This is a blog of the Jazzbeaux Iceland cruise and hiking trip from August 19 to 30, 2019. We flew to Reykjavík on Delta, spent two nights in Reykjavík, boarded Ponant Le Champlain for a 7-day circumnavigation of Iceland with daily hiking excursions by Backroads, then spent one more day in Reykjavík before flying home.
During the trip, Jazzbelle kept detailed notes and I [Jazzbeau] took lots of pictures. After returning home, I revised the notes to remove names [to protect the guilty, as they say…] and put it in my voice to avoid confusion. Jazzbelle became ‘DW’ in internet parlance [‘Dear Wife’].
In planning for this trip I used the brand-new Rick Steves Iceland [2019] book, as well as Trip Advisor [www.tripadvisor.com] and, of course, Cruise Critic [www.cruisecritic.com].
What follows is a day-by-day account of the trip with lots of pictures. Enjoy!
Our flight from JFK to Reykjavík took just under 5 hours on Delta. When we boarded, DW and I had the only two seats in our Comfort+ row (aisle and aisle). At the last minute they put two young children next to me, with their mother several rows behind. That wasn’t going to work for anybody [!] so I gave my seat to the mother and I moved over to the window next to DW. We still had an empty in the middle, so it was a nice roomy [and quiet] flight.
Moving through Customs and baggage claim at KEF went smoothly and our driver Sigi was waiting for us. The ride into the city took 45 minutes and DW dozed for a good bit of it. [It’s amazing that she can’t sleep on planes, but the minute she gets in a car or bus she’s out like a light.]
One is not overwhelmed by flora in Iceland. Its beauty lies in its ruggedness. The architecture out near the airport is simple and utilitarian. There was a hint of graffiti (certainly more so in the city). There were also some curious rock formations that looked like cairns as imagined by Giacometti [we later learned that they are indeed sculptures, called “Stone Trolls” or “Silent Sentinels,” by an Icelandic artist].
Arriving at our hotel [Konsulat by Hilton] well before 8 am, our room was not ready but we were invited to have breakfast. That helped. [This was in addition to the free breakfast we were entitled to the next day – very classy move by Hilton.]
Our room was available before 9:30 so it gave DW a chance for another nap. I caught up with email before we headed out. We bundled up as temps here were in the 50s and overcast [as opposed 90 as we left NY].
We walked over 5 miles exploring Reykjavík, basically following the Rick Steves Reykjavík Walk. We started in Ingolfur’s Square, where they have stone pillars that recreate the carved wooden pillars that the first settler of Iceland, Ingolfur Arnason, threw off his ship so that the gods could show him where to settle. Three years later the slaves he sent to find them ended up in a “smoky bay” [translation of Reykjavík; named for the thermal vapors in the area].
[Also note the Icelandic custom for names. You have a given name [first name], but instead of a family name you take your father’s name and add –son [or dottir, as the case may be]. So Ingolfur Arnason was the son of Arni, and his son was named Thorsteinn Ingolfsson. This is still used in many Icelandic families, which makes it hard to keep track of who is related to whom [just like in a Russian novel…]
Then we wandered in and out of narrow streets, past colorful houses [painted brightly to cheer the locals in the dreary winter], some with wood siding but many with vertical, corrugated metal to withstand the cold and wind and resist fire.
We descended below street level to visit the digs of The Settlement Exhibition, where they have uncovered the remains of a 10th century longhouse and farmstead. A couple of doors down the street is the one-story Black House, originally built around 1760 for the textile industry. Here we saw an extensive photo exhibit depicting life around 1900 including the effects of the dreadful Spanish Influenza.
On we went to City Hall—2 glass buildings surrounded almost entirely by water teeming with ducks [but no Canada geese, thank God]. Its lower lobby had an immense topographic floor map of Iceland that was helpful to visualize our coming itinerary. [And which, even more amazingly, was gone when we went back a week later. It was so big and substantial-looking that we were amazed they could store it away as needed.]
