Falls, Geysers and Lagoons: The Wet and Weird Wonderland of Iceland

Stats:
Destination:  Iceland
Number of Days Spent:  1 day
Where we stayed:  RCI's Jewel of the Seas
Best restaurant:   There was no time for eating!  Well, we did stop for a hot dog...apparently they are famous in Iceland.  We weren't too impressed but we weren't expecting too much...  After all, a friend of ours bought it from a gas station because we didn't have enough time to get over to Bill Clinton's stand. 
Best of:  Stunning scenery & a soak in Iceland's famous geothermal waters!
Worst of:    Hmmm, well could it be the elderly ladies & gentlemen putting it all out for the world to see while walking to the showers before stepping into the lagoon?  Yes, I think so.  No one needs to see that.  Cover up with a towel please :-)  Just my personal opinion which I realize will go against all of our European friends'.  That's fine, to each his/her own, but seriously, Iceland has enough cracks already.
Most Memorable:  Soaking in the blue lagoon with with our facial masks & an all natural waterfall massage.  Does life get any better? 

Useful Tip:   Rent a car & explore!  We split a car rental with another couple for a pricey $150 ($75 per couple) and had a terrific day.  It was cheaper than taking a tour or getting in a taxi and we were able explore on our own.  We were able to see the Blue Lagoon and most of the Golden Circle, something that is not possible from the ship's tours and best of all we did it at our own pace...no waiting for anyone else. 
Located in the icy cold North Atlantic waters, Iceland represents the farthermost point north we will travel on this journey, somewhere around the same latitude as Denali National Park in Alaska or as far north as Ushuaia, Argentina is south.  Despite its geographical location, Iceland enjoys moderate climates thanks to a favorable Jet Stream and all the Geothermal activity that the island is famed for.  The high concentration of volcanoes heat the water beneath the earth's surface creating steam which in turn creates electricity. 
One such geothermal plant has created a spa known as The Blue Lagoon and turned it into one of the biggest tourist attractions in Iceland.  It may sound a little strange soaking in waste water from a power plant, but the waters contain nutrients that leave the skin feelings nice and smooth.  The water is even believed to help patients with psoriasis.  The jury may still be out on the last statement, but we felt rejuvenated and the spa itself is top notch...aside from the afore mentioned free swinging Europeans letting it all hang out in the shower rooms.     


 
After soaking for a bit, we climbed out and headed out to what is dubbed the Golden Circle.  Iceland boasts one of the most diverse and unique landscapes on the planet.  Serrated and jagged lava flows contrast with lush green rolling hills.  Oceans and rivers glimmer from the sun beneath the clear blue skies.   It's also one of the few places on earth where you can see the results of tectonic action.   In Þingvellir National Park (stop #1 on the Golden Circle), a massive crack in the ground (not to be confused with the "cracks" observed at the Blue Lagoon) represents where the North American plate meets the European plate.  The topography here is so diverse that it's no wander that the Icelanders feel there may be other creatures lurking in the depths of the earth.  Hence trolls are born supplying tourists with countless knickknacks and boosting the local economy at the same time. 
 
Introduced by the Vikings, horses are not native to the island, but have adapted to the harsh environment growing much shorter than their cousins living in warmer climates. 

 
With all that water boiling just below the surface, it's no wander that Iceland was bound to have a few geysers.  The most famous of which is called Strokkur ("churn" in Icelandic) and stop #2 on the Golden Circle.  Basically the water boils beneath the surface and as the steam rises, more water is allowed to reach a boiling temperature which creates more steam which eventually reaches the surface releasing the steam and any water that remained above the steam.  The whole process takes between 4-8 minutes to repeat in the case of this geyser.

 

Our last stop of the day, and the last stop on the Golden Circle, was the Gullfoss Waterfall (Golden Falls).  Gullfoss may not be the tallest, widest or largest waterfall, but it's unique shape makes it a picturesque one.  Just before the start of the falls, the river makes one last curve to the left.  Then it makes a short drop to the right before taking the final and greatest plunge back to the left again into a deep ravine that runs at a 90 degree angle to the falls.  The total drop is about 210 feet (64 meters).    

Running short on time, we high tailed it back to Reykjavik.  Even though we had a few minutes to spare, we didn't want to chance missing the boat...it's a long swim to Boston, MA!
To see more photos from beautiful Iceland click here!

