Island of Ischia & Poseidon Thermal Bath

We had previously visited Sorrento, Amalfi coast & Pompeii. Our sons went with Rome in limo to see these sites. We had planned to see Capri on our own, but then this ship excursion caught our eye. (I rarely do ship excursions anymore- people- too many, price- too much, safety- you're a target) but to go this far away from Naples....we thought we'd better stick with the cruise line. Our draw here was the Poseidon thermal gardens
(Click the link for a great resource about the whole island & great pictures of the gardens!)
 We began boarding a hydrofoil boat right off the pier. We made 1 stop at the island of Procida. We arrived to Ischia at about 1015 am.

                                                              Our hydrofoil- very smoothe

                You can do a beach on your own but I wouldn't recommend it- very small & rocky

 We had time to either go to a beach or get lunch. Knowing we were spending the afternoon in the Poseidon area , we had lunch.

                                                     Arugula, Parma & Parmesean

 Jim got fresh squeezed lemonade & ripped off by the taxi driver below....$3 so not worth it but clarify prices upfront.

            It's a geothermal, warm rocky area that grows pretty flowers because of the rich soil.

                                                  We meet Poseidon about 12:30

                                                 See the steam off of the waterfall? Hot!

 If you haven't opened the link to this , please do! Each pool had a different temperature.

            Jim went from a pool of 40C to 15C as it is supposed to force toxins from your body.

 Swim caps are mandatory. I forgot to bring my sandals so make sure you bring sandals or water shoes.

                                                         The view was amazing!

Noteworthy: we did not stop at Procida on the way back, faster ride but if planning a tip to Procida make sure that you check out how to get back to Naples!
We had dinner at Giovanni's table again- no one was feeling formal night after a long, hot day.

Being Airlifted from a Cruise Ship in Norway

 The Viking cruise ship , Viking Sky, encountered a significant storm. Rough seas caused the engines to cut out and they were forced into shallow waters near a rocky coast, known for shipwrecks off the coast of Molde, a small town in Norway  just North of Bergen.

The captain was able to anchor about 500 feet  from hitting the rocks. He got 1 engine working and was able to steer away from the shore.

They were unable to board the lifeboats due to high water & rocking of ship. They were air rescued after the injured.

 Luckily Beth & Jan were in muster group A and were off around the 150 mark, but their friends were delayed & had to spend the night. (Photo credit The Points Guy & CNN)

They had to use the pumps to divert water so the toilets weren't working. It proved to be a long night for those onboard. Over 400 were airlifted and they were able to get the ship to shore for other's to disembark.
I was happy to get this picture from my sister Beth.

And to see my sister & Jan interviewed on CNN was so bizarre. So grateful they okay!

Beth & Jan's Interview on CNN

Has this deterred them from cruising? No. Viking has done a great job of service recovery. This cruise was reimbursed, they were offered another cruise & invited to sail on the maiden voyage of the 2021 new ship launch. Kudos to the rescuers & Viking. Well done.

Cheers!

                    And she even sent me flowers when she got home. What a sister!

Whale Watching and Shopping- Iceland Day 5

Our final day in Iceland kept us in Reykjavic. We woke up early and went to the buffet in the hotel Icelandair Marina. Their buffet was good but I liked the cafe style breakfast just before you get to the buffet part. Much cheaper and great Icelandic yogurt!
 We walked around town and did some Christmas shopping. I had to get to the Hard Rock for my obligatory Hard Rock guitar pin. We really enjoyed Iceland's quirky signs and overall relaxed attitude. Cool museums along the way were the Art , Volcano and Punk Rock museums.

                                        Probably the best price in town...yah, probably.

After shopping we had to go get our obligatory vacation burger. Right by the hotel we found it!

                                               Very casual and nice homemade burgers

                                  Fun posters kept me entertained as we waited for our food

                                                       Jim enjoyed reading a local paper

After lunch we met the gang and went to the whale watching spot. Unfortunately we didn't realize there were 2 different tours and Gina & Dave went on the larger, slower boat. Once Gina saw our high speed boat she was quite happy about it!

                                                                Jelly fish floated by!

                                    Ducks were near (He said there were cousins to the puffins)

                                          A storm was a bit away & not in our path - beautiful!

 It was hard to see where the sea ended and the sky began. A dolphin breaks the line if you look closely.

                                                        Our guide from Spain

We did a wild figure 8 behind the Harpa that was fun. Grateful we didn't die! We headed out to town to try the hot dogs that we heard so much about.

 So the hot dog has part pork part lamb. Underneath it has raw onions and fried crispy onions. It also has bacon. on top is a mustard & mayo mixture. It was gorgeous 60 degrees out and we had a nice lunch. It was a nice goodbye to Iceland. Van picked us up at the airport & we flew home getting to bed about 0130 am. A quick but wonderful trip!