We took Holland America's Top of the World cruise on the MS Prinsendam from July 21 to August 14. It was a fabulous trip due in large part to the wonderful weather (for that part of the world) that we had. There was a little rain but it was mostly overcast, cool, and the oceans were almost like glass most of the time. We often had to look out the window to be sure we were in fact sailing on the sea.
The places we visited were unlike any place else we have been. The land might be considered barren but it really isn't. Lots of tundra and glaciers. Fascinating small towns and some large cities. All-in-all, very interesting.
There are lots of pictures accompanied, as always, by excerpts from the daily journal that Gale so faithfully writes. I have also included a number of web links to topics illustrated - in case you want more information about a truly fascinating part of the world. The table below should let you view as much or as little as you wish at a time and then make it possible for you to go back to approximately where you left off without having to view the whole thing again. You will have to use your back arrow to return to wherever you were when you back tracked or went off to a web link.
Please enjoy - we surely did!!
Top of the World Cruise Itinerary
| July 21 | Fly from Denver to London |
| July 22 | London sights |
| July 23 | London: Tilbury Cruise Terminal |
| July 24 | London: Tilbury Cruise Terminal; Gravesend; Sail-away |
| July 25 | At sea |
| July 26 | Rosyth/Edinburgh: Falkirk Wheel; Antonine Wall; Sail-away |
| July 27 | Scrabster/Thurso, Scotland |
| July 28 | Runavik, Faroe Islands: Eysturoy; Viking Ruins |
| July 29 | At sea |
| July 30 | Iceland: Thingvellir National Park; Gullfoss waterfalls; Geysir; Reykjavik |
| July 31 | Isafjordur, Iceland |
| August 1 | Akureyri, Iceland; Arctic Circle |
| August 2 | At sea; Jan Mayen Island |
| August 3 | At sea |
| August 4 | Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen, Norway: Town; Sail-away |
| August 5 | Spitsbergen, Norway; Magdalenefjorden; Polar Ice Cap |
| August 6 | Ny Alesund, Spitsbergen, Norway |
| August 7 | At sea |
| August 8 | At sea |
| August 9 | Bergen, Norway: Mount Floyen; City |
| August 10 | Bergen, Norway: City; Sail-away |
| August 11 | Kristiansand, Norway: City; Volleyball; Sail-away |
| August 12 | Oslo: Folk Museum; Opera House; Sail-away |
| August 13 | At sea |
| August 14 | Amsterdam to Denver |
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Wednesday 7/21 - Denver to Thursday - 7/22 - London
We got up at 5:30AM and drove to DIA, arriving at 8:30AM for our 10:30 United flight to Chicago. In Chicago we changed planes and flew United to London, Heathrow where we were met and taken to the Grosvenor House Hotel across the street from Hyde Park. Our room was not available so we checked our bags with the bellboys and went out sightseeing. We needed exercise so we opted to walk instead of taking the tube (subway). Our first stop was at Buckingham Palace to see some of the famous changing of the guards ceremony. Just as they were marching out, the heavens opened up and it poured rain. Our rain jackets kept us dry but our jeans were soaked. Thank goodness we still were wearing our Gortex boots.
Two flavors of UK license plates - EU style on the right
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And you thought we had traffic! The Brits pay extra to drive their cars in central London
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Buckingham Palace - the Queen is at home
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Buckingham Palace gates |
Changing of the guard |
Westminster Abbey
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Our next stop was for a bite of lunch at a little sandwich shop near Westminster Abbey. Our avocado and aubergine (eggplant) sandwiches were delicious and our hot mocha and mint tea revived us. The tour of Westminster Abbey was very complete. We had the audio phones and followed the tour of the abbey, chapels, crypts, garden, museum, etc. complete with video in some cases and sound tracks in others. The architecture is fascinating, the list of people who are buried there is awesome, and to stand where so many kings and queens were crowned makes history feel alive. Next we walked across Westminster Bridge over the Thames and took pictures of Big Ben (and listened to it chime), Parliament and the London Eye (the huge Ferris wheel with gondolas instead of seats to let you see all of London).
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Parliament |
Big Ben
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Parliament - details |
The Eye
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We walked up to the church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields (home of the English chamber orchestra the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields) where so much classical music is performed. A string ensemble (mostly young women) was practicing so we listened for awhile. The acoustics are remarkable and the group was very talented.
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Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields
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Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields |
We walked past Trafalgar Square with statue of Lord Nelson and its ship-in-a-bottle display and on up to Piccadilly Circus just to say we were there with all the hordes of people watching other people. We headed back to our hotel by way of Old Bond St. The shops were all fine jewelry (DeBeers, Cartier, etc.) and high-end clothing. At least it was quieter than at the Circus!
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Trafalgar Square - Lord Nelson
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Closeup of ship in bottle |
Fri., 7/23/10 - London to Tilbury
We got up at 6 AM to have our luggage packed and ready to be picked up at 7 AM. We could have slept in - it was picked up at 9 AM! We boarded our private bus (all 8 of us) and took the 1 1/2 hour trip east to the port of Tilbury, the cruise terminal for London. We were "processed" by Holland America and boarded the Prinsendam at noon. We toured the ship, ate lunch at the Lido buffet, and waited until our cabin was ready for us.
London Cruise Port at Tilbury
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MS Prinsendam |
Dinner was wonderful - appetizers - citrus fruit or crab tower; soup - cold pear or turkey/spinach; and tender, juicy, rare prime rib, baked potato, and "young" corn. Dessert was English Queen Pudding (lemon and cream) and chocolate decadence fudge cake. (As you read this you will get the idea that we like to eat!)
We slept late this morning, ate breakfast at the Lido buffet, and then went sight seeing in Gravesend (also called Gravesham). We caught the 10:15 ferry across the Thames and wandered around the town. Legend has it that this was the last place to bury dead seamen before sailing out on open waters. Sailors were pressed into service on ships often by being hit on the head in the London dock area pubs with a club. Some of them never woke up and were buried in Gravesend. Sailors who died on board ships after Gravesend were buried at sea.
Pocahontas came to London in 1616 with her husband, John Rolfe, and their son, Thomas. On the start of the voyage back to Virginia, she died (probably of the Plague) and was buried at Gravesend. We looked at her statue in the courtyard of St. George's Church.
Statue of Pocahontas
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We walked east along the river-walk past the town Pier, the oldest cast iron pier in the world (1834), and several old pubs and old St Andrews Church. We saw the remains of an 18th century fort built against the threat of a French invasion, a 1545 block house on an old canal, and the Milton Chantry built in 1322 as a charity chapel.
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Typical Pub
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Charles Dickens lived in Gravesend for the last 14 years of his life and used the town as the setting for Great Expectations. He regularly visited this pub |
St. Andrews
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St. Andrews bell tower |
Lifeboat crews racing on the Thames
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Gravesend (from the Prinsendam during the sail-away) |
WWII installations still in the river
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Sun., 7/25/10 - At Sea - the North Sea
Today was a rest day as we sailed from Tilbury and up into the North Sea. In the morning we attended a lecture on "Things to See and Do in Scotland."
After lunch we listened to the "explorations speaker" talk about the "Beauty of the Tundra. He only spoke from a geologist's point of view. Since we have tundra in Rocky Mountain, it will be interesting to see if the tundra in Iceland and Spitsbergen is any different.