Best of Snaefellsnes Peninsula

Today, we went about the day in reverse direction as the itinerary stated. Our tour guide did not want to be around other tour buses and he did not want to rush us as it was such a gorgeous day. Wait until you see how this terrific day ended!

It took me a while to come up with the right phrase to sum up this pristine, almost sterile looking country and I’ve settled on “ruggedly beautiful.”

Djupalonssandur’s Beach has four giant lifting stones used to test fishermen’s strength. Many sagas and tales are strongly connected with this dramatic black pebble beach. Djúpalónssandur is considered to be one of the most famous elves and trolls locations in Iceland. According to folklore, Karl (male troll) and Kerling (female troll) are thought to be trolls that were turned into stones when they saw daylight. These two troll formations are well known all over Iceland. Söngklettur rock, known as the Singing Rock holds a mythical reputation as the Church of the Elves. When we were there, we heard the waves make an audible “crackling” sound when the tide recedes, resembling a rainmaker. . Along the way, you will notice chucks of rusted metal which are the remnants of the British trawler Epine GY7. 14 seamen drowned when the ship sunk on March 13, 1948. As parts of the wreck washed ashore, it was decided to leave them on the shore as a memorial.

Snæfellsjökull serves as the entrance to the subterranean journey in Jules Verne’s classic science fiction novel, Journey to the Center of the Earth, (1864). While trying to discern whether Verne actually visited Iceland, a Czechoslovak-Icelandic science party discovers an ancient alien outpost in the cave system under Snæfellsjökull. While I have not read the book, the characters in the book were apparently spewed out in a volcano called Stromboli in southern Italy! When we sailed past Stromboli last year on this exact same ship, the volcano was actually active and erupted a few weeks later!

We stopped to take photos of giant, protruding cliff with beautiful volcanic rock formations.

We also visited Arnarstapi, a quaint fishing hamlet but I’m sure it was a shopping opportunity stop in disguise!

Our last stop before heading back to the ship was Helgafell, ‘the holy mountain,’ which plays a pivotal part in the Laxdœla Saga, an ancient Icelandic love story. It is also believed that if you hike to the top of the mountain without looking back or uttering a word you will get 3 wishes fulfilled. This only works the first time you hike the mountain though. The town dog was not sure what to think of us but as we got off the bus, he decided we were okay after all!

As we boarded the bus to head back to the ship, the tour guide informed us that he had phoned his office and asked that the ship be notified we were on our back but he wanted us to enjoy the glorious day so we would not be rushing! As you can see, when we got to the port, the ship was loading up the tenders. Only one tender was left out for passengers which was our entire group: we held up the ship’s departure by thirty minutes. I was forever grateful we were on a ship sponsored excursion and not on our own!

The Golden Circle

We took the Golden Circle tour in Reykjavik which took us on a full-day journey. The day  started with a scenic drive to Thingvellir National Park  where we walked  through the tectonic rift.  The park was established in 1930 as a historical, cultural and geological shrine. This breathtaking rift valley features Iceland’s largest natural lake and a rich history tied to the formation of Icelandic Parliament in 930 A.D. 

Our next stop was Gullfoss Waterfall, whose rushing water tumbles over a natural tiered ‘staircase’ to plunge down a deep ravine.

From there, we visited Strokkur, an explosive geyser whose steamy spouts sometimes blast 60 feet skyward. Though we saw the geyser go off while getting off the bus, we did not catch a 60 footer while we were standing there waiting. 

The Icelandic lunch we were served was the best lunch I have ever had on any excursion anywhere in the world. I think we had to wait a few minutes because the fishing boat was still offloading the catch of the day.   The salmon we were served was fresh, cooked to perfection and guess what, it was served with rice!  The food was served family style and all 5 of us at the table were so ever to dig in no one took a photo of this great meal. It will be long before anything can beat that meal!

After lunch, we visited Hellisheidi, the world’s second largest power station, which employs geothermal forces from three volcanic systems dating back 11,000 years.

We’re going to be at sea for the next two days. I now begin to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of cruising against bus tours. I finally worked out how to manage my motion sickness on the bus, but I haven’t yet on a ship. I’ve given this problem a lot of thought and was given advice by another passenger we chatted with during our cruise last November. I am hopeful this time 🙃

Look close and you will see the moon on the upper right hand corner of this photo!

We are very excited to visit Cobh once more. Though most known for being the ‘last port of stop’ for the tragic RMS Titanic before she embarked on the final leg of her maiden voyage across the Atlantic, Cobh holds a special place in our heart because the Riordan family hails from County Cork.

Lismore Castle is located in the town of Lismore, County Waterford. It belonged to the Earls of Desmond, and subsequently to the Cavendish family from 1753. It is currently the Irish home of the Duke of Devonshire. It was largely re-built in the Gothic style during the mid-nineteenth century for The 6th Duke of Devonshire.

Next stop: Vee Lake which refers to a hairpin bend up the side of the hill. The Vee is predominantly famous because of the breathtaking panoramic views as you drive through the pass where the scenery climbs and dips and changes constantly to delight the eye at every turn in the road.

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Set on a dramatic outcrop of limestone in the Golden Vale, the Rock of Cashel, iconic in its historic significance, possesses the most impressive cluster of medieval buildings in Ireland. Among the monuments to be found there is a round tower, a high cross, a Romanesque chapel, a Gothic cathedral, an abbey, the Hall of the Vicars Choral and a fifteenth-century Tower House. These The surviving buildings are remarkable. Cormac’s Chapel, for example, contains the only surviving Romanesque frescoes in Ireland.

