ICELAND, GREENLAND & NORWAY

This traveling thing can be pretty crazy sometimes but it is always an adventure! We just returned from a two week cruise sailing from Edinburgh, Scotland, that visited Iceland, Greenland & Norway - countries number 100 &101 for Lou (fantastic accomplishment!) & numbers 57, 58 & 59 for me! Way cool!

The only thing that didn't cooperate was the weather. We had many days of rain & some really rough seas - unfortunately, you can't control the weather, but just have to make the best of it.

Our first port of call was Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland.

A view of Reykjavik from a lookout stop at the Perlan. We had agreed prior to the cruise to forego sightseeing in the city to do an all day tour of "The Golden Circle" attractions outside the city- we'll visit Reykjavik some other time.

Hallgrimskirkja - the famous church in Reykjavik that towers over the city.

Our first stop on The Golden Circle tour was Thingvellir National Park which shows "rifts" between the North American & European plates - or something like that. If you want the technical info visit Lou's Facebook page. I just love the scenery!

Walking through the rift & lava formations.

Some small waterfalls in Thingvellir National Park.

Geysir Hot Springs - Iceland is filled with geothermal & volcanic areas. This is one of two geothermal areas we visited - kind of like their Yellowstone.

And this is Strokkur Geyser that erupts every 5-10 minutes - the Iceland version of Old Faithful. Lou took this photo.

Gullfoss Waterfall was our third stop on The Golden Circle. We saw a couple of really large, powerful & gorgeous waterfalls in Iceland - plus lots & lots of smaller ones. 

Now this is something I have not seen before. I've never understood the custom of charging to use the bathroom - isn't that a natural function that we all have to do? Iceland took it to new heights with credit card machines that can be used when nature calls!

These ports were far apart which meant lots of sea days & lots of time changes - about six if we counted correctly. Our bodies rebelled big time at a new time zone every day. But one of the amazing things on our journey were lots of icebergs, BIG icebergs. I must have 40 photos of various icebergs. 

The huge icebergs fascinated me. As big as these were, they were still just the tip of the iceberg as they say.

All shapes & sizes made up interesting formations of huge blocks of ice.

The ice blue color of some was really beautiful but others were just white.

We spent many hours in The Observatory, a lounge at the front of the ship on the highest deck. We could run outside for a photo op when we passed a particularly interesting iceberg.

Next stop was Tassilaq on the eastern coast of Greenland. With 2000 residents it is the largest town on Greenland's east side - and there is not much there. I cannot fathom living in such a remote place with such limited creature comforts. No way, Jose! They did have TV satellite dishes which must be lifesavers in the harsh winters - assuming they still work.

We were scheduled to cruise the Angmagssalik Fjord in Greenland prior to our arrival in Tassilaq. The visibility was so poor that our captain turned the ship around & headed to the town early. The description reads, "A chance to appreciate the spectacular scenery of the fjord in all of its untouched natural glory." It was disappointing to miss it.

This is pretty much all of Tassilaq, Greenland. It is inhabited mostly by Inuit people.

The homes & other buildings were very basic but colorful. My impression was that the people lead an extremely simple life. To me it would seem depressing when this cold, rainy day was in summer - what must the winters by like with freezing cold, snow & little daylight?

Our ship Fred Olsen Cruise Line's, Black Watch. If full it holds 800 passengers, our cruise had 670 people. It is an old ship, about 45 years, with amenities that I termed "old school". The daytime activities consisted of lots of lectures & trivia contests (they call them quizzes) that were questions only Brits would be able to answer - we gave up after a few tries. Every meal - breakfast, lunch & dinner - was served on china with tablecloths & formal place settings.

From Tassilaq back to the northern shore of Iceland we encountered the roughest seas with gale force winds. Fortunately, I don't get seasick & Lou did pretty good, only taking a couple Dramamine. The ship rolled & jerked & pitched about the northern Atlantic like it was a toy boat! 

When I went to bed that night, I recall thinking, "I hope we don't wake up to find the ship upside down like in the movie, The Poseidon Adventure." I said a prayer & thought, "This ship has been around for 40 plus years. I can't believe that tonight is the night it will be torn apart by the crashing seas." And although the rough seas continued the next day, the ship survived just fine!

As we made our way back to Iceland's northern shore there were many interesting sights. The clouds hanging over this mountain had an interesting appearance as they circled the top.

Many waterfalls cascade into the ocean along the remote coast. I had to zoom way in on this one to get a photo.

