ATW Day 108 - A Return to Akureyri

Before we get to Akureyri, Iceland, let's talk about last night.  We had a wonderful anniversary dinner with GM Gabby and Destinations Manager Ali in our Red Ginger Chamber.

Since we were above the Arctic Circle, the sun never set.  The following photos were taken at 10pm, midnight, and 3am, respectivley.

Today marked a return to Akureyri, Iceland and it was a great return.  When we were here in 2024, Linda's hip prevented her from walking without a walker and so her walking was very limited.  In 2024, we did a short walk together in the morning and I went for a much longer walk in the afternoon.  What a difference 2 years and 1 hip surgery make.  Check this comparison out:

This year, we basically repeated my longer walk but it was much better since we did it together.  Akureyri is a beautiful place which provided nice views even before we left for our walk.

We were prepared for cold weather with temps in the 50's but the sun partially came out and the wind was light.  It didn't take long for Linda to unbundle and for me to remove my jacket.  We started walking along the waterfront to arrive at the square where a historic walking route I had downloaded began.

Walking along the main pedestrian street, we came to this playground.

When I posted a photo like this 2 years ago, our son, David, asked if I had tried the slide which I hadn't.  I could not resist this time.

We continued our walk through town, eventually making it to the lovely botanical garden.

The route we took led us to a rather steep climb up to the area of the garden.  Linda was again triumphant when we got to the top.

  I took way too many photos in the garden so I'll try to limit the number that I post here.

In the garden there was a cat that the birds did not appreciate.  They kept swooping down at it to protect their turf.  Linda managed to get a photo of the action.  The bird was quite fast so it is a bit blurry.

From the garden we continued our walk further out from town before looping back in.

At one point, we passed a spot that I remembered taking a photo from last time and here are the two.  This year's is on the bottom.  Something like the more things change, the more they stay the same?

It was then time for lunch.  Those of you who follow my blog know that I am a lover of Norwegian fish soup.  I found a restaurant on Google Maps at the art museum that had rave reviews for their fish soup.  Sadly, when we got there we were told that they had no fish soup  today!  So, it was time for plan B.  I identified another restaurant near the playground and they had seafood soup.  It was excellent and Linda enjoyed her mushroom soup.

Walking around Akureyri we noticed several of these interesting trash receptacles.

On the way back to the ship, we passed these common eiders.  I have to say that the males were far from common and the females were quite bland.  I guess the females have to spend all of their time caring for the young and don't have time to properly groom.

That concluded our joyous day in Akureyri.  I say joyous because it was so special to be able to enjoy it with Linda rather than on my own.  Yes, after 57 years we still enjoy being together.  That said, I'd like to thank everyone for their happy anniversary wishes.  And, the weather really cooperated.  As I am writing this and they are preparing to sail away, it's drizzling!

Tomorrow we return to Isafjordur,

Peace and blessings,

Linda and Larry

ATW Day 107 - A Momentous Day

Today we are at sea heading for the first of 3 ports in Iceland after missing the  port of Torshavn yesterday due to high winds.  It is a momentous day for a couple of reasons.  First, and most importantly, it's our 57th anniversary.  It's been a wonderful 57 years filled with love and  joy.

Second, we have just crossed the Arctic Circle at 66° 33' north latitude.  

You probably can't see it through the fog, but the Arctic Circle is out there.  Trust me.

What makes this momentous is that, this year we have crossed both the Antarctic and Arctic Circles!  And that's in addition to visiting all 7 continents.  We are truly lucky but, most importantly, we are truly blessed to be able to do all of this together.  

Wishing you all the most peaceful and blessed future,

Linda and Larry

ATW Day 104 - Scotland

Friday we were docked in Greenock, Scotland which is basically the port for Glasgow although we didn't go to Glasgow.  Why, you might ask.  Let me explain.  On the first few segments of this ATW cruise, a couple from Scotland was on board who we got to know.  Kat and Garry offered to arrange a tour for us and other people on the ship.  We took them up on the offer as did 16 other people.  Kat and Garry met us at the terminal to start the day.

They arranged a bus with a tour guide who was terrific.  After about an hour drive through the Scottish countryside we arrived at our first stop - Loch Lomond and the cute town of Luss.  Yes, it was rainy as it would be for most of the day.  That's why it's so green in Scotland.

We walked through the town to the church and graveyard.

This is a tomb left by the Vikings in the 1100's!

We continued our walk through the town.

The next stop was at the Inveraray Castle where we toured the castle and walked around the gardens in just a light rain! Descendants of Queen Victoria's daughter, Princess Louisa, still live there.

We were able to try on the crown . . . 

. . . without getting beheaded like this poor guy!

    

                                                        

After the castle we went for a lunch that Kat arranged at the George Hotel in Inveraray on Loch Fyne.

The George Hotel is in a 250 year old building.  For lunch, Linda and I shared fish and chips (of course) and a vegetarian haggis.  Good stuff.

Riding to our next stop, we enjoyed the greenery and the waterfalls.

The final stop was at the Auchentoshan distillery where we got to taste two Scottish whiskys and got a tour of the facility.

Our guide, Steve, was proud of the shipbuilding history of the area but lamented the decline of the industry. He was also proud of all the inventions that are attributed to Scottish people. To name a few: James Watt, Alexander Graham Bell, Dunlop.

It really was a wonderful tour that Kat and Garry put together and it was great to see them again.

Wouldn't you know it, after we returned to the ship, the rain stopped and the sky mostly cleared.  That made for a nice sail away and sunset.

Oh, you may be wondering why I didn't post anything about our previous day in Belfast.  Simply put, it rained all day and, having been there a couple of times, we just stayed on the ship.  Maybe we'll make it to the Titanic Museum the next time we're there.  Silly as it seems, I have to say that I am not a fan of anything related to the Titanic after suffering through the movie Titanic so many years ago.

We're now enjoying a sea day on our way to Torshavn, Faroe Islands.

Peace and blessings,

Linda and Larry