On July 22, 2010, Sharon and Jay left California for London to board the Holland America Line's 'Prinsendam' for a cruise to the 'Top of the World'. The ship left Tilbury, England (down the Thames River from London) and proceeded towards the North Pole and back along Norway to the city of Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Below are the various ports of call. Click on any one of the buttons or pictures to see what we did during this adventurous journey. Let's start with the highlight of the trip, followed by the ports in chronological order.
You will also get an idea about the Prinsendam, some of the staff, and my thoughts here.
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This is as close to the North Pole as you can get without going onto the floating ice pack. Our ship bumped into some of the ice as we all took pictures of this event. |
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We had an extra day in Tilbury, England, so six of us decided to take the ferry across to Gravesand and the train to Rochester. |
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After a day at sea, the ship entered the Firth of Forth and docked at Rosyth. This is where we had a private tour to the Stirling Castle and surrounding areas. |
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This small port is at the very northern part of the Bristish mainland. A rental van took eight of us to the queen's Mey Castle and the country sides. |
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Our big supprise was seeing these green and lush islands. The private tour took us to remote villages with beautiful scenery along the way. |
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Iceland is well known for its vulcanoes, rivers and waterfalls. Our tour found that the country is surprisingly pristine with many areas that were not cultivated or occupied. |
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This small town in the northern parts of Iceland gave us a chance to simply walk around, climb some hills and talk to local folks about our visit. |
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Another private tour of the northeast led us to more waterfalls, steaming geysers and green valleys. We also visited some baths. |
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We continued north following the gulf stream to the islands of Spitsbergen, the point where explorers started their journeys to the North Pole. |
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This most northern settlement in the world was once a coal mining town. It is now a research station with hardy souls who endure long nights. |
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After our frigid days near the glaciers and ice floats, we headed south to visit the fjords of Norway, the home of Sharon's ancestors. |
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We had half a day to explore the city of Bergen on our own, do some shopping, and take a ride to the top of the mountain for a great view. |
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This little gem is at the southern tip of Norway. A local bus took us to Holden where we boarded a small boat for a tour of the islands. |
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Another day on our own to see the capital of Norway. Visits included the Viking Museum, castle, downtown and park with famous statues. |
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This was the end of the cruise. However, Sharon and I spent five more days to visit friends and see a couple towns in northern Holland.
Then we went home, tired but full of memories. |
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