NEWFOUNDLAND

 After we left Greenland , we sailed across the Atlantic, and the the Labrador Sea to some small towns in Newfoundland. We have gotten into some rough weather, but just like the residents of these former whaling towns…. We toughed it out! We have some excellent hikes and visited locals and museums to see how these people lived in this extreme climate. RED BAY was so tiny and picturesque, and just full of wrecked whale boats, and abandoned structures. Yesterday we spent a LOOONG day in Corner Brook, which we decided was a very cool town. The friendliest people and they are so proud of their town. The city is just covered with outdoor trails and parks, and even when it starts snowing, the inhabitants have ski trails and downhill skiing and curling and all sorts of activities.

We have been sailing all day on  our way to St Pierre , one of the French speaking towns in NL… we’ll arrive in the am and catch a small flight to Halifax where our journey ends.

What do we do at sea for the days we don’t land? We have a solid crew of naturalists, environmentalists, biologists, and people dedicated to making the earth better for our children. Last night a local group came about and put on a really fun and fast paced program of Newfoundland music. Today we had lectures and programs all day and people can pick and choose their interest areas.  I have learned so much about the INTUIT populations of the world and truly feel they tough and candy people to have lived centuries in a harsh climate like the Arctic.

Some of the people are staying on  board and sailing to Antarctica ! Wow! 2 months on a ship! I need to feel some earth under my feet… but they will sail off to the Panama Canal after we depart the ship. 

GOODBYE GREENLAND

 We spent 4-5 days exploring Different cities and areas in Greenland. We learned about their colorful houses, which historically were painted colors, instead of addresses.The houses were kit houses imported from Norway . Different professions used different color, ex: yellow meant hospital and drs and nurses.Red were fireman, Blue were fisher people, and so on. Now days, these customs are waning as new modern high roses are popping up all,over, especially in NUUK, which is the Capital. 

We got to do some interesting hikes and we got to experience cold rainy weather. Most of the population is Inuit or  descendants of Inuit, with Danish people thrown in to run the place. 

We finally set course for Labrador and sailed for almost 3 days without touching land. We had some rough water and I was seasick half the time. On our sail, the crew did special events like quizzes, and Q &A and talks and  lectures on many subjects pertaining to this expedition.  We had a peregrine falcon land on our bow and used the ship as a form of transport for himself while crossing the sea. He would fly off, but then he’d be back perched on the bow. The staff roped off the area because some people cannot follow instructions to leave the bird alone. We haven’t seen him today, so it’s figured that he found land and also food.

We have finally landed in RED BAY and it will be the first time off the ship in a few days. Can’t wait.

NUUK

 We spent the whole day in the Capitol of Greenland..NUUK. A city of  OVER 20,000  and still growing rapidly. Everyplace we looked there were cranes, bulldozers, and so much digging and planning. It was rainy steady, but we decided to go explore anyway. The city bus dropped us off in the older part of town, and we ambled around all over and saw the national museum which was incredible with artifacts and information from the early days of mankind. There is so much to learn about these ancient  people.Denmark totally supports Greenland with health coverage, subsidized living and schools.  All the signs are in Danish and Inuit. The fishing industry in Greenland is responsible for much of the fish we eat in America. There are hardly any single houses  here…most are apts. no garages, no lawns, no flowerbeds.  Today everything looked bleak in the fog and rain…… but these populations are outdoor people and used to  extreme weather.

SISIMIUT

 Another rough night at sea and was happy to be dock side today when we landed. We had a whole day to spend in Sisimuit and we made the best of it. We started out with a city bus tour. It didn’t last long because it’s not a big town. But it’s colorfu l and we learned that the colors of the houses each correspond with the owners profession! Red=fireman, Blue= fisherman…. And on and on.

After lunch we decided to go on a hike with a guide , who was Danish. It was pretty energetic and we walked thru so much mud to a high point and we could see the town below. On the way back I lost my balance and slipped into the mud, which was like quicksand. The guide was able to help me out. It was a six mile hike and part of the Arctic Trail system. 

One odd thing is we had to walk them”dog town”, an area where people keep their sled dogs tied up until the snow comes. So so many dogs on chains. And puppy’s who are NOT chained until they are 6 months old.

