August 30 - Saguenay, Québec, Canada

This is a very long blog post but there is a lot I want to remember about this place when I look back on my travels.

Last night I went to the Girls’ Nite cocktail party and dinner, followed by late night dancing in the Club.  There were about 30 of us divided into three tables of 10 in the restaurant.  It was fun!  I met a couple of ladies I hadn’t had an opportunity to meet before. In between we went to see the show performed by the Seabourn Six, the professional cast on the Sojourn.  It was pretty good, not great.

I slept quite late this morning. It seems I can’t burn the candle at both ends as much as I used to be able.  Today we’re docked in La Baie, part of the municipality of Saguenay in the province of Québec.  I stopped here last fall on my journey on the Quest.  It was in the third week of October that time and the leaves had already turned, in fact they were past their prime then.  This year we're too early for leaf-peeper season. Nevertheless it is a still a lovely area.

The big pier in La Baie and below are some street performers on the dock. They were gone by the time I went ashore

Saguenay has a population of about 150,000 spread out over a very large land area of several hundred square miles. The municipality is divided into three boroughs, La Baie (where we’re docked), Jonquière, and Chicoutimi, which is the most urban of the three.  In fact there’s a university there.  It was first settled in 1676 as a French trading post.  In the mid-19th century it was officially incorporated as a municipality by one Peter McLeod who was a timber contractor.  The area is surrounded by large forests of both pine and hardwoods so it was natural that sawmills should be built here.  It thrived as a center for paper and pulp industries especially when the Canadian National Railway arrived in 1893.  By 1910 the Chicoutimi Pulp Mill, founded by French Canadian investors, became the largest pulp producer in Canada. Unfortunately with the advent of the Great Depression the area began to decline, mills shut down, and the economy took a big hit.

The economy is now in a state of transition.  A cruise pier was built and opened in 2006 to accommodate large cruise ships.  Processing of aluminum began and the economy now is increasingly focused on research and developing technology for energy, forestry, and even some aircraft parts. There’s also a Canadian Air Force Base here, one of only a few apparently in Canada.

I decided to take a tour described as “Wine, cheese, and wild blueberries” because that sounded like an interesting and tasty combination.  We set out from La Baie under some dark clouds on our foray into the countryside.  The area is lush and green with lots of forests of both pines and hardwoods.  In a few weeks it should be absolutely beautiful when the leaves begin to turn.  We drove by pastures and fields of corn, wheat, barley, and canola.  In the distance we could see the Laurentian mountains, which stretch for about 900 miles through Québec and Labrador with some peaks rising to over 3300 feet.

Lots of very green countryside

Eventually we came to our first stop, the Fromagerie Boivin.  We saw a short video on how they make cheese and then of course we got to sample some.  Our guide told us that the cheesemaker had sent some of its cheddar to Buckingham Palace and that Queen Elizabeth pronounced it the ”best cheddar in the world.”  We tasted several of the cheeses they produce, including the cheddar, and my friends and I decided the Queen was being very diplomatic because we thought it rather bland and actually a little rubbery.  Boivin also produces a lot of cheese curds which are evidently very popular here in Quebec.  I think the curds are used to make poutine which I’ve never tried.  Anyway, I wasn’t tempted at all to buy any cheese.  The only thing I saw in their shop that was interesting were some bags of Cracker Jacks, complete with surprises in them.  I haven’t seen Cracker Jacks in ages and I was almost tempted to buy a bag, but I didn’t.

Fromagerie Boivin

After our tasting we headed onward to our next stop, a wild blueberry place where they produce all kinds of things, including blueberry wine.  To get there we drove through Chicoutimi, the major population center.  This place had a mall, fast food outlets and suburban sprawl.  We did drive through an old part of town near the cathedral.  The streets there were tree-lined with some lovely old houses built in the 1920’s in the craftsman style. Leaving Chicoutimi we again drove through countryside and passed through one area where people keep alpacas for pets and we stopped to take some photos. I really like alpacas!  They’re very cute.  I forgot to mention earlier an interesting piece of information.  The cows here are kept inside most of the time, not in some of the lovely pastureland!  I think that’s absolutely terrible!  Apparently the government decided that the cows produce more milk and it’s easier to regulate the percentage of various nutrients in the milk if they’re kept inside.  That seems like a miserable life for a cow to me.

