Voyage to Iceland and Greenland

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1. - Introduction - Southampton

I suspect like many other travellers, 2022 is a year where travel plans cancelled by the pandemic finally come to fruition and this trip to Iceland and Greenland was no exception. This was to be our fourth visit to Iceland (the first being on honeymoon some 40 years ago!), but our first to Greenland and therefore a place on our bucket list to be ticked off. In mid-August, we travelled over to Southampton with a couple of days spare before embarking Island Princess for our voyage north.

As most of Europe was experiencing an unusually hot summer, we aimed to keep our outdoor activities in Southampton to a minimum. Our first stop was at the Tudor House, an old merchant house originally built on the dockside but now a fair distance from the port and which has been turned into a period museum. The small, but well-manicured gardens provided an ideal spot to be outside but keeping in the shade while having a light lunch. Once rested and rehydrated, we ventured a little further afield to the Solent Air Museum. Although the entrance is on a back street, this small museum is packed to the rafters with many aircraft and exhibits relating to Southampton's place in the UK's aviation history, particularly it’s association with the Schneider Trophy.

The following morning was embarkation day. There had been so many changes to Covid testing requirements in the period leading up to departure that we erred on the side of caution and had negative certificates in our possession, together with our paper vaccination certificates. The check-in staff just asked if we had done LFT's in the last 72 hours to which we confirmed that we had. What was surprising was that the check in staff didn't feel it necessary to ask if the result of the test was negative or positive! Anyway, from hotel lobby to stateroom took about 40 minutes so there was no cause for complaint and there was ample time to explore the ship before sailaway.



2. - England - Falmouth

Overnight, we cruised along the south coast of England as far as the port of Falmouth and it's beautiful natural harbour. A tender was required to get ashore and very soon we were walking along the road towards the town centre...but before reaching, were enticed into the National Maritime Museum. Again, many exhibits were packed into a relatively small space...everything from a history of tattooing to Ben Ainslie's 2012 Olympic winning sailing yacht. Or particular interest was the lookout tower which afforded a lovely view over the entire town; and not only did the tower ascend, but we could also descend, below the waterline in the harbour and observe the fish swimming to and fro.

Leaving the museum, we continued into town. It being a hot summer's day in the height of the tourist season and with a cruise ship anchored just offshore, the narrow streets were packed. However, as we were in Cornwall, two essential assignments had to be completed, the first of which was to eat a Cornish pastie. Many stores were selling them, so we made our purchases and headed to the Beerwolf Books freehouse where we were able to enter with our own food and wash it down with a pint from the nearby micro-brewery. A very agreeable lunch!

The second assignment was to have a traditional Cornish cream tea. On our walk up through the town we had passed Dolly's Tea House and so thought it a good idea to return there and complete the task. We were ushered upstairs to a lovely room which overlooked the high street. Tea, scones, strawberry jam and thick cream all arrived with undue delay. The only decision to make was whether or not the jam went on the scone first, or the cream. Aware that we would quickly become persona non grata if we got it wrong, Google was our guide and we were not thrown off the premises. (Jam first, cream afterwards…in Devon it’s the other way round).

It was soon time to make our way back to the tender boat and then on to the ship. It had been a lovely summer's day out in the picturesque Southwest of England.



3. - Ireland - Cobh and Cork

Another overnight sail and we reached the port of Cobh in Southwest Ireland. Our plan was to get the early train up into the city of Cork but being a Sunday morning there were only two trains, one at 8.30am and the next at 9.30am. We opted for the earlier and 25 minutes later we were stepping off in Cork station and walking into the city centre. As we had strongly suspected, virtually nothing was open and wasn't going to open for some time! We managed to find a coffee shop and lingered over a large latte before taking a leisurely walk along the deserted streets as far as Fitzgerald's Park. Our guidebook contained one redeeming suggestion for a Sunday...the Shandon Bells and belltower at St Anne's Church would be open at 11.30, so that is where we headed to next. Not surprisingly, we were first in line and having paid the nominal entrance fee and been supplied with a set of ear protectors, set about climbing the 130 steps to the top. It was quite a climb up very steep, narrow stone stairs with nothing but a rope to hold on to, and each level meant stepping over wooden rafters, ducking and weaving heads under low beams in the most confined of spaces. A belltower version of Twister as it were. We really needed a hard hat as well as ear protection. But once we reached the top the view was worthwhile with gorgeous Irish countryside visible for miles around and the City itself stretching out below. The descent was even more perilous as by now there were other people climbing up the steps and spaces to squeeze past were few and far between. And yes, the bells did chime but the ear protection did its job perfectly.