DISKO BAY

 Well, 2 days at sea and we finally made it to Greenland. We landed at Ilulissat, a small town on the west coast. It’s claim to fame is ice, icebergs, scenery and fishing! The ice was making a big presence as we geared up and tried to get into town in our zodiacs. The driver had to dodge icebergs that move all the time. It was exciting. Our ship stayed waaay outside the harbor because the capt didnt want to get ice bound. And it happens. In fact, as we tried to go back in the afternoon…the ship was moving out at a slow pace and we had to  chase it down! 

Once  we landed on the docks, we took off on an incredible hike to Disko Bay. Just Google it. It’s where all the iceberg actions are and massive postings on the internet. The rain stopped and it was a great day and the hike was on a long board walk to the sea. After the hike we visited the Ice museum and then found a local lunch place in town. We ordered a Musk Ox burger and it was so so big! And so so good! So much so we are skipping dinner to give our tummy’s a rest! Fishing is the main occupation here and watching these small boats maneuver thru the ice flow is quite entertaining 

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POND INLET

 Woke up to a very different weather pattern. Cloudy, rainy and and headed to Pond Inlet, a rather larger community of Inuits. And they were expecting us! Capt wasn’t sure we could access the docks with all the wave action, but never underestimate sea faring Norwegians. The zodiacs were sent out for a trial run, and then we suited up! Just a few words of what it takes to go on shore. We are divided into groups, and the groups rotate every day. The staff gives a 10 min. Call for a group number to come to the boat den. We don our long underwear and then another layer. I use THICK wool socks. Then our normal winter jackets and water proof pants are put on. Most of our landing are in water and we literally step off the the zodiacs into 1 ft of water. Over our winter clothes we then put on a nice HellyHansen rain repellent coat. Add a warm hat, a neck gaiter and our huge and heavy rubber boots…and we are almost ready! We have been given life jackets also, which have to be put on in a specific manner. Then a mask, sunglasses, warm gloves and we finally waddle down the the lower deck to get in the rafts. When we return to ship , we wash our boots in a solution and then go thru a metal detector! This is a Canadian rule, not the ships rules, but Canadian waters are very strict for some reason. Yesterday the Canadian navy followed us along side for hours.  IDK why.

PondInlet is a far northern Hamlet above the Arctic circle. Some of the towns people met us as we landed on their docks and took us for a walk about. We saw their medical and police stations and the coop and ended up in a large cultural center where some of the I units were waiting to greet us and explain how they live in the harsh climate. They explained how the Canadian gov and missionaries literally beat their languages and customs out of them for so long. Finally, about 50 years ago they became a more sovereign nation and have brought back their customs and even their language. They are a proud but quiet people and we’re very excited to show our group how they live now.

We saw drumming, throat singing, and many athletic feats that they use to prepare themselves for the grueling ancient custom of hunting in this cold barren earth. They spoke and dressed in the native clothes and we learned so much.

HIKING IN THE ARCTIC

 This am, we moored in a delightful place called Dundas Harbor. No one lives here, but we got to hike around and explore the sites of old residences. The CanadianGov

sent crews here in the early last century to monitor the area , which they wished to claim as their own. It so remote and cold , it must have been hell for the few who were assigned this post. Some Inuit were paid  to show the Canadians how to survive, as everything had to be shipped in. Still, the Canadians lost most of their people to suicide and some deceases. 

Well, we zodiaced on the the shore and hiked about 3 miles . Some people got to go kayaking, but not our group and it would have been perfect. Calm and sunny. We climbed all over the place,  secure in the fact that our expedition team were stationed here and there on polar bear duty. The sea ice had completely chocked the bay and will probably stay here all winter. We spent about three hours exploring and when we got back to the ship, the restaurant crew has prepared a nice shish  kabob barbecued lunch. The head chef is from Turkey, and he wanted to show off his Turkish cooking skills. They even moved the bar outside and made some kind of celebratory drink.

We are now at sea and on our way to PondInlet, and the capt just said we were in for rough weather again with high winds and rain…. 

BEECHEY ISLAND AND RADSTOCK BAY

 Well, my seasickness has subsided and our ship landed in the am at a vast barren spot called BEECHEY ISLAND.  We suited up after breakfast and took the zodiacs onto shore. This remote and desolate area was where men from the NW Passage expeditions left there dead. There are eerie graves there of crew members and no one really knows how they died. Most were 20,or early 20s. Such a hard life of early explorers. The guides landed early and looked for bears and while we were hiking and exploring, the guides were stationed in areas where polar bears could approach. We didn’t see any…but it’s a safety thing. 