The Cathedral in Chicoutimi

Alpacas are so cute!

We eventually got to the blueberry place, Domaine le Cageot.  I found it confusing because they were supposed to be wild blueberries, but there were rows of plants which were cultivated.   I don’t know how that is wild, but anyway that’s what we were told they were.  We tasted some blueberry pie (I’ve tasted better), blueberry wine (very sweet of course), and blueberry vinaigrette.  Now that was fantastic!  I bought a couple of bottles of the vinaigrette because I think it will be great on a salad, especially a spinach one.  They do make all kinds of blueberry products including sparkling wines, liqueurs, and jams.

Domaine le Cageot, the blueberry farm

Once again on our bus it was time to head back to the ship.  This time we took the equivalent of an interstate.  Our guide Linda told us the road is only going to be about 80 kilometers long when completed and construction began the year she was born (1956) and is still not completed.  That sounds a lot like some of the road projects back home in Virginia.  The clouds had cleared during the course of the afternoon and at the blueberry place it was actually sunny and beautiful.   Along the way we made a little detour through Jonquière to see the most beautiful church in Saguenay, the  Eglise de Saint-Dominique.  It is a lovely edifice that is 155 years old.  Atop the main doors are gilded statues of the the four gospel writers. The church is still in use unlike some of the other small churches we passed during our drive.  As church attendance has declined here, some of the churches have been repurposed as community centers and one has even been converted into luxury condos.  That seems kind of sad to me.

The Eglise de Saint-Dominique

Unfortunately, as we approached La Baie where we were docked the skies turned dark and ominous and of course, they opened and it began to pour. I knew that would happen and I’ll tell you how I knew.  John Barron, a cruise director with whom I’ve cruised many times and who I really like, came onboard in Newfoundland and is taking over the job in a couple of days in Montreal.  He planned a caviar sailaway for this afternoon on the open deck.  Now on every cruise I’ve sailed with him each time he’s planned a deck party it has been rained out.  He’s batting zero so far.  So this morning when I read in the daily program that we were having a deck party and John was to sing, I knew it would inevitably rain.  I should have made a bet on it and I could have made a little money.

The party was moved inside and it was fun anyway.  I had dinner with John afterwards and we talked about old times and mutual friends.  Later I went to the show which featured a really funny comedian from Philadelphia whom I’ve heard before.  I thoroughly enjoyed his show and then went to the Club to hear some more live music.  It was a lovely day except for the poor cows who don’t get to enjoy the green pastures of Saguenay. I think happy cows should be allowed to graze in nice green pastures and even take a roll in the grass once in a while.

August 29 - Days at Sea

Today is the second of our sea days on our way to the St. Lawrence River. These have been uneventful and they seem to zip by. I’ve been trying to get up a little earlier and I have made it to breakfast for the first time in more than a week.  There have been lots of lectures and for the bridge enthusiasts they have been having bridge games.  Of course there have been lots of other games like baggo, putting, name that tune , and of course trivia.  We had the final day of trivia today and our team was the winner.  For all our hard work we got a Seabourn backpack with a Seabourn stuffed bear inside.  I have a couple of crew members in mind to give them to so they won’t be going home with me.

Last night a member of my team arranged for us all to have dinner together in the restaurant and he asked for a Chinese  meal.  You can make special orders if you give 24-hour notice.  The food was good but way too spicy for my taste.  There was something I thought was very funny that happened.  The organizer came up to me after dinner and asked for my cell number.  I thought it was so we could keep in touch which we often do with folks we meet on cruises.  He wanted my number for a different reason though.  He had googled and found a website that had the 350 most frequently asked questions (with answers) in shipboard trivia games.  He divided them into 10 groups of 35 questions and wanted to send me a text with the link to my questions.  In other words he was assigning us homework.  I just don’t take trivia seriously enough, I guess, because I thought that was  kind of ridiculous.  

At lunch yesterday a group of us including Paige and Greg from Hawaii and Ernie and Lisa from Seattle  (all regulars at the Club pre-dinner) had lunch at the Patio while one of the trio, Theo, and the singer from the band played during lunch.  We were joined by the other two members of the Trio, Chris and Melody, and John, the Cruise Director I've sailed with a lot.  We had a really nice time and laughed a lot.  I have developed a new routine I must write about. (I don't think I have already.)  After lunch I go to the Patio Bar where there is also a gelato bar and I ask Joao, the great bartender, to make me an adult milkshake.  He surprises me every day with a concoction of gelato and some spirits and they are always so good! They are never the same and I know it's decadent, but I'll only pass this way once.

