Passau

Mon 29 Aug 16

Passau

Yes, the weather has changed. It rained overnight and there was even a clap of thunder this morning. The rain eased after breakfast and we went out in search of a laundromat (a change from trying to wash in the bathroom) but it turned out that what we thought would be a laundromat nearby is dry cleaner. So, we then had to walk to the other side of town with directions that weren't accurate as to the location. When we did find what we looking for we realised that we had forgotten the detergent so had to find a supermarket to buy some. Travelling with us is full of excitement and adventure!

We were in Passau in 2012 and both liked it so much that we decided we wanted to come back.

The city is situated on the junction of three rivers and the old part is like a small version of Regensburg, narrow cobblestoned streets lined with pastel shaded buildings.

The rain started up again in the middle of the morning so we decided to go up to the museum in the old fort overlooking the city. 

It consists of five smaller museums which appear to have been renovated (modernised) since we were last here. The item labels are all in German but the explanation panels are also in English. These (in our humble opinion) are the best small museums we have seen. One of the museums gives a detailed explanation of castles and castle life in the Middle Ages and another one has details of the Guilds of craftsmen and tradesmen and how they were organized. A must visit if you are ever in Passau!! Besides, the view over the city is terrific.

The rain cleared in the late afternoon so we are hopeful of fine weather for our next boat trip to Linz on Wednesday.

Dinner was in an old restaurant (recommended by the hotel receptionist) that had been a Bishop's house centuries ago. Very good food and a nice space in which to dine.

Tue 30 Aug 16

Passau

Passau is often affected by flooding and the one in 2013 was the second highest on record. The hotel we are staying at had enough warning to move things from the ground floor up to the first which was just above the flood level. The staff were able to clean up and re-open after two weeks but a restaurant in the street behind the hotel was closed for a year!

It is hard to imagine just how much water that is.

The DOM here has the largest church organ in Europe and there is a half hour concert each day. You don't just listen to the music, you feel it! 

We spent the day wandering around and enjoying ourselves.

The Danube Part 1

Sun 28 Aug 16

There were no church bells this morning to wake us, surprising for a Sunday. Anyway we made it to the wharf in time to board our cruise from Regensburg to our next stop at Passau. Nine and three quarter hours for €36 each - a bargain I think. The cheapest train ticket would cost about €20 and the journey take about one and a half hours.

Most of the passengers seem to be Germans on a day trip. There are no announcements in English but the waiters have enough to understand us and explain the menu. A good selection of food and drinks at reasonable prices.

It is still hot but there is a bit of high cloud and the air has turned hazy.

(I realise this blog is written in mixed tenses (for the retired English teachers reading this), because some of it is written in real time for a sense of immediacy - and so I don't forget things.)

A short distance down river from Regensburg is a very strange place, Walhalla, which I must find out more about. It looks as if it is in the middle of nowhere (at least that is how it appears from the river) but it is huge, a most imposing ediface.

Most of the Europeans are out soaking up the sunshine (and drinking beer) while we are moving around chasing the shade, what little of it there is. The upper deck is entirely open.

A lot of the river banks are lined with rocks and there are many breakwaters extending out to protect the banks from erosion caused by ships' wash.

 Most of the towns are behind levee banks. There are "sandy" patches and a lot of people wading in the shallows, fishing and camping. Quite a lot of leisure craft also. Being a Sunday, it must give people the chance to get out and enjoy themselves, especially as the weather is so good. It would probably be a completely different scene on weekdays.

Passengers were getting on and off at the various stops.

This has been a very pleasant journey, not fantastic scenery but enjoyable nonetheless and a chance to relax and give our feet a break from walking around all day on cobblestones. 

Germany puts Australia to shame with regard to the use of renewable energy. There are fields with arrays of thousands of solar panels, the houses don't have a few panels, they have the roof covered with them. Travelling down the Rhine valley there were lots of wind turbines visible. Surely Australia could and should be doing better.

There are signs of instability in the clouds on the hills to the North of us. Are we in for a change in the weather? (Relief from the heat?)

