| Arms: | Date: | Port: | Comment: |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
30th Aug. 2023 |
BoMoH --> SoToN |
On board by 12:20 |
 |
1st Sep. 2023 |
Bergen Norway |
Hiking Like a Local tour |
 |
2nd Sep. 2023 |
Olden Nordfjord Norway |
Briksdal Glacier Hike |
|
3rd Sep. 2023 |
Flaam Sognefjord Norway |
Scenic Drive to Osterbo |
|
4th Sep. 2023 |
Eidfjord Hardanger- fjord |
Hike to Haereid |
 |
7th Sep. 2023 |
SoToN --> BoMoH |
Home by 9 a.m. |
| Arms: | Date: | Port: | Comment: |
I awoke just before six o'clock with a lot of tidying up to do. At 10:20 I caught a Streamline taxi to BoMoH station, where I got on the 10:45 cross country train. At SoToN the southern taxi rank was still being rebuilt, so I backtracked to the north side. I was at the City Cruise Terminal by 11:30 and on board by 12:20. Here I had the cream of vegetable soup and the Tandoori chicken with peppers & rice for lunch in the buffet.
At 12:55 the cabins were released and I found that I had an outside twin on deck one with two portholes. I then slept for an hour and a half, interrupted by a couple of safety annoucements. Going exploring, I found the convoluted access to the forecastle (fo'c'sle?) and the forward viewing area above the promenade tunnel. I popped into the Ents. office to find out the time and place for the entertainers meeting. This took place at four o'clock in the card room led by Ents. Man. Anthony Cranny. I sat with Denise & Kevin the dance couple and John the other enrichment lecturer. Interestingly in addition there was a port day speaker, a new position, who would be lecturing in the afternoons when in port to a small audience in the cinema!
At 5:15 I went to the first dance set which was very thin. I did a waltz, a social foxtrot and a square tango with instructress Denice. I joined the dance host team for dinner in the buffet at six o'clock. Here I had the mushroom soup with TWO long cheese straws, followed by the roast pork with lots of crackling and the tiramisu for dessert.
At 7:15 we had the second dance set which was still rather thin. Here again I danced with Denise including a quickstep and a second square tango. At the third dance set at 8:15 I did a white city waltz, but we gave the third square tango of the evening a miss. I had to slip out at 8:30 to prepare for the Welcome Aboard show at 8:45, where we were all introduced by Anthony and we said our few words of introduction. At the end the brand new production company did the usual short Wizard of Oz selection. This began and ended, inevitably, with Somewhere over the Rainbow.
Back in my cabin, Kat had made it up and I worked on this blog. At 10:30 we had the second house of the Welcome Aboard show where we introduced ourselves again to a small audience. At 11:30 I had a small smoked salmon wrap and a small cold roast beef roll to eat in the midnight buffet. I had to do some walking to reach my step quota of just over ten thousand steps equal to four miles of walking during the day. I went to sleep just after midnight, but it was now one o'clock on Norwegian time!
I awoke at 6:15, but it was now 7:15 on Norwegian time. I had my usual mug of instant decaff coffee with £3.50 Coffeemate whitener which I had bought from home. At eight o'clock I joined four ladies and three gents at the solo travellers table in the main dining room (MDR). Here I had half a grapefruit, two eggs Benedict and one slice of toast with marmite to eat and one glass of tomato juice to drink. At nine o'clock Kat was servicing the cabin, so I had to do two lengths of the sunny side of the promenade deck.
At 9:30 I went to Princess's tours talk, but had to slip out before the end for the line dancing. Here Denise taught a 22 count version of the Electric Slide, the Cowboy Charleston (which she called the Charleston Stroll) and the Slosh line dance. I stood at the back to help out. When this finished, I slipped into the last part of John's interesting talk on Grieg, which I have heard before.
Back in my cabin, I had my mid-morning coffee and worked on my laptop, where I had to update my talks and this blog. I gave the solo travellers get together a miss.