Just when we were about finished exploring and taking in this breathtaking location, the cloudy sky eventually turned to rain.

We were treated to an Irish lunch of round, wedge, and diced potatoes, a biscuit with gravy, and four cubes of chicken before heading back to the ship. While the chicken was fairly good, I decided to skip the potatoes to save room for the ships meal waiting for us this evening!

We would appreciate the breathtaking countryside that is composed of 50 shades of green as well as old structures from days gone by as we traveled to Land’s End, the day’s main highlight.

We would make a photo stop and learn about St. Michael’s Mount and its many transformations over the years. It served as the first beacon in a series to warn Elizabeth I of the approaching Armada, a castle, a monastery, and a landmark. At low tide, you can walk to this tidal island.

Today, James and Mary St Aubyn, aka Lord and Lady St Levan, live on the island with their children. The family gave most of the island to the National Trust last century, but have a 999-year lease to live in the castle and run the visitor business. * Drone overhead photo “borrowed from google”

Cornwall’s magical Land’s End is Britain’s most south-westerly point and one of the world’s most famous landmarks. From here, you will see breathtaking 200ft-high granite cliffs, the Isles of Scilly along with the Atlantic Ocean and The English Channel. Some of the rock formations on the cliffs reminded me of the Giant’s Causeway.

We returned to our ship after spending the day exploring the picturesque countryside, but this time we would take a ferry boat rather than the ship’s customary tender (life boat). I am used to getting a quick briefing and have a visual of the life vests but neither occurred this time and the 20-minute journey appeared to go forever but we did make it back safe and sound!

Excellent trip; in addition to our flight arriving early, our luggage arrived too. Nowadays, it’s a big deal if your luggage shows up at the same time as you do! As soon as we got into the taxi to Southampton, the driver made sure we weren’t starving by offering us water and bananas. What a thoughtful action

After a restless night at the hotel, we were relieved to arrive to our home away from home for the next two weeks. Our luggage was quickly whisked away, much to our delight, as we exited the taxi at the dock. Though we arrived early, we were checked in and given our “keys,” and proceed directly to our cabin.

We discovered a lovely birthday greeting for Jay on the monitor as we left for lunch. The new ship medallions know precisely where you are and will recognize you as you approach your door or any display monitor. I am aware that some people dislike the concept of being tracked but I personally do not mind, I just hope they figure it out right away if I fall overboard though I doubt that would happen as I have no plans of hanging over the edge of the ship! We also ran into Raj who we met last year on the same ship!

We’re leaving tonight on a six-week journey. Looking forward to a road trip in Wales with Nigel the Great and hoping to catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights during a cruise excursion in Norway. I can’t believe we are going to Iceland too! We will also visit with Peter and Joan in Easbourne, friends that we made years ago during a Panama cruise.

I’ll keep you posted as internet permits on the cruise ship and while we are traveling on land…

WELSH EXPLORER TOUR

Monday 25th September to Friday 29th September

A surprise party to mark a milestone birthday!

Happy Birthday Papa, Happy Birthday Jay

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Spending a night out with Quinten and Maddie…

A fun-filled evening that also celebrated Quinten for his promotion—your proud Grammy!

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Meeting friends at a roadside steakhouse!

During our Trafalgar journey to Israel, we met Lana and Mike. As promised, we stayed in touch and eventually managed to meet up one evening when they passed through an interstate close to where we live. We had a fun reunion at a roadside steakhouse. Looking forward to our upcoming trip with them next year!

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Celebrating Rob & Kim’s First Anniversary..

Happy Anniversary dear friends. I wish you have many more joyous years to celebrate!

The adventure for today begins by boarding the Metro and traveling to the Inner Harbor 

On a surprisingly quiet day, we strolled through the city center and took in the sights from the inner harbor. We had hoped to watch a baseball game, like we had the previous time we were here, but it happened to be a late game today so we did the next best thing you do in Baltimore: we went to lunch!

We make a point of stopping in Baltimore whenever feasible only to get crab cakes. Every time, we talk about visiting a new restaurant, we ask locals where they get their crab cakes, and we always end up at the same location, MO’s!

Perfect end to a perfect road trip

We opted to return our rental car in Baltimore and finish the trip on foot and public transportation. We rode the train to Washington, DC on our first day in town.

Our first stop was at The United States Botanic Garden

At the Capitol, we came upon the Miss Black America finalists. I went looking for Miss California for a photo opportunity!

As we walked down the National Mall, we came across a gathering of individuals holding signs from both political parties. Witnessing a historical event, regardless of one’s political background, is fairly impressive in my perspective.

Protesters were being interviewed by reporters from all over the world. It was fascinating to hear people’s perspectives on what transpired and what motivates them to protest.

Jay decided to “interview” one of the reporters and ask for dinner recommendations! A local FM radio reporter recommended we head to DuPont Circle. We got on the metro and discovered Lyle Restaurant, which happened to be in a boutique hotel. We weren’t sure about this until we had the first bite, and the rest is history!

After a full day of assorted activities, we caught a train back to Baltimore. Can’t wait to see what tomorrow will bring.