| Arms | Date | Port | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
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19th July 2022 |
SoToN Hampshire U.K. |
Aboard just after one o'clock |
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22nd July 2022 |
Aalesund Sunnmore Norway |
Overview of Aalesund Tour |
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24th July 2022 |
Harstad Lofoten Norway |
Trondenes & Gangsas- toppen |
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25th July 2022 |
Tromso Troms Norway |
Tromso & the Arctic Cathedral |
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27th July 2022 |
Longyearbyen Spitsbergen Svalbard |
Bike Rides & Walk into Town |
|
30th July 2022 |
Honningsvag North Cape Norway |
Transfer to the North Cape |
|
1st Aug 2022 |
Leknes Lofoten Norway |
Villages & Views |
|
3rd Aug 2022 |
Kristiansund Norway |
a.m. Walk p.m. Ferry |
|
6th August 2022 |
SoToN Hampshire UK |
Home by 9:05 |
| Arms | Date | Port | Comment |
I awoke just after five o'clock to the dawn and left home at 8:35. I drove to SoToN in less than an hour and was parked in the IKEA multi-storey car park ready for the restaurant to open at 9:30. Here I had a bacon roll and the complimentary drink with the fabulous view across town to TUI's Mein Schiff 4 and Saga's Spirit of Adventure. At ten o'clock the main store opened and I headed for my favourite casualty corner which had been renamed the circular hub! Having paid for two hours parking, I dozed for a bit, before heading to the new Horizon cruise terminal.
At 11:30 I had my first RALF test and then had to wait fifteen minutes for the result. Unfortunately there was no one around with the ship's manifest, so I drove off to the ABP car park just opposite. I walked back across the road with my bags to the terminal where the manifest had appeared, but I was not on it! I went quickly through security and then up to the check-in desks at noon. Having checked in, I had my packed lunch.
At one o'clock boarding began and I was soon in my lovely double cabin with balcony on deck eight. I had my first two mugs of decaff instant coffee in the cabin. It took me ages to deal with the paper work and the unpacking as the air con powered up on the hottest day of the year.
At 2:30 I slept for one hour. At four o'clock I did six lengths of the cool pool and then spent fifteen minutes in the warm jacuzzis, just before a shower came through. Back in my cabin, I began work on this web log. At 5:20 we had the pax safety drill, which was the usual painless walk around the Living Room without life jackets.
At 6:45 we had the entertainers' gathering led by JoBo. She said that the Nepalese restaurant had set aside some tables for us this evening, so I headed straight there. On the way out, Michael Buble tribute singer Jamie Flanagan said hello. In the restaurant, I sat with the other Martin, the bridge instructor, who told me about his profitable business running bridge holidays after retiring from the police. We had a shared platter to begin, followed by the chicken tikka masala starter. I had the speciality duck and he had the curry of the day. I finished with the Indian ice cream and he had the carrot cake. Unfortunately they didn't have bottles of Nepalese or even Indian beer, so we both had large glasses of draught lager.
At 9:30 I went to the excellent West End to Broadway production show, which I have seen several times before. It included classic songs from West Side Story, Mary Poppins, Oklahoma, Les Mis & Chorus Line. They finished with "Somewhere over the Rainbow" from the Wizard of Oz.
At the end JoBo went through the following day's events, including my first port talk. A member of the audience, who had been on our abortive Caribbean cruise earlier this year, shouted out: "He keeps asking the audience if they like things!" So JoBo asked me to come forward and take a bow. At the end I said hello to various fans including Linda Middleton the dancer from Lincoln. I went to bed at 10:45 having done just over five thousand steps, equal to only two miles of walking during my busy day.
I awoke at six o'clock to the bright sunshine, as we passed lots of Dutch wind turbines (not Dutch wind mills)! Did you know that the English word 'Dutch' comes from 'Deutsch', which actually means German and not Dutch at all. It's all double Dutch to me! I had two mugs of decaff instant coffee, before abluting.
At 7:35 I had the full English break fast in preference to the kedgeree daily special. Back in my cabin, I worked on my up coming talk. I then did six laps of the top deck walking track, equal to one mile of walking. At 8:50 I touched base with Explore Ashore Manager Rodrigo 'Red Rod' Rojas.
At 9:30 I started getting set up in the Playhouse theatre, but the HDMI signal was still dodgy, so I had to use their lap top instead. At 10:35 JoBo introduced me and I gave my 40 minute talk on Aalesund to a nearly full house. At the end I had most questions about the need for Norwegian kroner. One German lady took me to task for my pronounciation of jugendstil!
At noon I made the mistake of watching PMQs on the TV, so that when I went for lunch at 12:30 it was heaving. I had both smoked and poached salmon with chips and veg for lunch al fresco! I then slept for an hour and a half. Linda Middleton phoned me to say she was unwell so would not be at the ballroom dance session that evening.
At 3:30 I went to Nigel Marven's talk "It shouldn't happen to a wildlife presenter". He had clips from Jay Leno's and Jonathan Ross's talk shows. He is a very brave man fighting with alligators and snakes, but the latter gave me the willies!
At five o'clock I went to the Captain's welcome in the Britannia lounge, where I had one glass of bubbly. A lady from Wimborne commented on my Julia's House charity diary. I also chatted to two other couples here. At six o'clock I stayed on for the Hungarian Trio's ballroom dance set, where I had my first plain soda water with a bowl of potato crisps! Mate, the pianist of the Britannia band, remembered me from the Spirit of Discovery.