The Lunch Bunch

This is Joao from Lisbon who makes the best adult milkshakes in the world.

Tonight the female officers have arranged for girls’ night. We’re meeting for cocktails in the Club followed by dinner together.  It should be fun.

We’ve been sailing in calm waters today but we’ve gone in and out of fog.  A few minutes ago we sounded the foghorn, but now the sun is out again.  At least it’s not cold or raining.

I’ve rambled on about nothing long enough for today.  Tomorrow we’ll be Saguenay, Canada and I’m doing a tour so perhaps I’ll have something more interesting to write about. Ciao for now!

August 27 - Saint- Pierre and Miquelon

We tendered ashore today to Saint-Pierre which is an Overseas Territory of France. The history of these islands is confusing to say the least.  For nearly three hundred years ownership went back and forth between the British and the French.  When the British would take over they would destroy the French settlement and deport the inhabitants back to France and vice versa.  The fate of the islands would be decided at the conclusion of wars and the signing of treaties.  So at the end of the Wars of the Spanish Succession , the Seven Years’ War, our Revolutionary War and the French Revolutionary Wars (including the Napoleonic era) ownership went back and forth. Strangely enough in the early 20th century the islanders considered joining the US but that idea fizzled and the place stayed French.  I am amazed that they changed hands so often because from what I heard on my tour and saw while there, the islands don’t appear to have any outstanding natural resources.  Possessing those seems to usually be the motivating factor for occupying territory.

The islands have a little over 4000 inhabitants and the primary sources of employment are the fishing industry and government work.  They do have one big claim to fame – during our prohibition back beginning in 1920, these islands became a primary source and route for smuggling liquor into the US.  Supposedly somewhere around 2 million gallons of booze passed through here.  We passed a little old hotel which was reportedly visited by Al Capone who was said to have left a hat there. He had come to inspect his interests here.

The local liquor store

I took a “scenic drive” tour of the island of Saint-Pierre.  Our guide was an enthusiastic young woman from Newfoundland (which is only a few miles away).  When asked why she was living in Saint-Pierre she told us that she’d fallen in love with a guy she met in France and when he told her he lived in Saint-Pierre she decided to follow him here.  I can only say it must be true love, because there’s not a whole lot else to recommend this place.  The drive would probably have been very nice had it been a sunny day, but it was one of those misty, moisty days as Winnie the Pooh would have said.  We stopped at a couple of scenic overlooks and we couldn’t see much but fog.  Many houses along the way were brightly colored, and based on what she told us, very expensive (we’re talking in the range of €350,000 (that’s roughly $410,000) for a very modest looking home.  A plot of land with nothing on it could cost between €120,000 and €150,000.

I think it would be beautiful without fog and mist.

Colorful but not worth €350,000 IMHO

Along the beach near the tender dock there was a line of brightly colored fishing huts in front of which were boats lined up on  sort of slides so they can be easily launched into the water. 

The longest road is about 6 kilometers long and there are 3 roundabouts.  I think we drove on all of them.  We passed the airport which does have one flight per week coming from Paris.  The runway isn’t very long, so they limit the number of passengers on the Airbus that flies in to just 100 so it can manage the runway.  On our way back to the tender dock we passed a square where they were doing some folk dancing, but by the time we got off the bus that was done.  I’m stealing a  photo of them that another of my fellow passengers was able to get.

I neglected to mention that the settlers on the island came principally from Breton, Normandy and Basque country.

This was one of those places that I’ve been to that make  me wonder why it was placed on the itinerary, but I suppose there are operational reasons and I think it’s nice to help the economy of the little islands like Saint-Pierre and Miquelon.  The people were extremely friendly and gracious, so kudos to them.

In the afternoon I played Name That Tune and we didn’t win.  Unlike the last time I barely knew any of the songs, but it was fun nonetheless.  I had dinner at a hosted table with a charming female officer from Argentina.  After dinner there was a show with a group called “Soul Wave.”  Despite the fact that they played a lot of music from my era, there was something off.  I’m not exactly sure what it was but they just didn’t click with me. As usual I went down to the Club and listened to the wonderful Trio and Band.  I wish they were on every cruise I sail on because they are great musicians and really nice people.  We get an extra hour of sleep tonight so I have an excuse for staying up very late.  