At 12:15 Denise taught the cha cha to a crowded dance floor. I danced with Monica from Ireland, who had managed to fly over on cunning Aer Lingus the day after the air traffic control meltdown. Denise covered the basic figure, New Yorks and spot turns. At one o'clock I had an al fresco lunch on the aft veranda in the warm sunshine. I had the cottage pie with broccoli and miniature corn cobs, followed by a cheese selection to eat.
At two o'clock I snuck into the Neptune lounge theatre, but AVIVA were still rehearsing. I only had a short time to set up, as the punters poured in for a nearly full house. Anthony introduced me and I gave my forty minute talk on the Story of the Fjords. I had a lot of questions to answer at the end!
Back in the cabin, I had my usual mid-afternoon instant decaff coffee, before sleeping for an hour, thus missing the classical concert and the 4:30 dance session. Having got into my grey formal rig, I went to the Captain's cocktail party at 5:15. Here I had lots of canapes and two glasses of orange juice, sat with Denise and Kevin.
At 6:15 I dined on the lobster bisque, two minute steaks with broccoli, red cabbage and a small baked potato. I finished with two scoops of the honeycomb ice cream and lots of toppings. At seven o'clock and again at 8:15 I danced intensively with Denise. I helped lead off the Lemon Tree line dance ready for them to teach it the next day. At nine o'clock I went to AVIVA's first show time. I particularly enjoyed Annie's Song, Lord of the Dance and the Radetzky march.
Back in the cabin, I worked on my Flaam railway photos and this blog. I went to bed at 10:45 having done over twenty thousand steps, equal to over eight miles of walking during the day with all the dancing that I had done!
I got up at 6:45 ready for my in-cabin instant decaff coffee. At 7:30 I had a freshly made cheese omelette with crispy bacon, tinned plum tomatoes, a sausage and a hash brown to eat. I had just one small glass of tomato juice to drink.
Back at my cabin, Kat was still busy, so I sat in the Observatory and did a couple of lengths of the sunny side promenade, but it was quite windy. At nine o'clock I went to the forty minute long future cruise presentation. At ten o'clock I gave my thirty five minute talk on Norwegian Railways. At the end, my battery ran out and their power supply wasn't working, but I was on the last video so it didn't matter. I had another lot of questions to answer at the end!
Back in my cabin, I had my mid-morning instant decaff coffee as I updated this blog. I chatted to a couple of posh ladies from Hampshire in the Observatory as we sailed into Bergen. At noon I lunched at the solo travellers table in the MDR. I had the split pea soup, fish & chips and rum & raisin ice cream to eat. I was sat with Rosemary in purple as usual, the one eyed lady, a young man from Radlett in Hertfordshire, another man, and the 90 year old man from Wickham in Hampshire who used to run the shop in Worth Matravers on the Isle of Purbeck. As we ate, we passed under the two suspension bridges approaching Bergen.
At 1:30 I was on escort duty on the quayside with young man Jon, pronounced Yon for my first choice "Hiking Like a Local" tour (£165). He led our fourteen guests via the fortress and the famous wharf to the funicular railway station. This sped us to the thousand foot Mount Floyen.
After fifteen minutes of free time, we headed off into the forest for our ten kilometre (seven mile) hike to the farm where he works. Here we had fish soup made with salmon and cod followed by a selection of home made cakes. We had raspberry or apple juice to begin and tea or coffee to end. We had time to see the two types of Norwegian horses; the smaller light coloured Fjord horses from the west and the larger dark coloured ones from the east of the country. We didn't have time to see the variously coloured sheep on the farm.
We only got back to the ship by minibus at 7:20 just ten minutes from all aboard time. At 7:45 I went to the dance session with Denise, where we did our first jive together. At 8:30 I was turned away from the MDR, so I had just one bowl of parsnip soup in the buffet. At 8:45 I went to Tank Sherman's comedy show which was good, clean fun and only a little bit naughty. Back in the cabin, I had to fill in my tour escort report form and collect my next assignment. I then started watching my talks on the cabin telly. I went to sleep just before eleven o'clock having done over twenty six thousand steps, equal to over ten miles of walking during the day!
