On the Way to the Faroes

August 3-4, 2015
Klaksvik, Faroe Islands
We spend the entire day of August 3 crossing the Norwegian Sea.  This stretch of the North Atlantic stretches from Norway to Iceland and is infamous for its stormy weather during all seasons.  We were quite fortunate that the seas were moderate.  While there were many breakers and whitecaps, the wonderful design of the Brilliance of the Seas made for a smooth, pleasant crossing.
I can't ever think about the Norwegian Sea then to think of the horrors faced by the mèrchant seamen during the Second World War as they passed through this area.  Under the terms of the Lend-Lease Act, our ships were attempting to supply our Soviet Allies which much-needed supplies and arms to fight off the Nazi invasion of thier country.  The supplies were bound for Murmansk, a port in the Arctic, directly east of Finland.  As they crossed this stretch of ocean, they were subject to attacks from wolf packs of German U-boats.  As they got further north, German bombers based in Norway put many of these convoys under constant attack. Fortunately, we are in a time of peace now and our ship was able to pass this killing ground without having watch for periscopes and enemy aircraft.
We made our third, and most successful presentation, "Fire and Iceland" at 2:00 got many wonderful comments from the guests following the show.  The comments mean a lot to us and encouraged us to do even better.

"Wool is the gold of the Faroes."

Monday was a formal night and Donna looked beautiful in her outfit.  We were also invited to a special reception. With the captain following dinner, which was quite elegant. The evening's show featurèd a singer, Lorraine Brown, whose talent owned the stage, beginning with her first song.

The Faroese celebrate their Viking ancestry.

John enjoys birthday cake and local brew in Klaksvik

Tuesday, August 4, was John's birthday and we were in the snug little port of Klaksvik, in the Faroe Islands.  This Atlantic outpost is part of the Kingdom of Denmark and has a total population of 50,000 Faroese, most of whom are of Viking descent.  With nasty-looking rain clouds looming, we donned our woolens and anoraks and headed into the town. We were pleased by the simplicity  Therè were few tourist attractions and within two hours, we were able to walk from one end of the town to another.  We stopped by a gift shop and for birthday cake and a beer before returning to the ship for lunch.  Fortunately, the weather held for us and we relaxed in the afternoon in the Solarium Deck.