Two sea days coming up!  Those are my favorites.  Au revoir for now.

August 26 - St. John’s Newfoundland

It’s a blustery, rainy day here in St.John’s.  As I’ve already mentioned I had no tour booked.  A crew drill woke me up when they made the announcement at 9:30 or else I might have slept the day away; it was so gray outside. I did eventually go ashore for a little while and I’ll write more about that in a moment.

Last night I dined with the astrophysicist as I’d previously written but it turned out "she" was a "he."  We have a married couple on board as speakers, both originally from Latvia, and I was at Alexander’s table. He was a very jovial character, not at all what I thought a physics professor would be like.  We had an interesting conversation and I need to write about something he told us.  Mark your calendars for April 13, 2029. (A Friday the 13th by the way!) On that day the asteroid Apophis will skim by Earth at a distance of only 20,000 miles, closer than many satellites orbiting Earth.  Alexander was quite excited about this because in astrophysical terms that's like being right next door to you here on Earth. It was first discovered in 2004 and is named for the Egyptian god of chaos and destruction.  It measures about 1100 feet in diameter. The early calculations suggested a small but very alarming possibility of impact, but after years of observation scientists have ruled out that possibility for at least the next century.  (Hopefully they aren’t hiding something.  When he started talking about it I had visions of Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck taking off to save the planet with Aerosmith playing in the background.)  Anyway, the scientific community now believes it will be a NEO, near earth object, that on that day will be visible with the naked eye as it streaks across the sky.  I’ve decided that I won’t worry about it because there isn’t a darn thing I can do anyway.

Thank goodness the host was enjoyable at the table because for the second time one of my dinner companions was a “PhD Clinical Neuropsychologist” who has celebrity patients in SoCal, as she proudly reminds you every time you meet.  She’s difficult to sit with because I can’t help but feel she's constantly analyzing me and several times has been very patronizing to her fellow diners.

Now back to St. John’s.  I did go ashore when it looked like the rain had stopped around 11:30.  I talked to a very nice Newfoundlander (do they call them that?) at the exit to the port area and he pointed the way to the main street.  I walked up a little hill to the place he’d said was where shops and restaurants were and it promptly began to rain again.  In addition the wind was blowing making it pretty unpleasant.  I took refuge in a shop for a few minutes and when it eased up I continued my walk.  As it turned out much of St. John’s is closed on Tuesday. I think that’s strange, but there it is.  The eating places were mainly closed and the shops sold tourist trinkets or clothing appropriate for Newfoundland but not so much for Virginia.  Not long after I began walking again the rain began coming down with a vengeance and the wind picked up and gave no sign of letting up.  I packed very stupidly for this cruise and have absolutely no rain gear with me so I decided the smart thing to do would be to dash back to the ship.  I was wet, but not drenched through and through.  And that was my experience with St. John’s.  It looks like a nice place and I wouldn’t hesitate to come back again, hopefully with less inclement weather.

Here are a couple of photos of downtown St. John's.  You can see there's not much going on this rainy Tuesday.  There were some pretty neat murals like this one of Neptune.

Tomorrow we’ll be in France.  That’s right; we’re stopping at a territory of France.  I shall have to brush up on my French.  À demain!

August 25 - Somewhere in the Labrador Sea

I’ve been missing for a couple of days – having too much fun actually.  On the 23rd we anchored off Qaqortoq, Greenland. (Try saying that name!)  This place looked like a bustling metropolis in comparison to Nanortalik the day before.  The population is 3000!  I’ve been sleeping late; I haven’t made it to breakfast for several days.  When I finally got up, dressed and ventured out, the first two people I encountered had just come back from tendering ashore and they told me they had been attacked by midges.  When I went up to Seabourn Square to get some coffee everyone was talking about the bugs and the lack of much of anything to see.  I made an executive decision to stay on the ship.  I spent the day catching up on emails, listening to a couple of lectures on the aurora borealis and astronomy.  (We have two astrophysicists onboard and they’ve been giving interesting talks.) Dinner was with my friends from Hawaii, Paige and Greg, and the Trio.  It was a lovely day with nothing significant occurring.

