Lerwick - Birthplace of Cruising.

After two days at sea we were greeted by a beautiful sunny sky as we sailed into Lerwick this morning. Lerwick has a special significance to P&O cruises as it’s founder Arthur Anderson was born here, it can therefore lay claim as the birthplace of cruising.

Today was another tender port and as we had booked on a tour we were able catch the first tender ashore this morning. We were greeted by our tour guide Edna , a Shetland local who spoke with a soft Scottish accent reminiscent of Janet from Dr Finlay’s Casebook. Lerwick lies on the east of the largest of the Shetland Islands, ironically known as Mainland, on the North Sea coast. After a short tour of the narrow streets the coach followed the coast road out the town towards the south of the island. The first photo stop gave us views across to Mousa Island, an uninhabited island that contains one of the best examples of a broch, which is a ancient tower dating from the time of the Picts. Unfortunately this was not visible from the photos but the scenery was magnificent.

Leaving the North Sea coast behind the coach took us on a single track road to the other side of the island and the Atlantic Ocean. Here on the sweeping bay below us seals lay enjoying the sunshine as much as the tourists watching them.

The main reason for the trip was to visit one of the most important historic sites in Shetland, Jarlshof. For many years the ruins lay covered in sand with only the tower of the large house visible until a storm in the 1890s uncovered them. Further excavations up to the 1950s uncovered all that can be seen today. The site contains buildings from the Neolithic era, through the Bronze and Iron ages to Norse and Medieval dwellings.

An impressive set of ruins well preserved by Historic Scotland.

Of course no visit to Shetland would be complete without a picture of some Shetland ponies and a mare and her foal nicely provided the opportunity.

After a stop for coffee and some gorgeous homemade shortbread at another beautiful bay we returned to the capital Lerwick for a look at the shops and the local highlights. Many of the shops sold examples of Shetland knitwear and in one a local knitter, Janet, demonstrated the skill. She was very grateful when we purchased some of her wares, so no perfume this time Victoria and Helena but a lovely knitted hat.

In the centre of town sits Fort Charlotte built to protect the harbour from the Dutch in the 1660s, unfortunately it didn’t work as eight years later it was reduced to ashes. It was rebuilt in the late 1700s and named after the wife of George III. It served as barracks during both the World Wars and now gives great views over the town and the bay beyond. 

Shetland has its own distinctive dialect and whilst on the coach our guide read out a poem in the local tongue. I can’t remember how that went but this sign gives an idea of the dialect.

As we left Shetland this evening the captain informed us that our next stop Kirkwall lies approximately 100 miles south and as we will be travelling at a speed of only 8 knots we may be overtaken by a rowing boat. I’ll keep my eye out.

Akureyri - Capital of the North.

Sitting at the head of the longest fjord in Iceland was today’s destination, Akureyri. Known as the Capital of the North,the town has the second largest population outside of Reykjavik. 

The streams tumbling down the mountains gave off steam as they reached the fjord, perhaps indicating some geothermal activity at their source.

With the ship being berthed today it was easy to get on and off , so we made our way into town at around 9 o’clock. After a slight delay, as I had forgotten my wallet and had to return to our cabin, we were mixing with the locals.

Our first port of call was the Botanical Gardens, one of the most northerly in the World. Housing in excess of 6000  foreign specimens the garden also has an extensive stock of native Icelandic plants. I know that Sylvia has posted a number of photos on Facebook earlier today but this should give you a taster.

It was an ideal time to visit the garden as many of the plants were in full bloom and the smells as you approached each bed were fantastic. The gardens were very well set out with each different variety labelled together with larger notices detailing facts about the various families of plants. A small cafe sat in the centre of the gardens and it seemed a same not to avail ourselves of some local snacks.

The next stop was the Akureyri church which is one of the most recognisable buildings in the town, standing as it does at the top of over 100 steps. Designed by the same man that designed the large Lutheran church in Reykjavik the church has as its altarpiece a stained glass window from the original Coventry cathedral (The centre one in the picture below).

The story goes that all the stain glass was removed from Coventry prior to the Second World War and stored in the countryside of Warwickshire. When the cathedral was destroyed several of the window pieces got lost and somehow landed up in a London antique shop before being purchased by an Icelander. He donated the glass to the newly constructed Akureyri church in 1940.