A Catholic and a Protestant walk into a bar: Big Bad Belfast, Northern Ireland

Stats:
Destination:  Belfast, Northern Ireland
Number of Days Spent:  1 day
Where we stayed:  RCI's Jewel of the Seas
Best of:  Surprisingly thriving business district, large Celtic crosses & it is relatively peaceful these days.
Worst of:    It rained all day, but how else would Ireland stay so lush green?
Most Memorable:  We had quite the character for our Black Taxi tour.  The Catholic driver took us around to see the murals and reminded us in his actions and words that there is still tension.  Favorite quote from the cabbie, "You couldn't pay me a million euros to walk into that bar."

Useful Tip:   The tours are a fixed 10BP per person for 3 or more or 40 BP for the car so try and partner with a couple of other people to save a few "quid".
Think of Belfast or Northern Ireland and images of car bombs, internal strife and violence first come to mind.  Dubbed "The Troubles", Belfast was the epicenter for a struggle between two distinct groups divided over several key issues.  The beginnings of The Troubles takes root back in the 17th century.  Legend has it that the King of England at the time promised this chunk of relatively uninhabited land in Ireland to the first person to "lay his hand on land."  Seeing that he was about to lose the race to land, Ulster cut off his hand and threw it on the shore.  His bloody stump along with William of Orange (who defeated the Catholic King of England in Northern Ireland) are the "heroes" of the Protestant north (Loyalists or UVF) that are loyal to the crown of England.  On the other side, we have Bobby Sands, the "martyr" who starved to death in a protest known as the Hunger Strikes;  an attempt to bring attention to the "plight" of the Catholics (Republicans or IRA).  The situation reached a head in 1969 when parts of the city went up in flames from rioting.  Our cabbie was on his honeymoon when the riots began and when he returned, his house was burnt down.  Today, while tensions have calmed down, the hatred continues.
Along with our friends Ron and Patty, we set out to find the afore mentioned Black Taxi Tours.  When the public buses were used as blockades service was suspended and the locals still needed a public transport option.  The black taxi service was born and is still in use till this day.  Some of the drivers who speak clear enough English operate their taxis as tours.  After figuring out which black taxi was the right black taxi, our driver took us down Falls Church road to see the Catholic, IRA murals.  
 
The murals are somewhat controversial - some see them as a road block to peace as they continue to serve as a reminder of a troubled past and stir up emotions.  In general, the two sides have very distinctly different methods.  The IRA play up the role of oppressed, martyrs, helpless victims of an unjust cause.  As you start down the road, a series of murals depict other martyrs who have died in the cause of Irish independence.  The mural of Bobby Sands dominates the side wall of the Sinn Fein (IRA) headquarters.  A little further along he takes us to a memorial garden with the names of victims of the violence, including several children.
 
A high barrier wall separates the two neighborhoods.  There are three gates along the length of the wall, all closing at dark.  The driver tells us that wall was put up in the early 70's and he doesn't see that wall ever coming down in his lifetime.
 
Crossing through one of the gates we arrive on the Loyalist side to Shankill Road.  Opposite the victim attitude of the IRA, the loyalist take the "don't mess with us" approach.  Their murals take on a more military feel.  The one on the left depicts a man with a gun that seemingly points the gun at you no matter what angle you look at it from (creepy indeed).  The one in the middle is of William of Orange, the afore mentioned King who defeated the Catholics and claimed Northern Ireland for the Crown of England.  Stevie "Top Gun" Mckeag, who by most accounts died of a drug overdose, is credited for 12 assassinations of oftentimes innocent Catholics.     


On a brighter note, the city and the country as a whole seem to be emerging from the violence and not allowing this relatively small portion of the population stand in the way of progress.  Northern Ireland has received heavy support and investment from the EU in recent years and central Belfast is filled with banks, offices and all signs are pointing to a much brighter future.

One other place of note in town is the Cathedral Church of St. Anne.  Other than being another beautiful church (admittedly, we have become a little jaded with big European churches) the church boasts the world's largest Celtic Cross.
 

With history and religion covered, there was but one thing left - a pint at the pub...The Crown Liquor Salon that is.  Self-proclaimed "The most beautiful bar in the world" the interior is a beautiful blend of carved wood, mosaic tiled floors and well placed mirrors.  While the name implies that it's a loyalist joint, the republicans are quick to point out that you have to step on the crown to enter. 

With another day down, we board the ship and set sail for Iceland!
To see more photos from Belfast click here!

