Report #120 Saturday April 29, 2023 Oban, Scotland At Anchor Starboard Side Facing The Town 8am-4pm Overcast With No Sun 42-48 Degrees

 

Today's port of call was a new one for us – Oban, Scotland.  We have been to another Oban, but it was on Stewart Island, New Zealand.   We have been finding that many city names that are in this part of the world, were taken by the immigrants when they traveled to other parts of the world….especially New Zealand and Australia.  The Zuiderdam arrived to the bay outside of Oban early this morning under heavily overcast skies.  We were told it had rained earlier, but had stopped.  The temperature was 48 degrees on our veranda, so our heavy jackets will be needed again.

 

During breakfast, we watched as local ferries of all sizes sailed past us.  It appears that this port is much more active than the one in Portree yesterday.   There were a few tours today which included a trip to Inverary Castle for $85 for 4 hours or a stop at Arderaine Gardens for $90 for 3 ½ hours.  For the first time, we noticed that each start time for the tours would have different tender tickets issued.  It was made perfectly clear that each bus group would be stickered in the lounges before being released to the tender boat.  Guess there have been some problems or even accidents with some folks that had to be first in the bus.  Another reason we stopped doing them a long time ago.

 

Doing a little research before we left the ship, we got an idea of the town's layout as well as possible restaurants.  We left the ship at 11:30am and got seats on the tender boat right away.  It surprised us to see how many people were already coming back to the ship when we left.  One of the first places we saw was the Information Center right near the tender gangway.  Gathering some local maps was easy as well as picking up some other flyers to learn as much as we could about the area. 

 

Considered a busy little ferry port, Oban is a good base for exploring the gardens of Argyll.  We have always associated the word Argyll with socks with a plaid pattern.  Now we have learned that Argyll is a county here.  Many stores have that in their name.  Anyway, this picturesque area has fjords and sea-lochs and so many islands you can't count them all.  They are all linked by an excellent ferry network, as we have witnessed today. Walking through the town, we saw many travelers arriving by ferry with rolling suitcases to spend a weekend in one of the several hotels here.  Actually Monday is a bank holiday, so it will be a three day weekend. 

 

We took a walk along the waterfront passing all of the old buildings that are now hotels and shops.  Hotel Columba, Royal, and Regent were among the largest hotels.  Across the street was the Oban Distillery and directly above it was McCaig's Tower, remnants from the past.  A lot of activity was closer to the ferry terminal where a small version of Fisherman's Wharf was located.  There was a series of seafood restaurants here as well as some take-away cafes.  Since it was noontime by now, the area was getting really crowded. 

 

To get away from the crowded streets, we went uphill and strolled past smaller shops and bakeries.  Even those were busy with people, especially the bakery.  We ended up at the Church of Scotland where an old cemetery was around the back.  Many of the gravestones were so old, the printing was about gone.  Some dated back to the 1800's.   We followed the back street to the harbor front, and decided it was a good time to look for a lunch venue. 

 

We happened upon a place called Piazza, an Italian eatery.  There were many people dining in there, so we suspected it was probably good food.   Going inside, we were asked if we had reservations, which we did not.  No problem, we were seated at a table for two by the window.  Perfect.  We ordered two Isle of Skye Gold beers and one Hawaiian pizza to share.  We added some breaded and fried cheese sticks which were really good.  The pizza was not as large as Peppe's in Norway, but this way we had room for a dessert.  Our waitress brought the menu and we saw something different called Mama Jama.  Wondering what it was, our nice waitress explained with such a heavy Scottish accent that neither of us understood what she had said.   But we did not let on, so we ordered it to find out.  Has anyone ever heard of a Knickerbocker Glory?  That was the real name of this dessert which came in a large tall glass with diced fruit on the bottom, drizzled with a red syrup ,then  filled with vanilla ice cream and topped with whipped cream, sprinkles and a cherry.  Two long spoons came with the dessert.  Now the story goes that this "parfait" was developed in honor of the Knickerbocker Hotel in New York City after the icon closed in the early 1900's.  The actual hotel was painted pink and cream so the drink was fashioned after those colors.  By the way, it was very good.  We also learned that this treat is a favorite of folks in Great Britain and Ireland as well.   See….you can learn something new just about every day.

 

It was close to 3pm, so we thought it was best to head back to the ship as the all aboard time was 3:30pm.  Since a bus had just returned from a tour,  the tender boat filled quickly and we were off in a jiffy.  Most of the guests were packing shopping bags of all sizes.  And many of them were filled with treats like shortbread cookies in special tins.  Everything plaid may have been in those shopping bags as well.

 

There was supposed to be a scenic sail away commentary by Ian in the Crow's Nest, but we could not find it on the bow TV camera.   We were so involved with processing photos and reading the local brochures, we forgot we had been invited to a cocktail party in the Rolling Stone Lounge at 6:30pm.  Not only that, there had been a 3:30pm serving of Scottish peel and eat shrimp and steamed mussels at the Lido poolside.  Not that we would have gone to that event, but we didn't even know it had occurred until Heo and Greg told us about it at dinnertime.  Something else we missed was the "dressy" suggested attire at dinner tonight.  We were already dressed in compliance, but we did not expect that dress code on a port day.  Guess we need to read the Daily Program in the morning.  Or not…… there are just a few more days left now.

 

The menu tonight had a Scottish favorite – haggis.  It was served as an appetizer.  Both Heo and Barb tried it, but judging by their first reaction, we knew it wasn't what they had expected.  Three of us had the pot roast, which has always been consistently good.  Tonight, it had not been cooked long enough, and was tough.  The fellows had more seafood with shellfish, and I ordered a pasta dish with slices of chicken breast.  Sometimes you win, sometimes you don't.  Simple desserts of sherbet and frozen yogurt were fine as always.

 

Surprise….we had gifts tonight – two vintage-style anniversary canvas tote bags, like the kind we always got in the beginning of a grand voyage.  Or any cruise for that matter.   These totes are the strongest bags, which were stopped being gifted many years ago.   The message that came with these gifts said:  This Grand Voyage is an adventure like no other, and we are thankful to share this experience with you.  It was signed by the Captain, officers, and crew.  Yes, we agree, this has been like no other for sure.

 

And another surprise -  there were two pillow chocolates wrapped differently than the HAL ones, but definitely the same idea.  Had someone bought these on shore somewhere?  Sometimes it takes the little things to make us smile.

 

Tomorrow will be an interesting day as we will be tendering to a port we have never visited before.   It is called Dun Laoghaire for the city of Dublin.  Somewhere along the line, we must have been bumped from docking in Dublin, and now we will have to make our own way to Dublin on a train we heard.  According to one of the tour descriptions selling a transfer to the city, the ride will take 45 minutes each way.  With the all aboard time after 5:30pm, that might be tight spending a day in Dublin.  If tendering wasn't involved, it might have been easier.  So we intend to explore Dun Laoghaire instead.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

170 Pictures

Report #119 Friday April 28, 2023 Portree, Scotland At Anchor Tender Port 8am-6pm Cloudy And Overcast 45-50 Degrees Rain Early Morning

 

Well here we are in the country of Scotland with a population of 5.3 million people.  The capital is Edinburgh, and the official languages are English and Scottish Gaelic.  It is described as small in size, but crammed with treasures of big skies, lonely landscapes, spectacular wildlife great seafood, and really nice people.   Scotland is home to golden and sea eagles, otters, dolphins, seals, whales, and basking sharks all eating on mackerel.  They boast having the freshest seafood, beef, pen-raised venison,  and single malt whiskey.  A personal favorite for one of us has to be Macallan's.

 

Scotland has more than 1000 castles which once served as fortified homes for aristocracy in the 12^th to 14^th centuries.  These days, the castles are owned by the rich and famous.  It is also known for the Loch Ness Monster, legendary of course.  Or is it?  The world's oldest golf course is St. Andrew's, and Edinburgh is famous for their Festival and Fringe, which occurs in August.  Kilts, bagpipes, and Scottish fold cattle also come to mind. 

 

What do the Scots like to eat?  How about haggis and turnips with potatoes.  In case you have not heard of haggis, it is a type of meat loaf that has everything in it such as offal of any animal.  Seasoned right, it tastes close to liverwurst.  So if you like that, you will love haggis.  Ceremonies in the past were created around this traditional dish. 

