OneSixtyToOne

Day 2 - Part 2 “Will the Circle be Unbroken” After breakfast we took the short walk to the bus stop to start our Golden Circle Tour. Seems like there are a dozen companies doing tours so multiple busses stopped and loaded passengers. Each had a passenger list so while at first it looked confusing, it was in fact well organized. While waiting at the bus stop we met a lovely couple from Alabama, Ralph and Cathy, who are also on the extension and cruise. Ralph is a retired marine biologist and an avid bird watcher. He has been a wealth of information on this cruise, pointing out all kinds of bird species. The bus to the bus arrived right on time and shuttled us to the location of the actual tour bus. We then boarded our coach and headed to our first stop on the Golden Circle, Thingvellir. Thingvellir is the site of the first parliament in the world, the Allthing. Our guide was very informative and told us the history of how Iceland was settled. Fleeing the wars in Norway, settlers were looking for a place to farm and live without being subject to a king. The settlers selected chieftains and every year the villages sent their leaders to this unique site to create laws and settle disputes that could not be decided locally. If they still could not decide, the Law Speaker was the final arbiter. Since there was no written language, he has to memorize all the laws and procedures. This is the origin of the modern speaker of the house and speaker of parliament. The site is located at the rift where the plates of North America and Eurasia are separating at about 3 cm a year. There is an underwater area where divers can touch both continents simultaneously. The water in the lake is very clear. The main supply of water is from groundwater percolating through volcanic rock. This removes the nitrogen and the only algae in the water is a specific species that is found nowhere else. Iceland is very proud of its clean water. You can drink from nearly every stream, waterfall, and tap. It’s most refreshing. Our next stop on the Golden Circle was a visit to the namesake of all geysers, Geysir. The area is a geothermal hot spot and we pass a valley full of venting steam. The town has no cemetery because if you dig down six feet it is hot enough to boil water. No one wants to boil their dearly departed. Such hot spots are used as a resource all over the country. Iceland is self sufficient in fruits and vegetables thanks to geothermal heated greenhouses and grow lights powered by cheap electricity. Our tour guide said that almost all homes are heated with piped in hot water and her heating bill is about 5€ a month. The streets of Reykjavik have heated sidewalks to keep ice from forming. They even pump hot water into the lake near city hall to help the local waterfowl survive the winter. The old Geysir is no longer active, but next to it is the Old Faithful of Iceland, erupting every few minutes. We manage to see a double eruption when we were there. Very cool Our final stop was the highlight of the tour, Gullfoss waterfall. This awe inspiring waterfall is where Iceland’s environmental movement started. A local woman threatened to throw herself over the waterfall if a planned dam was built. After the incident, laws were passed preventing foreign ownership of any energy related resource in the country. The waterfall is impressive. The sound of the falling water is overwhelming. Be sure to wear rainproof gear because you will get wet. We had great weather for the day but on our return, the skies opened and it started pouring rain. We were still in our rain gear so it was a quick walk back to the hotel to rest and make dinner plans.

Tonight’s entertainment is country music

Currently on Venus. Last night was a song review of Broadway and London musicals. So far no Beatles or ABBA in sight.

Did you drink from the waterfall?

We were in Isafjorder yesterday and was not our experience at all. We docked in the morning with a light rain falling but were prepared for the cold wind. The town and shopping is literally a block away. Later the sun came out and a small open air souvenir stand opened right at the port entrance.

I learned this today aboard the Venus. There is a 40 second delay when an announcement is made and when it can be heard on the TV. Only emergency announcements are broadcast in the room. All others are only in public areas. So if you hear an announcement in the hall, quickly turn to the bridge cam channel on your stateroom TV and it will play in 40 seconds.

