thefouramigosblog

We woke up this morning in Akureyri. It is a much larger village than yesterday but only 20,000 inhabitants.

From our balcony, we could see the church.

We were in a fjord 30 miles from the sea surrounded by glaciers.

The Caribbean Princess looks photoshopped with the mountains behind the ship.

We traveled about 45 minutes to the falls. Along the way, we took in the stunning landscape. It’s stark. It’s cold. But something about it touches the soul. A land uninhabited but for a few.

Our tour guide shared with us that there are few trees in Iceland. They have been planting trees and have continuing projects to bring in more trees. So much of the land is very barren.

The rock in the mountains appears layered because it is. Layers of volcanic ash.

We saw Icelandic horses grazing in a field. These horses have been around since the 10th century. They are smaller than other horses(pony size) but are hardy and healthy. Many of these horses died during a massive volcanic eruption in 1780. The Icelandic Horse Society was created in 1904 and many of these horses are transported around the world.

We finally made it to Godafoss waterfalls. It was a little walk up the path. Here are some shots I took at different viewpoints.

We stopped to do our usual selfie. We were quite cold. Temperatures were around 52 degrees with gusts of wind and cloudy.

The lava rocks were all around and they looked like etchings in the wall of the falls.

The river was glacial water and scraped rock and sand giving the river a bluish color.

Bruce without a canon!

After the falls we went to a botanical garden. It’s amazing anything grows in this frigid weather. Here are a few of the flowers in bloom.

It was a great day. Tomorrow we were supposed to go to another port but it was canceled due to rough seas. I had booked a trip to a thermal spa. Oh well. Next time. They are everywhere.

The Icelandic people don’t need hot water heaters because they get hot water piped into their homes.

The stop lights are very interesting in Akureyri. Can you see why?

At dinner, Bruce saw a whales tail out the window. He has incredible vision. We ran to get a better look and sure enough the whale had his tail out. I ran to get my camera and guess what? This was it? Bummer!

I really enjoyed Iceland and I definitely would like to come back.

#godafoss#waterfall#cruise#princess#caribbeanprincess#garden#botanical #flowers#whale#akureyri#iceland#horse#icelandichorses

Midnight on my balcony on the Caribbean Princess. Northern Iceland in the Arctic.

I woke early, early this morning surrounded by fog! I couldn’t see a thing but several hours later about 5 am the dense fog was lifting.

When we woke at 8:30 when our coffee and tea was delivered, I took in the landscape surrounding this tiny hamlet.

We boarded the water shuttle close to 11 am hoping to miss the crowds. Oh well, I guess there were quite a few stragglers like us.

We had hoped to walk to the waterfall but I wanted to check out the church first. The Grundarfjörður Church was built in 1966. It was just a very short walk from the port. Unfortunately, it wasn’t open.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights are one of the highest in the world in Iceland. Displays of Pride can be seen in many of the little villages.

Kirkjufell Mountain in Snæfellsnes is one of the most photographed mountains in Iceland.

As we walked toward the waterfall, we could see it in the distance and decided it wasn’t worth the two-hour walking trip.

We stopped at a cafe for cappuccino and cake. We sat in a room that was a craft room.

The Caribbean Princess in the harbor. Sometimes these images look photoshopped.

Some sites along the way!

Back on the ship I spotted the other waterfall.

My impressions! I have to say, I didn’t feel a warm welcome from the people of Iceland. But I can understand. 3000 passengers and 1000 crew descended on this village of 900. It must be extremely overwhelming. And I’m not sure they need our money. So some businesses were closed and there weren’t many Icelanders about!

Tomorrow another port and I signed up today for a shore excursion with Princess.

#iceland#snow#kirkjufell#grundarfjordur#princess#cruising#tour

Last night at midnight it was still light outside our cabin. And when I woke at 4 am, the sun was coming up.

I ventured out on my balcony as we made port.

So far so good! We decided to do a hop-on hop-off bus which would take us around the city. From where we caught the bus the scenery was quite stunning.

The buses were not running well so we waited for almost an hour. But finally all aboard!

This photo was taken just moments before the skies opened in a deluge of water.

We rode the bus through the entire circuit. We saw the music hall or Harpa.

The Hofoi House where the 1986 summit between President Ronald Reagan and General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev took place to end the Cold War.

