“When two courses are open, take the most venturesome.” Wilfred T Grenfell
This is my most recent Hero whose biography I read before coming here. A medical missionary to the Deep Sea Fishermen of the Labrador and Newfoundland area, his Christian love was seen by his actions. He secured philanthropic funds (from 1908-1932) from England, Canada and the US to build and staff, 6 hospitals, 4 hospital ships, 7 nursing stations, 2 orphanages, 2 large schools, 14 industrial centers, and a cooperative lumber mill. He was knighted in 1927. His story is adventuresome, heroic, humble, diligent, artistic, philanthropic and faithful to the people he grew to love and lift up to a better life.
Not the best photo, but hey, it’s me!
With that said, we had to stop to see his museum and house. And I learned even more about the beautiful person and his life. His harrowing tale of a near-death experience on the ice, pulls you into his story in a book titled, Adrift on an Ice-pan. There’s a memorial plaque on the wall of his porch, “To the Memory of Three Noble Dogs – Moody, Watch, Spy – Whose lives were given for mine on the ice. April 21, 1908” Wilfred Grenfell
In as much as Ye have done it unto one of the least of these My Brethern Ye have done it unto Me
In the museum this model represents the orphanage that is still standing in town but is now a youth club. We didn’t get close enough for a photo of the real building. Also, the museum displays art work that the people made and continue to make.
To date in excess of Can $40 million has been granted to over one thousand projects on the northern peninsula of Newfoundland and coastal Labrador. These have addressed community development, education, scholarships and health related initiatives. To look at more check out the International Grenfell Association.
Awe is the condition of a man’s spirit realizing Who God is and what He has done for him personally.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
Another Sea Day….We thought there might be too many sea days. But we find we look forward to them for a break. They keep us quite busy here, enjoying ourselves. So…. Everyone needs their vitaminSEA!
Because the stop at Nanortalik, Greenland was canceled, due to rough seas, the Captain took us down the Prince Christian Sound, which was quite calm and most beautiful. This narrow passageway connects the Irminger and Labrador Seas.
The sun may have produced better photos of the stunning scenery, glaciers, mountains, tiny icebergs and the tiny Inuit village called, Aappilattoq, which means “sea anemone” in the local Greenlandic Inuit language.
According
to Google, “anemone” is a
plant of the buttercup family which typically has brightly coloured
flowers and deeply divided leaves. And
a “sea anemone” is a sedentary marine coelenterate with a
columnar body which bears a ring of stinging tentacles around the
mouth. I would like to think the town is named after the flower
rather than the latter.
“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” Saint Augustine
Iceland is Europe’s westernmost nation and home to active volcanoes, hot thermal springs, a torrent of breathtaking waterfalls and basalt columns. Basalt columns are a geological phenomenon. When lava pours out and cools slowly over time, a curious geometric pattern emerges: long columns of hexagonal basalt rock, sometimes forming cliffs that stretch hundreds of feet into the air. These igneous rock formations can be found all around the world, from Iceland to Ireland to Israel to Japan to California, each adding a fascinating structure to the landscapes and waterscapes in which they are settled. Iceland has a number of locations with these basalt columns making them tourist destinations but we did not get to see them on this trip but would have loved to see some.
The columns are used in construction throughout the country with one major building being the Hallgrimskirkja Church in Reykjavik. 80% of Icelanders are Protestant, mostly Lutheran.
Hallgrimskirkja, Church5,275 PipesHarpa, the modern all-glass honeycomb Concert Hall & Conference Center.
Not much to see on a rainy day in Iceland, so…..
…so we enjoyed the view out our lovely family room windows while also enjoying reading.
Rising in the North Atlantic waters halfway between Norway and Iceland, the 22 Faroe Islands form a breathtaking archipelago of jagged mountains and dramatic fjords. The Faroese people hold their culture and history dear, still speaking their unique Old Norse language and still topping their houses with turf. (yes, I copied the description from the guide book!!)
Hello Allie!Bookstore 1865
I love all the people we meet and visit. Cruisers and locals. One of the girls who handles our tickets for the shore excursions is named Sasa. I said, “Sasa”, that means “now” in Swahili and she was tickled to hear that someone knew that.
While walking toward the town of Torshavn, I struck up a conversation with a woman on vacation, who asked where we were going. After her surprise of our world cruise, she said her husband always wanted to go around the world. I had mentioned I was keeping our family and friends updated on a blog and she wanted to follow along also. So “Hello” Allie.
