I started my day with quick breakfast at Windows cafe. Bacon and eggs at Windows is a staple for me now. When I was through with my meal I walked around the ship. After some wandering I found myself in the Cabaret lounge where the wildlife expert was giving a talk. I am not sure what the talk was about because I only caught the last 5 minutes. He showed a clip of an appearance he made on the Conan O'Brien show in which a king cobra was involved. I found out after presentation that he was the tour guide on the whale watching excursion in Iceland. I went straight to the Land Discoveries desk and booked the last seat available.
Not to long after I went to Discovery for an early lunch. I wanted to be sure I had enough to eat before leaving the ship. Again the food in Discovery is great. I had an appetizer that was mushrooms stuffed with goat cheese and wrapped in avocado, cream of tomato soup and finally a steak and cheese quesodia. This makes me look forward to tomorrow night at the chefs table even more. Not only is the food here great but I have been feeling great as well. I think I am going to make an effort to eat better when I return home.
I went to the upper deck to watch as we cruised towards the Shetland Islands. It was noticeably colder and the wind had picked up so I wore a jacket. I think they said it was like 15 degrees. We arrived in Lerwick to a beautiful view of the city. I went to my room to gather my things and made my way to meet up with my tour. After about 20 minutes they called for my group to disembark. As we headed toward the exit we were informed that the tour to Mousa Island had been canceled due to the weather. We were given the option of a refund or to take bus tour of the city. Feeling adventurous I decided to explore the city on my own and asked for a refund. I was disappointed as Mousa Island was one of the highlights for me.
I exited the boat and was met with a woman handing out maps of the city. This was helpful as I have the worst sense I direction and would have got lost in under an hour. I began to wander the streets with no set course. I noticed on the map there was a road that circled the whole town and decided this was a good enough path. Lerwick is a very industrial town. just of the coast you can see what appears to be an oil rig. There is also shipping yard that is almost equal to the size of the rest of the town. After about an hour I found myself on the other side of town where found some tall hills that overlooked the whole town. One of these hills had a small dirt road leading to the top. It was obvious what I had to do.
I began hiking up the steep grade of the hill. I couldn't get over how great the weather was despite what the cancellation of the tour would suggest. The sun was peaking out from the clouds and not only did I not need my jacket, I was breaking a sweat in just a tee shirt. About half way up the hill I turned around to find the most spectacular view and decided to continue. I saw a group of sheep near the top of the hill and made my way towards them. They stared right at me as I approached. I tried to get closer by leaving the path but they spooked and walked the other way. I took some time to take in the view I had found. The sheep began to investigate me again and I turned my attention to them. Slowly I got closer as to not scare them off. I managed to get within few meters and got some great pictures.
I met a German man at the top of the hill who was taking pictures. He said he lived in the town and informed me that the tour to Mousa had been cancelled because the boat's engine is to weak to take on the headwind. After our brief exchange he made his decent and I stayed a little longer to take in the view and hang out with the sheep. After some time had past I decided to head back to the ship to ensure I was not left behind. I managed to make it to the pier two hours early and chose to get back on the ship and beat the crowd.
My time spent in Lerwick was short but meaningful. I felt like a kid again wandering an unknown place and discovering what was around each corner. As much as I enjoyed my bike tour yesterday I think I prefer this kind of tourism. I won't be canceling any of my other tours on this trip but I think the next trip I take will be less structured. With great risk comes great reward.
We made our departure and began heading towards Iceland. I can't put into words how excited I am get to Akureyri. I have a 6 hour bus tour booked that will take me all over northern Iceland. In the mean time I am experiencing for the "swells" first time. For those who are not familiar with the term it means the boat is rocking. Fortunately I don't get motion sickness but it is still quite disorientating. I really hope this calms down. Tomorrow is another at sea day. Not something I am looking forward to but I will try to make the best of it. Worst comes to worst I can just sleep all day.
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