Winter Swimming in Iceland

January 4, 2020 by oldageisnotforsissies54 Filed Under: Travel

We got up and said goodbye to Vik, Iceland’s southernmost village and its surrounding valleys, beaches, coastal cliffs, and mountains. We found our stay here to be peaceful, still, and serene. They told us to pack a small bag with our swimsuits.

Photo on Pixabay

This was rural Iceland and was supposed to be a prime place to search for the elusive northern lights. Of course, we missed them here as the weather did not cooperate, but we have one more chance tonight in Reykjavík.

Photo on Wikipedia

I also forgot to mention that in Vik is an IceWear outlet. Unfortunately for Chuck, our bus made a stop there. I love IceWear’s woolens though some are too scratchy for Florida wear.

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Photo on Pixabay

If you remember, our first night was not a good night as we had 90 mile an hour winds. What I didn’t mention before, though, was that the next morning we Floridians in particular looked for the devastation and was surprised that we found none. Iceland hardly has any trees, and it is our trees that seem to cause the most inland damage in Florida after hurricanes. They also had underground utilities.

On our way back to Reykjavík, we visited Seljalandsfoss, one of Iceland‘s most famous and picturesque waterfalls.

It has a walkway behind it but it was freezing, and the walkway was hazardous. This wiki picture shows what we missed.

Just offshore were a cluster of islands. Near that cluster was Surtsey, an island that did not exist until between 1963 and 1967. It was formed in a volcanic eruption which began over 425 feet below sea level. It finally reached the surface in 1963 whereby the eruption continued until 1967. We learned more about it at the Lava Center.

This is what Surtsey looks like today.

Photo from Wikipedia

We stopped at the Lava Center, an interactive museum about the science of geology and the volcanic systems that formed Iceland. With its high tech interactive displays, we were able to feel the forces of nature. For example, we experienced different types of earthquakes. It described the types of plate slips and then you felt what it feels like. In another room we walked down a hall during an earthquake, all made possible by special effects.

We also saw the Fiery Heart of Iceland, a 12 meter high structure simulating the mantle plume and the magma flow underneath Iceland.

We sat in a cinema auditorium to watch volcanic eruptions in HD 4K. I’ve been to a lot of science museums but this may be the best one I’ve ever seen. I’ve always been extremely interested in plate tectonics, and this place explains it better than anyone or anywhere else.

This was our last afternoon in Iceland. We drove along the south shore toward the Reykjanes Peninsular with its rugged landscape, lava fields, and numerous Hot Springs. This is also the home of the Blue Lagoon.

I had heard about the Blue Lagoon before and also heard that the mineral-rich seawater of its geothermal pool is good for you. What I didn’t know is that it is the outtake of a generating plant.

Its waters provide not only a lagoon, but also its patented, active ingredients in Blue Lagoon skin care: silica, algae, and minerals.

Our group stopped to take a dip, and the water was hot and wonderfully relaxing. Just what all of us travel-weary people needed.

The pool sits in the middle of a dramatic 800-year-old lava field. We walked through the lava to get to the spa.

We both got a mud mask, free with admission. I’d give anything if I had gotten a picture of Chuck with his mud mask.

We didn’t think their lifeguards needed to worry about sunblock.

We swam up to the swim-in-bar for refreshments,

and the water was truly relaxing.

After our dip in the Blue Lagoon we drove on to Reykjavík for a farewell dinner and overnight stay. After dinner, we took another cruise out into the bay to try to see the northern lights once again. Walking to the ship, we saw their city employees putting up their Christmas decorations.

This time we were hugely successful. We watched the Northern Lights reach all the way across the sky from the right to the left.

This one you could see with the naked eye, but I still took pictures.

We flew out the next day back to the states with a connection in SeaTac. I know! It was a lousy connection, but that’s what happens when so many planes are grounded thanks to Boeing.

The Most Voluminous Glacier in Europe

December 31, 2019 by oldageisnotforsissies54 Filed Under: Travel

This is another post from our trip to Iceland. We took another day trip out of Vic, but this one was to the Vatna Glacier. Using the Ring Road we traveled around the coastal side of the glacier which is the largest glacier in Europe by volume.

NASA photo found on Wikipedia

It sits in the Vatnajokull National Park, the largest national park in Europe. Within the glacier is Iceland’s highest mountains.

