Bonnie Scotland

The day and evening in Dublin were fine and the weather was "the usual". That means rain, sun and wind - sometimes one at a time and sometimes all together. It was chilly or fine, depending on the time. It was different every half hour.

I got the phone sorted out. My SIM hadn't been topped up for so long that the number was not seemingly available but when I gently asked if they would look to see if it had been given out again, the clerk obliged. It was available and I'm back in business with the same Irish phone number. 

It was a short bus ride to the shopping centre where the Vodaphone store was located. I'd thought of walking but there's a difference between a short bus ride and a very long walk. 

Back at the hotel I relaxed and read and at dinner time went to the Crowne Plaza next door for a meal. It was outstanding - Onion and Cider Soup followed by a grilled salmon fillet with aubergine puree, lentils, some pretty (unfamiliar flowery) greens and a couple of teeny tiny zucchini buttons. Delicious. Oh yes, and the glass of sauvignon blanc was more than acceptable too.

I slept well - in two stages, broken up by reading the rest of my book and seem to have overcome any jet lag.

The small suitcase was repacked for the few days in Scotland and everything else was crammed into the other one which is now in the "left luggage" room at the Holiday Inn to be collected on my return. 

The experience of using Ryanair was quite satisfactory, other than having to walk out to the plane and up the stairs carrying my little suitcase before wrestling it up and into the overhead bin. I had booked my seat and thus avoided the "non-priority" line of first-on first-seated. The only one unhappy was a toddler whose mode of communication was screeching. He just liked the sound it made. Personally, I did not care for that sound. He liked it so much he did it while waiting in the terminal and while in the air. His mother didn't even look frazzled.

Upon arrival in Glasgow, we didn't even go through any sort of customs or immigration despite Ireland being still in the EU and Scotland, as part of the UK, had recently Brexited. Dorothy and Robert were waiting and soon whisked me off to Troon.

Dorothy and I went for a short walk down to the sea - a few hundred yards away from their home. The recent heavy rains have the streams running very high and the footpath is partly underwater, so we halted our progress. It's still chilly now but quite bearable.

Today we girls are off to Glasgow where Dorothy is going to give me as grand a tour as we can manage in a day. I got a bit of an introduction last night and am looking forward to it. The morning started with rain lashing the window but the skies have cleared and the sun is out - at least for now. Robert is bowling. In accommodation of the climate, their lawn bowling is done indoors in winter. How nice is that!

We'll take the train into the city, the local station being between here and the sea. That will complete the trifecta of "Planes, Trains and Automobiles".

more on the morrow

Landed in Dublin

Greetings followers and anyone happening by.

The flight from Ottawa to Toronto turned out to be uneventful but for a few minutes I wasn't sure. As we approached Pearson airport the pilot lowered the landing gear - at least that's what it sounded like and I've heard my share of "wheels on the way down" over the years. 

And then he retracted it and tried again. This was repeated another couple of times. I wonder was he teasing us, now somewhat fearful back in steerage? I kind of lost track of whether he was lowering or raising it. No announcement was made to the huddled masses.

In any event, it was a bit of a bumpy landing but after braking and following the taxiways for 15 minutes, we did arrive unscathed at the gate.

Making the connection was not a big deal. The signage has either improved, or my ability to read the markers has. Following the signs to section E for international flights was easy. It was only a 20 minute walk - and there I was trotting along without a fitbit to encourage me.

We were duly assigned Gate E78 and there the passengers assembled. There was a delay in the departure because of cargo-loading issues apparently, but despite taking off 30 minutes late, we arrived about 30 minutes early. Must have been a great tailwind as I didn't hear the engines screaming.

With a little bit of "better living through chemistry" I did manage a few hours of sleep. God bless sleep masks and ear plugs. There was a dinner served about an hour after takeoff but I declined. The horrendously expensive, tiny little egg salad sandwich I enjoyed in the terminal, was still enough given the lack of moving around. I must admit dinner did look and smell pretty good - in fact it was the wafting fumes that woke me up from sleep installment #1.

Breakfast was served shortly before landing. It was more or less a plastic-wrapped slice of banana bread tossed in my direction, followed by a tiny little cup of not-too-bad coffee. And thus ended the last sleep installment.

Clearing customs and immigration was speedy and it wasn't a long wait for the bag to come rolling along on the carousel, with the handles strategically placed as far from my reach as possible. But I wrangled it off.

Then there was the short trot to "Area 16"!!! That is the corral for hotel shuttle buses. By the time I asked the attendant what colour bus I should be looking for, it rolled in. The driver took one look at this old lady and picked up the two bags and stowed them for me. He leaped into action on arrival at the hotel, taking them off again. Another gentleman offered to roll them into the hotel for me but by then I felt in control again and simply thanked him for the offer. 