In addition to its title as Capital of the North, Akureyri is also known as the town of museums, having no less than twelve different ones. After yesterday’s experience we apprehensively decided to visit a couple, the first of which was the Nonni memorial museum. Nonni was a local man and Jesuit priest who went on to write children’s stories. These works have been translated into more than 40 languages, many of which are on show at the museum. We were the only visitors ,beating the organised tours by several hours and therefore had the undivided attention of the curator who gave us a guided tour. A fascinating little museum.

The second museum was the municipal museum which housed a collection of maps, an exhibition of the history of the town and a special exhibition celebrating Iceland’s only woman president Vigdis Finnbogadottir. Again a smashing little museum.

On the way back to town we watched a young man cutting the grass with a robotic mower, controlling the machine with a joystick around his waist. He told me that all those days he spend playing computer games hadn’t been wasted. 

This picture was taken at dinner a couple of nights ago.

The next two days are sea days as we make our way over the North Atlantic towards the Shetland Islands, therefore there will be no blog post until after our visit to Lerwick (unless anything unusual happens).

Isafjordur.

The village of Isafjordur lies at the end of the Skutulsfjorour on a narrow sand spit with tall mountains at the rear.

Sailing up the fjord in the morning light with the huge cliffs either side of the ship was very reminiscent of last year’s Norwegian adventure. The snow has not yet completely disappeared from the peaks but no waterfalls of melting ice were visible.

Once again today a tender was necessary to reach land and as the boats manoeuvred below us we had a leisurely breakfast. 

It was probably more leisurely than we had planned as it seem to take an age to move the passengers ashore but after today’s selfie we were finally on our way.

The population of the village is around 3000 (about the same as the number of passengers on the ship) and as it was a Sunday there was very little going on. We wandered up and down the narrow streets with quaint little houses that date back some time, this one dated 1898. At least I think it was the date and not the house number.

This part of Iceland is primarily a fishing area with many fishing villages scattered along the sides of the fjord. To celebrate the role of the fisherman the village houses what is supposedly the best Maritime Museum in Iceland. Housed in several former warehouse buildings the museum tells the tale of the history of fishing in the area and the various methods by which the fish were preserved. Examples of which are these dried fish.

Other exhibits highlighted “The Cod War” with the United Kingdom and the whaling industry that used to be important to 

the region. Overall I was a little disappointed with the exhibition, however what was impressive was a display of piano accordions. This was a collection of a Mr Sigurdsson who had been collecting them since he was aged 15, some of which date from 1830. So maybe not the best maritime museum but certainly the best accordion museum.

After returning to the ship Sylvia got out her paints to sketch the surrounding scenery, here is her finished article.

At dinner I had venison and tonight the sun will not set. Tomorrow we visit Akureyri.

Icelandic Sagas.

The weather this morning was a little overcast with some drizzle in the air and so we decided to take a trip on the Hop-On/Hop-Off bus around the city. Our guide gave us usual facts about the town and the history of its development informing us that Reykjavik is the only major capital city that does not have a MacDonald’s restaurant. You could find KFCs, Dominos and Subways but no maccy Dees. This is a city that you would not want to visit Oliver.

To compensate for the lack of such Haute Cuisine the city has more statues and sculptures than I have ever seen. It seems that on every corner or spare piece of land some artist has been busy, it makes for a very interesting ride around the centre. 

They also have a lot of museums, in addition to the normal Natural History museum, National Art Gallery and the like, Reykjavik can lay claim to some of the strangest museums. One such example is the Phallus Museum which offers a display of the intimate parts of all the mammals of Iceland, yes all of them. We however decided to visit the Icelandic Saga Museum, which brings to life the stories of the Icelandic Vikings with an audio commentary and life-like figures.

The museum gave us a great opportunity not only to learn about the history of the island but also to pose with the full scale silicone models , such as this fisherman.

One of the sagas involved a Viking woman (whose name was far too long to remember), who when her husband was killed by natives bared her breast and threatened to cut it off. This apparently scared off her aggressors who fled the scene. Quite a scary sight.

At the end of the exhibition was an area where you could dress up in authentic Viking wear,I tried on a helmet , which was very heavy…..

…….but I was still able to ward off this polar bear.

From the Saga Museum we made our way to the Maritime Museum. We had a quick look in but decided not to visit as the Maritime Museum at tomorrow’s call, Isafjordur, is supposed to be the best in Iceland. 