After we explored, the crew asked if anyone wanted to go for. Swim. Steve and a few others did it. They swam in the ICEY waters of the Arctic! It was more like a dip as they could not stay in very long.  Steve was cold!  Finally we made it back to the ship and it continued on a scenic sail along the RADSTOCK coast. We saw 2 different polars bears, each with cubs! Then to add frosting to the cake we watched a pod of beluga whales swim next to the shore. It was a calm afternoon to observe wildlife from our ships deck. 

Another weird thing is we have to change our clock time everyday forward one hour! It’s not fun. We think we just had lunch and bam! Dinner is served.  It’s raising havoc with everyone meal plans and sleeping, but it’s what one does at this end of the world. 

ROUGH SEAS AND OTHER FUN STUFF

 Yesterday we were headed to Fort Ross where the Hudson Bay CO. tried to set up stations to supply the old time sailing explorers. Actually, when I see these places and hear the histories it is quite unbelievable that anyone survived this harsh landscape. These were tough tough men with a drive to explore.  We had a wonderful ,historical lecture about the Errobos  and Terror, two ships who completely disappeared with all men aboard. Just recently with the ice melting, are modern crews able to find the ships at the bottom of the sea. It was a great lecture and we were going to stop this am and use Zodiacs to access the shore and go snoop around. But some rough seas came up and we could even get close to the area. Plus, I got so seasick after breakfast that I was good for nothing.

Since we were at sea all day yesterday we had chances to read, listen to lectures, sight see on the shore, from the ship, where we were able to spot 2 musk ox and a polar bear. Then Steve and I decided to go take an ICEY waters kayak class and hopefully if we ever see calm seas again, we will get to try out our new found cold water kayaking skills. The crew is strict about every little aspect and we learned alot of dos and mostly do NOTS!

I hope Mr. Steve was listening carefully, cause he’ll be my partner!

GJØA HAVEN

 As we started our adventure, we had a chance to visit our first Inuit village, Gøa Haven. It is hard to imagine a life here, so remote and very dependent on hunting for food. It’s a village of maybe 1000 people  and some, mostly elders,  still speaking some native tongue, but technology has crept in. Our young guide walking around the town had her cell phone, and there are dish receptors on most houses. She said it’s easier to speak English, for her, but her grandmother only speaks native Inuit, so she is forced to speak some. I was so interested in their life as they live now. Since the houses are on permafrost, there are no sewers, septics, or really, anything into the ground. All buildings are secured by drilling poles into the frozen earth below. Staples are brought in once or twice a year, and all dirty water/ sewage, etc is put in barrels and shipped out! All roads are dirt and sometimes it was difficult to tell where a road was! Most people have 4 wheelers to get around. There are nurses but no drs. No dentists. And of course, there are the same drug and alcohol problems we have in the states. 

We traveled to the shore by our zodiacs and had a wet landing, so we wore high boots. Still, as I jumped off the zodiac, I was I about  1 foot of water! Cold water! But I managed to get to shore QUICKLY!

The evening brought a fun celebration on board where we were introduced to our Capital and Crew and all the support staff. It was very international group and they also broke down the passenger nationality and we are part of 20 Americans. 70 Germans, 30 Aussies, and the rest are very small representations of many countries.

When I got back to our room there was a message from my nephew, Kevin, asking me what ship we were on. Kevin owns a beautiful sailboat and is captain of the Orion and CEO of Deep Green Wilderness. He said he had a very good friend who was one of the wildlife biologists on our ship! This morning I found Elizabeth on bow looking for whales and birds! We really hit it off and now I feel like we have our very own personal wildlife guide. 

We are in the ice now and won’t see land until tomorrow, but we hope to see whales and polar bears.

ROCKY START

  Well, today we were supposed to be up early and take off in a small plane for our first leg of the Canadian Arctic. Right after an early breakfast we got word the airport at Cambridge Bay was completely socked it with fog. .so the wait began. We had gathered in a patio and other area as our rooms were over. Every HOUR awe got an update…it got tedious. Making it more complicated was the group who had just gotten off the ship was waiting for our planes to arrive, empty us and fill with them for the trip back.

