SJD117

Tea at the Peninsula Hotel is a must (Kowloon, a stone’s throw from the Star Ferry). I agree with the comments about Stanley on Hong Kong Island.

Unfortunately, that’s not possible for some people.

Reported for ridiculing the OP.

Mamsens = waffles. No menu required.

Thanks for your kind words, Kent! Linda and I had a great time in Norway and Iceland. We highly recommend the itinerary — you and Pam will have a fabulous trip next year! Let us know by email if you have specific questions about any part of what we did.

Great photo! We tried to book the Better Moments walrus safari, but only one space was available. Oh well. At least we saw the walrus herd (pod?) from a distance on Hurtigruten’s wildlife safari.

My very last pic before leaving fair Iceland. This is one of the resident monsters at the Sea Serpents museum in Westfjords.

This lawyer says, no warranties express or implied! 😀

@Clay Clayton Aren’t you glad we told you in Reykjavik about the chocolatier in Longyearbyen? I’ll take my payment in large quantities of dark chocolates, thank you very much. 🤣🤣🤣

There were two versions, plain and olive. Unfortunately I just have the plain recipe, courtesy of a postcard Linda bought. (!) By popular demand (actually no demand at all) here’s the recipe. Fridheimar Bread (by Chef Jon K.B. Sigfusson) 2kg flour 1.5 tbs dry yeast 1.5 tbs sugar 1.5 tbs salt 1 liter warm water All kneaded together and left to double in size. Punch down the dough and form into sticks or loaves. You can cover the bread with different types of seeds, cheese or cinnamon sugar. Leave to double in size and bake in a damp oben 210 degrees C (400 degrees F) until golden brown. Bon appetit!

We’re sitting contentedly in Iceland’s famed Fridheimar tomato restaurant. Our man here is slicing incredibly good bread to go with the greenhouse tomatoes behind him. And one more waterfall picture for good measure, taken yesterday in Iceland’s Westfjords.

Go for Tables 1 and 101 in the back of the MDR. Very private.

Kent — You may want to consider a semi-private trip to the south Lofoten islands, offered by Heart of Lofoten (also by Lofoten Lights I believe). The 12 of us had an outstanding guide who highlighted some outstanding sights in the most scenic part of the Lofotens. Highly recommended.

@Clay Clayton and Mike — thanks for getting together with us in Reykjavik this morning after we disembarked our cruise and before you embarked on yours. Great fun to meet you at last! Have a wonderful cruise just like we did, with good weather to match!

We asked Heather about her family connections. She said the Clancy Brothers (all deceased) were her great-uncles.

Will do.

When do you and Mike plan to arrive at the cruise terminal for embarkation? We have to disembark the Saturn by 9 am Wed morning. I’ll then go off-site to get our rental car, returning to the terminal to pick up Linda and our luggage. Any chance we could all meet to say hello about 10 am?

There are actually some very nice restaurants in Svalbard, each competing for the title of “most northerly restaurant in the world.” Whether any of them could be considered elitist is another matter altogether. From what we’ve seen, the dress code in town skews heavily toward expedition outfits and cold-weather clothing (not a single muscle shirt to be seen). Function rules in this part of the world, and I suspect that’s reflected in the sartorial choices at dinnertime.

@Clay Clayton You and Mike will have to participate in the Blue Nose ceremony! It was quite a production, and several dozen pax obliged by dunking themselves in the ice-cold water. In our case, we were especially (un)lucky — the staff “refreshed” the cold water with several new bags of ice right before we went in. The pain was intense but brief — the aquavit that followed was a blessing.

We did not kiss a fish! But we got a dab of something blue on our noses, just to prove we’d been crazy enough to participate. God almighty, that water was cold.

I’m on the Viking Saturn right now, in the high Arctic (Svalbard, Norway). If there’s an elitist on this ship, I haven’t met or observed him or her. Of course, it’s hard to be an elitist in Svalbard. This place is known for walruses and polar bears, not snobby people.

You lectured my wife about what it means to be a “seasoned traveler.” Bad form.

Linda’s DH here. I’ve traveled all over the world since 1981, which I suppose makes me a “seasoned traveler.” Yet every so often, I come down with the local revenge. It can happen to anybody — including “seasoned travelers.” I don’t lecture people on these boards about what they should and shouldn’t do while traveling. I suggest that you do the same.

Fishing vessels in Honningsvag, Norway.