Beyond The Maple Tree

When our Arctic cruise arrived in New Jersey, we quickly caught a flight to Orlando. Jen's parents had rented a timeshare for two weeks and had an extra room for us.

We had no real plans other than to relax, shop, and enjoy the sun. During our first week, we decided to drive down to Cape Canaveral to explore the Kennedy Space Center. We had read some positive reviews, but we had no real idea what to expect. We were pleasantly surprised by the place and the fact that they had all these real spaceships for us to contemplate.

We started with a quick history tour of U.S. space missions in the Rocket Garden. Here, we were quite impressed by how small the capsules were and amazed that these tiny modules had been strapped onto actual missiles.

After the Rocket Garden, we took a bus to see the Apollo V rocket, the rocket that was used to send astronauts to the moon. OMG, it is huge! Here, we learned about the early Apollo missions and the moon landings.

From there, we visited the Shuttle Pavilion, where we saw the Atlantis Shuttle. Once again, it was a lot bigger than we thought. We took a tour and learned interesting facts about the shuttle and its program. For example, the thermal protection blankets covering the shuttle’s belly were hand-sewn by a team of highly skilled women.

After that, we explored a few more exhibits and tried some rides, but they paled in comparison to the first pavilions we visited. We arrived right at opening (9 AM) and stayed until closing (5 PM), having a fantastic time and learning a lot.

Before our sabbatical ended, Jen’s mom found a last-minute deal on an affordable Artic cruise. So, before going back to work full-time, we decided to squeeze in one last adventure. We boarded the Royal Caribbean Jewel of the Seas in Amsterdam and set off on a 17-night journey that ended in New Jersey.

Along the way, we visited the following ports:

• Akureyri, Iceland
• Isafjordur, Iceland
• Prins Christian Sund Cruise, Greenland
• Qaqortoq, Greenland
• St. John's, Halifax, and Sidney, Canada

The Jewel of the Seas is smaller than what we’re accustomed to. It belongs to the Radiance class and is approximately 55% of the size of the Quantum class ships we’ve sailed on before. Because of its size, it lacks some of the facilities we’ve enjoyed on past cruises: no indoor sports court, FlowRider, or iFly, to name a few.

But that didn’t stop us from making the most of it. We played basketball, tried our hand at mini golf, and kept active in the gym. To be fair, most of our time was spent relaxing between ports, participating in trivia, and eating. Jen even managed to squeeze in some work.

One of the things we realized on this cruise is that the ships are so high that you always have a great view of any port you arrive at; It's like the ship is a floating observation deck. Here are a few views we enjoyed along the way: a sunset as we exited Amsterdam, some of the villages we visited, and the port of Newark.

After leaving Greenland, we made our way to our last three ports in Eastern Canada. Surprisingly, we had never visited this part of our country before, so it was a pleasant addition to our trip.

St-Johns, Newfoundland

Our first stop was St. John’s, Newfoundland, where we were greeted by a beautiful view of the city. We took a quick stroll and visited the colorful houses on Gower Street. While there are colorful houses throughout the city, we found that Gower Street offers the best continuous view of them.

We then decided to walk ~2.5 kilometers to Signal Hill, a viewpoint overlooking the city. On Signal Hill, we visited the historical site and learned that it was here, in 1901, that the first successful transatlantic wireless communication was conducted.

Halifax, Nova Scotia

Our second maritime port was Halifax, Nova Scotia's capital. We arrived here on a sunny Sunday where we set out to explore their boardwalk, which was filled with shops, activities, and people. We then visited the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, where we learned about the Titanic tragedy and the Halifax Explosion. We did not know that in 1917, a French cargo ship loaded with wartime explosives collided with a Norwegian vessel in Halifax Harbor. The collision triggered a massive explosion, one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history, leveling a significant part of Halifax. We finished our day by walking around the Citadel and watching a live band perform at Halifax's Public Gardens.

Sidney, Nova Scotia

Finally, we visited Sydney, Nova Scotia's second-largest town (but much smaller than Halifax). The primary attraction in this area is the Cabot Trail. Unfortunately, during our visit, the weather was overcast and drizzly. As a result, we just took a brief stroll around the town before returning to the ship.