Whale watching is a big thing in northern Iceland. If you look to the left of this whale watching boat you can see the blow & dark outline of the top of a whale. We saw several, along with many dolphins, but I gave up trying to take photos & just watched them. 

Due to the difficult conditions we were about seven hours late arriving into Akureyri, Iceland. The ship's crew did a great job of rescheduling most tours for the afternoon & evening so we were able to still see the sights. Unfortunately, due to the delays we had to skip the final Iceland port of Eskifjordur on the eastern side of the country. That also meant we were unable to cruise Iceland's longest & widest fjord, Reyoarfjordur. Guess we'll have to make a return trip to the country some day.

Approaching the port of Akureyri, Iceland, on the north of the island. That is a Holland America ship that beat us to the destination.

The Godafoss Waterfall - I think it translates to Waterfall of the Gods. I do have to say that Iceland has some extremely impressive waterfalls that give Niagara Falls a run for its money.

These are just a couple of smaller waterfalls near Godafoss. The big falls are to the left.

Needless to say, it was cold, damp & occasionally downright wet but we bundled up & made the best of it. We haven't figured out how to control the weather yet, but we're working on it.

This is the Namafjall geothermal area, sometimes called Hell's Kitchen. This area looked like a lunar landscape & had a definite other worldly vibe to it. I loved the amazing pools, mud pots, fumaroles & strange colors.

One of the fumaroles with rocks piled around it to let people know to stay back from the boiling landscape.

Part of the huge area called the Lava Labyrinth near Lake Myvatn. There are many trails through this maze of lava from eruptions over 2000 years ago. An episode of Game of Thrones was filmed in this very spot.

Lake Myvatn at dusk. This lake was comparable to Lake Tahoe in size.

Before we get to Norway, I need to point out that we were likely the only Americans on the ship! It is a British cruise line, Fred Olsen Cruises, with an extremely loyal clientele of older British people. They all spotted us immediately due to our accents - what accents? They are the ones who talk funny, not us. I had to work at not giggling when they called a geyser, a geezer - isn't that an old man ??? (of which there were many on our ship). The other laughable pronunciation was of what we call a glacier - in British talk, it is a glass-ee-er. What?

Although the weather was a factor in Iceland & Greenland, it improved somewhat in Norway. Lou & I both agreed that the Norwegian scenery was spectacular & the highlight of our trip - they saved the best for last!

The city of Alesund, Norway, from across the fjord. Our little 800 person ship looked like a baby next to the Celebrity Eclipse which holds over 2800 passengers that was in port the same day

Our tour took us to the countryside. I loved the reflections in this crystal clear lake.

Borgund Church in a small village on the outskirts of Alesund. 

The famous view of Alesund from Aksla Viewpoint overlooking the gorgeous mountains, stunning fjords & the lovely city center. 

Lou turned around for a minute to get this photo, then it was back to the beautiful view.

Yayyy, the sun! What is that round, yellow thing in the sky? We finally had at least part of a beautiful day in Alesund. The rain came later in the afternoon.

The 418 steps leading up the mountain to the Aksla Viewpoint. You can also drive up to the top which our bus driver did - not sure how he made it on the narrow, winding, crowded roads. Alesund & Aksla Viewpoint were featured on one of our favorite shows, The Amazing Race, last season. Contestants had to climb these stairs for their next clue.

As we set sail from Alesund to Olden, the sunset was finally worth a photograph! All I did was snap the shot, no photoshopping, no color enhancing, nothing. To be honest, the picture looks better than the actual sunset.

Our final stop was in the tiny village of Olden, located on Nordfjord, the second longest fjord in Norway. We skipped the final formal night of the cruise to enjoy the beautiful journey through the Nordfjord which happened to be the same exact time as our dinner - a no brainer for sure!

Our ship approached the village of Olden in the early morning with fog & clouds shrouding the gorgeous views. 

Our tour took us on a morning "walk" to the base of Briksdal Glacier Arm, one of the 25 arms of the gigantic Jostedal Glacier. The "walk" was actually a fairly strenuous hike & I wasn't alone in my opinion - many people thought the description should have been more accurate as to the difficulty. But it was well worth the effort - the waterfalls & peaks made it a beautiful sight to behold.

The Briksdal Glacier Arm & the ice blue glacial water from its run off.

A close up of the lovely blue color of the ice.

The walk down was much easier than the trek up the mountain. Plus we had cakes & refreshments waiting for us below. Just as we returned to lodge, the rain started to fall steadily - great timing!

One of the many lakes along the narrow road on the 35 minute drive to the glacier.

