling to the SE with 4-5’ swells at 45 degrees to our direction of travel and small wavelets with whitecaps.  Fortunately the ship has stabilizers, which minimize roll.  Some people have a greenish tinge, so far we three are doing OK.

Yesterday we docked at Akureyri which is located about 20 miles inland toward the end of a long fjord.  It is the largest community we visited in Iceland.  This time we rented a car for the day and went inland.

Our first stop was Godafos Falls “Waterfall of the gods”.  It was here in about 1000 that the chieftain Thorgeir of Ljosvatn decided Iceland should be a Christian nation after meditating on the issue for 24 hours.  Upon reaching his decision, he threw his carvings of the Norse gods into the Falls.

When following the path downstream from the Falls, I ran into a group of Chinese people.  Dad was ahead of me on the footbridge and when I indicated we were traveling together, they asked how old he was.  When I told them, they were impressed and said that when 86 in China, you stay home.

We were told Iceland is home to 1/3 of all the volcanoes on earth.  We certainly saw evidence during our drive.  The pictures below show some of the sights in the Myvatn Lake area.

A few miles from Myvatn lake is an active volcanic area and we crossed over the fault line where the ground is separating.  There were steam vents and the capture of steam for geothermal purposes.  As is usually the case, the smell of minerals in the air was ever present.

By now we were running out of time (the ship was leaving at 3:30 and we were over an hour away) and had to return so only took a quick look at the Myvatn Naturebath rather than going for a soak.

In the area we were, there were many farms with small fields of hay and the odd field of barley.  The hay bales were all wrapped.  Several farmers were in the process of hauling them to the homestead.  In some cases, all the outbuildings were joined – shop, grainary, barn, and in one case even the house was included.

On the West side of Myvatin lake, the road skirted a lava field which looked to be several centuries old, adjacent to cultivated fields.

Movie of hayfield next to lava field

We pulled into the dock area right at 3:30 and were happy to see a long line of people waiting to embark.  Phew!!  Looked like many of the ship’s passengers used the day well.  We were underway virtually as the last foot came aboard.

August 21

Eating some crow this morning.  Yesterday the seas were rough on the passage to the Shetland Islands.  Both Dad and I made use of the chemical stabilizer, Gravol.  I was wondering why I had a headache.

Pulled into Lerwick at 8:00 this morning and went for our first booked excursion to Scalloway Castle and a farm with Shetland ponies.  The tour guide, Bella, was a hoot.  The first thing she said was “this is a daft tour,” mainly because, being Sunday, the museum at the castle was closed.  As we pulled away Bella stressed that the Shetlands were closely affiliated with Norway.  Five hundred years ago the Shetlands were traded to Scotland as part of the dowry the Norwegian King paid for his daughter to marry a Scottish prince/king.  The Norwegian was to buy the islands back but it appears he never did raise the money.

Driving through Lerwick, Bella made sure we knew that the only real supermarket was the Cooperative and that Tesco (which is newer) is no good for the Shetlands.  She also did not approve of men wearing kilts (it’s just not right) and stressed that there were no tartans in the Shetlands.

We arrived at Scalloway castle with the knowledge that Bella is pre-metric and did not know or care what a centimetre is, and that Patrick the Earl of Orkney who inherited Scalloway castle was a cruel man who was ultimately beheaded in Edinburgh for his transgressions against the people (the story board inside the castle told a slightly different story – Patrick had pissed off the other land owners, but had pretty much left his own people to their devices.  So it sounds like it was the gentry in the area who ensured he was arrested).  By the way, the museum did open.

During the second world war, an operation called the Norway Bus brought over 5000 Norwegians to the Shetlands.  It consisted of ships which clandestinely lifted people from the coast under the noses of the Germans.  I read one anecdote of an attempt to sink a german warship by disguising a fishing boat as a ship hauling feed into port, but really hauling small boats with bombs which would be attached to the ship under cover of darkness.  Unfortunately a storm blew in and the operation was scuttled.

The last stop was a Shetland Pony farm.  There were about a dozen ponys born this year which were the size of large dogs.  The farmer breeds and sells them, often for further breeding purposes.

During the remainder of the trip, Bella indicated that the organizers of the tour “should be shot”  (this seemed to be in reference to recent changes to the tour company policies), however she did fill us in regarding local employment statistics.  Not too sure of what she thinks of today’s population, however she did point out the remains of some “crofter’s cottages” (small farms) and emphasized that every member of the family had to keep busy around the farm if it was to succeed.  The men would go out to fish, the women would knit and the children would work at chores.

Bella was a hit with the tour and received a mitt full of tips.

