In any event this is what we saw:
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| Unknown fisherman. |
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| Pretty flowers on the canal. |
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| View from Mt. Aksla. |
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| John having fun. |
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| This is the view from our room at 10:30pm. |
Another good day. We travel all night tonight and arrive in Bronnysund at noon.
Saturday, May 31, 2014
A Day in Aalesund
In any event this is what we saw:
Another good day. We travel all night tonight and arrive in Bronnysund at noon.
On Friday we were in Geiranger, Norway and took an excursion to Mount Dalsnibba. On the way in we saw the famous Seven Sisters Falls:
The sun had deserted us and as we started up, the mountains were hidden by fog. The bus proceeded up the narrow, switchback road through the fog and then burst into the sun. After a stop at a lodge for coffee and danish we rode up to the peak.
And here are some pics taken at the top.
And again we had another fun-filled evening;
As I have mentioned, dinner is usually over at 9:30 or so and there is always a show of some kind offered but John and I haven't stayed up to see one yet. I just read that tonight the sun sets at 11:10 pm and the sunrise is at 3:56. Can't get used to that.
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| This pic only shows five of the seven. My apologies. |
The sun had deserted us and as we started up, the mountains were hidden by fog. The bus proceeded up the narrow, switchback road through the fog and then burst into the sun. After a stop at a lodge for coffee and danish we rode up to the peak.
And here are some pics taken at the top.
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| People build cairns to bring them good luck. |
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| Snow trolls. |
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| Can't see the lake down there. |
And again we had another fun-filled evening;
As I have mentioned, dinner is usually over at 9:30 or so and there is always a show of some kind offered but John and I haven't stayed up to see one yet. I just read that tonight the sun sets at 11:10 pm and the sunrise is at 3:56. Can't get used to that.
BRIKSDAL GLACIER
As some of you may have noticed my days and dates are off by one. Seems like I skipped Monday--not our activity. I might get around to fixing it or maybe they are correct and it's just that I am tired. This is a post about Thursday, May 29th. I am posting it on the 30th--maybe it's the computer's fault. Actually I'm back on the 31st because of an issue with the photos. I just figured out the computer is dating my posts...not yet sure how to change that.
On Thursday we climbed the Briksdal Glacier which is the largest glacier on the European continent. The day was again bright and sunny and warm. After a leisurely morning we hopped on a bus at one and drove up to the mountain lodge and then had a 45 minute walk up to the glacier. On the way we traveled through Oldedalen Valley next to their beautiful lake:
The walk to the glacier was a little more demanding than the brochure or the guide described. Although there was some mention of it not being advisable for people with heart conditions. We passed a magnificent waterfall where we enjoyed cooling off in the spray because of the record breaking heat. We were so damn hot. Here are some pics of the glacier which has receded quite a bit over hundreds of years. The pics don't do it justice. To make it easier to do the blog we are using phone pics. We have many better ones from the big camera which we will share with y'all later :)))))
The glacier:
We were tired and sweaty after the climb down but after a rejuvenating shower we had another wonderful dinner which included this:
Some kind of zucchini appetizer.
A very good day.
On Thursday we climbed the Briksdal Glacier which is the largest glacier on the European continent. The day was again bright and sunny and warm. After a leisurely morning we hopped on a bus at one and drove up to the mountain lodge and then had a 45 minute walk up to the glacier. On the way we traveled through Oldedalen Valley next to their beautiful lake:
The walk to the glacier was a little more demanding than the brochure or the guide described. Although there was some mention of it not being advisable for people with heart conditions. We passed a magnificent waterfall where we enjoyed cooling off in the spray because of the record breaking heat. We were so damn hot. Here are some pics of the glacier which has receded quite a bit over hundreds of years. The pics don't do it justice. To make it easier to do the blog we are using phone pics. We have many better ones from the big camera which we will share with y'all later :)))))
The glacier:
We were tired and sweaty after the climb down but after a rejuvenating shower we had another wonderful dinner which included this:
Some kind of zucchini appetizer.
A very good day.
Thursday, May 29, 2014
Bergen
After our usual sumptuous breakfast we disembarked at 8:30 and walked over to the funicular
(tram) which transported us to the top of the mountain. The view was spectacular:
In this picture our ship is the small one behind the HUGE one:
We hiked up the the pond:
Our group got misguided on the way down (not an official excursion just a group of friends who were not too sure about the trails even with a map and google) and did a little extra hiking; then took the tram to town to explore. We decided it would be easier and we would see a lot more if we availed ourselves of the sightseeing trolley instead of walking. And we did.
Came back to the ship for lunch and a nap (we hadn't slept well the night before) and then off to a cocktail party, chatted with the Captain and then we ate once again. Some of our friends stayed up to see the sunset but we went to bed. Well, it was 10:30!
(tram) which transported us to the top of the mountain. The view was spectacular:
In this picture our ship is the small one behind the HUGE one:
We hiked up the the pond:
Our group got misguided on the way down (not an official excursion just a group of friends who were not too sure about the trails even with a map and google) and did a little extra hiking; then took the tram to town to explore. We decided it would be easier and we would see a lot more if we availed ourselves of the sightseeing trolley instead of walking. And we did.
Came back to the ship for lunch and a nap (we hadn't slept well the night before) and then off to a cocktail party, chatted with the Captain and then we ate once again. Some of our friends stayed up to see the sunset but we went to bed. Well, it was 10:30!