The Bells of Shandon Toll for Thee - Cork, Ireland

Stats:
Destination:   Cork, Ireland
Number of Days Spent:  1 day
Where we stayed:  RCI's Jewel of the Seas
Best restaurant:   We found a great market with terrific Irish soda bread and excellent cheese similar to the Dutch gouda.  Too bad we were kicked out of our picnic spot when we dug out the wine glasses. 
Best of:   The warm hospitality of the Irish, the Bells of Shandon were good cheap fun, having a pint in the pub
Worst of:  The English Market uses a black light for illuminating the restroom.  Not sure if I really wanted to "see" all the germs you are forced to touch, but it does provide an excellent case study on "splatter analysis"...not to mention your urine glows - how cool is that! 
Most Memorable:  Getting kicked out of the park with wine.  Who would have thought that of all places, Ireland would kick you out of a park for drinking wine? 

Cork is located in the southern part of Ireland and vies against its rival Dublin to win over the tourist trade in Ireland.  Dublin has Guinness.  Cork has Murphy's.  If you are an Irish-American, chances are this was the last plot of the mother land your ancestors saw.  During the "Potato Famines" millions of Irish came to Cork to catch the ships bound for America.   
We tagged up with Ron and Patty who we first met on the Transatlantic heading to Europe; small world after all.  I had originally thought of heading out to the famed Blarney Stone but after our fiasco the day earlier, we opted to keep it closer inland and just stick to the city itself.  Besides, why waste your entire day getting to the castle, waiting in line for over an hour only to climb up some rickety stairs to kiss a rock when there is plenty of culture to be had in Cork proper?  A short cab ride from the train station we arrived at St Finbarr's Church beating the crowds of fellow passengers.   The massive Protestant church is one of the star attractions in town, mainly due to the three massive spires.  A sweet old man, perhaps the caretaker, was kind enough to show us around and tell us a few odds and ends about the church as we were one of the first visitors of the day.  One oddity for me was that the pews had prayer kneelers, which I thought were strictly Catholic.  I suppose there are sects within sects in any religion. 


Leaving the church we passed by the now closed Beamish and Crawford Brewery.  Apparently Heineken purchased them and moved the operations out to the Murphy's Brewery, which is also owned by Heineken.  Heineken's takeover of the World's Fermented Beverage Market is well on its way. 
Dubbed the "English Market", Cork's main market is located in the heart of the town and can provides an excellent array of meats, cheeses and baked goods.   Once again, with the help of Ron and Patty, we start to plan one of our favorite past times - picnics in European squares and parks.  After procuring our provisions we headed across the street to the park, dug out the glasses and popped the cork in Cork :-) (sorry, couldn't resist).  Just as we were pouring the first glass, an officer comes over and informs us that we are not allowed to drink in the park.  What?  This is Ireland - a country well known for drinking.  Perhaps this is the start of trying to shed that image.  At any rate, we were forced to pack up our things and seek friendlier environs.

 
Across the river and up the hill a ways sits the somewhat smaller St. Anne's Church.  The church itself is rather plain, but in the tower of the church lies the Bells of Shandon.  Made famous by a song from the 20's, one can climb a couple of flights of stairs and reach a wall with 8 cords hanging down which are attached to the bells.  8 Bells - 4 people - 2 hands each - Perfect!  There are a couple of laminated sheets to guide you through a couple of songs ranging from "Amazing Grace" to "Three Blind Mice" to more "Contemporary" hits like "You Are My Sunshine". 

After having our go at ringing the bells we proceeded to the top.  The next landing has ear muffs to prepare you for the next level where you are face to face with the pigeon poo covered bells themselves.  After climbing through the rafters, you come outside at the top of the tower for a commanding view of the city.


What day in Ireland would be complete without a stop at the pub?  While not the Blarney Stone or the Bells of Shandon, having a pint in the pub is a quintessential experience when visiting Ireland.  Football (soccer) blares away on the TV, locals chat it up at the bar and beer connects all in harmony...as long as the local team is winning that is.  Drink Guinness at your own peril - this is Murphy's territory and the people of Cork have somewhat of a friendly rivalry with Dublin.  I prefer the lighter Murphy's any ways, but to each their own.

Still carrying around the wine, cheese, and bread - we headed back toward the ship.  We arrived at the boat a little early and since they don't allow you being on wine, we sat down at a rather large eating area to finally enjoy our wine and cheese.  No sooner had we poured the wine into our glasses when a man came out and told us that we could not drink here as he did not have a liquor license.  Refusing to waste good wine - we chugged it down as the man looked on with a someone disdained look.  At least we got to finally "enjoy" our picnic.  Sometimes you just can't win.
Next stop - Belfast!
To see more photos from Cork click here!

That Was A Nice Museum - Caen, France

Stats:

Destination:  Caen, France

Number of Days Spent:  1 day

Where we stayed:  RCI's Jewel of the Seas

Best restaurant:   No time to eat in Caen...