Back in Lerwick, we explored the downtown area and saw some of the results of North Sea oil revenue.  Bella told us earlier that the oil money went towards improvements to roads, schools and the town and that the government got none of it.  I was surprised at how easy it was to move around the downtown area (even though the streets were narrow) and at how accessible it was (although the areas outside of downtown didn’t look so easy).  There was even a public washroom with an overhead lift and a guy who had a key.

One good promotion in Lerwick was free internet.  They must know the cruise ships charge an arm and a leg for it.  However you need to go into town and visit the Visitor centre or museum to get a code.  We did.

During dinner, we have discussed the various cruises people have been on and were talking about the cruise through the Suez canal through to the East side of Africa (think pirates of Somalia).  Jim, who has travelled throughout the world, told us about a trip he took last year through the Arabian Sea during which the ship had to go into blackout mode for almost two weeks, and there were drills on how to stay as safe as possible in case of trouble.  Normally the ships are lit up like Christmas trees at night, so that must have been spooky.

August 24

The 22^nd and 23^rd were spent in Edinburgh arriving at Rosyth about noon the first day.  The picture below depicts an attempt during World War II to disguise the island as a ship.  From a distance in a submarine, the concrete structures on the island resemble the superstructure of a warship.

This train bridge is 120 years years old and is constructed of riveted steel plates   At one time it was the longest bridge in the world and was built after (according to a taxi driver) the first one fell down.  The story is, holes in the first bridge were filled with pitch instead of steel during construction and painted over.  As a result the second bridge was over-engineered.

The following pictures show a section of a new aircraft carrier being assembled in Rosyth (which is a former naval base dating to the early 1900’s) and a 1000 ton crane which will help out.

Later in the afternoon we took the train from Inverkeithing and were deposited at Waverly station in downtown Edinburgh (about 15 miles?).

We found a Hop on – Hop Off bus line which was good for a couple of days and toured the town with our first stop being the Royal Brittania – the Queen’s former yacht which has been decommissioned.

The exhibit was completely accessible and everything from the Queen’s quarters to the engine room was on display.

Grant and I were so busy looking, we missed the last bus so had to take the city bus.  It of course did not stop in the same location near Waverly station, so for a while we were Lost in Edinburgh – uphill and down.  Dad hung in there, but decided Grant and I should go into town by ourselves the next day.

In the morning we returned and visted Holyroodhouse, the Queen’s working residence while in Scotland.  To get to the second floor, we were given a private tour and ride up the elevator installed for the Queen Mum.  Our escort indicated that she had seen Wills and Kate use it a couple of weeks previous.

Murder happened in this castle, in Mary Queen of Scot’s quarters during her reign (her secretary – male).  It was committed by cohorts of her second husband, who was found dead (strangled) about a year later.

What struck me most was the floor squeaked throughout the entire 2^nd floor as we moved.

Hop on and off to the Castle.

Situated on the crater of a former volcano, this spot has been continuously occupied for about 2000 years.  Through the years its mass has varied as leaders built, scuttled, rebuilt, knocked down with cannon and rebuilt again.  The newest structure, the war memorial, dates from the 1920’s and the oldest standing building is a memorial to St. Margaret who died after her husband Malcolm III was killed in battle and dates from about 1130 A.D.  (storyline fixed Aug 25) when her son David 1st built a “formidable royal castle” including the chapel in his mother’s name.

It’s a long way to the top of Edinburgh Castle.

August is a month of events and festivals in Edinburgh.  The Tattoo, a show of military bands, the International Arts Festival and the Fringe were all on.

We did have to mind our time in town as the ship was to be fully boarded by 4:30, and we did not relish a train ride to Dover, so we barely scratched the surface of Edinburgh.

Today is a sea day and the last full day of the cruise, so laundry, packing and our last meal with our tablemates.  We had a wonderful crew around our table for the cruise and shared stories of our lives and of daily events on shore, each evening.

To starboard over England this evening there was even a colourful sunset.

August 25  (posted Aug 29^th, , no internet access till now)

This morning we awoke to the white cliffs of Dover.  Everyone had to be gone from their staterooms by 8:00, so there was lots of early action.  We were ready by 7:00 and had our last breakfast at the buffet.  The luggage, aside from personal baggage, had been taken away the previous evening.  When we arrived on the dock we found that Princess had booked a private accessible van for us.  It was supposed to take us to Heathrow, but we asked him to take us to our hotel instead – and he did!  Fabulous of Princess Cruise lines to provide the service!

Our rooms were ready even though it was just 11:00 A.M.  Nice hotel which looks to have been added to and renovated.  Walked to the local High Street where there were a whack of small businesses, many of them selling cell phones and service.  As we strolled the mall (ie. Street made into patio), we heard what seemed to be many languages.  I needed a power adapter for the UK and was able to find one at one of the many cell phone places.