The time had come to get back down to Cobh from Cork City. Whereas the latter had been extremely quiet, the former displayed a real party atmosphere, it being Cobh Regatta weekend. We wondered along the waterfront; there were two bands playing, one churning out rock classics and the other keeping to more traditional Irish folk, jigs and reels. There were stalls selling home-made produce, fairground attractions for the children and plenty of activity on the water. We stopped for a pint at the Rob Roy (Murphy’s is drunk here, rather than Guinness) and then suitably refreshed, headed up the hill to take a look at St Colman’s Cathedral and also to take a picture of the famous “deck of cards”, a row of brightly painted houses stretching down the steep hillside. Reminders of the town’s importance as a stopping off point for transatlantic crossings (and in particular the Titanic) were everywhere. This was further underlined as Island Princess pulled away from the dockside…several townsfolk were in full Victorian dress, waving straw boaters and peering out demurely from beneath parasols as they waved us goodbye.



4. – Sea days en route to Iceland

After a busy few days it was good to be able to relax a little and catch up with what was going on around the ship. We had made a few new friends over dinner…two German girls, sisters having a bit of a break away from their families, Rita, a solo traveller from Nevada (who’s luggage had been lost somewhere between Reno and London) and several members of an online cruise forum which we had joined prior to sailing. (We had now spoken to several people whose luggage had gone astray and they were expecting it to be delivered when we got to Reykjavik in a few days). As always, the daily trivia quizzes featured highly in our “must do” list but we also managed to find a few quiet spots where we could just sit and read and watch the world go by. Our route took us up the (remarkably calm) Irish Sea and the Outer Hebrides were visible in the distance. We also managed to spot a pod of dolphins and later that day, our first whale. It was a little too far away for pictures and for identification, but we suspect it was a Finn or a Minke.

Our first stop in Iceland was to be Akuyeri in the north. Although Iceland itself is situated just south of the Arctic Circle (66.33N) I was interested to see whether or not the ship would sail far enough northward to cross the Circle before sailing into port. Luckily, I was lying awake at around 2am and remembered to check the GPS position on my phone. It read 66.34 N, 15.22W, so by my reckoning we had indeed become Bluenoses, if only for a short while.

5. – Iceland - Akuyeri

Sailing down Eyjafjordur and into Akuyeri was beautiful. There was not a breath of wind, the sky was clear and the water was like glass. The mountains stretched into the distance; their peaks flecked with white.

This was the one place where we had booked a ship’s excursion. We had visited many years ago and not seen very much as the summer midges were everywhere, getting into our eyes, mouth…everywhere there was exposed skin. This time we came prepared with headgear and nets and we made sure they were in our backpacks as we boarded the coach for our tour.

We drove a short distance eastward to Godafoss, the Waterfall of the Gods. It deserves it’s name as although not as large as Gullfoss in the south, it just appears in the middle of the countryside, horseshoe shaped and falling from a height of 12 meters (39 feet) over a width of 30 meters (98 feet). We strolled around the edge of the ravine and the obligatory selfie was taken.

We moved on to Namafjall Hverir, an area where geothermal activity reaches the surface. It’s a fascinating place of hot springs, bubbling mud pools, steam vents, plate tectonics in action and an overpowering smell of sulphur….if all that is your thing. I loved it!

Close by is Lake Myvatn (translated as Midge Lake… we should have realised this on our previous visit as the clue is in the name). However, this time, there was barely a midge to be seen and our nets were not required. The lake itself is shallow and shows ample evidence of vulcanism as well as a wide variety of flora and some fauna.

All too soon it was time to return to the ship with a quick stop off at the Dimmuborgir Lava Formations on the way back. Interestingly, there are places here where the earth is cleaved in two by narrow, but deep crevasses. One can quite literally stand with feet on different continental plates.

