The Happy Wanderer (reprise)

[longtimecruiser]

Greg,

Thank you SO much. As you can see, I GOT IT!!!!! You are a VERY good teacher. To help me get this, you have to be good. I thought I had checked for signitures to be on but I hadn't. I'm all set now. Just wish the time would get here for Hawaii. Adele

[RevNeal]

:)

Can you imagine all the reports we'll be having from the Zaandam next year? Ruth, you, me ... yikes! :eek:

[sail7seas]

I can hardly wait.

 

It'll be fun. :)

[Aussie Gal]

Sail,

 

One thing I forgot to mention and that was that we had a wonderful meal at Legal Seafoods in Boston and thoroughly enjoyed the Clam Chowder and one of your Lobsters. It was delicious.

 

We also had another enjoyable meal at a restaurant in Newberry Street the next night. Again I had the wonderful clam chowder.

 

Thanks for the recommendation.

 

Jennie

[sail7seas]

Jennie......

 

 

I'm so happy you enjoyed Legal Seafood. Their clam chowder is often voted 'The Best of Boston'. Seems the title seems to rotate among the same few retaurants from year to year. :) It makes me very happy you liked your dinners. How about our New England lobsters??!! :)

 

 

Was it Louis' Cafe that you ate in on Newbury Street? Isn't that a lovely street with the fine shops and all the galleries etc ? Nice street to stroll and 'window shop'. Some nice stores and usually very alive with activity.

[LizB1]

Hi Jennie,

So glad you and Peter had a nice trip back home. It was a long time away for you too, but I do think the first half of our cruise was somewhat better...dress code by many on this second leg is rather disappointing.

 

We have been very spoiled with the sailing weather and now today at the souothern tip of Greenland are starting to experience rough seas. It seems as though they are just start to really build, and I wonder if we will be able to do Prince Christian Sound at 9:00 this morning!

 

Liz

[Aussie Gal]

Sail,

 

We loved Newberry Street. We walked the length of it as we walked to the gardens and on our return we walked the other side to look at what we had missed. A very stylish street with great shops and restaurants. I loved seeing all the old buildings and reliving the history of this city which we learnt about in primary school.

 

Liz,

 

Obviously Greenland produces the rough seas. It would be a pity if you miss Prince Christian Sound this time around. I thought the dress code on our leg was excellent, especially at our seating which was at 8pm. Even on casual nights most of the ladies were dressed in dressy outfits which befitted the lovely dining room.

 

I hope the rest of your time on board is pleasant and that you and Earl have gotten over your cough etc. Peter has finally stopped coughing and is feeling normal - 3 weeks since he got the infection.

 

Jennie

[longtimecruiser]

Greg,

It will be a blast!!! Everyone can get a play by play report. What fun!!!!!

[longtimecruiser]

Greg,

Forgot to add, only 420 more days till we sail!!!!!!!!

[RuthC]

The southernmost point of Greenland is Cape Farewell.

That takes care of the post title connection.

Today we again avoided Cape Farewell as we cruised Prince Christian Sound westbound. This time there was excellent commentary, too! I don't know who provided it---he didn't give his name, and I didn't recognize the voice---but I do know the eastbound-only passengers missed a treat.

We manuvered from rough seas (about 12', with very strong winds) into the Sound with some difficulty, then we sailed the calm waters for the next six hours. We passed tidewater and hanging glaciers, and could easily see they are retreating. Yes, global warming has arrived even in Greenland.

About four hours in we passed what must be the most desolate little settlement on the face of the earth. About two hundred people live out here (if you can call it living) in the middle of nowhere.

I can't begin to fathom how they get water/electricity/heat? or food and other necessary supplies of life? I wonder if the people have TV? or Internet? How do they get the news of the world? Or medical help in an emergency?

Just how primitive must it be?

They do have a town dump; it was clearly visible.

There were icebergs ranging from cocktail size to one as big as the ship! We even saw a tabular icebergwhich had run aground; how unusual in the northern hemisphere.

Tomorrow is the thriving settlement of Qaqortoq. Can't wait to see how much it's changed in four years.

[elmorejj]

Ruth, I think a good part of Greenland is fairly desolate! My husband was stationed in Thule in 1955 and has told me lots of things about it. All water was brought in then, and bath water was saved and used to flush toilets which had to be pumped by hand! I know we have a poster on this board who lives in Thule and I`m sure things have changed in the last 50 years. So glad you are still enjoying everything, won`t be long now till you are home.........jean :cool:

[JLT]

I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed your trip. I have been avidly following this thread since I have made a deposit for next year's cruise to Europe and back. When you get settled in I would very much appreciate your telling us what you did in the ports and how you enjoyed what you did. I am leaving in 6 weeks for a cruise through the Panama Canal and on to the Amazon and I'm busy making decisions for all those ports. Thanks for any advice for next year.