 

What do they like to drink?  A dram of single malt whiskey or their local beers are popular. One of the big names is Talisker whisky which is described as brooding, heavily-peated nose balanced by a satisfying sweetness. Worth a try. Just in case one had too much of the whiskey or brew, something called Bari's Irn-Bru, a bubble-gum scented radioactive orange-colored soft drink is guaranteed to cure a hangover.  Common words you might hear are blootered, hammered, plastered or pished, which all mean "drunk".  

 

So our first port of call in Scotland was Portree, Isle of Skye.  According to our reading material, the Isle of Skye takes top prize.  Craggy peaks, strange pinnacles, and dramatic sea cliffs present photo ops at every turn.  It also said to watch for the red deer or the golden eagles, but we saw none today.  We did see many gulls, crows or ravens, a few cormorants, and one blue heron. 

 

There were some excursions here like a Dunvegan Castle and scenic Skye for $130 for 3 ½ hours or iconic Eilean Donan Castle and West Highlands for $120 for 4 ¼ hours.  There was a Northern Skye scenic drive for $110 for 3 ½ hours or a tour to the Talisker Distillery and Northwest Skye for $160 for 4 hours.  Finally, there was Torvaig and Ben Chracaig hike for $60 for 2 ¼ hours, where you can see the Clan MacNicel Monument, the Chief of the Clan who led his people to Southern Australia in 1830.  This is what we did on our own in 2019, and will attempt to do today as long as it isn't too muddy.

 

Upon arrival before 7am, rain was falling.  Not only cloudy, it was foggy and cold with temps in the 40's.  We did have breakfast a bit late today, since we slept in again.  One of the waiters that we do not know happened to be walking with a box that resembled a pizza take-away box.  Jokingly, we said oh great- pizza for breakfast.  He did laugh, but then took out a Delft platter with the ship's design on it, something like the plates we get as our final present on a world cruise.  He claimed this plate was designated as a gift from a maiden city for this ship, and he was the one that was going to do the printing on this plate.  He indicated it would be hung with all of the other plaques for maiden voyages.  All of us suggested he place his signature or initials on the back of the plate, and he thought that was a fine idea.  Why not?

 

Bundled up, we left the ship around 10:30am, which must have been about the time open tenders were announced.  The tender boat filled quickly, and we were on our way to the shore.  This is the second time we have been here, so we sort of knew our way around.   You can either take the stairs up to the town, or walk the narrow and steep street to the same spot.  Either way, it made it difficult for folks with walkers or scooters to access the town, and we do think we heard it announced so people knew in advance it would be challenging.  Not only that, with the early morning rain, everything was wet and slippery.

 

We made a quick walk through the small grid of town passing by several small shops, businesses, pubs, and restaurants.  The busiest place had to be the local bakery, and once they sold out their treats, they would be closed for the day.  We headed back to the tourist information center to pick up whatever maps we could find as well as brochures of the local sights to take in.  The info fellow was so friendly and helpful when we asked about the walking trails.  He pulled every map we might need to do the trails. One of these maps was an old one, but had some very amusing comments on it.  In listing the basic services such as emergency room, police station, hospital, or fire station, it said "Things I Needed or was glad I didn't".  A location of a senior's home was printed as Old Folks Home.  We have heard that before, like from Barb?  How about a bay called The Lovely Muck?  Or referring to oil storage containers as "Hell of a place to store oil"……right near the tender boat landing.  Most of the printing on this map was microscopic, and a magnifying glass was needed to read the words.  The most chilling warning was on a high ridge of the mountain range we were soon to hike.  One area was listed as extreme danger of slides, with the top of the cliffs saying "People die hiking this ridge and not in the nicest way".   Enough said, we will stay on the designated trails.

 

Since we were close to the first trail, we walked through the gate and hiked to The Lump as it is called here.  It s a wooded plateau above The Lovely Muck and sea below.  Buried in the trees is a turret that was once used for a lookout for ships.   It was later used as an apothecary for distributing medicines.  Odd, but true.  A lower trail went around this peninsula, but one of us waited on the top taking in the views.  The field of this Lump is used for the annual Highland Games.  Then we continued on.

 

So armed with the maps, we walked the high road that took us past some hotels and the Money Puzzle Poodle Palm, which is a relative of the bunya-bunya tree.  Since it is the only tree like this here, we figured it was planted for a reason and given a funny name.  It also happened to be planted in a very dangerous turn in the narrow road above the cliffs.  This led to a more residential area with nice homes with lovely gardens.  There was a creek going under the road too.  Built on the hillside was the very nice restaurant at a hotel we dined at back in 2019.  The name was Cuillen Hills Hotel, and we would come back here after our hike. 

 

We came upon a wooden gate on the narrow trail that was the beginning of the Scorrybreac Circuit, a 3 km hike around Ben Chracaig.  It was wet, but not slippery.  This hike led us around the Black Rock , the very tip of this rock can be reached at low tide.  From there we had a good view of the big fish corrals in the bay or fish farms.  Not sure what type of fish is farmed there.  Passing the wishing well, which also served as a fresh source of water for the clan, we continued on towards the end of the designated path to get a spectacular view of our ship.  There were a few convenient benches along the way.  

 

The last time we were here, we continued walking after the trail ended which led us through a pasture full of boulders on the hillside and to a rocked fence and private property.  This solid fence went up the hill to a farmhouse and had a pasture full of grazing sheep. Eventually it led to a road where we hiked back to the Cuillen Hotel.  Today it was way too wet, and one of us was not willing to risk injury attempting it. 

 

So we turned around at this point, and backtracked to the hotel for lunch.  On our way, we came across a local couple that were out walking their dog.  They were quite friendly and asked where we were from.  That led to a conversation about the weather here.  Jokingly, the couple said there were two seasons in Portree.  One was winter, and the other was the month of June.  In other words, everything blooms in the warmth of June, then it is downhill after the month ends when winter returns.  We could tell they were looking forward to the arrival of June.

 

Finally reaching the hotel on the side of the hill, we were seated in their dining room that overlooked the town and bay below.  Our most friendly young waiter told us that one week ago, they had sun for 5 days, then heavy rain for the next two days.  That brought us to today, where it was cloudy and cold, but way better than raining.   There was only one other couple having lunch when we arrived, but within a few minutes, the place about filled up.  Among the guests were Greg, Heo, Ginni and Rich who we spotted outside our window table. Their group was seated in the adjacent dining room.  This was just too funny and made our day running into them as we have in several ports now. 

 

Our lunch consisted of two pints of Tennent's draft beer and one chicken, lettuce, tomato sandwich and one ham and cheese sandwich with homemade potato chips.  We added one sticky toffee pudding with a scoop of ice cream, which was really a treat.  But the biggest treat was taking in that view while relaxing for an hour.  Heavenly, actually.

 

We strolled back to the town and got on the next tender back to the ship.  All aboard was 5:30pm, but according to Captain Frank, everyone was back by 5pm.   Expecting to leave the bay by 6pm, it appeared they were having difficulty with the anchor, but we're only guessing.  Perhaps the tender boat loading was presenting problems.  Anyway, we were supposed to have a scenic sail away commentary from Ian, but that did not happen.  We enjoyed our own sail away from the comfort of our veranda as we passed many uninhabited islands, most with sheep grazing the pastures.  The sun actually peeked out briefly at 5pm.  Figures…..

 

We did have one job to do from 4 to 5pm, which was returning our passports to the mid-ship elevator landing for screening in Ireland.  Maybe this will be the final time we have to do this. 

 

Dinner for us was in the Pinnacle Grill where we both enjoyed a wedge salad with the warm and fresh bread.   Do not know why the bread served at dinner is not as fresh as this is here.  As many times as we have all asked, the rolls are like hockey pucks most nights.   Our mains were one filet mignon and lamb chops that were under cooked.  We shared the French fries, which were not the skinny type.  Guess they ran out.  Dessert was a slice of Key lime pie….very sweet but very good. 

 

Tomorrow we shall be anchored off of Oban, a new port for a lot of us.