6. Iceland – Isafjordur

Overnight we sailed a short distance eastward to the small town of Isafjordur, but the weather had closed in somewhat and a light rain was falling. Adopting the Scandinavian mantra of “there is no such thing as the wrong weather, only the wrong clothes”, we donned waterproofs, grabbed our umbrellas and went down to deck four to catch the tender ashore. The German girls were sitting opposite us and were passing aspirins and cough pastilles to each other. Oh dear…thank goodness masks were compulsory on the tender.

Once ashore we pottered around in the downtown area (if you could call it downtown). The tourist and knick-knack shops were open and most were full of rather wet and bedraggled passengers. We found our way to the Tourist Information office where I enquired about some IKR10 notes that I still had in my procession from 40 years earlier. I was informed (not surprisingly) that they were no longer legal tender, but now regarded as a bit of a collectors’ item. I made a mental note to check eBay when I returned home.

The town’s little heritage museum was next door, so we paid a visit. It was certainly informative and covered the best part of three floors. They also had some fermented shark for sampling (it tastes even worse than it sounds), a local delicacy. We had come across this before and so it was definitely a case of once bitten, twice shy. Especially when it comes to being bitten by sharks.

A short walk from the museum was the local microbrewery, Dokkan Brugghaus, which definitely deserved investigation. A fish and chip lunch was partaken alongside a tasting board of six rather tasty local brews and to cheer our spirits even more, the rain had now stopped and the sun was beginning to come out.

Wending our way back to the centre of town it was obvious that most of our fellow passengers had already gone back to the ship. There was barely a soul around and we were able to experience the best of Isafjordur without the crowds and in the sunshine. Perfect.

To round off the day, when we returned to our stateroom after dinner, we found an official certificate from Princess confirming that we had crossed the Arctic Circle. The GPS on my phone had been validated.

7. Iceland – Reykjavik

Several weeks before our trip departed, we had booked a private tour guide to go and see the lava fields and old crater from the eruption at Fagradalsfjall, not too far from Reykjavik. As luck would have it, 10 days before we left another eruption occurred a little further up in Meradalir valley and so we were very hopeful that we would get to see a live volcano!

When I checked my messages as we departed Isafjordur, the Tour company advised that due to bad weather forecast in the eruption area, we would be met at 11am instead of 9am. A couple of hours lost, but hopefully it would not affect the day too much. On arrival in Reykjavik, another message…the weather had improved and we could now meet a little earlier. So, with mounting excitement, we found Gudni, our guide for the day, and off we went. It took about an hour to reach the carpark at the start of the trail, the bad weather had not materialised at all, and we set about our 6km hike up the side of the valley to view the new fissure. Firstly, as we approached the “old” cone at Fagradalsfjall, we could see the lava field stretching below us. From this distance it looked as if a giant barrel of oily tar had been poured down the mountainside and into the valley below. The hike wasn’t too steep or too difficult although it was slippery in places. And there was a constant flow of people walking the path, some on their way to see the eruption, some on their return. The visibility kept improving and we could now see the Westman Islands in the distance too.

Eventually we reached the lookout area and could see the new fissure and growing cone about 2km away. Red hot lava was bubbling from the cone, flying several meters into the air. We stopped and sat on the valley slopes, having a drink, eating a sandwich and watching a volcano erupt. Quite surreal, but so utterly amazing.

We descended into the valley floor and got “up close” to the lava. At the furthest point from the volcano the lava had cooled so I broke off a piece as a souvenir. It was heavy with few gas bubbles, metallic in look and feel and surprisingly brittle. Looking over the expanse of lava, the heat haze was clearly visible, especially over the volcanic cone itself and when the breeze blew, you could feel the heat in the air. As a safety measure, Gudni had a gas detector alarm with him but it was not needed today.

All too soon it was time to start making our way back and a couple of hours walk was in front of us. Gudni took us back along a different path and this gave us a good opportunity to chat about all things volcanic and all things Icelandic. He was a great guide, informative, amusing, helpful and grateful to us for wanting to get out on a day’s hike as he’d done nothing but ferry old, infirm tourists around for the last week! We covered all kinds of topics ranging from Icelandic Sagas being taught in schools (yes, they are), to who is the most famous Icelander (Bjork).