Here are a couple of photos of Qaqortoq I took from the ship.  It did look very colorful.  I should also mention that everything in Greenland (Iceland too for that matter) is vcry expensive. One friend wanted to buy a T-shirt and it was $75.  A couple I know ate at the only pub they saw and had a musk ox burger (just one), split an order of fries, and split a beer and the tab came to $80. 

We spent the 24th at sea on our way to St. John’s, Newfoundland.  We’re in the Labrador Sea and most of the day we experienced some pretty good seas because we were about 100 hundred miles west of what was left of Erin’s eye.  Last night I was up very late playing a very raucous game of Name That Tune in the Observation Bar.  I was roped into being on a team called the Barflies. Despite the name we were among the most sober and sedate people playing.  It didn’t help us though because the pianist playing the snippets of songs is Canadian and she played mostly songs by that country’s artists.  Unfortunately none of us were Canadian so we didn’t do so well.  One of our team members said every tune was by Celine Dion because she’s the only Canadian artist he knew.  That’s absolutely more information than you need or care to read about that so I’ll move on.

I didn’t make it to breakfast again and barely got up in time for Trivia.  I think I wrote that it’s a cumulative game and we had been doing so-so.  Well, today we redeemed ourselves! Today we made up for lost ground and then some. Hopefully, we’ll continue with this streak.  I need to collect some more Seabourn swag to give away. I had a long lunch with friends in the restaurant which is only open for lunch on sea days and then it was time for another talk by the astronomer. 

It's the 25th now (Monday – it’s very hard to keep track of the day of the week on a ship).  Last night we had to move our clocks back a half hour.  That’s strange, isn’t it?  Newfoundland is a half hour off for some reason.  It makes for interesting appointments because not everyone remembers to change their timepieces.  I was up late last night again at the show and then dancing in the Club and talking with friends.  Once again I missed breakfast but made it to trivia.  We did well again today.  There are two more sea days before this segment of the cruise ends so we’re keeping our fingers crossed.

Today the sun is out but it’s quite windy and chilly so everyone is staying inside.  We have the usual lectures (they call them conversations now) and some games going on.  I figured I should catch up even if I’ve nothing particularly interesting to write about.  Tonight I’m dining with one of the astrophysicists.  She’s from Riga, Latvia and her talks have been very interesting.

Tomorrow we’ll be in St. John’s Newfoundland and the weather forecast is calling for a 90+% chance of rain and high winds.  The only tours that were offered involved walks around the town and I didn’t book one.  Several of my friends that had booked them canceled because who wants to walk around in the wind and rain.  There was one tour involving  drinking at a local pub.  In the description it said that if you were still vertical you would walk back to the ship.  If you were horizontal you would be discreetly delivered back.  While that sounded like it could be fun, I didn’t think it was really my thing.

Well, that’s today’s update.  I think I’ll head off to Name that Tune now.  TTFN.

August 22 - Nanortalik, Greenland and some thoughts about the cruise so far

A personal note first – 55 years ago today I married the love of my life.  I wish he was here.

Today we’re anchored off this little community of roughly 1100 people at the southern end of Greenland.  It’s actually on a little island.  Honestly, there’s not much to see here.  There were a couple of tours involving hikes, but I don’t do those.  I went ashore and walked from the tender dock up to the main road and then came back.  Apparently there was a shop with tourist trinkets, but I don’t need a fridge magnet so I didn’t go there.  

Instead I thought I’d write a little about the entertainment Seabourn has been providing.  I think it has been exceptionally good so far on this voyage.  The ship’s band and trio are great, especially the Trio.  I guess I might be a little biased because I’ve sailed with Chris and Melody from the trio before.  But they and Theo, the guitarist, are great and they play my requests for me.  Two nights ago we had a wonderful classical pianist whose repertoire included pieces by several of my favorite composers.  Last night we had a contemporary English singer and pianist who played “piano man” music so he entertained us with Elton John and Billy Joel among others.  He was phenomenal because a lot of what he does is improvisation.  It’s a real testament to the Sojourn band that they could keep up with him.  Most of us don’t realize that when a guest performer comes on, the band and guest rehearse for only one hour before the performance. That’s not a lot of time to pull off what they do at showtime.

