Isafjordur, Iceland

Hello from Isafjordur! 

Well, more like from hello from a ship with a view of the town of Isafjordur as I never made it ashore today. It wasn’t because of the tender situation, either. Waters appeared smooth which is always a plus.

It was because of this:

Bridge cam view most of the day

It’s not because I’m afraid of getting my hair wet, or fearful of braving such cold temperatures as these

Take note of the sunrise and sunset times.
It’s never dark in these lands!

But Scooter? That’s a different story. As I found out during our last cruise, wet surfaces and scooter tires are a bad combination. With only one of the three wheels with a drive belt on it, I have to be super careful when driving on slippery surfaces. Even a little baby turn or a tiny little bump can cause me to lose traction and make the scooter go catawampus. 

I really wanted to go ashore, so first I went on two different outdoor decks and onto multiple surfaces to try out some white-knuckle icy-road no-four-wheel drive maneuvering. Uh, no go. Making lemonade out of lemons (and unintentionally trying out two-handed, two-footed braking skills), I did snag some pictures.

Still some snow out there

These looked to be some type of fishing nets or pots

A closer look at them. Beautiful landscape, huh?

Movies Under the Stars had scenes of Glacier Bay showing.
Today is certainly colder than Alaska is right now.

Tomorrow we’re in yet another port in Iceland, Akureyri. Between here and there we’ll cross above, and then back below, the Arctic Circle. Way cool. Literally!

Reykjavik, Iceland

Welcome to Reykjavik!

Ed and I spent Thanksgiving week here some years back and squeezed in about as much as we possibly could have, so today I didn't feel the pressure to see and do everything in just one port visit. (Plus I'll be back two more times this summer.) 

Since our ship was docked in the industrial area, I took the free shuttle to the Harpa Concert Hall. It's quite a spectacular looking building.

From the concert hall, Scooter and I rolled around the surrounding areas. So much about today's visit felt familiar. I saw some of the same sights as before.

Was reminded of the beautiful artwork

and the different styles of graffiti. 

I ate at some of the same places, too. Just like on our previous visit, I had a famous Icelandic hot dog with everything. The Pylsur lamb dog had mustard, ketchup, remoulade, raw onions, and crispy fried onions.

Too bad I still can’t taste or smell anything

A little bakery treat for later

I shopped in some of the same stores as before, snagging some new bling for Scooter.

It took a few relaxing hours to wander my way back around. While I had a map in my pocket I never brought it out once. 

Grab some rocks and make your own sculptures at the bus loading zone

It was a good way to spend the first day out of the cabin. I'm still not feeling well and am sleeping a lot, and everything continues to taste like toilet water, but the Icelandic air was refreshing. Tomorrow we're in Isafjordur. It's a tender port so I hope to get to go ashore.

Time zone changes so far: 7

Want to know more about Reykjavik and Iceland? Check out some info and photos from my previous time here:
Reykjavik sights
Swimming in the Blue Lagoon

The Golden Circle Tour

Isolation No More

After six days in isolation I've received a golden ticket. A self-test with a negative result, followed by a test done by the medical center to confirm the result.

Now I'm a one stripe zebra instead of two!

So now what? I can go out and about wherever I'd like. I'll need to wear a mask for a while not because I'm contagious, but because my immune system is depleted and they don't want me catching the flu. I guess while I've been isolated the flu has popped up on the ship? In June? Since I'm still feeling not so great I'm planning on just staying put here in the cabin. Iceland is coming up in a few days with Norway following quickly behind so I (along with my medical team) think it best I keep laying low for a while and rest up.

I'll need to be full strength to tackle June

Since I'm now in self isolation instead of mandatory isolation, I'll lose my daily calls from the medical center and the calls from dining to place my meal orders. It was nice having those calls when I was at my sickest, but I can take care of my own room service needs now. Something I did wish I had from day one is the letter I received the day before I was released. I had bugged guest services every single day for this information sheet and was told every single day it was on its way. Sure would have been nice to know some of these things during isolation. Someone or a whole bunch of someones messed up in providing the communication in a timely manner. Anyway, you can’t always believe what you read because some of the information wound up not being accurate.

Being I'm still staying away from people and spending my days resting in the cabin and getting my fresh air from the balcony, I missed the Most Traveled Guest Luncheon today. It's hard to make the cut on these transatlantic sailings because there are so many Elites onboard, so being invited to this week's but not being able to go was a big disappointment. But sweet Patrizia, the Loyalty and Events Manager (formally the Captain's Circle Host and soon to be another title, I believe) gave me a call and offered to send the meal up to the cabin. Don't have to ask me twice. Without the menu - and still with no taste and smell - I'm not sure exactly what I was eating. But I ate it anyway!

Salmon appetizer

Even more tender than last week's beef

I almost tasted a hint of lemon?

The foghorn has been getting its workout these last couple sea days. Guess it's one way to mask my hacking cough on the balcony. 

Internet is becoming a little more unstable so I'll sign off for now. See you in Reykjavik.

Time zone changes so far: 5. We also have another coming tonight and another one the next night.

Halifax, Nova Scotia

Before kiddo went off to college we spent the summer tent camping around the US trying to visit the last of the 50 states we had previously missed. Our rule was we could only count the state if we ate, slept, or went to the bathroom there. We got them all in (whew) and have applied the same rule when visiting provinces and countries. Being Nova Scotia is a new one for me and I’m still sick in isolation I wasn’t sure how I’d be able to count it today.

Did I eat there? I had lunch on my balcony with Halifax sort of in view. We docked up against a building but I could still see the city.

Did I sleep there? I bundled up with my sweatshirt and two deck blankets and napped on the balcony.

While the bathroom shouldn’t qualify as it happened inside (thank goodness, right?), I had something else count. My friends Vickie and Bernie live here. If you don't know them, they’re avid cruisers and blogged about it for years at vickieandbernietravel.blogspot.com. Vickie then went on to become a Destination Expert for Princess Cruises, sharing her knowledge with guests in places like South America, the Caribbean, and Canada and New England. Today Vickie and Bernie spent time with two of their other friends from this ship, and those good folks dropped off gifts from them. Now I can feel like I really did visit Nova Scotia. So kind of them to brighten my visit/non-visit day. Thanks you guys! 

Hmm...which one shall become Scooter's port-specific bling?

Goodbye, Nova Scotia. Maybe next time I'll get to step foot ashore!

We have five straight sea days coming up as we make our way to Iceland. As I’m uncertain what our Internet situation will be between here and there, I might not see you until June 5 in Reykjavik. 

Stay safe and healthy wherever you are. You know I'll be working on it.

Apologies for any errors in spelling or grammar...mind is still muddy.
Time zone changes so far: 4 at the moment but we have several coming up in the next few days.