On our second day in Greenland, we arrived in Qaqortoq (pronounced "Kakotok"), a city of 3,000 people in south Greenland. We woke up to a beautiful view of all the colorful houses on the cliffs and some icebergs. 

Since it’s a small port, we had a few minutes tender from the boat to the town. After a quick walk around the port, we decided to exit the town and walk around the lake. It was an easy and enjoyable hike surrounded by tundra scenery. We did not do the entire lake, we just walked around 3.5 km before turning back. 

After our hike, we decided to split up: Dom climbed to a viewpoint overlooking the city, while Jen ventured closer to one of the icebergs to get a great photo. A few hours later, we reunited back on the boat to enjoy some drinks and share our adventures.

We only had one stop in Greenland. However, to get there, the ship passed through the "Prins Christian Sund." This is a narrow strait that separates the mainland from the Cape Farewell Archipelago. It does not have any historical significance, but it is known for its landscapes, cliffs, and glaciers. It was nice, indeed.

We entered the strait around 2 PM in a lot of fog, but soon the fog lifted, and we could see the beautiful scenery. We encountered some drizzle later along the coast, but it was short-lived, and we continued to enjoy the views. We exited the main sound around 7 PM, but it took a few more hours before we made it back to the open sea.

From Akureyri, our ship made its way to Isafjordur on the northwest coast of Iceland. There, we woke up to a magnificent scene: a little town surrounded by mountains.

From the boat, we enjoyed the picturesque view of the mountains and 'Thor's Seat,' a depression in the mountain where you could imagine Thor sitting.

Though the day was overcast and drizzly, we spent our time walking around town and exploring a scenic trail to the north, which offered a nice view of the town and its stunning surroundings.

Our first port of call on our artic cruise was Akureyri, Iceland. Originally, we were supposed to spend 2 half-days in Akureyri. However, due to a big storm hitting Reykjavik, the captain decided to stay an extra night in Akureyri and skip Reykjavik. This turned out to be a great decision as it allowed us to rent a car and explore the countryside. 

Before embarking on our driving adventure, we spent our first half-day walking around Akureyri. There isn't much to see here, but there are a few cute buildings and a small botanical garden.

Additionally, they like to put knitted monsters on their trash cans and giant trolls in the streets.

On our second day, we took our expensive car rental (approximately $300 CAD) and set out on an adventure. 

Our first stop was Godafoss. The name means "Waterfall of the Gods" and it originates from the legend that in 1000 AD, Iceland's transition from paganism to Christianity was marked by casting Norse idols into Godafoss.

We then made our way to Lake Mytval, where we stopped at two spots to admire the lake and the rock formations. 

We had been warned that there were many bugs, but did not realize there were that many. Luckily, we were equipped with the super bug-protecting head nets that we had purchased for $1 - the best buy ever.

Next, we did a quick stop at a hot spring. We didn't jump in due to time constraints and the high price tags (the adult price was around ~$70 CAD).

Not far away, we then stopped at Hverir. This is a geothermal area in Iceland, known for its bubbling mud pools, hissing steam vents, and vibrant sulfuric landscapes.

30 minutes later, we made our last big stop at Dettifoss and Selfoss waterfalls. Dettifoss is a colossal waterfall renowned as Europe's most powerful waterfall. A small 1 km walk from the parking lot and you are at the fall. You can get really close to it and appreciate the power of the water. Another kilometer walk upriver takes you to see the sister fall, Selfoss.

On the way back, we took the coastal road and we made some small stops to stretch our legs and enjoy the scenery.

One of the things we appreciated about our ride, is that the journey is as impressive as the attractions themselves. We got to experience so many different landscapes in just one day of driving. 

Before embarking on our Arctic Cruise, we made a quick 3-day stopover in Antwerp. While our original plan was to spend one night in Amsterdam, the Grand Prix event happening that weekend made staying for 4 nights in Antwerp cost about the same as 1 night in Amsterdam.

With no particular expectations in mind, we were pleasantly surprised to discover the city's inherent charms. We strolled through the historical center and had the chance to visit some of its attractions: The central station, the cathedral, the botanical garden, and the medieval fortress (Het Steen), to name a few.

During our stay, we were fortunate to witness the "De Reuzen" parade, translating to "The Giants" in English. This captivating event featured two enormous articulated canine puppets that paraded down Antwerp's main street.