Reykjavík is very small for a capital city, and this really comes out in Austurvöllur, Iceland’s Parliament Square. This is a small square, and on the south side is a small building that houses the AlÞingi, the ‘world’s oldest parliament.’ [Note the odd letter: the Icelandic alphabet has 32, but most of the added ones are pronounced ‘th’ – I can see them now, sitting around the fire during a long medieval winter, thinking “this will really confuse tourists in the 21st century!”]
Next to the parliament building is the small but well cared for Lutheran Cathedral [Dómkirkjan], which would be overwhelmed in size by the newer Hallgrimskirkja church on the hill.
Leaving the old town area, we walked past the Prime Minister’s office [a converted jail, and nowhere near as fancy as the stores around it – there is a new jail, but it houses mostly white collar criminals – we were told that there are no gangs and very little violent crime in Iceland] and up the main shopping street to the big new church on the highest hill in Reykjavík.
Hallgrimskirkja church was designed in the 1930s to one-up the Catholics, who had just built their Cathedral on the second-highest hill on the other side of town. From a distance it looks like a sand castle, but up close one sees that it resembles basalt columns, which would relate to the volcanic history of Iceland. The inside is austere, but was warmed up during our visit by an organist practicing for a concert later that week.
Standing in front of the cathedral is a statue of Leifur Eiriksson, which was donated by the US government to mark the AlÞingi’s 1,000th anniversary in 1930.
Across the street, we wandered through the Einar Jonsson sculpture garden.
Since it was such a nice day, we headed down the hill to the water to see the Sun Voyager stainless steel sculpture, which is shaped like the skeleton of a Viking ship.
We continued walking along the water to the Harpa Concert Hall. Its glass paneled exterior catches the light on a sunny day, but it looked rather dull under the clouds and a sprinkling of rain. [They offer guided tours that include either a mini-concert or a brief singing demonstration to show off the hall’s great acoustics, but they weren’t available on the days we were there.]
We had noticed that the Windstar Star Breeze cruise yacht was in, so we walked around the Miðbakki old port area to see it. [We’ll be on her sister ship Star Legend next fall.]
Back to the Konsulat for more sleep before Happy Hour in the lobby and dinner. They had told us that the hotel offers happy hour with free drinks and food every evening – but during this first stay there was a large group of Diageo liquor sales reps and they had reserved the bar area for a private function so the hotel hadn’t set anything up for the other customers. I just wanted a quick glass of wine, but when we asked about the happy hour they immediately started preparing a tray of sushi. [We don’t like sushi, but after all their trouble we felt compelled to try a little. It didn’t kill me, but I still don’t care for it.]
The hotel desk got us a reservation at Grillmarkaðurinn restaurant, a rustic cave-like place with really good food. We shared two of their signature dishes: a trio of mini-sliders (minke whale, puffin, langoustine), then ‘The Fish Gourmet’ sampler platter with ocean perch with crab, arctic char with pesto, and cod with langoustine. It was all yummy.
We checked out of the Konsulat and Nevin said she would store our bags till we returned. Off we went to the Volcano House, a mini-museum with specimens of volcanic rock and ash, and two half-hour movies devoted to the devastating volcanic eruptions in 1973 and 2010. The latter was the one that spewed clouds of ash for weeks all across Europe, disrupting air traffic. It seems to have put Iceland on the map. But the 1973 movie was really captivating, as it showed the fiery lava eruption on Heimaey Island that flowed slowly down the crater and into the town, evaporating dozens of houses and threatening to destroy the important harbor. The harbor turned out to be their salvation, as they were able to borrow huge water pumps [from the US] and cool down the flowing lava until it stopped – just short of the harbor. [We were expecting to visit Heimaey toward the end of our cruise – but read on…]
We walked along the busy commercial shore till we reached Aurora Reykjavík, which had photos, videos, detailed explanations of Northern Lights. We met a woman from CA who had just finished trail running [!] in Iceland and was hoping to catch a showing of the lights. The exhibit explained that this was possible for her, but unlikely – because you need a clear night [we had mostly cloudy weather], to be in a dark area [although they had movies taken in Reykjavík, which isn’t as bright a city as NYC or Vegas…], and to be in the high point of the sunspot cycle [we are in the low point]. We didn’t see them during this entire trip, but maybe she was luckier…
Around the corner was Saga Museum in which one wears a headset and progresses station to station viewing realistic mannequins and life scenes depicting the Iceland’s Viking Settlement Age.