There was a short line-up to check in and I followed a Chinese couple wearing masks. Um .. should I have been worried? I didn't ask where they had come from as the LHR (London, Heathrow) on the bag tag might have been their departure point. Anyway, once at the desk the jolly soul was very helpful and I was more than a little delighted to be able to move right into my room even though it was still early.

Now that I've checked the wifi and issued this update, I shall drain my acceptable cup of instant coffee, provided as a do-it-yourself project in the room. 

The room is quite nice and modern and the bathroom looks wonderful with a large walk-in shower. I shall walk in soon.

The rain is to stop by noon and then I'll venture out to update my SIM card and once again feel totally connected. It's about a 20 minute walk, or a 2 Euro bus ride, or 8 Euro taxi ride. I'm planning on the walk.

Until there's more to add ...

I'm out of here and off to Ireland again

Hello there - I'm on the road again. Well, I will be soon.

This time I am going first to Dublin for a few hours,  hopping over to Scotland for a few days, and then back on Ryanair to Dublin. From there I'll head south to Byrne territory and take up residence for a month at minmoremews.com . I expect to stay in The Store. Check it out as one of my homes away from home.

Of course, I'll be out and about on the roads. This time I'll be at the wheel of a little Red Yaris with manual transmission. Consider this official warning of my upcoming jaunts around Leinster. You might wish to avoid my adventures and if you meet me, please be aware of directions to wherever it is I'm trying to go. My genetic predisposition for getting lost has probably spread across the south of Ireland by now - sorry. But I do meet lots of lovely people as I travel about and ask for help.

There's so much I have to jam into this visit so I should not be dealing with boredom at any point. It's more likely I'll be looking for more hours in the day.

The posts on this blog will be quite regular once I get going, although I can't promise they will always be entertaining and feature beautiful photos. But I'll try.

And if you've followed me before you may notice that I've changed the background picture to the Cliffs of Moher - keeping with my Irish roots and current destination.

Ann

Finally we have wifi

The following post was written offline. Between our busy schedule and lack of wifi, the following post was written earlier today. The previous few were also just written. 

Catching up

Some general musings to start with. 

Sheep - whose numbers are about three times larger than the human population of Iceland. They can be seen pretty much everywhere but rarely seem to stay in large groups. It’s most common, in my limited sheep-seeking experience, to see more than a few at a time. They come in a few colours. Of course, they are predominantly white, but we’ve also seen a good share of black sheep, some brown, grey and some even a kind of motley combination of the above colours.

Their wool is not so much curly and long and shaggy. All appear to be suitably fat but perhaps under that long coat, they could be quite svelte. Lamb is the most common meat and features in many meals. We’ve enjoyed lamb soup a few times and to my palate there must be only once recipe. And it always turns out well. It’s not highly seasoned but suits my taste buds.

The wool can be quite soft or sometimes ‘stiffer’. Alas, I still cannot tolerate wearing wool unless it’s lined with something. Usually that is the sort of fleece used in jackets or hoodies. I may buy a skein or two before heading home and will then figure out what to knit. Backwards? Yes, but I’ve never claimed to do anything the usual way.

Horses - Icelandic horses are a pure breed now. They are all descended from a few different breeds brought here generations ago. They are very sturdy, with longish manes, and strong legs that are somewhat shorter than horses in North America. To insure that the breed remains pure, if an Icelandic horse leaves the island it cannot return. Racing is popular. I understand that galloping down mountainsides is also a “thing”. So sure-footed are these animals that the rider can go almost anywhere - up or down - safely.

A unique feature of Icelandic horses is their 5th gait. They learn it from each other I believe. It’s quite remarkable to see someone astride one and not bounce up and down. The ride is quite smooth I’m told. I saw a rider galloping? down a lane and she/he seemed to barely move in the saddle. The ship offered an excursion on horseback but it’s not for me. I wanted to be able to walk the next day.

Puffins are constantly in the conversation but they have left for warmer climes - about a week before our cruise began. There may be a few in a rescue sanctuary but the wild ones have left. You can see tons of pictures and souvenirs with their image.

A short while ago off the side of the ship along the southern coast, we could see the “blows” from several whales. But there was no breaching. They were merely teasing us. A few morning whaling excursions from Husavik saw nothing but a few sea birds and maybe one porpoise. The afternoon sailing did see a couple. We spotted some blows in a fjord en route to Dynjandi waterfall but again - they must be saving their strength for breaching when we’re out of site. Or perhaps they were just shy. Once again we are on the cusp of their departure for their southern breeding ground so not many remain.