Our first stop was a visitors’ center to watch a very good film about the glacier. Its mass takes up about 3,204 square miles, and it is more than a half a mile thick at its thickest point.

Located immediately below the arctic circle, Iceland has an alpine environment. It also has a very short growing season. This makes for a beautiful landscape though.

It is a different type of scenic beauty.

Iceland’s soil is of volcanic origin and is very loose. Erosion is a whole other problem here.

Its highland landscape is wide, open, with a vast horizon.

We stopped in several places to view
fingers of the glacier up close.

We are traveling along the Ring Road, and at one point our tour guide showed us where a glacier outburst occurred.

Caused by a volcano inside the glacier, the flood water burst from under the ice in this area with immense violence. Large blocks of ice broke off the glacier and were carried down across the sand flats here.

There are two processes that happen here deep in the earth. First the Mid-Atlantic Ridge runs through here. Second, this is a hotspot. Hotspots are located throughout our world. For example Yellowstone is considered a hotspot.

The most intense Icelandic volcanoes are located beneath this glacier. There are seven volcanoes located underneath the Vatna’s icecap, and most of them are active.

This is what this outburst did to the Ridge Road bridges here. It happened in September 1996 when powerful earthquake tremors were followed by a volcanic eruption which lasted until 13 October.

However the floodwaters didn’t appear until November 5 when the floodwaters washed away the road crossing the sand flats here. One 376 meter bridge was completely washed away. Several others were badly damaged.

The outburst resulted in five channels of water and one channel was briefly the second largest river in the world. The five channels of floodwaters washed away a quarter mile long bridge, most of another bridge over a half mile long, over 19 miles of roadway and twenty-three power-line towers.

They used some of the damaged bridge to build a Memorial. No human lives were lost.

All is peaceful now in the same location.

We passed dozens upon dozens of waterfalls, all made by the glacier. One of my favorites was called the Two Sisters Falls.

Later, we traveled to the Jokulsarlon, which literally means ‘glacial river lagoon’.

It was amazingly scenic

with its bright blue icebergs

and seals.

This is either a total waste of tax dollars or someone must have tried it.

The river reaches down to the sea passing under the Ring Road and its impressive bridge.

On the other side of the bridge it too has a black beach.

We watched the icebergs move on into the sea.

People added their own creative talents to the topography.

Some comical.

On the way back we stopped at Hofskirkja in the village of Hof. The little parish church built in the 1880s is still in use and was the last turf church built in the old style.

A cemetery surrounded it.

We decided to take a group shot here.

After we got back to our hotel and had dinner we went out once again to see the Northern Lights traveling westward to total darkness near the sea. We used an app to see if they were forecast for the evening. There was a slight chance of seeing the aurora due to a possible predicted break in the cloudiness, but alas no dancing northern lights.

We did have a nice dinner though.

Have You Ever Seen a Black Beach?

December 4, 2019 by oldageisnotforsissies54 Filed Under: Travel

On day three in Iceland, we toured a Black Beach near Vik; Skogafoss, a waterfall; and a museum about the people of Iceland. It was another stormy day with high winds, but nothing like the night before.

A Black Beach

We were on Iceland’s southern shore at the Hotel Katla near Vik. We survived their Icelandic storm which came ashore just before midnight. Since there are hardly any trees, there was little damage.

Hotel Katla

I had seen a black beach before, but not one this pretty. The sand is like black crystals, and since it is raining it is glistening and beautiful. The Icelanders call this beach Reynisfjara.

Just offshore we’re black basalt rock formations that jutted out of the sea.

Plus there are caves and folklore stories. The rock formations in the sea were once trolls who were turned to stone when caught by daylight.

Supposedly, monsters live in the caves. The rocks near this cave look a little like the giant’s staircase in Northern Ireland.

The water was very turbulent and dangerous.

This beach is also known for its deadly sneaker waves. There were signs everywhere warning about these rogue waves, and we were told by our guides to stay far away from the water’s edge. We thought we did!

In the photo above, notice several of our group posing for photos in front of the angry sea. See that big wave behind the couple in their red coats?

Well, if I hadn’t put down my camera and ran like hell for higher ground, Chuck and I both would have been knocked down by that wave. The lady in the headband got wet to her knees and she ran, too.