 

Bill & Mary Ann 

227 Pictures

 

Report #118 Thursday April 27, 2023 Day At Sea Enroute To Portree, Scotland Isle Of Skye Overcast, Rain And Sun 42-50 Degrees

 

We slept later than usual for a change, but still made it to breakfast before 9:15am.  We were not the last guests to arrive, because Martha and Bob wandered in shortly after us.  It is a matter of fact that after several days of ports, most of us need to have some down time. Our waiters were prepared since we usually have a simple breakfast with the same starters every day.  Greek yogurt was back, but still not the same as what we were getting in the beginning.  The nicest addition was the return of strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and black berries.  We added the usual apricots and pineapple.  Better than any dessert one can order, it's a great way to begin the day.  One slice of Texas French toast and sides of bacon or sausage kept us happy until 2pm. 

 

Today was one of catching up on the internet work, and doing the information gathering for the following countries we will be visiting.  That kept us busy in the room for the morning, then we noticed that the sun was hitting our deck.  Best to take advantage of it and spend some relaxing time outside.  It was still cold, but wearing sweatshirts was enough to keep us comfortable.  Early in the morning, the temperature was 42 degrees, but then it warmed up to 50 degrees by noontime.   Captain Frank came on the speakers for his PM talk and mentioned that the weather would be changing.  Around 4pm, we noticed the sun was gone and the clouds had darkened the skies.  He added that our port in Scotland tomorrow will probably be a wet one.  And cold once again. 

 

At least we were able to take our deck walk before the sun was gone.  During the day, we passed by many islands in the distance and figured they were part of the Shetland Islands.  Very few guests were outside today, but then some different activities were taking place due to the fact that today was officially King's Day, a Dutch national holiday celebrating King Willem-Alexander's birthday. 

 

An Orange Elephant Sale at 2 to 4 pm would give the folks a chance to "sell" their items they did not want to take home with them.  There were tables set up around the Lido pool to display the items. Anything not sold could be re-claimed by the sellers, or permanently removed by the ship's team for company standard recycling.  Not exactly sure what this means.  Perhaps the items could be distributed among the crew members. 

 

Then there was a Dutch lunch in both the dining room and Lido, where some classic Dutch starters and entrees were offered.  Checking the dining room menu, we found they were serving Dutch pea soup, so we ordered two bowls for our room lunch along with chicken fajitas .  All of the food was excellent and hot, even served at 2pm. 

 

Royal  Dutch High Tea was served in the upper dining room, then at dinner, the head waiters, including manager Presty, were wearing silly orange curly hair wigs, reminding us of Bozo the Clown.  We think an orange tie would have been a bit more appropriate, but they seemed to have fun with it.  Many of the guests wore something orange as a symbol of national unity and a sign of pride to represent the Royal House of Orange.  This applied more so to the Dutch guests of which there were about 22 in number. 

 

Anyway, we had a quiet table for two this evening, since four of our tablemates went to the Pinnacle Grill for dinner with some other friends.  We had been invited, but we figured that was too many people, and we would have been at different tables.  So we opted for the romantic table for two for a change.  Dinner included salad, a Dutch croquette, and entrees of beef pot roast with mashed potatoes, carrots, and broccoli.  Even the gravy was good.  Dessert was even better as we both ordered the Bossche Ball, a Dutch version of a chocolate éclair.  We loved the large ones they served in the Grand Dutch Cafe while we were on the N. Statendam last year, but these were even better since they were half the size. 

 

We noticed that several people had left their tables early, probably to get a seat in the Lido Pool area for the 9 to midnight Orange Party.  Guests were invited to have a complimentary sparkling drink, snack on Dutch cheese, bitterballen, and frikandellen (don't ask what's in it) and party the night away listening to DJ Nyron and visiting with the crew.  Wonder how crowded that event will be?  Surely we will hear about it tomorrow at breakfast.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

No Pictures

Report #117 Wednesday April 26, 2023 Bergen, Norway Docked Port Side To Pier 9am-6pm 39-42 Degrees Snow Showers Off And On All Day With Some Sun

 

Well today was our final port in the beautiful country of Norway.  Or should we say the coldest day in Bergen with some rain, sleet, and snow.  Yes….snow.  With the temperatures in the 40's it was no surprise to see passing snow showers during the day, along with some clearing and a bit of sun as well.  A mixed bag.  Bergen happens to be the rainiest city in Norway and the second largest one next to Oslo. 

 

The Zuiderdam arrived to the port before 9am, and was docked shortly afterwards.  The skies were partly cloudy, but it was cold.  For some reason, we did not recognize this dock at all.  Obviously we were in a different place than we used to dock.  Once secured, we watched as truckloads of deliveries come and were off-loaded.  We can say for a fact there were tons of fresh produce, in particular, many flats of berries came out of the trucks and onto the ship.   The snow showers did not stop the workers at all.

 

Set in a coastal landscape, Bergen has to be one of the prettiest cities in Europe.  An ancient seafaring trade had elevated the city to the UNESCO World Heritage Site list.  The most photographed part of this city has to be the waterfront district of Bryggen with a row of old wooden buildings used as warehouses at one time.  Today these wooden warehouses are home to artisan boutiques, restaurants, and even hotels.  And as always seems to happen when we visit, some of the buildings were covered up for restoration.  

 

Of course there were some tours here such as Bergen on foot & Mt. Floien by funicular and the Fish Market for $110 for 3 hours.  A walk through Bergen and a visit to an ice bar was $75 for 3 hours, while Easy Bergen with a panoramic ride was $80 for 2 hours.  A longer tour for 7 ½ hours was Hardangerfjord & Highlands for $200 with a lunch.  Mt. Floien hiking was $85 for 4 hours, while a fjord and glacier seaplane flight was $700 for 1 ¼ hours.  Flight time was actually 40 minutes.  There were some participants since we saw the meeting time on the TV. 

 

Thinking Bergen would be milder weather compared to yesterday in the fjords, we were wrong.   When we saw the snow coming down, we knew to bundle up again and even pack the umbrellas.  Docked portside today, we could watch the guests going off and saw one man with walking sticks and wearing shorts.  What was he thinking?  At one point, he turned around and came back on the gangway, we assume to dress warmer.  As we already said, we were not in a familiar pier, and without any maps, we had to rely on other guests coming back as to where to head to find downtown and the Fish Market area.  It was somewhat of a walk but do-able. 

 

One good aspect of parking in a different spot was the fact we saw more of the town than we had on past visits.  Back on the previous cruises, we had taken tours and had no time to explore the city.  Now we walked to a pedestrian area that included many old historic buildings that led to a huge fountain by the name of Lille Lungegardsvenn.  Several museums lined this central fountain as well as Bergen Kunsthall and the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra.

 

Not sure of the direction we needed to head for the Bryggen area, we asked some fellow cruise guests if they knew the way.  They said turn left and we will find it.  That brought us to a pedestrian street with some restaurants….one of which was Peppe's Pizza.  How about that?  Never even thought to look for another one here, but we were glad to find it.  And yes, we would come back later.  This avenue happened to have many high-end stores that you see in every big city.  Just a few blocks away , we found the Information Shop, up an elevator on the second level of the Fish Market.  This was what we really needed – a good map of the city and surrounds.  Forget the cell phone download, a real map is much better. 

 

The last few times we were here, the first time in 1996 and the second time 2006, it was summertime and the outdoor Fish and Flower Market was set up at the end of the harbor.   Today the tents were gone, and there were only a few food trucks and vendors.  One vendor was helpful when we asked where the tents were.  He said that only happens in the warmer summer months. We continued on walking around the wharf and towards the old warehouses, some of which were covered for restoration.  Kind of messes up the complete photo we wanted to get.  There was a huge, masted vessel in the harbor which made for better pictures.  We did notice that one of the wooden houses had a Radisson Blu sign on it.  Never thought they had such a small hotel until we went around the side and saw the real hotel extended to the back street.  The front of the hotel was just a façade. 

 

Hiking further on this upper street we did find the entrance to the funicular to the top at Mt. Floien.  We have done that twice, but while on a tour.  Curious as to the price to ride it one way, we found it was 85 Kroner or about $8 USD.  We heard from Heo and Greg that they had done the ride and made it to the top just in time with the sun out.  As they left, the snow passed over and blocked any view of the city down below.  From here we went back downhill and towards the Fish Market.