Back in the sixties, Stan Freberg wrote a song, "The Danube isn't Blue, it's Green". I can attest to that.

Regensburg Part 3

Sat 27 Aug 16 

Another early start, more church bells.

Walked over the old stone bridge, which is under renovation, to the Stadtamhof part of the city.

A church bell chimed and it gave me quite a start because it sounded exactly like an Amsterdam tram.

We spent the day just wandering around looking at the buildings, going into churches and taking photos. We had lunch at the cafeteria in the Galeria department store which had a good range of food and drinks at reasonable prices. There was also free WiFi, a view from the terrace and a nice change from the usual sort of eateries.

Australians,including us, tend to think of European skies as hazy and soft light. This certainly hasn't been the case the last few days! The skies have been bright blue and the air clear (and HOT).

We ate dinner at an Italian restaurant for dinner. Yes, I know we are in Germany but we have been eating our share of sausages, including currywurst (which I quite like - sausage with tomato sauce and curry flavouring - it's better than it sounds!), sauerkraut and potato dumplings (which have a rather unusual texture). The pizza was HUGE, what we at home would call a Family size, about 40 cm across (we shared one) and very tasty. The restaurant was crowded, noisy and hot. The waitress  said it was worse for her, running around serving.

Regensburg Part 2

Fri 26 Aug 16

Church bells at 6am! So we had an early start to the day in the cool of the morning before the heat of the day. We walked across the street into the DOM and could hear a voice singing/chanting. We thought it must have been a recording playing over the PA which happens in some churches. But it turned out to be a man sitting in one of the pews. The acoustics were marvellous!

Imposing? Awe inspiring?

The streets are narrow, lined with mostly pastel shaded buildings but some brightly coloured ones to provide a nice contrast.

There weren't many people about until after 9am and there seemed to be lots of people on walking tours, presumably people off coach tours or river cruises.

Regensburg doesn't have a Hop on - Hop off bus but it does have "CityTrain" which gives a very good tour of the city with an informative commentary. Well worth taking.

We had a look at the UNESCO display at the tower of the old bridge and then climbed to the top of the tower. We also visited a navigation museum on an old river boat which gave a history of shipping on the river. We also saw people, mainly young, dressed in traditional costume going out for the night.

Regensburg Part 1

Thu 24 Aug 16

So much for any ideas about German train efficiency! The train due on the platform before the one we were waiting for was 50 minutes late and although we were travelling first class (we can afford first class rail but not air) the air conditioning was not working. On a hot day, this made for a rather uncomfortable journey. Nevertheless, I still prefer trains to planes. Waiting at a train statin is a totally different experience to waiting in an airport terminal. Even though the announcements are very similar, the ones at stations have a different sound.

The journey from Koblenz is very scenic. We took a train from Köln to Passau four years ago over the same territory. The train line follows the Rhine valley to Mainz and then it crosses rolling farmland before reaching the Danube at Regensburg.

"The old town of  Regensburg with Stadtamhof was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2006 as an outstanding testimony to the history of mankind. It confirms the extraordinary universal value of this historic cityscape which deserves to be preserved for the benefit of mankind

as a whole.

Since 1945  Regensburg has remained the only large mediaeval city in Germany to be preserved in its entirety and to function continuously until this very day. Regensburg's Old Town is an exceptional testimony to cultural traditions during the Holy Roman Empire and an extraordinary example of a mediaeval centre of trade within Europe, the stages of development of which are still apparent today in its cityscape."

(Plaque near the old bridge)

It was hot when we arrived and dragging heavy suitcases over cobblestones was not fun. Fortunately the hotel (ACHAT Plaza) we had booked was not far away and is air conditioned. 

We had a short walk around before dinner just as the sun was setting and the sunlight was catching the tops of the towers and church spires.

Koblenz, Germany

Tue 23 Aug 16

We arrived at IJmuiden at about 7am and Holland America had a well organized disembarkation procedure. We had a coach transfer to Amsterdam railway station but had a couple of hours to fill in wandering around that part of the city.