After visiting the book store in the photos above, a lady walking by saw me taking pictures and stopped to tell me about the bookstore which had been a schoolhouse many years ago that she attended. She runs an airb&b and is thrilled to see so many visitors to the Islands.
Rock Salmon Ladder
Both the Faroe Islands and the Shetland Islands are just dots on the map of the North Atlantic, yet they both played important roles in WW2 for Britain.
The Seabirds tour was full and instead of seeing a Puffin it was nuffin! The first seabird tour in Shetland was canceled due to bad weather. And now Saturday the 21st we have a cancellation due to high waves. Just to give you an idea how bad it has been, a man sitting next to us at supper told us he was a seasoned traveler and that he had been on possibly 30+ cruises and this by far was the roughest as far as waves and rolling goes. I love being rocked to sleep.
Nautical Term of the day – Scuttlebutt
A “butt” was a barrel. “Scuttle” meant “to chop a hole in something.” The “scuttlebutt” was a water barrel with a hole cut into it so that sailors could reach in and scoop out drinking water. The “scuttlebutt” was the place where the ship’s gossip was exchanged.
Today’s scuttlebutt is that John is enjoying himself too much!!
Here in Bergen, Norway, 500-600 passengers disembarked at the end of their 2 week cruise around the United Kingdom and I suppose about that many embarked also for the next leg to Montreal. We were surprised that there weren’t more than 53 World Cruisers going for 8 months. But there are a number that are going for 4 months to LAX. From the group that boarded in London, some are going to Montreal and some are getting off at NYC and some in San Juan, PR. So we will constantly be getting new faces and names to remember. Funny, funny. I don’t think so Tim!
We found out that it rains an average of 230 days a year in Bergen and it held up to that this past weekend too. Fortunately, we had only a drizzle when we shot the only photos we took on our short tour of the city. We didn’t get to go shopping either! This is the Bryggen wharf.
“I have no use for cranks who despise music, because it is a gift of God. Music drives away the Devil and makes people joyful; they forget thereby all wrath, unchastity, arrogance, and the like. Next after theology, I give to music the highest place and the greatest honor.” ~ Martin Luther
A marvelous violinist, most beautiful music.
The other day the Crew gathered us all 53 World Cruisers out onto the bow of the ship for pictures. I wonder how they turned out. We’ll have a real wind blown look. One of the passengers has a Drone and took pictures while flying it out over the ocean to capture the whole ship in the photo and back in at us. That too will be interesting. Someone said The Guinness Book of Records is suppose to be in London greeting our return in May. We’ll see. That wasn’t an official note.
I don’t know what all the hub bub is about. I’ve just moved into a posh retirement center where I don’t need to cook or clean, just play cards, eat, visit with interesting people all day, see some fantastic sights, eat, read books, swim, eat, shop and praise the Lord for it all!! It sounds quite dull! Doesn’t it? All is vanity under the sun. And yet, mountain tops are for views and inspiration, but fruit is grown in the valleys. I hope our mountain top views fill us with inspiration that will spill out onto you all for valley times that we all experience.
For “It is God to whom and with whom we travel, and while He is the end of our journey, he is also at every stopping place.” ~ Elisabeth Elliot
“The only time my prayers are never answered is on the golf course.” ~ Billy Graham
We’re in Scotland and it rains, rains, rains. The many shore excursions are catching up with us and not letting us catch up with ourselves! John went to Ullapool without me and took some cute photos. We both went to Kirkwall, then John canceled the Invergordon trek after going to Edinburgh without me and took no photos as we had been there just 10 yrs ago when we both could get around better and faster, and even then it wasn’t that fast! Right K and Wade?
So you’ll see a couple on board pictures of entertainment all over, and of course more food!! The landscape photographic back drops to the Highland dancers were absolutely beautiful. The pictures here don’t do them justice.
Ullapool
Mussels
Lobster salad
Evening entertainment
Ring of Brogdar
Kirkwall
The Orkney Islands (Kirkwall) and the Shetland Islands (Lerwick) were given as a dowry from a Danish Princess for her wedding to a Scottish Prince. But they kept their Norse heritage and history and don’t wear kilts or play bagpipes. Kirkwall played an important part in WW1 and with so many sunken German ships in the harbor of Scapa Flow, it has become a mecca for diving enthusiasts. The 5000 year old Ring of Brogdar is the finest known circular stone ring from he early Bronze Age.
