The Great Viking Cook-Off Aboard the Viking Sea.....

If you’re looking for a fun time, be sure to watch the Great Viking Cook-Off when aboard a Viking Ocean Cruise. Hilarious antics prevail as two teams, the red and green peppers, have a spirited cook-off to see which can come up with the best three dishes. All of this happens with our Executive Chef, Eric,  overseeing the event in the Star Theater. Enjoy a truly witty and fun event!

Happy travels,
~ Cindy

#MyVikingStory

Sailing in the Sanguenay Fjord and Spotting Whales.....

Sailing in the Saguenay Fjord was quite beautiful to see pine and birch trees lining the shoreline along with jagged rocks. The highlight of our sail in the fjord was seeing the whales! We saw some Beluga and we think, Minke whales. 

Saguenay is a region in Quebec, Canada. The little town we visited today was founded in 2002 when they combined two or three towns into one. The population in this area is about 20,000 according to our taxi driver.

We are here tonight until 8:30 p.m. and then set sail for Quebec City. Our cruise is nearly over and it’s been most enjoyable. Sailing with Viking is alway first class and their stellar crew makes sure that we are taken well care of. 

Happy travels to all,

~ Cindy

#MyVikingStory #VikingOcean #VikingSea #InTheWakeoftheVikings

The North Coast....St. Anthony Newfoundland...

Weather has been a bit of an issue for us on this trip. The North Atlantic hasn’t been a very agreeable  partner. The Viking Sea, once again, had to change ports because of weather and tendering obstacles. Instead of landing in L’Anse aux Meadows, Newfoundland, we have dropped anchor in St. Anthony, Newfoundland. It’s proven to be a much smoother transition to our “The North Coast” excursion.

We opted for an optional tour and decided to go with the Alcock family’s Cape Islander fishing boat tour. There were 47 passengers on our boat and we quickly headed out to sea passing huge granite rock formations and birds perched high in their nests.

Dolphins were the creature of the day. Several pods with upward of 30 white nose dolphins greeted us and played happily around our boat. No whales were spotted as most have migrated and others were much further out to sea where it was much too rough for our little boat to venture. It was a very enjoyable yet chilly two hour tour.

Happy travels to all,

~ Cindy

#MyVikingStory

French Cooking School Aboard the Viking Sea.....

Cooking schools are an interesting and fun way to pass on a sea day. The Viking Sea offers several diffferent cuisines during our “In the Wake of the Vikings” cruise. We explored the French cuisine and were treated to a very fine luncheon 

I have to say there was very little hands-on experience compared with our last Cooking school on the Viking Sky. There were twelve members in our group and each of us was able to do a bit of prep work with the vegetables for our meals.

Our meal consisted of a Marmite Dieppoise, which is a creamy fish stew, Beef Filet Mignon with leek-goat cheese fondue; chorizo salsa, and Baileys Chocolate Mousse for dessert. 

It was a lot of fun and worth to try at least once.

Happy travels,

~Cindy

#MyVikingStory

Qaqortoq, Greenland....A Glimpse of Its People and Town...

Viking Sea ~ In the Wake of the Vikings

Tendering into Qaqortoq, Greenland from our Viking Sea vessel was a smooth ride today. The sun is shining and the waters are calm. Our guide, Joanne, spoke three languages. English, Inuit, and Danish. We enjoyed local hospitality with Christine and her husband in their home. We were treated to cakes and coffee and tea...traditional foods. This is a wonderful excursion and gave us a much better insight into the people of Greenland and their way of life. I highly recommend.

Happy travels,

~ Cindy 

#MyVikingStory  #VikingOceanCruises

Viking Sea Vocalist Bethan Performs in our Atrium....

Bethan is a very talented singer and performer aboard the Viking Sea’s “In the Wake of the Viking” itinerary. She’s one of four singers that are performing on our cruise. Bethan gave us quite a performance in our Atrium and I hope you’ll enjoy a few moments of her vocal talent. She focused on songs from the 40’s, 50’s, and 60’s. Bethan is from Great Britain. We’re looking forward to the entire casts performances. 

