Catch a Cold, If You Can, In Akureyri, Iceland

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I’m up early again, working on the blog ahead of the alarm that we’ve set. Things aren’t looking all that good outside, and I think that we are both concerned about being able to get into the harbor for tendering today. We head up to the Lido and grab our typical “Tour Day” breakfast. After four weeks on board the Rotterdam we seem to be hitting our stride. Maybe a 2020 World Tour isn’t such a far-fetched idea after all. The fog horn blared. As we eat pool side we begin to notice some small breaks in the fog, and then some daylight above, and before we were done eating we could see Akureyri, and we had arrived.

There were a ton of people waiting to go on the “Jewels of Iceland” tour. Probably many tons because they filled several busses. Exiting the hall Sharon murmurs, “Great! We got the last two stickers for Bus Number 2”. This meant that we would once again be seated in the rear and might not get seats together. As it did turn out, we had a choice a couple of seats together, and chose the one we thought would be good for taking pictures. The one we chose was the one on the sunny side on the ride up to the highlands. The Konigsdam is also in town today, and it was also docked at the pier near us.

People kept saying to Sharon, “My dear, you’re going to positively freeze.” They didn’t seem too concerned about me in my short-sleeved polo shirt. At least I did wear a pair of jeans in lieu of the cargo pant shorts I’ve been wearing on tour up until now. Sharon assures them that we’re prepared; but, for now we were comfortable. Looking around at all of the people bundled up in parkas, ski hats, wool sweaters, my goodness: You’d think that we were in Iceland!

Our first stop was to see Godafoss, The Waterfall of the Gods. Those last two steps off the bus were giant ones, especially the final jump down to the ground. Rumor has it that this is where an ancient chieftain having converted to Christianity threw all of his pagan idols, and hence the name. Some people said that it reminded them of Niagra Falls, and certainly from its shape and the secondary falls, there is a remote kinship. A steady spray is issuing from the falls; but, nothing compared to Niagra. There was a well-made cement walkway to most of the prime viewing areas that made accessibility greatly enhanced. There were other areas, taking you closer to the edge, where sure footedness was mandatory to negotiate the large uneven stone steps down. We took our time and many pictures. Sharon recalled that on her previous visit to Godafoss the waterfall was hidden behind a foggy veil.

Lake Mývatn was our next stop, a shallow eutrophic lake situated in an active volcanic area in the north of Iceland near Kraflavolcano. The lake and surrounding wetlands are rich with water birds, particularly ducks. The lake was created by a large basaltic lava eruption about 2,300 years ago, and the surrounding landscape is dominated by volcanic landforms including lava pillars and vents. We again stayed on the upper well-maintained path and viewed the lake that had filled the low laying parts left after volcanic activity. Some walked down the staired access to the path leading to some volcanic bubbles. We enjoyed the view from above and appreciated the well-placed bench. We could have done without the midges though. Already the breeze was picking up and the clouds loomed a bit more threatening than earlier. What we didn’t know was the imminent threat wasn’t coming from above; but, from below. We decided to head back down the asphalt path down the hill. A group from a newly arrived bus was headed up our way. I was just behind Sharon as we took our time getting down the hill. And then it happened. One of those “double-barreled” phlegm filled hacking rasping coughs at point blank range into Sharon’s face. No attempt to cover it up; and, certainly no apology or acknowledgement. She just continued, hacking her way up the hill.

Our next stop was at the Lava Labyrinth, a wonderland of lava activity that captured red hot falling and dancing rock on what now appears to be an otherworldly landscape. A number of columns stand frozen in time, and we again were told of the trolls that had come here and had been in discussions through the night, not paying attention to the rising sun, and thus being turned to stone. There were large stone towers with holes through the top like windows. The more adventurous ventured closer to explore caves that I suppose, had once been home to those trolls. Lava tubes if the truth be told. One sign at the entrance told what you could see and how far to the right, what you could see and how far to the left; but, the one that caught my attention was the one that pointed down 1,500 meters. I didn’t go off trail to see if the lava tube opening really did provide access to something about one mile down in the earth. I decided to take the sign-maker’s word for it. There were those who wanted to see for themselves. We didn’t explore the whole labyrinth. That would have taken more time than we had; besides, the farther that you walked down to explore, the farther up we would have to walk to get back to the bus. And this group has been pretty good about getting back to the bus.



