Move Ahead!!

Two days at sea and we are all still talking about weather, cold breezes and rain!  Our weather was between 42 - 52 degrees.  Lots of folks were  still braving the outside decks walking in what looked like arctic snow suits; hats, hoods, gloves and heavy coats!  As I write this blog I’m having a little trouble remembering what we did do for sure on these two days but I do know that we spent about 45 minutes at the gym each day.  Typically Dan is up early and goes up to the lido with an insulated bag and two insulated coffee cups.  He has already filled the cups with hot water from our tap to ensure we have a hot drink!  Then he gets me hot water for tea and him a coffee sometimes diluted with a little hot water because it is so strong here!.  Often he grabs a few glasses of ice so we can stick that in our little refrigerator for later or a piece of fruit.  I can tell you that we STILL have not used the elevator one time on the ship which makes us both even more encouraged to keep using the stairs!  When he quietly sneaks back into the room so as not to wake me he has his coffee and then usually quickly ends of up the bathroom taking in his morening reading and sitting on that throne for at least 30 minutes!  That’s another good reason for me to just stay sleeping :). When we have an early morning tour he is up at least two hours before hand so it makes for a long day but that bathroom routine is pretty important!  

We look over the daily program typically the night before checking off what we would like to see or do. The EXC talks were on Images of Iceland, Norway in a Nutshell and discover Bergen, and more about the Icelandic Sagas.  Our favorite speaker has been the EXC travel host Jessica, who is from Australia.  She has a great sense of humor and her presentations are always fast paced but also interesting.  

Here are some of the highlights of Norway...

Norway

4th highest income

Pure water  and oil reserves, natural gas is plentiful; 

2nd happiest people

Most Vikings were from Norway

Vikings were craftsmen skilled warriors best story tellers farmers 

After the year 1066 the reign of the Vikings began to decline

Boat construction and home construction showed their. Amazing skill for wood carving

Viking Themes were of dragons and animals 

Norway is rich in accomplishments, art and music

Edvarg Grieg music. Hall of Mountain King based on Norwegian folk music is from Norway and very renowned 

Edvard Munch. The famous artist of  “The Scream” with psychological theme is from Norway 

Bunad is the name of the Norwegian costume which represents family home and geographic areas of  Norway

Cross country skiing along with alpine and downhill skiing is very popular and Norway  wins most Olympic medals in winter sports 

A way of exploration, nature and appreciating nature is their way of thinking. 

Late May to late July sun never fully sets

Late Nov to late January never fully rises

Land of glaciers in northern region.  Lack of oxygen causes the blue color.  Over 2000 glaciers

Beautiful fjords with approximately 1200 in Norway

Northern lights aurora borealis dark skies and cloud free mostly seen in September through April 

17,000 bridges in Norway

One of the longest suspension bridges.  Over 1000 tunnels and lots of road construction 

Wildlife including polar bears outnumber humans in northern areas

Rich areas for whales summer feeding along with moose elk and reindeer.   

Unique agricultural customs. Modest farms healthy environments extensive coastline.  2nd biggest seafood export

Heart of Bergen for seafood

Brown cheese caramelized goat cheese

Typical meal hotdog  every three days 

Reindeer sausage  

Norwegian cinnamon roll Skillingsbolle

Trolls are everywhere living on rocks mountains caves; forests can play tricks on people 

Documentary called Troll Hunter which everyone should watch; 

Norwegians dried fish 

Horseshoe harbor

Rows of colorful homes; story book theme Unesco world heritage sites cobblestone streets 

Not inexpensive  in Norway

Leprosy museum 

Hospital closed in 1946. Respects thousands of personal traumas and tragedies

Ship building museums

Take the tram or funicular. 1050 ft takes 8 minutes about $15. Go first in morning

Troll park at top with restaurants 

In port with two other smaller cruise ships.  

Fan top stave church 11-13 th century to introduce Christianity to Norwegians

 22 churches were burned in 1992 ish and rebuilt. Burned by Norwegian political arsonists

No Uber here but many taxis

One dollar is 8.88 kronar 

Over 200 days of rain or snow per year

We usually skip lunch or just have a little fruit or some vegetables.  In the afternoon we hung out around the pool area with some friends.  They introduced us to a game called  Triominoes and we have had a fun time playing that or Hand and Foot.  The pool area has the retractable roof so it is very light and if the weather permits the roof will open.  These days it has been closed.  But it is a great place to connect with folks we know.  It also happens that it was my birthday so I had a little note from Dan when I woke up and later in the day the ship delivered a cute decorated chocolate cup cake with a small card.  We both admired that cupcake for a day or two and then decided we weren’t going to waste calories on it and tossed it!  One thing about desserts on this ship....they rarely prove to be something we enjoy.  They always look good but don’t seem to measure up to something that tastes good.