At 6:45 I adjourned to the Grill where I sat with Royal Navy speaker Tony Babb and his Norwegian wife Margarete. I began with the sea food bisque, continued with the Casear salad and main coursed on the rib eye steak. I finished with the chocolate chip ice cream all washed down with a tin can of cider. Back in my cabin, I watched my first port talk followed by the first ORCA talk on the TV, whilst up dating this blog.
At 9:30 I went to the excellent Sounds of Simon (and Garfunkel) tribute duo. They sang some classic S&G songs including 'Homeward Bound', 'Mrs Robinson', 'Bridge over Troubled Waters', 'The Boxer', 'The Sound of Silence' and 'Cecilia', but there were also a couple I didn't know. They saved 'Scarboro Fair' and 'Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme' for their second show? I went to bed at 10:45 having done only six and a half thousand steps, equal to just over two miles of walking during my busy day.
I awoke at 6:20, but it was now 7:20 on Norwegian time. I had the special break fast of a brioche bun filled with baked beans together with a poached egg and a rasher of crispy bacon sat on a piece of black pudding. At 8:50 I touched base with Shorex man Red Rod. At 9:30 I got set up with Lenka from Novi Stad in Serbia.
At ten o'clock I gave my 40 minute talk on Harstad. At 11:30 I went to the lido, but it was too overcast to lunch here, so I just did a few circuits of the pool. I then had a smoked salmon on rye bread open sandwich, together with bacon and egg croissant in the Living Room cafeteria. I snoozed for half an hour, only to be roused by a phone call asking if I was organising a walk on Spitsbergen!
At one o'clock the Captain gave his tannoy message of the day. At 1:30 Cat(herine) set me up ready for my 40 minute talk on Tromso at two o'clock. Back in the cabin, I slept for three quarters of an hour, before up dating this web log. I then got an email from Red Rod asking me to add another possible independent tour to my next talk, so I didn't have time for a dip. I changed into my ruby red formal wear, before I danced with the lovely Linda from Lincoln to the Britannia Band.
At 6:45 I adjourned to the entertainers' segregated area in the Grill for dinner. I began with the killing skunk soup, continued with the Caesar salad, had the palate cleansing sorbet, main coursed on the lamb and finished with the chocolate orange ice cream all washed down with a tin can of cider. Back in the cabin I watched two of my lectures on the TV.
At 9:30 I went to Jamie Flanagan, the excellent Michael Buble tribute artist. The show flew by, all those lovely songs and some swing classics by Frank and Dean too! At the end, I had three petit fours in the Living Room cafeteria, as I hadn't had them directly after dinner in the Grill. I went to sleep at 11 o'clock (CET, but only ten on BST) having done only six thousand steps, equal to just over two miles of walking today. I must do more ashore tomorrow!
I awoke at 6:30 ready for just one mug of instant decaff coffee in the cabin. Just after seven, I broke my fast sat with the craft lady Jackie as we entered the fjord. I had TWO eggs Florentine with one slice of toast and a glass of tomato juice. Having berthed, I chatted to Linda by the pool.
Back in my cabin, I up dated my Aalesund presentation. At nine o'clock I left the ship and took some photos on the quayside, before joining bus number four. We had our first photo stop at the Aksla view point over looking Aalesund. A third cruise ship, the Windstar Star Legend had arrived and was berthing next to us.
We then traversed through two under sea tunnels and over one bridge to Giske island to see the medieval church. Luckily another tour was seeing the interior, so we were able to have a quick look around inside. It had been some years since I had escorted the tour here. We flew passed the famous Shetland 'Bus' fishing vessel at the Sunnmore open air museum, but unfortunately the guide didn't point it out to the guests on the coach. Our final stop was on the far side of the harbour with a view of Saga's Spirit of Adventure and Holland America Line's Zaandam.
Back at the quay side, I walked east along the prom to find the Waldehuset 'miracle house' which survived the famous fire which destroyed most of the town in 1904. Here Mickey an American lady gave me a private guided tour of this delightful little museum. I walked the length of the Kongensgata pedestrianised shopping street which was hosting a street food festival. Fortunately the tourist office had warned me about this last week, so I was able to cover it in my talk the previous day.
Back at the ship, I had scampi & chips for lunch al fresco by the pool, before sleeping for an hour and a half. Whilst having my mug of decaff instant coffee, I had to write another bid for a cruise contract. I then walked back into town, this time the western half.
Back at the ship again, I spent twenty minutes in the hydrotherapy pool, including a chat with the Chaplain. At six o'clock I danced with Linda to the Britannia trio. At 6:45 I dined on the asparagus soup and the Caesar salad, followed by ham, egg & chips. The Grill was very busy so I had to wait half an hour for my no sugar added egg custard dessert.
Back in the cabin, I watched the drug lecture on the TV and up dated this web log. At 9:45 I went to Grant Brookes' cabaret in the Britannia Lounge to avoid the magician in the Playhouse theatre. He sang with his powerful voice a great mix of pop, swing and musical theatre numbers. I went to sleep at 10:45 having done nearly fifteen thousand steps, equal to six miles of walking during the day.
I awoke at 7:15 ready for my mug of decaff instant coffee in the cabin. Just after eight I had the special break fast of one fried egg on a mushroom and chorizo stew. At 8:50 I touched base with Red Rod at his Explore Ashore desk. When Joeliza was changing the bedding, I did four circuits of the promenade deck in the cool wind, which is equal to one mile of walking. I then had to up date my Longyearbyen presentation with the latest information.