Best of:  Caen has a terrific Peace Memorial, probably the best one in Europe. 

Worst of:    Read below for one of our biggest mistakes of the trip

Most Memorable:   While a crappy situation, we will never forget the lessons learned below. 

Useful Tip:   Always, always get the train schedule in advance from the train station (not online or from the tourist information bureau).  This could save you big $$$.

"Hurry up!  We are going to miss the train!" I yelled over my shoulder as Tracy said, "are you sure you don't want to just stay here for the day in Cherbourg?"  "There's nothing here." I sternly replied, "and we already decided to go to the War and Peace museum in Caen, now come on, we have 10 minutes to get there, buy our tickets, and get on the train.  Move, move, move."

Mistake #1 of the Day (or really most days in my case):  Listen to your rational and sane wife, she just might be right.  99.9% of the time she is.

Thus begins our day.  We consider ourselves fairly well seasoned travelers.  We never take the ship tours as they are always overpriced and rarely, if ever, better than anything you can organize on your own.  In fact, the more we travel, the more we enjoy having the freedom to change our minds and to avoid the tour bus mentality.  Most of the time it works out for the best, but there are a few occasions, such as this day, where we make a costly error.

Call it a case of Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus.  I have in my head the moment we are able to get off the boat.."Train leaves at 7:50...it's 7:20...how do we get that train.  We must catch that train.  Train. Can't miss the train."  Tracy's thoughts are something more like this:  "Is it really so bad staying here for the day, we save time and money, it is after all just a museum.  A war museum on top of that.  Travel 3+ hours to see a museum when we could take it easy and check out what is right in front of us?"

After asking at the information desk at the dock they showed us a train schedule - train leaves at 7:50 and there is one coming back at 1:05 that will give us plenty of time to get back to the ship by 3pm.  "Would you like to take a taxi to the train station?", the lady behind the counter asks.  "No, that's ok, we can walk.  25 minutes you say?  We can make it."

Mistake #2 of the Day:  Sometimes, when timing is tight, it's better to just fork out the extra couple of $$'s to get there in time to confirm the schedule with the actual train station.

After marching at a steady pace we arrive huffing and puffing with about 2 minutes to go and still having to purchase the tickets. 

Mistake #3:  Confirm the train schedule with the actual train station.  This could often pass for common sense but with my one track mind, a minor detail such as this was lightly brushed over in the heat of the moment.

Mistake #4:  Never underestimate how long it takes to get somewhere that involves multiple transportation changes.

After catching the train, hopping on Caen's excellent tram system, to the bus station we finally arrived at the museum around 10am...2 1/2 hours to check out the museum that is recommended to spend at least 4 exploring.  Of course this involves passing up on the other sights that Caen has to offer like its castle, Calvados liquor, etc.

The Peace Memorial is considered by many to be THE best museum on World War II.  The museum starts at the end of WWI with Europe in turmoil, Germany in rebuild mode with a hopeless situation of reparations and runs all the way up to the events of 911.  Evocative, well designed and engaging; the museum is well worth the price of admission if you have the time to fully dedicate to it.  The two movies are both excellent. The first one shows rare footage of the D-day invasion from both sides of the battle in split screen format.  It ends a little hokey, however, as the actual footage gives way to a computer animated battle map showing allied troop advances against ever receding German lines.  The second video encapsulates every major event that happened from the end of WWII up to 9-11.  It is beautifully done mixing military conflicts with moments of peaceful triumph.

Knowing that we had to make it back to the train station by 1pm, we cut our visit short and started to head back.  While standing in line to purchase the return ticket, I notice that the 1pm train is not listed on the big board and start to worry a bit.  Must be some sort of mistake...or not.  Apparently the 1pm train was a seasonal train that had been removed from the schedule the week prior.

Ok, so the next train is a little after 2pm which gets in after 3pm, the time the boat is leaving.  Major oops.  In an efficient French public transportation system, provided you actually follow it, trains, buses and trams run seamlessly but do not overlap.  With no other option left and time running out we were forced to hire a taxi to drive us back to the port...some 110 (about 65 miles) kilometers away.  The most painful part was watching the meter tick away as we zoomed down the highway. 

200 Euros ($350 US; after tip) later:  Lesson learned.

Sick to our stomach, we crawl back on the ship a lot lighter in the wallet than expected and prepare for our next day, and hopefully much cheaper, in Cork, Ireland.

I wish we had more time and more photos to share from Caen but that's it :-(