Our location

Wind speed

                                                                          Wave height

            

                                  Video of the Greenland sea as the Viking Sky steams west

 

Random thought about a sea day:

 

Watching the Ocean is a never ending source of wonder.  It is always the same, yet always different.  It’s the difference between the macro and micro scale. While we watch the horizon, all we see is a lot of blue with white specs.  But watching as the ship plows the rolling surface we see life – birds, an occasional whale (very occasional) maybe a dolphin or three, and the patterns of waves and rollers are endlessly varied.  That is but one sense.  The sense of hearing plays a part in experiencing the whole.  We are heading into a 20 – 25 knot wind (according to Ventusky).  And the rollers are 6 feet and the waves are 8 feet.  (Again, these are only approximations according to the Ventusky app and my best guess of where we are.  But looking down from the 8^th deck, I believe the stats.). The sense of balance makes another leg of the experience.  The ship rolls left to right and bow to stern making walking a bit of an adventure.  Do not forget about the smell – crisp clean air – unadulterated as it blows unrestricted from the Greenland ice fields.  All in all, I could sit on our veranda drinking coffee (or whatever) for hours and ponder the deep thoughts one doesn’t get a chance to in our work-a-day lives.  (like how many chucks can a woodchuck chuck if a …. I digress)

 

While at sea, opportunities for entertainment are non-stop.  The staff has something doing all the time: Oragami, Bridge, Corn Hole (called Baggo in the Greenland sea), trivia, line dancing, many lectures (all about the viking’s travels in the 8^th – 11^th centuries, everything you could ever wish to know about a Humpback whale), knitting, afternoon tea, non-denominational church service, opportunities to eat, drink and socialize …

 

We hot tubbed, steam roomed and Ice caved, were lectured, were taught 3 new line dances (our cruise director, Aoibhin (pronounced Ay-bee), was an Irish dancer), and of course fed.  The Internet was unable to sustain Father Charlie’s live stream  so we did what we could.  Sea days are good to do the minimum and enjoy the luxury of just being.  Siestas are good.  Reading is good. Blogging is good.

 

            

 

                                                    Line dance class breaking up 

                                            (Aoibhin is just above Shirley’s left shoulder)