[Aussie Gal]

Jean

 

We will be doing your cruise in September next year, so please let us know on your return what you thought of it and also what were the highlights.

 

Here is a summary of our ports.

 

In St. Pierre, we went ashore and walked the streets. The locals put on a dance performance in the main square which was most entertaining. We found a great patisserie and had our lunch whilst watching the performance. It is a tiny settlement and really not a lot to see. This was the first of our tender ports.

 

In St. John's (25C) we again walked the streets and found all the places of interest. It was a lovely sunny day and we enjoyed this port very much. The shops had lots to sell and I did buy a windcheater which came in handy on the ship during the next day or so when the colder winds started to blow.

 

In Nuuk (Gobfarb), there weren't any excursions planned so we went ashore quite early, around 8.15am. It was our second tender port. It was sunny but only 6C. We went to the little church and saw the fish market as well as a few shops. It was cold and as most of the shops didn't open until 10am, we decided to return to the ship early which was a good decision as the tide turned around 11am and apparently it was hard to get the last few hundred passengers on board the tenders back to the ship. We were supposed to leave at 12 noon but were an hour late leaving Nuuk due to this difficulty.

 

In Reykjavick (sunny, windy, 12C) we took the Blue Lagoon tour. I found this disappointing as too much time was spent looking at places we didn't really need to see, ie. such as a church near the Presidents home. In retrospect I would have rather spent the time in Reykjavick itself, as it looked to be a lovely city. The tour was supposed to be 5 hours but was longer and didn't leave us any time to see this capital.

 

In Lerwick (cloudy, 11C) we took the West Country tour and this was great. I would recommend this as it gave us plenty of time to have a good look around Lerwick as well. We enjoyed our visit to the old capital of Scalloway and a visit to the old castle. We saw Shetland Ponies as well. This was our last tender port.

 

In Bergen, (sunny, 19C) a beautiful city, we just walked and walked. We went up the funicular for the most beautiful view of the city, walked around the market and just enjoyed the sunny day in this delightful port.

 

In Stavenger (sunny, 19C) again we did our own thing. The highlight was a visit to the Petroleum Museum which is a must. It is built just like an oil rig and we spent hours there, it was so interesting. We also went to the Sardine Museum. Stavenger used to be the home of canned sardines but that has moved to Bergen now. There was also a wonderful food festival there and you could buy all sorts of different foods. I think the whole population was out and about on that sunny Friday.

 

In Kristansand (17C) we did the trip to Lilliansand which was supposed to be a wonderful trip by bus one way and a return by boat. The highlight was supposed to be visit to this delightful town. Unfortunately our bus was late in leaving the ship and we no sooner arrived at Lillisand than we had to board the boat for the 2 hour trip back. We were very disappointed and the weather didn't help as it had turned cold and dull. When we arrived back in Kristansand we went for a walk to the main shopping street and had a look around. This was a disappointing port and we wished that HAL might have replaced it with Copenhagen.

 

Our last port was beautiful Oslo (rainy, 14C) but unfortunately it was a very wet day. This was our third visit to this city so we decided to stay on board until early afternoon hoping the rain would stop. It didn't but we did manage to go ashore just for an hour. It was Sunday and none of the shops were open anyhow so we just stretched our legs and returned to the ship.

 

I hope this helps you Jean. The highlight of the cruise for us was the journey up Prince Christian Sound. As Ruth has mentioned, we had no commentary which would have been great but it was still a memorable journey. It was a very cold but still and sunny day and we saw so many icebergs and fjords. At times the ship was only a few feet from either side of the fjord. A great photographic journey and we felt so fortunate that we were able to see this part of the world so far from everything.

 

Jennie

[obriendan]

Pictures from Isafjord.

[obriendan]

Here are more pictures from Isafjord and Prinjce Christian Sound.

[Grumpy1]

Hang onto your hats! I went to the CruiseCal site to see where the Maasdam would be in relation to Tropical Storm Irene... now I'm not saying this is accurate, but....

