London, England     August 20, 2010

Arrive in London, England and check into your included hotel.

Royal London & Buckingham Palace.

Explore the lifestyles of the rich and royal on a guided tour that takes you past some of England’s most famous palaces including Kensington Palace, home of the late Diana, Princess of Wales; Clarence House, home of the late Queen Mother, currently being renovated by Prince Charles; St James Palace, Prince Charles’ current London home; and Westminster. By far the highlight of your tour will be a visit to Buckingham Palace, the official London residence of Queen Elizabeth II.

The palace was opened to visitors for the first time in 1997, with the intention of raising money to fund the restoration of Windsor Castle, badly damaged by fire in 1992. The restoration, now complete, cost nearly £40 million. Word has it that the palace will only remain open until the remaining funds have been raised, then Buckingham Palace will close its doors once more — making today’s visit truly a once-in-a-lifetime privilege.

The palace is furnished with fine pictures and works of art from the Royal Collection, assembled over four centuries by successive sovereigns. Many of the state rooms have been in continuous use since the doors of the palace first opened and many of the works of art are displayed in the rooms for which they were originally intended.

After this fascinating tour, you’ll be taken to your ship.

Situated just off the south coast of Iceland, Heimaey, the largest of the Westman Islands, has a population of about 4,000. The islanders have made their living from the sea from the days of the first settlers. During today’s tour you’ll be introduced to the main attractions of the island. We’ll leave the perfectly formed natural harbor area with its tall cliffs inhabited by multitudes of puffin, fulmar and guillemot; both the birds and their eggs are essential to this community's prosperity.

Our first stop will be Sprangan, a cliff where young islanders are taught the local sport of rope swinging. The sport has evolved from the islanders’ age-old tradition of egg-collecting and to this day local men hop expertly from ledge to ledge, collecting eggs while attached to a lifeline held by an anchorman at the top of the cliff. Then we’ll head out to the Herjolfsdalur valley, the site of an interestingly situated golf course.

Traveling along the island’s west coast, take in the panoramic vistas of the outer islands, the youngest of which, Surtsey, was born in the volcanic eruption of 1963. We’ll visit Storhofdi, with its magnificent view of the island and majestic glaciers on the mainland (weather permitting). During spring and early summer, Storhofdi is home to the largest puffin colony on Heimaey.

On our drive back, we’ll travel between two volcanoes: the 5,000-year-old Helgafell (or Holy Mountain) and the considerably younger Eldfell (or Mt. Fire). Eldfell erupted in January 1973 making it necessary to evacuate almost all of the 5,000 inhabitants to the mainland. You can see Eldfell up close from the viewpoint located at the base of the volcano. Continue over the new lava fields into the very center of the volcano’s crater. From the crater we’ll drive directly into town, making a stop at the so-called “Pompei of the North,” past the ruins of houses buried in the lava and continuing through the main streets of town. Before heading back to the harbor, we’ll make a stop at the Skansinn wooden church. The church was donated to the people of the Westman Islands by the state of Norway to commemorate the millennium of Christianity in Iceland.

This classic Reykjavik excursion encompasses Iceland’s “Big Three:” the Gullfoss waterfall, the Geysir hot springs area and Thingvellir National Park. They are collectively known as the Golden Circle and offer a glimpse of the scenic wonders for which Iceland is justly renowned.

We begin our day venturing into the beautiful Thingvellir National Park — a UNESCO World Heritage Site — about 30 miles from Reykjavik. At Thingvellir you’ll experience one of the Iceland’s most scenic regions. The area is surrounded by mountains and encompasses a vast lava plain of green moss and wild flowers. Icelanders regard it as a sacred place, for the world’s oldest legislative parliament, the Althing, was first convened here in 930 A.D. Of special note are the Law Speaker’s rock and the remains of the turf shelters. These shelters were once used as dwellings during the two-week assemblies of the Althing, which were held at the height of summer every year.

Our tour continues with the Gullfoss waterfall (Golden Waterfall), the river Hvita (White River) drops 96 feet in two falls here, creating the country’s most famous waterfall, an awesome spectacle. Visit the Geyser area, where you’ll see hissing springs and other geothermal phenomena. Here, among these scenic surroundings, enjoy lunch in the restaurant Geysir. Then we’ll start the return journey to Reykjavik. En route we’ll make a short visit to the Hellisheidi Power Plant. Once back in the capital, we’ll stop briefly at the Pearl vantage point before arriving back at the pier.

Nuuk, Greenland     September 1, 2010

The capital of Greenland and its largest city, Nuuk is still very small compared with other world capitals. It was founded in 1728 by missionaries and is today a modern town with a fascinating blend of indigenous traditions.

After a stirring welcome by a local choir, you’ll board your motorcoach for a tour of the city. Starting with the old city center you’ll see Our Savior’s Church, Parliament and the old harbor, from which you may catch a glimpse of a passing whale. Next you’ll set out for the modern suburb of Nuussuaq, with the University of Greenland (world’s smallest university), the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources and Grandmother’s Traditional Turf Hut.

Then it’s back to the center of town where you’ll have an opportunity to explore the Greenland National Museum on your own. Of particular interest are the regional costumes and the Qilakitsoq mummies, among other artifacts. Your tour will end with an exciting kayak show on the waterfront.

Paamiut (Frederickshaab), Greenland          September 2, 2010

This afternoon your ship will navigate through the magnificent waters of Arsuk Fjord. We’ll head out in the Zodiacs, landing in the former cryolite mining village of Iviigtuut, where a mineral museum is located. You’ll have time to visit the museum, before exploring the town. Iviigtuut stands on the site of a Norse Middle Settlement.

At the end of our visit, we’ll reboard the Zodiacs and explore the coastline. Look up at the mountain slopes and you just might spy some musk oxen.

Qassiarsuk (Brattahlid), Greenland     September 3, 2010

With a population of just 1,800 people, Narsaq is Greenland’s second largest town. It’s beautifully situated on a flat peninsula in the southwest, surrounded by spectacular scenery, with the occasional iceberg floating by.

You’ll be greeted at the pier by a girl dressed in national costume and will see welcome banners all over town. You can either take a guided tour of Narsaq or grab a map and do your own independent exploration; local shuttle cars will also be available if you’d prefer riding to walking. Among the sights to see are the church, the local market and the town’s small museum. There will also be a craft demonstration in a community house outside of the museum.

In the afternoon we’ll take out the Zodiac boats and land on a beach near Qassiarsuk (Brattahild). This area, located far up a picturesque fjord, was the settlement established by Viking Erik the Red in about 985 A.D. Feel free to walk through the little village, stop in the local shop and see the statue of Erik’s son, the famed New-World explorer, Leif Eriksson. Then view the remains of Erik the Red’s original settlement, for which he recruited several hundred Icelandic settlers.

This site may also contain the first Christian church in the New World. View a reproduction of the church, a typical long house, farmhouse ruins and gravestones.

St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada     September 8, 2010

Disembark or continue your journey with the next voyage.