"Left Luggage" is expensive for short term usage at Amsterdam station. €10 per locker for up to 24 hours. We needed three because they are not very big. I suggest if you are considering travelling by train in Europe don't take big suitcases. There is usually a height difference between the train and the platform so you need to be able to lift your cases up and down easily. Also there is not always somewhere to place large cases in the carriage. Small bags can be put on the overhead racks.

We took a train to Koblenz, Germany which is located on the junction of the Rhine and Moselle rivers. 

A scenic trip down the Rhine valley from Köln (Cologne). 

Just for interest, I had a look at how much tickets would cost if bought today compared to when we booked three months ago: €300 compared to €110 for two first class tickets. It pays to book early!!

Stayed at the Brenner Hotel which is clean and comfortable, located between the railway station and the old town centre.

Wed 24 Aug 16

Koblenz, Germany

Parts of the old city which dates back to the middle ages have been preserved and the style of many of the newer buildings have been influenced by the old architecture. 

The are many platz (with lots of restaurants) and a couple of old churches. Most of the old glass leadlight windows in the churches have been replaced by ones of stunning modern design.

We took the cable car up to the old fortress on the hill above the opposite bank of the river to the town. There are a few different museums up there and it is certainly worth a visit.

Advice to photographers: if you want good photos looking down on the town, go up in the morning because in the afternoon you will be looking directly into the sun!

The leaves on the plane trees were starting to change colour and the shop windows were full of winter clothes but it was 28 degrees C. Not the best conditions to be walking around in but a lovely city and I would recommend a visit for a day or two. It must be very popular with Europeans (Germans) because there is a large caravan park on the other side of the river which seemed to be quite full and hardly a non European accent was heard all day. It also seems to be a stopping point for the river cruises as there were a few of them in port.

Rosyth

Sat 20 Aug 16

At sea.

A word of advice to photographers travelling into cold areas. The cold shortens camera battery life, so take a spare battery or at least keep your camera in a carrying case to insulate it when not in use.

Sun 21 Aug 16

Due to a strong outgoing tide our arrival at Rosyth was delayed by about 3 hours. Rosyth is the location of the cruise terminal for Edinburgh but is on the opposite side of the firth and a fair way from the city. There was a shuttle bus from the ship to Inverkeithing railway station where we caught a train into Edinburgh, about a 30 minute trip.

The Edinburgh Fringe Festival was on at this time and the city was packed with people and not just along The Royal Mile where most of the outdoor Fringe activity was taking place. It was an almost continous line on both sides of the street of street performers and also people handing out leaflets advertising other shows.

Even over in the New Town area it was crowded.

It was good to revisit the city after having been here in 2010. We visited the National Gallery which has a small but excellent collection of art works and then spent the rest of the day just wandering around the town soaking up the atmosphere.

Mon 22 Aug 16

At sea.

A day for packing and saying goodbye.

We have met some very nice people on this cruise, people with whom we would like to keep in touch. They made what would have been an enjoyable cruise into one which also filled with fun and laughter. In fact, most of the people we met were very pleasant and easy to engage in conversation even if most of those conversations were about travel. We met one couple who had been on 70 (yes 70) cruises but we heard of others who had been on more than 100! We also met a few who if I saw coming, I would cross the street to avoid (including some Australians) but then again, these people would not recognise me anyway, they are that sort.

 Tomorrow we disembark at IJmuiden for a coach transfer into Amsterdam. From Amsterdam we embark on the next stage of our trip with a train journey to Koblenz, Germany.

We will be undertaking the train journeys on this holiday despite not having a copy of the 1913 Edition of Bradshaw's Guide to Continental Railways. Nor do I have a collection of sports coats to match Michael Portillo.*

*A reference to a BBC TV series Great Continental Railways.

Tue 23 Aug 16

We arrived at IJmuiden at about 7am and Holland America had a well organized disembarkation procedure. We had a coach transfer to Amsterdam railway station but had a couple of hours to fill in wandering around that part of the city.

