drron29

Exactly as I remember dinner in Kaiseki on the Muse in January 2019 on the Muse.

The easiest place to see the Northern Lights at times is in Canada particularly Alberta. It was the case for this particular trip. When in areas further north I check the Aurora oval. You can find several sites googling this term. At the time of our trip the Oval looked like this. The highest probability of seeing the lights is in the red areas. After our cruise we toured Alberta for a week and saw the lights every night. At the same time a cycling event was on - the first Tour of Alberta. We ended up staying in the Sheraton Red deer on the day the Tour finished a Stage there. the riders all were staying in the Sheraton. Several famous names including Cadel Evans and Perter Sagan. Cadel Evans was in the room directly across from us. For those that don't know he is Australia's only winner of Le Tour de France. So at dinner when we gave our room number we were called Mr and Mrs Evans. Didn't think I needed to deny that title.

We had just gone to bed when the PA crackled to life announcing the Northern lights were putting on a show. Now I strictly take pictures in point and shoot mode so these are fairly grainy but hopefully give an idea of the spectacle. So another thing crossed off my bucket list.

Back on board a nice Russian themed buffet lunch. The afternoon was to be a hike of 4.5Km to more ruins and of course 4.5KM back. I was in 2 minds as to going but it began to rain so I decided on a nanny nap. Dinner was with 2 of the bear guards including the "Chick with a Gun"we had met on our Arctic cruise. The carpaccio of asparagus and sun dried tomato was very nice though mis named. The smoked pork and red cabbage was also good. Very tired so it was only left to admire the sunset before retiring. Wednesday and a sea day. Unfortunately now heading away from Greenland and towards Canada. Had breakfast and then needed a nap. The day was overcast but the sea was calm. Awoke in time for lunch. Had a very interesting conversation with the others on the table and I think we solved most of the world's problems. Did get to the post lunch lecture by Uli on life under the sea in the Arctic. And I stayed awake the whole time! Then the sun came out. Noticed more sea birds and then a large iceberg. We decided to have dinner in our suite in a desperate effort to reduce our food intake.

Then we visited the first church at resettlement. Whilst the farmers went about moving their hay. And the direct flight from Copenhagen arrived. The Youth Hostel is run by a Spaniard so many young Spaniards come and stay. We then headed off to the ruins of Brattahlid where an interesting local lass told us the story of Eric She told us how Eric's wife got him to build the first Christian church in Greenland hence North America. She just locked the bedroom door. It was however quite small. The recreated longhouse though was anything but small inside though not looking it from the outside. Around the settlement these little blue boxes are the water supply. The local shop was open.I am not too sure how well ice creams sell here though until I read @RyanJCanada's account of taking the children to Greenland. And I wondered what they were saying about Corn Flakes.

Don't worry DW Kaiseki on the muse is not the same as Kaiseki on the Dawn or Moon. You probably would be disappointed if having an evening meal in Kaiseki on those ships.

On the Dawn and Moon there is a sushi bar so that you do see the preparation. There is an assistant out the back preparing the bowls that they have at lunch and I presume some of the rolls. Kaiseki doesn't do kaiseki cuisine. To us the evening meal is not really any Japanese cuisine style. On the Muse the teppanyaki is true teppanyaki with the preparation basically all done by the 2 behind the teppan. I even had the chef send the prawn heads flying towards me. When I was younger i could catch them with my chopsticks now just with the bowl. I then eat those heads.

Having watched the fellow on the Moon making my sushi and sashimi on the Moon it definitely wasn't hacked to death the day before. Agree with the evening meal. not really a Japanese meal and not worth the upcharge. We didn't use Kaiseki for dinner. However on our next 3 cruises we definitely will eat dinner there. The cruises are on the Muse and the evening meal is Teppanyaki. Just hoping they don't change that before our cruises.

IMHO the dress code being enforced or not depends on the management ie the restaurant managers and the HD. two examples on my last 2 cruises. First the Dawn in August 2022. having dinner in kaiseki and about 8 pm a typical Australian (of the type we try to avoid ) came in and demanded a table for 6. He was dressed in shorts a T shirt and the Australian footwear of choice thongs. He pointed out there were 6 empty seats though they were scattered around the restaurant. The Maitre'D declined his request. A few minutes later the restaurant manager came around and right beside me tore strips off the Maitre'D for denying the request and telling him the guests would arrive in half an hour and were to be seated. They turned up in the same attire. So in the morning I complained to the HD about the restaurant manager and put it in writing. The dress code up to that point was not being enforced but from that night on was not enforced. Two of the Maitre'Ds congratulated me. Second on the Moon in March this year. On the first of 5 segments the dress code was not enforced. from the second segment on there was a different HD on board and the dress code was enforced. So just because you hear that the dress code is not being enforced on the ship you are booked on doesn't mean it will be the same when you board.

But it can reward you if you do dress up when not called for. Some of the crew really do like it. This is what happened to me on the Silver Explorer on the night of the Captain's farewell. Note the jacket and tie. Some may recognise Karolina a polar bear guard AKA the Chick with a Gun.