The grass was bright green & houses were all maintained beautifully adding to the incredible scenery of this picturesque town.

This stunning view of the mountains, meadows, buildings & water was breathtaking. I could just imagine a  Norwegian Olympic athlete being from this village as they did a TV spot on his idyllic home town.

The beginning of our three hour cruise along Nordfjord to the sea. We finally reached the exit into open waters after it was totally dark. Many small communities exist on both sides of the fjord - it must be a quiet, peaceful lifestyle for sure.

What trip would be complete without a few photos of flora & fauna?

I loved these bell shaped blue flowers growing wild along the road in Tassilaq,, Greenland. You can click on any photo to enlarge it - this one has water drops from the rain on the leaves & blooms.

More wet, beautiful flowers in Tassilaq. Our tour to Flower Valley was cancelled due to a lack of guides to take us on our two hour walking tour - too bad.

These flowers were in Alesund, Norway. I always love how people from places with harsh winters plant lots of colorful flowers during the spring & summer.

I enjoyed the various shades of pink in these daisy-like flowers, also in Alesund..

This is a Norwegian horse - he was too busy eating to let me get a good photo. There were thousands of Icelandic horses that have a distinctive shape & build all over Iceland. I tried & tried to get photos but our bus was speeding by too fast & every time we stopped there were none in sight. Darn it!

These twin baby goats were with their mother & a few friends alongside the path that led to Briksdal Glacier Arm. 

DAY TRIPPIN' TO SEA RANCH

Here are the photos to accompany my Everyday Musings of a 60-Something Grandma post regarding my dad's special day trip up the Northern California coast to honor my mom's memory. My dad has made this journey many, many times since her passing 26 years ago but his deteriorating health has greatly limited his abilities. Darrin, Charley & a close family friend, John, accompanied my dad & me on this crazy adventure! 

In the rush of dotting all my "i"s & crossing all my "t"s, I forgot my camera. These photos are all compliments of Darrin & his iPhone.

Darrin loves Salt Water Taffy. One of his favorite places was this Bodega Bay store that has been around for over 35 years. You can choose your own flavors in any amount. Darrin was excited to share it with Charley who was thrilled that she could pick handfuls of the candy for their bag.

You can see the boat behind Charley with baskets of Salt Water Taffy. It is wonderful that Darrin is now experiencing things with Charley that I did with him as a kid.

Charley was really excited with her big bag of Salt Water Taffy. I noticed Darrin sneaking pieces of taffy from the bag every time Charley wasn't looking. I'm pretty sure the treat was just as much for Daddy as for Charley.

On my dad's previous journeys, we always made several stops at places that brought back special memories for our family. My mom's ashes are scattered along a trail she & I discovered 30+ years ago. On my dad's trips to Sea Ranch he always placed a flower on the hillside below our trail.

Due to my dad's inability to climb the hillside we had Charley place the flower for her great grandma. It was an emotional, but beautiful moment for all.

This is the home they often rented inviting us all up for weekend visits. It is across the hillside where my dad always left his flower & below the mile long trail our family hiked for many years.

Darrin took this photo of the trailhead that has become my mom's final resting place. My dad's wish is for his ashes to end up there, also. Darrin & I will make it happen.

One of our favorite stops was at a tiny, nondenominational meditation chapel that is constructed in the form of a conquistador's hat. It is a unique place that young & old alike seem to thoroughly enjoy.

Look closely on the lower right & you will see Charley expending some energy after being cooped up in the car for a long while. She took every opportunity to climb or leap off of something during our long day trip. She was a real little trooper & I was really proud of her!

Another snapshot to add to our four generation photos. Thank you, John, for being our photographer!

The interior of the meditation chapel. My dad was lost in thought & Charley was thrilled that she could sign the guestbook by herself while Gaga looked on.

Here is her completed signature (third from the top) with an assist from Daddy with the date & home town.

Charley loves the California coast & we promised her we would find a beach for some exploration. It was a long walk from the car to the ocean. We were able to park in the shade, roll down the windows & let my dad enjoy reading the local newspaper, the "Independent Coast Observer" which he has always found interesting. The local news is exactly what you would expect - inconsequential events & happenings.

Charley & Gaga have really gotten into Monster High dolls. She has close to a dozen now so I told her that she could bring a few with her on our road trip. John surprised her with a new one that Gaga helped him buy for her! Here are the four "ghouls" enjoying the beach while Charley played. Of course, we sprayed all of them with sunscreen so they didn't get sunburned!

Charley immediately found a friend, Ashley, with whom she could enjoy her love of the beach.