Above was my next photo as people rushed to help those knocked down by the wave. Thankfully, all of us were well up away from the waves, but one of these sneaker waves pushed far up onto the beach where we stood. Too close to the sea, and someone might have been swept away.

So many of our group got wet that we had to go back to the hotel which thankfully was a short drive away. We began to see how Iceland can be a hazardous place for the unwary.

After a change of clothes, we went to see Skogafoss. If you remember foss means waterfall. This was one of Iceland’s largest in terms of volume of water. It falls over the cliffs of a former coastline. It is 49 feet across with a 200 foot fall.

One can take a trail up to the top of the falls, but we decided against it. Too much wind and rain for us. These falls have been in many movies and tv series, including “Vikings” and “Game of Thrones”.

Our next stop was a lookout along the coastline. The entire point was littered with foam blown from the sea down below on the cliffs.

I’ve never seen the sea this violent, and Chuck and I once experience outrunning a category 4 hurricane in a clipper ship. A short video clip is below.

http://oldageisnotforsissiesblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/img_2695-1.mov

Our last stop was to learn how the people of Iceland worked…

and lived.

That night we went back out to see the Northern Lights again but it was too cloudy. We have an app that shows where the lights are for the night.

An Icelandic Hurricane

December 3, 2019 by oldageisnotforsissies54 Filed Under: Travel

We had a big adventure this day. During our trip into the interior of Iceland, a storm moved onshore to meet us as we arrived in Vik. If it had come onshore in Florida, especially during our storm season, it would have been called a hurricane!

Iceland’s interior is a vast part of the country with little population. Most of it is only accessible during the summertime and is rugged and snowy otherwise. It is remote and virtually untouched, reminding me of the outback in Australia.

Since this is not summer, we only saw a small part of it. Our first stop was Thingvellir National Park in southwestern Iceland, 25 miles from Reykjavík. The park is historically, culturally, and geologically significant.

It lies in a rift valley and is the only place in the world where one can see the Mid-Atlantic Drift. The rest of the ridge is underwater. The rift is the boundary between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. It is a continental drift that can be seen in its cracks and faults.

We took a path through one of the cracks. Amazing!

The Vikings must have known how special this place was, because it is also the place where the Althing took place. This was the national parliament of Iceland, established over a thousand years ago in 930 AD. They met here annually until 1798 when it was moved to the capital, Reykjavík.

Their description of their parliament reminded me of the rendezvous held by the mountain men in America, except the Icelandic parliament always met here in this one place.

Assemblymen came but also ordinary people, too, such as merchants, tanners, and anyone who wanted to sell their goods and services. Games and feasts were held, and people exchanged stories and news. This was a meeting place for all Icelanders.

Though they no longer meet here, the area is preserved for perpetuity for its cultural significance.

This is beautiful scenery here.

Thingvellir is one stop on Iceland’s Golden Circle, but they just announced that we will miss the next stop, the Gullfoss, the Golden waterfall, a wonderful waterfall that all of us looked so forward to seeing and hiking.

The storm may cause the closure of a pass that we must cross in order to get to Vik on the other side of the pass and the site of our hotel for the next three days.

On our way to the pass we stopped for about a thirty minute lunch break and got to quickly see the third site on the Golden Circle, the geysers of Haukadalur. By the way they pronounce geyser as geezer. It took us a few minutes to realize what she was talking about.

We realized that Iceland is really a giant Yellowstone Park— a geological hot spot on earth. We took a quick walk through a geyser field before leaving.

Finally, we boarded again and lit out like a scalded dog headed for Vik and the pass in question. There was no doubt that a storm was coming, and it was truly a Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, though this one lasted for over an hour and was for real.

We were warned about the weather here. We were told to bring rain gear, woolens, waterproof boots, and even crampons. We already saw ice flurries the first night in Reykjavík.

But the winds already reached 50 mph plus and even more were expected later as we continued to drive into the teeth of the winter storm. They tried to get us to the hotel as quickly as possible. One time it felt like a blast of wind caused the bus to clear all its wheels off the pavement on one side. The whole bus load of visitors gasped.

We are driving around the volcano that erupted a few years ago and blanketed Europe resulting in the largest air traffic stoppages since WWII.

