We docked a little before 7 am and passengers started getting off. I had a more restful night last night.
We took our time and left the cabin at 8 am and wished Myleen a fond farewell. No sign of Rupesh! We went for a hearty breakfast in La Veranda. We saw many of the staff and bade them farewell.
We went to the theatre and saw passengers and wished them well. We disembarked at 9 am and got a taxi and went straight to the airport. Not much traffic being a Sunday morning. The taxi ride was $37 versus taking Regent's transfer that included a tour at $350 each!!!! We had already seen the city.
We were able to check in and drop off our bags. We walked all through the large airport mall. At noon we stopped for lunch at MASH and had a bottle of wine and large burgers - they were good.
We went to our boarding area at 2 but they moved our gate so there was a mad dash by everyone to the new gate. The boarding area was full and everyone was standing in the loading area. They called "Economy Plus" first and we had to make our way through the throng to get on board and get settled.
We departed on time. I watched a couple of movies and time did the same. We napped a little.
We arrived in Ft Lauderdale at 8 pm. We had to disembark the plane onto buses and be taken to another terminal where customs and immigration are located. It wasn't such a good setup but it was very convenient being able to fly from Europe right to FLL.
We got through immigration quickly but it took forever for the bags to arrive. We finally had all but one and that took an eternity. We went through customs with no problem and to the taxi stand.
We had one of the WORST taxis ever - it was gross. And our brilliant County Commission had disallowed Uber from the county! We got home, unpacked a bit and went to bed.
Wow - what a great adventure.
Highlights: Oslo visit with Dag Arne and Christian
St Petersburg visits to Peterhof, Catherine's Palace and the canal tour
New countries: Latvia and Lithuania
Visiting the polar ice at 80 degrees - 30 minutes north
Honningsvaag
Geiranger
Enjoying the company of many others
Now to do laundry, rest up, and get ready for the next adventures for Larry and Tim!!!!
Monday, August 3, 2015
Saturday July 25, 2015 - At Sea
It was a rough night so I relaxed during the day. We went to Hugh Neighbor’s lecture but we had
heard it before. I started taking the
cough medicine the doctor gave Tim – made me sleepy but it helped.
We had lunch in the dining room for a change and it was
good.
I napped most of the afternoon as I wasn’t feeling so great. I don’t want this to turn into what Tim had.
We went to the show with the electric guitarist and
saxophonist for a short while. Then we
went to Horizons to meet Chris and Linda Bailey for a drink and then dinner in
Signatures. They are so much fun. And dinner was great.
We returned to the cabin to finish packing about 10 pm and then
went to bed so we can get up early for a long travel day home. I slept a little more and the sore throat
isn’t as bad. I’ve been taking the cough
medicine the doctor at Urgent Care gave me, cough syrup, Ibuprofen, Vicks and
throat lozenges. It is all helping!
Friday July 24, 2015 - Bergen, Norway
Rainy today – very rainy.
Bergen is the rainiest city in all of Europe. Tim left early for his hike.
I went on a tour to Eduard Grieg’s home and museum. Interesting house. I visited his grave which is in a rock wall
way up high. Sort of like the cliff
graves in China. Then we had a city tour
and ended up at the funicular for a ride to the top. Lots of rain at the top but we had some brief
non-rainy spells so I got some good pictures.
Old church in Bergen, Norway
Colorful buildings on the waterfront
Beautiful architecture
Bergen, Norway
Rainy day at the fish market in Bergen
City park in Bergen, Norway
Sculpture at the Eduard Grieg museum and home
Troldhaugen - the Eduard Grieg Museum
Eduard Grieg's home
A bust of Eduard Grieg in the portrait room - he hated the busts made of him!
Beautiful view of the water from his home
Beautiful garden in the back of Eduard Grieg's home
Beautiful well-maintained gardens
Eduard Grieg's tomb - halfway up the rocky cliff with a tombstone covering it
The view of the lake from the site of Eduard Grieg's tomb
Statue of Eduard Grieg
Tim walked up with the baby on his hike! Taking a one year old on a hike in the cold
and rain. I took the funicular up to the top of the lookout over Bergen.
On the way up - Ed and Lynn from St Louis just below me
Beautiful view of Bergen from the mountain
View of the fjord from the mountaintop
Panoramic view of Bergen
And the clouds and rain started again
Another troll at the park
And then we head back down the funicular
Rainy day in Bergen - it is the rainiest city in Europe!
On the way down
And the other car is headed up as we go down
Passing in the rain
The fish market in Bergen - a popular place - but too rainy today to visit
The colorful buildings on the waterfront
We relaxed after lunch to warm up. It continued to rain off and on.
We went to Observation for Roger’s birthday celebration and champagne. We talked to Gemma for a while before and then Alex and Carolina came. We had Dinner with Gary and Monique for Monique’s 75th birthday. They had reserved the captain’s table in the middle of the dining room and it was formal night so Tim and I had on our tuxedos. It was a fun group of 10 people. The others were Mary and Cliff from NC, Anita and John (Johnita), and another couple. The birthday cake was delicious.