"Left Luggage" is expensive for short term usage at Amsterdam station. €10 per locker for up to 24 hours. We needed three because they are not very big. I suggest if you are considering travelling by train in Europe don't take big suitcases. There is usually a height difference between the train and the platform so you need to be able to lift your cases up and down easily. Also there is often nowhere to place large cases in the carriage. Small bags can be put on the overhead racks.

We took a train to Koblenz, Germany which is located on the junction of the Rhine and Moselle rivers. Stayed at the Brenner Hotel which is clean and comfortable, located between the railway stain and the town centre.

Reykjavik, Iceland

Wed 17 Aug 16

Reykjavik, Iceland

When we got off the ship we saw a "Hop on - Hop off" bus waiting at the dock. We hadn't thought to look for it on the net before coming here so it was pleasant surprise. They are a very good way to get an overall impression of a city the easy way. We didn't do the full loop to start with but got off at Hallgrímkirkja, Iceland's largest church and Reykjavik's main landmark. We took the lift to the top for a view over the city.

Then walked down the hill to the main shopping street, most of which is a pedestrian mall. Lots of people, mostly tourists I suspect. Again, many souvenir shops selling much the same sort of stuff. I suspect the same could be said of the souvenir shops in Sydney and every other city.

However, there were some shops selling clothing aimed at the local residents. The clothing, both for men and women, is very stylish. It appears that Icelanders like to dress up for their nights out. Bow ties appear to be very popular judging by the number on display in the windows. I was very tempted to buy some but when do I get the chance to wear one? I had noticed similar clothing shops in the other towns we visited in Iceland.

The other item for sale up here (obviously) is cold weather gear - great stuff but too warm to wear even on a cold winter day in Sydney. 

Some of the jewellery for sale is very nice (there is something about Nordic design) but expensive. It seems to be mostly sterling silver. Susan was very taken by a lot of it but resisted the urge to buy.

In the evening we went on another shore excursion, this time to the Blue Lagoon which is about 45 kms out of town. A very interesting drive through the countryside, most of which is a lava flow area, very rough rocky ground with some moss coverage which gives it a green, soft appearance. But I doubt one could walk over most of it.

 A high temperature geothermal field is used to run a power plant and the overflow water is used to fill the lagoon. The temperature of the water varies slightly around the lagoon but is generally about the temp of a comfortably warm bath. Very relaxing. Fortunately, very little smell of Sulphur.

The Blue Lagoon is one of Reykjavik's major tourist attractions with over one million visitors a year. We left about 9 pm and there were still people coming in and the car park was almost full but the lagoon is large enough so that there is plenty of space so that you don't feel crowded and are not rubbing shoulders with strangers. (Less packed than a Sydney beach on a hot summer day.)

Thu 18 Aug 16

Reykjavik

Up early this morning for another tour. This time around part of the so called golden circle. Our first stop was at Thingvellir National Park which straddles an ancient geological fault, then on to Gullfoss (Golden Falls) and next to Geysir geothermal area.

 The geothermal area was rather small and not as spectacular as the Rotorua area in New Zealand (and according to the Americans, not a patch on Yellowstone National Park. This tour did give us a very good ride through the countryside (a couple of hundred kilometres) which was very green but sparsely populated. Iceland has a population of 333,000 but a population density of only 3 persons to the square kilometre.

222,000 of those people live in Reykjavik and its surrounding suburbs and there is a very good road network which reminded me of Canberra and its roads.

 One advantage of going on tours is the information provided by the guides

We also visited a geothermal power plant. 90% of Iceland houses are heated by hot water from these plants. (We weren't told about the other 10%). Cold water is free but residents pay per use for hot water. Interestingly, 80% of the electricity produced in Iceland is used to power the Aluminium industry. Bauxite is imported, turned into aluminium and exported.

Reykjavik has many modern, impressive buildings, including its Harpa Concert Hall and we would liked to have had more time there, especially to visit more of the museums. As it was we only had time for a quick look around the National Museum. Certainly a city worth a visit.