 

That's when friends Jim and Jessica ran into us and we compared notes.  They agreed that we were in a different dock and the walk was not a good one for them since Jim relies on a sturdy walker/chair to get around.  There was a van back at the pier available for people using wheelchairs, and at first they were told they did not qualify for a free ride to here.  That meant that Jessica would have to push Jim all the way to town, some of it uphill.   Finally, they relented and took them both to town.  Sad that you have to fight for this service.  While chatting, we agreed that the ports in Norway had been the most expensive ones on this entire trip.  They had paid $24 USD for two very large oysters for lunch, which was good they said, but not that good.  As we were talking, it began to hail, enough to catch some of the ice in your hands.  Jokingly, Jim caught a hunk of ice and put it in his mouth, saying that would be the only thing in Norway that was free.  He was so right.  Love his sense of humor.

 

Now all we needed to do was find our way back to where we saw Peppe's Pizza, which we did locate on a busy corner.  By now, this area was bustling with people shopping and school kids catching buses.  Several ho-ho buses were out and about as well.  It was wonderful ducking into the warm restaurant and ordering two draft beers.  Looking around, we realized that many locals and tourists such as us like Italian cuisine.  It sure is good on a cold chilly day, like comfort food.  We ordered the large pepperoni pizza once again, and it was just as tasty as the first and second ones we enjoyed this past week.  And we doubt we will come across this chain in the upcoming ports in Scotland, Ireland and The Azores.

 

Heading back, we took more photos of the many impressive buildings in downtown that we had missed on the walk here.   Docked in the Jekteviken Pier, the Zuiderdam was close to the ferry port with a large ship in that spot.  Running into hosts Luisa and Gene, they said they had been here recently while hosting other cruises, and they had been docked closer to the Bryggen area of town, close to all of the main attractions.  We're just guessing, but we think HAL saved some money putting us out this far away.  There was no other cruise ship in that closer pier as far as we could tell.   Anyway, we were back home by 3:30pm.

 

Warming up in our room, we watched the sail away from our veranda after the all aboard time of 5:30pm.  Leaving the Bergen area, we passed under another long bridge and many towns and villages.  The ship was still in the series of fjordens with different names during our dinnertime, and finally reached the open sea by 9:30pm.  Now that we are headed southwest, we expect a time change of one hour back soon.  And believe us, with so many exhilarating ports in a row, we need that extra hour back as well as a day at sea.  Wish it was more.

 

The dining room dinner menu offered the last of the Norwegian specialties, but for those who really liked the cuisine booked the "Norwegian Dinner" in the Pinnacle Grill.  They will have their fill of everything fish.  We were happy with simple appetizers of hot chicken noodle soup and salads as well as mains of one chicken Kiev and a traditional turkey meal with cranberry sauce.  Barb stuck to mainly appetizers for her whole dinner, with a few shrimp on a bed of linguine for her main.  As she normally does, the shrimp is the only part of the meal she will eat.  Joking as he often does, Heo said Barb must have been a penguin in her former life since she loves so much seafood.  Good thing she likes penguins, or she may have thrown her napkin at him.  Dessert for us was coffee yogurt – perfect end to a fun day. 

 

The fellows were on their way to the show with a repeat performance by comedian Sid Davis with an all- new show.  They enjoyed the first one and looked forward to this one tonight.  Better than the World Stage being "dark" as in no show.  By the way, we had an amusing message from the hotel manager explaining the reason we were out of pillow chocolates.  We had to laugh, since he said they had no luck trying to get substitute chocolates in Norway.   Since they knew the supply was running out, why didn't they look for a substitute while in Belgium, one of the biggest "chocolate" countries in the world???  Duh…..   Now they are hoping for shipments in Scotland, Ireland, or the Azores.  Bet they get the delivery in Ft. Lauderdale…….

 

Really going to like a day at sea tomorrow. 

 

Bill & Mary Ann

284 Pictures

Report #116 Tuesday April 25, 2023 Anzac Day Eidfjord, Norway Docked Starboard Side To Pier 8am-5pm Overcast And Cooler 39-45 Degrees

 

Snow-capped mountain peaks on both sides of the ship are what we woke up seeing this morning.  We sure did not expect that, but with a temperature of 39 degrees, today will be the coldest port yet.  It was overcast and cloudy, and the winds were rather calm.  The village of Eidfjord is located off of the Hardangerfjord, the third longest fjord in the world.  We had traveled the Hardangerfjord during the night and missed seeing the snow-laden mountains, glaciers, waterfalls and hundreds of thousands of fruit trees along the way.  Lining the hillsides and shoreline are small villages and homes with a killer view.  Hotels and camping grounds are here and there for the summer crowd of thrill seekers. 

 

It is also an area of many lakes and dams and hydro-electric power plants that feed the surrounding communities.  This industry employs many of the folks that live in these small villages.  In fact Eidfjord has been described as one of the wealthiest communities due to the production of hydro-electric power.   A full size water wheel used in one of these powerplants is on display in the center of town.  The town itself is quite unusual as it contains a little of this and that.  There are a few hotels, the nicest being Voringfloss Hotel built in 2001 with 81 rooms, a tourist info center, a coop food store, one gas station and an electric vehicle re-charging station.  There was a post office, bakery, cafes, sculpture park, art gallery and library.  A church and a doctor's office and a pharmacy were there as well.  Bus tours and a small train ride are available when a ship is in port.  Camping and summer outdoor sports bring the rest of the vacationing Norwegians and tourists here. 

 

Speaking of tours there were some available from the ship.  Waterfalls and waffles for $150 for 4 hours sounded tasty, and ultimate Eidfjord and Norwegian lunch with the Food & Wine group was $270 for 5 hours.  Eidfjord cruise and Voringfossen waterfall was $130 for 2 ½ hours. There was a seaplane flight for $450 for 1 hour, but not sure if there were any takers on that one.  The little train ride lasted an hour and the fare was 180 kroner or under $20 USD per person. 

 

As for us, we left the ship around 11am and headed into town with a stop at the Tourist Information shop.  We were able to pick up some maps and more local information.  Then we began to walk towards a bridge over the river.  That's when we ran into couple we did not know, but suggested a trail to follow, since they seemed to know we liked to hike.  Their advise was to follow the yellow route, which we did find on the local map.  We hiked along the river bank where trout and salmon run upstream, passing many homes and possible camping grounds.  That's when we ran into Greg who was on his way back already.  The guys had left the ship, gone shopping, and were off for some exercise.  Greg had already made a purchase of a Norwegian wool sweater and was happy to have found it.  Heo continued on for the rest of the 5K hike.  Then shortly after leaving Greg, Christel came up and said hi.  She had already done this hike and was out for her second attempt.  That's what being younger does for you, reminding us that was the two of us 20 years ago.  According to the map, this hike was estimated to take 90 minutes.  For us taking photos along the way, it was double that time.

 

We reached the lake that even had a small patch of sandy beach.  It is called Lake Eidfjord vatnet.  This is the point where the switch-back trail ascends the hillsides to the top of a ridge, 100 meters above sea level.  Halfway up this steep incline, we ran into Shiv, who was turning around from the top to go back the way he had come.  Christel had told us this trail would lead back to town, even though Shiv was afraid he might get lost.  He suggested we might want to go back the way we came, but we had gotten this far, so we decided to forge ahead.  Glad we did as we came upon a farmhouse with pastures and fencing.  The gravel road became wider and eventually led to the Haereid Iron Age Burial Site from the Viking Age.  This was dated from 400 to 1000 AD.  Wow.  Originally 400 mounds were discovered to have remains, but to this day, they know more graves exist even deeper below this cemetery.  The mystery surrounding the "where and why" these graves are here is still unexplained and will probably never be known. 

 

Several farms lined this now paved road, and at one point, the little tourist train passed us on their way to the ancient gravesite.  Among the riders were Gene and Luisa, our travel hosts, who waved going and coming back.  And here we thought we were in the middle of nowhere.  Even a postal worker drove to the very end ranch to deliver mail.  We had reached civilization after all. 

 

Following the road and passing what appeared to be a lone pony, we turned left and found Hodna, a scenic viewpoint straight up above Eidfjord.  It overlooked the village below and also the soaring cliffs across the canyon.  A chilling signpost was there describing the frequency of avalanches across the way.  As lately as 2002, a huge avalanche occurred on these steep hillsides, that took a bus over the road and into the icy water, killing two people.  These events are something they cannot predict and made one of us very uncomfortable being on this cliffside so far up from town.  As much beauty as we witnessed today, you also know that this part of Norway is still wild and untamed.  And it sure takes a special breed of hearty folks to survive year after year, especially during the darkest days of winter.  Our hats are off to them.  