John had a Lamb dish and I had Sea Scallops and yes, that is Escargot on my bread. Profiteroles for dessert, but when I make them, they’re just cream puffs;-) and I had Cherries Jubilee. I’m really NOT going to photograph all our meals! Some of the girls wanted to see the food… Some great pipers played for us as the ship was leaving the dock. I still don’t know how to take a selfie!
Lerwick, Capital of the Shetland Islands
“We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure.” ~ Jawaharlal Nehru
The Shetland archipelago comprises about 300 islands, of which 16 are inhabited.
Lerwick is the capital of the Shetland Isles and is part of Scotland. A beautiful quiet small city with a population of 7,500, which doubles in size when just 2 cruise ships pull into port. Herring, which is their major export and commercial business today, employs a great deal of that population. There is 0 unemployment! Though it is part of Scotland, they don’t wear kilts or play bagpipes. Their Norse heritage and history is more prevalent and celebrated.
Scalloway Castle
Inscription still visable on Scalloway Castle: “Patrick Stewart Earl of Orkney and Shetland. That house whose foundation is on a rock will stand but if on sand it will fall. AD 1600” The foundation stood the test of time but not the roof…
They still celebrate Up Helly Aa.
It takes place in Lerwick, on the last Tuesday in January every year, which is an annual community celebration of their Viking Heritage and involves a series of marches and visitations, culminating in a torch-lit procession and the burning of a galley.
We were told the ponies go back to the Bronze Age, 3000 yrs ago and they live to 50+ years.
What a lunch and with a view, sorry we didn’t get a photo of the view. 🙂
Excellent Seafood Minestrone Soup
Belfast has many architecturally beautiful old churches and government buildings with Victorian and cosmopolitan elegance. Too many to record here, but one, Queen’s University built in 1841.
Belfast the capital of Northern Ireland since 1922 and the partition of Ireland, has a long and complex history of culture, politics, economics, religion and turbulence, going back hundreds of years. The Good Friday Agreement in 1998 brought an end to the NI conflict. Now what we see are the “Peace Walls”. The stated purpose of the peace lines is to minimize inter-communal violence between Catholics (most of whom are nationalists who self-identify as Irish) and Protestants (most of whom are unionists who self-identify as British).
It was all very confusing with long history lessons. We zeroed in on the Crumlin Road Jail and the Titanic Museum.
The jail was built in 1846 and closed 1996 and is now a museum and tourist attraction. The tunnel was used to take the prisoners under the street to the courthouse. The jail was all cement and cold (not as bad as the Yuma Territorial Prison in our town!) and the Warden’s office was the only room in the whole prison with carpet. When a prisoner was sent to see the warden due to some misdeeds, it was said he was “called on the carpet.” Have you ever been “called on the carpet?”
“He who has never tasted jail
Lives well within the legal pale,
While he who’s served a heavy sentence
Renews the racket, not repentance.” ― Ogden Nash
Not as bad as our Yuma Territorial Prison in AZ.
The Titanic Museum displays a large amount of history and photos of its building and shipyard which was here in Belfast, even though the Main office of the Titanic was in Liverpool. There was quite a bit of walking throughout the museum without places to sit a while and the exit was not indicated well at all. Our stay was brief and I didn’t even pick up a souvenir as the line was much too long also. Other then that, it of course was interesting, but we pretty much knew most of it. I guess the movies of the sinking did a good job. But it was still sad to see the numbers: Total passengers on board 1316 + 913 Crew = 2229 Total passengers survived 498 + 215 Crew = 713. Which leaves 818+698=1516 died.
Dublin was founded by the Vikings, Dubh Linn, which means black pool. The bay is quite muddy looking.
Arthur Guinness was founder of the famous Guinness brewery in 1759 and inventor of probably the world’s greatest beer, and Ireland’s most famous export.
The Three Tenors — Like. On board entertainment, so good. “Damsha – Song and Dance Co” Ireland’s future.
John and I went on a bus city tour, but seemed to take no pictures. But accumulated lots of trivia only half of which I can remember and the other half I can’t read from my notes taken while riding in the bus! But I did take a cooking class from Catherine Byrne Fulvio in County Wicklow, aka the “Garden of Ireland.” She can be seen on Netflix, Lord’s & Ladles. (like a soup ladle, not ladies). She made scones and they were better than I had had before and I learned I must use Kerrygold Butter.
That looks good!No rolling pin? NODip tops in beaten egg/water mix then sugar and bake. Umm good. Really tasty!
“I find it impossible not to believe that there’s something in Irish blood that favors their power with words.” ~ Jim Harrison
Thomas Moore, Ireland’s answer to Robert Burns, is the perfect example of an Irish bard.