That night after enjoying diner in the Lido with some friends we went to the show which was Ronald Moray, a magician and comedian. He was ok.  Magicians have never really been my thing.  We then headed over to the BBKing All Star show at 8:15 and LOVED that again.  By 8:30 we were in our room and settling in to a little TV before we hit the hay and enjoyed the gentle rocking of the ship over some rolling waves.   We were reminded to set our clocks AHEAD one hour!

The next morning we slept in till about 830 which is late for us.  The weather warmed up a bit on this Tuesday to around 53 degrees.  I worked on my blog for a few hours in the morning and then by 11 we headed up to the gym.  It’s a great time to go to the gym because most folks are long gone being early risers and the other folks don’t come in till around 2 or 3!  As we work out we keep our eyes open for whales , dolphins or unusual birds.  

There were two talks again today; one in the morning and one in the afternoon; The Vikings as Explorers and Traders and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.  Our EXC talk today was on Rotterdam again by Jessica.  The main stage area is packed when she speaks as everyone really enjoys her so if you are going to go listen to her talk you need to be there at least 30 minutes prior to her talk.  We were there 40 minutes before and took a book to read.  

Sailing in will be backwards!  Too tight to turn around in.  Netherlands is below sea level 22 ft! 280 miles of coastline.  5.5% is from tourism.  Dutch is official language.  Much of the land is below sea level or just barely above it.  Last major flood was in 1953 when the dike broke.  Took 30 years to build the infrastructure to support dry land and block the sea with giant gates that are pulled together when needed to keep the ocean water from coming into the river. 

Rotterdam is Europe’s busiest port.  HollandAmerica first had its offices here.  They are over 150 years old; their offices are now in Seattle, WA.  There old building in Rotterdam is now a hotel and the first Rotterdam Ship is now permanently docked here as a floating hotel; you can take a tour of it or enjoy lunch or dinner in their dining rooms.  It was a huge expense to refurbish her because she was loaded with asbestos which had to be removed and taken care of; it cost more to renovate her than what they paid for her!

We enjoyed dinner with friends by a large window enjoying the ocean and the waves and talking about our upcoming shore excursions and cruises we might want to take down the road.  The entertainment was a flute player, Jonathan Johnston.  We heard he was fantastic but we opted to watch a movie in our stateroom and prepare for our excursion the next day in Bergen, Norway.  

And ONCE AGAIN we turned the clocks forward another HOUR which means less sleep for the old folks!  Ha ha

they came from. Very ornate

Cross country skiing along with alpine and downhill.  Wins most Olympic medals in winter sports 

A way of exploration nature and appreciating nature is their thinking. 

Hiking, alpine climbing, high altitude 

Late May to late July sun never fully sets

Late nov to late January never fully rises

Land of glaciers in northern region.  Lake of oxygen causes the blue color.  Over 2000 glaciers

Beautiful fjords with approximately 1200

Northern lights aurora borealis dark skies and cloud free mostly seen in September through April 

17,000 bridges in Norway

One of the longest suspension bridges.  Over 1000 tunnels and lots of road construction 

Wildlife polar bears outnumber humans in northern areas

Rich areas for whales summer feeding along with moose elk and reindeer.   

Unique agricultural customs. Modest farms healthy environments extensive coastline.  2nd biggest seafood export

Heart of Bergen for seafood

Brown cheese caramelized goat cheese

Typical meal hotdog  every three days 

Reindeer sausage  

Norwegian cinnamon roll Skillingsbolle

Trolls are everywhere living on rocks mountains caves forests can play tricks on people 

Documentary called Troll Hunter

Norwegians dried fish 

Horseshoe harbor

Rows of colorful homes story book theme unesco world heritage sites cobblestone streets 

Not inexpensive  in Norway

Leprosy museum 

Hospital closed in 1946. Respects thousands of personal traumas and tragedies

Ship building museums

Take the tram or funicular. 1050 ft takes 8 minutes about $15. Go first in morning

Troll park at top with restaurants 

In port with two other smaller cruise ships.  

Fan top stave church 11-13 th century to introduce Christianity to Norwegians

 22 churches were burned in 1992 ish and rebuilt. Burned by Norwegian political arsonists

Import 8-4:30

Hop on hop off bus 13 stops

No Uber here but many taxis

Maps at pier

Tourist site by Starbucks and Macdonalds plus Wi-Fi

M

One dollar is 8.88 kronar 

Over 200 days of rain or snow per year