 

Zigzagging our way downhill, we passed by some pretty nice new homes built over-looking the sound.  It seemed that each one of them had their own tractor, why, we don't know.  Maybe they just look cool parked in their driveways.   It was great to be back on level ground, and we decided not to even try to look for a lunch place today.  Room service lunch with hot soup, salad, and quesadillas would work just fine for us.  We were back on the ship before 3pm, and hoped to do some work online.  However, nothing was working……no internet and no TV.  Strange, it had been working before we left the ship, and yes, we do know we are buried between the steep cliffs of a fjord, but it was off.  Calling the front desk folks, they said it was being serviced.  That meant shut off and might not return until after we left the town of Eidfjord.  As it turned out,  the connection was spotty and working poorly if at all for the rest of the scenic cruising of Hardangerfjord.

 

Despite the biting cold winds, we did enjoy the sailing out of the fjord and going under the Hardanger Bridge.  There is a lot of info we missed because Ian's talk did not come through on our new veranda speaker.  However, today was our veranda-cleaning day and the glass balcony was clean as a whistle.  The scenery was fabulous with all of the snow still on the mountaintops.  And as luck would have it, the sun even peeked out before sunset, which was after well after 9am.   The Captain had said during his PM talk that we would be coming out of this fjord by 1am, and might hit some rough seas.  He expected to be in Bergen on time and docked portside by 9am.  And it appears that the weather tomorrow will be fine, with little or no rain.

 

Greg and Heo arrived to dinner wearing their new purchases – Greg in his classic Norwegian sweater with the pewter hooks and Heo in a more modern pullover sweater.  They will appreciate them during the cooler months of Sydney's winter.  We learned from Woody that his wife Susie will finally be flying back home with a medical escort tomorrow after a lengthy stay in the Lisbon hospital.  We're all praying for a smooth flight and a great homecoming from the family. 

 

More Norwegian specialties were on the menu, but we all decided our waiters needed to do something with the dinner rolls.  They were hard as rocks and we suspect the bread had been in the warmer since 5pm.  Barb challenged our head waiter, Oscar, to cut one in half, which he could not. Heo showed Oscar the carrots which half of them were spoiled.  Oh well, guess we will all have a bread stick which was OK this evening.  Lentil soup really warmed most of us up, along with prime rib and Bolognaise spaghetti.  As a special surprise treat, Oscar brought two plates of Reistafel rice and chicken and pork to the table, however, with the generous portions of our entrees, we could not do it justice.  Dessert for us was rocky road ice cream, which we have only seen a few times served at dinner.

 

Today was also Anzac Day, a memorial to those that lost their lives in Australia and New Zealand during WW I.  This special day to honor veterans is similar to our Memorial Day and also Veterans Day.  Most times this holiday is celebrated onboard, but with so many port days in a row, many things such as this are dropped from the daily itinerary.

 

Looking forward to our visit in Bergen tomorrow as it will be our final port in Norway.  Expect to sleep likes babies tonight.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

261 Pictures

Report #115 Monday April 24, 2023 Haugesund, Norway 8am-5pm Docked Starboard Side To Pier Overcast With Partial Sun In The Afternoon Cooler 42-48 Degrees

Haugesund, Norway, is a small compact town with an urban feel about it.  It is the regional center for the surrounding cities and villages.  The total population is about 110,000 hearty folks that have jobs in fishing, shipping, and oil-related industries.  Haugesund is located off of Smedasundet Sound with the North Sea to the west.  It is surrounded by many islands and rocky outcroppings.   This town, like many others in this part of the world, was built on the herring fisheries in the 1800's. 

 

The ship docked by 8am at the cruise terminal at Risoy Island, not too far from the center of town, but that would be as the crow flies.  We have to add it was the coldest port yet with temps in the 40's.  The wind was so chilly it was cutting.  Even with our arctic jackets, it was still a penetrating coldness.  The skies were heavily overcast, and we thought it might rain or even snow.  We never expected to see any sun today, but eventually, it did.  It was a miracle, as this was not expected. 

 

Excursions here today were scenic Skudenshavn for $130 for 3 ¼  hours or Medieval church and Viking village for $170 and 3 ½ hours.  Ryvarden lighthouse walk was $140 for 3 hours, while a helicopter ride to Pulpit Rock and the surrounding area was $720 for 1 ½ hours.  They did have at least one taker on that one.  

 

Getting off of the ship, we walked to a little shop which was selling trinkets as well as warm jackets and wool hats and gloves. They had some city maps too which we picked up.   Directly across from this building was a shuttle bus with a line of mostly crew members boarding.  Since we missed the port talk on Haugesund, we did not know there was a shuttle as it wasn't mentioned in today's Daily Program.   We soon learned there was a charge to this bus like about 8 euro or $8 USD.  And that might have been one way….we are not sure.  We decided to walk after talking to some guests that had gone over and come back already. In addition to the shuttle, there was a city train sight-seeing ride that took folks to the major sights on both islands, and the downtown area of this town.  The cost was the equivalent of $28 USD.  You could not get off at any stops, and you could  not re-join the train like you can on a ho-ho bus.   We did not see many takers for this tour.   

 

There was a bit of a hike to get from Risoy Island to the Risoy Bridge that crossed over the sound below.  The hard part was hiking up and over the high bridge to the center of town.  It was quite scenic so stopping along the way worked out well to take many photos.  At the end of this bridge, we looked down on the waterfront of the sound, and noticed several restaurants along the marina walkway.  None of them were opened yet for lunch since it was only 11:30am.  It seemed like the town was just waking up. 

 

Studying the map, we realized that the city's central district was laid out in a rectangle with a pedestrian only shopping street in the center called Haraldsgata.  Most of the sights to see were in this grid and up the side streets.  Our first stop was at the information center which was loaded with many brochures, booklets, and maps.  Excellent choice for a small town, as you can never have enough info or maps.

 

The main street had many stores, shops, and cafes, but most of the cafes were not opened until 2pm.  Pizza places were on most every corner, even a Dolly Dimples Pizza like we saw yesterday.  They would not be opened until 2pm.  If we stayed long enough, we might make it for that time, but it never happened.  Our first stop was at the Church called Our Savior's Church.  We could only admire it from the outside since it was also closed.  Across the street was their library, which had originally been repurposed from a shoe factory.  Eventually the factory was destroyed, and the new library was built here.  These days it is considered one of the finest examples of Scandinavian modernism in Norway.  And they had free restrooms, something you have trouble finding in most of the cities. 

 

On the way back down to the main street, we passed a striking home painted a soft green with typical Norwegian decorations on it.  The name is Wrangellhuset  and was the home of H.M. Wrangell, a herring salter, shipowner, politician, and Danish consul.  This historic house is now part of the museum group.  The famous Fishermen Statue reflects the town's history of the herring fisheries, a reminder that the town was built on herring bones, so to speak. 

 

By going the other direction, somehow we missed the town hall and surrounding square which is a park and a marketplace.  We also did not see the statue of Marilyn Monroe, the actress whose father is said to have come from Haugesund.  It is located on the quay, but on the opposite side that we had crossed the bridge.  Greg and Heo did see her statue, because they found a nice restaurant opened on the quay after 2pm.

 

Passing many small shops and some larger department stores, we headed towards the Byparken Park, with a nice pavilion and many benches surrounding a gazebo and fountain.  It dates back to 1923 and it appears that concerts are held here in the warmer months.  Another church was up the road apiece, so we hiked up there to find Skare Church, known as the cultural church.  It was completed in 1858 and also has the town's oldest cemetery across the street.  It was elevated from the street level, and you had to walk up steep steps to see the grave markers that were flat on the ground. 

 

This area also had the nicest and largest of the homes which were built by the wealthy Haugesunders that made their fortunes by the fishing and shipping industries during  World War I.  Back to the main part of town, we ducked in and out of the shops.  We did see only one souvenir shop that carried the Dale of Norway sweaters, but they sure do not look and feel like the ones we bought 30 years ago.  They are not 100% wool, but have some polyester added, which makes them thinner and lighter in weight.  The prices were quite high and it was difficult to find sweaters with their signature pewter hooks used in place of the buttons or zippers.  That makes them unique we guess.

