Greenland - Formidable Fjords, Gorgeous Glaciers & Icebergs!

We sailed on to Greenland, traversing many beautiful and majestic fjords.

We cruised from Paamuit to Nuuk, along the southern edge of Greenland.

There were some formidable fjords with cascading waterfalls and fields of snow.

 Enormous icebergs floated by.

And glaciers were grinding down the mountainsides.

 Can you see the village in the lower left corner?
That's a boat coming out to circle our ship and greet us!
I guess they don't get much action other than the occasional cruise ship.

  Here's a closer look at the village.

And our welcoming commitee!

This was one of the most dramatic parts of our voyage.
Greenland is gorgeous!

Iceland's Golden Circle

The next port of call was Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland.
We did the most recommended tour, the Golden Circle,
 which is a 300 kilometer route looping from Reyjavik to the Gulfoss waterfalls,
to the geyser geothermal area and then to the Thingvellir National Park.

We saw the dramatic Gulfoss waterfall,
which is 105 high and has two drops.

It was every bit as beautiful and powerful as Niagara Falls

We also visited the geyser area and witnessed the Strokker geyser erupting.
There is a second, even larger geyser, aptly call Geyser which  erupts less frequently.
 We also explored boiling mud pots, hot springs and fumaroles.
We also had a wonderful lunch there.

Finally we visited the Thingvellir National Park where, geologically,
 two tectonic plates are drifting apart, the North American and the Eurasian plates.

This is one of the few places in the world where you can walk between two continents in the Mid Atlantic rift.

Back in Reykjavik, we visited the Perlan, a museum extolling the wonders of Iceland.

Atop the Perlan there are 360* views of the city.

Iceland was a wonderful friendly country.
A lovely destination.

Exploring Iceland

We have arrived in Iceland. 

What a beautiful and unique place!

Our first port was the sleepy village of Isofjordur, in the Westfjords of Iceland.

There we explored the maritime museum and met a few friendly cats. 

That's our cruise ship in the distance.

A short drive away is the little village of Bolungarvik.

Once again, it was like visiting the past as we toured a little church.

We also visited the Osvor Museum, 

a fascinating replica of an old fishing outpost.

We were greeted by a local wearing a skin suit worn by the sailors of yesteryear.

 A look at her skin shoes

The boat anchor

And a peek inside the fish drying house

The lighthouses are quite unique here.

Almost all of them are bright orange sitting high on a cliff.

Then we sailed on to Reykjavik, the capital.

Faroe Islands, Denmark

Our next destination was the Faroe Islands, 

an archipelago located about halfway between Norway and Iceland.

 Its a lovely secluded place, almost as if set in a different time.

There are quaint thatched roof homes and shops.

These historic buildings house the government offices.

And there's a lovely harbor with many types of boats.

vesV

We took a boat to see the cliffs of Vestmanna.
Can you see the sheep on the hillside?

 There were also many stunning waterfalls along the cliffs.

A waterfall along the road.

While walking the island, we saw this whalebone archway,
 which is very emblematic of the islands.
Its a beautiful place.

Orkney Islands, Scotland

Our first stop on the cruise was the Orkney Islands

off the coast of Scotland.

I'd never heard of them before, and the weather was typically Scottish,

wet and cool, but we were anxious to see the islands.

We visited a historic site called Skara Brae which was uncovered in a severe storm in 1850.

The top of the dune blew away revealing village over 5000 years old.

  Skara Brae, the ancient village of stacked rock dwellings,
was concealed and protected by the sheltering earth,
stabilizing the walls and filling them in to preserve the furnishings inside.

The ancient people made furniture from the rocks 

using them to create storage, sleeping and toileting areas.

Nearby is the Ring of Brodgar,
an ancient stone circle with a large moat-like ditch surrounding it.
It is thought to be a ceremonial site about 4000 years old.
It is similar and possibly related to the more well known Stonehenge.
I wish we could have seen more of the islands, but we were only there for a day.

Off on a new adventure!

We are taking a cruise across the north Atlantic, 

visiting Iceland, Greenland and the eastern seaboard of Canada & the USA.

But first, we fly to Amsterdam!

 What a beautiful city!  

Lots of pretty canals.

And LOTS of bikes!

Some pretty unique ones too!

Not sure what elephants are doing in Amsterdam, but at least she's wearing the native costume!

And when on the Netherlands, you must try a Dutch pancake.

They're as big as the plate and delicious!

Now off to the ship....

Stickbug

Found on the house.