We left Narsaq after dark, bound for Prince Christian Sund — a narrow channel notorious among navigators for its unpredictable winds and the icebergs that can block passage without warning. The crossing was slow going, full of twists and turns as we threaded around cliffs and hazards hidden in the dark water.
Prince Christian Sund
There was dense fog as we entered but inside the Sund, the sun emerged and the scenery turned dramatic: waterfalls tumbled down the rock walls on either side, and at points we passed close enough to Greenland’s Ice Cap to feel its presence looming over the channel.
The ship anchored between steep mountains in Narsaq’s protected harbor, further north now, with icebergs drifting around the hull as a reminder of just how close we’d come to Greenlands Glaciers.
Iceberg
After three enlightening days, this vast, mostly ice-covered land had shown me a daily life that is both beautiful and challenging — and today would be no exception. I rode the tender in, skipping the scheduled iceberg excursions and town tours in favor of exploring on my own. On the ship I learned of a brewery that uses only crystal clear water from icebergs for their beer. Word at the dock was that a local artist made crafts worth seeking out, and with that vague lead, I set off on foot.
Iceberg Brewery
What followed was an hour of wandering up and down Narsaq’s hills, past homes with no signs or markers to guide the way, thoroughly lost. A woman sitting on a chair outside the Hostel offered to walk me to the artist’s shop. When we arrived we found it closed. So we settled onto a nearby bench to wait. She stayed, and so did I. What began as a short wait turned into an hour-plus conversation. We were joined along the way by others curious enough to stop and talk. We covered everything — life, science, medical breakthroughs, politics, the small and large details of daily existence in a place shaped by ice and isolation.
Church being rebuilt
The artist never returned, perhaps in the morning and I never made it to the iceberg brewery I’d planned to visit. but I returned to the ship without any regret.
Narsaq
Some of the best travel moments aren’t the ones on the itinerary — they’re the ones that happen while you’re waiting for something else, sitting on a bench in a town you got pleasantly lost in, talking with people who had no reason to stop except that they wanted to.
Our cruise ship anchored offshore in the fjord. By 7:30 am we were aboard a sleek boat with nine other passengers, speeding out of the harbor as fast as the vessel would fly, chasing the promise of icebergs in the early morning light. The air was crisp and the water calm.
Our enthusiasm dipped when the guide announced there was only one iceberg to see that morning. Only one?
Our disappointment melted away the moment we got close — this thing was massive, a sculpted mountain of blue-white ice rising out of the sea. We spent a full hour circling the beast, exploring every crack and crevice, marveling at how something so ancient and enormous could just be floating. I asked our captain, half-joking, if he had much else going on that day. He smiled — eight more iceberg trips were on his schedule before sundown.
Back in town, we joined a walking tour through Qaqortoq, a settlement originally established as a Danish trading post The town sits within the protected fjords of Greenland’s southern coast, its colorful houses climbing up rocky hillsides.
Dry FountainWhales including Narwhal
In the 1970s, local artists began carving and painting the granite boulders scattered throughout town, and many of those weathered works of art still remain, giving the whole place an open-air gallery feel.
A Family Group
Along the way we stopped at a small fish market stocked with fresh-caught salmon and seal, a glimpse into the town’s reliance on the sea. Our walking tour paused for a taste of local delicacies, and while we happily sampled the King Crab, I drew the line at the fresh seal and dried whale bits laid out beside it. The gnats were out in full force that day, and mosquito nets draped over our heads became the unofficial fashion statement of Qaqortoq — everyone, tourists and guides alike, wearing them like veils against the swarm.
We ended the day at a local museum tracing early Greenlandic life, including a reconstructed sod house and animal-skin kayaks once used for hunting and fishing along these same waters. Standing inside that dim, earthen dwelling, it was difficult to imagine the early settlers enduring winters with only one hour of daylight.