 

Time to hike back, we never did find a good place for lunch today.  Despite the fact that the sun did peek out, the wind was still chilly, especially down on the quay below the bridge.  We had hoped some of the sound-facing restaurants had opened, but we did not see any.  Of course, we were looking at only one side, and did not see where the guys had gone.  Oh well, a hot bowl of soup sounded better than anything at this point.

 

We got back to the ship by 2:30pm and stayed in the room enjoying a nice lunch of a salad, hot soup, and sandwiches.  Adding a couple of chocolate cookies, we were happy campers.  Before we knew it, the ship left after 5:30pm, and we were off for some scenic sailing out of Haugesund, traveling out of the sound, and heading out to sea.  Our next stop will be Eidfjord, located all the way up Hardangerfjord which we entered by dinnertime.  During his late PM talk, the Captain said to be prepared for some really cold weather, the coldest of this entire trip. 

 

Dinner was really good with the Club Orange main of a veal chop.  Several Norwegian starters and entrees were on this menu as well.   One of the popular mains was a bowl of mussels, which was passed around after dinner because they must have had a ton of them.  A nice surprise for Barb was crème Brulee for dessert, although a different chef must have added something different such as cardamom instead of cinnamon. 

 

Looking forward to a small town tomorrow where we might get in some scenic walking.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

210 Pictures

Report #114 Sunday April 23, 2023 Kristiansand, Norway Docked Port Side To Dock 8am-5pm Overcast Turning To Sun In The Afternoon 48-65 Degrees showers In The am

 

Today's port of call was the 5^th largest city in Norway, Kristiansand.  It is the most southern city in Norway with a population of about 88,000 people (2017 census).  And this is the first time we have been here, so it was going to be nice to explore on or own. 

Some of the tours offered here were a boat trip to Norway's southern-most lighthouse for $120 for 5 hours.  A walk through historic Kristansand was $60 for 3 hours, while Lillesand , the jewel of the past and present was $110 for 3 hours.  And we cannot forget the river rafting excursion for $250 for 5 hours.  Honestly?   Really?  Doubt they had many takers today since the temperature was 48 degrees at 9am.  Then a trip to Sorlandet was $160 for 4 hours.

We left the ship around 11:30am and dressed right for the chilling wind.  Although there was mention of rain, it never did.   In fact, eventually the sun did peek out and it warmed up somewhat.  The wind remained cold. 

It was an easy walk to town and exiting out of the gate where a mounted moose was,  we ran into a series of small souvenir shops with an information stand full of local maps.  There was also a ho-ho bus available for somewhere around $40 USD for a 1 ½ hour drive.  In addition to that, we saw a little train ride that took folks through the small town, which was cheaper.  We had run into Mike who was sitting on a bench catching some sun, while his wife Pauline had stayed onboard.  He said some of his friends had taken the ho-ho bus and the speaker system was not working properly, so they learned nothing.  Following the map, we knew we could cover most of the sights on our own.  All aboard was at 4:30pm, giving us plenty of time for exploring and lunch too.

Once out of the cruise dock area (there was no terminal building) we took a right and saw the new Kilden Performing Arts Center.  It is built very ultra-modern with architectural and artistical designs with a high quality calendar of events.  We walked around the water's edge to see the fish market, one of the town's idyllic spots.  Inside the building they had tanks full of live fish and shellfish, however, they were closed today because it was Sunday.  There was an outdoor restaurant where they were serving morning food until it was opened for lunch.  Crossing the canal, we walked up a hill to get a view of the marina below.  There was a white structure on the knoll which we assumed was a restaurant with outdoor tents.  Had we continued walking to the peninsula, we would have come across a former naval base called Odderoya.  It is surrounded with park area now and has marked nature trails, great views, and a small café. 

Back down the hill, we followed the footsteps on the map and stayed near the waterfront.  That brought us to a large square with granite fountains called Otterdalsparken, where a tour group was learning about the area from a guide.  They were not speaking English, so we assumed they were from the other smaller ship that came into port after we did.  The name was Holland Norway, not related to HAL.   Directly across the road from this park was a row of highrise apartments facing the harbor and ocean.  Further up, we saw the Christiansholm  Fortress, built in 1672 to guard the city.  Originally on an islet 100 yards from the shore, it is connected to the mainland now.   There was a row of old cannons facing the sea, which got us wondering what life was like back in those days.  Further up this road was the city beach and the Aquarama, a waterpark with a diving tower, swimming pool, surf wave, and even a climbing wall.  A gym and a spa make it perfect for the entire family.  What was people-unfriendly was charging for the restrooms.  You needed a credit card to open the door, even though the charge was 5 kroner or the equivalent of 50 cents.  A man was waiting for his wife to come out, so he could go inside getting a two-for-one stop. 

Hiking the streets in the Posebyen district, we saw the several timber-clad houses that were mostly painted white.  This part of town is home to one of Northern Europe's largest collections of old lowrise timber houses.  By the way, we did notice that this entire city was clean as a whistle.  No trash anywhere, especially around the waterfront and in the water.

Before we left our room, we did some research on restaurants….in particular, pizza cafes.  We located the same type of café we had lunch yesterday, and decided it was so good, we would try it again today.  That is if we could find it and if it was open.  The more we walked the streets, the more we noticed that everything was closed.  Even the department stores like Mango or Zara.  Not open on Sunday.  Period.  Following the map, we must have been a street off, since we went from the Otra River to the end of the street, passing the cathedral, and still did not find Peppe's Pizza.  Perhaps the Google map had the incorrect address.  So we went back to see the cathedral which was located in the dead center of the town.  It is a Neo-Gothic cathedral built in 1884 and part of the evangelical Lutheran Church of Norway.   The bell tower is 70 meters high. 

And guess what we found right down from the Cathedral?  Yep, Peppe's Pizza….right on the square of the church area.   It appeared to be closed, but we did try the door and they were open.  Perfect.  We walked inside and got a table for two.  Within minutes we had one tall Carlsburg beer and a Coke Zero.  We ordered the same Italian cheese and pepperoni pizza we had yesterday in Oslo, and found it equally as good.  It was not crowded, so we enjoyed our stay. 

Afterwards, we went to see the cathedral and actually got inside since it was opened for a few hours.  This present cathedral is the fourth one here, since the original ones burned down.  We did notice there were no candles inside the church itself.  This cathedral is host to a number of events as well as being the parish church for outlying districts.

Every café and restaurant in this main square was filled to capacity, and we heard great reports on the food everywhere. We passed by a McDonalds and just for the fun of it , where we went inside to get a picture of their menu.  The prices were shocking as a big cheese bacon burger was the equivalent of $14.44 for just the burger, no fries or drink.  The place was full of local young folks…..all eating the French fries. 

Time to head back, we took the side streets all of the way back to the port area and got back to our room by 4pm.  What a nice day we had in this smaller city.  And it never did rain and the sun even came out.  How lucky was that? 

There were two bucket lift vehicles with fellows painting on the port side of the ship.  Looking from the bottom of the gangway, we figured they were really close to our room.  Sure hope the paint dries quickly as the smell can be off-putting.   Guess this kind of work can be scheduled ahead of time, especially when the weather is co-operating like today. 

After all of the tour buses came back, the ship left by 5:30pm, sailing out slowly.  We watched from the veranda until the chilly wind drove us back inside.  Before we knew it, the time for dinner had arrived.  We did have reservations in the Pinnacle Grill, but decided the menu had some items we liked and cancelled our time slot in the specialty restaurant.  We are running out of "regular" dinner days now that the trip is wrapping up. 

We were all present and delighted to share stories of the day.  The fish and chips in town were reportedly the best ever, according to both Greg and Heo.  They had gone out earlier than us, and probably had morning coffee and pastries at a café.  We had taken about the same path they did, after seeing their photos.  All of us, except for Barb and Woody who had stayed onboard, agreed that this day-to-day port stop was like going to work with hardly a weekend to recuperate.  That time will come on May 6^th when the ship heads out across the pond.  Unfortunately, that will also be packing time.  Thinking ahead, Heo admitted he has been slowly packing some of the clean clothing when it comes back from the laundry nicely pressed and folded.  Since they do not get the complimentary luggage shipping, they will bring their luggage with them back to Sydney. We have been thinking about packing, but that is as far as we have gotten…..just thinking about it.