At one point there was even whitecaps on a cow pond. I apologize that I have no photos, but it was almost impossible to capture this through the windows of the bus. My photos were blurry.

Finally, we arrived in Vik on Iceland’s southern shore and will be here for three days. They quickly rushed us to dinner, so we could get into our rooms early. The winds are expected to increase to 90 mph around 11 PM. They even parked a van at our building’s glass front doors to protect it. Wow!

Why Iceland in the Fall?

December 2, 2019 by oldageisnotforsissies54 Filed Under: Travel

Chuck and I recently made a trip to Iceland. I know most of you are thinking why would anyone go to Iceland during the fall or winter seasons. Well it was my idea, as Chuck was quick to tell anyone who found out that we went.

Iceland seems to be the place to go right now, though I think most people go in the summer time. I chose the darker months, because of the northern lights. We’ve never seen them, and the only way to see them is to go north or south during the fall, winter or early spring.

I graduated from Florida State University, and our alumni association planned this trip to Iceland. Collette travel company handled the trip.

It is not a given that one will see the winter lights, because they depend on several factors. It has to be dark, and there is little darkness in the summertime that far north. The conditions have to be right, such as a clear night without much cloud cover. A full moon is OK, because the photographs turn out better; but I think the full moon affects whether you can see it with the naked eye or not. We could photograph auroras that we could not see. Finally the sun has to cooperate, as solar storms are the reason we have auroras in the northern and southern latitudes of our earth.

We left in early November and flew all the way to Reykjavík, Iceland, their capital. Then we spent one night there, before taking a bus to see some of Iceland’s interior.

Downtown Reykjavík

Reykjavík is a beautiful little city, population about 130,000. The entire island has a population of only about 330,000 people. Most all of them live within about four cities on the coasts. Very few live in the interior.

We felt perfectly safe walking around the little city at night, and the next morning we took a tour of the city.

We learned that the name Reykjavík means smoky bay. Vik means bay. Our hotel is in the middle of the town and right outside its front doors was a monument to the first man to settle Iceland in 874 AD–Ingólfur Arnarson. Our guide was a descendent.

A Monument to Iceland’s First Settler

We visited its Parliament which wasn’t built until the 1800s.

We got a big kick out of their statue by the duck pond called “The Unknown Bureaucrat.” One can interpret this either way, but we chose to interpret it as satire. Almost every member of our family has been a bureaucrat at one time or the other.

There is an American bar, but they didn’t have any games which we were interested in. There was a Penn State game versus Minnesota played throughout the bar on Saturday night. Icelanders are ethnically Vikings.

The duck pond was frozen, but not enough yet to ice skate.

Temperatures in Iceland seldom get below 20° because of the Gulf Stream.

The ducks and swans still like their pond though.

Sunrises come around 10 o’clock in the morning as you can see above.

Their gardens in the winter look barren.

Icelanders are Lutherans, and this is the oldest church in the city.

After dinner the first night, we boarded a whale watching ship to go out into the bay far away from the city to see the northern lights.

We were somewhat successful. Over a snow topped mountain near the bay, an Aurora began to form: but you could not see it with the naked eye. I caught a photo, using directions from someone else who had a camera who could see it. It was ok, but a little blurry.

Kevin with our group, though, caught this shot, a much better one than my own.

The next day we boarded a bus and toured some of Iceland’s interior.

Does the Fort in Fort William and “Outlander” Still Exist?

August 11, 2019 by oldageisnotforsissies54 Filed Under: Travel

I had heard of Fort William in Scotland before this trip. Any of us who watched the “Outlander” series heard of Fort William, but that was it for me. I had only heard of it. Fort William was the last stop on our Norway to Scotland cruise. It is located in Lochaber in the Scottish Highlands between Glenfinnan and Glencoe.

We woke up anchored near Fort William and had to take a tender to visit the city and surrounding area.

Our view of Fort William from the ship.

We spent most of the day traveling in the Glen Coe area. The views were awesome.

Photo on Wikipedia

A glen is a “U” or “V” shaped valley. If it is flooded then it is called a fjord. The valley was shaped by glaciers during the Ice Age. Glen Coe is the Coe River Valley.

Photo on Wikipedia

Looming over Fort William is Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the United Kingdom. It’s name is Gaelic, and Ben is mountain while Nevis could mean malicious or venomous. There is another translation, though. Nevis could also mean “in the clouds” or heaven. Its summit is a collapsed dome of an ancient volcano.

