Cruising Past Seventy: The Inner Journeys: July 2014

Monday, July 28, 2014

Our Lifestyle Adventures: Getting More Captivated by Iceland

Our Party at the Arctic Circle
Reykjavik in summer
I have long wanted to visit Iceland, especially Reykjavik, the northernmost capital of the world. She captivated the world when over a period of six days In 2010 volcanic eruptions caused enormous disruption to air travel across western and northern Europe.  About 20 countries closed their airspace to commercial jet traffic, affecting about 10 million travelers.
lupina all over Iceland after winter

Coexisting ice and geothermal landscapes make a mysterious combination that has captured my imagination even before this seismic activity. We took the “Iron and Ice” segment of the MV Explorer’s Enrichment Voyage because of Iceland for me, Denmark for Bill, and also because it would take us from Scandinavia to the UK for the wedding of April and Clint.

island of Surtsey
It took two days at sea before we reached Iceland from the Shetland Islands. We attended all the sessions about what to expect in the three ports we will visit, about the Vikings and origins of the country and its people, and its current economy and development. But, even before reaching Reykjavik, we encountered the island of Surtsey off its southern coast formed in a volcanic eruption which began 426 ft below sea level in November 1963, continuing for seven months after. Now the island is half its maximum size of one square mile because of wind and wave erosion.

Iceland is a Nordic country between the North Atlantic and the Arctic Ocean. A population of 325,671 occupies an area of 40,000 square miles, the most sparsely populated country in Europe. It is volcanically and geologically active, consisting mainly of a plateau of sand and lava fields, mountains and glaciers, with many glacial rivers flowing to the sea. I learned that the Gulf Stream warms it so that its climate is temperate despite being just outside the Arctic Circle.

largest natural lake
We took a bus tour in Reykjavik that took us first to Þingvellir, a continually evolving volcanic area and to Þingvallavatn, the largest natural lake in Iceland. Haukadalur is the third tourist attraction in the Golden Circle where geysers and other geothermal features have developed on a rhyolitic dome.  There are also more than 40 other little hot springs, mud pots and fumaroles nearby. But it does not compare to Yosemite in America, the largest and densest area of geothermal activity in the world.

you would really want to dive into it
geothermal springs
Our next stop was the Blue Lagoon, a geothermal spa in a lava field in Grindavík. One of the most visited attractions of Iceland, the Lagoon started to form in 1976 from the waste water of the geothermal power plant that had just been built there. In 1981people started flocking to it after they discovered its healing powers for psoriasis. In 1992 the Blue Lagoon Company opened a public bathing facility, separate from the section used by people who sought its healing powers. It is truly blue! 
Viking Museum
The final swing of the tour was a brief stop at the Viking Museum, a glimpse of the Sun Voyager, a sculpture that is both a dreamboat and an ode to the sun, the Harpa, a very new concert hall and conference centre, and the Pearl with five immense hot water tanks topped with a domed revolving restaurant. It was too bad that the Hallgrímskirkja was not part of the tour and we were so tired that we couldn’t walk to it. It is the largest church in Iceland (Lutheran) and is of outstanding architecture, visible from any part of the city. There was a lot more to see but we simply did not have the time or the energy.

Sun Voyager
the town of Isofjordur, viewed from the ship
The next day our cruise ship docked at Ísafjörður, meaning ices' fjord, a town in northwest Iceland. With a population of about 2,600, the small town is located on a spit of sand, or eyri, in the Skutulsfjörður fjord which meets the waters of the larger Isafjarðardjúp fjord. The town is connected by road and a recent 3.4 mile road tunnel to Bolungarvík to the northwest and to the small town of Súðavík to the east. Completed in 1996, the tunnel also leads to the small towns of Flateyri and Suðureyri, and to the western parts of the Westfjords. Ísafjörður also has an airport with regular flights to Reykjavík.

view of the town, on foot
I had developed a slight fever so I stayed on the ship while Bill walked the town and took pictures for me. Fishing has been the main industry and the small town has one of the largest fisheries in Iceland. Despite its size, small population, and historical isolation from the rest of the country, the town has a rather urban atmosphere with a school of music, a hospital, a cultural center with a library and showrooms and a distance learning center for the 7,000 residents of the Westfjords area. Later in the day, Bill briefly took pictures of me from the viewing deck with the town as a background. The scenes were postcard pretty and not because of me, I concede.