George Bernard Shaw, grew up in Dublin, moved to London and wrote Pygmalion, later becoming My FairLady.
Jonathon Swift, became dean of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin in the 1600’s and is known for writing Gulliver’s Travels.
And we all know St Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. While trying to convert the Irish into Christians, St. Patrick used the shamrock, three leaf clover, to explain the holy trinity with each leaf representing the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The traditional Irish symbol of a shamrock does not include the fourth leaf.
“If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay home.” ~ James A. Michener
Cooking demo by Wayan from Bali and Karen from Wales preparing Glamorgan Sausages and Welsh Cakes, I saved the recipes Cathy S.
Liverpool, England
On top of the Liver Building are two birds, a mythical creature which is the symbol of the city. It is said that the bird facing the water is female and waiting for her husband to return home. The other one facing inland is male waiting for the Liverpool pubs to open!
Wellington’s Column, or the Waterloo Memorial, is a monument to the Duke of Wellington. The statue is made from the melted-down bronze from cannons captured at the Battle of Waterloo.
Some more interesting tidbits: Liverpool was greatly instrumental in winning the Battle of the Atlantic from 1939-45. It was the most bombed city in England outside of London during WW2 due to it being England’s largest western port for ships bringing supplies from US and Canada.
Hometown of 56 musical artists who have had #1 singles, more than any other city, Liverpool is celebrated as the “World Capital of Pop.” Most notably the Beatles.
John, Paul, Ringo, George
Hard Day’s Night Hotel
We had fun singing Penny Lane on the Bus.
Liverpool Anglican Cathedral is Britain’s biggest Cathedral and the 5th largest in Europe. Designed by a Catholic architect, it was started in 1904 and finished in 1978, interrupted by 2 World Wars.
Magnificent art work Giles Gilbert Scott the architect of the above Cathedral also designed the famous English phone booth.
Contrasting, Roman Catholic Metropolitan Cathedral built 1961-67, was designed by a Protestant.
Nautical Term of the day — AS THE CROW FLIES — When lost or unsure of their position in coastal waters, ships would release a caged crow. The crow would fly straight toward the nearest land, thus giving the vessel some sort of navigational fix. This is also why the tallest lookout platform on a ship came to be known as the “crow’s nest.”
On the ship, the Viking Sun, we are enjoying getting to meet so many of the friendly crew. Our room steward’s name is Eko, pronounced echo. I asked where he was from and he said “Philly”, I said “Chili?” He said no, “Philly”, I frowned and asked “Philadelphia?” He said no, “Philippines” and we both had a good laugh! We seem to enjoy getting lost on the ship every time we get off an elevator. Do we turn left or right, is the bow that way or this way? But I do know my Port from my Starboard now! Therefore we ought to get bow and aft pretty soon.
Our drive from Heathrow airport to the dock was suppose to take 1 hr 40 min, 2 1/2 hrs later we made it but were too late for the welcome dinner with caviar that I still have never tasted. The drive thru the city of London was worse than the LA freeway, primarily due to the protesters of Brixit all over, but especially where we were going.
Our room being quite small was made even smaller when we arrived and found our two large suitcases at the foot of the bed and we added our 5 other smaller pieces plus my walker making it impossible for two of us to be in there at the same time. Well, it took 4 weeks to gather and pack it all, it’ll take at least 4 days to unpack it all!
I’ll get straight to a few photos and give more comments and stories on another post when there is more time. We have a busy shore excursion schedule this week with little time for blogging. Plus the time change has messed with our sleeping and we really need an afternoon nap which eats up our time. Speaking of eating…. Oh yes, we always have time for that. And what a sea of choices, Sea Bass, Salmon, Halibut, Prawns, Sea Scallops, Sushi-mi and Sushi. We love having some sort of seafood everyday and we’ve only been here 3 days.
Beautiful White Cliffs of Dover on a very windy morning (not bed head).So much history. The U S has only 250 yrs of history, here it’s more than 2000 yrs.John with Muesli and Eggs Benedict Diana with fruit and Indonesian Rambutan, a lychee-type fruit meaning hairy.
“Time and Tide wait for no man.” Geoffrey Chaucer
Walking Tour of Canterbury, England
St George’s Clock Tower 500 yrs old. The original St George’s church dates back to the 11th century and in 1942, the worse bombing in Canterbury of WW2 destroyed most of the city including the church with only the tower remaining.