Belgium's reputation for an extensive network of bike paths convinced us to partake in a cycling trip. One sunny day, we embarked on a 45 km ride westward along the river Scheldt to the city of Steendorp. As we savored our lunch, we noticed foreboding dark clouds gathering to the north. Deciding not to take any chances, we quickly finished our sandwiches and commenced our return journey. As luck would have it, we encountered a brief but intense thunder shower that lasted no more than 20 minutes. We got drenched but dried up on our last 20 km home. 

An interesting aspect of our ride was that, to cross the river Scheldt, we had to take a 32-meter elevator down to a tunnel that went under the river.

All in all, our unexpected detour to Antwerp turned into a captivating prelude to our upcoming Arctic expedition. The city's architectural marvels, engaging events, and cycling escapades left us with fond memories of our time spent in this hidden gem of a destination.

Bangkok is a huge city full of multiple markets and shopping malls. During our stay, we we decided to check out 3 tourist-oriented markets.. and 1 mall 😂. 

To visit the Railway and Floating markets, we booked a Tripadvisor tour ($30usd/pp), as they are located outside Bangkok. 

Maeklong Railway Market

Located approximately 1 hour's drive from Bangkok, at the end of a 65km train track, Maeklong Railway Market's history dates back to the early 1900s when the railway was originally built.  What makes this market very unique, is its location directly on the train track. 

Whenever a train approaches the market, merchants swiftly dismantle their kiosks to allow the train to pass, and then they set everything back up again as soon as the train has passed.  The vendors have become absolute experts at positioning their merchandise incredibly close to the tracks, just out of the way of the passing train, thus eliminating the need for frequent relocation of their wares. 

Although the market has become overrun by tourists, it still continues to serve prepared foods and produce to locals. 

During our tour, we boarded the train a few stations before the final stop.  This gave us the perspective of the market from inside the train. We then disembarked to visit the market and observe the vendor's take-down and setup routine as another train passed through the market on its way back to Bangkok. 

Prior to taking the train, we also had a quick visit at a local salt farm.

Damnoen Saduak Floating Market

After visiting the train market, we continued on our journey to the floating market.  It was originally created after King Rama IV built a 32km canal to join 2 nearby rivers.  Although it has lost its primary vocation serving locals, the tourist industry has certainly kept it alive.  Tourists flock here to experience shopping for various touristy goods, from their designated long boat.  

Our tour stopped here to first enjoy green curry and mango sticky rice for lunch, then we hopped on a boat to be navigated through the canal. 

One of the land merchants at the boat dock, had a Loris.  Although the experience was questionable, seeing a live Loris in real life has been on Jen's bucket list forever.  After a little hesitation, we did pay to hold it and take some pictures.  They also had a baby one that they let us hold.  Jen was really 😍😍😍.

MBK Mall

Every time we've been to Bangkok, we've gone here to find cheap t-shirts for Dom and cheap electronics for Jen. This time was no exception, as it just happened to be the drop-off location of our Markets tour 😂.

Chatuchak Weekend Market

On one of the days, we visited the Bangkok Weekend Market (Chatuchak) to buy some souvenirs.  Dating from the mid-20th century, this market first started as a small local market and now boasts around 15,000 stalls and up to 200k visitors every weekend. You can find a lot of things here, but we personally found that the Chiang Mai weekend markets had a better selection of more-original, artistic souvenirs.

We spent the last part of our trip with Dom's mom, in Bangkok. 

Despite the humid 35°C temperatures, we managed to visit 3 main temples in Bangkok: 

• Wat Phra Kaew, known as the Grand Palace and host to the Emerald Buddha, 
• Wat Pho, home to the huge reclining buddha, and 
• Wat Arun, also known as the Temple of Dawn. 

Wat Phra Kaew

Wat Pho

Wat Arun

To get to Wat Arun, we hopped on a 5THB ferry to cross the river.  Wat Arun has more of a Khmer style, so it was more similar to the temples that we had seen in Cambodia.

Our hotel was also very near to some other temples, so we decided to stop by for a quick visit. Jen enjoyed watching and listening to the monks chanting.

Wat Suthat (and the giant swing)

Wat Ratchanatdaram Worawihan and the Golden Temple.  

Although we didn't get a chance to visit the inside of these temples, we were able to take a short walk to see some nice views of them illuminated at night.