Monday, August 14, 2023

Akureyri, Iceland

 Hello from Akureyri, Iceland! What a beautiful day.

view of Akureyri, Iceland from cruise ship

It started last night when I woke up to go to the bathroom and thought I was getting a sunset picture. (I somehow missed that sunset occurred earlier at 9:45 PM. Oops.) Thank goodness we're so close to the Arctic Circle that the times don't really matter because it's still not getting very dark. 

11 pm sunset in Iceland
11:04 PM
It was windy and so very cold but I bundled up on the balcony to search for the Northern Lights. Nope, even more than an hour and a half later it was still too light.
sunset at 1am in Iceland
12:42 AM
My middle of the night adventure didn't stop me from being back out there just after 6:00 AM to watch us navigate the fjord as we headed to Akureyri.
Since today was my third and last visit of the summer I had to make the most of the day and squeeze in everything I could. My first plan was to go to the botanical garden but with the city bus A1 route only running once an hour it was going to take up too much of my day.

So for most of the morning I warmed my chilled bones by sitting in the sun on the balcony. With splendid views, of course.
I watched planes take off and land over the top of both my ship and the NCL ship.
plane landing over cruise ship in Akureyri, Iceland
Norwegian Prima docked in Akureyri, Iceland
What a beautiful ship
Remember, the airstrip goes right up against the water's edge - and right towards the cruise ships.
airstrip along water in Akureyri, Iceland
Photo taken on my June 7 visit
When I finally warmed up I headed back to the grocery store and replenished my stash of my favorite Icelandic snacks. 
These will be going home with me
Then I wandered the town taking tourist photos I missed on the first two visits. I started with the harbor area....
statue in Akureyri, Iceland
With three pictures of the NCL ship you'd think I had ship envy
and then went onto the Hof Cultural Center.
Hof Cultural Center in Akureyri, Iceland

I rolled a little ways along the waterfront and headed up the hill to the Church of Akureyri, Akureyrarkirkja. They're redoing the steps so no one was climbing up there today.
Church of Akureyri, Akureyrarkirkja in Akureyri, Iceland
I looked right and found the Akureyri heart.
#loveakureyriheart Statue in Iceland
I followed the pedestrian area near the heart and found all kinds of shops and restaurants and cafes. The color combinations were, well, colorful.
colorful shopping area in Akureyri, Icelandcolorful shopping area in Akureyri, Iceland
I was able to people watch and window shop before heading back to the ship. Taking photos of the heart shaped stoplights along the way, of course.
heart shaped traffic lights in Akureyri, Icelandheart shaped traffic lights in Akureyri, Icelandheart shaped traffic light in Akureyri, Iceland
The blue sunny skies made for a spectacular last day here. Pure perfection.

Tomorrow we're off to Isafjordur, Iceland. See you then! 

Friday, August 11, 2023

Cobh, Ireland

Hello from Cobh (pronounced Cove), Ireland!

view of Cobh, Ireland from cruise ship

It was a bit of a blustery day today. While not too cold it was most definitely windy but it didn't stop me from making the rounds around town. 

Cobh (previously called Queenstown) was the final port stop for the Titanic with the ship picking up 123 passengers here before it made its way towards New York. Today I wanted to get to the Titanic Experience before I did anything else. Looking at the plentiful availability of tickets online this morning (tours begin every 15 minutes) I knew I could chance it and go on down early. It was just a few minutes from the ship but took me a little longer once I was out of the port area as I had to manage cobblestones and curbs and people trying to sell me taxi tours.

walking path to the city in Cobh, Ireland
Follow the walking man to get out of port
When I arrived and asked about the next tour with availability her answer was...in four minutes. Talk about great timing!
outside of Titanic Experience in Cobh, Ireland
Each person is given a boarding pass representing one of the passengers who joined the Titanic in Cobh on April 11, 1912. I had Bridget Driscoll, a 27 year old third class passenger. At the end of tour we would find out whether our passenger was one of the few survivors. 
The tour was part video, part live tour guide, and part self-guided tour. We saw a cabin for third class passengers,
third class passenger cabin on Titanic
a first class passenger cabin,
first class passenger cabin on Titanic
and viewed what is left of the actual tender dock where the passengers last stepped foot on land.
remains of Titanic dock in Cobh, Ireland
We heard stories of both families and individuals. As we stood listening to our tour guide talk about the Titanic it seemed strange to have my ship in the background.
Between the guided and self-guided parts I spent about an hour there. I contemplated whether I wanted to pick up anything for Scooter while I was there (didn't want bad Titanic luck), but when I found out my passenger was one of those who did survive, I made a purchase. 
Can't leave Ireland without more extra luck, too!
By the time I left the gift shop it was packed with people waiting for their tours. I checked the online ticket situation when I got back to the ship and it made me really glad I had gone early.
Yep, it was another
early bird gets the worm situation
I spent the rest of my time in Cobh wandering the streets while trying to avoid the hills. Flowers were abundant and looked nice when paired with the colorful buildings.
colorful flowers in Cobh, Irelandcolorful flowers in Cobh, Irelandcolorful flowers in Cobh, Irelandcolorful flowers in Cobh, Ireland
As you would expect in Ireland, pubs were everywhere. Need to call a ride?
Pub in Cobh, Irelandphone booth in Cobh, Ireland
Several crew members were heading to the churches and cathedrals but with the steep hills I knew wouldn't be able to make it so my pictures were taken from below.
St Colman's Cathedral in Cobh, Ireland
Update: One of the crew members who helps me on and off the ship with the scooter sent me up-close photos he took today. So beautiful!
outside view of St Colman's Cathedral
inside view of St Colman's Cathedral in Cobh, Ireland
View from inside of St Colman's Cathedral in Cobh, Ireland

It was another day of wandering not too far from the ship. After a few hours on Scooter my bum was more than happy to have a nearby home to return to.
Island Princess docked in Cobh, Ireland
We have a couple sea days coming up. We'll have the Most Traveled Guest lunch on one of those days and the other? I'll probably just relax and catch up on the new movies they added to the TV for August. Then on Monday we'll be back in Iceland. See you then!