After about 6 hours, we were given a signal to go. The hotel kindly threw together box lunches as we were all really hungry. We boarded a bus and the lunches were passed out and we drove to the airport. The plane was much bigger than I thought, and the reason was they had a lot of people to transport in a shorter time, so they got the service of a plane group that supplies workers to the oil fields and mines in the Arctic. It was kind of weird and they served us BREAKFAST…..at about 4 pm. I wanted wine, but alas, this was a service plane, not a tourist operation. The good part is it went much faster than our original plane. 

We landed on a packed gravel runway, and it was surprisingly smooth. The airport was tiny, and the funniest part was the locals came out in their trucks and cars and transported us to the rubber rafts . Let the adventure begin!

NORTHWEST PASSAGE EXPEDITION

 Before Covid we had planned this great trip to trace the route of  Norwegian explorer  Roald Amundsen. After many explorers tried to find this route between the two oceans, and failed…he finally did it and we are going to be on his same route. There were many cancelations by the Norwegian ship line and

the Canadian government because of covid protocol. Finally ..this trip is a go. We are in Edmonton, Canada as I write this. After a 4 hr flt tomorrow in a small plane we will arrive in Cambridge Bay, which is a small Arctic Hamlet, with no pier. So after our flight we will board some rafts and be shuttled to the FRAM, a ship especially designed and refitted to go thru ice and snowy waters. 

It’s kind of weird looking at our “what to wear” suggestions for tomorrow…rain slicker, waterproof boots, warm hat and waterproof pants…because as we sit here in the outside Bar at the Fairmont Hotel in Edmonton, it is over 90 degrees! Steve and I tried to take a walk on the trails of the Saskatchewan River than runs below our hotel and we had to turn back because of heat! I’ll probabaly get it wrong and be too hot or too cold….but tomorrow we board our ship and take off on a 3 week adventure cruise in the Canadian Arctic.

FINALLY…and A Lookback.

 It sure seemed quiet after everyone we knew had left. We had “probable seats and flts and were just waiting for the next NEGATIVE test results and new paper work. A very pleasant and honest young man arrived in the afternoon to administer yet a another Covid test. I have been sworn to secrecy by the officials in Spain….but I can say there was a glitch, and then everything was OK, and we were issued new papers. We started packing! 

Next am we arrived at the crowded airport to begin our very convoluted flt home with many stops and a completely different airline….. but by then, we just wanted to GO HOME! We weren’t going argue or make waves. More red tape at the airport and yet another form to fill out for the US government saying we actually were tested and agreed to about 12 questions.    We were so relieved when we were handed out boarding passes and checked our luggage, we went to a coffee shop to have breakfast and relax.  It was then that we actually LOOKED at our boarding pass and saw we were booked on our original airline and it was straight thru to SEATAC.  So that is why there are Miracles in Barcelona. Ciao!

Usually I do a recap of the trip, but this Covid story sort of took over everything else …for awhile. Now, I can laugh at the inconvenience of it all….but at the time…frustration, tiredness, confusion, worry and all that put a damper on the last days.

But Greece was a blast, Italy is always great to be in, and we did get to spend unintended
days in the gorgeous city  of Barcelona. We had good friends to share all the good and all the bad. We met some interesting folks along the way. We ate fabulous food and drank many glasses of good wines. We learned and laughed, and and had fun adventures…some planned and some not…. And that’s  what makes traveling an adventure vs just a trip. Covid definitely caused problems and put a damper on many things…. But we somehow got thru all the issues.  Steve and Bruce were still testing positive as they arrived home and for a week or more. I truly was Negative by the time I arrived home, and Nan, who had escaped Covid completely on trip, came down with it after a week of being home. Go figure.

MIRACLE IN BARCELONA

 We were instructed by emails that there would be ANOTHER covid test after breakfast on Sunday morning. There was a special testing room set aside and all of us gathered and started lining up like robots.   It seemed a big chaotic to me, so I went and found a chair and sat down and decided to wait my turn as the  line grew shorter. I started to notice EVERYONE that had been tested was smiling broadly as they left the site…. Everyone.