Tuesday. We had slept soundly and were awoken by our butler Catalino bringing us coffee. Breakfast in the restaurant and then it was time to get in the zodiacs for the settlement of Qassiausuk. This settlement was established early last century but we are here because it was the site of the Norse settlement Brattahlid established by Eric the Red. One of the youth hostels though is named after Eric's son,Leif the Lucky,who stands guard over it. Leif was probably the first European to set foot on the North American continent. We then walked through the settlement with a local guide. The place exists on sheep farming but incredibly they don't use the wool. Said it is just to expensive to process. The lambs are all processed in a period of 3 weeks in October. So one of the first houses at time of resettlement and one of the first barns. We passed the school. I am sure though that I would not survive camping here. The kids come from all over the district so they board here.

The afternoon activity was delayed but not a problem as the sun was setting late. We were at Hvalsey. This was an old Norse settlement. The Norse were here before the Inuit. It has the best Norse remains in Southern Greenland.The church here is at least 800 years old. So our first sighting. The water was full of Lion's Mane jellyfish. So on land we see the church from close up whilst Juan stands guard to protect us from the sheep. There are more ruins than the church though. And evidence of the fierce sheep. So more of the ruins of Hvalsey. The last recorded use of the church was a wedding in 1408. The Norse settlers then just disappeared. Probably the victims of Climate Change with the coming of the mini Ice Age. But the last of Hvalsey. A beautiful spot. No wonder it was selected for settlement. Back onboard and I enjoyed a mojito with tapas. Then to dinner-my beef was very good and Mrsdrron's stuffed quail was excellent. Finally to the bar and almost the last to leave.

The problem with Tokyo is that it is huge with so many places of interest. We have had over 50 visits to Tokyo and we still find new places to go. I have already pencilled in a very unusual meal at christmas. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/sumo-retirees-play-laughs-tourists-flooding-back-japan-2023-07-07/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=Newsletter&utm_campaign=Daily-Briefing&utm_term=070723 Should be a good laugh.

More of the town. How would you like writing this address down everytime you filled out a form. Then the little museum with a traditional house in front. Inside traditional dress. We then headed back to the ship buying a few little trinkets along the way and sending postcards to our grandkids.The plan was after lunch the ship was to leave for the next destination.However thanks to the Expedition team and Captain Maggi we were able to stay for the afternoon for the first day of school.A community celebration. Parents and children come along in traditional dress. First the Headmistress gives a speech.Then each child's name is called out and they go over to their teachers and given a Greenland flag. As the name is called out a relative throws handfuls of coins or sweets into the air. If you have a big enough screen you may see the coins in the air on that last shot. A young Thai girl was starting school. This is her older sister-they were dressed the same. The best part of the afternoon was that the community was very happy to share this day with us. I had parents offering to pose with their children. At one point I found myself next to this fellow. I thought he was a mariner but it turns out he is the town's fire chief. His grandson was starting school. We had a talk as grandfathers. He told of his pride with tears in his eyes. We were truly honoured to be where we were that day. One of the best expedition cruise days that I have had. And the final shots of our visit to Qaqortoq.Going back to the ship I went to the supermarket. A good selection of fresh fruit but at a price. A good selection of wines with French wines alongside Australian.

The local newspaper office. And of course the local Thai restaurant. And the first church. The town has the oldest fountain in Greenland. And as Greenland is controlled by Denmark what statue would they have. Then to the market. Those that visited the market first were lucky enough to see a seal being cut up! But we saw the local lads actually catching a fish,no bait needed. We next visited the church. The life ring was from a ship which disappeared in the late 1950s bound for Denmark.Many politicians and other important people were onboard. Outside the church was this little place. We all wondered what it was-dog house or for the kids? What we were told it was for storing the bodies of those who died in winter to be buried in spring. Now a hymn in the local language.

Monday morning and we awoke when docking at the town of Qaqortoq the largest town in Southern Greenland.Population 3200.The morning was spectacular. We had breakfast in our suite.The morning's activity was a walk around the town. Our guide was the son of the Deputy Mayor. He comes home for summer and works on container ships for the other 9 months of the year.He told us the largest ship to visit had 3200 pax. In the 90s the town had a program to beautify the rocks. Some in town definitely have a quirky sense of humour. Back to the rocks. And the view from part way up the hill.The first building being one of the oldest in town. The road up the hill has an unusual name. According to our guide one of the houses on this street was for the Catholic priest. Many,many years ago one priest having consumed too much sacramental wine appeared on the balcony naked proclaiming himself to be Pope. Hence the street name. Nearby was the home of a local artist.

