28 Day Norwegian Fjords & Icelandic Intrigue on Sojourn - July 27th through August 24th - Our Experience

[markandjie]

4 hours ago, SLSD said:

I am. in no way criticizing those who like buffets.  

 

😂😂😂

[nancygp]

8 hours ago, SLSD said:

We are!  And I have to say that Mr. SLSD and I are having such a good time with nancygp and Mr.nancygp. 

Right back at you and Mr.SLSD!

 

Looking forward to another great day on the sojourn

 

Nancy

[SLSD]

This morning, we found ourselves tendering into the town of Tobermory on the Isle of Mull--which is part of Scotland.  We were met with colorful houses, perfect for photography.  We had chosen an excursion to Castle Duart, amost an hour from Tobermory--sometimes down one lane roads, dubbed "weak roads" by those that govern the Isle of Mull.  On the way to Castle Duart (which gives out definite Outlander vibes), we saw a verdant countryside, sailboats sailing, castle ruins, road signs pointing to lochs, and homes sprinkling the roadsides.  

 

Castle Duart, originally built in the 14th century is home to the MacLean Clan and currently inhabited by the 28th Chief of Clan MacLean--Lachlan MacLean, who is 82 years old.  The castle is not large.  It consists of a kitchen from the 1890s, a dungeon, a water well (in the dungeon), a dining hall, bedrooms/bathrooms, and a wing which is private for the family.  There are displays of fine silver, weapons, and portraits.  There are storyboards of ancient legends talking of attempted murder of  a wife with the plot discovered and the head of the clan later murdered himself.  

 

The Isle of Mull is peaceful, tranquil and green.  It is a perfect place ot spend part of a day.  

 

What follows are some photos from this morning to give you an idea of what to expect on The Isle of Mull.  

 

 

Edited July 30 by SLSD

[SLSD]

This is the printed menu from which you can order at lunchtime in the Colonnade.  The wait staff will also bring you whatever you might like from the buffet if you do not want to go through the buffet yourself.  We order from the menu and then dine in The Restaurant at lunchtime on sea days.  

[whogo]

2 hours ago, SLSD said:

This is the printed menu from which you can order at lunchtime in the Colonnade.

Odyssey had a special of the day advertised on a blackboard behind the serving stations for breakfast, lunch and dinner, maybe Sojourn has the same. I remember the grilled mahi mahi, know I had other specials. Staff was happy to adjust the special to add something from the buffet, I would jump at the chance for green vegetables over starches. I prefer to have my meals attractively plated by staff, but used the buffet more often. Seabourn has the only buffets where I do not find the serving utensils sticky or slimy and do not see customers licking their fingers, although I am sure there are finger lickers around Seabourn somewhere.

 

[SLSD]

Simba was our waiter again last night--doing his usual great job with great cheer.  Here's some good news.  Simba's fiancee is joining Sojourn as part of the crew mid August.  That is what this smile is all about.  

[SLSD]

Are you ready for some food photos?  We dined last night in The Restaurant.  At our table, we had some very nice appetizers.  There was a lump crab tartar appetizer as well as a carmelized sea scallop appetizer with saffron risotto.  Both Mr. SLSD and I ordered the quail.  It was served with caramelized fennel, salsify ragout, and pomegranate.  We enjoyed everything and appreciate the fact that the servings are relatively small.  Simba was our waiter.  He is a joy.  

[SLSD]

In the interest of being a full service reporter, in spite of the fact that we never dine from the buffet, here is a smattering of the  extensive offerings from this morning.  I walked through to get some photos.  Today is a sea day and I had some time.  

[SLSD]

We are headed to Iceland, but today is a sea day.  We love sea days as they give a bit of respite to catch up on whatever needs catching up upon.  i did hear a couple saying that they think sea day are a bit dull.  I don't see it that way.  I particularly enjoy lectures and today I was able to hear two lectures--one about volcanoes on Iceland and the other about Viking (Norse) movement to Iceland and beyond.  The lecturers were both experts in their fields--one an expert on volcanoes and the other an archaeologist.  This is such great background information ahead of our land excursions.   The takeaway is that there are MANY more volcanoes in Iceland than we thought.  The presence of these volcanoes and their probably eruption will be a challenge for Iceland going forward.  The vulcanoloigst told us that he would not go to the Blue Lagoon at this time.  

 

 

Edited July 31 by SLSD

[SLSD]

Lunch in the The Restaurant on sea days has always been a favorite of mine.  The ambience is great and as we are not going anywhere, the leisurely service is almost pleasurable.  Today, we dined with nancygp and Mr.nancygp which is always fun.  We all ordered something different--ranging from minute steak to macaroni and cheese with ham to a smoked fish chowder to (my order) a cottage pie.  No one ordered dessert, but we were happy. 

