Day 25

-


September 24, 2019

 NEWFOUNDLAND (ST ANTHONY)
Image result for l'anse aux meadows

Karen and I walked our deck mile just as the sun was rising into a clear blue sky. Visibility was infinite. After so many days of dark clouds, it was an exhilarating experience. It caused our hearts to soar like a hawk. 

Well, we had expected to land at "Snanthny", as the locals call it. Instead the Viking Sun chose to anchor several miles farther north, just outside L'Anse aux Meadows, so we tendered in. During our Newfoundland trip last year Karen and I were visiting L'Anse on about this same September date, and we ran into a group of tourists from our sister ship, the Viking Sea, who were also visiting the site - small world! 

The only reason for stopping at this particular place is to visit the first New World Viking settlement at L'Anse Aux Meadows on the tip of Newfoundland's Great Northern Peninsula. This area also happens to be the best place to see passing icebergs in May and June, even July - this is iceberg alley. 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%27Anse_aux_Meadows

When the Viking Leif Erikson arrived here around the year 1000 he wasn't the first to arrive. No, the Micmac Indians had already been here for several centuries. Why? Because they had reservations.

 Tonight's theatre presentation was by Lee Bradley. He sings opera and pop tunes with an operatic touch. His voice is as good as Pavarotti, possibly better. And Lee combines his music with humour. Highly recommended.
As Canadians re-entering Canada, we wish to share with you a new version of 'O Canada' sung by Peter Prince of Saltspring Island:
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=peter+prince+o+canada






Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Day 1

-
Image
August 31, 2019 We boarded Viking Sun and settled into Penthouse Veranda Suite 6072 (388 sq ft) The various suites on the ship can be viewed here: https://www.vikingcruises.com/con tent/ocean-star-tour/start.html A tour of the ship: https://www.vikingcruises.com/oceans/ships/viking-sun.html#noscroll All of the cruise stops, including available excursions can be viewed here: https://www.vikingcruisescanada.com/oceans/cruise-destinations/world-grand/2020-world-cruise/index.html#itineraryday/2 There is always a free tour provided by Viking - optional tours are made by reservation and at a cost to the traveler.  Today  Karen and I wanted to tour Blenheim Palace  but it is several hours from the ship and time was limited so we enjoyed the following video as our vicarious visit.   https://youtu.be/SKv-3cU6sHk That's OK - tomorrow we visit a real palace! With limited time we took a hop-on-hop-off bus tour of London, visited the National Gallery (w...
Read more

Day 182

-
FEBRUARY 28, 2020 DARWIN, AUSTRALIA We all recognize that life is an adventure - there will be surprises. Coronavirus is an unexpected development and this voyage has already made adjustments. Further adjustments are possible, even likely, during the two months remaining on Viking's World Cruise.  At a time when authorities must be " seen to be doing something " about the chances of a pandemic, fear can provoke overreaction and more surprises. Karen and I have taken a cautionary attitude about how matters could evolve. We believe this is prudent. Consequently, we have decided to defer the remainder of this voyage to a later date.    With that in mind, a fitting tune is Sophie Zelmani's  " Going Home ". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrIG3K40-8A
Read more

Day 11

-
Image
September 10, 2019 EDINBURGH - They say Scotland gets a lot of rain. Tell me about it! Arrived here in the fog and that became a steady drizzle. But at least it wasn't cold, around 16 degrees.  The rush hour (good planning) bus tour of The Queen City was mostly about crawling from stoplight to stoplight. Incredibly dense traffic made worse by many downtown streets being closed to accommodate the filming of Fast and Furious Nine - we saw the support trucks, an army of them, dozens. The main attraction, of course, is the Castle on the hill. Very impressive from below, but almost inaccessible due to the overwhelming crowds and the discouraging wait times - where did all these people come from? I'm told that tourism gridlock is becoming the new normal in cities like Paris and Rome. Meanwhile, on the Viking Sun there is so much space, even in the restaurants, one never feels pressed.  After returning to the ship from downtown, wouldn't you know it, the sun came out. ...
Read more