Europe Trip - Isafjordur, Iceland

The main reason we chose this cruise to celebrate out 40th wedding anniversary was because the itinerary included Iceland which we had never been to before.  Our first stop was Isafjordur, which is remotely located in northwest Iceland.  It is a commercial port, surrounded by ruggedly beautiful fjords.  It is one of Iceland's biggest fishing centres.

The harbour is commercial:

We chose a shore excursion that would take us out of Isafjordur where we could see some of the beautiful scenery and also the way of life, past and present, of the Icelanders.  Our first stop was the small town of Bolungarvik where we visited an old Lutheran Church and were treated to two solos of Icelandic music.

 

 

We then visited the outdoor exhibit of "Osvor", which is a museum depicting how the fishermen lived  at the beginning of the 19th century - it consists of a small house, fish sheds, a six oared fishing boat, a wooden winch, a fish drying area and tool sheds. Inside the sheds and fishermen’s lodgings are samples of the gear of the fishermen past, their hide clothing, tools and artefacts. The actor shown in the picture of the boat is wearing the fishermen’s clothing from that era - oilskin, and he is very carefully wrapped up to keep out the wind and water.

 

 

 

Next we stopped at the waterfall in Tunguskogur, with its fresh mountain water.  Quite tame compared to what we see in British Columbia.

 

 

Then back to Isafjordur where we visited the Maritime and Folk Museum which contains items related to the fishing industry. But it also has a unique collection of accordions on the upper floor.  We were treated to a performance of Icelandic folk dancing when we arrived.

 

 

 

The government employs students during the summer months to do all sorts of jobs, including learning folk dancing and singing to entertain the tourists.

 

 

 

 

 

Europe Trip - Stornoway, Outer Hebrides, Scotland

On June 23, we docked in Stornoway located on the Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides Islands in remote Western Scotland.  It is an attractive port and town and is the capital of the Outer Hebrides.  It was originally a Viking settlement, chosen for its well sheltered harbour. 

We had been to Stornoway on a prior trip and seen the town sites, so this time we took a shore excursion to see the Standing Stones of Callinish.  The Isle of Lewis has been inhabited for over 6,000 years.  On our way there, we drove through a landscape of rolling moorland, low-lying hills and tiny lochs.

The Stones are one of the remarkable antiquities in the Western Isles.  The landscape is dramatic, being in moor-land overlocking a loch and surrounded by hills.

There are 47 stones remaining, with the tallest being about 15 feet.  There is a central circle where a cairn where cremated remains were found.

The Stones are surrounded by moorland - quite lovely on a clear day, but I can image how misty the moorlands could get.



Europe Trip - Belfast, Northern Ireland

On Friday, June 22, the ship spent the day at Belfast.  We elected to take a shore excursion and are glad we did because it was pouring rain and there was flooding in Belfast.  Because we had seen the main city sights on a prior trip, we decided to take a tour out of town to "Grey Abbey & the Ards Peninsula".

The idea was to get out into the countryside to see the wonderful green landscapes outside of Belfast.  We took the coastal road south along the sea.  Our first stop was Grey Abbey, which is the site of a Cistercian Abbey where we toured the ruins.  The Abbey is set in beautiful gardens, including a "Physic Garden" of herbs.

After visiting the Abbey, we continued in the pouring rain through the Ards Peninsula - quite beautiful but no point takinig pictures in the pouring rain.

Stopped in the small seaside town of Donaghadee where we all went into the Pier 36 Pub on the Pier for an Irish  Coffee, which helped warm us up.

Europe Trip - Dublin, Ireland

June 20 and June 21 the ship was docked in Dublin, Ireland.  Because we had been to Dublin before and seen many of the main sights, we decided to buy a two day "HopOn, HopOff" ticket to see a wider range of areas.

Because Neil loves history, and has seen movies and read books about the Irish rebellions and civil war, we decided to spend some time at the Kilmainham Gaol Museum, which was been preserved by Heritage Ireland.  Here you can really feel the history of many of Ireland's tragic events.  We had an excellent tour guide.

The Gaol is of historical importance to Ireland because it was the site if incarnation of many leaders of the Irish nationalist movement.  Many were executed there.

Eamon D. Valera was imprisoned here in 1916.  He was a leader of the Irish independent movement and of the ensuing civil war and was involved in the 1916 Easter Rising.  Fortunately, he was not executed as there was political pressure by the time of his arrest to halt executions.   A few years later, D. Valera became President of the Irish Republic.

Next we went to the Old Jameson Distillery where we had a very good lunch and tour.

The next day we visited the  Guinness Storehouse which was built as the fermentation plant for Guiness beer in Dublin,  but is now a tourist museum detailing the steps involved in making Guiness.  The land was orignally leased by Arthur Guiness in 1759 for 9,000 years.

I then went to Trinity College and visited the Library where its greatest treasure is the "Book of Kells".  The Book of Kells is  a beautifully illustrated manuscript of the gospels from about the 8th century.

I then went to the nearby Irish Sweater Shop and bought myself a gorgeous cashmere/silk pullover.  Can't go to Ireland without buying a sweater.