At 10:30 I went to Raj the chef's demo of Mediterranean swordfish and South Nepalese prawn curry. This was hosted by JoBo and the Captain made a brief appearance. This meant that I missed the line dancing at eleven o'clock. Back in the cabin, I had a mug of instant decaff coffee, whilst up dating my Aalesund presentation with the photos I took yesterday.
At noon I lunched on the white bean soup, the minute steak with chips & veg and cheese to finish. I chatted with Jamie who said he would be on the SofD with me at Christmas! At 1:15 I adjourned to the Playhouse theatre where Cat(herine) was already in place to set me up.
At two o'clock I gave my 45 minute talk on Longyearbyen, but I had to cut out the walk into town section. I had just a few questions to answer at the end. One lady complained about me not covering the walk into town!
Back in my cabin, I slept for an hour and a half, before watching my talk which had already appeared on the catch up TV system. After my mug of decaff instant coffee and up dating this web log, I didn't have time for a dip before dancing. A religious service was taking place in the Britannia lounge, so I met Linda in the Living Room cafeteria in stead. The usual trio was joined here by a lady singer and some of her ballads were too slow to dance to, but Linda did get two of her favourite cha chas!
At 6:45 I went to the Norwegian buffet in the Grill. I began with the shell on prawns and smoked salmon. I main coursed on the shoulder of lamb with jacket potato and vegetables. I finshed with just ONE pancake, but with all SIX toppings! I had the S&G duo on my left and Tony & Margarete on my right. The former pair confirmed that they would be singing 'Scarboro Fair' and 'Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme' tonight. As they were getting ready for their evening show, they left early, whilst I stayed and chatted to the latter couple until nine o'clock.
At 9:30 I sat with Linda in the Playhouse theatre to watch the excellent London Calling production show. This was classic pop which culminated in an Elton John medley. At the end I rushed up to the Britannia lounge to catch the end of the Sound of Simon duo without a backing band. They sang "Me & Julio" amongst others and finished with "The Boxer" again. I went to bed at 10:50 having done six thousand steps, equal to over two miles of walking during the day
I awoke at 6:30 and started watching Sea Dog Tony's 49 minute talk on the Vikings, whilst having my mug of instant decaff coffee.
At 7:20 I broke my fast with TWO eggs Benedict and a glass of tomato juice. Up on the top deck I watched us berth at Stangnes with a lady from Epping in Essex and a lady from Alynmouth in Northumberland. We saw several oyster catchers and one mountain hare in summer plumage.
I caught the 9 o'clock shuttle bus into town and walked north along the prom and the coast all the way to Trondenes. Here I went in the medieval church and photographed the historical centre next door. I then walked back along the coast to the town. Here the new church was closed, but the famous underground grotto baths were open. You walk down a long corridor cut into the hill side lined with photographs to the swimming pools at the bottom end.
I popped in to the UpNorth unofficial tourist information office, before catching the 11:40 bus back to the ship. Here I had the corn chowder soup and the roast beef (it was Sunday!) for lunch, sat with Sea Dog Tony & Bridge Martin. I then slept for 50 minutes. I up dated this web log over my afternoon's mug of coffee, before wandering ashore.
I walked one mile to the AMFI shopping mall, but it was closed as was the nearby Kanebogen church. I then climbed up to the top of Gangsastoppen mountain. There were views south over the shopping mall, but the view of Harstad was concealed by trees. I came down to the beach and then walked back to the ship. Here I had my second mug of coffee that afternoon in the cabin.
At 4:30 I spent 15 minutes in the hydrotherapy pool and 15 minutes on one of the heated stone beds. At six o'clock I danced with Linda to the Britannia trio in the bright sun shine as we sailed away from Harstad. At 6:45 I dined on the cream of cauliflower soup, Caesar salad, Wiener schnitzel and English butter toffee ice cream, sat with the other Martin.
Back in the cabin I watched the second half of Sea Dog Tony's talk on Vikings and my talk on Tromso ready for the next day. At 9:45 I went to the Explosive 80s with the show cast in the Britannia lounge in preference to blues and soul singer Lorraine Brown. One of the girl dancers was absent, which was suspicious! Here I had my second virgin pina colada mocktail of the cruise. I went to bed at 10:45 having done over twenty five thousand steps, equal to over ten miles of walking during the day.
I awoke at 6:20 ready for my mug of decaff instant coffee in the cabin. At seven I had the full English break fast as the special of the day wasn't ready yet. Back in my cabin, I stood out on my balcony as we came in to the berth star board side in for a change. I was off the ship at 8:50 walking to the famous most northerly botanic garden in the world. Here I took a few pictures, before rushing back to the port for my included tour.
We drove around the university and the airport, before crossing the Sand Ness Sound bridge (complete with suicide fences) to Kvaloya island. We saw one reindeer, before turning around at Eidkjosen. We then drove to the south end of Tromso island, before doubling back to the city centre. We crossed the Tromso bridge (also complete with suicide fences) to visit the famous Arctic cathedral, which is actually just a parish church.
Back at the ship, I lunched at noon on the Cornish potato & bacon soup and the gammon with chips & peas. I then slept for one hour, before having one mug of coffee. I caught the 2:20 shuttle bus, which left slightly early, back in to town.
I went in the new tourist information office in the new Hurtigriuten ferry terminal, to check on the start time of the free organ concert in the old wooden cathedral in the city centre. This began at 3:30 with several pieces played by the Korean organist on the old organ over the doorway. She then moved down to the new organ alongside the altar to play Grieg's Wedding at Troldhaugen and Widor's Toccata.