 

Holland America LineMaasdamQaqortoq, Greenland8/14/20057:00 AM4:00 PM Holland America LineMaasdamAtlantic Ocean8/15/2005

Holland America LineMaasdamSt Anthony, Newfoundland8/16/20058:00 AM3:00 PM

Holland America LineMaasdamCorner Brook, Newfoundland,Canada8/17/20058:00 AM6:00 PM

Holland America LineMaasdamBay of Islands (Paihia), New Zealand8/17/2005 Holland America LineMaasdamAtlantic Ocean8/18/2005

Holland America LineMaasdamBay of Islands (Paihia), New Zealand8/18/2005

Holland America LineMaasdamAt Sea8/19/2005

Holland America LineMaasdamAtlantic Ocean8/19/2005

Holland America LineMaasdamAt Sea8/20/2005

Holland America LineMaasdamBoston, Massachusetts8/20/20058:00 AM

[JLT]

To Ruth and the other posters: for all the posts and information you have passed on. I have enjoyed each one, making notes for my trip next year. I would be grateful for any tips you have about the ship and about what you did in the ports.

 

To obriendan: for the pictures. They make us feel we are really sharing this trip. Very thoughtful of you.

 

To Aussie Gal: Just what I wanted. I read about the Reykjavik Card for transportation and museum entrance so I believe we will do that. I really appreciate all those details. I probably won't post on our trip but I'll sure let you know when we get home.

[RuthC]

Some people always seem to be cheerful and upbeat; they see the positive side of things even when the chips are down. CC member O'Briendan (Dan and Barbara) are two such people. Dan's pocket was picked on a land tour before they boarded the ship in Rotterdam. He was glad to have his laptop, making it easier to cancel his credit cards. Today they learned that their home has been broken into; their car and other things were stolen. They have many sentimental possessions and don't know if those were taken or not. They are grateful that no person they care about has been hurt while they are away. People like Dan and Barbara are always great to be around.

And they're fun in the Piano Bar, too! :)

Tonight we'll ask if Bill Forrest can play Put On A Happy Face for them. They deserve a special song.

Today Qaqortoc was bigger---but no less charming---than I remember. The Inuit children made a beeline for the tender dock---offer them a pillow chocolate and take a picture of faces with the biggest smiles you ever saw. Offer a few more chocolates and they'll show you around.

My kind of people. :D

[HeatherInFlorida]

I read Ruth's post with amazement! I want to send my good wishes Dan and Barbara's way for no more catastrophic events before they return home! What bad fortune for them, but what a wonderful attitude! Thanks for sharing that story, Ruth.

 

Maybe this is the brink of something really good happening like the Maasdam steering completely clear of Irene and having smooth seas all the way back to Boston. Let's hope so anyway.

[grannynurse]

Ruth,

How awful! it sounds like a well-planned criminal operation.

 

I have some pictures of the Inuit children in my webshots collection; they only asked for $10 after we took the pix. It's under Greenland and Iceland; here's the link

http://community.webshots.com/user/riosmom101

GN

[elmorejj]

Grumpy, are there 2 New Zealands or is my Geography a little like me.......dopey...........jean :cool:

[Grumpy1]

Grumpy, are there 2 New Zealands or is my Geography a little like me.......dopey...........jean :cool:

 

I figured they have info that the Maasdam is going to get caught in a storm and go airborne around the world! That port is on the northern end of New Zealand. I sent an Email to the site operator and he replied that he has no clue how that stop got into the schedule, but so far has not corrected the database.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Dan and Barbara, I hope nothing of sentimental value was taken, other things can be replaced. I hope you everything at home gets recovered. Wishing you the best. Just glad you can keep a smile:)

[longtimecruiser]

Oh Ruth,

How terrible for Dan and Barbara. That would be awful to get such news while you are on vacation, and to also have your pocket picked while on vacation. I send my best wishes that most of their memories have remained intact.

I remember how sweet the Inuit children were. There was such an adorable little girl who was dressed so cute and wanted to have her picture taken. That was in Nuuk, not where you were today. I bet they enjoyed the pillow chocolates almost as much as you do....lol

Did you read Grumpy's post about Irene? Sure hope the Maasdam doesn't get into that. It might make those 46 foot waves from two years ago look like nothing. I'll be watching closely to see how Irene is tracking. I'll keep my fingers crossed too that the Maasdam will miss it.

Enjoy your last few days on board the Maasdam. Be glad you are still in cool weather as it is so HOT and HUMID here. Till the next installment.

Adele

[Lvteks]

Dan and Barbara,

 

Your photo talents may help recover some of your loss. Many home pics show items in question for identification. Please keep us posted.

 

Originally I signed in to give notice about a short but very funny post from HAL called "Dancing cheek-to-cheek". Thought Ruth could add some up to the minute descriptions. Check it out.:)

 

Blessings,

Gail