Our guide pointed us to the sandy-colored slopes on a distant mountain, saying that we’d be heading there next. Geo-thermal activity made this area the site for one of Iceland’s geo-thermal power plants. The sandy color is from the steaming water and mud that had oozed from the ground in the past. Today we travelled to the other side where the geo-thermal activity was visible on the surface, with a long stretch of steam vents bellowing steam and noxious fumes from below. The area is well maintained for visitors. In one murky pool there was the constant bubbling of water and mud, not sufficient to be a geyser; but, steady nonetheless. We were cautioned that these waters and muds were extremely hot and not suitable for bathers. On our drive over however, we did spot one such bather apparently emerging from the overgrown green low laying vegetation that evidently concealed his favorite bathing hole. Our guide assured us that there were many such “secret spots” in the area. We’d also passed by a “Blue Lagoon” not unlike the one in Reykjavik; but, this one was much too hot to bath in.

Our final stop was for lunch at a restaurant in a hotel. The whole dining area seemed to be reserved for two of our busses. We sat in a very nice booth for two; but, being the last to arrive we didn’t get the choice tables by the window. The ice water in a two-liter carafe was already on the table; but, it took the servers a while to get us our first course, a bowl of carrot soup that Sharon declined. It looked like carrot soup served with crème fraiche; but, I had to ask to be sure. The second course was Arctic char, which tasted as I remembered trout. It was served with soggy roasted potatoes which was all that Sharon had for lunch, along with the very good “Lava Bread” that had been brought to us as well. There were four small slices of white and an equal number of brown bread. The bread cooks in the ground overnight. No dessert was provided so they lost points there too.

The drive back sees the weather worsening, and it sure looked like rain. We return with just enough time to get to Team Trivia; which, Sharon needed to remind was in the MIX on the Upper Promenade today. The Crow’s Nest was being used for the sail-away narration. Our whole team found their way to the MIX. “What is the traditional drink for the Winner of the Indy-500?” It’s a good thing that we have a “car-guy” on our team. Duncan wrote down the right answer: “Milk”. I wonder what Budweiser thinks about that! Linda likes “Word Definition” questions: “What is a ‘Locavore’?” We were on the right track: Carnivores eat meat, Omnivores eat anything. We decided on “Eat locally grown/produced food”. And we got the point! Linda wanted to know, “How many stripes are on the US Flag… That go across the full length of the flag?” I was having trouble convincing people that it was six. Sharon insisted, “It’s either six or seven.” I told her, it needs to be an even number. And so, we went with six. I was surprised nobody asked me why it needed to be an even number. Well, if you know that there are more red stripes than white stripes, which I do; and, you know that the stripe below the blue field is white, which I do, then the number must be even! “Who is the father of modern physics and observable sciences and Einstein called him ‘The father of modern science’?” I suggested Newton. Unfortunately, the answer was Galileo. The bonus question was a combination of two questions we’ve heard before. For four points, “Name each of King Lear’s daughters, and which was the ‘good’ daughter?” She might have phrased the question better, asking instead for his ‘favorite’ daughter. Pam wanted to know, “How do you know this?” And I admitted I’d read “King Lear” since our previous cruise when Shakespeare questions on plays other than “Hamlet” started popping up; but, truthfully this question was also in my spreadsheet. Cordelia was the favorite daughter, and Goneril and Regan were the other two. We got 14 out of 19 points and came in second. The winners had a pre-teen girl on their team that knew the “Galileo” answer. Linda later said her faith in the public-school system has been restored; only, it turns out that she is home-schooled.