Ben Nevis – Photo on Wikipedia

In the shadow of Ben Nevis is Neptune’s Staircase,

Photo on Wikipedia

a series of eight staircase locks that lifts ships over 60 feet, the longest staircase lock in the British Isles.

It is part of the Caledonian Canal which connects east and west Scotland, a cross Scotland barge canal.

The canal was completed by 1822, and Neptune’s Staircase by the same year.

Also, there is something here for Harry Potter fans. Fort William is home to Hagrid’s Hut in The Harry Potter movies;

Photo on Wikipedia Fandom

and one can see where they filmed the train scenes, especially when the Hogwart’s Express crosses the great aqueduct.

Photo on Wikipedia

All of this is near Fort William. You can even ride the same steam train which was used in the movies. We saw the aqueduct but didn’t ride the train.

The aqueduct is very near Glenfinnan where Bonnie Prince Charlie rallied the Jacobites. We visited a memorial to the highlanders who fought for Scotland’s independence. The memorial monument sits near where the steam train crosses the great aqueduct.

Next we went on to Glen Coe, and this is when we wished we had time to hike.

Photo found on Pixabay

This is an outdoorsman’s dream. There were beautiful mountain trails, forest trails, and seaside trails.

Photo found on Pixabay

It was May when we visited with the rhododendrons in full bloom, but here they are considered an invasive.

In one location forest crews were removing and burning them.

Speaking of forests, this is an area where commercial forests exist.

In the Glencoe Visitor’s Center I loved the mobile in the cafeteria. I’m a pine tree farmer so it was special for me.

We drove out to the Glen Coe Valley on A82.

The Munros that surround the valley were formed by volcanic activity but shaped by glaciers. A Munro is a peak over 3,000 feet. Ben Nevis is a Munro.

The scenic drive through the valley included summits, waterfalls, and lochs. A loch is a lake whether fresh, salt, or brackish.

The following day we cruised to Glasgow and returned to the states.

As you probably noticed, we did not visit the fort in Fort William. It is because it no longer exists. It was destroyed long ago.

Ten Reasons to Visit Scotland’s Isle of Skye Again

August 4, 2019 by oldageisnotforsissies54 Filed Under: Travel

Our visit to the Isle of Skye located in the western highlands of Scotland was magical. We only spent a day here, but we want to go back. It was the type of island where we wished we had stayed on the island itself for at least a week. I would describe it as quaint, eerily beautiful, and magical–the kind found in fairy tales.

The Le Boreal anchored in a bay which required a tender service to get us to shore. Right off, we noticed a ruin on a hill that probably was some type of ancient fortress used to protect the entrance to the natural basin where we disembarked.

The houses around this basin were quaint and picturesque.

The wild floral display is rhododendrons, which they consider an invasive.

We first drove to the castle, but the scenery on the way was magnificent.

The island is rural and agricultural.

Their main economy is also tourism, fishing, and forestry.

The views were awesome!

Finally, we arrived at our first destination, the Eilean Donan Castle, otherwise known as the Kyle of Lochalsh, which we toured. Its name means Island of Donnan, a martyred saint.

It is one of the most photographed castles in Scotland and sits on a tidal island where three lochs meet.

You gain entry by a footbridge which connects the castle’s island to the mainland.

The original castle was built in the 13th century and was later occupied by the Mackenzie clan and their allies Clan MacRae.

However, during the 18th century, the Mackenzie’s role in the Jacobite Rebellions led to the castle’s destruction. A McRae-Gilstrap rebuilt it from its ruins in the 20th century. Gilstrap is one of my family’s surnames, but I have no idea if we are kin. If we are, though, then they have all the money.

Gaining entry is interesting and circuitous. One makes a hard left just as one enters and climbs stairs.

Then the stairs do a switchback as one climbs higher and higher. I guess those defending had the higher ground.

Our first room was a hall for receiving, but because this is still private property owned by descendants of McRae-Gilstrap, the family wishes there to be no photographs.

The views from the castle, though, were awesome.

Our day was cool enough for a thin down jacket, while back in Tallahassee it was already in the 90s.

Next, we spent an afternoon of free time in Portree, its largest city and capital.