Charley getting her feet wet in the frigid water. John went in over his ankles & said it was so cold that it was almost painful. Yeah, our oceans aren't for swimming unless you are super hardy.

Darrin has always loved the ocean & the Northern California coast. As Katy Perry sings, "Nothin' comes close to the golden coast."

Letters in the sand.

The end of a long, tiring & magical day. My dad was genuinely grateful for all our efforts to make his day trip special. It is such a gift to share treasured memories with your children, grandchildren & now great-grandchildren.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO US!

On June 23, 2001, I met a tall, handsome man who I encountered on one of the first online dating websites. That was 16 years ago & the rest, as they say, is history! Lou & I headed out for an overnight getaway to the Sierra foothills & Yosemite National Park to celebrate our many years of unwedded bliss!

The first day we drove to California Caverns which is pretty much in the middle of nowhere in the Sierra Foothills. It is about an hour from Sonora where we had a nice dinner & spent the night. This cave tour is a bit more primitive than most that we have visited. 

Don't you love the "construction helmets"? I whacked my head more than once in this cave so they were much appreciated. There are four caves open for tours in the general area. I had been to all of them 30+ years ago with my family. My dad so eloquently said we all looked like "meat packers" as my parents & grandparents posed for a family photo at this same cave back in the 1980s.

Caves are some of the hardest places to get photos that really convey the beauty of these underground wonders. The formations tend to give you an other worldly feeling.

The lighting does enhance many of the formations but you really need to take a cave tour to truly experience the unique beauty of caves. We've been to a lot of them & plan to see a bunch more.

California Caverns fills with water during the winter. With the huge amount of rain this year only 4 of the 7 rooms were available to tour. This room was underwater - you can see the railing where a walkway existed that would require swimming to get to the other side. This cave involved ducking under numerous formations, grabbing muddy rocks & traipsing through puddles. We emerged with filthy hands & mud covered shoes but it was definitely fun!

My sweetie loves taking picnic lunches on all of our adventures. I keep threatening to go back through all of our trip photos to find the pictures of all our various picnics in amazing (& crazy) locations to make a photo book. 

Day two of our adventure involved an early morning start for Yosemite National Park. The huge melting snowfall this year has the rivers & waterfalls literally raging throughout the park. It is an awesome sight to behold but, alas, thousands of other people had the same plans & it was the most crowded we had ever seen Yosemite.

On our way to Yosemite we stopped at a New Melones Reservoir overlook to take a picture of this cloud formation.

Yosemite Falls is the tallest waterfall in the United States & the 5th tallest in the world. This year it was roaring! The flooded meadow in Yosemite Valley reflected the falls.

Upper & Lower Yosemite Falls - a spectacular site!

We hiked to the base of Lower Yosemite Falls. The massive falls created a wind storm & drenched anyone nearby.. I got my camera ready with my back to the falls then quickly removed the lens cap, turned & snapped the photo!

The Merced River was literally raging at the base of Lower Yosemite Falls.

My favorite photo op in Yosemite is "Tunnel View". It is a turnout on the road to Wawona & Glacier Point that gives you a view of El Capitain, Half Dome & Bridal Veil Falls - all in one shot!

Lou has always said that Yosemite is his favorite place in the entire world. He thinks this was probably at least his 12th time exploring Yosemite. We have visited the park 5 times together & I'm sure we'll be back many more times. The view from Glacier Point is incredible to say the least.

From Glacier Point you are about 4000 feet above the valley floor which offers a breathtaking view . This photo is of Half Dome with Nevada & Vernal Falls on the right.

Half Dome is the signature sight of Yosemite. A couple of years ago Lou finally managed to climb to the top of it! He mentioned today (or rather yesterday) that he can't believe he actually made it to the top!

Nevada Falls (the top one) was flowing like crazy along with Vernal Falls. I have hiked to the base of Vernal Falls many times in my life. I've been to the top of Nevada Falls once & it was quite an experience! 

Yosemite is a photographer's paradise. Here are a few more photos that caught my attention. And, of course, you know that I had to include a couple of unique flowers & plants (or pretty weeds) along the way. 

The foam caused by the moving water accumulated between this log & the shore making for some interesting patterns.

This stop is called Valley View showcasing El Capitain on the left & Bridal Veil Falls on the right with the Merced River in the center.

A cluster of white wild flowers.

We are pretty sure this is called "Milk Weed" & it is some sort of thistle plant.

There were butterflies everywhere in Yosemite Valley! Lou spotted these two resting on a rock far away. I was able to zoom in & get a shot of them before they flew away.