Jun.
2023
-->
SoToN
by 13:25
Jun.
2023
Sognefjord
pm Village
Jun.
2023
Nordfjord
pm Town
Jun.
2023
Lofoten
Islands
W. Lofoten
All Day Tour
Jun.
2023
Norway
pm City
Jun.
2023
Norway
pm Town
Jun.
2023
Norway
pm Walk
Jun.
2023
-->
BoMoH
by 8:30
| Arms | Date | Port | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
|
10th Jun. 2023 |
BoMoH --> SoToN |
On board by 13:25 |
|
13th Jun. 2023 |
Skjolden Sognefjord |
am Glaciers pm Village |
|
14th Jun. 2023 |
Maloy Nordfjord |
am Walk pm Town |
|
16th Jun. 2023 |
Leknes Lofoten Islands |
Wonderful W. Lofoten All Day Tour |
|
18th Jun. 2023 |
Trondheim Norway |
am Walk pm City |
|
19th Jun. 2023 |
Andalsnes Norway |
am Grytten pm Town |
|
20th Jun. 2023 |
Haugesund Norway |
am Town pm Walk |
|
22nd Jun. 2023 |
SoToN --> BoMoH |
Home by 8:30 |
| Arms | Date | Port | Comment |
I got up just after six o'clock and left home at 9:30 in a Streamline taxi. I managed to catch the ten o'clock train to SoToN, where I jumped in another taxi. The city was beginning to lock up, but we weaved our way through the jams. Arriving far too early at the QEII cruise terminal, I dropped off my suitcase and walked out on to the southernmost jetty. Here I sat on a large bollard, whilst watching a car transporter berth. I spent most of the morning sat in the waiting room.
At 1:10 the three o'clock people, including myself, were called forward, so I was on board by 1:25. Here I had the roast beef and the chocolate cheesecake for lunch in the buffet. Halfway through the meal, the cabins were released, so I headed down to mine. I had an outside double with picture window on deck five in the ship's bow. Here I slept for three quarters of an hour, before having my first instant regular coffee of the cruise with my own Sainsbury's lower fat whitener.
Out on the top deck, I received an offer for two cruises back-to-back on Silversea's Silver Dawn, which I quickly accepted. At 5:15 I did six lengths of the aft outside cool pool, as the indoor pool was netted over. I then spent ten minutes in one of the jacuzzis, chatting to a lady from central Bedfordshire, close to Cranfield University. Her MP was Nadine Dorries who had just resigned her seat when her elevation to the House of Lords had been denied!
At six o'clock I dined with two couples, one single gent together with Linda & Christina the girls from Bristol. I had the ham & lentil soup, the sirloin steak with chips and the Pavlova. I had to slip away at 7:15 to go to the first dance set. Here I led cruise staffer Rin through the Rumba (Number) One, the Square Tango and the Quickstep, all for the very first time! I did one waltz with Christina, but Linda could only lead!
I moved along to the live pop group Pulse, where I sat with crafter Suzanne Livingstone from Ulster and her friend Jane. The former said that she would book us all in to one of the speciality restaurants. At 8:30 I went to the On the Horizon production show with:
7 musicians 6 female dancers 3 male singers (more than the girls!) 2 female singers 2 male dancers
After the show, I did just half a circuit of the promenade deck to reach my daily step goal. Back in my cabin, I started work on this blog. I went to sleep at 10:30, but it was now 11:30 on Central European Time (CET), having done just over ten thousand steps during the day.
I awoke at 6:10, but it was now 7:10 on CET. After my instant regular coffee in the cabin, I got ready for a busy day ahead. At eight o'clock I had TWO eggs Benedict in the Medina restaurant with a trio from Fareham, a couple from Southampton and another couple. I had just ONE slice of toast and just ONE glass of tomato juice with Worcestershire sauce.
Back at the cabin, Nicholau from Goa was working, so I did a few circuits of the sun deck in the warm sun, but cool wind. I then worked on my laptop. At ten o'clock I went to the solo get together, but no host arrived, so I introduced myself and got everyone else to do the same. I chatted to a lady from Leeds, before slipping out for the line dance class. Here Sophie & Jake taught Mamma Maria, Alpine, Something Stupid, Honky Tonk Stomp and a version of Stroll Along Cha Cha, the latter starting on the wrong foot. They also taught Peaches & Cream, but were turning the wrong way with the jazz box at the end!