I then caught the four o'clock shuttle, which left slightly late, back to the ship. Back in my cabin I had another mug of decaff instant coffee, before moving down to the Spa. Here I spent 4 x 5 = 20 minutes alone in the hydrotherapy pool, including being able to do twelve very short widths back and forth. I then spent 12 minutes laying on one of the hot stone beds to dry off. At six o'clock I danced with Linda to the Hungarian trio in the Britannia lounge.
At 6:45 I sat with the other Martin for dinner: butternut squash soup, Caesar salad, Tromso sea trout and chocolate orange ice cream. We saw lots of little puffins, one humpback whale breaching and one smaller (minke?) whale too. Back in my cabin I up dated this blog, but didn't have time to up load my photographs.
At nine o'clock I went to the Britannia lounge and did just a couple of dances with Linda to the Hungarian trio and singer. At 9:45 we listened to Jamie's second concert, this time mainly Frank Sinatra rather than Michael Buble. I went to bed at 10:45 having done 11,707 steps, equal to four and a half miles of walking during the day.
I awoke at seven o'clock having slept for over eight hours, ready for my mug of coffee in the cabin. At 7:45 I had TWO eggs Benedict with a tomato juice for break fast. Back in my cabin, I had a FOCL contract to sign - I do hate Adobe Acrobat, but eventually got it to work! I also back upped my photographs from the last two ports of call. I spent most of the day up dating my Harstad presentation with my new pictures.
At 10 o'clock I went to guest Nigel Metcalfe's interesting talk on his ancestor and explorer Sir George Back. At 11:15 I went to Nigel Marven's talk on polar bears and other arctic wildlife, in which he showed some clips from his TV programmes. At noon I lunched on the sweet potato soup and the fish & chips with mushy peas. I then slept for nearly two hours, before having my mid-afternoon coffee in the cabin.
At 3:30 I went to Sea Dog Tony's interesting talk on the Fjord Lands & Life. At five o'clock I spent 4 x 4 = 16 minutes in the hydrotherapy pool, followed by just five minutes in the cooler of the two saunas, chatting to a couple from Bangor, County Down.
Back in my cabin, I had an email from JoBo asking if I could do the scenic cruising commentary on the day after tomorrow. I said not as I hadn't prepared for this, though I should have seen it coming. The ORCA people will be doing their wildlife commentary then anyway. She also said my lecture that day would have to be at 9:15 as the scenic cruising would begin at ten o'clock!
At six o'clock I danced with Linda, sat with a pair of sequence dancers, who led us through Rumba number one, Catherine waltz, Sally Ann cha cha etc. At 6:45 I had to answer a Silversea request to swop Mediterranean cruises in October, which I was happy to do. I then dined in the Italian buffet on prawns, lasagna, osso bucco and cheese & ham, sat with Sea Dog Tony and Andrew the Vicar with his wife Jane. When Tony's wife Margarete arrived, he gave up his place for her, as he wanted to get back to bird watching from the top deck.
At 9:30 I sat with Linda to listen to David Kidd's Tom Jones tribute show. I wrote in April whilst in isolation on the SofD: "The singing voice was spot on and his Welsh talking accent was good with just the occasional lapse in to 'ee bah gum' Lancastrian!" This time in the flesh he was even better and the accent never faltered. I went to sleep at 10:45 having done under five thousand steps, equal to just two miles of walking during the day.
I awoke at 6:25 ready for my mug of instant decaff coffee in the cabin. Just after seven I had the full English break fast in preference to the Patatas Bravas special. I was off the ship just after eight and the first person to ride off on one of the free rental bikes.
I headed north west along the coast, but soon came to the polar bear warning signs on the town limits. I turned back here not having got very far towards the airport. I then headed south east, this time getting quite a long way along the Adventfjorden coast, passed two sets of husky dog kennels. These were working dogs and NOT a tourist attraction. I got as far as the lake, which is the water supply reservoir, before encountering a polar bear sign.
I doubled back to the main T junction at the bottom of the valley, before heading up Longyeardalen. I stopped off at the central square to dish out sweeties to the guests coming off the first shuttle bus at 9:30. I went in the main tourist information office, which also had free bikes to rent.
I continued all the way up the valley to the new town (Nybyen) where I could photograph two magnificent glaciers. I came back down the other side of Longyeardalen, but missed the site of the old town (Gamle Longyearbyen). I went in the church, which was being re-roofed.
When I got back to the main road, I turned left for the port, getting back to the ship at 11:30. I lay on a lounger by the pool in the weak sun shine, until lunch began at noon. Here I had a bowl of curry soup and the roast lamb, before sleeping for an hour and three quarters.
I just missed the three o'clock shuttle bus, so I walked into town. I headed for the old town (Gamle Longyearbyen) which I had missed this morning. I crossed back across the valley to catch the 3:45 shuttle bus back to the ship, dishing out sweeties on the way.
Back in my cabin, I up dated this web log. I spent fifteen minutes in the hydrotherapy pool, at first on my own, so I was able to do a dozen short widths. I dried off in the warm sauna and lay on the hot stone bed for a bit.
Having dressed, I touched base with Red Rod, as I thought I would be giving my next lecture at 9:15 the next morning. When the programme came out later, I had been moved to 4 o'clock, when the scenic crusing should have finished. At six o'clock I danced with Linda and we did a party samba together with Mavis.
At 6:45 I dined on the asparagus soup, the Caesar salad, the gammon with chips & peas followed by toffee ice cream. As the ship's inter net was down all afternoon and evening, I went to the tourist information office on the quayside to use their wi-fi. It was such a lovely evening that I unlocked the bike I had used in the morning and cycled in to town. I did some more photography, before cycling back to the ship.
