Thursday – August 31, 2017
We left Isafjordur, Iceland about five o’clock yesterday and cruised through the magnificent Isafjardardjup fjord and out to the Norwegian Sea. Captain Eric van der Wal made an announcement to expect heavy seas of twelve to fourteen feet during the night, but fortunately it was a smooth ride and I slept soundly.
Today the Rotterdam is moving southwest through the Danish Strait on our way to Greenland. The fog horn sounded early this morning and the horizon is a misty line between the inky sea and the gray sky. I hope the radar works!
We went up to the Crow’s Nest which is in the bow above the Bridge. This is the “room” where the officers navigate and ‘drive’ the ship. In the old days it might have been called “the wheelhouse” but today’s ships don’t have wheels; they have something that resembles a ‘joy stick’ to steer the gigantic ship. I think it would be fun to see the Bridge and the crew in action, but they never allow spectators. I believe they use Auto-Pilot and technology most of the time when the ship is just cruising.
Anyway, we like to sit in the Crow’s Nest on the comfortable chairs facing out to sea and the horizon, sort of like getting the captain’s view. We took our laptops and worked on our respective blogs. An elderly man sat next to me and he began talking to me. His name was Charlie and he told me he was 90 years old this year. I tried to type, but Charlie seemed to want to talk and he told me all about his experiences during World War II. And about his childhood and his two girlfriends, and his wife, and other details of his life. He was an interesting character with a long life. As he talked, the weather cleared. Charlie eventually left to meet with a group of American veterans. He sort of lives on the ship.
After lunch, we went to a presentation by Location Guide Barbara who told us all about Nanortalik, Greenland. This was one of the towns located in the southern part of Greenland that we would be visiting next.
The bakers and pastry chefs on the ship did a great job! Too good! There was a variety of excellent breads and delicious pastries:
We also went to a lecture given by Dr. Bendel who talked about the Solar System. Dr. Bendel was a meteorologist who had an interest in astronomy and his lectures were very good.
The day passed quickly…….