Tomorrow, we will be in another new port for us, Haugesund.  Captain Frank has remained very cautious about the possible change in the weather conditions, but so far, all has turned out OK.  Sure hope our luck continues.

Bill & Mary Ann

218 Pictures

Report #113 Saturday April 22, 2023 Oslo, Norway 11:30am-7pm Docked Port Side To Pier Sunny And Warm 46-75 Degrees Earth Day

 

Norway has been described as the most beautiful country in the world.  Its capital is Oslo, and the population is 5.2 million folks that speak Norwegian.  It is a dramatic land of glaciers, fjords, the largest of Europe's icefields, rocky coastal islands, and the primeval Arctic.  Norway's nature is their #1 destination, especially when you can view the Northern lights or participate in the winter sports.  Did you know that the word "ski" is a Norwegian word?  Aeons ago, hunters were believed to have fashioned skis made of wood used while hunting big game, and actually drew figures in the caves at the time.  

What kind of food appeals to the Norwegians?  Roasted reindeer, elk steak or burger, grilled or smoked salmon, dried cod, shrimp, and herring as well as Arctic char.   Most favorite dishes are meatballs with mushy peas, mashed potatoes, and wild berry jam.  Wild berries include strawberries, black and red currants, raspberries, blueberries, and cloudberries….a real treat.  They wash it down with black strong coffee.  

Have you ever heard of a breakfast that comes in a tube?  Well they have it here with cream cheese and sugar-cured and smoked cod-roe cream packaged in tubes.  Popular for decades, it has been around since 1893.  Newer versions contain bacon, ham, salami, shrimp, tomato, and even Mexican jalapeno flavored cheeses.  It is often eaten with slices of cheese and boiled eggs. 

There are two basic seasons – summer and winter.  Other times of the year, many operators simply shut up shop.  And the weather can turn on a dime.  And according to what we have been hearing for the last two days from the Captain, the weather may be turning on that dime soon.

There was a scenic sail-in commentary from the Crow's Nest delivered by Ian at 7:30am where Oslo rolls were served we understand.  Darn, we did not know that.  But we are not sad we missed Fiskesuppe, the Norwegian fish soup that was served on the outside decks and Crow's Nest at 10am.  

Tours offered today were easy Oslo for $70 for 2 hours and biking in Oslo for $100 for 3 hours.  Oslo highlights and Maritime Museum was $130 for 3 ½ hours, while a drive to Vigeland Sculpture Park and Holmenkolfess was $100 for 3 ½ hours.  Land of the Midnight sun and maritime museum was $100 for 3 ½ hours.  Great Norway explorers was $110 for 3 hours.   Best of Oslo was $190 for 5 ½ hours.  And there is always the ho-ho bus which could be booked right outside the ship. 

The ship must have entered the fjord in the darkness of early morning.  It is a very long fjord, so our arrival time was 11am.  Last night, we had been told there would be a passport check in the upper dining room, but if this occurred it must have been later in the morning.  Our breakfast was the normal time.  However, we were told that the Thai crew were not allowed to leave the ship today, or any other Norway port.  That extended to the crew from South Africa as well.  And we have no idea why this occurred, but it is politics for sure.  We always inquired about the number of guests that left in Amsterdam and how many joined this last segment.  Presty said about 90 got off, and 96 joined, more or less.  Some guests will be leaving along the way and will not be doing the Trans-Atlantic part.  Also this morning, we saw two ambulances taking people to the hospital. 

Sadly we learned that our head room steward was going home today.  We will miss his friendly smile and his excellent service.  There was a time when most all of the crew members stayed on for the entire world cruise.   These days their contracts are honored to the letter, and when their assigned time is up, they have to go home.  While watching the ship being tied up, we saw a group of new crew members waiting to board.  The ship was not cleared until after 11:30am, at which time, the guests poured off of the gangways heading for their buses.  By the way, there were no shuttles today as we were docked close to the center of town.  And the all aboard time had been extended to 6:30pm, an hour later.  Since the tours were delayed in starting, this would give them plenty of time to get back on the ship.  

We stayed until the thundering herd was off.  Around noon, we had a knock on our door and an officer handed us two special magnetic pins with the 150 years of Holland America Line as a gift from Gus (Antorcha).  The card said it was a token of gratitude for being a member of our President's Club.  Nice touch. 

The early morning temperature was 44 degrees on our veranda, but eventually, it warmed up nicely to perhaps in the high 60's.  Guessing it would be more sheltered in town, we wore sweatshirts and we were comfortable.  Wherever the sun hit, local people were sitting in it.  It was a good thing the ho-ho buses were handing out maps, since we saw no one giving out city maps.  The ship had docked in a different dock today, and we needed to get our bearings.  Following the crowd seemed safe enough once out of the fenced dock area.  That took us through a series of cafes all the way to the Nobel Peace Center off of a huge square.  On the corner was City Hall where we ran into Gyl and Howard.  Comparing notes, we figured the way to the palace was up the street and to the left.   Once out of the jungle of buildings, we could see the Norwegian flag flying on top of the palace.  Perhaps the royal family was home today.  Walking the gentle slope, we arrived to The Royal Palace, but could only see the outside with several guards at every entrance.  The side garden was not open today.  Locals were posing with the friendly guards, and that's when we noticed some of the guards were young women.  It must be quite an honor to belong to this elite group, since almost half of the group were ladies. 

We took photos, then moved on towards the old carriage house and hillside of trees, blooming bulbs, and spring flowers.  It was near 1pm by now, and something was happening.  The carriage house door opened up, and a string of guards began marching around the back end of the palace, then around the front.  We might be seeing the changing of the guard or something similar.  The crowd approaching the palace was stopped, and the guards continued to march and go through some maneuvers with their rifles.  More guards came out from the carriage house, so we stayed until 1:30pm watching this exercise.  They were still at this display when we left to find a place for lunch.  But we considered ourselves lucky to have stumbled upon the Royal Guard exercise.  Sheer luck.

Down at the bottom of the hill, there was something else going on.  A big crowd had gathered under the banner which advertised a 5 km run.  It was commencing around 1:30pm, so after passing the Oslo College, we stopped and watched as a group of young kids began running the race.  The street had been cordoned off and the course wrapped around the park in the center divide.  Some dads also ran with their kids. 

Right across from this race, we remembered eating lunch at a Hard Rock Café.  The old historical corner building looked the same, but the restaurant was replaced with another.  Going inside, we inquired if the HRC had moved, and were told they had closed a few years ago, and never reopened anywhere else locally.  It may have been a casualty of Covid along with many other cafes.  Some barricades had been removed so people could cross the street, and we followed them.  The cafes along this street were totally full of guests inside and out.

Right across from the Johans Gate shopping street, we saw a sign saying Peppe's Pizza, which naturally drew us inside to check it out.  It appeared to be a narrow restaurant with all the seats filled inside.  However upon asking for a table for two, we were led all the way to the back, and up a flight of stairs, where the restaurant had plenty of seating left.  Within minutes, we had two local draft beers called Ringnes and had ordered a large pepperoni pizza.   This eatery had deep dish Chicago pizza as well as New York-style with a thin crust, which we prefer.  And went it arrived, it was LARGE, almost the same as the one he had in Lanzarote, Canary Islands.   Sure was good and we managed to eat the entire pie.  They did have a banana split for dessert, but there was absolutely no room for it.  Just for general information, we noticed there were no public restrooms, and if you found one, there was a charge.  However, for the special race today, there was a row of portables for the crowd. We did have restrooms in the café, but it was for paying guests only.   Later on at dinner, we learned from Heo that one of the cafes they went to, had no restroom, but showed the way to one, which had a charge. 

As nice as it was sitting at the restaurant, it was time to move on.  We slowly made our way back to the dock, passing hordes of folks out and about on this fine sunny Saturday.  The eateries that lined the alleyway back to the ship were jammed with customers enjoying the wine.  This must be a fairly new area, and it is hip and cool as it comes.