At 9:30 I sat with Linda for the excellent Swing production show, which neither of us had seen before. I went to sleep at 10:45 having done nearly twelve and a half thousand steps during the day, equal to five miles of walking plus two cycle rides!
I awoke at 6:40 ready for my mug of instant decaff coffee in the cabin. At 7:15 I stood on the windy prom to use the port's wi-fi as the ship's inter net was still down. I then moved up to the Lido where there was some protection from the cold wind, but still a signal.
At 7:30 I broke my fast with TWO eggs Benedict plus glasses of tomato juice & fruit smoothie. I then moved back to the Lido for one last chance to up date FaceBook, before we departed the port. After Joeliza had serviced the cabin, I worked on my presentations.
Later we sailed past Pyramiden, the abandoned Russian coal mining town in Billefjord. I went out on the helipad prow from deck seven, which had been especially opened for us. Here I photographed the Nordenskiold glacier. I rushed up to decks 12 & 14 and then back to my balcony to get photographs. We saw a school of five white beluga whales (hvithval) and a female polar bear and her two cubs on an island.
Just after eleven o'clock William, one of the dancers, taught Nut Bush, Stroll Along & Country Walkin' line dances to five guests and me. At the end, keen Saganaut Carol, said how much she had liked my presentations, which she had watched on the TV the night before each port.
Around noon, we entered Skansbukta Bay, but there were no glaciers here, so I lunched on the vegetable soup and the scampi & chips instead. I then slept for over an hour, still getting over yesterday's excertions. I was drinking my afternoon mug of coffee, when the Captain came on to the blower to say that we had sailed up Sassenfjord into Tempelfjord. Here we approached the confluence of the Tunabreen & Von Postbreen glaciers. Again I migrated between decks seven and twelve, but not fourteen as the wind shields spoil the view.
At four o'clock I gave my 30 minute talk on "Honningsvag: the Port for the North Cape". At 5:15 I started watching Nigel's talk on sea birds, but had to switch off at 5:40 when I adjourned to the Britannia lounge. Here I danced with Linda as usual.
At 6:45 I dined on the vegetable consomme, the Caesar salad, the lamb and the caramel honeycomb ice cream. While we were eating a blue whale swam past. It was identified by the ORCA man because of its small dorsal fin compared to its huge body.
Back in my cabin, I up dated this web log and worked on my up coming presentations. At 9:30 I sat with Linda in Christopher James's excellent one man show. He mainly sang musical theatre numbers, culminating in a Phantom medley. I went to sleep at eleven o'clock, having done just over ten thousand steps, equal to four miles of walking during the day.
I got up at 6:25 and worked on my Leknes presentation ready for the afternoon. At 7:40 I broke my fast with TWO eggs Benedict in preference to the poached egg & chilli avocado on toast special, sat with Bridge Martin. Back in my cabin, I continued working.
Just before nine o'clock I touched base with Red Rod. I went up to the Britannia lounge at ten o'clock as we sailed passed Bear Island. The mist lifted and we could see one house, a beach and the cliffs. Polar Bears have long since ceased to live here, due to global warming.
At 11 o'clock Nathan and Jordyn taught the Electric Slide, Lemon Tree, Cowboy Charleston & Red Hot Salsa line dances to a packed dance floor. At noon I lunched on the tomato soup and poached Norwegian salmon and chips. At 1:30 Cat(herine) set me up ready for my 45 minute talk on Leknes in the Playhouse theatre at two o'clock.
Back in my cabin, I slept for just forty minutes, before having my mug of instant decaff coffee. Working on my presentations, I had a call from Natalie at one of the Explore Ashore desks, to say that I was one of ten guests to have been sent a letter and new ticket this morning which disagreed with each other. She said the ticket was definitive and so my tour tomorrow afternoon would leave at one o'clock not 1:30.
At 4:30 I watched Jim's talk on serious crime bosses from the comfort of my bed. At 5:15 I only had time for a dozen widths of the hydrotherapy pool and a quick massage from the jets, before getting into my grey formal rig. At six o'clock I danced with Linda as usual to the Hungarian trio in the Britannia lounge.
At 6:45 I sat in my favourite seat at the far end of the Grill and ordered the lamb chops as I could gnaw them in peace. However I was then joined by speaker Tony, his wife Margarete and David, the Tom Jones tribute act. I began with the mushroom soup, the other chaps ordered French onion soup, but got mushroom as well! I had the Caesar salad and the rack of lamb with just three small chops, which I gnawed none the less. I finished with the almond toffee ice cream. David told us about his agent (BS) falling out with Live Business and his loss of three contracts. I sat chatting to Tony & Margarete, until the waiters started packing up.
At 9:30 I sat with Linda for the excellent "We are the champions" production show featuring the songs of Freddie Mercury and Queen. Back in my cabin, I couldn't resist watching my latest presentation, not getting to sleep until 11:30. During the day I had only done six thousand steps, equal to just over two miles of walking.
I awoke at 6:25 to the beautiful sun lit scenery, but we had already passed the famous North Cape. At 7:15 I broke my fast with the special broche filled with beans & a poached egg sat on a slice of black pudding. I had one glass of tomato juice and one glass of fruit smoothie.
I was off the ship at 8:35 walking around the harbour. Here I chatted to speaker Nigel and his wife and to chaplain Andrew and his wife Jane. I climbed up to the view point and took some super piccies in the bright sun shine.
Back at the ship at 11:30 I lunched on the scampi and chips by the pool. At 12:30 I went ashore to be stickered for my 1:45 transfer to the North Cape. I slept most of the 40 minute ride across Meagre island, which lives up to its name with no trees, but with large numbers of reindeer present.