At 11:15 I went to the start of Dr Chris Martin's talk on Forensics and the Law, which was actually on DNA. I had to slip out for Alan & Margaret's rumba class. They spent one hour teaching a two wall sequence with lots of turns to thirteen couples. I danced with Liz from Sandbach.
At 12:30 I lunched al fresco on the ham, chips & peas, but with no starter and no dessert. Back in my cabin, I prepared for my first talk. At 1:30 Alvino from Goa set me up, ready for CD Jane to introduce me at two o'clock. I then gave my 40 minute lecture on the Story of the Fjords to a large audience, with lots of questions afterwards. I used my own Dell Latitude E5430 laptop with single HDMI lead and showed just one video at the end.
Back in my cabin, I slept for 45 minutes, before having my afternoon mug of instant decaff coffee. I then filled in and delivered my escort request form. At five o'clock I did six lengths of the indoor pool, but the jacuzzi was cold. I moved to the hot tub by the middle outdoor pool, but that was cool. I then walked up, over and down several decks to the aft pool where the jacuzzi was warm. Here I chatted to the lady from Bedfordshire again.
Having donned my formal grey kit, I went to dinner at six o'clock. I was sat at a sharing table of four ladies and four gents. I had the gravad lax salmon, the minestrone soup, the beef Wellington and the cherries jubilee. At 7:45 I went to the first dance session which was very thin, where I danced with instructress Margaret.
At 8:30 I enjoyed Roy Locke's Magic of the Musical(s). He began with "Oh What a Beautful Morning" from Oklahoma and "Some Enchanted Evening" from South Pacific. He sang medleys from West Side Story and Les Miserables. He ended with "The Music of the Night" from Phantom.
At 9:30 I went to the Celebration Ball in the Masquerade lounge, which was busy. I danced mainly with Margaret, but also with Angela from Glasgow, Barbara from Sheffield and Christina from Bristol. Margaret led me through the King Charles Waltz, but I still can't get the syncopated whisk! At 11:30 I moved up to the midnight buffet, where I had various small bites. I went to sleep just after midnight, having done over thirteen thousand steps, equal to over five miles of walking during the day.
I awoke at 7:40 ready for my mug of instant decaff coffee in the cabin. At 8:15 I had the special P&O full English breakfast in the Medina restaurant, sat with seven other guests, including a couple from South Wales. At nine o'clock Nicholau was servicing the room, so I did five circuits of the top sun deck, equal to one mile of walking. I then had to do some difficult paperwork on my mobile phone to send off to Silversea for my flights to and from Copenhagen in two weeks time.
At 10:30 I went to Erin & Fran's line dance class where they taught five easy dances, none of which I knew, but with lots of heel/toeing on the spot. At 11:30 I danced with Liz at the ballroom tango class. Alan taught the usual walks (SS) into promenade (QQS) and return (QQS) which are the basic figures. He then added walks (SS) into lunge rocks (QQS), back side close (QQS) which are also the usual figures taught. Finally we did the walks (SS) into whisk (QQS), syncopated chassee and tap (Q&QS), step side close (QQS) which was a little bit tricky.
At 12:30 I ate the sweet and sour pork balls with rice al fresco on the aft deck. At 1:30 Dayan from Mumbai set me up ready for my 40 minute talk on Glaciers. I had five minutes of questions to answer at the end.
Back in the cabin, I slept for half an hour, before having my mid-afternoon instant decaff coffee. At five o'clock I toured the jacuzzis and found that the aft one was warmest, so I spent fifteen minutes wallowing here, with a view of the snow-capped Norwegian mountains. At six o'clock I dined on the Caesar salad, the grilled salmon and the warm roasted fruits with rum & raisin ice cream. I was sat with the pair of usual couples, Christina, Linda and a lady from Taiwan. I told the latter that I was on 'F' for Formosa deck, which is the old name for her island!
At 7:30 I slipped out to go to the first dance set, where I mainly danced with Margaret, plus one dance with Christina. At 8:30 I went to the Fantasy production show which had a proper story to follow about a discoteque. I particularly enjoyed the Bee Gees and Village People medleys, plus all the classic disco hits by Gloria and Donna, no need for surnames here. This took me back to my Lancaster days!