Happy Travels,

~ Cindy

#MyVikingStory

Lerwick, Scotland....Viking Sea Sail Away...

Viking Sea ~ In the Wake of the Vikings

Sail always are always somewhat nostalgic. Leaving the beautiful city of Lerwick, Scotland and the beautiful countryside for our second time brought back many memories. Standing on the upper deck of the Viking Sea provided us with great views of the shoreline.  Enjoy a few moments of our sail away from Lerwick and perhaps it may inspire you to visit here soon.

Happy Travels to all,

~ Cindy

#MyVikingStory #VikingOceanCruises

Sailing Through Greenland and Its Fjords....

Viking Sea ~ In the Wake of the Vikings

This morning we awakened early to see beautifully stark mountains, glaciers, and waterfalls in the distance. With the sun rising we beheld lovely pink and blue hues shimmering over the distant snowy mountains of Greenland. 

We were hoping to tender into Nanortalik, Greenland, but the weather proved to be too inclement. Our next port will be Qaqortoq, Greenland where there is a sheltered port. We’re hoping to be able to step foot on shore and meet a local family along with an interpreter. Our excursion is “An Intimate Glimpse of Life in Greenland.”

Happy travels to all,

~ Cindy

#MyVikingStory #VikingCruises

Signs of Life in Greenland....

While skirting the island of Greenland during our Viking Ocean Cruise, we spotted signs of life. Colorful houses but no sign of any people in the area. There was a large garbage dump at the base of the village near the ocean which you can spot in the video. Also, a generator and cell tower. I couldn’t see any roads and have no idea other than fishing boats what mode of transportation these people may have.  We’re traveling “In the Wake of the Vikings” aboard the Viking Sea.

Happy Travels to all,

~ Cindy

#MyVikingStory 

Ancient Civilizations of the Shetlands....

The Zamirowski’s are off on an other Viking adventure and this time we’re exploring “In the Wake of the Vikings” aboard the Viking Sea. We departed from Chicago and flew to Reykjavik for a four day pre-extension and then flew to Bergen, Norway where we boarded the Viking Sea. 

Our first port of call upon leaving Bergen, was Lerwick, Scotland in the Shetland Islands. We explored the ancient civilizations of which four time periods have been discovered in this beautiful landscape. The settlement of Jarlshof is over 5,000 years old and features a sequence of stone structures. “A dry stone brooch indicates the Iron Age, while an ancient Norse longhouse tells of a thriving Viking community.” Neolithic, Bronze, Iron, and Vikings settled in this community over a period of 5,000 years. Truly remarkable. 

Enjoy a few scenes from our “Ancient Civilizations of the Shetlands” optional tour.

Happy travels to all,

~ Cindy 

Whale Watching in Reykjavik.....

We are adventuring again this fall with the Viking Sea and “In the Wake of the Vikings.” Upon our return to Reykjavik we opted for the Whale Watching excursion since we had done the four day pre-extension prior to our voyage and caught all the typical hot spots....The Blue Lagoon, The Golden Circle, etc. 

Today’s excursion we saw some Minke whales and porpoises along with various sea birds. The porpoises and whales were very playful and I managed to get a few shots of them with my Canon G15. 

Traveling with us this time are our brother and sister-in-law as seen in this video. 

Enjoy and happy travels to all!

#Zamszanytravels #MyVikingStory 

A Taste of Norwegian Farm Life.....

We are sailing once again and this time we are aboard the Viking Sea with their “In the Wake of the Vikings” itinerary. 

A Taste of Norwegian Farm Life was our excursion in Bergen, Norway. Beautiful scenery, soaring mountains, and tranquil lakes surround the Ovre Eide working farm. Five generations of farmers since the 1850’s worked this land. We saw the Norwegian spel sheep and Viking horses and were treated by the farmer with his very own baked goodies! He not only farms the land, but teaches cooking at the local prison so prisoners when released can get a good job. We had almond pralines, coconut macaroons, and berries and cream along with some rich hot chocolate. This was a very easy and informative tour. #MyVkingStory