I awoke just before seven o'clock, having slept for eight hours. At eight o'clock I had half a grapefruit and two eggs Benedict for breakfast sat with the solo travellers in the MDR. There was Rosemary in purple as usual, Jenny from the IoW and another lady, plus three gents. Back in my cabin, Kat had left me birthday notes and two towel sculptures.
At 9:15 I was on escort duty for my first choice "Briksdal Glacier with a Local Expert" tour (£155). Two tours boarded the bus, the hikers led by Per and the Troll car people by Anna from Spain. At Briksdal cafeteria we had twenty minutes of toilets and talk. We then began the climb up to the glacier with some stops on the way. We had to dodge the Troll car buggies hurtling along! The glacier was looking magnificent in pale blue, but is still shrinking back over the years. We hurried back down to the coach park and had just one photo stop by the lake on the way back to the ship.
The MDR had closed at 1:30, so I sat with IoW Jenny in the buffet. Here I had the spicy cream of butternut squash soup, the steak with ratatouille, potatoes and vegetables followed by the salted caramel ice cream. I then slept for an hour. At 4:30 I danced with Denise in the Observatory for one hour with a selection of ballroom and sequence dances.
Back in my cabin, I had the second instant decaff coffee of the afternoon, whilst updating this blog. At 6:30 we had the second set with the band in the Oceans bar. At 7:15 I hosted the dance team in the View restaurant. I ordered a bottle of Merlot house red wine for the five of us. I had the veal with sweet potato mash, red cabbage and green beans followed by a cheese plate. We then all had a piece of my first birthday cake, because back in my cabin was a second one! I took this up to the eight o'clock session but only Rosemary had a piece. I also did my first quickstep with her and my first party samba with Denise. The band sang "Happy Birthday" for me!
At 8:45 I went to the excellent "Come fly with me" production show which I have seen several times before. It began in Italy, continued to France, Argentina and Norway, culminating in Brazil. I particularly enjoyed "Je ne regrette rien" sung in French, "Don't cry for me Argentina" sung in Spanish & English and Alexander Ryback's "Fairytale" from Norway. The last dance set, at 9:30, was only half an hour, where I did a few dances with Denise, including my first electric slide of the cruise. At 10:30 I watched the excellent show for a second time. I went to sleep at 11:35 having done seventeen thousand steps, nearly equal to seven miles of walking during the day.
I got up at 6:30 ready for my mug of instant decaff coffee. At seven o'clock I had TWO eggs Benedict and TWO small croissants with butter and marmite for breakfast in the View buffet. Back in my cabin, I updated this blog, awaiting the clearance announcement. I was one of the first off the ship at eight o'clock, picking up maps and leaflets from various outlets. I walked over two miles all the way around the head of the fjord to photograph the beautiful Bolette from the other side.
At 9:55 I was on duty in the Neptune lounge to escort my third choice "Scenic Drive to Osterbo" tour (£69). I had 33 guests to look after with driver Pavel from Krakow in Poland and guide Carlo from Bergamo in Italy. We had one photostop en route, where I had taken my standard fjord picture years ago, but was actually a lake!
At the mountain lodge I had TWO warm waffles with sour cream and strawberry jam plus TWO cups of strong coffee.
Back at the ship at 1:15, I had the roast beef (it was Sunday!) sat with a single lady from Stamford and a couple from SoToN. Having had two strong coffees that morning, I forewent my siesta and went walkabout instead. Halfway up the Fretheim hillside I pulled a calf muscle and had to limp back to the ship. After using the capacious port wifi lounge, I had my mid-afternoon instant decaff coffee in my cabin.
Back on the ship again, I did six lengths of the cool pool for the first time this cruise. I then spent ten minutes in one of the hot tubs to ease my muscle, which did the trick. At 5:30 I went to the first dance set, but only one dancing lady, purple Rosemary, was present, most people were out watching the scenic cruising through the Aurlandsfjord. I did some slow dances with Denise including a Queen of Hearts rumba, but I get confused with the similar Blue Angel rumba!