Godafoss, Waterfall of the Gods
The following day I was feeling better and we joined a bus tour at Akureyri, the third Icelandic port we visited.  Iceland's second largest urban area after Reykjavík, Akureyri is nicknamed the Capital of North Iceland. It is an important port and fishing centre, with a population of 17,754. The area where Akureyri is located was settled in the 9th century and was the site of Allied units during World War II.

another scene as the bus gradually took us to the Falls
The tour bus gradually took us away from the town and gave us so many picturesque scenes of it, our docked cruise ship, and the countryside. We were taken to the The Goðafoss, waterfall of the gods, one of the most spectacular waterfalls in Iceland. It is located in the Mývatn district of North-Central Iceland where the water of the river Skjálfandafljót falls from a height of 12 meters over a width of 30 meters. It is said that in the year 999 or 1000, upon returning from the Alþingi (one of the oldest extant Parliaments in the world circa built 930 AD), the Lawspeaker Þorgeir Ljósvetningagoði Þorgeir threw his statues of the Norse gods into the waterfall, the story preserved in Ari Þorgilsson's Íslendingabók. Thus Christianity became Iceland’s official religion.

Church of Akureyri
A window in the Cathedral of Akureyri (Akureyrarkirkja) illustrates this story. And that was our next stop. It is a prominent Lutheran church towering above the city on a hill right in the middle of the city centre. Bill and I counted about 55 steps to reach the top. The church has a notably large 3200-pipe organ, a unique interpretation of the crucifixion and a suspended ship hanging from the ceiling which reflects an old Nordic tradition of giving offerings for the protection of loved ones at sea.

folkloric trolls in downtown Akureyri
We then wandered around town for more pictures, including one with folkloric trolls and the beautiful visitor center. The views from the dock and the ship were equally astonishing.  

view of the town from the ship's deck
After the ship set sail, we had a grandly wild party celebrating our crossing of the Arctic Circle. At precisely the time, the Captain announced at the Gazers Lounge, ’Ladies and gentlemen, look to the left of you.’  We all looked. Then he said, ‘Look to the right of you.’  We all looked. Finally he said, ‘There is really nothing.’ And we all laughed, drank, and danced. We may not have seen boundless expanses of ice for it was summer.  But Iceland is certainly another kind of land and I became even more captivated.

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Our Lifestyle Adventures: Exploring Lerwick of the Shetland Islands

Lerwick, an old fishing village in the Shetlands
lodberries in Lerwick
We were not familiar with these islands so we thought it best to join the City Walking Tour and, if we still had time, venture on our own.  From the bus that brought us to the old Victoria Pier, at the center of town, our tour guide led us through the Old Toll Booth that the old fishing village used and the lodberries that were utilized to load provisions for the island from boats. She said that they were also used frequently as sites for smuggling goods into town, especially during the night.

old Victoria Pier, Lerwick, Shetland Islands, Scotland
Lerwick is the capital of the northernmost islands of Scotland, the Shetlands. We reached this subarctic archipelago after a day at sea from Copenhagen on our way to Iceland. We joined interesting lectures on the architecture, history and economy of the Shetlands in general and Lerwick in particular. Lerwick’s population is about 7,500 and the Shetland Islands, a total of 23,000. The islands did not come into the possession of Scotland until the 15th century when it was sold by the Norwegian/Danish King who was mired in debt. The town name is from Old Norse meaning “bay of clay”.

Lerwick, Shetland Islands
Fishing has continued to be an important aspect of the economy up to the present day. The discovery of North Sea oil in the 1970s significantly boosted Shetland incomes, employment and public sector revenues. The local way of life reflects the joint Norse and Scottish heritage including the Up Helly Aa that marks the end of the yule season. Before, revelers and guizers, formed into squads, marched through the town dragging barrels of burning tar. Later it evolved into torch processions, the first one taking place in in 1881. In 1889 the torches began to be thrown into and burn a replica Viking galley.