The food has been good in all the venues I’ve tried.  Katie sent me an article about a fight over chicken tenders which apparently occurred on a Carnival ship the other day.  We’ve had no food fights of any kind here. With very few exceptions my fellow passengers are congenial.  There are many who have traveled much more than I have and so I can learn a lot from them.  Some of my usual circle of widows aren’t here, but I’ve met some others.  We’re an expanding group because after all, we women usually outlive men.  I’ve also spent a lot of time with two couples I’ve known from previous cruises. It’s always a pleasure to reconnect with old friends.  That’s part of what makes cruising so wonderful for me.

Okay, I’ve waxed on enough for today about nothing really.  Was it The Seinfeld Show that was a “show about nothing?”  I guess this is a blog post entry about nothing just so I can remember good times when I look back on this in the future.

I'm adding a few photos to give an idea of what a small and isolated place this is.  The people living here must be very hardy folks.  The first is a small iceberg right off our stern.  The second shows the rugged mountains close to Nanortalik.  As the pictures show, the town is tiny. 

August 21 - Prins Christian Sund Passage, Greenland

We spent August 20 at sea making our transit from Iceland to Greenland.  The seas were not too bad and  the usual sea day activities occurred.  The highlight of the day was the Galley Market Lunch where the galley staff pulls out all the stops preparing exquisite dishes for us to enjoy at lunch.  We walk through the galley making our choices from the truly overwhelming options. I'm including some photos here so I can remember this when I'm home eating take-out or Harris Teeter fried chicken.

After a nice day and a half at sea we arrived this afternoon at the beginning of our journey here in Greenland.  This is one of the places I haven’t been to previously. Our introduction took us to this sound or fjord with the good Danish name in the heading for this entry.  It has a  local name which is Ikerasassoaq. (I’ve no clue how you would pronounce that.)  The sound stretches for a little more than 60 miles along the southern tip of Greenland separating the main part of the island from the archipelago of little islands to its south.  

Until we actually entered the protected waters of the sound it was bitterly cold out on deck with 25 to 45 mile per hour winds.  It was also pretty rocky with 12 foot seas.  I didn’t stay outside long.   Once in the sound it was more tolerable, although I still thought it was colder than I remember most days in Antarctica.  This area is only navigable at this time of year and we did see little chunks of ice as we sailed through. By the way I think those are called growlers.

The walls on either side are rock etched with  crevasses  and convoluted formations which glaciers have carved. On the mainland side we passed a few glaciers which actually have made their way to the sea as well as others high up in the surrounding mountains.  There were a few waterfalls, but not as many as I’ve seen in some of the other fjords I’ve been able to sail through.  There is a little green visible in the rocks and I’m assuming it’s probably from mosses and lichens growing there.  On either side of the passage we could see steep, jagged mountains that soar as high as 4000 feet.  At its narrowest the sound is less than 2000 feet wide.

This and the next photo were at the beginning of the sound where the waters became more protected and calm.

You can get an idea of how the glaciers etched and carved the rock beneath them.

Despite the clouds, look at the colors of the water.

Greenland itself is a massive island. It covers nearly 850,000 sq. miles.  Its southernmost point is about 7° below the Arctic Circle and the northernmost point is just 7° shy of the North Pole.  Eighty-three percent of the island is water (ice).  It is an autonomous territory of the kingdom of Denmark. Geographically it's part of North America.  The majority of the 57,000 residents are Inuit, the same group that live in Alaska, northern Canada and even Siberian Russia.  One third of Greenland’s economy comes in the form of block grants from the Danish government. The majority of the rest of the economic activity stems from the fishing industry.  Greenland is abundant in minerals, but because there are very stringent regulations about mining and because of the harsh weather conditions mining for them is very difficult. The US Space Force does have a base in Greenland.  It was previously called Thule Air Base but is now named Pituffik Space Base.

We’re spending the next two days here at two of the small communities along the southern coast.  I don’t have much planned because I don’t think there’s a great deal to see.  Also I have been told that one has to be careful in going ashore because there can be lots and lots of mosquitos; in fact, in some of the tour descriptions they advise wearing hats with mosquito netting and spraying oneself liberally with insect repellent.  