Day 2 - Part 1 “Not So Grandi” It was a long day so this post will be in 3 parts. I’ll start with the our pre tour breakfast and review of the Grandi Center Hotel. On our way to breakfast we finally located the Viking desk and rep. The rep gave us our information sheet and checked off our names and that was it. This was in stark comparison with the tour guide from the other company that assisted us yesterday. It seemed to us that the Viking rep wanted to be anywhere except at work. Definitely the wrong personality for this job. We’ve been on several Viking extensions and all the reps have been helpful, informative, and cheerful. This one, not so much. As we waited with other passengers for the restaurant to open for breakfast, we encountered our first occurrence of questionable behavior. This topic has been discussed thoroughly so I’ll add another datapoint in the “people behaving badly” column. The first person in line, wearing a Denver Broncos World Champion sweatshirt (How many years ago was that?) decided he had waited long enough and two minutes before the scheduled opening just walk through the door. This started a flow into the bar area in front of the breakfast room. The staff suddenly appeared and stopped everyone, stating they weren’t ready. I heard the guy’s wife talking to her friend, saying something to the effect “there goes the men again.” This guy is the poster child of the entitled ugly American. Definitely someone we will avoid on the ship. As for breakfast itself, it was really good. There was a variety of fresh fruit, hot food, cereals, breads, whole and non-dairy milks, and juices. I particularly enjoyed the fresh baked rustic rye bread. DW was delighted to find chia pudding, something she eats daily. There was one strange idiosyncrasy, no salt and pepper shakers, instead a large bowl and spoon. This required you to bring your food to the buffet to season it and I completely destroyed my portion of eggs when I dumped a glob of black pepper on them. Since they don’t get the concept of shakers, I give breakfast an A-. Rye bread: Salt & Pepper (Shakers please?) As far as our hotel room is concerned, the bed is comfortable and there is a nice view but there are two big problems. 1) The lighting is atrocious. Four tiny ceiling spot lights running down the centerline of the room and the two reading lights built into the bed headboard are the only lighting in the room. I know Icelanders believe in trolls and this place must have been built with them in mind because it’s dark like a cave. DW literally could not see to put on her makeup. The spot lights illuminated only the middle of the room. There is no desk lamp and no floor lamp. It’s ridiculous. 2) There is no sink or counter in the bathroom. It only has a toilet and tub with shower fixtures. The sink is located in the main portion of the room. I know that separate water closets with no sink are a thing in some places in Europe but I’ve never experienced this in a hotel. IMO this is very unhygienic. Are you suppose to open the bathroom door with dirty hands? Also the towels were tiny and flimsy. In room sink: The website describes the hotel as “Industrial Chic.” This is an architectural style that started with the Pompidou Centre in Paris, featuring exposed ductwork, wiring, hanging lighting, polished concrete, etc. I absolutely hate it. To me, it’s just a cost cutting measure that keeps finishes to a minimum and was marketed as modern and chic. Avoid any place with the word “Industrial” associated with it. Overall I give the hotel a C- with the positives being location and the breakfast. Otherwise it would be a solid D. Viking can select a better hotel. The next post will deal with an awesome Golden Circle Tour. We’re aboard the ship now and will be heading out early tomorrow for an all day excursion to the southern coast, so it may be a day or two until I can post again.

We just boarded and the WI-Fi says this…

We used Reykjavik Sightseeing. While I can see the advantages of DYI (more time at the sights) we had an excellent tour guide that narrated the trip and pointed out so much that I would never know doing it myself. DYK that in Iceland you can only be buried on consecrated ground? That’s one reason you find small churches all over. The church pictured below was built by a farmer so his wife could be buried next to their home. Locals call it the Taj Mahal of Iceland.

We were very lucky today. Did the Golden Circle independently (and saw two Viking busses at the geyser) and had great weather. Rain held off until our return to the hotel. Forecast for the next few days looks great. Rain gear came in handy at Gullfoss waterfall. Will do a complete writeup when I have a chance. Don’t see the Venus out our window, so it docked somewhere else.

We are currently on the Reykjavík extension. For anyone wondering about tipping in Iceland, this is what our Viking document says about tipping. So much for a “tip free culture.”

