2010 World Adventure
Our travels in 2010 began with A Magical Mystery Tour through the Beatle’s hometown of Liverpool. Nostalgia erupted as we traipsed in the footsteps of the Fab Four; listening to the music that had catapulted them from the obscurity of the (now famous) Cavern Club, to their first earth-shattering appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show. “Before Elvis there was nothing” said John, whose own iconic status mimics The King’s heart throbs of our youth, they live on in the music. The memories and the dreams of us baby boomers who realize that “life is what happens, while you’re busy making plans”. From England we traversed the Bonny Scottish Isles of the Inner Hebrides then cruised on to the lush Faroe Islands. An overland expedition though Iceland made up of six all-wheel SUV’s filled with 18 raring-to go explorers = a journey of a lifetime! No waterfall; no glacier; no mud pot; no geyser; no gravel road left unexplored! What could possibly compete with such an edgy escapade?! Frozen tundra beckoned as the ship headed north for an expedition to the world’s largest island – Greenland!
Although it is a part of Denmark, Greenland has moved steadily towards home rule since 1979. Greenland is a country on the cusp of global warming. In the near future during the brief summer season, there will be an opening in its northern icecap that will give rise to new life forms and new opportunities for industry, growth and change. This opening will freeze over again during the Arctic wintertime. The Greenland Institute of Natural Resources is a research institute working towards a scientific basis for a sustainable exploitation of the natural resources as well as for protecting the environment and the biological diversity in and around Greenland. We were very fortunate to have Peter Schmidt Mikkelsen, Deputy Head of this Institute to serve as one of our expedition leaders. Our expedition team was, as always, top-notch. Expedition Leader & Naturalist, Tim Soper along with Assistant Leader & Naturalist, Rob McCallum, have led The World ship to numerous corners of our planet, including the Arctic and the Antarctic. With a team of experts that included a Geologist; an Archaeologist; three Greenland Specialists; and five General Naturalists - no query went unrequited.
OBAN, GLASGOW, LIVERPOOL, LONA AND FAROE ISLANDS
You tell yourself it will not happen . . . you will not get carried away by Beatle mania in Liverpool. However, promptly upon arriving at the airport, the John Lennon Airport that is, my iphone, began to (almost spontaneously) play one Beatle’s hit after another! “All You Need Is Love,” right? In the blink of an eye, Karyn Planet had not only arranged an excursion on “The Magical Mystery Tour”; she had also somehow convinced us to “outfit” for the occasion! Penny Lane and Strawberry Fields materialized from the shadows of our youth teleporting us back to days of innocence, where once we did “Imagine” right alongside of John Lennon . . . . . . . The moment we hit Scotland, Len’s golf fingers began to itch and I required an art infusion; thus we parted ways to indulge our different appetites. Kelvingrove Art Gallery in Glasgow is wonderful! The building typifies the Victorian feel of Glasgow while the divergent collection combines Arms & Armor with Natural History and Fine Art with a magnificent turn-of-the-century Organ that dominates the vestibule. Free recitals take place daily filling the halls with thunderous orchestrations! Oban, Scotland presented the chance to hike through verdant green fields of clover; cows; and goats; with the occasional cawing Raven flying overhead. The tiny Isle of Iona hosts an historic Abbey; originally established by St Columba in the year 563 – restored 800 years later. It has an active community that is central to the tiny island. The misty Isle of Skye, is the largest and best know of the Inner Hebrides (an archipelago off the west coast of Scotland). Gazing at its spectacular scenic shoreline, we regrouped to begin to plot a very much-anticipated overland adventure through Iceland. Subsequently, when the ship docked for a day at the tiny town of Torshavn (called Thor’s Harbor ever since Vikings ruled, as early as 825) we set out along with two of our best pals, Dennis and Graci, with a very focused and simple goal: drive as far as we could and see as much of the island as we could; have as much fun as we could; and, make it back prior to our ship’s departure. Mission accomplished.
