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  • About

After the Storm Comes the Beauty

Posted on August 27, 2019July 6, 2026 by Jo Johnston

Day 28, Voyage of the Vikings 2019 Monday, Aug. 26, Prins Christian Sund, Greenland When we left Reykjavik late Saturday, Capt. Vaartjes warned us about a storm system on the way to Greenland. He altered our course to avoid the worst, but we couldn’t escape the rolling seas. Throughout yesterday

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2019 Voyage of the Vikings, Greenland
7 comments

Iceland: Stunning Waterfalls and a Giant Rift

Posted on August 25, 2019July 6, 2026 by Jo Johnston

Day 26, Voyage of the Vikings 2019 Saturday, Aug. 24, Reykjavik, Iceland Finally Iceland delivered a beautiful day – mostly sunny, mild temperatures and stunning sights. We took full advantage on the Golden Circle – a popular tour south and east of the capital city that includes stunning waterfalls, geysers

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2019 Voyage of the Vikings, Iceland
2 comments

A Gray Day on the Black Sands of Djúpivogur

Posted on August 23, 2019July 6, 2026 by Jo Johnston

Day 24, Voyage of the Vikings 2019 Thursday, Aug. 22, Djúpivogur, Iceland The description of today’s three-hour shore excursion accurately described our adventure. “The tour progresses at a fairly easy walking pace; however, all the walking is on sand, uneven ground and gravel… there might be some wet areas on

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2019 Voyage of the Vikings, Iceland
6 comments

There Be Giants Here

Posted on August 21, 2019July 6, 2026 by Jo Johnston

Day 22, Voyage of the Vikings 2019 Tuesday, Aug. 20, Belfast, United Kingdom My sisters thought it might be two-football fields length to walk to the Giant’s Causeway from the visitor’s center. I would say closer to a mile each way. We might have taken different routes. But whatever, it

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2019 Voyage of the Vikings, Northern Ireland
7 comments

We Came for the Cider and Chowder

Posted on August 20, 2019July 6, 2026 by Jo Johnston

Day 21, Voyage of the Vikings 2019 Monday, Aug. 19, Dublin, Ireland On a trip to Ireland a few years ago, my sister Elaine and her young adult son Zan enjoyed seafood chowder and a pint of Irish cider nearly every day for lunch or dinner. So that’s what the

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2019 Voyage of the Vikings, Ireland
6 comments

A Castle, Distillery and Every Shade of Green

Posted on August 19, 2019July 6, 2026 by Jo Johnston

Day 20, Voyage of the Vikings 2019 Sunday, Aug. 18, Cobh, Ireland Our tour guide solved one mystery for me near the end of our day. The port city Cobh is pronounced like “cove,” and that’s what it means in the Irish language. The Irish “bh” combination sounds like our

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2019 Voyage of the Vikings, Ireland
5 comments

Good Friends Make the Best Port Calls

Posted on August 17, 2019July 6, 2026 by Jo Johnston

Day 18, Voyage of the Vikings 2019 Friday, Aug. 16, Rotterdam, Netherlands Today we had the treat of spending our time ashore with good family friends who live about an hour or so out of Rotterdam. About the time I went to college, our mother learned quilling, a craft that

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2019 Voyage of the Vikings, Netherlands
5 comments

Is Three Company or a Crowd?

Posted on August 16, 2019 by Jo Johnston

Day 17, Voyage of the Vikings 2019 Thursday, Aug. 15, At Sea, North Sea At the midpoint of our 35-day Voyage of the Vikings, my two sisters and I have settled comfortably into our inside cabin (category J, forward on deck one). We briefly considered booking an ocean-view cabin but

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2019 Voyage of the Vikings
8 comments

I’ll Definitely Come Back to Norway

Posted on August 15, 2019July 6, 2026 by Jo Johnston

Day 16, Voyage of the Vikings 2019 Wednesday, Aug. 14, Bergen, Norway At noon in Bergen the fiskedisken, or open-air fish market, is packed with tourists sampling the fresh fare and escaping a rain shower under the awnings. The displays are filled with salmon, crab and some unfamiliar-to-me fish local

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2019 Voyage of the Vikings, Norway
8 comments

Pleasant Days at Sea After the Storm

Posted on August 14, 2019 by Jo Johnston

Day 15, Voyage of the Vikings 2019 Tuesday, Aug. 13, At Sea, Norwegian Sea The predicted storm passed during the night after we left Akureyri, Iceland. By mid morning on Monday, the skies were lighter, and the ship motion returned to normal. Capt. Vaartjes reported that the winds between midnight

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2019 Voyage of the Vikings
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