August 19 - Ísafjörður, Iceland

On this beautiful Tuesday we docked in this far western community in Iceland.  The town of Ísafjörður has a population of about 2500.  Our guide told us that on occasion they have had two big cruise ships visiting on the same day which essentially quadruples the population for the day.  I had booked a tour to an Arctic fox rescue and research facility and a visit to the “Stolen Church.”  

Ísafjörður is on the most western peninsula of the country and is only about three degrees below the Arctic circle.  It’s probably the oldest part of the country so over millennia the mountains surrounding the fjords and inlets have been worn down and are flatter with sheer vertical sides.  The few trees that are in the countryside are not very tall and have been planted.  The ground is covered with the kind of grasses seen on tundra. Most of the population is involved in the fishing industry or in sheep-raising (for wool production).  Many of the people hold multiple jobs to eke out a living.  The tour guide is a graduate student in marine science, a tour guide, a tutor, and a part-time waiter.  The singer I saw later works at the local power company, studies at the marine institute, sings for tour groups and has two kids.

Because of the contour  of the land and mountains the area is very prone to avalanches.  To protect the little communities along the small flat areas along the waterfront Iceland has built avalanche barriers on the mountainsides to break the snow before it engulfs the houses.  Our tour took us to the little town of Súðvík.  On the 16th of January 1995 an avalanche wiped out the community, killing 16 people including 8 children.  The town was rebuilt a little distance away from the original site in a place where there was more flat land offering more protection from such an event.  A monument was built on the original site.

Norse people like myths and legends and our next stop was at the end of a fjord where the runoff from winter snow cascades down into the fjord.  Between two mountains is a natural bowl valley which the Icelanders say was created by a troll who was trying to get back to his cave before daylight turned him to stone.  According to local lore the troll sat in that spot to take a rest and the valley was created.  I remember hearing similar stories about trolls when we stopped in Norway years ago.

The valley in the distance is where the troll sat.

A little further down the road we stopped at the “Stolen Church.” This little structure was originally in a tiny community further north in the Westfjords area.  That village was abandoned and the church was unused.  At some point later the Lutheran Church in Iceland decided a church was needed in the Ísafjörður community.  Rather than build a new church, the abandoned one was dismantled and moved piece by piece and reconstructed on this new site.  We went into the church and were entertained by a local singer who sang three Icelandic songs for us. 

Our final stop was the Arctic fox rescue facility. The Arctic fox is the only native mammal species in Iceland. While they aren’t classified as endangered, they are experiencing a loss of habitat and this facility was built to care for and rehabilitate injured ones.   There were two foxes there today.  The lady who was caring for them explained to us that while the foxes will allow humans to approach them at the facility they are not domesticated at all and will not permit people to handle them. The two I saw looked to be about the size of a 15-pound dog.

Chilling in the unusual sunshine

After the visit there we drove back to the port.  It was an enjoyable visit, if not very exciting.  I think the area didn’t have a great deal beyond beautiful scenery to offer.  It was a very desolate looking place which in its sub-arctic way gave me the same kind of feeling that I get when I’ve been to some stark desert places like I’ve seen in the southwest.

I forgot to mention that our guide was an Indian (Asian Indian) from London who lives in this place because it’s the home of the University of Iceland’s graduate marine science school and he’s a student there.  The lady at the fox place was a Bulgarian here to study foxes.  I only met one Icelander all day.

In the evening I dined with a new speaker who came onboard in Reykjavik.  He’s an interesting 79-year-old from Birmingham, Alabama who has been traveling the world for more than 50 years and has written travel guides and books.  He was a good dinner companion who had interesting stories to tell.

Here we are at our first (and probably last) performance.  That's me on the drums having the time of my life.

The best, or maybe most fun, part of the day came very late in the Club.  Several of my solo friends came down to listen to the music. We were there when the trio playing was wrapping up its set of music.  I’m not sure how it came to pass, but my friends and I went up to the bandstand and took the places of the drummer (that was me!), the guitarist, keyboard player and singer.  We faked our way through a song playing on the jukebox while the real performers took a video.  I got to live out my dream of being a rock band drummer and we all laughed a lot.  I know it doesn’t translate well into the written word here, but it was an exhilarating experience and some of the most fun I’ve had in a long time.  By the way, I know for sure now that I don’t have a future as a drummer. It takes much more coordination than I have.

Sea day tomorrow as we head west toward Greenland.  That means Trivia will be on the agenda.  We’re not doing very well.