Embarked: August 16th 2010
Debarked: August 28th 2010
- Oban (Scotland)
- Liverpool (England)
- Iona (Scotland)
- Torshavn (Faroe Islands)
ICELAND OVERLAND DRIVE
celand stands out as one of the most unique and diverse landscapes we’ve ever explored. Imagine over two dozen volcanoes; extensive deserts; spectacular waterfalls; gushing geysers; glaciers that cover a tenth of the country; hot springs and geo-thermal activity; sulfur fields with bubbling mud pots: all of which combine to make up a topography that changes in the blink of an eye! The rugged interior of Iceland beckons, much like the American wilderness once did to pioneers, to be explored; and, because the unpaved roads will mostly not be encumbered with other tourists; or any highway patrol; or be burdened by safety rules and roped-off areas; there is a wonderful sense of freedom that imbues sightseeing on this huge island. Freedom. Get too close to that mud pot, buddy, and you just might topple in – the onus is on you to be smart enough to stand back from that Geyer that is about to blow! Refreshing, idea huh! Keeping that in mind, the drivers in our group carefully surveyed, even measured with a stick, the first few water-filled streams we had to traverse’ however, the minute Len threw caution to the wind, and drove through one fast enough to momentarily hide his car from sight, the bar was raised. As Geoff later put it, “even the gals got a hit of testosterone,” and the chase was on. We stopped at Hasavik for lunch and a quick tour of the Phallological museum . . . ever conjectured the size of a Blue Whale’s penis? Other stops included Dettifoss and Selfoss Waterfalls. We drove through Nordurland Eystra area and visited Namafjall Hverir (mud pots & steam), Fossholl Falls; and spent the night at Hotel Geyzer enjoying the sight of Strokkur Geyzer extruding a jet of steaming water that that shot 60 to 100 feet skywards every 8 to 10 minutes. Driving through the remote Sudhurland valley we were mesmerized by mountains covered with green moss slashed with black lava and stippled with stunning waterfalls. Our eyes could not open wide enough to take it all in, and our cameras failed to capture the essence. Neither words nor photos are adequate to convey the degree of adventure we experienced; for although we traveled as a group, the awesome setting conjured up inner visions that can best be shared by silence.
Embarked: August 30th 2010
Debarked: September 1st 2010
GREENLAND EXPEDITION
As The World cut through thick ice caps surrounding the rugged eastern coast of our planet’s largest island, excitement pulsed throughout the ship as we scanned for our first glimpse the wild, remote, and virtually uninhibited coastline of Greenland. Taking advantage of the good weather and calm sea, we anchored then joined our Expedition Teams in Zodiac rides to shore, for guided hikes through the dramatic landscape. The moment our feet touched tundra, there was a palpable shift in our demeanor: we morphed into groups of children and could not be constrained from roaming over the dense tundra as if we’d never seen land before! Prince Christian Sound is where icebergs are born of compacted ancient snows that calve into the sound at the glacier’s edge. We set out via Zodiacs to discover this pristine world of bays, inlets and Glaciers.
At Hvalsey, we explored the ruins of Hvalsey Church, built by Norse Settlers from Iceland who populated the area from 985 to 1410AD. Southern Greenland’s largest village, Qaqortoq, is populated with striking primary colored wood colonial buildings. While there, we toured the Great Greenland Furhouse and saw the stretched dried hides of the many types of seals that populate the area. They have a large export business and we saw literally thousands of dyed sealskins stacked and ready for shipment. Brattahild is the site of Erik the Red’s Farmstead. It is here that in the years 1961-64 archaeologists uncovered the remains of a small Christian church, dated to 1000 AD, believed to be Erik’s wife, Tjoldhilde’s, Church. She and her son, Lief had converted to Christianity, but Erik the Red never relinquished the Norse Gods, who had accompanied him safely to this new land. At the very tiptop of a rather steep and rocky hill on Sydday Island stands a lighthouse; and, Len, Dennis and Pat can proudly say they were among the hardy (or foolhardy) few who made their way to the pinnacle. Someone had to stay below to capture the feat on film, so Graci and I volunteered : )
Embarked: September 3rd 2010
Debarked: September 8th 2010
- Skyoodjungen (Greenland)
- Prins Christian Sund (Greenland)
- Hvalsey (Greenland)
- Qaqortoq (Greenland)
- Brattahlid (Greenland)
- Sydbay (Greenland)
ST. ANTHONY NEWFOUNDLAND
Vikings in Canada! Our expedition drew to an end on the northern reaches of the Great Northern Peninsula of Newfoundland and Labrador. Here we set off to view the archeological remains of the oldest known European settlement in the New World: L’Anse aux Meadows, or “Jellyfish Cove,” French sailors called it. On this site are the foundations of eight sod-covered buildings along with copious artifacts - that were part of a small Norse settlement that has been dated back to the eleventh century! There is also evidence of native habitation dating back about 6,000 years. The spot is now a United Nations Educational and Scientific Organization World Heritage Site, and the Canadian Park Service has restored/recreated the Norse buildings, including houses, a forge, and a church.
The ruins themselves are not much to look at - large grass-covered mounds arranged in a square. So you need a good guide. Unfortunately since we were now out of the Arctic, we had forgotten the cardinal rule of dress: layer, layer, layer; and so we stood in a bitter-cold wind unprepared for the chill, listening to a very long-winded explanation from the Guide about the Vikings and their culture, literally freezing! At one point I looked around to see that Len had disappeared; and, I had grown so cold that I ran on ahead and ducked into one of the restored huts. Inside, I was rewarded by the sight of Len sitting comfortably, as he warmed his hands by a crackling fire while engaged in conversation with an actor-historian dressed in period costume, who was explaining the activities that took place in that particular hut! Eyeing me, Len got a Cheshire grin on his face, and sheepishly moved over to make room for me on his hay-bale bench . . . a fine Viking he would make!!
Embarked: September 18th 2010
Debarked: September 18th 2010
- St. Anthony Newfoundland (Canada)
