Sometimes a trip gives you exactly what you planned. And sometimes it laughs in your face and sends you somewhere else. Our late-July trip was supposed to be Iceland, dramatic Norwegian fjords, Amsterdam, Bruges, and a cruise in between. We got most of that. Just not necessarily in the order—or quantity—we expected.

Iceland: Wet. Very, Very Wet.

We started with a few days in Iceland because everyone who has ever been to Iceland comes home saying some version of, “You HAVE to go.” So we went.

Our first day in Reykjavik was spent wandering the city. It was chilly, drizzly, and gray, but Reykjavik is charming in a low-key way. Colorful buildings, interesting shops, walkable streets, and plenty of opportunities to duck inside somewhere warm.

The next day was the famous Golden Circle tour. For those unfamiliar, this is where Iceland shows off. Waterfalls. Geothermal features. Geological wonders. The spot where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates are literally pulling apart. It should have been amazing. Instead, it poured.

Not normal rain. Not even Texas thunderstorm rain. Sideways rain. The kind of rain that finds its way into places you didn’t know could get wet.

The geological sights were still impressive, but if I’m being honest, it was a pretty miserable day. Every photo looks like we were participating in some sort of extreme weather challenge rather than a sightseeing tour.

The Volcano That Buried a Town

The weather didn’t improve when we boarded our Oceania cruise, but fortunately our first stop was fascinating. We visited Heimaey, a small Icelandic island that experienced a volcanic eruption in 1973. The highlight was a museum built around an actual house buried by ash and lava during the eruption. Archaeologists excavated the home and preserved it in place, creating one of those museums that tells a story far better than any display case ever could. It wasn’t a huge museum, but it was one of my favorite experiences of the trip. Also, on the boat ride to/from the ship, we saw the famous cliffs of puffins; see pic, although it’s a little hard to tell cause it was – of course – raining.

The Ports That Weren’t

And then things went sideways. High winds and rough seas forced the cancellation of our next three ports – one in Iceland and two in Norway. Unfortunately, those two Norwegian ports were the entire reason we booked this particular cruise.

I wanted the famous fjords. The dramatic cliffs. The waterfalls. The scenery that fills travel magazines and screensavers. We saw exactly none of it. Not a little. Not from a distance. Not even a glimpse. For a brief moment I considered adding “Norwegian fjords” to the same category as Bigfoot and Nessie.

Oslo: The Consolation Prize

To Oceania’s credit, they didn’t simply skip the ports and call it a day. Instead, they rerouted us to Oslo, which was genuinely nice of them. The problem was that Oslo is, in the end, another European city. A perfectly pleasant European city, but not the jaw-dropping natural scenery I’d been dreaming about for months. We did a bicycle tour and enjoyed exploring the city. We also did a (kinda wet) bicycle tour in the other planned Norway stop of Haugesund, where we saw the famous horses in the sea art installation. If you’ll look very closely at the pic of the horses below, you’ll note the horse heads are oil pumps; this apparently is an activist statement against oil drilling in Norway. Of course, their entire economy is built on oil, so our longtime oil and gas minds said, “umm, hold on here just a minute ….”

Amsterdam: Excellent People Watching

By the time we reached Amsterdam, we’d adjusted our expectations and settled into the strange rhythm of cruise life. Amsterdam is tailor-made for wandering. We took a canal boat tour, strolled the city, and spent a lot of time simply sitting and watching the world go by. The Red Light District was … interesting. That’s probably the most diplomatic word for it.

As luck would have it, we arrived the day before Amsterdam hosted World Pride festivities, which made for some truly top-tier people watching. No matter where we looked, something interesting was happening. And honestly, that’s one of Amsterdam’s greatest strengths.

Bruges: Chocolate and a Pleasant Surprise

Our final stop was Bruges, Belgium. Like Amsterdam, it’s a city built for wandering. Cobblestone streets, canals, beautiful buildings—the whole package. One unexpected highlight was an art museum that turned out to be much better than we’d anticipated. Those are always my favorite travel discoveries: the things you do almost as an afterthought and end up loving. We also sampled Belgian chocolates because some experiences are mandatory. I don’t make the rules.

The Unexpected Gift

Would I have preferred to actually see the Norwegian fjords? Absolutely. But travel has a way of teaching flexibility whether you want the lesson or not. With three ports canceled, there wasn’t much to do except accept it and enjoy what remained. And weirdly, that turned out to be one of the best parts of the trip. The slower pace of the cruise forced us to relax. Fewer excursions. Less rushing around. More reading, talking, napping, watching the sea, and simply being where we were. Not what we planned. But not bad, either.

Final Thoughts

• Iceland gave us fascinating geology, volcanic history, and enough rain to last a lifetime.
• Norway gave us … well, mostly stories about what we would have seen.
• Amsterdam delivered great wandering and even better people watching.
• Bruges supplied art, chocolate, and a lovely finale.

It wasn’t the trip we expected. But like most good adventures, it gave us something worth remembering anyway.