Portree on the Isle of Skye, Photo on Wikipedia

Also, a working port,

there were views up on the cliffs…

and down in the harbor.

We spent a good bit of our day at the Eilean Donan Castle and hanging out in Portree, but there was so much more to see such as the Old Man of Storr and Neist Point. I’m afraid we just scratched the surface.

The Old Man of Storr, Isle of Skye, Photo from Wikipedia

We also did not get to see any of the Fairy Pools, but those probably required hiking. I’m not sure Chuck was up for that anyway. His heel was still giving him trouble.

Isle of Skye Fairy Pools, Wikipedia Photo

Take a moment to click here. The blog post is entitled “9 Images that Prove Why the Isle of Skye in Scotland is Landscape Photography Heaven on Earth.” His photographs of the other sites on the Isle of Skye are why we want to go back.

A Time Traveler’s Guide to the Orkney Islands

July 23, 2019 by oldageisnotforsissies54 Filed Under: Travel

We continued island hopping with our next stop on the Orkneys. There are several significant archaeological finds here; and we visited three of them–Skara Brae, the Ring of Brodgar, and the Stones of Stenness.

A 5,000 Year Old Home in Skara Brae

The night before we arrived on the Orkneys, we listened to a lecture about their newest find, the Ness of Brodgar. Its Director of Archaeology described its significance and also gave us some background to help us better understand the Neolithic in this area.

The Ness of Brodgar is a current archaeological excavation n the Orkneys. It includes a Stone Age Cathedral.

The Orkney Islands are north of mainland Scotland. Though it was late May, our temperatures began in the high 40s and did not get over 68° throughout our stay. We docked in the city of Kirkwall, the Orkneys’ main port.

The Orkneys and their relation to the northern coast of Scotland.

Skara Brae

Our first excursion was to a 5,000-year-old Stone Age village called Skara Brae. We could see inside their homes, which were virtually intact after being buried for several thousand years.

And we could see down their streets which were simple paths. The village sits on the Bay of Skaill.

Skara Brae predates the Pyramid of Giza and Stonehenge. It was inhabited for several centuries with a population of between 50 and 100.

A dresser, hearth, and beds in a Skara Brae home.

The archeological site was unearthed during a storm in the 1800s. Below is a photo of the Bay of Skaill.

The Bay of Skaill in the Orkneys

Ring of Brodgar

Next we visited the ceremonial enclosure called the Ring of Brodgar. Below is an aerial view found on Wikipedia. It will help you see the scale of the henge.

One of the largest stone circles in Britain, it once had 60 stones standing six yards apart and a dike.

Today, there are only 36 left.

It is believed to between 2,000 to 2,500 years old. The brown seen in the photos is heather. It will bloom again in July, but the brown itself are the blooms from last year.

The Standing Stones of Stenness

Afterwards, we drove past the Ness of Brodgar, which was closed, to the Standing Stones of Stenness. Unable to get any photos because of the driving rain, here are two from Wikipedia.

The Stones of Stenness is the oldest stone circle in Britain, dating over 5,400 years old, older again than both Giza or Stonehenge. It may be the British Isles oldest henge.

Only four of the original twelve stones remain. A large stone hearth sets inside of the circle.

St. Magnus Cathedral

Finally back at the ship, we had time to walk into the city of Kirkwall, but inclement weather and a chronic injury to Chuck’s heel kept us on the ship. At the top of my list to see had been St. Magnus Cathedral, which towers over the city. It was built to honor the Viking Earl of Orkney and to house the Orkney bishops. Again these photos are from Wikipedia.

Construction began in 1137 and lasted over 300 years.

Technically, no longer a cathedral, though, it is a Parish Church of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland. Being a Presbyterian myself, it was on my list to see.

Twenty Awesome Views of the Shetland Islands

July 6, 2019 by oldageisnotforsissies54 Filed Under: Travel

The Shetland Islands once belonged to Norway, but later became part of a marriage agreement between a Scottish king and a Norwegian princess. Located about halfway between the two former kingdoms, there are over 100 islands with more than 900 miles of coastline. Come join me for a quick pictorial tour.

First, I apologize that there was such a long break between my posts on Norway and Scotland, but life gets in the way.

After touring on the Flam Railway, we crossed the North Sea to the Shetland Islands, which are part of Scotland. The islands are located at the northern tip of the United Kingdom.