Streaming is not advised and it uses up bandwidth and slows down everyone’s access. Be considerate of others. Netflix allows you to download content and watch it with no connection.

Good morning from Reykjavík. The sun is peaking through the clouds and it looks like a beautiful day to do the Golden Circle tour.

Chat is only available during California business hours.

Here are a few more pics to end the day, some to add context.

We never use a TA and always receive out tags in the mail. Others may have an answer. Viking use to send the tags with a small gift like a pouch, travel blanket/pillow, and other SWAG but post Covid have discontinued the practice. Viking doesn’t give out coupons. Nearly everything is included so not sure what they would coupon. IMO I think the chairman would think it’s tacky. Their selling point is no nickel and diming, no sales pitches. What type of coupons are you receiving on other lines? If coupons are for future cruise discounts, Viking does offer discounts when booking onboard, no coupons required. PV rooms and higher get a welcome bottle of champagne and liquor in the fridge replenished daily. You do get free chocolate bars every day, if that’s any consolation.

Because of strong consumer laws in some countries, certain places require that tips are included in the price. I know it is true for the UK and I believe it’s also true for Australia.

We have also been on this tour. There is one really dangerous place with steep uneven cobblestones, but you can avoid the area and they advise you of it. It’s entirely possible someone could slip and hit their head in a fall at this particular area.

It’s also obvious that it’s been outsourced to the Philippines.

Day 2 - “Like butter” We arrived in Reykjavik at 9:30 AM and cleared passport control in minutes. After claiming our luggage we went outside and found the Viking rep waiting at the door with our fellow pre-excursion travelers. The eight of us loaded into a small but comfortable van for the 45 minute ride into the city. On the way, our driver pointed out steam venting in the distance and said it was an active fault where vulcanologists predict a major event will occur within weeks. The area has been very active with dozens of quakes in the last two years, including a 5.2 that move the ground 1 meter! My first impression of the basalt terrain is that it reminds me of Mono Lake area in CA, which is the remnant of a caldera from an ancient volcano. We arrived at our hotel, the Grandi Center Hotel, a modern tourist establishment built at the far end of the port district. Our rooms were not yet ready but the hotel had lockers to place our luggage and with that we were off to explore the city. Our first priority was to locate the bus stop for our pickup for tomorrow’s independent Golden Circle tour. We grabbed a map in the lobby and saw a tour guide dressed in red and ask for assistance, assuming it was the Viking rep. Turns out she was with another company but was more than happy to help us. As of this writing we have yet to see the Viking rep at the hotel. We saw no Viking desk and have received no paperwork concern our schedule. Typically we receive at a minimum something to indicate our timeline for departure to the ship and usually a detailed orientation about the city and our surroundings. This is very un-Viking like. Is the rep a no show or is there only one waiting at the Airport? Will find out more tomorrow. With map in hand we departed, only to discover drops of rain, so we returned to the hotel to retrieve umbrellas from our carryon. Now, map and umbrellas in hand we located our designated bus stop, only a short block away. It’s also a hop-on hop-off stop so that may come in handy. As we walked along the waterfront, we saw the Scenic Eclipse in port and suspect this is where the Venus will dock tomorrow. As I am writing this, I just looked out our hotel window and the Eclipse has sailed, so it’s highly likely this will be the case. The dock is right in front of a Ferris Wheel and there is also a static display of a dockside railroad engine. When we were passing, I heard a tour guide state that they attempted to build a railway but it was not economically viable and was abandoned. A light rain started to fall so we opened our umbrellas and proceeded along the waterfront to view the opera house. It’s a modern design with the glass panels cut to resemble the basalt pillars found along the southern coast. It took a few pictures of the reflections in the glass. After viewing the inside of the opera house, we emerged to find the rain had subsided so we wandered into the old town section and took photos of the parliament and surrounding buildings. During our journey we realized we were sleep deprived and needed some caffeine and a bite to eat. We saw someone eating a giant cinnamon roll and stumbled across this establishment. The sign did not lie. It delivered butter and happiness with perfection! It was the most buttery sweet roll I’ve ever had and I loved it. My left ventricle may never be the same. European butter has a higher fat content and anyone who bakes knows that the best recipes call for it. To borrow from the famous Porsche ad, “Accept no substitutes.” We then strolled past the art museum and headed back to our hotel. Our room was now ready and we grabbed our stuff and headed to our top, 5th floor room. We have a nice view of the dock area as can also see the famous cathedral. After a short nap we woke up to wind and rain. Tomorrow we take the Golden Circle tour and will break out the foul weather gear we used last year in Patagonia.

