Final days on board and Helgoland

So, the last day at sea and although the trip has been fantastic, I realise I am not a cruise person. I need to be able to find quiet corners where nothing is happening and there is nobody there. I see that although I love people and fun and laughter, I also need space and this you do not have on board. I miss such places as my lovely seat alone overlooking the Pfaeffikersee or my gorgeous garden where I can listen to thebirds singing. 

Talking of birds, I had mybreakfast next to the pool and there was a young bird there.

 

There were 4 possibilities. He was also looking for a place on his own ,or  was young, sick or simply tired ,and the last option, clever. As, after an hour, he took off and flew away with ease, one can assume he was just hitching a bit of a ride. Last option - Intelligent!

There is a Muenich beer festival going on downstairs, but here on deck 9 it is peaceful, sunny and in the distance the ghostly silhouettes of the wind farms. It is nice. Soon we will be on land - sadly the tenders will be used again, but it should be calm there. 

The day started with a bird and continued with the most fantastic close up encounters with thousands of pairs of nesting gannets. I had seen gannets before in Napier NZ but it was brilliant to have another chance to see so many so close with such spectacular landscape, on Helgoland.

 

Both of these rocky outcrops were within metres of the path and the birds were totally unphased by all the admirers . Considering the first pairs of gannets only arrived in Helgoland in 1991 they have been hugely successful, and busy 😀, with now around 75,000 pairs! 

 

'Come back, I am hungry'! This cute little chick seemed desperate despite constant visits from a parent! A bit like us on board, with food offered so often! 

 

No place for me to be with my fear of heights, but gannets and sheep live here very harmoniously, perched up on the cliffs!

 

Great steps are being taken to try to protect the far rock, named Lange Anna, because of the huge colony nesting on it. 

 

With the Albatross, 'the old white lady', awaiting our return, we sadly had to leave this fabulous place. Thanks to the storm, we were able to visit this tiny island and marvel at nature's wonders.

 

The final sunset and the new moon reflecting on the water were a fitting end to an incredible journey to lands I had long yearned to see. They were remarkable in so many ways and I am very thankful to have had the chance to visit them. I could never live either in Greenland or Iceland, but the brief glimpse of life there was really special. Glaciers, waterfalls, mountains and gorges, volcanic areas, tiny sparsely populated towns with colourful little houses, wonderfully located graveyards with their white crosses and colourful plastic flowers, lots of wooden staircases, poverty in many places, rubbish issues in some communities as consumerism kicks in in others, spectacular fiords, endless sea and close encounters with whales and icebergs. What a trip!

 As the luggage was offloaded from deck 6 , where I had spent most mealtimes, sometimes in freezing temperatures, sometimes in warm sunshine, it was time to head back to land and onwards to Bremen and Danzig!

Some interesting and somewhat shocking stats for 23 days!

11.125 km travelled 

29935 eggs eaten

7573 litre table wine consumed ( free). I always had bottles of NZ wine, one every three days. It was so much nicer!

3,620 litres beer

Spaghetti 1073 sea miles worth. One sea mile . 1,852 km

2,896 kg fish

603 litres ice cream - amazing considering the cold at times.

A fascinating cruise, with sometimes' on board ' culture shock. I was the new kid on the block , where the majority were seasoned cruise ship passengers. I was the only Kiwi - mostly an advantage, but sometimes I found the pushiness and curtness hard to cope with. I am sure I was just as difficult to understand, as I chose to eat from the buffet on deck 6 in the fresh air  and often biting winds ( with spectacular scenery too) rather than to eat in the more elegant and sophisticated dining room with waiter service. I loved being able to sample a little of many different things, and we also had a fantastic pizzeria with pizza choices regularly changing. Waiters outside were really friendly and we could choose where we sat. There was a hardcore of about 25 of us who regularly ate outside, so it was also a good place to get to know others. My merino clothing was certainly well used, as was my German - 99 percent of the time. Super!

Will I do another cruise? Probably not, as I like to do my own thing a lot. However, the coast up to Anchorage is a possibility, a means to an end, as was this trip. Will I visit Greenland  and Iceland again? Greenland not - I saw so many fabulous things in such brilliant weather ( the cruise two days after us could not see many of the things we saw because of too many ice bergs in the bay where we had anchored) that it would be impossible to do better! Iceland - yes, if possible, probably in 2018 if I am fit and healthy. So if anyone wants to join me and travel by car around the island, let me know. Vancouver to Anchorage too!