At the North Cape, I trudged around all the tacky sights including the new son et lumiere Cave of Lights with shuttered windows, in place of the Aurora Borealis bar with its huge picture windows. This was disappoining, but the 125 degree panoramic film was as good as ever.
Back at the ship again at four o'clock, I had my usual mug of decaff instant coffee, whilst up dating this blog. At 4:55 I spent fifteen minutes in the hydrotherapy pool, able to do a dozen short widths before other people arrived. I dried off on one of the hot stone beds, before returning to my cabin to see the sail away from Honningsvag. At six o'clock I danced with Linda to the Hungarian trio in the Britannia lounge as usual. At 6:45 I dined on the cream of garlic soup, the Caesar salad, the rib eye steak and the raspberry cheese cake ice cream, sat with Bridge Martin, Chaplain Andrew and his wife Jane.
At 8:30 I returned to my cabin to up load my day's photography. At 9:30 I sat with Linda to hear Lorraine Brown's second show time. This included Diana Ross and Rodgers & Hammerstein medleys. She sang my favourite "My baby just cares for me" by Nina Simone and the classic song "Fever". At the end, I regretted not having gone to her first show!
Back in the cabin, I up dated this blog and went to sleep at eleven o'clock with the midnight sun shining brightly. During the day I had done sixteen and a half thousand steps, equal to six and a half miles of walking.
I awoke at 7:05 and took three quarters of an hour to get going. I broke my fast with TWO eggs Benedict plus glasses of pineapple juice and fruit smoothie. When Joeliza came to service the cabin at 8:20, I did six circuits, nearly one mile, of the top deck in the clear blue sky and hot sun shine!
Back in the cabin, I worked on my presentations. At 10:30 I started watching Nigel's talk, but it wasn't on Whales, because he didn't want to tread on the ORCA group's toes, but was on Ugly Animals in stead. At eleven I went to Hannah & Megan's well attended line dance class. They taught Rock Around the Clock, Stroll Along & Cowboy Crawl, the former with a quarter turn rather than a three quarter turn at the end and the latter being their own dance.
At noon I lunched with Linda al fresco on the Verandah on the lovely roast beef. I then slept for nearly an hour. At two o'clock I watched Tony's lecture on the Norwegian Wartime Resistance on the TV.
At 3:30 I watched Jim's talk on Working Abroad, when he was a diplomat in places like Brasilia. At five o'clock I spent 5 x 3 = 15 minutes in the hydrotherapy pool, where I was able to do a dozen short widths, when the pool was clear. I then spent ten minutes drying off in the saunas and on the hot stone bed.
At six o'clock I danced with Linda as usual, sat with Patrick & Mavis, who had been missing for the two previous nights. At 6:45 I dined on the Scandinavian buffet. I began with prawns and smoked salmon, but there were no king crabs to be had. I had poached salmon and chicken for my main course and finished with a cheesy cob soft roll with yellow / blue cheese. I was joined firstly by Tony & Margarete and then by Bridge Martin.
At 9:30 I sat with Linda for Harrison Treble's excellent first show time. He played and sang "Let it be", "Crocodile rock", "Piano man" and "Great balls of fire" amongst others. He didn't look at the keys whilst playing! I went to sleep at eleven o'clock having done over six thousand steps, equal to two and a half miles of walking during the day.
I awoke just before six o'clock excited to be going ashore again today. At seven o'clock I had a cheese omelette with crispy bacon for a change. At nine o'clock I checked in to the Playhouse theatre to be stickered. At 9:20 we left on the tender for the included tour.
Our first stop was at the little fishing village of Ballstad where the Leknes pilot boat is based. The huge ship yard hall had a fine blue mural on its side wall. Our second stop was at Haukland white sand beach, which the guide said was made from cold water corals. The final stop was at a disappointing view point which wasn't really high enough above Leknes to see properly.
Back at the quay, I climbed up the little hillock and chatted to Carol. I then caught the 12:20 shuttle bus into Leknes town. I was pleased to see that Winnie the Pooh was still ensconced in the large shopping mall. Here I went in the tourist information office to pick up their leaflets, but no maps were available. I walked along the High Street (Storgata) but it is only a one horse town, so I quickly caught the next shuttle back to the haven.
I had to wait five minutes for a tender to disgorge its passengers, before we could board. I got back to the ship just before the Grill closed, where I had some soup and chicken with pasta. Rather than sleep, I caught another tender back to the shore, where I followed the beginnings of the two hiking trails to Leknes and Gravdal respectively. It had clouded over, so I walked back to the quay and caught another tender back to the ship.
At 4:15 I slept for three quarters of an hour, awaking just before the Captain's departure annoucement at five o'clock. I then had my afternoon coffee which left only a few minutes for a dozen short widths of the hydrotherapy pool and three minutes in the jacuzzi section. At six o'clock I danced with Linda as usual, but she had to leave a few dances before the end to get to the speciality restaurant she had booked. I took the opportunity to ask Rosemary from Northumberland for a quick step, as she had marked my card earlier on in the cruise. She reminded me that I had mentioned her expedition to Kabul and the Khyber pass in a previous blog of mine from September 2019!
At 6:45 I dined on the cream of broccoli soup, the Caesar salad, the Salisbury steaklet and the double chocolate ice cream, sat with Bridge Martin. Back in my cabin, I up dated this web log and back upped my day's photography. At 9:30 I sat with Linda for the crew show. It was the usual mix including covers of Adele and Buble, culminating in the famous hand mime to "You raise me up!" I went to bed at 11:15 having done nearly fourteen thousand steps, equal to nearly six miles of walking during the day.