We did have a 2 hour delay at JFK. There was an issue cleaning the plane. Then we waited on the plane for 30 minutes waiting for two passengers to arrive. When they didn’t show, it was another 30 minutes to find and unload their baggage from the hold. We did make up most of that time en route and had an uneventful arrival at the airport. I will post our first day impressions soon.

Oh my. We sure hope to make it to Vigur Island. It would be a big disappointment to miss it. Reykjavik has us excited to see the Puffins fighting Polar Bears under the Northern Lights! I assume you dock tomorrow. We have a view of the Scenic Eclipse from our hotel. Was hoping the Venus will dock at that location If so, Venus will dock in front of the Ferris Wheel. Wishing you fewer transportation breakdowns in your future.

Do you have any adware software running. It might be that something is blocking pop ups.

Day 1 - Continued “If you can make it there you’ll make it anywhere” We made it to NYC! We’re currently sitting on the tarmac waiting for a gate to deplane. Hopefully everything runs smoothly from here on. I’m keeping this positive and forward looking, so that I’ll post a separate thread after we return home. Needless to say, there is more going on at Delta than meets the eye. Tomorrow we arrive for the pre-extension in Reykjavik. See you on the other side.

They were both optional excursions. I’ll have to dig around through old email too find prices. I believe they were in the $200 pp range. We also took the included excursion. That was a typical bus ride, photo op, and walk. Edit: I no longer have the invoices just the final docs, and they don’t have pricing. Here are the descriptions: ITNAP03 Pompeii: A City of Beauty & Ruin Duration: 4.00 Hours Date: April 08, 2023 09:15 AM Available, 01:00 PM Available A Picture of Ancient Life Frozen in Time -- In 79 AD when Mt. Vesuvius erupted, Pompeii was buried under 20 feet of ash. Excavation has revealed with astounding precision exactly what life was like on that day. During your guided tour of this UNESCO World Heritage Site, you will walk ancient cobblestone warrens past baths, temples, an amphitheater and the forum—public buildings once teeming with life. Peer into the mansions of the wealthy and the more modest homes of the working class. See remarkable plaster casts of victims, anchored to the moment of catastrophe: a mother protecting her child, a dog tied to its chain. As you explore, your guide will describe a typical day in Pompeii. Learn about its catastrophic destruction, centuries-long disappearance under stone and ash and rediscovery during the 17th century. ITNAP04 Ancient Herculaneum Duration: 3.50 Hours Date: April 08, 2023 09:15 AM Limited Availability Explore a Perfectly Preserved Ancient City -- Discover the “other Pompeii,” often overlooked for its more famous neighbor but equally fascinating. Situated close to Mt. Vesuvius, the upper-class seafront town of Herculaneum was also destroyed by the great eruption of 79 AD, but not by fire and ash. Rather, flowing hot mud engulfed the town, poured into its buildings and preserved them from total destruction. The town remained buried for 1,600 years. As you explore this UNESCO World Heritage Site in its stunning setting between mountains and ocean, you will admire mosaics and frescoes that have retained their rich colors and details; and buildings and bathhouses that are remarkably intact with complete roofs, beds and doors. Step back in time during a walking tour of this incredible site with your guide, who will share stories of daily life here. Then enjoy free time on your own before returning to your ship. I