At 6:15 I went up to the top deck to see the ship turn around in the Naeroyfjord - narrow by name and narrow by nature! At 6:45 we had the second dance set, followed by dinner at 7:15. Here I had the saltimbocca chicken with peppers, green beans and a baked potato. Then I had a small cheese plate and a small portion of Black Forest gateau sat with the dance host team as usual.
At eight o'clock we had the final dance set of the evening, where I led off the electric slide to "Achy, Breaky Heart". At 8:45 I went to Aviva's second instrumental show time. I enjoyed the opening Shadows medley and the closing Overtures medley which included Carmen and William Tell. However the middle part of the show was several of Sam's own compositions and some audience members walked out. I went to sleep at 10:15 having done over nineteen thousand steps nearly equal to eight miles of walking during the day!
I awoke just before my alarm at 6:45 ready to photograph the Furebergsfossen waterfall at 7:15. At 7:30 I had the full English breakfast in the View buffet. When Kat came to service the cabin at 8:10 I adjourned to the Observatory.
At 9:30 I gave my forty minute talk on Glaciers to a surprisingly full audience at such an early hour. At the end, I had a lot of questions to answer!
At 11:30 I was on escort duty on the quayside with Belgian guide Mark. This was my first choice Hike to Haereid tour (£75). He led nine guests and me to his little one room viking museum. First we watched a video listing the archaeological finds in the area. Then Mark took us through some of the many artefacts present. This lasted an hour, which was fifteen minutes too long. We then went on the four mile hike to the Iron age burial mounds and the scenic viewpoint.
Back at the ship, I had my first cheeseburger and chips without a bun of the cruise by the pool. I then slept for one hour. Back ashore, I walked to the two churches and photographed some of the important sights. I hadn't been to Eidfjord for thirteen years!
Back at the ship again, I danced wth Carol and Denise at the 6:30 dance session, which was the last of the evening. I then dined with Denise & Kevin in the View buffet. I had the roast lamb, the cheese plate and the lovely sticky toffee ice cream. Denise bought a bottle of the Merlot red wine, so we each had two glasses. At the end, Mike came to join us with his dessert, Sean having left him earlier to go back to work.
Back in my cabin at 9:15, I had an instant decaff coffee whilst updating this blog. I went to bed at 10:40 having done nineteen thousand steps, almost equal to eight miles of walking during the day.
I awoke at 6:40 having slept for eight hours after three days of hiking. At 7:30 I had TWO freshly made eggs Benedict in the View buffet. Out on the deck, we entered the Fjord of Light (Lysefjord).
At the famous Pulpit Rock, the ship did two complete revolutions. We then continued up to the Kjerag boulder lodged in a crevice.
At 9:30 I went to John's talk on Scandi/Nordic Noir, but had to slip out at ten o'clock for the line dancing. Here Denise recapped the Cowboy Charleston and I taught the Texas Waltz, first straight and then in contra lines. Next Denise went over County Line which she called the Cowboy Cha Cha. When the guests had trouble with the three quarter turn, she reverted to her original one wall version.
Back out on deck, we passed back beside the Pulpit rock. In my cabin I had my third instant decaff coffee of the morning. At 12:30 I hosted six paying guests at my speaker forum lunch. There was a lady county councillor from Havant in Hampshire and a retired doctor from Clacton in Essex, near where my parents retired to. There was a couple from Lytchett Matravers near Poole in Dorset and a couple from Bishops Stortford near Harlow in Essex. I had the cream of potato soup, the pork cordon bleu and the cheese plate. We began with a glass each of sparkling Cava, followed by Chardonnay white wine and Merlot red.
At 14:10 I slept for an hour and a half. After my mid-afternoon instant decaff coffee, I did six lengths of the cool pool and then spent fifteen minutes in one of the hot tubs. Next I changed into my red outfit ready for our second and final formal evening. At 6:15 I danced with Denise in a very quiet Observatory with most people at the Captain's farewell cocktail party.