Fort Charlotte
Our next stop was Fort Charlotte built in the mid-17th Century at the highest point available. Permanent stone-built buildings began to be erected around the fort and along the shoreline. The principal concentration of buildings was in the "lanes" area, a steep hillside stretching from the shoreline to Hillhead. The walking tour went through all of these.

Lerwick became capital of the Shetland Islands in 1708. When the town became more prosperous through sea trade and the fishing industry during the 19th century, the town expanded to the west of Hillhead. Lerwick Town Hall was built during this period of expansion. The beautiful Town Hall is home to Shetland Islands Council's council chambers and is available to hire for functions and events.

the beautiful townhall in Lerwick, Shetland Islands
It was surprising to find out that humans have lived in the islands since the Mesolithic period. Evidence of settlement in the area dates back 3,000 years, centered at the Broch of Clickimin, which was constructed in the first century BC. Since it was not part of the walking tour, we decided to see it on our own. So, after the visit to the Shetland Museum and Archives, the tour’s last stop, Bill and I took a bus whose driver showed us where he would wait for us in his return round.

Clickimin Broch, constructed first century BC
A broch is an Iron Age drystone hollow-walled structure of a type found only in Scotland where some of the most sophisticated examples of drystone architecture were ever created. There is controversy over their origin: defensive military structures (an Iron Age equivalent to the castles and tower houses of medieval Scotland) or farmhouses since some of them were surrounded by clusters of smaller dwellings.

The Clickimin Broch is large and well preserved, though somewhat restored. It was originally built on an island in Clickimin Loch (now increased in size by silting and drainage); it was approached by a stone causeway. The water-level in the loch was reduced in 1874, leaving the broch high and dry. The broch is situated within a walled enclosure and, unusual for brochs, featuring a large "blockhouse" between the opening in the enclosure and the broch itself. We were so glad we braved the trip to Clickimin!

up from Old Town
Upon returning into the town of Lerwick, we looked for a pharmacy to buy some OTC drugs for the sore throat and cough Bill was developing. The accent in this part of part of Scotland is as unique as the accents in the different parts of Scotland we visited (the Highlands, Edinburgh, and Newcastle). So even this simple activity became an interesting adventure for Bill and me!

traditional Scottish snacks
We wished we had more time for exploration but we had to get back to the ship before the “on-board” time, an hour before it was going to set sail for Iceland!

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Our Lifestyle Adventures: Exploring Copenhagen on Foot

Bill and the Little Mermaid
After the wedding and post-wedding festivities, I now return to the retelling of the Enrichment Voyage we took from June 1-15 while for a month I enjoy the normalcy of home life in Newcastle with the new couple. This will be a total of four posts. We embarked in Stockholm, Sweden, and our first stop was Copenhagen, Denmark. During the one day at sea between the two cities, we attended seminars on the architecture, economy, and history of Copenhagen.

Copenhagen's Happy Wall
We did not join any of the excursion tours because we were feeling a bit adventurous. Besides, we wanted to take in more of the city rather than what is in its outskirts. Neither of us had been to Copenhagen and Bill’s favorite mentor/boss/friend Ben came from Denmark. So we just took the shuttle from the ship’s berth to Tivoli Gardens where we can boarrd the bus again later in the day to go back to the ship. With a map, we ventured fearlessly on our own, on foot.

a hint of the bridge
Copenhagen is the capital and most populated city of Denmark, with a metropolitan population of around 2 M. Originally a Viking fishing village founded in the 10th century, Copenhagen became the capital of Denmark in the early 15th century. During the 17th century, under the reign of Christian IV, it developed into an important regional centre, consolidating its position as capital of Denmark and Norway.  Copenhagen was third in the ranking of the richest cities in the world in terms of gross earnings in 2010, dropping from first place in the previous year.

the offshore windturbines of Copenhagen
The city has become more integrated with Scandinavia and the rest of Western Europe when the Øresund Bridge, a bridge-tunnel connecting the Swedish coast to the artificial island of Peberholm lying in the middle of the Øresund Strait for 2.5 miles. The remainder of the link is a 2.5 mile tunnel from Peberholm to the Danish island of Amager. It is the longest combined road and rail bridge in Europe. We saw a tiny bit of it from one of the viewing decks of the MV Explorer. As we entered the Copenhagen waters, we also saw, for the first time, off shore wind turbines. Before this we thought they were all onshore (that’s the way they are in America)!
Christianborg Palace,  only building in the world
 housing three banches of government

Walking from Tivoli Gardens, first we encountered the Christianborg Palace which dates back to 1167. It is the seat of the Danish Parliament, the Prime Minister's Office and the Supreme Court. Also, several parts of the palace are used by the monarchy, including the Royal Reception Rooms, the Palace Chapel and the Royal Stables. Thus it is the only building in the world housing all three supreme powers of a government: the executive, the legislative, and the judicial.