We’ve encountered a few occasions of rough seas. Two nights the swells were about 1.5 to 2 metres. It got somewhat more exciting last night as the waves increased to 3 metres. Moving about the ship was an excursion in itself. We could all have earned the nickname “Lurch”. I chewed a couple of ginger tablets just in case, but motion sickness is not something that I’ve ever experienced. 

Because of the turbulent conditions we are very late getting to our last port in the Westman Islands, on the southwest coast. For a while after sunrise we could see the beautiful cliffs along the southern coast. However, they were just distant enough that photos would have been disappointing. It was nice to simply enjoy the view and tuck it into the memory bank. There were glimpses of sun. We’ve been told that it is likely not to rain on Heimsay where we will dock around noon.

The population of Iceland is 350,000. About two thirds of the people live in Reykjavik, about 18,000 in Akureyri and several hundred in various communities, with yet others being even smaller. 

Icelanders love their coffee and they like it strong. YAY! Susan has had some difficulty finding decaf, but on the s although it is instant.

Lunch will be our next activity. Seems like eating is our constant activity, even though we have excursions and walks most days. Each community visited is just a little different from the others.

The staff on board is terrific. They give talks, lead excursions, and last night they entertained us at a “Crew Show”. Not all exhibited their talents but there were singers and dancers - from Germany, Iceland, he Philippines, Mauritius and South Africa. At the time of the performances, the ship was encountering the high seas so extra kudos for maintaining their balance. 

We were served a “chocolate surprise” which I figured would be some kind of cake. Well - let me tell you it was THE most extraordinary “death by chocolate” buffet that I’ve ever enjoyed. Sacher torte, Black Forest cake, profiteroles, macaroons, meringues, After Eight cake, and many others. I didn’t try them all of course. The pastry chef on board was responsible for all of it. Yummy to the max.

Our stay in the Westman Islands will be short due to the late arrival and we will just do a walkabout in the town. I will catch up on the missed ports later.

Just back from a walk in town. This town was devasted by a volcanic eruption in 1973. By a fortunate spell of bad weather the fishing boats from here were all in the harbour and the airport was open. Despite the devastating eruption, all of the inhabitants but one were evacuated on the fishing boats. Some older or ill people were flown out. The only casualty was a man who had succumbed to the gases and smoke.

The town has built a volcano museum, the main feature of which is the entire house of one family. It remained buried for 40 years and when it was dug out, many items were identified. Nothing was salvageable. It was left as is and the museum was built over and around it. Fascinating. The story is recounted by an audioguide as you move around.

It was sunny as we left the ship and walked into town in search of the museum. Then it rained and we got soaked en route. When we emerged, it was sunny once again.

Now we are aboard for the final evening. Tomorrow we disembark after breakfast. There are a few hours to spend in Reykjavik before heading to the airport. The ship has made the arrangements for storing our luggage and we can get the airport transfer at the dock. It's a 5 minute walk into the centre of town.

So - this is the last entry for a while. Should the packing go very smoothly (I haven't bought much so space is not an issue) I will try to add photos to the recent posts.

Thank you for following this journey. It has been amazing. Iceland is a wonderland. We of course have a rosy view of their weather as it was not at all typical - which is cloudy and wet. We've had little rain in the grand scheme of things. Tomorrow we wish for fair winds and smooth flight. Adieu.

Djupivogur

No more fjords protecting the harbours. The dock in Djupivogur was almost on the eastern coast and barely sheltered. When we left the ship for our excursions, we had to bring along our Zodiac life jackets in case the ship had to move away from the dock because of wind or sea conditions. Luckily the vests were stowed beneath the buses and we didn't have to keep them in our laps.

This was our first day of rain - and rain it did. All day. Heavily. We kept hoping the weather would change if we waited a few minutes but that never happened.

Everyone dressed in their best rain gear and over the course of the day we found it inadequate. A couple of people did remain dry all over. My jacket was fine - proved its guarantee was valid. The rain pants - nope! They were the ones I used for golf. However, when it starts to rain I usually stop playing so they had never really been tested. They failed the test. A shopping trip will be in order when I get home.

The destination du jour was the Glacier Lagoon, where small icebergs which had broken off the glacier, floated around in the lagoon which is now about 30 square kilometres and growing, as the glacier recedes. To see the icebergs close up, we boarded amphibious truck-boats. No roofs. Seats were soaked wooden benches. They did attempt to squee-gee them before we sat down. The effort was futile. The rain continued to bucket down. 