At seven o'clock I dined with the dance host team in the View buffet. I had the asparagus soup, the pork schnitzel with mushrooms and roast potatoes, the cheese plate and the fruit ice cream. I bought another bottle of the Merlot red wine for us to drink. At eight o'clock we had another very thin dance session, where I did a White City waltz and a Sally Ann cha cha amongst others with Denise. Back in my cabin, I had a quick coffee, before going to the Crew Show at nine o'clock. I went to sleep at 10:30, having done only six thousand steps, equal to just over two miles of walking during the day.
I awoke at 6:20 having slept for nearly eight hours, ready for my instant decaff coffee in the cabin. At 7:30 I had a freshly made cheese omelette with crispy bacon, plum tomatoes and a hash brown to eat and just one small glass of tomato juice to drink. When Kat came to service the cabin, I sat in the Observatory for a quarter of an hour.
Back in my cabin, I worked on my North Sea presentation and this blog. At 11:15 I gave my forty minute talk on the Story of the North Sea to a good sized audience. At 12:15 I attended Denise's waltz class, where I danced with Sylvia from the IoW. She taught the box step, the natural turn and the reverse turn.
At one o'clock I lunched with seven solo travellers in the MDR. Jenny from the IoW sat opposite me, with a lady from Chiswick to my right and the youngish man from Borehamwood to my left. I had the aubergine soup, the fish korma and the cherry cheesecake. I then slept for an hour and a quarter.
At 4:30 I did six lengths of the cool pool and spent fifteen minutes in one of the hot tubs. The roof was partially open, it having been fully open only once, on the hot day in Bergen. At 5:30 I danced with Denise, who showed me the simple reverse turn in the quickstep. At 6:15 Kat let me into my cabin as I had left my door key card inside! The next dance set was at 6:45, after which I dined in the View buffet with the dance host team. I had the cream of root vegetable soup, followed by chicken souvlaki with cauliflower and potatoes, finishing with the salted caramel ice cream. For the first time this cruise, I was bloated!
We danced again at 8:15 and at 9:45, with show time in between. This was the excellent Olsen musical theatre awards production, which began and ended with Les Miserables. In between were the famous R&H and ALW musicals that we know and love. In the last dance set singer Vina thanked me publicly for my help in their dance sessions. We ended with the Party Samba, the Electric Slide and group photographs.
Back in my cabin, I had my final instant decaff coffee of the day, whilst updating this blog. I went to sleep at eleven o'clock, but it was only ten o'clock on BST. During the day I had done only six thousand steps, equal to just over two miles of walking, for the second day running.
I awoke just before my alarm at seven o'clock, but it was now only six o'clock on BST. At 6:30 I had my final two freshly made eggs Benedict in the View buffet. I left the cabin at 7:15 and took a ten pound taxi to the station. Here I didn't notice that the express train to BoMoH was on the middle platform, so I caught the stopping service instead. A thirteen pound taxi then got me home by nine o'clock. It had been yet another super cruise!
Later Dr Mark Sheehan wrote: "I went to some of your talks on the Bolette recently. I thought you were excellent and very knowledgable about the geography of Norway and the fjords. I learnt a lot."
1) The Story of the Fjords
2) Norwegian Railways
3) Glacier: the Story of Glaciology
4) The Story of the North Sea
6 Paying guests at my Speaker Forum luncheon 6 Dinners with the dance host team 6 Breakfasts in the View buffet 5 Egg Benedict breakfasts 4 Enrichment lectures given (Fjords, Railways, Glaciers & North Sea) 4 Ports of call (Bergen, Olden, Flaam & Eidfjord) 4 Tours escorted 3 Hikes escorted 2 Cheese omelette breakfasts 2 Bloomsbury MDR breakfasts 2 Chicken dinners 2 Pork dinners 1 Train ridden (Funicular) 1 Lido burger 1 Coach tour escorted 1 Speaker Forum luncheon hosted
"Your Journey Guide" aka On Board Cruise Programme Booklet "Journey Navigators" aka Guest Lecturers "Culture Curators" aka History Speakers "Maritime Guides" aka Marine Speakers "Nature Scouts" aka Nature Speakers
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