Later Grant and I found a pub where we enjoyed our first fish and chips in England.

I have to say something about the bathroom in my room.  It was about 9’ x 11’ – huge and all tiled with a rubber floor.  However look at the size of the sink (I don’t have very big hands).

This seems to be standard in the U.K.  Just so you know something you never wanted to know, I am always on the shop for accessible washrooms (I need to know where they are!).  In Edinburgh at Holyrood house the accessible washroom had the same sink.  And in London, wherever we went, same thing.  Strangely enough, I never found counter space in any of the rooms.

When I originally booked our hotel, the plan was to be near a tube station, and we were.  Problem was when we checked it out, it was not an accessible tube station.  Slipped up there.  I assumed all stations were accessible.  We did get a map of the accessible stations though.  The other requirement (in my mind) was to be relatively near to Heathrow airport so we could jump on the tube and be there in a few minutes (we did ride the tube there and that in fact, is the case).

In our adventures following, you must remember that Dad is with us – walking – all the way.  He will be ready for the Senior’s Olympics by the time we are back.

On Friday we did find a bus to take us close to the tube station and had a ramp.  It looks like all the city busses (most of which are double decker) are fitted with electric ramps, so we were set.  Fortunately, our scout, Grant, had already walked to the bus station so knew where it was.  Off we went to the bus.  Crazily, the bus station was still several blocks from the tube.

Upon reaching the tube station we bought day passes for 7 pounds and off we went, downtown.  It was then that we found out what wheelchair accessibility means on the tube.  There are 9 different levels of accessibility when getting on the rail cars, varying from level access to 12” rises and up to a 10” gap.  Accessibility therefore meant – Grant.

After some tube switching we arrived downtown at Winchester station which is across the street from the Parliament buildings and Big Ben.  Into the parliament buildings for a tour where our tour guide asked us where we had come from that day.  I said “Hounslow” but that we were from Canada.  “Oh,” she said.  “Darkest Hounslow.”  Hmmmm, What does she mean?

No pictures were allowed of the inside of the Parliament buildings.  We received a good lesson in British democracy and some of the shenanigans which got them through to today.  Here are a few pictures taken in and of Winchester Hall which was built in 1066 or so and which abuts the Parliament.

By the time we reached Buckingham Palace, we had put on a few miles.  Dad and I took a cab to Westminster tube station, a trip for which the cabbie refused payment!

Saturday morning, I had booked the train to Birmingham.  To ensure proper access if you had specific needs, Southwest trains asked that we book 24 hours in advance.  So up at 4:30, researched best route, and once offices open, phoned booking agent.  Asked about accessibility.  Agent said all is OK, but here is a number for access anyway.  Special deals only available online, I cannot give you same price.  Phoned accessibility number.  All is OK, in fact, in that haughty manner only the British seem to have “of course the trains are accessible.”  Alrighty then.

We left the hotel and headed back to the tube later Saturday morning.  Our objective today was the Maritime Museum in Greenwich.  A couple of tube transfers (including a set of stairs because an elevator was out) and we were at Canary Wharf.  This is a financial district which was developed by the Reichman brothers from Canada.  They eventually lost control of the project due to some timing issues (and avarice by jealous competitors), but there is some history there in the form of lots of Canada references.

A few tube stops later, we found Greenwich.  A few blocks later we found the Maritime Museum which houses a vast array of watery exhibits dating way back and exhibiting instruments, tools, dioramas, models and some life size vessels.  Fabulous for a virtual seaman’s dreams.

Coincidentally, considering we were in Greenwich, longitude 0.0 was nearby.

Naturally Grant and I had to go up there.  We left Dad behind and climbed the hill, or rather Grant climbed the hill and pushed me up too!  The big story behind this site is how the first reliable method of determining where a ship was, longitudinally in the ocean, came about.  This was so important the British Parlliament offered a prize of $20,000 pounds (more than 1 million pounds today or almost 2 million dollars) to the person who could determine a ship’s position within 1/2 a degree.

This seemed so foolhardy to most people, it was determined to be a fool’s errand and represented thus:

Ultimately however, a man named Harrison claimed the prize by developing a reliable timepiece which enabled sailors to know what the time was in Greenwich, which when used with a sextant and the right math – let them know where they were.

Grant and I waited in line for almost an hour to have our pictures taken at 0.00.  As we waited, an American couple asked us to take their picture at the marker.  They had heard us speaking English.

Nobody needs to know that as we waited in line to take these pictures, the Maritime Museum closed.  Dad, who was waiting there, was outside, in the rain.  Fortunately one of the museum staff waited with him for his wayward sons.