At 9:30 I went to the second dance set where I danced with Margaret, Angela from Glasgow, Barbara from Sheffield (not Leeds). A pair of Yorkshire couples asked for various sequence dances which even Alan & Margaret the instructors from Lancashire didn't know! This included the Swaledale Saunter, the Rivelin Rumba and the Emmerdale Waltz. At 10:30 I saw the show for a second time sat near the front. I didn't get to sleep until nearly midnight, having done over fourteen thousand steps, nearly equal to six miles of walking during the day.
I awoke at 5:30, half an hour before my alarms, but got up ready to watch the sail up the majestic Sogne fjord. At 6:30 I had two croissants with ham and cheese, as we passed the huge Feigefossen waterfall. I was one of the first off the ship just after eight o'clock ready to escort my second choice tour entitled Glaciers & Views. I met up with driver Sven-Ove and guide Anne, who was the local headmistress and then sat with Grace from Winchester on the coach. Her granddaughter was at Millfield School in Somerset, whilst her grandson was at Harrow Public School.
We drove down the Lustre Fjord (Lusterfjord), before turning right up into the Jostedalen valley. Here we had our first stop at the Glacier Home Information Centre (Breheimsenteret) with a distant view of Nigardsbreen glacier. We then turned left up the toll road to the lake in front of the glacier for a photo stop. We retraced our route with one last photostop on the western side of Lustre Fjord, looking across to the Feigefossen waterfall. Unfortunately the bright sunshine was in the wrong place here!
Back at the ship, I grabbed my first cheeseburger & chips with no bun of the cruise. I immediately went back ashore to walk into the village on my first visit here. I photographed all the main sights, before walking back the scenic way via the large lake.
Back at the ship again, I had my mid-afternoon instant decaff coffee, before going ashore again with my laptop to do some Silversea documentation. Back on the ship yet again, I spent over half an hour in the aft jacuzzi as we sailed back down the Lustre Fjord to join the main Sognefjord. At 7:30 I went to the only dance session of the evening. Here I mainly danced with Margaret, plus one dance with Scottish Angela.
At eight o'clock I adjourned to the Beach House speciality restaurant ($9.50 cover charge), where Crafter Suzanne Livingstone had booked a table for five. We were sat with her assistant Jane and guests Debbie from Nuneaton & Jules from Newport Pagnell, with wonderful views of the Sognefjord. Four of us had the included potato starter, which was supposed to be crispy skins, but was actually one whole baked spud, which was tasty. For the main course, four of us cooked fillet steaks on lava hot rocks ($3.95 surcharge). Four of us finished with the included key lime sundae. I bought a bottle of the house red wine for Jules, Debbie and myself to share ($19.95 - $9.98 speaker discount).
Afterwards I went up to the top deck to do some FaceBooking and see the Sognefjord scenery. At 10.10 I gave Roy Locke's opera show a miss and went straight to bed. During the day I had done nearly eighteen thousand steps, equal to seven miles of walking!
My alarm woke me at six o'clock ready for my mug of instant decaff coffee in the cabin. At 6:30 I had TWO croissants with ham and cheese with TWO glasses of tomato juice. At 8.15 I was one of the first off the ship to meet my guide Golden Tone (@ToneGull) for my first choice walking tour of this new town for me. We had twenty four guests, including one old lady with a walking stick who struggled a bit. Tone is the curator of the town's famous murals which feature her father with the dogfish, her boyfriend with the broken umbrella and her son with the Fisherwomen! She said that her grandfather had fired the shot that had sunk the Scharnhorst, the Nazi Battleship! She took us to, and talked about, eight wall paintings:
Great Tit Seagull Abstract fried eggs Surreal crab Fishermen Fisherwomen Fisherman Hat man
We traversed the main street as far as the lovely little church, before doubling back along this one street town. After 125 minutes, she had to rush off and escort the next batch of guests from the ship. I then went in the tourist information office, before wending my way back to the ship.
