We recently cruised from New York City up the East coast to Newfoundland, Novia Scotia, Greenland, and Iceland (for those that want all the stops - Martha's Vineyard, Boston, Bar Harbor, Halifax, Corner Brook, Nuuk, Isafjordur, and Reykjavik). While we expected cool temperatures in Greenland and Iceland - almost our entire trip was way below seasonal temps. Fortunately, we had packed multiple layers and a pair of gloves which we used way more than we expected. We also seemed to be dragging rain clouds along with us since we had more overcast days than sunny days. The problem is overcast skies always seems to make it difficult for a city to show it's best side.
The weather aside it was a great trip with exquisite landscapes, some interesting wildlife sightings, and new cities/cultures to explore. We also had several days at sea cruising the Labrador sea and the Denmark Strait which provided us downtime to rest and recharge. We used the sea days to get massages, watch a couple of the 2018 Oscar nominated films, read and, most importantly, nap. The big hits for the trip for me were seeing Greenland and Iceland for the first time. Greenland was amazing, and much more mountainous than I was expecting, and the icebergs floating by the ship contained all sorts of shades of blue ice. We had the opportunity to speak with a native Greenlander in her home and found out that you've got to love winter. It starts snowing in September and continues to May. This means that the snow piles up past the windows on the house and the sun is out for a whopping 3 to 4 hours. And I thought Wisconsin could be a bit tough in the winter.
Iceland did not disappoint and it is easy to see why it has become a popular tourist destination. From seeing puffins and seals, to the geysers and hot springs that seem to be all over the landscape, to the multiple waterfalls and glaciers. We thought it would be interesting to go back and spend a couple of weeks hiking around the various parts of the island since we only had a limited amount time to explore. One of the highlights was hitting the local swimming pool to partake in the hot tubs that are at the public pools - although we did find that the hot tub at 44 degree C was a bit over the top, unless you are cooking a lobster.
The easiest summary is that it was a great trip and we could certainly do it again - although a bit warmer temperatures and more sunshine next time would be nice. Of course, as with any vacation these days we have hundreds of photos to bore you with should you ever make the mistake of asking to see our vacation photos!!
We recently cruised from New York City up the East coast to Newfoundland, Novia Scotia, Greenland, and Iceland (for those that want all the stops - Martha's Vineyard, Boston, Bar Harbor, Halifax, Corner Brook, Nuuk, Isafjordur, and Reykjavik). While we expected cool temperatures in Greenland and Iceland - almost our entire trip was way below seasonal temps. Fortunately, we had packed multiple layers and a pair of gloves which we used way more than we expected. We also seemed to be dragging rain clouds along with us since we had more overcast days than sunny days. The problem is overcast skies always seems to make it difficult for a city to show it's best side.
The weather aside it was a great trip with exquisite landscapes, some interesting wildlife sightings, and new cities/cultures to explore. We also had several days at sea cruising the Labrador sea and the Denmark Strait which provided us downtime to rest and recharge. We used the sea days to get massages, watch a couple of the 2018 Oscar nominated films, read and, most importantly, nap. The big hits for the trip for me were seeing Greenland and Iceland for the first time. Greenland was amazing, and much more mountainous than I was expecting, and the icebergs floating by the ship contained all sorts of shades of blue ice. We had the opportunity to speak with a native Greenlander in her home and found out that you've got to love winter. It starts snowing in September and continues to May. This means that the snow piles up past the windows on the house and the sun is out for a whopping 3 to 4 hours. And I thought Wisconsin could be a bit tough in the winter.
Iceland did not disappoint and it is easy to see why it has become a popular tourist destination. From seeing puffins and seals, to the geysers and hot springs that seem to be all over the landscape, to the multiple waterfalls and glaciers. We thought it would be interesting to go back and spend a couple of weeks hiking around the various parts of the island since we only had a limited amount time to explore. One of the highlights was hitting the local swimming pool to partake in the hot tubs that are at the public pools - although we did find that the hot tub at 44 degree C was a bit over the top, unless you are cooking a lobster.
The easiest summary is that it was a great trip and we could certainly do it again - although a bit warmer temperatures and more sunshine next time would be nice. Of course, as with any vacation these days we have hundreds of photos to bore you with should you ever make the mistake of asking to see our vacation photos!!
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