August 28

Yahoo!  Off to Birmingham.  Cab to train station an hour and a half early.  Train comes by.  Wheelchair car at front.  Go to front.  No attendant here, although someone at the back of the train.  Train leaves.  See wheelchair symbol on rear car.  Oh!

Go to where rear car will stop when the next train arrives in an hour.  See ramps locked in place by building.  OK here we go.  We are ready, and the boarding goes as per plan.  Find man, he gets ramp.  All is good. ….  Except, once on the train and asking the conductor about our route, he says, “there is no access to the tube at that station, go to Waterloo station.”  Ooohkay.  Once at Waterloo, we are directed to the big clock where Southwest trains has information.  Ask “How do we get to Euston station to continue our journey.”  “I work at this station” says the man.

The train booking included a tube connector between the first train (which was great – quiet, smooth and easy riding compared to the tube trains) and the Birmingham train.  The tube stations on our journey however, were not so great (strange, these were major stations, with many above ground trains and tube trains).  Fortunately we had accessibility with us in the form of Grant and passersby for the stairways.  To shorten this story up, the upshot was, we just made the train to Birmingham.

Once on the train, the journey settled into wonderfulness.  Smooth, quiet and fast.  On arrival, instructions were to contact attendant for help w/ramp.  No way to contact on train or off.  Fortunately, accessibility – Grant, was with us again.  A few twists and turns at the Birmingham station, very helpful cleaning staff, and we were in a cab to the Thistle hotel.

I have never seen as good an accessible washroom as the one in my room at the Thistle.

Out for dinner at the Wetherspoon pub.  Looking for Yorkshire pudding which is said to be a tradition on Sundays.  None of the waiters know it is even on the menu.  Well, maybe not.  Good and cheap hamburger though, 5 pounds c/w beer.

The area we are staying in looks to be right upscale.  Clean with new and interesting buildings, with many more on the way.  Construction cranes up all around.  Must be major economic activity here.  Not the Birmingham we were told to expect.

August 29

Our second last day and time for one of my most anticipated excursions, a tour of the Jaguar factory at Castle Bromwich in Coventry just outside of Birmingham.  This factory builds all current Jaguar models and more are planned.  Just prior to WWII, the factory was put up for the production of the Spitfire.  By the end of WWII almost 12,000 Spitfires and more than 300 Lancaster bombers were built there.

The tour took us along the assembly line of the XF model, the best selling car Jaguar makes.  We were informed by Adrian, our tour guide that the factory makes use of the best possible construction methods to most precise tolerances.  In fact the build tolerances are smaller than the engineering specs and constantly checked by laser instruments.  If the build gets out of whack a bit, it is caught before any errors reach the engineered tolerances and corrected.

No pictures were allowed in the factory.  Suffice to say the robots did most of the work.  The staff work in teams and ensure the build goes well.  They are empowered and expected to stop the line should something go wrong.  Most of the work is divided up into 2.5 minute segments.  That is, the car at whatever stage will go through a work station in 2.5 minutes and all the work scheduled for that stage gets done.  Adrian ensured us that the primary objective is build quality so the customer gets a car which has been put together correct the first time.

At the Birmingham train station, there was a Mobility help kiosk.  I spoke to the man there about our experience yesterday.  He indicated that he would have provided the same information about accessibility as the computers show the tube stations as accessible.  He showed me the computer screen which confirmed same.  May be interesting next year during the Olympics and Paralympics.

As I write this we are on the train and have decided to avoid the tube on our way back to Hounslow, taking a cab instead.

Probably the best thing about this trip is the opportunity the three of us have had to experience the cruise, land trips and air trips together.  We have reminisced on the past, had fun in the now and experienced new things.  Mom and Dad were to England two times and Dad reflected with Grant and I on their experiences and on the changes since they were here.

Although we had train tickets to get us back to the hotel, the hassle of trains, tubes, people, huge walking distances, no service and an attitude Dad says was not here 30 years ago – we decided to bite the bullet and hire a cab from Euston station.  $80 later, we were back and in the Bullstrode pub for supper.

There is a huge difference between Edinburgh and London in the attitude of the people.  Our experience in Scotland was of a people who value the people around them and in London, we were on our own (our cruise tablemate, Doug, had warned us of this).

We have had a great time this past few weeks, however all of us are feeling the need to be near our loved ones and in our own beds.  Tomorrow night that will be the case.

Finis

I guess when the camera has no new pictures, the trip’s over.  Life pushes back in and away we go.  Thanks to everyone who journeyed with us through the blog.  We had a blast, and even though Dad pushed it with the walking, he did indicate that he feels he is in better physical shape than when we left.  We probably all are, even if we are 10 pounds heavier.

Cheers.