The Hallgrimskirkja, a church with a 73-meter high spire, makes it the tallest building in Reykjavik.

Also it was interesting to see the yellow and red houses so common in Scandinavian countries.

We stopped at the Old Harbor House for fish and chips. I have to say I was disappointed. Someone on the ship said the fish and chips were better in Iceland than in England. Not at this place. They were too heavily breaded.

We walked along the harbor which was lovely.

We walked to the next stop which was the Whales of Iceland museum. Inside they had life-size models of a variety of whales including the sperm whale, beluga, and blue which is the largest mammal that has ever lived on earth or in its waters.

After the Whale Museum, here are a few random shots around Reykjavik.

We finally made it back to the ship and out on deck the scenery was quite spectacular.

After dinner we were treated to an incredible Iceland Band that played hauntingly beautiful music.

After the show we went to our cabin to catch some scenic views from our balcony.

#reykjavik#arstidir#iceland#hallgrimskirkja#hofoihouse#hoponhopoff#oldharborhouse#whalesoficeland#harpa#travel#port#cruise#princess#

People often ask me what is my favorite cruise line. That’s a really hard question to answer because even within the cruise lines, some ships can be better than others.

Holland America

For instance, we were on our first Holland America cruise on the Oosterdam. It’s a relatively smaller ship with less than 2000 guests. I liked the size because it limited wait times and long lines.

I have to say our Captain, Captain Breibert, was our favorite out of 14 cruises. He had a sense of humor, he was understandable and he was approachable. The crew was great – wait service prompt and attentive. Our cabin steward and assistant have been on top of things especially cleaning up our mess.

What I found lacking was the entertainment. They had the usual nightly mainstage shows which were not all that great. The dance company did not have singers which made it rather lackluster. The first night act was the best and they were tango dancers from Buenos Aires.

There were no enrichment talks at all. I thought Holland America was known for that but nothing on penguins, glaciers or even anything that we could attend.

The port talks were done by the cruise director. The theater was so crowded people were sitting on the floor. This wasn’t because they were so interesting but because there wasn’t much else to do.

In the bar a female piano player was on every night. She couldn’t carry a tune. And the casino was boring – no excitement.

The food was good. Have no complaints about that but sure missed my escargot. The ice cream was great, many flavors.

And as far as health and safety. Obviously, after a week into the cruise, many passengers were coughing, and in the theatre it sounded like a TB clinic. HAL should have had masks sent to each stateroom, broadcast the port talks on the tv, and implemented some of the health measures they had in place after they resumed sailing after COVID. This was the biggest turn-off of the cruise.

Princess cruises

Right now I’m on the Caribbean Princess going to Iceland. I was on this ship in May on a transatlantic. It was a very enjoyable cruise.

Now the food was not the best on the Transatlantic. Bruce likes rich cream soups and they had few. Also, we have not always enjoyed the meals in the dining room. And I missed the ice cream from Holland America. The food this time is better and the soups have been good. I wish they would serve different flavor ice creams. At least on this ship its only chocolate and vanilla.

The entertainment was fabulous. From the production shows to the guest singers, they really didn’t have a bad entertainer. So far the same in this trip. The only bad part is we have seen the production shows.

Activities in board were great on the crossing. We had enrichment lectures every day on murder and mayhem. Just my speed. There was music playing all the time at some venues. And they have bingo, art auctions, trivia, and game shows going on all day and night. Same us true for this sailing.

The Trawlermen was my favorite show of all time!

Our cabin was not as nice as on Holland America. Our shower curtain fell down and a bolt came out of the bathroom handle. It’s an old ship and it’s showing.

I don’t have much to say about the captain except he brought us through some rough seas. The crew was ok on the transatlantic. Our cabin steward though was not friendly. The waiters were good but not anyone we wanted to go back to. Our cabin steward now is great.

There doesn’t seem to be a lot of sickness on board so no safety protocols for health safety. No crew member telling you to washy washy as you go to the buffet.

Celebrity

The cabin on the Equinox was roomy with a couch. The bathroom was ok. Our balcony was nice.

The best part of celebrity is the escargot. Every evening. I do love that.

They do have many ice cream flavors available which I liked. Food overall was well presented and good.

The crew was great. Our cabin steward was wonderful. He was attentive and friendly. Everyone was happy to be on the ship.

The entertainment was exceptional. Its not the full Broadway experience but the singers and dancers were very talented.