Walking back towards the bus pick-up point we passed an exhibition in the street displaying every ship lost in Icelandic waters in the last 200 years, from large sailing ships up to modern day trawlers. It was quite amazing to see how many wrecks there had been especially during the war, when many lives were lost in these icy waters. 

Further on was a steam engine which Sylvia couldn’t resist climbing on.

As we sailed away from the city passing snow capped mountains on the way we watched Wales beat Northern Ireland in the euros. Well done Wales.

A Walk Around Reykjavik.

We arrived in Reykjavik, the World’s most northerly capital, at 8.00am this morning for a two day stay. The name of the city loosely translates as “Smoky Bay” after the steam rising from the hot springs that surround the area. Ironically it is probably one of the cleanest cities in the world and perhaps should be named “smokeless bay”.

After the obligatory selfie onboard we made our way along the sea path to the city.

The walk to the centre takes about forty minutes and weaves its way along the coastal path taking in some interesting sights along the route such as this large volcanic boulder on a sandy beach.

The path was peppered either side with flowers and other vegetation such as these wild lupins.

The route took us past numerous sculptures and monuments, perhaps the most striking being this modern interpretation of a Viking ship.

Towering over the city is the distinctive Hallgrimskirkja, a modern Lutheran church built in the early 1970s in memory of a noted local composer of hymns. Outside the church is a statue of Leifur Eiriksson, one of the early explorers of North America.

From the top of the bell tower tremendous views of the city and surrounding countryside can be had, clarified by the lack of pollution in the air.

We continued our walk around the town taking in the city hall and the outside of some of the many museums, pausing to take photos of some of the quaint shops.

A spot of souvenir hunting together with a coffee and bun completed the trip, getting back to the ship just before a rain shower. In total more than 25000 steps today, we should sleep soundly tonight.

Tomorrow we hope to have a look in some of the museums.

Things that go bump in the night.

Last night Win and Jim treated us to a meal in Sindhu, the contemporary Indian restaurant on board. Eating here has become something of a tradition when sailing on the Azura and this trip was no exception. Despite Sylvia’s protests I managed to photograph an assortment of the dishes on offer. The meal started with some complementary mini popadoms with chutneys followed by a pre-starter of a chicken pakora. Sylvia for her starter had chosen the “Karara Kekda” a crisp fried soft shell crab which is pictured below

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I decided on the “Gosht Ke Dhuandhar Sooley”, a marinated smoked beef skewers with a mushroom ketchup.

Both dishes were cooked and presented superbly, Sylvia describing the crab as “very tasty” but not like a Cromer crab. For the mains Sylvia went for Atul Kochhar’s signature plate, three separate dishes of Lamb Rogan Josh, Chicken Murgh Korma and Cod Jal Pari.

My choice was the “Batak Falliyan” duck breast cooked in Punjabi masala and served in a three bean stew.

The mains were served with warm Indian breads, boiled rice Bombay potatoes and dahl. The portions are not large but the flavours are, with the subtle taste of the various spices and herbs hitting your palette with every mouthful. A great culinary experience.

Quite often the sweet course in an Indian restaurant is disappointing  but here the choice was good, with Jim having an Indian chocolate pudding and Win a Rhubarb souffle with a pistachio crumble topping, a kind of deconstructed rhubarb crumble. Sylvia choose a “Berry Bhatia Doi”. This was described as a yogurt cheesecake but it was like a glass of condensed milk with fruit on top. Absolutely gorgeous.

I had the straight forward option of a trio of Indian ice cream.

As always the food was good and the company was brilliant. Thank you Win & Jim.

After the meal we went to the theatre to see the company perform “Curtains Up’ a selection of West End numbers and then retire to our rooms. Normally that would be the end of the blog but the noise I reported on last night came back with a vengeance tonight. The banging and creaking experienced previously meant that neither Sylvia or I could get to sleep so eventually I phoned reception to report the problem. The duty manager was despatched to check out the problem and he raised a carpenter from his bed to rectify the situation. By the time the chippy had arrived it was 2.00 in the morning and after a short time diagnosing the problem began to hammer in wedges in the wall. This substantially relieved us of the problem but obviously didn’t go down too well with our downstairs neighbours who started banging on the ceiling in reply. 

Following return visits today from the carpenter and the housekeeping supervisor we are hopeful the problem will not reoccur tonight and so is the very irate lady below who also paid us a visit. 

Tonight is a formal night and tomorrow the first of two days in Reykjavik.