I awoke at 6:25 and broke my fast at 7:30 when the Grill opened. I had TWO special eggs Florentine with a glass of tomato juice and a glass of strawberry & banana smoothie - my favourite! Just before nine, I touched base with Red Rod for the last time. He told me he would be on SofD for my Christmas cruise to the Canaries, which is good news.
At 10:30 I went to the cookery demonstration of Norwegian fish soup, but had to slip out before the end to go to the line dancing. Here William taught the Mister Postman, Bounce & Cowboy Charleston line dances. At 11:30 I lunched on the scampi & chips sat with Linda by the pool in the sun shine.
At 12:15 I dozed for three quarters of an hour, before getting ready for my final port talk. At two o'clock I gave my 40 minute lecture on Kristiansund. Afterwards I dozed for another half hour, before watching the talk, which had already appeared on the TV, ready for our arrival there tomorrow.
I then had my afternoon decaff instant coffee in the cabin, before heading to the hydrotherapy pool. I only had time for a dozen short widths of the empty pool, followed by the jacuzzi and massage sections. At six o'clock I danced with Linda, except for one fox trot with Rosemary.
At 6:45 I dined on the lamb consomme, the Caesar salad, the snake & pygmy pie and the bakhlava with clotted cream ice cream. This was washed down with a tin can of cider as usual. Back in the cabin, I watched my Kristiansund talk for a second time on the TV, before updating this blog.
At 9:45 I sat with Linda to listen to Harrison Treble's excellent cabaret in the Britannia lounge, which I managed to stay awake through out. He played some great swing tracks, but also some repeats from his first show. I went to sleep at eleven o'clock having done only four thousand steps, less than two miles of walking, during the day.
I awoke at 6:15 ready for my mug of instant decaff coffee in the cabin. I had a cheese omelette with crispy bacon, plus glasses of tomato juice and fruit smoothie, to break my fast. I watched the sail in from the Britannia lounge as it was raining. We berthed at the Great Quay (Storkaia) not at the Hurtugruten berth that Red Rod had said we would be at.
At 8:30 I was off the ship and walking north alongside the harbour. I just missed the 8:40 free ferry, so I continued on to the middle ship yard out door museum.
Patrick Volckmar's cafeteria didn't open until eleven o'clock, so I climbed up the hill to the Varden watch tower. Here there was an interesting remote door opening system with TV camera. At the top there were 360 degree views, out to Grip island in the north and the mountains inland.
I then walked back down via the main church, which was being renovated, to the town centre. I photographed the main sights in between the rain showers. When it started to pour, I went in to the big shopping mall, where I bumped into Linda.
Back at the ship, I up dated this web log, before lunching at noon. I had the cream of garlic soup followed by the escalope of pork with prawns, chips & peas sat with Bridge Martin. I then slept for one hour, before having my afternoon coffee, but Joeliza hadn't replaced the milk in the fridge, so I had to make do with just coffee mate whitener.
I just managed to catch the 2:15 free ferry, going just one leg of four to get to the old wooden town on Innlandet island. I walked around the east and south coasts of the island, before striking in to the centre to get to the memorial with three cannons, which defeated the two British ships sent in to the harbour at the Battle of Kristiansund. This was during the Napoleonic wars when Denmark, which then owned Norway, was allied to the French. After the Battles of Copenhagen, Trafalgar and Waterloo, Great Britain transferred Norway from Danish to Swedish control!
I then caught the free ferry back over the three remaining legs via Nordlandet and Gomalandet islands. Back at the ship, I was drinking orange squash with the patio door to the balcony open in the warm sun shine, when the Hurtigruten express route coastal steamer sounded its horn as it came in under the South Sound Bridge. I rushed up to the top deck to photograph the Northern Lights (Nordlys) ship as she passed us by.
At five o'clock the Captain gave his departure announcement and I went back up to the top deck again for half an hour as we sailed away through the narrow sound. At six o'clock I danced with Linda to the Hungarian trio as usual.
At 6:45 I dined in the Grill, sat with Chaplain Andrew and his wife Jane. I had a mixed sea food starter (but still no king crab), followed by two meat balls, two spare ribs and one skewer with cauliflower cheese and green beans, but no potatoes.
Back in my cabin, I up dated this blog and back upped my day's photography. At 9:30 I sat with Linda for Andy Eastwood's excellent multi-instrument show. One of his suit cases didn't leave Manchester airport, so he had to use one of the ship's 30 pound ukeleles and one of the quartet's violins to play on. He also played his electric guitar and a banjo. He played several George Formby numbers together with some classical, rock and pop pieces. I had first heard him on the Black Watch cruise to the Adriatic. At 10:45 I went to bed having done over twenty five thousand steps equal to ten miles of walking during the day!
I awoke at 6:40 ready for my mug of decaff instant coffee, but I still didn't have a carton of milk, so had to make do with coffee mate whitener. At 7:35 I broke my fast with TWO eggs royale sat next to Bridge Martin, but the ORCA team had already bagged my favourite window table! I then did six laps of the top deck, which was still wet from the overnight rain, nearly one mile in total. Back in the cabin I added some photos to my web log. I spent most of the morning adding my photos to my Kristiansund presentation.
At 10:30 I went to Captain Kim Tanner's audience hosted by Jo Bo. When they started taking questions at 10:55, I slipped out to go to the line dancing. Here Jordyn recapped Mister Postman, Nut Bush, Lemon Tree & Cowboy Charleston. By 11:30 I had had enough and sat out the final two: Stroll Along & Rock Around the Clock!