Finally, our turn and I was literally the last of all the group to be tested. I guess I should have expected good news, because not one of the group was positive any longer. Miracle in Barcelona. My test was brief, only one nostril and within 2 minutes, they told me I was Negative and good to go home.  Maybe because it was Sunday we all had a miraculous recovery.  Within a couple hours we had our “official papers” , signed by a “doctor” slipped under our room door and arrangements were being made in ITALY for flights back.  It seemed like a good day to celebrate, so our travel buddies, Nan and Bruce joined us and we all walked down to the harbor and beaches, where we mingled with the the locals. It was a gorgeous day and there were alot of people out and about, but we had fun looking at more architecture and markets and big Yachts…..and a really nice lunch at a Spanish tapas place. 

After a long day, and excited to get back and see how our flight arrangements were going…..we walked back. Everyone was packing and comparing notes on departures….now that we were all officially Neagtive….with papers to prove it. Except we weren’t. The flight people were having trouble with Steve and my flights, so making a long story short….. we couldn’t leave the next am with everyone else because they couldn't find seats for us

on flights back to Seattle.

And since the “Covid” test papers are only good for 24 hours……we would have to test AGAIN the next day! Just us…as everyone else was boarding EARLY in the am for flights back to the states. Geeze.

WANDERING AND WONDERING

 Still in SPAIN on a beautiful Saturday, so off we went to the Harbor and beaches.  We didn’t expect to be in Barcelona this long, so had nothing planned. Luckily for us, it’s an easy town to explore on foot and we were enjoying the gorgeous harbor and mega yachts. Some of the yachts are way bigger than the small ship we had been on, which was 300 ft. I took pictures and when  got back to the hotel, I looked them up on the internet. They were mostly Russian Oligarch yachts! Oh yeah…. Trying to find safe moorage as the war between Ukraine and Russian is going and these guys don’t want their “toys” confiscated.  We saw parties going on….lots of crew, all dressed alike, and unbelievable wealth for these ships. 

We wandered into museums and then made our way to the beach..which, by our standards looked crowded. People told us it looked deserted compared to summer. On the way back, we wanted a bite to eat and went by rows and restaurants, and finally ended up (unknowingly) in one of the few VEGAN restaurants….but it had wine…and beer. The waitress was from Sweden, and she said she was looking for something different Sweden. She got it. 

Arriving back at our hotel, we had news that a NEW Covid test would be taken by us in the am…and everything would be fine. Hmmmm. 

ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER DOLLAR

 Oh boy! It was looking stormy out side, and it was certainly stormy inside! The next morning, most of us gathered in a lobby area to listen to the phone call, and we were supposed to be able to ask questions.most people just wanted to know who was paying for what, how long were we captive in Spain, and how were we supposed to get our flights back.  The session didn’t go so well, because too many people were butting in and talking all at once and they were trying to resolve this over a cell phone and no one could hear a thing! I finally lost patience and went back to our room.  But, as I was leaving I heard the woman in Rome say, we would all be leaving on Monday. HUH? 

We saw Nan and Bruce and we all decided to would walk around town and look for a place to eat lunch. As we were walking the clouds were thickening and just as we got under a tarp that covered an outdoor eating area….a hail storm hit! It hit hard! But we still managed to order lunch over the din of that hail pelting down and the street turning into a River! After the rain stopped, we went necessity shopping for liquid refreshment and other goodies…and we bought more Covid tests. The Spanish kind. Ha!

Nan was still negative but the rest of us were testing each day hoping for a miracle.

NO HAPPY CAMPERS

 The next day, no one left Barcelona… and there was a lot of chatter, complaints, confusion, and downright anger. What were we supposed to do? We were in a strange city, with language barriers, and no one knew how to contact help, or who to contact, or how long we would be holed up AT OUR OWN EXPENSE. There were mini meetings, gripe sessions, lots of rumors and people were scrounging around for any solution to get them home, except now even more of us were testing positive.

We scurried to our rooms and emailed our tour company, our long gone guides, and anyone who we thought could help. We had to make new arrangements for our car storage, and cancel appointments and notify families and friends who were expecting us home. It was a hot mess, as they say…and desperation had a strong hold on us. And the UGLY American was starting to surface.