Nyhavn, 17th century waterfront of Copenhagen
Next we wanted to relax in the famous Nyhavn, a 17th-century waterfront, canal and entertainment district. On the way we were helped by a pretty young lady who also worked in another cruise ship. Along the route she taught us to use, we chanced upon a large sign of Happy in Copenhagen! Nyhavn is a true must-see. Lined by brightly colored 17th and early 18th century townhouses and bars, cafes and restaurants on both sides, the canal has many historical wooden ships. Bill and I sat at a sidewalk café; he savoring his Irish coffee served the traditional way while I thumped at my laptop, grabbing the first chance to visit the web since boarding in Stockholm..

the Marble Church of Copenhagen

We then trekked to the Amalienborg Palace, the winter home of the Danish royal family. It consists of four identical palaces with classic façades and rococo interiors around an octagonal courtyard. In the centre of the square is the equestrian statue of Amalienborg's founder, King Frederick V.  The four palaces were originally built for four noble families but when Christiansborg Palace burned down in 1794, the royal family bought the property. Amalienborg lies on a short axis, one end of which is the Marble Church also known as Marble Church and at the other is the Amalienhaven overlooking the Copenhagen Opera House. 

Copenhagen Opera House
an illusion
From there we went back to the ship through a leisurely walk along Strogert, the main shopping alley that runs through the center of the city. Many artists dotted the street with their unique acts for donations of coins. After Stroget we came across the City Hall completed on 1905, one of the tallest buildings in the generally low city of Copenhagen due to its tall, slim clock tower of over 105 meters. Then it was a ssort walk to Tivoli Gardens, a theme park, for the bus back to our ship docked at Langelinie Pier. . 

City Hall
Near where MV Explorer was docked is an iconic little statue we couldn't miss. So though it was drizzling, we braved a short walk to the Little Mermaid. The statue was inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale, first published in 1837, that tells of how she gave up her life in the sea and her identity as a mermaid to gain a human soul and the love of a human prince. The statue was commissioned by Carl Jacobsen, son of the founder of Carlsberg, and unveiled in 1913 by the sculptor Edward Eriksen whose wife Eline was the model. Though she has been severely vandalized several times since then, her mystique remains.


Jimmy Nairn
We were back on board the ship on time, an hour before sailing. We had a sumptuous dinner buffet and the show of the Scot Jimmy Nairn who wowed the crowd with his virtuoso performance on the clarinet, saxophonem and bagpipes to introduce us to our next port, the Shetland Islands. and the seminars on Scotland and this archipelago and its capital, Lerwick, the following day at sea.

Thursday, July 10, 2014

Our Lifestyle Adventures: Joining Two Hearts and Two Families

view of Urquhart Castle and Loch Ness
The bride wore white, carried a traditional wedding bouquet of almost white roses. The groom waited for her at the outdoor altar in the manicured garden of Scotland’s Guthrie Castle.  The traditional twelve sponsors, 6 godmothers and 6 godfathers (less the 2 pairs who were not able to attend) comprised the wedding entourage. That’s as far as the Filipino wedding traditions went at April and Clint’s beautiful and memorable wedding at Guthrie Castle in Scotland.