Sunday. We were going to visit a town but it was cold,raining and miserable. But as well there was an insect plaque so the visit was then called off. Instead we went to the scheduled afternoon activity at Unartoq Island which has a natural hot spring. It was still raining and cold so we passed. Lunch was really good with a nice spicy chicken korma. The afternoon was then a zodiac ride amongst the icebergs. Having done this in the Arctic and Antarctic we sat this out as well. So only a few pictures from the day. That night we had dinner with an English couple who were adamant they knew what Silverseas was going to do. They said SS will be announcing a new Expedition ship in September but they also added it would be an ex-Seabourne ship. They were nearly right. Robin West who officially was the Expedition Leader left Silversea 3 months later to be the Expedition Leader on the Seabourn Quest for it's inaugural expedition cruises. The meal also was average.

@HappyLadyTravels this cruise was nearly 10 years ago. We did bring boots on each Explorer Cruise but the cheapest Wellington boots we could find and would leave them onboard when we left. If good boots they joined the ones which were loaned out in those days. if not so good they were donated usually to a remote village if they wanted them. So back to Aappilattoq. Then I was off to church. Some of the locals sang to us in their own language.If I closed my eyes I could imagine I was in A South Seas village listening to their singing. After that I climbed a small hill overlooking the village. It was also important for their communications. Walking back to the zodiacs there was dancing in the streets. There was evidence of past meals. But a novel way of keeping future meals fresh. When we arrived it was warm and there were lots of mozzies and midges.By the time I left there had been a change.It was cold but no more insects.The ride back was a little breezy. We then cruised out of the fjord whilst the sun set amongst the icebergs.Dinner with 3 other Australians and another night of amarula and a singalong before a contented night's sleep.

Those guidelines are no longer in force throughout Australia. western australia still "suggests" they be used. there is no compulsion. So here is what it says on the WA Health site about cruise ships. "Cruise ship passengers If you are entering WA via cruise ship, guidelines are in place to keep you and our community safe from COVID-19. WA has adopted the Eastern Seaboard and Western Australia protocols, which provide cruise ships with policy guidelines about how to manage COVID-19 restrictions and outbreaks on board. Please follow all guidelines put in place by your cruise ship and continue to engage in COVID-19 safe behaviour, both onboard and during shore excursions. WA encourages all visitors on cruise ships to take a RAT prior to shore excursions and follow recommendations on mask wearing in WA to help protect local communities." https://www.wa.gov.au/government/covid-19-coronavirus/covid-19-coronavirus-information-travellers#cruiseship My previous quote is from the Northern Territory health department. so there is no requirement to test before boarding unless symptomatic or a close contact of a covid case.

No Australian State governments do not require any Covid test as a requirement for entering Australia. The Northern territory and Western Australia are the most stringent as the Northern Territory and northern Western Australia have a high proportion of indigenous persons. In the Northern Territory a third of their population is indigenous. They are one of the high risk groups for covid. So to the NT rules for cruise ships. 7 The operator of a cruise vessel must ensure that the vessel does not enter a port in the Territory, other than Port Darwin, unless the vessel: (a) has first berthed at Port Darwin; and (b) has not left Territory waters since berthing at Port Darwin. 24/06/2022 5:09 PM Page 3 of 16 8 The captain of a cruise vessel that enters Port Darwin must, on request of an authorised officer, give the manifest for the vessel to the authorised officer. 9 The operator of a cruise vessel must ensure that activities are not conducted unless: (a) a COVID-19 management plan in accordance with the Northern Territory Cruise Protocols was submitted to Border Control Unit; and (b) a health practitioner who is suitably qualified in infection prevention and control was appointed as the vessel's COVID-19 safety supervisor and is on the vessel. However if you have covid or are a close contact you must quarantine for at least 7 days plus- 16 A close contact must submit to or self-administer an approved COVID-19 testing procedure as follows: (a) within 3 days of becoming a close contact; and (b) on the 6th day after becoming a close contact; and (c) if the close contact has symptoms of COVID-19 immediately after the symptoms start.

It just brought back to me what a small world this really is when the only result of a search for a Greenland remote village is a report by @jpalbny and Chris. Just to make it weirder I just went back and did the same search again on Facebook and there were 8 results as well as the one by Chris.

I then visited the school. The headmaster speaks both old and new Greenlandic,could speak to us in passible English and was fluent in German. I felt humbled. But technology is catching up fast. The school has a Facebook page. Though it must take some time on their computer. It is amazing any work gets done especially with this view from the classroom. Now the village was loosing population so i wondered if the school was still going so went to facebook. sadly it appears that they no longer have a Facebook page. I did find a reference to the school still being open in 2021. However Facebook has a search function so when I couldn't find the school I searched Aappilattoq. There was only one result. Some obscure blog with a few pictures. I wonder who they might be.

The Inuit village of Aappilattoq.Now about 100 residents.Was ~250 in the 60s and 70s.Founded in 1922.A beautiful place with great views and a protected little harbour. But the modern world does intrude. This however is a subsistence village. Last year 2 polar bears were killed. The Inuit have been doing this for thousands of years. It is their culture and there is a quota system in place. The natural beauty though shines through. It is obviously a hard place to live.The cemetery had many small graves And here a 24 yr old who died at childbirth.