Here I updated this blog and then went for an early lunch. I had the green pea soup and the roast lamb as an al fresco lunch, before sleeping for an hour and a quarter. I then went back ashore, photographing the various quaysides. I walked out under the bridge supports to the small island with the British wartime raid memorial. I came back via the church and the upper roadways, passed the schools and then back to the ship.
Here I had my second instant decaff coffee of the afternoon in my cabin. At 5:15 I did six lengths of the cool pool and spent ten minutes in the warm jacuzzi. Here I chatted to a couple from Reading.
At six o'clock I dined on the Casear salad, the sirloin steak and the strawberry ice cream. I was sat opposite Jason & Teresa from Jersey. She was sat next to a Scout Master and he was sat next to Christina. Opposite her was Linda and between her and me was another couple.
Just after 7:30 I slipped out to go to the first dance session, where I mostly danced with cruise staffer Hannah, who was a good dancer. At 8:30 I went to the Applause production show, which sampled many different musicals with many different quick costume changes. I particularly enjoyed the final Les Miserables medley.
At 9:30 a male cruise staffer took over the DJ slot and so I danced with Angela, Barbara, Sue and Christina. At 10:30 I saw the Applause production show for a second time. Afterwards I had small portions of the lasagna and the chilli con carne in the midnight buffet, together with a mug of milk. I went to sleep at midnight having done twenty four thousand steps, nearly equal to ten miles of walking during the day!
I got up just after six o'clock and enjoyed my first mug of instant decaff coffee of the day in the cabin. Just after seven o'clock, I had the full English breakfast to eat with one glass of tomato juice and one glass of orange juice to drink. Back in my cabin, I began work on my upcoming Silversea lectures. When Nicolau came to make the bed, I did twenty four circuits of the balcony of the indoor pool, as there was a cold north wind outside.
Back in my cabin again, I had my mid-morning mug of instant decaff coffee. At 10:30 I went to Jake & Sophie's line dance class. They taught Twist 'Em, 9 to 5, Mamma Mia (not Mamma Maria), Wagon Wheel and Lucky Lips. They counted the latter dance in early, before the Cliff Richard vocals, which worked well when the song came back into phase in the second half of the track.
At 11:30 I went to Alan & Margaret's cha cha class, which again was tricky. They taught the basic, the fan position, the hockey stick, the kicks and some more. When Liz had to slip away, I moved over to partner beginner Sue, but she struggled from the outset.
At noon, I slipped away for my al fresco lunch on an empty aft deck. I had the onion soup and the roast lamb, before sleeping for an hour and a half. I spent most of the afternoon working on my Nordfjordeid talk ready for Silver Dawn in a fortnight's time.
At 4:40 I did twenty four circuits of the indoor pool, as it was still cold outside. I gave the pools and jacuzzis a miss that afternoon! At six I dined on the tomato soup, the gammon and the chocolate fondant with salted caramel ice cream. I was sat with the couple from Lincolnshire again, the Scout Master from Sussex, the gent from St Albans, and ladies from Devon and Lancashire. At 7:30 I danced with Margaret at the first dance session. At 8:30 I went to Sammy Lomax's excellent Dusty Springfield tribute show, with all the famous hits.
At 9:30 I danced twice each with Margaret, Angela, Barbara and Sue, plus a jive with Christina. At 10:30 I watched the show for a second time, without nodding off! I then had a small tuna sarnie and a small cheese & pickle wrap in the midnight buffet. I went to sleep at midnight, having done nearly thirteen thousand steps, equal to over five miles of walking during the day.
I was awoken by the anchor clanking at ten to six, so I got up and had my usual mug of instant decaff coffee. With so many people on the seven o'clock tour, there was no hot water, so I went without my shower. At 6:45 I had the full English breakfast with a small sirloin steak as well!
Back in my cabin, I updated this blog and worked on my upcoming presentations. At nine o'clock I was on dispatch duty in the Curzon theatre, where I had to lead a lady in a wheelchair down to the tender platform. I was first on to the tender followed by the guests. Having berthed at Lekneshavn, I rushed off to find Damaniano my Italian guide and Andy my driver. I had forty two guests to look after on my second choice Wonderful West Lofotoen & Lunch tour.
Our first stop was at the new, large Lofoten logo on the cliff face with toilets. We then had forty minutes in the lovely little fishing harbour of Reine. Here I went in the Lofoten National Park information centre, but they had no free maps. They did have free wi-fi and free toilets though. Unfortunately the small, white church was locked.