Museums behind us, we walked up the hill to spend prayer time at the [Catholic] Cathedral of Christ the King. [This was the building that got the Lutherans jealous and led to the building of Hallgrimskirkja church – which was designed by the same architect.] Well maintained and peaceful, but it would never win any awards for interior design or good taste. [All Masses are in Icelandic, except for one Sunday Mass in Polish. Poles are the only substantial minority in Iceland, making up 4% of the country’s population – but a much larger percent of the churchgoing population.]
We headed back to the Konsulat, walking down Embassy Row and then through a construction zone. Iceland suffered greatly during the 2008 financial crisis but now everything is booming – especially deconstruction and (re)construction. Just within eyeshot tonight DW counted more than two dozen construction cranes.
Upon our return to the Konsulat, Nevin greeted us and said she had called our next hotel [Icelandair Hotel Reykjavík Natura] and had us upgraded to the ‘Blue Suite’ with free spa access. Then she called a taxi and we were off to the Natura, which is situated adjacent to the municipal airport – mercifully, they don’t fly at night.
We dined in the hotel restaurant Satt. They serve a dinner buffet, and the chef was carving a lovely lamb roast.
At 9:00 am we convened in the Natura lobby to check in with our Backroads guides (Diego, Magdalena, Chema, and Svenja). Our luggage was taken to the ship while we all gathered in the theater of the hotel for an introductory briefing before shuttling off to our first excursion to Nesjavellir, an incredible valley that comprises part of the Hengill geothermal area.
On the Geothermal Mud Pot Hike, our leaders explained about the physical happenings around us and how Iceland could supply all of Europe with geothermal energy because of its volcanic underpinnings.
The Nesjavellir Climb gave us great view of Þingvellir Lake.
The difficulty of walking these trails lay in the loose, large gravel underfoot, so I was glad to have my hiking poles. [DW, like a mountain goat, scampered unencumbered by poles and did just fine.]
Our lunch break was at the Hotel Ion, a buffet including cod, of course. [I got to try my first Icelandic craft beer. I ordered an IPA but got an APA – Arctic Pale Ale. Different, but good.]
Back in our vans and off to Þingvellir [Thingvellir] National Park where we followed the historic site walk [the AlÞingi was established here in AD 930 and continued meeting here until 1798]. We also explored the national park and walked through a chasm where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates are pulling apart – one foot in each continent! We clocked over 6 miles today.
We were then driven to Hafnarfjörður Harbor to board Ponant Le Champlain. The ship is lovely, outside and in. Probably the most beautiful ship I have seen. And very well planned and executed, with high quality finishes and subtle luxury. Our cabin was not large [204sf] but very well laid out.
We unpacked our bags and hurried to the talk about life on board. Next we had the mandatory safety drill before a quick change of clothes for dinner. We sat with our shuttle mates, Kathy and Rick from FL.
We were not overwhelmed by the culinary talents of the chef or the quality of the entrees. The ribeye steaks were tough! [I get fatty for this cut, but above all ribeyes are supposed to be tender…] Vegetarian salad was a small head of lettuce with a couple of slices of tomato and cucumber with a drizzle of balsamic.
DW grabbed a light breakfast in the dining room and I got a continental ‘late riser’ brekkie in the lounge before taking in the Backroads talks at 9:00. Chema and Diego talked about the day.
The Captain announced a sighting of whales and dolphins, so many passengers tried to get a peak. We saw only the latter but some friends saw a whale from their balcony.
After a buffet lunch, we met on the dock at 12:30 and boarded vans to take us to our first hiking trail of the day. The Valagil Waterfall Hike took us past a mirror lake reflecting the ice shields [they look like small glaciers but don’t move] on mountains in the distance.
We walked through mud and meadow, over small streams, on gravel till we reached a wooden bridge. Only five at a time could fit in the best vantage point to see and photograph Valagil Waterfall. Reversing the route returned us to the waiting vans and a selection of snacks and hot teas. [Backroads is very good at keeping you hydrated and energized.]