Bill and Carol, Richard and Erin,
Clint and April, Gilda, and Grace at Alnwick Garden
The groom wore a kilt and a minister performed the ceremony (although without a mass).  Both the mother and father of the bride gave April away to Clint. There were no secondary sponsors of bridesmaids, groomsmen, nor were there three pairs of wedding attendants for the lighting of the candles, placing the veil, or looping the cord around the couple. There were also no traditional children participants, males for arras and ring bearers and females for flower girls. During the wedding reception, no doves were released, the bride’s bouquet was not tossed, nor was there a search for the garter.

the couple's very happy jump shot at Alnwick Casle
Even without these Filipino traditions, the fairy tale wedding was an outstanding affair. For not only were two hearts joined in marriage but their families bonded well as the couple so wished in their vows.  Each family is scattered far from them among the US , Canada, and the Philippines. To accomplish this, Clint and April booked the entire ‘Downton Abbey’ish Guthrie Castle for 3 days and 2 nights for them, close friends, and principal sponsors. On the first day we had an afternoon tea welcome, a bbq dinner, and bachelorette and bachelor parties. A traditional English breakfast, the garden wedding ceremony, garden cocktails, wedding reception and party, and a night cap ended the second day.

breakfast before the Highlands Tour
Blair Athol Tour in Pitlochry
On the third day, after another English breakfast, we were picked up at 10 for the exclusive family tour of the Scottish Highlands.  Day 1 was a trip to Inverness, its capital after a short stop at Dunkeld , lunch at Pitlochry and tour of the local whisky distillery, Blair Athol. Fortunately, we did not overdo ourselves in the tasting part at the end. At Inverness we enjoyed a local dinner at Givrans and stayed at a lovely B&B for the night. Our Tour Guide, Dave Ladd was not only so knowledgeable about all our questions but was so entertaining there never was a dull moment!

Urquhart Castle and Loch Ness stop
The next day started early, too, for we had many stops to make. First was Urquhart Castle for some spectacular scenery of Loch Ness. And then we joined a boat tour in a determined search for Nessie! Alas, no one was lucky enough to spot him but we got great images of the legend and the artist’s rendition of him. From there we had lunch at another village where there was cashmere shopping to do.  Then it was on to Glencoe, scene of the terrible 1692 massacre of the Clan MacDonald. In the evening,  most of us were dropped off at Dundee except for Raffy and TJ, Clint’s cousins, who had flights to catch at Edinburgh. The next morning Claudine and Arnold and their four kids also left for flights in Glasgow.

at The Forth Bridge, west of Edinburgh
The smaller group continued on a tour of Edinburgh en route to Newcastle with Mike O’Neill, the affable Scot whom my BFFs Jingjing and Ann and I had used for our own tour around Edinburgh and the trip to the castle. He also brought them back, together with my daughter Trisha and her girls Krishna and Yeye, to the city for their flights right after breakfast in the third day. We stopped at old The Forth Bridge, a breathtaking red cantilever railway bridge over the Firth of Forth in the east of Scotland, 9 miles west of Edinburgh built in 1890. In Edinburgh we visited the Elephant House, birthplace of Harry Potter, Edinburgh Castle, St. Giles Cathedral on the Royal Mile, the Sir Walter Scott Monument, and feasted on hog roast at Oink (very similar to the Filipino lechon)!  

Gilda and I at Edinburgh Castle
Oink, Oink!
By evening we were in Newcastle where April and Clint had prepared a bbq feast at their backyard. The following day was a grand tour of Alnwick Garden and Castle where scenes of the Quidditch match and the chase for the elusive snitch in the Harry Potter movie were filmed. Our driver also took us to Bamburgh Castle, the coastal town of Seahouses and the Farne Islands of puffins, and the beach of Tyne. Finally, we went home to a dinner of pasta, mussels, and a cheese and bread platter. The next day we all decided to give ourselves a rest and had a lunch to dinner party cum marathon karaoke session at the home of the couple’s BFFs.

at the deck of Bro Den and Sis Marie's home
Did April and Clint achieve their objective of bonding their families? It was a week of being together from July 1 to 8, from the wedding at Guthrie Castle to their home in Newcastle. We were not in our comfort zones but shared some spectacular scenes and we ate, shopped, sang, danced, and had loads of fun together for our babies, April and Clint. We also found for ourselves brand new friends for a lifetime:  the charming Pijuan clan, headed by Gilda and her brood, Grace, Cristina, Erin, Francesca, Ferdi, Richard, Raffy, and TJ and the couple’s BFFs Bro Den and Sis Marie and Bro Anthony and Sis Nicole! What more can any couple ask for in a wedding, traditional or not? Two hearts and two families were definitely joined!