Our next stop was at the Stock fish museum in Aa, where we watched a twenty minute film in French with English subtitles. We then walked through the village to the restaurant, but had to wait outside for fifteen minutes as we were twirly (too early)! We had another wait in the queue as the buffet tables were small and dark. I sampled the smoked salmon, the thinly sliced cured lamb, the air dried ham, the chicken casserole and the fish pie with various salads. I then had the panna cotta for dessert, as the fruit tart had run out. The only drink was water.
After lunch I photographed the outdoor museum buildings in the centre of Aa village. On the way back to the ship, we had stops at a beach where I recorded my piece to camera and at a red church with an onion dome. Back at the quay, I had to shell out 20 NoK to buy a tourist map. We then all jumped on the waiting tender, after a really great tour in glorious weather.
At 6:15 I sat with the bridge instructor and his male assistant, another different couple from Jersey, with dancer Sue, another gent and an empty seat. I had the ham, cheese and pear starter, the roast lamb and the cherry cheesecake. I slipped away at 7:30 for the first dance set where I danced with Margaret. At 8:30 I went to the show of comedian Josh Adams from Wigan. He was a bit naughty with jokes about Germans and the menopause!
At 9:30 I danced with Margaret, Barbara, Sue, Christina, and Angela. The latter including a tango demonstration with me for a second time on an empty dance floor! At 10:30 I went to the Up All Night production show in Carmen's lounge. I went to sleep at 11:30 having done twelve and a half thousand steps, equal to five miles of walking during the day.
I awoke at 6:15 and got up at 6:45. At eight o'clock I had grapefruit segments, two eggs Benedict and three slices of toast sat with four ladies and three gents. The couple and the solo lady opposite me came from Penistone in Yorkshire, but didn't previously know each other.
Back in my cabin, I updated this blog and got ready for my next enrichment lecture. At ten o'clock, I gave my forty five minute talk on the Story of the Vikings, including one summary video. I had a lot of questions to answer at the end.
At 11:30 I went to Alan & Margaret's quickstep class, where they taught the basic and the lock step. Here I danced with Liz as usual. At 12:15 I had lunch of butternut squash soup, shell-on prawns and lamb moussaka with two chicken strips, parmentier potatoes and baby carrots. I then slept for two hours, followed by my mid-afternoon mug of instant decaff coffee. I spent most of the afternoon working on my laptop.
At 4:30 I did three circuits of the promenade deck, equal to one mile in fifteen minutes, walking at four miles an hour. At six o'clock, wearing my grey formal outfit, I dined on the terrine, the New England clam chowder, the lamb chops and the baked Alaska with honeycomb ice cream. I was sat with three ladies, two gents and one couple. The latter man had been in the Royal Engineers for 47 years and carried three miniature medals, one of which was the MBE.
At 7:30 I slipped away to dance with Margaret in the first evening session, including a demonstartion tango on our own! I discovered I had lost my grey cummerbund, but then the lady from King's Langley, who had sat next to me at dinner, appeared with it. She shops in Hemel Hempstead, rather than multi-cultural Watford!
At 8:30 I went to the excellent New Romantics production show in the Curzon theatre. This included great songs by Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Culture Club, Roxy Music, Spandau Ballet, Duran Duran, Eurhythmics, Madness, Kylie, Jason and Bonnie Tyler. This took me back to my Leicester days!
At 9:30 I danced with Margaret, Angela, Barbara and Sue in the second Celebration ball. I slipped out to see the second performance of the New Romatics show at 10:30. Afterwards I had two small egg mayonnaise wraps in the Midnight buffet. I went to sleep at 11:45 having done ten thousand steps, equal to four miles of walking during the day.
I awoke to my alarm at six o'clock ready for my usual mug of instant decaff coffee in my cabin. At 6:45 I had two croissants with smoked salmon and cheese to eat and two glasses of tomato juice to drink. Back in my cabin, I worked on my laptop.
At 8:45 I was on dispatch duty in the Curzon theatre. I had to take two disabled couples down to the tender platform and then return to the theatre. I then led the three groups doing my second choice walking tour down to the tender at 9:15. I was first off of the tender ready to meet our guide the young student Julian, who spoke perfect English.