On we drove to the Buna Waterfall. We then hiked back to the dock in the bustling fishing town of Ísafjördur, the ‘capital’ of the West Fjords. Although isolated by mountains and fjords from the rest of Iceland, it is known for its rather cosmopolitan and urban atmosphere, flourishing cultural life and rich heritage of music and visual arts. We hiked 7 miles today! Had light rain for a short time, with temps in the 50s.
This town was almost destroyed in 1995 by a massive avalanche. Forty lives were lost, many houses destroyed… Icelandic ingenuity and lots of funding have now safeguarded the population and new homes with the construction of a massive avalanche wall, snow guard fences and deterrent earth mounds.
Back on board, Backroads hosted a gathering in the Panoramic Lounge for cocktails and yummy hors d’oeuvres. Chema, one of our guides, invited us to go down to the Theater as the Captain was going to discuss the weather report for the rest of the trip. Treacherous wind and rain and swells were in the forecast, and he and his crew would decide if the itinerary needed to be adjusted.
The first Captain’s Gala dinner followed. Almost everyone dressed smartly, but there were no tuxes or haute couture gowns. There were two five-course tasting menus to choose from [classic and vegetarian]. Our entrée was bar (a white fish) [‘they’ had carrots – so glad I’m not a vegetarian!] Dessert was good. The company was enjoyable as we dined with Diane and Harry from San Antonio.
A couple of things about Iceland! Did you know about the cod wars with Great Britain in the mid-20th century? The English started poaching [no pun intended] the Icelandic fishing territory and fishing vessels came close to violent confrontations. The US intervened and persuaded England to retreat so there would not be an international incident. Now Iceland has a 200-mile exclusive fishing zone.
We already mentioned the world’s first parliament [Þingvellir] – and the first woman President in the world was in Iceland in the 1960s.
Today’s destination was Grímsey Island, the northernmost point in Iceland where the Arctic Circle cuts across the top. It has a population of 35 (swelling to 100 in the summer). Many species of aquatic birds come to nest in the spring and summer. Puffins stay at sea all winter [young puffins stay out for years, until they are ready to breed] and then come back to the same spot on the cliff walls to reconnect with their mate and raise new chicks. They can live to up to 30 years.
Unfortunately, the puffins had already left on their migration south when we arrived. But our local guide, Hetla, had a surprise for us. She walked us to her neighbor’s house to see a puffin chick [or ‘puffling’] which had been rescued when it failed to set off with the flock. Dubbed Loaky, he will be tagged and set free next summer, but they don’t know what he will do when he gets old enough to breed since he has bonded with the neighbor: will he come back to the house and his ‘daddy,’ or join the other puffins on the cliff walls?
A recent phenomenon is the death of many arctic terns. A scientific crew will come this week to start taking samples from the bird corpses scattered on the treeless fields to find out what is happening.
Grímsey Island is shaped like a wedge, with 400-foot cliffs along the eastern side sloping down to sea level on the south and west where the only down is located. The only height above the grass line is a fat, wooly sheep or two [or twenty].
Off and hiking. We all put on every available layer of clothing, hat, scarf, gloves. [Well, stupid me left his gloves in the cabin, but my loving wife shared hers. Luckily once we got going the wind died down and the exertion warmed me up.] It was in the 40s and the wind was brutal.
We stopped at the monument for the old Arctic Circle monument [did you know it moves? – the Arctic Circle, not this monument – it will eventually be in the sea north of the island, until the earth’s axis starts to shift back*] and continued along the cliffs of Básavik to the northern tip of Grímsey [Fótur Point], where a huge concrete ball with a hole in it [for the Arctic Circle to pass through] marks the present location. [This new Arctic Circle monument will – at least in theory – be moved to match the progress of the Arctic Circle itself.] The descent to it and the climb back up were our biggest challenges.