It was however, a wonderful experience. A zodiac follows each duck boat - I suppose in case someone decides to test the water as a swimming hole. It's about 2C and supports life for mere minutes after exposure. We all remained aboard our tour vehicle. Once off the land we could stand up and look around.

There was on spot which is a favourite swimming place for seals, who quite liked the chilly water. A flotilla of tourists in bright red kayaks brightened the grey landscape.

The icebergs themselves were multi-hued white-blue and black. The black is volcanic ash. They all eventually drift down the river from the lagoon and out to sea where they break up. Some of the pieces are later carried onto the black volcanic sand beach by the incoming current. This is diamond beach where the sparkling chunks of ice resemble diamonds. At least they do when it's sunny - which it was NOT. The rain never let up.

Lunch was delicious lamb soup (vegetable option provided) and some very tasty bread which seemed in short supply. Then it was back on board "the bus of death" for the return trip.

We had the same driver but he drove much too fast for conditions - rain, turns and hills. We left the road surface twice but he didn't slow down. The comment form would not have given him any compliments - terror on the part of passengers doesn't lead to good reviews.

Safely back at the dock we saw the ship still at the dock so we could board via the gangplank and didn't have to tender in the zodiacs. The Zodiac vests are once again stowed in the cabins.

Seydisfjordur - Gateway to Europe

This is the port closest to Europe and used by a large ferry that arrives twice a week. It's a huge boat bringing loads of people and cars, mostly on holiday. As a result there is a customs' building that we had to pass through as we left the port for the town. 

In the morning it was cloudy with lots of low hanging clouds. They made the landscape look rather mystical. It's a very small place, population-wise, but very important as the entry port. Luckily for us the ferry had been in the previous day and the Ocean Diamond had the dock to itself. We took a walk guided by one of the staff of our ship.

This is also an important fishing centre and is deep in a fjord. The water is very calm and we were able to have a fjord tour in Zodiac boats. We keep our Zodiac vests in our cabins in case of having to tender to shore, or for the tours. Luckily we have not had to tender except at Hrisey a couple of days earlier.

The ship was at anchor as the port was very tiny and could not handle the ship. The water was choppy, the wind was blowing and I got a seat on the side of the Zodiac at the front. The seat of choice is as close to the back as possible. My rain pants failed the waterproof test. Ugh! But it was fun.

In summer, Seydisfjordur is a busy colony of artists, musicians and tourists. Sadly for us they have all left. Very little was open - including places recommended to visit. The beauty of the surroundings were worth taking in anyway. We learned that the houses are usually built of wood but have a sheathing of corrugated metal. The climate is so wet that the wood would rot. The metal is painted, or was in the past. Now, the homeowner can simply choose the colour of aluminum corrugated siding that he/she wants and is then free from the chore of painting the house.

The traditional colour seems to be white with red trim. A lot of the homes have interesting window frames and some have specially decorated front doors. Often there is a small plaque naming the house and the year it was built. The exterior can be re-clad many times so even a house that is 100+ years old can look in quite good condition.

The main religion here is Lutheran. The churches all have a pretty similar exterior design and the insides are quite unadorned. However, every one we went in had a magnificent pipe organ - appropriately sized for the building.

Husavik, whales and a ceremony

Husavik was a stop where we had no excursion books. The sun was shining. Susan had booked a spa morning so I set out to see what I could.

The Whale Museum was interesting and featured the skeleton of a huge blue whale that had washed ashore some years earlier. There were plenty of bones and skeletons but no animals were sacrificed to obtain them. They were all from beached animals. If only I had remembered that it was a blue whale - as that came up in a trivia quiz. We tied with several other teams but would have won if we'd chosen "Blue" instead of "Humpback" whale as one answer.

After that I walked up - of course up - to the Husavik Museum which is also a public library. They had interesting displays of everyday items and life in the past. There was also a great display of fishing gear and small boats and three mannequins dressed as fishermen. Each one was wearing mittens - with a difference. Not only did they have thumbs, but also a smaller "thumb" for the little finger. This makes them more useful for the fisherman to keep his hands warm and still have enough dexterity for the job he was doing. I don't recall seeing any such mitts in shops but I suppose the fishermen's wives or mothers made them.

In the afternoon Susan joined me for a while and then we wandered separately again, but there wasn't much more to see. Each town seems to have a nice playground and each playground features a permanent "bouncy" thing. It's right on the ground but works like a bouncy castle. 

That night we crossed the Arctic Circle at 66 North and had free drinks on the pool deck as we counted down to the position of the circle. The actual latitude and position varies somewhat. It was really chilly but fun and we were all awarded certificates for having made the crossing. Fun!