Ireland, Greenland, Iceland and Norwegian Fjords 30th June 2008 - 18th July 2008
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10th / 11th July Reykjavik (Iceland) The name means ‘Smoky (or Steamy) Bay’ but these days the Icelandic capital Reykjavik is even hotter than that. Its reputation now as a truly cultural, cosmopolitan city, with great restaurants and lively nightlife, has made it a hugely popular destination. Another big attraction is the opportunity to swim in open-air pools heated by the very geothermal springs that inspired Reykjavik’s name. Not that Reykjavik - or most of Iceland for that matter - is actually icy at all. It may be the most northerly capital in the world and in the ‘Land of Fire and Ice’, but if you want ice, you have to travel away from the capital on one of the exciting glacier safari tours. But the most popular destination remains the nearby Blue Lagoon geothermal spa, where minerals bubble up from 5,000ft below the earth’s surface.

Photo Gallery:

Not quite 12 hours late, but it was still much later than planned when we reached Reykjavik where we were met by the pilot boat, seen here.

When we docked the engineers boarded the ship and after working through the night, managed to make the necessary repairs, which was a relief to everyone. Unfortunately a day had now been lost which had to me made up somehow. It was decided to cancel the visit to Alesund in Norway. This was particularly disappointing to us because, with the exception of Greenland, it was the only place we hadn't been to before. At least we weren't heading home though !!

When you think of Iceland you'd normally think of ice, snow and generally being cold. This isn't always the case though. This was the second time we've been to Iceland, the first time was during a heat wave and at least during the sail in, this time in looked as though we would get a repeat performance. Sadly the following day was overcast to start, but eventually it brightened up.

You live and learn I suppose.

The ship docked right opposite Vidney Island seen in this picture (it was much bigger than shown here). That evening we were having something to eat; looking out of the window and as a throwaway comment I said I'd like to spend sometime exploring the island. Thinking nothing more about it we just carried on.

A couple of hours before we were due to get back on the ship the following day, we decided to have a walk about. It was then that Jennifer noticed a small boat taking people back and forth from the island. Of course it was too late by by then.
Next time we'll keep this in mind.

Last time we were here, and as with all the other place we'd visited before, we'd booked onto trips which took us see attractions outside the town / city. This time however, we decided to concentrate on the places the ship docked at. Is seems a shame to be able to say we've been to Reykjavik twice, but haven't actually seen the city at all.