Baltic, Iceland, Norway and the U.K.on a cruise

scubacruiserx2 · January 11, 2020

50 minutes ago, MicCanberra said:

I bet you wanted to do a dive in the continental gap.

We though about it but I think I'm allergic to cold weather . 😊

I went lobster diving with one of the guys from the fire department and due to a cold water up welling the temperature was about 50 F ( 10 C ) . I got several large lobsters but Pat and I like the warmer , clear water to the dark and cold .

Edited January 11, 2020 by scubacruiserx2

scubacruiserx2 · January 11, 2020

A view of the lake

It was still very windy

Look , up in the sky , it's a bird , it's a plane !

scubacruiserx2 · January 11, 2020

We thought that Fred did a great job and having shopped before boarding , we said goodbye to Fred , Reykjavik and Iceland and hello to diner and a sunset .

scubacruiserx2 · January 11, 2020

We got mail after dinner and pillow chocolates !

scubacruiserx2 · January 11, 2020

Breakfast announcements

Followed by a look at the daily menu by the MDR

We had noticed that the Dinner menu was a day early on TV so we would take a picture and order from yesterday's photo . With the Mariner Lunch at the MDR we decided to try the Pinnacle for lunch .

We chose to look at the port profiles on TV

The TV scrolls through photos of each port

MicCanberra · January 12, 2020

That TV sounds cool. Much better than the dry stuff on selling shore excursions on some other lines.

scubacruiserx2 · January 12, 2020

10 hours ago, MicCanberra said:

That TV sounds cool. Much better than the dry stuff on selling shore excursions on some other lines.

It did show their ports and the shore excursions in each port .

scubacruiserx2 · January 12, 2020

Lunch at the Pinnacle Grill

We really enjoyed it and felt that it was worth every penny .

scubacruiserx2 · January 12, 2020

Dinner is served

With butter this good , who needs bread ?

scubacruiserx2 · January 12, 2020

The forecast for Lerwick

I tried to get forward for a photo but they were preparing the tenders

A P&O ship was also in port

Lerwick

scubacruiserx2 · January 12, 2020

Tenders away

We had a quick shower as we came ashore in Lerwick

A pretty city

With friendly locals

scubacruiserx2 · January 12, 2020

A good look at the Zuiderdam before leaving port

Scalloway Castle

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scalloway_Castle

Wikipedia

MicCanberra · January 12, 2020

I really enjoy watching Shetland after being there you know what parts they are going to for the stories.

scubacruiserx2 · January 12, 2020

1 hour ago, MicCanberra said:

I really enjoy watching Shetland after being there you know what parts they are going to for the stories.

Yeah some places are worth revisiting like Lerwick .

scubacruiserx2 · January 12, 2020

We went for a ride in the countryside

And stopped for some Shetland ponies

I was afraid that my wife would like to take one home

And she did want to bring one home

If it itches , scratch it

MicCanberra · January 12, 2020

They are very cute.

scubacruiserx2 · January 12, 2020

We wanted to go to a lighthouse to look for wildlife ( upper left )

In order to get there we must cross a landing strip at the airport with a helicopter coming in

Helicopter landed

Driving up to the lighthouse

scubacruiserx2 · January 13, 2020

Up to the lighthouse for a excellent view

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sumburgh_Head_Lighthouse

scubacruiserx2 · January 13, 2020

And while the views were fantastic , we came to see the puffins

Yin and Yang

It was very windy and we hoped to see the puffins fly

Interesting Atlantic puffin Facts:
Atlantic puffin is a small bird. It weighs 17.5 ounces and can reach 10 inches in length. Males are slightly bigger than females.
Body of Atlantic puffin is covered with black and white plumage. In the past, feathers of Atlantic puffins were used for decoration of hats.
Atlantic puffins have very large and colorful beaks (combination of red, yellow and blue colors). Because of their beaks, Atlantic puffins are also known as "sea parrots" or "clowns of the sea".
Color of the beak changes seasonally. It is pale during the winter and more colorful during the spring, when mating season starts. Birds become more attractive to the opposite sex when their beaks are brightly colored.
Upper part of the beak has layer of spines designed to hold the fish. Thanks to this feature, parents can deliver more than one fish to their chick in the nest.
Atlantic puffin feeds on fish. It hunts sand eels and herrings.
Atlantic puffin is an excellent swimmer. Its webbed feet and strong wings allow fast and precise movement through the water. It can dive 200 feet deep and remain submerged for up to one minute.
Atlantic puffin is also very fast flyer. It can reach the speed of 55 miles per hour by flapping its wings 400 times per minute.
Main predators of Atlantic puffins are black-billed gull and herring gull.
Atlantic puffins spend majority of their lifetime on the sea. They come to the coast only once per year to reproduce.
Mating season takes place from April to August. During this period, large colonies of Atlantic puffins gather in their home grounds.
Atlantic puffins mate for life. They build burrow in the rocky cliffs or on the solid ground between rocks. Burrows are located 3 feet underground.
Female lays one egg. Incubation period lasts 42 days. Both parents take care of the chick.
Young chicks learn to fly 45 days after birth. They will fly to the open sea and stay there until they become sexually mature, at the age of 3 to 5 years.
Atlantic puffins can survive up to 20 years in the wild. http://www.softschools.com/facts/animals/atlantic_puffin_facts/450/ They have a live puffin web cam https://www.shetlandwebcams.com/cliff-cam-2/