We walked though the city to the famous medieval cathedral where we had twenty minutes of free time. Our next stop was at the old bridge and the bicycle lift. Back in the city centre, we crossed the main square and headed for the railway station and the cruise berth which was occupied by an Aida cruise ship. We then walked the length of the prom, passed the marina, to the tender berth.
Back on the ship, I had the lentil and bean soup, followed by the roast beef. I then slept for just half an hour, before trying to go ashore again. I had to watch three tenders unload their guests, taking over half an hour, before I could depart.
Back in the city, I recorded my piece to camera, before walking along the river bank to the cathedral. Coming back through the city centre, the main shopping mall with tourist information office was closed, so I had to collect some leaflets from two of the hotels.
Back at the quayside, I jumped on the nearly full penultimate tender and quickly got back to ship. Here I had my afternoon decaff instant coffee, whilst sorting out my paperwork and updating this blog. At six o'clock I dined on the chicken soup, the ham in white sauce and the cheese plate. I was sat with the gent from St Albans, the rock 'n' roll couple from Rustington in Sussex and the two couples who always sat at this sharing table. One of these ladies had just won a bottle of champagne for having done over one thousand nights on P&O cruises!
At 7:30 I went to the first dance set, where I did a waltz, a social foxtrot and the square tango with DJ Rin. Back in my cabin, I had another mug of instant decaff coffee, as I was still a bit dehyrated from the heat of the day's walking! At 8:30 I heard Sammy Lomax's second show time including Ticket to Ride in the style of Karen Carpenter and Natural Women in the style of Carole King. Unfortunately I kept falling asleep.
At 9:30 I went to the second dance set with the bald headed DJ. I did one waltz with Barbara, one tango with Angela and one social foxtrot with Sue, before slipping out. Back in my cabin, I had another instant decaff coffee, as I was still feeling dehydrated. After working on my laptop, I went to bed at 10:30, having done over twenty four thousand steps, equal to nearly ten miles of walking during the day. Surprisingly I didn't have to get up in the night, despite coffee being a well-known diuretic!
I awoke at 5:30 having slept for seven hours, ready for a pee. Unfortunately it was drizzling outside, after days of glorious weather. At 6:30 I had the full English breakfast in the buffet. I was off the ship at 7:30, not having been to Andalsnes (pronounced Orn-dals-nes) since 2015.
I walked along the coast to the Kammen marina, before traversing the huge industrial estate. I crossed the bridge over the wide Rauma river and followed the footpath along the coast. Unfortunately this came to an uncrossable creek, so I had to walk across the fields to get to Grytten church. This was a beautiful red building with an onion dome. I headed back across the river to the shopping mall, as the various shops inside opened up for the morning. I went in the Grand Hotel, but the library behind didn't open until noon.
Back at the ship just after eleven, I had a cheeseburger with chips and a bun, but no trimmings. I then slept for an hour and three quarters, despite having slept for seven hours the previous night. After a quick mug of instant decaff coffee, I headed off again to find the start of the via ferrata (iron way) up the mountain. I then found the old church bell tower, but the church itself had gone.
Back at the ship again, I chatted to Christina & Linda until some guests arrived to ask me questions. I spent the next hour and a half on a lounger on the rear of the top deck watching the sail away down Romsdalfjord and Moldefjord. In my cabin, I had my second instant decaff coffee of the afternoon, getting over my morning's dehydrating hike.
At six I had the blue cheese panna cotta starter, the Lancashire hot pot and the trifle in the Medina restaurant. I was sat with Margaret & Tony from Rustington, the scout master also from Sussex, the single gent from Salisbury, another couple and dancer Sue from Liverpool. At 7:30 I went to the first dance set where I mainly danced with Margaret, but also with Sue.
At 8:30 I enjoyed the Bluejays rock 'n' roll concert featuring Elvis, Buddy, Chuck, Eddie and Cliff, no need for surnames here! I knew every song bar one, but they were awfully loud! At 9:30 I danced with Margaret, Sue and Barbara in the second dance set in the Masquerades lounge. Scottish Angela from Glasgow was not present. It later transpired that her late husband had loved R&R, so the concert had moved her and she had retired early.