On the drive back to the port, it started to rain. Talk about perfect timing.

As a final observation, we were shocked at how much the area around Reykjavik had developed since out last visit in 2007. We can remember the road between the capital and Keflavik airport being little more than a two-lane carriageway with no development anywhere nearby. Now, the whole road is a multi-lane highway and there are offices, factories, apartment blocks and all kinds of buildings as far as the eye can see. This rapid development was responsible for the usual traffic chaos and we did well to make it back to the ship in time. Others were not so lucky and got caught up in it but our Captain was kind and waited an extra hour so that nobody ended up missing the ship.



8. Sea Day en route to Greenland

Once again, after a busy few days ashore it was good to be able to relax for a day, review all the photographs we had taken, try our luck in the trivia competitions and catch up with all our new friends. Despite promises, Rita’s luggage still hadn’t turned up (although some of the other missing luggage had been reunited with their owners). We hadn’t seen the German girls for a couple of days which was a little worrying. Several chapters of my book were read.



9. Greenland - Prince Christian Sound

We were expecting two sea days before reaching our fist port of call in Greenland, but at breakfast time the Captain announced on the PA that the weather was forecast to be good and therefore we would have an unplanned scenic cruise. We would sail through the Prince Christian Sound to get to Nanotorlik instead of going all the way around the southern point of Greenland. We later learned that this “short cut” only happens rarely and requires clear weather, ice free seas and the skills of not one, but two ice pilots from the Greenland coastguard authority.

Shortly after 10am, we sighted land and also a white shape close by, looking like a tiny sugar cube. A look through the binoculars immediately confirmed that it was our first iceberg! As we approached the sugar cube grew to impressive proportions until it slipped by on our starboard; and we began our transit of the Sound. To make the day even better, the clouds disappeared and apart from a few layers at a lower level, we had clear skies for the remainder of the day.

The one thing to say about the Prince Christian Sound is that it is stunningly beautiful. The majestic, jagged mountains rise to around 3,000 ft on each side and in the distance the peaks reach 7,000 feet. There are many glaciers, large and small, some icy blue, others streaked with rock and other debris. Waterfalls abound. Icebergs small and not so small are everywhere. We sailed past serenely and at times it seemed almost possible that we could reach out and touch the sides of the mountains. At one point we passed a Hurtigruten expedition ship going the other way and the guests on our ship and theirs waved enthusiastically. We passed a very small settlement, no more than 20 or so brightly coloured houses and a small speedboat rushed by, no doubt in a hurry to get home. Island Princess. on the other hand, was in no rush and twisted and turned 90 degrees as it navigated it way eastward, then southward, then eastward again.

After some 6 hours of uninterrupted, breath-taking scenery we emerged at the eastern end of the Sound, headed towards and then anchored at Nanortalik where we would be going ashore next day. We have been lucky enough to witness similar glacial scenery in places such as Svalbard, Alaska and the Beagle Channel and there is no doubt that the Prince Christian Sound is right up there with the best.

After dinner I had made amental note to check the Spaceweather website to see if there was any chance of an appearance of the Northern Lights. Yet again, we were in luck and sighting opportunities were in the good to very good range even though we know that the aurora is fickle. Anyway, sunset was around 9.30 pm and an hour later the sky was dark but with fading evening light behind the mountains. We went outside to observe and it did not take too long. There was what looked like a cloud bank, from experience a sure sign that something was happening in the upper atmosphere. As we watched it started to intensify a little, and then shimmer in colours of white and pale green. Nothing dramatic, nothing intense, but it was indeed the Northern Lights. I quickly grabbed by camera and took a few shots. The light gathered through the camera lens for a few seconds is a lot more sensitive than the human eye and so, when the aurora had disappeared, I checked my photographs and adjusted them slightly. There was a wonderful green arc all the way across the sky. It was just a fitting and fabulous end to a day that showed how utterly amazing nature is.