Sharon decided that she didn’t see anything to her liking on the Dining Room menu, so once again she saw me head off without her. I was seated at a table for two with one other couple who evidently dines at that table every day, as they seemed to have a long rapport with the serving stewards. I ordered the Shrimp Mango and Citrus Aioli for my first appetizer. The lady had ordered the French Onion Soup, but with the toasted French Bread provided on the side, along with some shredded provolone. I decided to also order the French Onion Soup; but, I used my knife to cut up the cheese and toasted French Bread because, unless you do something like this, the cheese and toasted bread makes a massive hunk of gunk that’s awful hard to eat. Ordering the toast and cheese on the side, and adding them in as you consume the soup is certainly a viable approach. Her second course was sliced avocado, so she’s certainly ordering “outside the box”. They later brought her tomorrow’s menu to make her selections, so I realized that she was getting one of those “special meals” that Erin used to accuse Sharon of getting (but it’s Erin that gets the next day menus on board not Sharon). The man ordered the Roasted Celeriac and Pecorino Soup and the steward agreed that this was his “favorite soup”. When it came it looked like a creamy cheese soupl that I wished that I had ordered. When the steward took the mostly finished dish away when he was done, he asked, “How was your soup?” “It was fair,” he replied. I’m thinking, “Okay, these two are hard to please!” I had no idea. They’ve done lots of cruising, and they inquired about the cruises that we have planned. It turns out that she does not like to fly; consequently, they take trips that like the Voyage of the Vikings that return to the port of origin, so long as that port is one they can reach by train from their home in Florida. It turns out, they will be on the 2020 World Cruise with us, and I was thinking that it was too bad Sharon wasn’t here to compare notes. Then she asked me about the tour that I’d taken today, and I drew a blank. I guess I’m just not used to somebody asking me where we went today; because, Sharon is always there to field those questions. She did coax it out of me. “Did you see the waterfall?” “Yeah, the waterfall.” Don’t you just love those Senior moments. “And the labyrinth, did you see that too?” “Yeah, the labyrinth.” Then she switched gears on me and asked about yesterday. She had to suggest, “Did you see the glacier?” Okay, now I remember, I’ve written the blog on this part of our trip. She seemed to think that they were being untypically slow in bringing our entrées; so she set off to track somebody down. “Things seem awfully slow tonight…” “Madam, your dinners have just arrived.” “That table there got here after we did; and, look… they have already finished their desserts!” “Madam, your dinners are special-order. This takes time.” “Well I don’t see why!” The steward brought our main courses. I had ordered the Indian Red Lentil Dahl, and noted how I sometimes prefer HAL’s vegetarian offerings, and she seemed to agree. They put her sliced prime rib plate with a twice baked potato on it in front of her. He had gotten what looked like Chicken Kiev; although, I don’t recall seeing that on the menu. She didn’t seem to think that this was the dish that she’d ordered; but, her husband disagreed, assuring her that it was. She took one bite, “No. This just won’t do.” She summoned the head steward, explained that she was not satisfied, that this was not the dish that she ordered, and that she would NEVER order a baked potato, and he assured her, that he would make things right, apologizing profusely for this unfortunate mistake. She seemed satisfied, for now. I was sitting next to her husband, and she across from him. I don’t think that she saw what I saw, and I suspect what he saw as well. A second serving steward started to bring the same sliced prime rib plate with a twice baked potato and was preparing to serve it to her. At the last minute the head steward stepped between the steward with the faulty dinner and the lady, whispering something in Indonesian to him and guiding him back to the hub serving station. A few minutes later he returned to the table, with the “Everyday Steak” with peppercorn sauce and NO baked potato. “So, madam, is everything to your liking?” She dismissed him with a huff. Her husband and I were done eating (long ago). Time wise, it was about 7PM, so this was not terribly slow service compared to some of our earlier misadventures. I had the cheese plate, and tonight they got the cheeses right (almost). Tonight, instead of “Roque Port” the cheese appears now as “Roqueport”. At least I wasn’t expecting cheese with port wine in it.



Sharon took her dinner in the Lido. I returned to the cabin, and then we headed to the Showroom to watch the BBC presentation of “Planet Earth II” in concert with the HAL musicians. The animal wildlife sequences were riveting and well complimented by the music. The opening sequence involving hatchling iguanas born in the sands of Galapagos having to race for their lives against racer snakes, sometimes making it to the rocky outcroppings that can protect them, sometimes getting caught in a stranglehold, and sometimes managing an escape from that! Sharon enjoyed watching the penguins, these having perilous jumps into raging seas from atop rocky perches, and even more harrowing return from the sea against the water pounded rocks. The forty-five-minute presentation passed while keeping the whole audience captivated.



I decided to try my luck at blackjack at the Fun-21 table. I saw that the high roller was back at it with her previous companion. Two others were also playing at their table. I had my table all to myself. Sharon was going Buffalo Hunting; but, not next to the smoker that was puffing away with regard to where she was blowing smoke. She headed back to the cabin to catch up on some reading. I wound up there soon enough, and if I don’t watch out I may be getting another plate of chocolate covered strawberries.

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