We now have two days at sea before reaching Rosyth, (Edinburgh) Scotland.

Fri 19 Aug 16

Crossing the North Atlantic. Grey, cloudy, windy and wet.

 Stabilisers must be the greatest contribution to cruise ships. I suspect that without them it would not be possible to operate lifts on ships and without lifts, I wonder how many people would be cruising. There seems to be a lot of passengers on this ship with mobility problems and I couldn't see a lot of them climbing stairs all day and every day.

Ísafjödur, Iceland

I can't help think of the opening of the old TV series Startrek when I sit down to write this blog. What was it? Something like "Captain's log, star date . . . "

Anyway,

Tue 16 Aug 18

Ísafjödur, Iceland

I am writing this as we lie anchored in the channel a few hundred metres from the dock in Ísafjödur.

One of the mooring ropes became wrapped around the stern thruster as we were leaving. The tug which had been assisting our departure let the tow line go too soon. So, now we are waiting for a diver to come out and cut the rope.

Docking this morning was a very delicate operation. Our stern was only a couple of metres away from another cruise ship, the Silver Wind. 

Leaving was just as delicate. A wind on the beam made things even more difficult.

Ísafjödur is a small town with a large fishing industry but is now attracting a large number of cruise ships each each year. How much the tourists are contributing to the local economy I don't know as we spoke to one women shop owner who said she couldn't afford to stay in business much longer. That probably has something to do with what is being sold in a lot of the shops both here and Akureyri. The  woollen goods are made from a rather coarse wool which is not appropriate for wearing in warmer climates. The jewellery items are mostly expensive and everyone is selling the same sort of souvenirs.

It will be interesting to see if things are different in Reykjavik.

We walked around the town, no guided tour for us today, and looked at some of the old buildings which date back to the 1800's. Lots of colour and surprisingly, many, including the newer ones, are clad in corrugated iron. 

The town lies at the base of very steep hills so a large ditch has been dug on the lower slopes with a retaining wall on the town side, to catch any landslide or avalanche.

We finally became free of the rope about 5 hours after we were due to leave port.

Akureyri, Iceland

Akureyri,

Mon 15 Aug 16

We went on our first Holland America shore excursion today. A four hour tour that included the Botanical Garden, the Godafoss waterfall and Laufás. The gardens had a surprising range of plants considering the climate, with lots of colourful flowers.

Laufás is a 19th century stone and turf farmhouse and museum, and is a good example of a wealthy vicarage. Fascinating! If you are ever in Akureyri, this is one place you must visit.

The tour gave us a chance to get out of the town and see some of the countryside which is very green, but rather sparse (and to see some sheep). The valley where Godafoss is, is the valley next to the one where the movie "Rams" was filmed. The sheep in Iceland are free range but instead of flocks like we are used to seeing, here they tend to range in "family" groups, a ewe and her two lambs. There is a roundup at the end of summer when a few farmers get together and roundup all the sheep they can find and then separate them in pens back at one of the farms.

There was light intermittent rain, but the temperature was a mild 12-13 deg.

We spent the afternoon walking around the town looking at lots of souvenir shops. There were three cruise ships in port and Akureyri now gets about one hundred each year. So tourism is becoming a major industry, fishing being the major one currently.

The rain cleared as we sailed up the fjord, with the sun shining through the clouds making for spectacular sights. 

Spectacular is a word that could be (has been?) overused in writing or talking about this area.

We also saw (glimpsed?) quite a few whales as we sailed up the fjord and out into the sea.

At Sea with EdNa

Fri 5 Aug 16

Eidefjord, Norway

Our first port of call on our cruise to the Arctic circle. Unfortunately we experienced low, grey clouds when sailing through the fjord so didn't see what is probably some spectacular scenery.

 Eidefjord is a very small town at the head of the fjord where tourism is the second major employer, after government services. It appeared that at the time we were there, there was a large number, maybe a couple of hundred, of people in town for an "extreme triathalon". We saw some people in swimming, apparently practising for the event. There were also a lot of other tourists in town who had driven there.