At noon I lunched on the Norwegian fish soup, the roast duck and just one small profiterole. I then slept for seventy five minutes. At two o'clock I had Tony's talk on Norwegian Animals playing on my TV, as I worked on my lap top. At 3:30 I had Jim's talk on the necessity for borders on the TV.
At 4:40 I did a dozen short widths of the hydrotherapy pool, followed by fifteen minutes of jacuzzi and massage jets. I then spent ten minutes drying off in the warm sauna and on the heated stone beds. Back in my cabin, I was sitting naked on my balcony in the hot sun shine when the phone went. It was Jo Bo wanting me to do an enrichment lecture tomorrow as Nigel was still in CoViD isolation! She dismissed my Norway, Fjords and Vikings lectures as already having been covered, so asked me choose between Grieg & Glaciers. However the slot was opposite the classical concert, so I offered the Story of the North Sea in stead.
At six o'clock I danced with Linda as usual, this time including a mambo! At 6:45 I dined on the pea soup, the Caesar salad, the sorbet, the Chateaubriand beef and the toffee ice cream. I was sat with Chaplain Andrew and his wife Jane together with Bridge Martin. At 9:30 I went to the Magic Telescope production show in the Playhouse with Linda. The acrobatic duo only did one short trapeze set and one short encore on the floor. Although this was the second time I had seen it, I still couldn't follow the science fiction fantasy plot. It did however have some great tunes, like Meat Loaf's "Bat Out of Hell" and Prince's "Purple Rain"! I went to bed at 10:45 having done only six and a half thousand steps, equal to just two and a half miles of walking during the day.
I awoke at 7:25 and rushed to get ready. I broke my fast with a cheese omelette & crispy bacon sat with Bridge Martin. Back in my cabin, I had to prepare six bids for two of my agents, which took some time. I then created a short photo album of all the ports in the cruise to show before my afternoon lecture.
At 10:30 I sat with Linda to hear the hour long ORCA talk by Jayne. She had some lovely videos of whales and polar bears! I then did four circuits of the promenade deck as the sun came out, equal to one mile of walking.
At noon I lunched on corn chowder soup followed by chicken Kiev, gammon, peas & beans, but the sweet potato chips were too hard to eat. I was sat with crafter Jackie and her husband. I then slept for an hour and a half. Whilst having my afternoon coffee, I watched Tony's talk entitled "Paving the way for Amundsen" about Nansen & Sverdrup.
At 3:30 I gave my 40 minute lecture on the "Story of the North Sea" to a reduced audience. The sun was shining, there was a concert on in the Britannia lounge and many guests were packing! Back in my cabin, I started packing and finishing off this blog.
At six o'clock I danced with Linda for one last time on this cruise, with just one waltz with Rosemary. At the end we said thank you to the Hungarian trio, whose pianist will be flying home to Budapest tomorrow!
At seven o'clock Linda took me to the Nepalese speciality restaurant. We had the shared platter to begin. I then had the three prawn curry starter. I had the lamb shank as my main course and the carrot cake with walnut ice cream for my dessert. This was all washed down with a large glass of lager, whilst Linda had the white wine.
Back in my cabin, I posted pictures of the lovely meal on to FaceBook as usual, whilst up dating this web log. At 9:30 I sat with Linda for the excellent farewell variety show. This began and ended with the production company, with the other artistes in between. At the end I said good bye to Linda and went to sleep at eleven o'clock, but this was only ten o'clock on BST. During the day I had done nearly five thousand steps, equal to about two miles of walking.
I awoke at 6:10 to the bright red dawn over PoMoH, but it was now 5:10 on BST. At 6:30 I broke my fast with the full English, before going up to the top deck to photograph the new Horizon cruise terminal, where my car is parked, but not where we are berthed!
Back in my cabin, I finished packing. I was off the ship at 8 o'clock, but had to walk a quarter of a mile to my car. I got home just after 9 o'clock after another wonderful cruise. The highlights were the glacier cruise where we saw polar bears and beluga whales!
A lady later wrote: "Your blog was excellent with useful information. Thanks again for your company."
One gent later wrote: "It was a pleasure to meet you and listen to your excellent talks on board Sprit of Adventure."
Another gent later wrote: "Pleased to see you with Bamse! The port lecturer on my SofD voyage didn't know about him."
A third gent later wrote: "Just read your excellent and informative blog. Many thanks and very helpful."
16 Day cruise 15 Nights 14 Grill lunches 13 Grill dinners 8 Sea days 7 Port talks (Aa, Hs, Ts, Ly, Hv, Ln & Ks) 6 Old ports (Aa, Ts, Ly, Hv, Ln & Ks) 5 Long walks 4 Included tours 3 Polar bears 3 Special buffets 2 Khukuri dinners 2 Cycle rides 1 New town (Harstad) 1 New port (Stangnes) 1 Enrichment lecture (North Sea) 0 Cocktail parties
11 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) * Ambassador * CrystalThirty Seven Cruise Ships:
Silver Wind Silver Muse Silver Moon Silver Dawn Silver Spirit Silver Whisper Black Prince Black Watch Balmoral Boudicca Braemar 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 Mary 2 (QM2) Queen Victoria (QV) Queen Elizabeth (QE) Crystal Symphony Crystal Serenity Seabourn Odyssey Seabourn Sojourn P&O Oriana P&O Iona Sapphire Princess VoD Discovery Ambassador Ambience