Boarding the ship by 4pm, we warmed up in our room, and worked on photos and reports.  Watching from the veranda, we saw numerous buses coming back from the tours, as well as several ho-ho buses.  We were scheduled to leave shortly after 6:30pm, but a few people were late coming back.  And they were lucky that the ship had waited.  Their names and room numbers were announced, and that is not a good thing.

Leaving the fjord was no where as nice as when we entered.  The light was much better early on because the sun was out and the skies were clear blue.  Later this afternoon, clouds moved in, and the best of the light was gone.  We were still in the fjord when we went to dinner, so that was the end of the pictures.

All of us were present, sharing stories once again.  Being docked in a different area, we had missed seeing the Opera House.  Greg and Heo had hiked there to find it had been re-developed and many apartments and amenities had been added to the popular area.  They likened it to the rebirth of the Barangaroo area of Sydney.  Fabulous according to Greg.  There were several Norwegian items on the menu, but we had our usual appetizers of smoked chicken (really tasty), chicken noodle soup with spaghetti, salad, and mains of everyday roasted chicken (really good tonight), and beef stew also nice.  Desserts were banana frozen yogurt and one panna cotta.

There was a barely advertised Chocolate Surprise at 9pm, where the waiters paraded with trays of everything chocolate we heard.  It would last for ½ hour, but by the time we finished dinner, we had missed it.  We did hear that the sweet treats were gone in a flash.  And speaking of chocolate…….the pillow chocolates were missing this evening in our room for the first time this cruise.  Greg mentioned their little chocolates had stopped a few days ago, so we can only assume they have run out.  So sad for a grand voyage, but we will survive as we have kept many of the chocolates from day one.

Tomorrow's port is a new one for us….Kritiansand, located about the furthest south of Norway as one can get.  And with it, comes the change of weather as it will turn on a dime.

Bill & Mary Ann

245 Pictures

Report # 112 Friday April 21, 2023 Copenhagen, Denmark Docked Port Side To Pier 8am-6pm Sunny And Warm 48-70 Degrees

 

The Zuiderdam arrived to the port of Copenhagen, Denmark early this morning at 7am, and we were docked by 8am.  The skies were clear and it was a bit chilly, but warmer than Amsterdam.  We bet it will warm up and be a marvelous day.  Denmark is considered the most livable and happiest nation in the world.  Of course it comes with a price of high taxes, but most everything is free, we have been told by tour guides.  Great health care, free education, and extended paid vacations as well as maternity and paternity leave once a child is born is provided for all.  It is, however, very expensive to live here.

 

The population is 5.6 million residents that speak Danish and most speak English too.  Copenhagen is the capital. They are best known for the Vikings, Hans Christian Andersen, Danish design, the plastic-fantastic Legoland, and excellent cuisine.  The Danes are described as fun-loving frivolous party animals with liberal and progressive attitudes.  And we are so looking forward to visiting Copenhagen with museums, castles, shops, bars, and historic sights. The Danish Monarchy, a constitutional one since 1849, is still functioning today making it one of the oldest in the world. 

 

Copenhagen's harbor is 850 years old and has smartly retained its historic areas.  With their copper spires, cobblestone squares, and colorful gabled houses, Copenhagen is considered one of Scandinavia's coolest capitals.  It is also home to 15 Michelin-starred restaurants, and also home to the tiny statue of the Little Mermaid. The city ranks as one of the most bike-friendly cities in the world.  It is a popular means of transport with 42% of all locals using a bike to commute back and forth to work.  New bike paths and bridges are designed every year to improve the ride for them.  By the way, the locals seemed much more careful riding these bikes today, compared to what we encountered while we were in Amsterdam.   The city has 386 km of bike lanes to explore.  And they do not have to be young to do it.   

 

What do the Danes eat here?  Try smorrebrod, an open-faced sandwich, Danish meatballs, pickled herring called sild, and Danish pastries.  Favorite drinks are beer like Carlsberg and Tuborg, also schnapps.  Micro-breweries are on the rise too. 

 

We stayed onboard until noontime, having slept a bit later today.  With so many ports in a row, we are finding that it is catching up with us.  Now we really appreciate the sea days, and miss having them.  The longest stretch will be Trans-Atlantic, but that is quite a ways away yet.  The free shuttle bus from Ocean Quay, a new dock far from town, was waiting for us to load.  The bus people had city maps that they handed out, which we love.  We had almost a 20 minute ride to Kastellel park surrounded with blooming cherry trees.  Just stunning, it really woke up the spring allergies with us.   From there, we hiked to the harbor's edge to see The Little Mermaid. Not hard to locate, because lots of tourists were crowded at the railing to take photos of the copper statue.    We continued to walk along the harbor past the theater and on to Nyhavn Harbor.  It sure was crowded, but then it was also Friday, and folks could be off for a long weekend.  Or there were a lot of spring tourists here.  There wasn't a seat to be had with all of the harborfront cafes and eateries.  The old gabled houses always present a photo opportunity and we sure did that just fine.  Many boats were in the canal also.  They have the canal tours here as well. 

 

Leaving Nyhavn, we ended up in a gigantic square where we recalled the beginning of the Stroget pedestrian walkway was located.  We had to head down the street where the Rolex building was on the corner.  This street is loaded with all of the high end stores that you see worldwide.  There used to be bakeries and places to buy cheese, but we did not see them today.  There were some hotdog stands with the best long and skinny dogs that are famous here, but we were saving ourselves for lunch if we found the Hard Rock Café.  The further we traveled down this lane, we came upon the more touristy section selling all types of inexpensive clothing and loads of souvenirs.  Finally we arrived at the end of the Stroget, and saw Burger King on one side, and Hard Rock on the other side.  Happy we had found it, we went inside and got a high top table for two.  We also noticed that we were directly across the street from Tivoli Gardens, a place that inspired Walt Disney to create a theme park following the ideas here.  Besides some rides, gardens, and restaurants, they have a broad range of concerts all summer long.

 

Back to lunch, we shared a burger and the big brownie ice cream dessert with two Stella beers.  Compared to other places we have dined on this trip, it was very expensive here.  Like the equivalent of $75 USD… and we shared.  We did pick up a city T-shirt, which was priced about the same as all of their stores.  The salesgirl that seated us, loved the New York HRC sweatshirt one of us was wearing, and threw in a free HRC collector's pin for free.  Sitting and relaxing with the beer was priceless naturally.  We took a slightly different path back, and went around the back street near Nyhavn to avoid the crowd.   That brought us right to Amalienborg Palace where several guards were marching with their rifles, just like you see in Buckingham Palace.  Years ago, we were here during the noontime changing of the guards and it was most impressive. 

 

But it was time to move on since all aboard was at 5:30pm, and the last shuttle from the park was at 5pm.  It was a long hike, but we made it to the bus by 4:15pm.  And as luck would have it, our buddies Greg, Heo, Ginni and Rich were on the same bus.  We all had to laugh that we did it again – running into them in the last several ports.  What are the odds?  The ride back took 15 minutes and we were back to the room by 5pm.   Just then, we had a knock on the door and a waiter came in with a tray of chocolate-covered strawberries.  No card, so we do not know where they came from.  We suspect they were an apology for missing the birthday a few days ago.   Whatever the reason, they were really good. 

 

Captain Frank spoke before we left, and mentioned there would be some scenic cruising as we leave the city and head north.  We had the sun shining on the veranda, and it was heaven sitting outside.  The Captain also mentioned that tomorrow's scenic sailing into and out of Oslo will be wonderful as far as the weather is concerned.  But he also added that we better enjoy tomorrow's sun, since he expects unsettled weather the further north we travel.  Hope he is wrong with that, but we shall take his advise and take what we can get of the sunshine and blue skies. 

 

Dinner found all of us present with stories to share of our daily exploits.   The guys had walked as far as we had but stopped for morning coffee and Danish pastries.  Then they followed up with a light lunch before coming back.  Barb had stayed onboard, and so did Woody.  He talked to Susie who is still in the hospital in Lisbon, and waiting to be flown home with an escort soon we hope.  Working with insurance can be complicated, especially when you are overseas. 

 

Turning in early as we can to be ready for tomorrow's scenic sailing into Oslo, Norway.  But we were told this evening that there will be a passport check in the morning, so our breakfast will be moved to deck two.  Nothing like waiting for the last minute to spring this info.  But what else is new?

 

Bill & Mary Ann

185 Pictures