*I was taught that the Arctic Circle is fixed at 66° 33′ 39″ latitude, which is where the old monument is situated. But apparently they have changed the definition to match the point at which the earth’s tilt causes total darkness in winter. According to wikipedia:
The position of the Arctic Circle is not fixed and currently runs 66°33′47.9″ north of the Equator. Its latitude depends on the Earth’s axial tilt, which fluctuates within a margin of more than 2 degrees over a 41,000-year period, due to tidal forces resulting from the orbit of the Moon. Consequently, the Arctic Circle is currently drifting northwards at a speed of about 15 m (49 ft) per year.
The plan had been to hike around the high eastern cliff tops – but it was so foggy that there was nothing to see and it was still cold and windy over there, so most people [including us] headed back to the town. After a total of 5.5 miles, we were back at our tender port where Chema treated us to hot cocoa. Truly welcome!
Back to Le Champlain where crew members were fishing off the back and catching dinner, Atlantic wolffish. We continued inside for ‘chocolate tea,’ i.e., tea or juice with chocolate goodies. [Each day had such a tea, with a different theme.]
Then a well deserved nap followed.
We toddled down late to dinner in the Nautilus restaurant and eventually Kathy and Rick joined us. It was the best supper onboard to date. I had carpaccio/arugula, wolffish, and macaron with fresh raspberries and lychees, and DW had an arugula salad, scallops with celery puree, tenderloin of veal, and chocolate mint cake.
So far lunch has been the better meal with wonderful cheeses, cold cuts, breads and butter.We received two sets of certificates for crossing the Arctic Circle – one from the ship [as we had sailed through it] and one from our local guide [as we walked through it and stood with one leg on each side]. This goes with our Equator-spanning and Greenwich Prime Meridian-spanning pictures. We only need the International Date Line and the Antarctic Circle to complete the set!
We went with the early risers today, meaning we had to be off the ship before 8 am in Akureyri. This is Iceland’s second largest urban area with almost 19,000 inhabitants [a far cry from Grímsey]. It has been nicknamed the ‘Capital of the North.’
Thirty one of us piled into a full size bus which drove an hour and a quarter [through a 7km tunnel – Iceland’s newest] to Lake Myvatn which sits along the gap of North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. The area is very active geothermally.
We climbed the Hverfjall Crater, which was formed by a volcanic eruption 2300 years ago. Huffing and puffing [not to be confused with puffling, which was the term for chick who failed to launch on Grímsey], we made it up the steep incline to the crater’s edge and then on to the highest point along the rim before retracing out steps. [We could have gone all the way around, but the wind was fierce and I was afraid that DW would be blown off – Packing memo: next time bring lead weights for pockets…] In additional to seeing the caldera close-up, we had great views of the entire Lake Myvatn area.
Diego rewarded us with herbal tea and chocolate treats when we reached the bus. We all opted not to take the bus but instead to do the optional hike through fields of rough-formed lava and tiny wildflowers and trees taking in the mountains and occasional snowfields surrounding us.
Our next destination was Grjotagja lava cave [site of a romantic retreat in Game of Thrones] where we descended rocky footing to a steaming pool. This used to be a popular spot for thermal bathing, but recent geothermal activity has rendered the springs too hot for soaking.
The bus then took us to a delicious lunch of Arctic char and chicken [with the best brownies!] at Fosshotel Myvatn.
Re-energized, we drove on to Godafoss, a truly beautiful waterfall with aqua glacial water. Just below the major cataract is a smaller one, called Geitafoss.
We returned to Akureyri in time for final boarding at 3:15.
4:00 found the two of us in the main lounge having buttered crepes with caramel sauce.
Then I went to the Backroads beer and schnapps tasting.We dined in Nautilus with Kathy and Rick. Our notes for this dinner are sketchy, but we know that DW enjoyed a Caesar salad [this was consistently excellent throughout the cruise] and molten lava cake with caramel.
After our usual 9:00 pre-hiking talk in the lounge, DW went to the Theater for a presentation on The Incredible Vikings by the ship’s lecturer, Jean Louis Joret.
Early lunch and we both tried flounder. Nice and moist.
At 12:45, we met our Fire group on the pier and had a short guided tour of Seyðisfjörður town by a local resident, Olamya. The two groups parted company at the Avalanche Memorial sculpture at the foot of Mt. Bjolfur [named for the town’s very first settler]. Some of the houses we passed sported art work, even a little risqué [no pictures – this is a family-friendly blog!]
