Budapest and Bratislava

 Let's catch everyone up!! We had a great last couple of days in Budapest with a food tour one evening and a city tour the next day including a visit to the Citadella to see the Liberty statue. It's symbolic of the liberation during the Hungarian Revolution. Our visit was during the anniversary of the Revolution - a national holiday. They replaced the Hungarian flag with the flag during the Revolution. The Soviets had replaced the center of the Hungarian with the wheat during the occupation. During the Revolution, the Hungarian people cut out the wheat and used a flag with a hole in it.  

 

We then had a wonderful wine tasting deep in a wine cave. Four local wines, great pairing of sausages, cheese and langos which is Hungarian fry bread. Yesterday we disembarked the Avalon Expression and were bussed to Bratislava Slovakia (new country alert!!). There we had a city tour and had a wonderful lunch including the signature dish of Bryndzové halušky. This is best described as a decadent macaroni and cheese. It is small dumplings similar to spaetzle in a rich sheep's milk cheese bechamel topped with bacon and chives. So tasty!!

 In the afternoon we boarded the bus and arrived in Vienna. Yes - we're back!! This time we boarded the Avalon Tranquility. They made the embarkation process very easy and we were able to have the same room number as the Expression. The ship is a little bit smaller, but the same general layout. Make sure you are following Trips with Angie for more information about the ship experience.  

After settling into our new cabin, the ship's sommelier had a wine tasting at 5 PM which was followed by happy hour and then the daily briefing. We learned that we actually should be sailing tonight at about 11 PM!! The Danube apparently has a high enough level of water. We'll depart our docking location in Vienna and head to Durnstein Austria in the Wachau wine region. 

Today there are several ship excursions available but since we were here last week, we're going to have a day on our own. Angie has some work to catch up on. Then we will likely visit the Military Museum a bit later. 

Dog Islands

 Hanging out in the Dog Islands that are in Hebron Fjord watching some very interesting lenticular clouds.  The puffy, pancake-like layers are formed when wind flows across obstacles such as mountains.  The saucer-like shape often causes them to be mistaken for UFOs. 

There is a beach landing this afternoon to a former mission but we're going to skip that and enjoy the  beautiful weather and stay on deck.   It's reached 17°C. 

Tonight we have a loyalty party with other Seabourn Club members at 5:15 and we'll be having dinner at 7 PM with one of the submarine pilots.  Yes, this ship has a submarine. It hasn't been used yet on this itinerary since the Canadian government has not allowed Seabourn to launch it.  We got to tour the "garage" where they house it and take a peek inside on a prior cruise. 

Right Arm Fjord

 After we left the landing site yesterday, we enjoyed a little balcony time and tried another beer from Greenland.  Such vibrant Autumn colors!!  At 11:30, the ship had a Sip & Soup event on Deck 5 Aft where they had three soups.  One was an Asian chicken soba noodle, another was carrot ginger and my favorite was the cream of mushroom!!  So tasty on a cool day.  Lunch was a British theme but I just had a cheeseburger and salad. 

After lunch we headed to the Bow Lounge. We've enjoyed watching all the instrumentation including ship speed, wind speed, azipod positions and our heading.  The archeologist specialist onboard found it quite amusing!!  We have to be ready in case the captain calls down from the bridge. 

The ships original plan was to find a spot near Rose Island where the zodiacs could be launched for an afternoon cruise.  The winds were reading 40 kts with gusts up to 50 kts.   It helps to have experts at the instrument panels!!  Luqui our expedition leader took out a zodiac to try to find a sheltered place but the winds were just too much to allow it to be safe.   So instead the ship proceeded down the fjord and we got a great view of what is called Right Arm.  I loved how the clouds hung over the fjord. These mountains also have such different twisty striations than I've seen in fjords in Norway, Chile or Alaska.  Billions of years ago, these were part of the southern hemisphere, before the Continental collision.  And they were at the bottom of the ocean. 

This morning we arrived at Hebron Fjord for some scenic sailing. But first we'll have breakfast in the Colonnade. Then get some seats outside since it is expected to be close to 15 °C today. 

Ramah Bay

 We're in Ramah Bay this morning. It's been cloudier than the last few days.  It's currently 3° C. We've had our breakfast and are just absorbing the beauty of this place.   So many brilliant colors. It's like the swirl on an artist's pallet.  They are offering a zodiac to a beach landing but we're going to stay on board this morning. 

Polar bears

 As I've mentioned, you have to "go with the flow" on an expedition cruise.  Plan A was a morning hike.  That had to be cancelled because polar bears were spotted in the area of the planned hike.  Plan B was a short zodiac cruise but we decided to stay on the ship. In the afternoon the ship was sailing further south into another fjord for Plan C which was finding a different landing site for an afternoon hike. Along the way, first a black bear was spotted.  Then another. Then a mother polar bear and a cub. Then another pair of polar bears. One set of the polar bears were feasting on a seal with the other pair looking on from afar, waiting to see if they could get leftovers. Eventually, there was some sharing.  And then the black bear decided to join the party. It got a little feisty, but everyone ended up getting along. It was quite the afternoon!!  We spent nearly three hours watching between the Bow Lounge and on the bow.  The GSS camera image was a huge help.  You can watch that on your stateroom television or on screens around the ship, including the Bow Lounge.  We've had so many spectacular bear sightings on this cruise.

Lower Savage Islands

 Yesterday we had morning and evening zodiac tours today. In the morning we were at Lower Savage Islands where we got to without 100 feet of a polar bear!!   Amazing!!  He or she was just curious. They don't seem to really react to humans.  It was much more interested in the seal that was swimming. Although surprisingly, while seals are a major part of a polar bear's diet, they aren't able to catch seals while swimming.  The seals are just too agile and quick.  That's why the bears rely on sea ice so they can float or walk around and swoop their huge claws into the water to grab a seal for dinner. 

In the evening we had another zodiac tour around Resolution Island where we saw an interesting iceberg. Then we travelled a bit further and saw another polar bear.  Captured a few pictures just as the sun was setting.  Last night we had Thai dinner with Green Curry Chicken, Tom Yum soup and vegetarian pad Thai. 

Today we'll stop in Torngat Mountains National Park. The plan is for a beach landing with a morning hike at 8:45 AM and then an after zodiac tour.   

Northern Lights

 I'll just leave the pictures to speak for themselves!!  We have finally seen them!! At 12:10 AM, the captain made an announcement that Aurora Borealis was visible from the port side!!  We quickly put on warm clothes and ran outside to our balcony.  Amazing display. And your camera picks up colors and nuances that you can't see with your naked eye.  And the dancing!!! Saw it several times. The best description is if each light was a key on a piano and your finger is gently running up and down the keyboard.  So impressive to see.