Sat 6 Aug 16

BERGEN 

Another morning of grey skies, some low cloud and intermittent light showers.

Lucky to dock early enough for us the get to the old part of the port before many other tourists arrived. 

We are the only cruise ship in port but nonetheless there are still a lot of tourists in the city.

Bergen is a major port city that probably doesn't depend on tourism but it must be a big contributor to the local economy. With the downturn in the oil industry there are a lot of ships that would otherwise be servicing the oil rigs, lying in idle in port. At least the Norwegians were smart enough to wisely invest their income from the oil industry during the good years for their budget to be in surplus during this downturn. Not like a certain other country and its iron ore industry!

Oddly enough, for a country with a lot of oil, electric cars are very popular, mainly because of the high price of petrol and diesel and the low cost of electricity.

Picture taken at Eidefjord.

Sun 7 Aug 16

Ålesund

Noticeably cooler today.

Ålesund is a very picturesque city, known for its Art Deco style buildings. The city was destroyed by fire in 1906 and rebuilt in that style.

We went to a museum exhibition on "what might have been" in Ålesund. Suggestions for urban development, railways, light rail, pedestrian tunnels under canals. None of which has happened. The citizens are now considering a proposal for a light rail system. So it might be interesting to come back in 5 or 10 years and see if anything has eventuated.

We climbed 413 steps up to the lookout early to avoid the crowds. It's the white building with the steps leading up to it at the top of the photo.

There was a large German cruise ship in port while we were there but the streets of the city weren't crowded. I suspect a lot of the passengers go on bus tours. Being a Sunday, the only shops that were open were a few convenience stores. Not that we needed to go into more shops, having seen inside a few in Bergen.

The weather closed in as we were leaving port and the captain announced that if we had been delayed 24 hours, we would have had to face the prospect of 7 metre swells which would have meant that we would not have been able to leave port in those conditions.

 Mon 8 Aug

At Sea

We are currently in the North Atlantic, having crossed the Arctic Circle, sailing between Ålesund on the mainland and Ny Ålesund on Svalbard.

The wind is blowing at about 50 knots but there isn't much swell, just wind waves of about 2 metres. The ship's stabilisers are doing a good job, with not much pitch or roll.

To add a bit of atmosphere I am reading HMS Ulysses by Alistair MacLean, which is set in these waters, but in the middle of winter with sub zero temperatures (and enemy submarines).

We are on the MS Prinsendam, the smallest of the Holland America Line ships. It can carry a maximum of 834 passengers but there seems to be a fair number of single passengers who presumably have sole occupancy, so maybe 800 pax on board. A crew of 470. Interestingly, the bar and drink staff are from the Philippines and the catering and wait staff are from Indonesia. The cruise and ship crew are mixed.

We have met passengers form Luxembourg, Netherlands, Switzerland, Canada, NZ, UK, and of course, USA. There are reportedly 105 Australians on board. There are also other passengers from other parts of the world but we haven't spoken to them yet. We have mostly opted to share dining tables so it's pot luck who you get to dine with. Most of the passengers are "of a certain age" but there are some young ones, including 2 children. 

The Captain, Tim, judging by his announcements, has a very droll sense of humour. 

The food is good, fresh and plenty of variety.

There is always some form of entertainment or activity on from morning until late at night. Even on days when in port, there is plenty on for those who don't want to go ashore.

There are 4 laps of the promenade deck to the mile, for those who want to walk when the weather is suitable. Also, our stateroom is on deck 5 and the crow's nest bar/lounge is on deck 12 so we get plenty of exercise going up and down stairs. Yes, there are lifts but it is a matter of principle as far as I am concerned, not to use them except when in a hurry.

The floor mats in the lift change every day to tell you what day it is.

Our stateroom (cabin) is very spacious, not like in the old days when you didn't have room to swing a cat, and comfortable. Plenty of room in the bathroom and even a walk in wardrobe.