We were offered two choices for this hike: the upper route climbed partway up Mt. Bjolfur and then came down at the head of the fjord to meet the other group. The lower route took an easier path along the other side of the fjord and then doubled back.
Most of the trekkers chose to go the lower route, which took us through conifers, over some rocks and streams, and past waterfalls. It was a lovely hike matched by our best day weather-wise so far. Maybe high 60s and sunny! We kept peeling off layers of clothes.
Back in town we reconvened at a local coffee house where Chema bought each of us soda or cappuccino… We declined and walked down the rainbow path on the main street of Seyðisfjörður to the ‘famousBlue Church’ (Lutheran, of course). By the time we returned to our ship, we had walked 6 miles.
‘US’ tea was the listing for this day—apple crumb tart. Delicious! Napping, too.
The seas were getting rougher so Captain Boucher held another meeting to tell us that he had decided to reverse course, meaning we would have a sea day on Tuesday as we made our way counterclockwise [with the wind] back to the Reykjavík area.
We succeeded in weaving our way to the dining room. And sat at a table with Terry and Loretta from LA. Eventually Kathy and Rick found us. I had spinach ravioli with ricotta in consommé [the vegetarian entrée, ordered as an appetizer], filet mignon [a proper entrée], and a quad of ice creams and sorbets. DW had Caesar salad, a strange hamburger and good fries, followed by a chocolate tart. Yum!
Boy, did we rock and roll all night with the weather! [But it would have been much worse if we had proceeded on in the planned clockwise route!]
[Because of the itinerary change we missed the planned stop at Heimaey Island, with a hike to the 1973 lava field and an optional climb to the top of the Eldfell crater. I don’t think we missed much new, because we had climbed the Hverfjall crater and we had seen the documentary about the 1973 eruption at the Volcano Museum in Reykjavík. Ironically, after initially looking for cruise itineraries with no sea days we have now come to cherish them – especially after hiking 5-6 miles a day!]
It was really rough getting ready for and walking to breakfast. DW sat at a table with a couple of Brits before going to our Backroads 9:30 meeting on tomorrow’s agenda.
DW went to the documentary Chasing Ice (James Balog, photographer) before lunch. I watched Joret’s first Iceland talk [of 4] on TV – he was OK, but I decided not to watch the others.
The afternoon entertainment was a screening of the film The Secret Life of Walter Mitty – not a very good film, but apparently it was shot in Iceland. [We skipped it.]
After lunch with a couple from Fort Lauderdale, we took full advantage of our day at sea—lazing, reading, dozing.
The seas began to calm down as Le Champlain headed due south along the western coast of Iceland [and the wind at our back].
The Captain’s Farewell was held in the Theater with entertainment, champagne and hors d’oeuvres. DW chatted with a couple currently from Sydney but originally from South Africa.
The second gala dinner followed around 7:30 with no sign of the Captain joining us – we all hoped he was on the bridge with a steady hand on the controls! The ‘classic’ tasting menu started out with a crab amuse bouche, followed by scallop ceviche, then shrimp, then tenderloin of lamb. It was topped off with a rich chocolate confection with whipped cream. It was the first night that the four of us did not close the DR.
We parted company with Kathy and Rick and tried to catch the end of the show. [We had missed all the entertainment so far, thanks to the great table conversations.] It turned out to be the piano soloist, playing very somber music – so we went back to our cabin to catch up on email etc. On a light note, every day Backroads gave us a snapshot of the upcoming day’s activities and at the top it would say Day One, Day Two, etc. [in Icelandic]. Today’s was Day Six or ‘Dagur Sex.’ We had a lot of fun with that, especially quizzing the guides as to why there was no late-night ‘action.’ Maybe it was because none of us had remembered to bring our daggers…
Dagur Sjo (Day 7 – no more jokes about the heading…) and we were in our final port – where we had begun this cruise, Hafnarfjörður. Rough seas were behind us but we had an early start to our day as we had to meet our Backroads guides out on the pier at 8:30. In the rain!