 

Edited July 31 by SLSD

[maryogreen]

@SLSD Hi Susan, Herb and I are enjoying your reports and are glad to hear you're having a great time! We're thrilled that Esther is on board...she is one of our absolute all-time favorites on any cruise we've taken. She probably won't remember us from last summer on the Ovation, but we remember her famous "Seabourn Splash" of wine when we only wanted a little bit more!😊 We hope she'll be on the Sojourn when we sail in November. Please let @nancygp know that we are friends. We've written back and forth, but have never met. Hi to Josiah and continued best wishes for happy travels!

Mary

The Modern Postcard

[SLSD]

1 hour ago, maryogreen said:

@SLSD Hi Susan, Herb and I are enjoying your reports and are glad to hear you're having a great time! We're thrilled that Esther is on board...she is one of our absolute all-time favorites on any cruise we've taken. She probably won't remember us from last summer on the Ovation, but we remember her famous "Seabourn Splash" of wine when we only wanted a little bit more!😊 We hope she'll be on the Sojourn when we sail in November. Please let @nancygp know that we are friends. We've written back and forth, but have never met. Hi to Josiah and continued best wishes for happy travels!

Mary

The Modern Postcard

Nancygp and I have talked about you and I know she read your great travel writing.  I'll give Esther your regards.  I'll have to remember about the "Seabourn Splash."  

[SLSD]

Yesterday, Mr. SLSD and I celebrated our 48th wedding anniversary on Sojourn.   We ordered caviar in the afternoon and were surprised with a special dessert at dinner.  By the way, I have on an almost floor length dress in this photo which is not quite as casual as it looks here.  

Edited August 1 by SLSD

[lincslady]

Happy Anniversary - lovely photo.

[Isklaar]

What a lovely photo. Happy Anniversary. 

[nancygp]

It’s been wonderful sailing with SLSD and Mr.SLSD, an added bonus for Mr. and Mrs.Nancygp.

 

life is grand on the sojourn

 

Nancy 

[maryogreen]

@SLSDHappy Anniversary Susan and Josiah!❤️

[SLSD]

1 hour ago, nancygp said:

It’s been wonderful sailing with SLSD and Mr.SLSD, an added bonus for Mr. and Mrs.Nancygp.

 

life is grand on the sojourn

 

Nancy 

We have loved sailing with you and Mr. nancygp.  We'll miss you when you disembark.  

[highplanesdrifters]

Happy Anniversary!!!

[FlyingScotSailors]

Partial thread hijack;  our cousins are on board Sojourn now.  Also, Happy Anniversary.

 

13 hours ago, maryogreen said:

We hope she'll be on the Sojourn when we sail in November.

Mary, we too have enjoyed your blogs.  We board Sojourn for 3 weeks on November 2.  Will we get to meet you on board?

[maryogreen]

46 minutes ago, FlyingScotSailors said:

Partial thread hijack;  our cousins are on board Sojourn now.  Also, Happy Anniversary.

 

Mary, we too have enjoyed your blogs.  We board Sojourn for 3 weeks on November 2.  Will we get to meet you on board?

Thank you so much! Yes, we will be on board for the first two weeks, beginning November 2. Herb and I look forward to meeting you!

[SLSD]

Here's a short video I took in Djupivogur, Iceland this morning.  This is a local music teacher singing an Icelandic folk song about surviving a cold winter.  She was singing in the dark inside a old fish oil drum--and we were sitting in chairs in the dark listening.  

 

Edited August 1 by SLSD

[SLSD]

Today, we arrived in Djupivogur, Iceland, a small town of 500 residents.  We took a walking tour of the town lead by a young university student who grew up in the town.  It is a stark place and on the surface, not very appealing.  But, listening to our guide, we began to understand that Djupivogur is her beloved home and a place she wants to raise a family someday.  I tried to see the town through her eyes--it's a close knit community of fishermen, teachers, grocers, and small business people.  Our guide took us to an unusual rock and mineral museum which got its start as the hobby of a local man.  All the rocks and minerals are from the local area.  He is very proud of them.  We saw the two oldest buildings in the town--one of them is a brewery now.  We learned that every house in town has its own name--and that residents are often called by the name of their house instead of by their own names.  We saw driftwood sculptures and listened to a haunting Icelandic folk song.  We stopped off at the brewery before returning to Sojourn aboard the tender.  We took this trip to escape the heat in our own city.  Today, we got a bit more than we bargained for.  It was cold AND rainy.  We were glad we survived the tour!  Here are some photos to give you an idea of what it was like.  

[SLSD]

15 minutes ago, SLSD said:

Here's a short video I took in Djupivogur, Iceland this morning.  This is a local music teacher singing an Icelandic folk song about surviving a cold winter.  She was singing in the dark inside a old fish oil drum--and we were sitting in chairs in the dark listening.  

 

0 B · 1 download

It appears the download is not working which is disappointing.  I did manage to download it onto my computer.  Take my word for it--the song is beautiful and haunting.  

[Robisan]

2 hours ago, SLSD said:

We saw the two oldest buildings in the town--one of them is a brewery now.

You have to respect a town of 500 people that has its own brewery. Cheers to them!