Day At Sea
Our first day was all about relaxing while the ship made its way North to Bergen. It was breezy and cool and the boat rocked just the tiniest bit. I forgot to take the promised picture of out room but this is how windy it was:
Ahhh! Whitecaps. They don't look that big but:
And here we are:
The day was capped by the Captain's welcome dinner which was over the top. Four courses: soup, salmon, beef tenderloin and an array of desserts.
Dinner was over at 10:00 which you know is past our usual bedtime and way past our normal dinner time. Of course the sun doesn't set until close to 11:00. There was a performance of show tunes by talented crew members but we headed to bed.
That's it for now.
Our first day was all about relaxing while the ship made its way North to Bergen. It was breezy and cool and the boat rocked just the tiniest bit. I forgot to take the promised picture of out room but this is how windy it was:
Ahhh! Whitecaps. They don't look that big but:
And here we are:
The day was capped by the Captain's welcome dinner which was over the top. Four courses: soup, salmon, beef tenderloin and an array of desserts.
Dinner was over at 10:00 which you know is past our usual bedtime and way past our normal dinner time. Of course the sun doesn't set until close to 11:00. There was a performance of show tunes by talented crew members but we headed to bed.
That's it for now.
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
GOOD-BYE COPENHAGEN
After another wonderful breakfast we hopped on an early canal tour which gave an interesting perspective of the city and left us plenty of time to walk to Tivoli Gardens where we ate (once again) and viewed the lovely flowers and the assorted amusement park rides from the carousel to the nerve-wracking roller coaster.
Back to the hotel to check out and then to our ship which is named L'Austral and is owned by Companie du Ponant. Here it is:
Earlier we had seen this ship which is a replica of Noah's Ark and a floating bible museum which we decided we didn't need to tour:))))
Guard at the Palace:
A poster of Tivoli Gardens:
Ship leaving port:
The ship is beautiful and small (capacity 300 guests), our room very nice (pic tomorrow) and we are trying hard not to eat everything in sight.
Back to the hotel to check out and then to our ship which is named L'Austral and is owned by Companie du Ponant. Here it is:
Earlier we had seen this ship which is a replica of Noah's Ark and a floating bible museum which we decided we didn't need to tour:))))
Guard at the Palace:
A poster of Tivoli Gardens:
Ship leaving port:
The ship is beautiful and small (capacity 300 guests), our room very nice (pic tomorrow) and we are trying hard not to eat everything in sight.
Sunday, May 25, 2014
COPENHAGEN COUNTRYSIDE
The morning began with a breakfast buffet that included Danish pastries (which btw do originate from Denmark but are credited to Austrian bakers who the Danes had to hire when the Danish bakers went on strike), typical American fare, an assortment of meat, fruit, cheese and herring. I had the pastry and John enjoyed (really!) the herring.
The tour group met in the lobby and off we went to our bus to view the coastline and several castles. Since it was Sunday and a beautiful sunny day the beaches were crowded. The weather is uncharacteristically warm for the season (about 75) and the Danes are enjoying it. It is a little warm for those of us who packed for Norway's cooler temps but you won't be surprised to learn that John was in shorts.
Since it was Sunday, we stopped in the king's chapel at one castle. I can't remember if it was King Frederick or Christian but here is the altar seen from above:
We had lunch in the town of Elsinore, home of Hamlet, and viewed his castle (I know he's a figment of Shakespeare's imagination, but it is where the playwright staged it.)
Here's another castle:
In the above picture there are several of the many balding heads we encountered. We didn't see any pink hair but Elsinore did offer us this:
We had another fine dinner and are looking forward to Tivoli Gardens tomorrow and then onto our ship.
Saturday, May 24, 2014
Hello Copenhagen!
We arrived here at 7:30 am, happy but exhausted. Flights weren't bad and the service on SAS was impeccable, We are staying at the Copenhagen Admiral Hotel which is in a great location but is a very old converted warehouse. Most of the charm has escaped us so far but as our southern friends would say, the beds sleep well. We felt much better after a long nap.
This afternoon we took a comprehensive bus tour and saw most of the highlights of the city; tomorrow we venture to the countryside. Copenhagen is a lovely, picturesque city jammed with people (Saturday) and a gazillion bicycles!!! Our biking friends already know this I am sure. It is a very GREEN city and proud of it.
The Little Mermaid.
And on our walk we bumped into this:
HA! I have nothing else to say.
Thursday, May 22, 2014
MAY 22, 2014
GOOD-BYE ORIENTAL!
Tomorrow morning we start our big adventure to/in Norway. Actually we don't get there until Saturday but.... This trip has been planned for over a year and has been orchestrated by a competent travel agent who is joining us on the trip and cruise. We know we are in safe hands but since we have neglected to read most of the literature, the trip promises to be full of pleasant surprises.
Speaking of pleasant surprises, we were mesmerized by this lady in pink who was spotted not only at Walmart but also The Dollar store which were our last two stops in Oriental. I am not sure that Norway can beat this entertainment, but we will give it our best shot and keep you updated.
GOOD-BYE ORIENTAL!
Tomorrow morning we start our big adventure to/in Norway. Actually we don't get there until Saturday but.... This trip has been planned for over a year and has been orchestrated by a competent travel agent who is joining us on the trip and cruise. We know we are in safe hands but since we have neglected to read most of the literature, the trip promises to be full of pleasant surprises.
Speaking of pleasant surprises, we were mesmerized by this lady in pink who was spotted not only at Walmart but also The Dollar store which were our last two stops in Oriental. I am not sure that Norway can beat this entertainment, but we will give it our best shot and keep you updated.
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