And it rained the whole time we were out. An hour’s drive (the last part being over extremely rough terrain) brought us to Hveragerdi. The hike started with a very steep descent atop large, rough, loose gravel. [DW even took one walking stick for that part, but then she had to carry it the rest of the way – and confirmed that the hassle isn’t worth the benefit for her.] The hike took us to a place where a hot geothermal river mixes with a cold glacier river – a favorite place for Icelanders to bathe because you can vary the water temp just by moving up- or down-stream a little.
We were offered the opportunity to bathe in the hot springs, but quite a few of us opted out. There was no dry, sheltered place to change clothes or to store them while soaking in the warm water. Despite rain gear we all got fairly wet [either the rain seeped in, or perspiration soaked you from inside].
We did get to see waterfalls, steam vents, mud pots, hot springs and plenty of sheep. There was evidence of the presence of Icelandic horses on our trail – but none in the fields. [This confirms that there are no wild horses in Iceland.]
In a little under 5 miles, we made it to the vans, which could shuttle us to lunch or we could continue hiking there. Enough is enough! We decided that we were not in the ‘wuss van’ but in the one with the highest IQs!
A hot buffet lunch awaited us at Skyrgerdin starting with a hot, flavorful soup. Salad and vegetables, potatoes and chicken in a sauce were yummy and filling. And an iced, almond layer cake mit schlag filled us to bursting.
We were back on our ship a little after two, thanks to Magdalena’s skillful driving.
The two of us assessed the waterdamage to our belongings and began hanging them around the cabin. [The shower stall has a clothes line and a great ventilation system so that everything dried very quickly. This was great for DIY laundry – even though as Ponant ‘Majors’ we were entitled to free laundry throughout the cruise.]
DW took a break up in the 6th floor forward lounge for awhile. No one else was there. And then she had a coffee-flavored mini cream puff (today’stea).
At 6:00 we all gathered in the main lounge on Deck 3 for our Backroads farewell cocktail party. Delicious canapés were circulated and wine and champagne were available. Also mixed drinks at the bar. [I ordered a Hendricks G&T but had to stop the bartender when she started to pour in Royal Club tonic – see the extensive thread on Cruise Critic about this awful stuff: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2447579-the-recurring-tonic-question-anyone-on-journey-now/ Thankfully I had noticed one can of Schweppes tonic in our cabin mini-bar, so I ran back and got that to save the drink. The Hendricks ‘call’ cost 11 Euros – that seems excessive since a ‘well brand’ G&T would have been free.]
Backroads had arranged local entertainment at their party. A young Icelandic singer, Hanna Mia, spoke to us about Iceland, answered our questions and sang three songs. Two were folksongs in Icelandic and the third was in English and was made popular by a young group called Of Monsters and Menwho are known in the US. She told us she had tried to find the happiest Icelandic folk songs she could, but all of them are sad!
After the party we walked by the Theater to catch the end of the movie The Vikings– just as Tony Curtis and Kirk Douglas were clashing swords over Janet Leigh. They were ‘chewing the scenery’ as always…
[We received the semi-final statement from Ponant in our cabin, showing a 100 Euro credit that we hadn’t expected – another benefit of our ‘honorary’ Major status. That took the sting out of the 11 Euro charge for my Hendricks G+T, but left little time to spend the rest as the shop had closed when we docked.] So I bought a bottle of Barolo at dinner and shared it with our tablemates, Kathy and Rick, and new acquaintances, Harriet and Tom from Orange Beach, AL. That left 4 Euros, which I donated to the crew fund [gratuities are included by Backroads except for their tour leaders, but more is always welcome.]
We all enjoyed our dinners. I had beef cannelloni with red sauce, Caesar salad, chicken fricassee, and DIY peach melba [the featured peach dessert with raspberry sorbet on the side]. DW had octopus carpaccio, grilled vegetables, flounder and chocolate fondant.We packed our bags and put them in the corridor for pickup. [They weren’t due until 6 am, so for the first time in our cruising history we were early!]
Jazzbeaux Backroads/Ponant Icelandic Loop 8-2019 