Thursday, July 3, 2014

Our Lifestyle Adventures: Getting Married in a Scottish Castle

Me and my fascinator and Bill with his kilt
beautiful bride-to-be at her bachelorette Party
in Guthrie Castle's  Drawing Room
This is the full text of my speech as mother-of-the-bride at my daughter April's wedding to Clint at the Guthrie Castle in Scotland on July 2, 2014:

Thank you all for coming from as far as the US, Asia, and the UK to join us in this fairy tale wedding in a castle of dreams where a handsome prince charming gave away his entire kingdom to his beloved. He chose a princess so deserving. What mother would not be proud of a daughter who has never been arrested, who did not get hooked on drugs, or who did not choose a-go-go dancing as a profession?
parents of the bride, Carol and Noel,
walking the beaming bride to the altar!

Jingjing and Bill as godparents
This little scrawny nerd of a girl has turned into a beautiful woman. My baby you have such a pretty face with glowing skin made even lovelier with a tiny hint of make-up and crowned by long shiny dark brown perfectly flowing hair. Even your elegant ivory Pronovias gown in classic mermaid shape fits your lovely figure to a T. You are the breathtaking belle of the ball and the envy of this royal court! Guys look at me when I say this. And you can take a peek at April’s two sisters Trisha and Claudine too…may pinagmanahan naman di ba?


Ann and Bill as godparents
Kidding aside, I am extra proud, my little April, that you have become a professional whom many depend upon wherever you are assigned in the world. I remember feeling the same as your high school’s PTA President sitting in the front row of the auditorium. All of a sudden you emerged from the back, moved to the front and sang solo as the rest of the choir accompanied you. Since then you have amazed the world with talents galore that you have even learned to be the best cook Clint will ever need! 
  
bride signing the document
But what I am most proud of is that you have become not only a woman of faith but a woman of compassion. That you give time and money for the less fortunate in your long service at Gawad Kalinga and go to great lengths to help victims of Philippine calamities like Haiyan is short of legendary. My baby, you have made such excellent life choices that you now have financial independence, emotional maturity, and moral fortitude.
the family of the bride

Undoubtedly, the most important choice for anyone to make is that of a life partner. This choice is the bedrock of a happy and prosperous family for generations to come. You waited so long for the man of your dreams. I was so afraid you were going to miss the boat and stay single. You have been so picky that it seemed no man could be good enough for you. Clint, there is no truth to the rumor that she is getting married because she was just running out of time.  
April's magical wedding to Clint  at the Guthrie Castle in Scotland

You clearly swept her off her feet at the precise time when she was about to slip away from the Philippines. I have not met you in person until yesterday and I was afraid I was not going to like the TV star and the most eligible bachelor sought by many girls. But I liked you instantly: tall, handsome, and huggable. You have been a perfect gentleman to all of us here in Guthrie, attending to our every need and fancy. You seem to have become a Scottish braveheart, ready to give it all. 
April with her Moms, Gilda and Carol

It is awesome that you share so many interests, basketball, singing, dancing, travel, and food and dream the same dreams, earn just enough to raise a small family then give back to the world. And it is quite obvious that you not only love April, but that you worship her. You gave up your comfortable life in the Philippines to follow her here, quickly established yourself and flourished so well your kingdom grew to make her a princess.

We know you will make her happy not only today but ever after. For your family and friends…welcome to our crazy little family. Thank you so much Mommy Gilda for bringing up such a fine son! I am sure your husband is looking at you, your son, and his siblings beaming with heavenly pride.

delivering my mother-of-the-bride speech
Clint and April, since we are mostly Filipinos, please remember one of our most popular sayings…Ang pagaasawa ay hind parang kanin na pag napaso ay basta na lang iniluluwa. And let me add my own spin to that…Ang pagmamahalan ay ninanamnam at binubuo araw araw, sa hirap at ginhawa. Be friends, be partners, but, most of all be passionate lovers. And, on that note, I end with this Scottish plea:  Oh please hurry up, make me a granny in Scotland so I can be a nanny in England!
beautiful baby bride