We were given a “contact” in ROME ,ITALY! I am not sure how many people sent off urgent emails to this contact, but I sure did. It was strange emailing a person in Italy about our issues with the US

government in Spain. But, she did respond, and at first I don’t think she was aware of how frustrated we were all becoming.  The next day a woman showed up as a facilitator for all of us and it didn’t take long to realize she was well in over her head! But she tried. Mostly she had to listen to complaints, and when she didn’t satisfy our questions, she made a plan to CALL the contact on ROME…..the next morning.

So Steve and I felt pretty good and here we were in a beautiful old city, so we just got dressed and took off on our own to explore Barcelona.

POSITIVE

 Sometimes positive is a good thing…in the case of Covid….NOT. After we all arrived and got settled at our hotel, the staff sent a medical technologist to each person’s room to be tested for Covid. As I said before, Spain didn’t have a problem with Covid status, but to fly BACK to USA …. We all needed a negative test signed by a doctor. As the testing continued during the afternoon…. We rested and repacked for our flts home the next morning.  There was also a farewell dinner to attend. As the afternoon went on, we were notified that quite a few people were testing positive so they decided to have 2 dinners…one for the sickies…and one for the people who were still negative.

As we entered the sickie dining room at the hotel that evening, it was apparent that A LOT of our travel mates were also there …. Over 30 of our original 60 shipmates had tested Positive, as Steve and I had….. so there was trouble brewing. Nan was still negative and off with the other bunch to a nice restaurant…but that would change also. So THE BIG PROBLEM was no one was leaving the next day as planned.  We all lost our airline reservations, and our seat assignments…and we didn’t know what the recourse would be or when we would be able to fly home, or how. To add to the dilemma….the tour guides, who were our “go to guys” for everything…were also leaving as they were done with us and had other trips to guide. We were in free fall!

BARCELONA

 Now this gets weird…. After being locked down for a couple days…we docked in Barcelona Spain. The staff put all the Covid people on their own bus….this is where we first found out there were quite a few of us… we felt like we had the “cone of shame” boarding our sickie bus as they took us to our very modern hotel in the heart of Barcelona. We entered the hotel, all masked, and not knowing what the hell was going to happen. We were met my the hotel staff who informed us we were very welcome in Barcelona, and by the way…Spain had done AWAY  with all Covid mandates  and protocol and we were free to go anywhere and do anything we wanted! No masks required. The ONLY issue was the hotel staff would not be available to clean our room, but we were welcome to come to breakfast and go anywhere! Unmasked and in bothered.  Spain had decided it was a flu virus and each person should do what they felt to stay safe.  I felt like a prisoner who had just been let out of jail! It was weird. And since we knew we were leaving in the am to fly back home….we just were happy.

We either forgot or didnt realize that the good ol USA CDC in their hyper vigilance…. REQUIRED A negative test within 24 hours of flying home.

Oh oh…did I already say this a few times?

Covid at SEA

 We were now thru with all things Italian and on our way to Spain. After dinner, we had a little presentation from two Italian guides about “hand gestures”. It’s impossible for an Italian to NOT talk using their hands…so we got a full on demonstration with diagram handouts if we ever wanted to use them.  It was really funny….but you would have had to been there…as the saying goes.

Retiring to our staterooms, neither one of us was feeling normal…. But chalk it up to a long trip. Since we were at sea for a few days, and couldn’t leave the ship….Steve decided to TEST!  We brought 8 of the freebie US tests from home, thinking we may need them…and this was the  opportunity…so after swabbing…Steve was positive for Covid. Oh boy! I was dragging my heels because maybe I just didn’t want to know….. but after a few hours, I relented…and OH BOY! AGAIN!  So our little stateroom was clearly in the COVID zone. We reported to the ships doctor, who promptly showed up and tested us again with her own version of the quick test…spitting in a tube. And yes…. We were among the newly infected…..little did we know how many were in that group. So they slapped the QUARANTINE sign on our door and we were instructed to STAY  in our room and food would be brought to us…but we were not supposed to leave our room…AT ALL! Bed-making was suspended…oh whoa is me!  Dr came by again and tested us once more just to make sure…so 3 tests each in a few hours….I was finally convinced we had the ‘RONA.  Nothing to do but stay in our stateroom and wait it out. We did however feel good enough to eat, and I asked them if I could have wine with my meal….. they must have felt very sorry for room 508… because I got a  whole Carafe and slept like a baby.