At 10:30 I went to the production company's Top of the Billboards show in Carmen's lounge. This featured those British artistes who had made it big in the States. They began with a Beatles medley and ended with an Elton one, but I had trouble keeping awake! One female dancer and one male singer were missing, and I only later learned there had been a fall in the first house. The rest of the ensemble filled in, so that most people wouldn't have noticed their absence. A similiar occurence had happened on my previous cruise too.
I had a small cheese tart, a small portion of lamb shwarma and a mug of cold milk in the midnight buffet, before going to sleep at 11:45. During the day I had done over thirty thousand steps, equal to over twelve miles of walking.
I awoke at seven o'clock having slept for over seven hours, after my exertions the previous day. At 7:45 I had grapefruit segments and TWO eggs Benedict with one tomato juice for breakfast in the Medina main dining room. I was sat with some new faces, but the scout master from Sussex was also present. Whilst Nicholau was servicing the cabin, I walked around the top deck as we berthed in Haugesund.
Back in the cabin, I updated this blog and got ready to go ashore. At 9:30 I waited for the throng to depart, before going into the town. I recorded my piece to video in front of the Marilyn Monroe statue as usual. I went in the tourist information office and picked up a wad of leaflets.
Back at the ship at 11:15, I had a cheeseburger and chips with no trimmings as an early lunch. At noon I was on duty on the quayside ready to escort my third choice walking tour to the lighthouse. My guide was another Tone, pronounced Tuna, the driver was Jan and the dispatcher was Tony from Dublin! We had a half hour drive out to the start of the one and a half mile walk through the roches moutonees to the Ryvarden lighthouse. One old lady with a stick and sandals struggled on the way out.
I had two waffles with sour cream, strawberry and raspberry jam to eat and one mug of tea to drink at the old lighthouse keeper's cottage. The old lady left first and so didn't hold us up on the one and a half miles back to the coach. The coach driver used his own electric bicycle!
Back at the ship, I had my usual afternoon instant decaff coffee as I updated this blog. During the sailaway I walked around the top deck as we turned around. As we left the port we immediately lost the sunshine and went into the dense sea mist. I then changed into my silver grey formal outfit, ready for the third and final formal evening.
At six o'clock I was on a table with three new couples, plus the single gent from St. Albans. I had the crab and scallop starter, the thick chicken and sweetcorn chowder soup, the large mixed grill and the chocolate opera cake. I slipped out just after 7:30 but found the usual Masquerades lounge empty, having forgotten that the dancing would be in the larger Carmen's lounge that evening. Here I danced with Margaret and Sue.
At 8:30 I went to the "Astonishing" production show, where the singers and dancers performed elaborate illusions with large cabinets. The show was narrated by TV presenter Stephen Mulhearn. I particularly enjoyed the dancing in the dark with flourescent poles to Ed Sheeran's Shape of You.
At 9:30 I was back in Carmen's for the third and final ball of the cruise. Margaret led me through the Blue Angel Rumba sequence dance and I led Sue through the Square Tango and Rumba (Number) One. I did a demonstration tango, a slow foxtrot and a quickstep with Angela and two waltzes with Barbara. I did just one slow rock jive with Christina.
At 10:25 I slipped out to work on my Norwegian Railways lecture. I spent an hour adding the Andalsnes and Trondheim railway slides and taking out the Bergen ones. I kept the Oslo slides, even though we hadn't been there. I went to sleep at 11:45 having done over twenty three thousand steps, equal to over nine miles of walking during the day!
I awoke at 6:45 having slept for seven hours after my previous day's exertions. At 7:30 I had the full English breakfast in the buffet with two glasses of tomato juice to drink. Back in my cabin, I finished updating my Norwegian Railway slides and this blog.
When Nicholau came to service the cabin at 8:45, I went up to the newly re-opened top deck. It was bright sunhine, but a strong wind, so I descended to the promenade deck instead. Here I did half a dozen lengths of the sunny, east side of the ship.
Just before my lecture, CD Jane said that she had heard nothing but praise for my lectures from the guests. She introduced me and I then gave my forty minute talk on Norwegian railways, covering the Trondheim main line & trams, the Andalsnes Rauma line, Oslo and Flaam, but not Bergen. Towards the end, I showed one movie of railway accidents and two snow plough ones.
