I have traveled to many places around the globe and was looking for a change of pace and a different adventure on the next journey. I had read many articles on Iceland and Greenland and wanted to experience the treasures that most travelers rave about when visiting these two island countries.
So what draws travelers to these two Nordic islands? Tourists are drawn to Iceland and Greenland because of its stunning natural beauty. The landscape is nothing short of mystical, if not completely different, then what you can experience in many other places. I read that you could explore everything from volcanoes to geysers, glaciers and natural hot springs, black sand beaches and impressive lava fields to waterfalls and sculptural mountains, all in the same day. The landscape looked like endless prairies of grassland mixed with intermittent snow fields, streams, snow capped mountains, lava rock and yes volcanoes. We decided to venture to these Nordic islands via a cruise, our favorite form of travel. So TeamTeamTully headed for Southampton, UK to board the Island Princess for our adventure.
Falmouth (Cornwall), UK
Our first port of call was the small village of Falmouth (Cornwall), UK. We did not have any tours planned so we just walked off the ship, took a short shuttle to the town and explored it by foot. What we found was a lovely town rich with history, small English streets and very friendly people. The streets were topped with celebration streamers. I don’t know what they had been celebrating, but the scenery put you in a very festive mood for the day
One of the “must do’s” we like to try in a country is to eat well-known specialty dishes for that region of the country. In Falmouth it was the “Oggy,” a Cornish pasty turnover-shaped baked shortcrust pastry filled with beef and vegetables. The edges are sealed by crimping them in characteristic Cornish fashion. We found Rowe’s Bakeries, one of the leading bakeries in the UK and had lunch there. We ordered the Oggy and we were not disappointed. It is a good size pastry that fills you up and warms your tummy. After hours of exploring the city it was time to head back to the ship to relax and get ready for our next port.
Our second port was the very picturesque town of Cobh (pronounced Cove) Ireland. Again with no formal tours planned we walked off the ship at the rail station. Cobh is actually an island and is situated on Great Island and is the largest island in Cork Harbor. The island has a history which dates back to pre-Christian times but the town itself is comparatively new, dating from the 17th century.
Cobh, Ireland
The city's fame stems from several sources in its history, one being colorful exteriors and magnificent Admiralty buildings. The town is one of the prettiest in the country and of course overlooked by the world famous Cobh Cathedral. The other part of history, which the city will be forever entwined with, is being the last port for the Titanic before sailing out across the Atlantic. We all know how that ended. The town is host to many sailing schools and is an important watersports center, and can be easily walked in a few hours.
Cork, Ireland
After touring Cobh we hopped on the 20 minute rail ride to Cork. It’s a city of 125,000 and is the second largest city in Ireland and third largest city by population on the island of Ireland. I found Cork colorful like Cobh, but a little nondescript in the way the city presents itself. It was very busy with lots of people going about their business. The most notable uniqueness Cork is known for is it’s the culinary capital of Ireland, a city where you're actively encouraged to gorge. And there's no better introduction to Cork's foodie scene than the fantastic English Market.
In order to capture the city in the short amount of time we had to explore, we decided to take the Hop On/Hop Off bus ride around the city. These buses, in any city you travel to, are a good way to explore the sites in the shortest amount of time. It’s a pre-recorded audio tour played while you progress through the city. It was a beautiful, very warm day for Ireland, so we opted to sit on the open air deck on top. Always a good choice on a nice day.
I tried to make comparisons between Cork and Dublin in which city was a better visit. This is hard because the cities have a distinct difference between them. Different vibe, layout, culture and landscape. To say which one is better, well I will leave that open for your discretion.
Akureyri, Iceland
So with much anticipation and two sea days ahead of us we sailed off to the land of fire and ice. Our first port was Akureyri, a port in the northern section of Iceland. We had an all-day tour excursion planned to see the biggest sites available. It was a beautiful day to tour and it would take us away from the city and into the plains to see more of what mother nature had created over the thousands of years. The vast landscapes that we encountered were breathtaking and the pictures capture just a portion of the beauty that thousands of years and volcanic eruptions have created.
Iceland is unique in that you will see landscapes you won’t see in other places. Maybe if you were an astronaut and walked the lunar landscape on the moon, would you have experienced the remote topography you see in Iceland. Yes you can see volcanoes in Hawaii and Fjords in Norway and New Zealand, but the combination of these contrasting elements all in one country, does make Iceland unique.
Our second port in Iceland Ísafjörður was a bust. We woke up to very thick, pea soup fog in the morning. We waited several hours and nothing let up so we pulled up the anchor and left for the next port Reykjavik.
Reykjavik, Iceland
Being Iceland’s capital and largest city, the town is fairly modern. We did not spend any time touring the city as we had a planned tour for the day and headed out early to see a totally different landscape than we had experienced in Akureyri. I almost felt like I was in Kona, Hawaii. There is much more volcanic rock that forms the vast and open landscape. Minus the green trees and plants, this is what walking on the moon must have felt like. It was totally unique and everyone was snapping pictures as fast as they could.
Greenland
After leaving Iceland we sailed southwest towards Greenland. The experience that was ahead of us is probably a once in a lifetime event. The captain made an announcement that due to rougher sea conditions on the course that we were supposed to sail, we were going to take an alternate route through Prince Christian Sound. This body of water is a waterway in Southern Greenland. It separates the mainland from Sammisoq and other islands of the Cape Farewell Archipelago near the southernmost tip of Greenland. The name was given in honor of the prince, later king Christian VIII of Denmark. It was a beautiful sun drenched day and truly a spectacular jaw dropping sail. I will let the pictures speak for themselves.
Our scheduled first port of Nanortalik, Greenland was another bust with fog and rougher seas. Since we had to tender into this port, with these two factors in play, we pulled anchor and journeyed on to Qaqortoq, good luck pronouncing this one.
When we arrived in Qaqortoq it was a cool, rainy day. A rain parka and umbrella day for sure. Upon arriving via tender, we walked through this very small city. There was not much to see. It was a town left in a past time-warp. No industry other than fishing. I found it ironic that with a cruise ship in port, many of the shops, restaurants and one of the only decent tour stops, the church on top of the hill, were all closed, not opening until 1:00pm.
So that was the total experience in Greenland, one cancellation and one cool rainy day to a time-warped town. Not exactly a great touring experience but at least it was an adventure.
In conclusion, if you are looking to see different and varied landscapes all in one location and have never been to these two islands, I would say put it on your bucket list. There were many things on the visit to these countries I have never seen on trips around the world. It will definitely leave a lasting impression in my memory. Are these two Nordic countries worth a return visit, I would say no unless you are into heavy outdoor experiences.