Gemma, Roger, and Marilyn
We went to bed, but I think Tim has given me “the bug”. I was up most of the night with a sore
throat. Vicks and comforter! Maybe that will help.
Thursday July 23, 2015 - Geiranger, Norway
I got up a little before 5 am and saw that we were already
in the fjord. So we dressed and went up
to Deck 12 to watch. Spectacular –
Spectacular – Spectacular. Wonderful
scenery. Waterfalls, huge cliffs on both
sides of the small fjord channel, and it was partly cloudy so we could see the
tips of the mountain peaks and snow on top.
Early in the morning - 5 am - sailing into the Geiranger Fjord
Waterfalls all along the route on both sides of the fjord
Stunning views at each turn
It got prettier and prettier as we went into the fjord
Snow capped mountains and waterfalls down the steep cliffs
The "suitor" waterfall
More waterfalls
The "Seven Sisters"
Right in front of the Seven Sisters
Chilly at 5:30 am - with the Seven Sisters in the background
Magnificent views
A few houses, but not many, along the route into the fjord
Panoramic view as we approached the end of the fjord at Geiranger, Norway
The small town of Geiranger
Selfie at Geiranger
We watched all of the way up stream to Geiranger and had
coffee and hot chocolate on deck. We had
a large breakfast and then returned to the room to get ready for our
tours. Tim is going on a Hike of the
Westeras and I’m going to “majestic” Mt Dalsnibba and Djupvasshytta Lodge.
Tim’s hike was exhilarating and went behind a
waterfall. My drive up to the top of Mt
Dalsnibba was spectacular. The views
from so high up were great and the ship looked so small down below.
Stunning scenery with lots of waterfalls coming down the mountain through the trees
The old Geiranger Church and graveyard
Colorful homes with fantastic views of the valley
Rushing water all over - lots of melting snow on top of the mountains
Half way up - Geiranger Harbor in the far distance
Gorgeous scenery
Waterfalls all over this mountain
Patches of snow and it's mid summer!
On top of the mountain - looks like winter wonderland
A beautiful lake. Our guide told us the ice just melted on top of it a week ago
Snow covered peaks
Panorama of the mountains from on the very top of Mt Dalsnibba
On top of the mountain - majestic views
Many visitors have built rock formations on top of the mountain
JC and Krysha - look at me!!!!
They finally recognized me in my cold weather gear! Cute couple
Ice-covered vistas and rock formations
The inn on the lake where we went for refreshments and a comfort stop
Lots of snow still around - and it is late July!
Selfie at the fresh water lake formed from melting ice
This picture shows how deep the snow is in many places
Another rock formation
Djupvasshytta Inn
Beautiful snow-covered mountains
A farm - buildings are usually either red (poorer people) or white (rich people)
The ships in the Geirganger Harbor down below
We had a telescoping dock that came out from the shore to our ship so we didn't have to tender
We returned to the ship about noon and ordered room service
so we could have lunch on our back balcony as we sailed out of Geiranger. Beautiful.
Took so many pictures. And we
celebrated this special event with a bottle of champagne.
At anchor with the telescoping gangway on our side at Geiranger, Norway
View from our balcony
The beautiful town of Geiranger, Norway
Sail away out of the fjord - we enjoyed the views from our balcony on the aft
Wrapped in blankets - waterfalls - snow - beautiful
The "Suitor" waterfall - note the shape of a bottle at the bottom - he drank himself to death when the Seven Sisters rebuffed his advances
The "Seven Sisters" waterfalls
The "Suitor" again
So beautiful sailing out of the fjord - this day was a HIGHLIGHT for us!!!!
More waterfalls - we really lucked out on the weather
The channel widens as we emerge from the Geiranger Fjord
Then it narrows attain as we head into the Hellesylt Fjord
The views just didn't stop - different at every turn - stunning!
A waterfall appears, disappears, appears, etc.
As we arrive in Hellesylt, Norway
The ship stopped in Hellesylt for 2 hours so we got off and
walked around. The town is very small. We stopped there to pick up the people that
came here from Geiranger on the bus. We
sat on our balcony again and watched as we sailed out of the fjord. We went to Observation Lounge to watch until
we got out to the ocean.
Walking around in Hellesylt, Norway
Very small town with a ferry to Geiranger
Cute bronze statue in a cute park
The fjord at Hellesylt, Norway
Panoramic view as we sail out of Hellesylt, Norway
Goodbye Hellesylt, Norway
The fjord widened as we headed out to the sea to continue sailing south to Bergen
But there was a lot more waterfalls to enjoy along the way
A house in the middle of nowhere high up on the hill - wonder how they get there?
We had dinner in Sette Mari and that was good. Then we went to bed. What an exciting day!
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