10. Greenland – Qaqortoq

Overnight, the weather had changed and the area around Nanortalik was blanketed in a thick fog. Later in the morning the Captain announced that we would have to give up on the day and sail further up the coast to our next port of call, Qaqortoq. It was obvious that the tenders would not make it ashore with everyone even if the fog cleared…there simply would not be enough time. We hauled up our anchor and set off. For some reason I doubted the wisdom of the decision as the last time a large ship sailed through thick fog and in the vicinity of icebergs, it didn’t end well. I needn’t have worried for as soon as we had sailed a few miles, the fog began to lift, we spent the afternoon in sunshine and seeing a lot more of the spectacular coastline before dropping anchor again just outside Qaqortoq. (Population 3,038 and the 4^th largest settlement in Greenland).

Next day it was raining, but at least the visibility was acceptable. We hadn’t come all this way not to set foot on Greenland itself, so the waterproofs and umbrellas came out once again and we headed ashore in the tender. We started walking to the western side of the town and ascended the steep hill, almost to the top. Despite the light rain, we were rewarded with a lovely panoramic view of the entire area with all it’s coloured houses together with the ship anchored in the bay. This being a mountainous area, the road had come to a dead end and the only way back was the way we had come, so we descended and went to explore the other side of the town.

Here we discovered a fountain in the town square, (the only fountain in Greenland) and adjacent was the fish market. We looked in a little store next door and discovered that anything could be bought from a cup of coffee to a hunting rifle. Further along were a couple more stores which felt more like warehouses, but they catered for everything that a homeowner might need. Downstairs were supermarkets which certainly seemed to be well stocked with fresh fruit and vegetables…unsurprisingly, many of the products were of Danish origin. Upstairs were home furnishings, clothing, crockery, washing machines and iPhones (to name just a few).

By now the majority of tourists from the ship had returned on board (some even thought it was cold at +8C!), the rain had stopped and we were able to have a quick look for souvenirs without the crowds. Qaqortoq is also known for it’s stone carvings, mainly depicting marine life and these appeared almost everywhere.

Before heading back to the ship ourselves we had one final call to make. We went to the local pub. It was small and it was full and it had a great atmosphere. We ordered a pint and a half of Qajaq (pronounced Kayak) beer along with a large slice of cheesecake. It was absolutely delicious…and the cheesecake was pretty good too.

Once back onboard the day still held one or two more surprises. Heading out towards the open sea were some spectacular icebergs, some just flat and others towering into the sky. As we watched them marvelling at their beauty, we spotted a whale, blowing a faint spout into the air several times before diving deep. Perhaps a thankyou for visiting Greenland and a goodbye? Who knows, but it is a nice thought.

11. Afterword – return to Southampton

Our ports of call now all visited, we had four sea days back to Southampton and this is now a good opportunity to tie up a few of the loose ends.

Iceland was, and always will be a special place because of it’s fascinating geography and warm-hearted people. Greenland was spectacular in it’s own way and we would like to return one day. We were blessed to have such incredible weather and that no doubt, contributed to the wonderful memories we have.

Island Princess is a (relatively) smaller ship and it was much easier to make friends and see them around in the bars and lounges. It’s one of the oldest in the fleet and shows it’s age at times, but we have no complaints whatsoever. The crew, as always, were superb. Apart from one day when we were sailing out from Reykjavik, the seas were not rough in the slightest.

One of the ice pilots gave a fascinating talk about his work and how ships are guided through the perils and dangers of Greenland waters. It would make a great documentary if any TV producers happen to be reading this blog.

There were occasions where people complained that their favourite wines had run out. Even some of the wines recommended for pairing with the evening meals had run out. Surely that belongs in the list of First World problems.

We won the trivia competition on three occasions. The prizes do not get any better.

We saw the German girls on the last but one day. They had been quarantined with Covid and although they missed getting off the ship at a few ports, they had nothing more than minor cold-like symptoms. Unfortunately, this can happen to any one of us during these pandemic times.

Rita never had her luggage delivered. She was remarkably practical and calm about the situation and we hope she received ample compensation when she got home.

The new volcanic fissure in Meradalir valley was officially deemed as “over” two days after we had witnessed it erupting. Lady Luck had been so very good to us.

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Photos

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Sunday morning in Cork

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Sailing in to Akuyeri

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Godafoss

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Lava flow from Fagradalsfjall

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The new eruption

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Lava from the new eruption

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Prince Christian Sound

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Prince Christian Sound

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Prince Christian Sound

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The Northern Lights

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Qaqortoq

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Iceberg as we left Qaqortoq