We sailed into the port at Lerwick. They tell us that much of these port scenes are in the television series called “Shetland”.

First, we toured the islands by bus.

The islands are beautifully green as this is May. It is sparsely populated.

The road followed a ridge with sweeping views of the land to the sea below.

Agriculture appears to be their primary economy.

We did finally get to see their most famous residents, the Shetland ponies. If you’ve ever owned one, then you know that they are not the most pleasant horse species.

We stopped at an overlook to view this cove.

It was a cove with sunning seals.

The Celtic language is a language all its own. For example, a tower is called a broch.

There are many brochs in Scotland.

The temperature today, even in the sun, did not rise over 53°. The morning was quite cool, especially with the cloud cover and wind. Layered clothing helped.

In the afternoon we visited a site called Jarlshof. Jarlshof is a 4000 year old village by the sea.

We first toured the oldest part, which was about 4000 years old. Their houses were round.

There were even pathways between their homes.

Then we toured a newer part of the settlement that the Vikings left behind.

The Viking homes were rectangular in shape.

Also built at this site was a more up-to-date Laird’s home.

All ruins though as each settlement was built on top of the last.

Can you imagine what it was like when someone looked out this window and saw a Viking ship? Actually, this is a door. I guess they were a much shorter people.

Are There Fiords or Fjords on the North Sea?

June 16, 2019 by oldageisnotforsissies54 Filed Under: Travel

Last Fall we saw fiords down in New Zealand, but now we are on the other side of the world where the same geological phenomena are called fjords. Join us for a pictorial tour of the Flam Railway in Norway.

Flam is a port on a fjord on the North Sea. From there we took a scenic railway up into the mountains.

Last night we cruised from Bergen up the coast of Norway in the North Sea. We will visit ports for the rest of our holiday. First stop is the port of Flam.

A North Sea Sunset

Due to Chuck’s condition this is best for us now. We do not have to pack or unpack for a week.

We are on a small French cruise line called Ponant on a ship called Le Boreal.

There are only about 200 passengers on board.

It was a very comfortable ship though much too cold to swim.

This morning at breakfast, we cruised through a large fjord to Flam.

The scenery in the mountains was beautiful.

There were waterfalls everywhere. Though not as many as we saw in a fiord in New Zealand last year. You can read about it here. I don’t think we’ll ever see that many waterfalls in one place ever again.

These Norway waterfalls were spectacular, too!

The Norwegian villages were quaint and pretty.

We made two stops to stretch our legs.

Finally, we got back to Flam, and we made some of our best buys for family souvenirs. The Norwegians are known for their jewelry, especially pewter and silver necklaces and earrings. Their woolens are nice, but I was jaded after discovering New Zealand’s blend of merino wool and possum fur. Their possum isn’t like ours. It doesn’t look like ours, and its fur is soft.

We left Flam and sailed back through the fjord back into the North Sea. This is goodbye to Norway, and we hope to return someday. We only visited a small part of their country.

Tonight we sail across the North Sea to the Shetland Islands.

This is another post from our trip to Iceland. We took another day trip out of Vic, but this one was to the Vatna Glacier. Using the Ring Road we traveled around the coastal side of the glacier which is the largest glacier in Europe by volume.

On day three in Iceland, we toured a Black Beach near Vik; Skogafoss, a waterfall; and a museum about the people of Iceland. It was another stormy day with high winds, but nothing like the night before.

We had a big adventure this day. During our trip into the interior of Iceland, a storm moved onshore to meet us as we arrived in Vik. If it had come onshore in Florida, especially during our storm season, it would have been called a hurricane!

Chuck and I recently made a trip to Iceland. I know most of you are thinking why would anyone go to Iceland during the fall or winter seasons. Well it was my idea, as Chuck was quick to tell anyone who found out that we went.

We continued island hopping with our next stop on the Orkneys. There are several significant archaeological finds here; and we visited three of them–Skara Brae, the Ring of Brodgar, and the Stones of Stenness.

Skara Brae

Ring of Brodgar

The Standing Stones of Stenness

St. Magnus Cathedral

Last Fall we saw fiords down in New Zealand, but now we are on the other side of the world where the same geological phenomena are called fjords. Join us for a pictorial tour of the Flam Railway in Norway.

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