At 11:30 I went to Alan & Margaret's dance class in Carmen's lounge. They taught the Tasha Swing sequence dance to ten couples. I danced with Liz from Sandbach as usual.
At 12:15 I lunched on the butternut squash soup and the ham & chips al fresco on the aft deck. I then slept for an hour and a half, before having my mid-afternoon instant decaff coffee in the cabin. I worked on my website, before watching my Vikings talk on the telly.
At 4:45 I did six circuits of the top deck in the bright sunshine, equal to one mile of walking. Towards the end of my laps, we entered an enormous fog bank and all the wind turbines disappeared from view. The ship had to start sounding its fog horn then.
Back in the cabin, I changed into my going home outfit and started packing. At six o'clock I dined on the insalata Caprese, the large lamb shank and three scoops of honeycomb ice cream. I was sat with two new couples from Swindon and Pontefract. The latter pair were cruise virgins and had thoroughly enjoyed their first cruise. There was also an empty seat, a single lady and the chap from St. Albans again.
At 7:30 I went to the first dance set, but DJ Hannah didn't want to dance and all the regulars were away packing. At 8:30 I went to the Bluejays second show of sixties, not fifties music. It featured several Beatles songs, two twist tracks and one by the Monkees. I knew all the songs bar one, but it was again awfully loud.
At 9:30 I went to the second dance set with DJ Gee. I did three dances with Sue, two with Barbara and two with Margaret, but Angela and the girls from Bristol had already gone to bed. I had to walk around the ship to reach my daily quota of ten thousand steps, equal to four miles of walking. I explored deck eight for only the second time this cruise! I went to sleep at 11:15, but it was now only 10:15 back on BST.
I awoke to the bow thrushers at 6:30, but it was now only 5:30 on BST, ready for my mug of instant decaff coffee. At 6:15 I had my final full English breakfast al fresco overlooking an overcast SoToN. I was off the ship soon after seven o'clock and managed to catch the 7:30 train, getting home by 8:30. It had been a great cruise with magnificient weather on a new ship for me going to two new ports!
1) "The Story of the Fjords" Martin will cover the geography, geology and history of the fjords. 2) "Glacier: the Story of Glaciology" Martin, who has been on three university expeditions to Norwegian glaciers, will cover the geography, geology and history of glaciers. 3) "The Story of the Vikings" Martin will share his love of history with you. 4) "Norwegian Railways" Martin will cover the geography and history of railways in Norway. (Includes coverage of the Flam line)
8 Cabin drawers 7 Restaurants 7 Person band 6 Female dancers 5 Tours escorted 5 Sea days 4 Storey atrium 4 Old ports (Leknes, Trondheim, Andalsnes & Haugesund) 4 Enrichment lectures (Fjords, Glaciers, Vikings & Railways) 3 Swimming pools 3 Male singers 2 Female singers 2 Male dancers 2 Dance floors (Carmen's & Masquerade) 2 New ports (Skjolden & Maloy) 1 New ship (for me)
Thirteen Cruise Lines:
* Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines * Saga Shipping Company * Voyages of Discovery * Seabourn (Carnival) * Princess (Carnival) * Cunard (Carnival) * P&O (Carnival) * Celebrity (RCCL) * Silversea (RCCL) * Oceania (NCL) * Marella (TUI) * Ambassador * CrystalForty Two Cruise Ships:
Silver Whisper Silver Spirit Silver Wind Silver Muse Silver Moon Silver Dawn Black Prince Black Watch Boudicca Balmoral Braemar Bolette Celebrity Silhouette Celebrity Solstice Celebrity Eclipse Celebrity Edge Celebrity Apex Saga Rose Saga Ruby Saga Sapphire Saga Pearl II Quest for Adventure Spirit of Adventure (Old SofA) Spirit of Adventure (New SofA) Spirit of Discovery Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2) Queen Elizabeth (QE) Queen Victoria (QV) Queen Mary 2 (QM2) P&O Arcadia P&O Aurora P&O Oriana P&O Iona Crystal Symphony Crystal Serenity Seabourn Odyssey Seabourn Sojourn Marella Explorer Oceania Sirena Ambassador Ambience Sapphire Princess VoD Discovery