We cruised all day and night from Iceland to reach Greenland. Early the next morning, we opened the curtains in our cabin and were greeted by beautiful icebergs — remnants from last winter, since it was August. It made me wonder whether you can actually measure the age of an iceberg (turns out you can, through ice layering and core analysis).
Morning IcebergMore
The ship anchored and we took a 150-person tender to reach land — a confining ride, though we were glad not to be on a more crowded vessel.
Tenders
We explored Nanortalik, a small village of about 1,000 people nestled in a rocky fjord, first settled by Danish explorers. A fish monger was selling fresh seal catch, along with seagull eggs.
Waterfront
We walked up to the church atop a bluff, then visited the local market, which offered clothes, frozen pizzas, and TVs — Margaret joked they might sell cars next.
Greenland uses the Danish Krone as its currency.
Church
Last night we met a couple who contract with the cruise line to provide entertainment — bridge and Mah Jongg were both listed on the daily activities sheet. We watched but didn’t play; their game was duplicate bridge, and the style and rules were different from the social bridge we’re used to.
Ísafjörður sits dramatically at the base of steep cliffs deep within a fjord, a setting so prone to snow avalanches that the town has installed protective barriers every ten meters along the slopes. With a population of around 2,000, it feels intimate and walkable, and a city walking tour reveals its character well — including passing the local cinema, which alternates between Hollywood releases and children’s films to serve the small community.
CinemaDrying Fish
Fishing built Ísafjörður and remains its economic backbone, visible in the large commercial trawlers alongside smaller recreational boats, as well as nearby fish farms and commercial net fishing operations. The town’s architecture even reflects this heritage: many homes were constructed from corrugated steel panels repurposed from old fish shipping containers, giving the streets a distinctive, practical charm.
Beyond fishing, tourism has become the second-largest industry, followed by research, and Ísafjörður is actively cultivating stronger visitor traffic. Notably, whale hunting — once a traditional mainstay — is being phased out, largely because it fell out of favor with tourists, marking a shift in the town’s identity as it balances its fishing roots with a growing tourism economy.
House built of corrugated panelsFishing Warehouse
It was a balmy 49 degrees with low hanging clouds resting on the mountains surrounding the fjord. The sun never made an appearance.
It was another picture-perfect day in northern Iceland. The air felt a good five degrees colder as we woke up this morning, our journey having carried us steadily north overnight. We’re now less than 60 miles from the Arctic Circle, and even though it’s August, the surrounding mountains are still capped in snow — a quiet reminder of just how far north we’ve traveled.
There’s snow in August!
The small town we docked at is home to about 1,200 people. They take real pride in its geothermal resources. Both the heating and water supply are geothermally sourced, and the town’s outdoor pool and heated pool are open year-round — a favorite gathering spot for locals no matter the season.
The highlight of the day was hiking into the horseshoe-shaped Ásbyrgi Canyon to see Dettifoss, widely considered Europe’s most powerful waterfall. Fed by glacial meltwater, it churns out an enormous volume of water, with flow reaching its peak in the spring melt season.
Dettifoss waterfallsAt the waterfall
Winter and adventure sports run deep here too. Skiing and heli-skiing are popular pastimes, and the area supports four amateur hockey teams that compete year-round, racking up an impressive run of regional championships.
Sod Homestead
We also stopped by a homestead built by one of the area’s original settlers, who constructed traditional sod houses for his family. These living structures, with their open timber beams and grass-covered roofs, still stand to reflect Iceland’s early settlement history.
Exploring western Iceland the ship anchored at Grundarfjodur.
We boarded a tender to reach the windswept shore. There were 50 teepees erected at a park for a concert and the solar eclipse. Unfortunately the sky’s were cloudy that day.
Visited a scenic beach. The sand was black from volcanic activity. Difficult descent navigating over uneven rocks. We opted to only go halfway and turn around before injury.
Hiking to the Black BeachBlack Beach
We learned after lava cools lichen begins to cover the rocks. The lichen is soon overtaken by moss. In 50 years soil added and grasses start appearing. This day we traveled from barren volcanic rocks to lichen to grass covered fields with horses and sheep.
