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Iceland Sends the Zuiderdam Off With a Volcanic Eruption

Posted on July 13, 2023 by Jo Johnston

Days 60 and 61, 2023 North Atlantic Adventure Monday and Tuesday, July 10 and 11, 2023; Grundarfjørður, Iceland, and at sea. Being a news hound from way back, on Monday I had one eye on the internet, watching for signs of a predicted volcanic eruption on the Reykjanes Peninsula just

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2023 North Atlantic Adventure
14 comments

Two Glorious Days in Iceland’s Capital, Despite Missed Tour

Posted on July 10, 2023 by Jo Johnston

Days 58 and 59, 2023 North Atlantic Adventure Saturday and Sunday, July 8 and 9, 2023; Reykjavik, Iceland. You can’t cruise around Iceland and not realize the impact that movement of the earth’s crust has on this country. In fact, it is splitting the island apart by about two centimeters

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2023 North Atlantic Adventure
4 comments

Adding Dynjandi to the List of Iceland’s Stunning Waterfalls

Posted on July 8, 2023 by Jo Johnston

Days 56 and 57, 2023 North Atlantic Adventure Thursday and Friday, July 6 and 7, 2023; Akureyri and Isafjorður, Iceland. There may be as many as 10,000 waterfalls in Iceland. Many are just a trickle – although perhaps a very long trickle – down a mountainside. A few weeks ago

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2023 North Atlantic Adventure
7 comments

Admire the Beautiful Delft Pottery, But Do Not Touch or Buy

Posted on July 3, 2023 by Jo Johnston

Day 52, 2023 North Atlantic Adventure Sunday, July 2, 2023; Rotterdam, Netherlands. I’ve instituted a new rule when it comes to shopping these days: If I wouldn’t pack it for a cruise, I don’t buy it. Today that rule came into play several times, as we toured the Royal Delft

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2023 North Atlantic Adventure
3 comments

Going WAY Back in Time in the Orkneys of Scotland

Posted on July 1, 2023 by Jo Johnston

Days 48 and 49, 2023 North Atlantic Adventure Wednesday and Thursday, June 28 and 29, 2023; Kirkwall and Edinburgh, Scotland. When I think of visiting ancient places, I think of the pyramids of Egypt or the Colosseum in Rome. Scotland never came to mind. But on Wednesday I went to

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2023 North Atlantic Adventure
6 comments

A Little Rain Must Fall, and It Did in Reykjavik

Posted on June 29, 2023 by Jo Johnston

Days 44, 45 and 46, 2023 North Atlantic Adventure Saturday, Sunday and Monday, June 24-26, 2023; Isafjordur and Reykjavik, Iceland. The rain finally caught up with us. Yesterday we pulled into the port in Reykjavik under mostly cloudy skies, but no rain early despite the forecast. I wore my rain

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2023 North Atlantic Adventure
3 comments

Iceland’s Beauty Extends Far Beyond Its Stunning Waterfalls

Posted on June 26, 2023 by Jo Johnston

Days 42 and 43, 2023 North Atlantic Adventure Thursday and Friday, June 22 and 23, 2023; Seydisfjordur and Akureyri, Iceland. Perhaps there is something about the weather in Iceland that makes the flowers look stunning. I spent much of today with the blooms at the Akureyri Botanical Garden. The garden

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2023 North Atlantic Adventure
4 comments

On Top of the World, Or at Least as Close as I Will Get

Posted on June 21, 2023June 21, 2023 by Jo Johnston

Day 39, 2023 North Atlantic Adventure Monday, June 19, 2023; Hammerfest and North Cape, Norway. Today I set a new personal record for northernmost travel. We cruised beneath the towering cliffs of Norway’s North Cape. My map app measured our progress to 71.15973 degrees north (and 24.74017 degrees east). I

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2023 North Atlantic Adventure
9 comments

The Sun Never Sets on Us in Northern Norway

Posted on June 20, 2023 by Jo Johnston

Day 38, 2023 North Atlantic Adventure Sunday, June 18, 2023; Alta, Norway. In lieu of exploring the Svalbard archipelago, we are cruising through stunning scenery of the northern cape of Norway. It’s not a disappointing tradeoff. The most awesome aspect of this journey for me has been the Midnight Sun

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2023 North Atlantic Adventure
6 comments

Letting Go of the Burden of “Must See” Lists

Posted on June 17, 2023 by Jo Johnston

Days 35-36, 2023 North Atlantic Adventure Thursday and Friday, June 15-16, 2023; Molde and Trondheim, Norway. This cruise up the coast of Norway is something of a consolation voyage. Originally, we were to sail to Svalbard, an archipelago far north of Norway’s North Cape. Sadly, the cruise line canceled those

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2023 North Atlantic Adventure
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I’m a writer in love with the sea, sailing, travel and sketching.

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