We haven't seen much of the entertainment yet so can't comment on the quality. The band in one of the bars is quite good though.

By booking our tickets early, we received a free "drinks package". This entitles us to up to 15 drinks each a day, but that includes coffees like cappuccino and bottled water. Even so, we haven't gone close to our limit in a day yet. The only catch is, the drinks must be priced $US8 or less. Fortunately it leaves plenty to choose from, except wine by the glass where there is a limited choice. Nonetheless, the available ones are quite palatable and the cocktails excellent.

Tues 8 Aug

We are now into the zone of 24 hours of daylight. Still at sea.

Wed 10 Aug

Longyearbyen

A bit grey and cloudy as we approached Longyearbyen but for a change we had good luck with the weather.

The low cloud cleared to a bit of high cloud, lots of sunshine, no wind and even though the temperature was about zero degrees it was quite comfortable walking around. The captain said this was his third time here and this was the best weather he had encountered. Apparently it had snowed the day before we arrived but had diappeared by the time we docked.

I wasn't expecting much of Longyearbyen so I wasn't disappointed. The place is barren with only a little bit of low vegetation, and dry and dusty during our visit. I would not want to here on a wet and windy day!

It used to be be a coal mining community but that stopped years ago. There is still a lot of the old infrastructure around. I don't know what keeps the town going now. There are various research activities, a part of a University and a lot of businesses catering to tourists.

Thu 11 Aug 16

Furthest North

Cruised into Liedefjord (on the west coast of Svalbard) this morning. Some low cloud again around the hill tops but when we reached the head of the fjord there was plenty of breaks in the cloud to give us a spectacular view of the hills and glaciers. 

Very cold on deck when the ship was moving but we stopped and without the wind blowing across the deck it was cold but bearable. There were a couple of small ships there also.

Cruised further North till we reached the edge of the polar ice pack at about 80 deg 21 min 33 sec N, our furthest  North (11deg 51 min 47sec East). 

On the way up we passed a low lying island a bit like a coral cay, which has a lake in the middle of it.

Fortunately for us there was a pod of walruses on the edge of the island.

There were two of seals on the ice as a bonus.

 Then we headed South to Magdalenafjord. The fjords up here are spectacular, there seems to be a glacier in every valley even though some of them are retreating and don't reach all the way down to the sea. 

Friday 12 Aug 16

Ny Ålesund

We were due to arrive in Lillehookfjord at 8am so we were up at 7 just to be sure of seeing everything. We were half dressed when the Captain announced over the PA that there was a polar bear on the shore. It didn't take us long to finish dressing and get outside!

We were a fair way off the shore so the bear was a bit hard to see and then another bear and cub appeared, still a long way off, but at least we can say we have seen a polar bear (or three) in the wild!

Look closely, those two white spots are polar bears! (The white spot in the bottom left is a bird flying past.)

Lillehookfjord, grey skies but wonderful scenery again. 

We then sailed on to NyÅlesund.

Ny Ålesund is another ex-coal mining site which is now entirely a research centre where various countries have set up different projects. The population varies between about 180 in the summer to about 30 who winter here. 

Having spent a bit of time in remote locations I felt that I could relate to life here, not that I think I would like to spend a winter here.

One of the research stations.

There is a stark beauty to this whole area even though there is not a lot of colour.

Sat 13 Aug 16

At sea sailing towards Iceland.

We have been incredibly lucky, judging by what the Captain has had to say about his voyage here last year, in regard to the weather and the state of the seas. So far, fingers crossed, we haven't had any rough seas, only a little bit of a swell between IJmuiden (Amsterdam) and Eidefjord.

Even though we haven't had much sunshine, we have only had a little intermittent light rain which was more of a nuisance than anything else - not enough to cause any problems or lessen our enjoyment, and hardly any wind when we have been in port.

I think the real test will be the passage between Iceland and Scotland.

Sun 14 Aug 16

At sea with our next landfall tomorrow at Akureyri, Iceland.

The sun will set for us again tonight as we leave the zone of 24 hour sunshine.