Husband and Wife Elves on the shore
In addition to the famous puffins there were arctic terns that migrate to South America with the seasons.
Lava fields from lichen to moss to grasses
We explored the black church famous for picturesque weddings. We hiked to the yellow sand beach.
Black Church popular for weddings
Bjarnarfoss is one of the tallest waterfalls in the Snæfellnes mountain range, cascading over a rocky edge to land in the valley. Very beautiful on a clear and sunny day. Local legend calls it the lady in the falls.
Bjarnafoss Falls the Lady of the Falls
Our guide explained: Legend has it: every day the naked lady came to the falls for a shower. One day a spirit appeared and asked for her hand in marriage. She rejected the suitor and he placed a curse on the lady in the falls. The curse was that anyone fortunate enough to approach and see the naked lady would completely forget her when they turned around. The guide claimed the legend is true. He’s seen her many times but forgot.
The final days before any trip are a special kind of madness. Have we selected the right wardrobe? What’s the weather forecast where we’re headed? Have I packed enough socks — and by “enough,” I mean enough for a possible ice age? Are there limits on suitcase size and weight, and did anyone bother to weigh mine before I sat on it to zip it shut? Where did I hide the passports? The plane tickets? The cruise tickets? Did I hide them so well that I, too, cannot find them? These, at least, are things I can control.
Then there’s the stuff I can’t: Is the flight on time, have the pilots decided this is the week to go on strike? There is a total eclipse of the sun today where we’re headed. Will this effect the planes radar and we land in Norway? Is there an active volcano rethinking the airport’s life choices? Will there be turbulence, a tarmac delay, a middle seat between two strangers having a reunion? The list goes on, each item more improbable and more certain to happen to me specifically.
Then it’s travel day, and none of that matters anymore —we’ve scheduled Uber to the airport. Now will she show up on time…….?
We have been fortunate to have called Pawleys Island, SC, our home for 26 wonderful years. We’ve traveled to many places, had great memories, and the same question when we return – ‘What took you so long to get here?‘ We are still blown away by the natural beauty, the history and friendly people of Pawleys Island.
But, and there is always a but, we are facing a transition. We’re not getting younger, dang it. While we intend to travel and keep busy we do have a few more aches and pains. It’s time to move all the ‘stuff’ accumulated over the last 54 years of marriage nearer to family. We are building a Casita (villa) north of San Antonio near our daughter and the grands. We will be able to go to soccer games, swim meets and watch them grow up.
In the middle of this an opportunity came up ….. too good to turn down. We purchased a condo in Winter Park, Colorado. We will be able to escape the summertime heat in San Antonio and it will be perfect for skiing. We intend to retain our golf villa in Pawleys.
We take possession of the condo in Colorado in September. The Casita in San Antonio will be finished in October. So what can we do? We’re going on a cruise to Iceland and Greenland in August!
Iceland
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History feels alive in every cobblestone and courtyard. We entered the walled city and into the narrow courtyards and alleys. One is the ‘kissing ally’. It’s claimed residents can lean out and reach the other.
Narrow
The Alcázar of Seville, originally a Moorish fort has transformed by successive Christian and Muslim rulers to extraordinary arches and towers. This spectacular cathedral is truly astonishing. The tower was originally Roman. When the Muslims arrived the tower was converted to a Mosque. Look at the facade. When Christians returned to power the tower was again built upon and the bell tower added.
The Alcazar towerAlcazar CathedralBaptismal Chapel Carvings
The king and queen of Spain in 1492 funded the voyage of Christopher Columbus to find a new way to the Orient and to seek riches. The Seville Cathedral is the final resting place of Christopher Columbus.
Cristobal ColumbusStatue to ColumbusSchool bike outing to the AlcazarA brief time to shop
Seville hosted a Worlds Exposition in 1929. They built a very large exposition center to showcase the 12 Spanish regions. Everything is on a grand scale.
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