June 27, 2014   Sea Day

 This was a quiet day for reflecting on the wonderful trip we were fortunate enough to enjoy and was about to come to an end. Time to pack our bags, catch up with new friends and have our final dinner in the dining room.

The night’s entertainment was the “Dancing with the Stars” show where five of the ships guests perform with dancers from the cast. At the end of the night one of the guests is crowned the winner of this cruise and is eligible to possibly move into the finals, happening in October. The finalists are selected by the audience applause meter.

Bergen Waterfront

Bergen Art Museum

Bergen Outlook

June 26, 2014   Bergen, Norway

 Located on Norway’s southwest coast, Bergen has the country’s largest port and is its second largest city at about 250,000 people. The city rose to prominence in the 12^th century due to its dried cod trade. The city of Bergen is often called the city of seven mountains as many mountains surround it. The mountains create a unique climate keeping it warmer than one might expect but also has more than 90 inches of rainfall a year. The weather on this day was sunny and warm, which was wonderful.

The city is very beautiful with a variety of architecture dating back to the 12^th century. There is a well-preserved castle, the Brergenhus Fortress, a contemporary arts center, an aquarium, a fish market, a maritime museum and a funicular that takes you up 1,000 feet above the city.

In the morning we explored town on our own. We walked all over the city center exploring the unique architecture, the lake, the beautifully landscaped pedestrian streets, the fish market and local shops. In the afternoon we took a two-hour panoramic city tour where we saw many of the important sights around the city.

It was a short day in port with the ship sailing at 4:00pm, but the sailing out of Bergen through the fjord was stunning. We saw thousands of small islands and inlets where colorful homes large and small dotted the shorelines.

One of the spa gals, Maja, from Croatia is a fun-loving spirit and Kent connected with her immediately. He found a lovely troll for her and encouraged her to contact us when she gets to San Diego. Kent keeps giving our contact info out to lots of entertainers and crew in hopes of seeing them in San Diego.

The evenings entertainment was the Ryndam singers and dancers show called “Droom” which we had seen a couple of weeks ago. Since we hate to miss a show we saw it again.

Geiranger Outlook

Geiranger Eagle Road

Geiranger Village

June 25, 2014   Geiranger, Norway

 This small village of just 250 inhabitants relies mostly on tourism during the summer months for its survival. Some 300,000 visitors pass through this village between May and September. The village is home to the Seven Sisters Waterfall, which is a Unesco World Heritage Site.

The weather was absolutely beautiful with plenty of sunshine, which everyone was ready for. The village is very charming with a few hotels and a large camping ground at the waters edge. There is a huge river with many waterfalls cascading right through the middle of the town. They have recently built a staircase through town along the edge of the river for visitors to get an up-close look at the waterfalls. The setting at the end of the fjord with high mountain walls surrounding the village is quite spectacular. It is no wonder that the town welcomes more than 140 cruise ships a year to this beautiful spot.

Our tour on this day took us on a scenic drive up into the mountains where we saw many fruit tree farms, lakes and waterfalls. The landscape at the lower elevation is lush and green with trees while the higher elevations are almost barren from the high winds they have in this area. Some of the homes that were built at the higher elevation had cables securing the roof to the rocky hillside to keep it from being blown from its foundation. We stopped at an outlook on the top of Mt. Dalsnibba (4,911 feet in elevation) where we could see all the way down the mountain to the town at the edge of the Gierangerfjord. It had snowed within the last couple of days so there was fresh snow on the ground and the temperature was cold. Along the way we saw sheep and goats that are raised to produce cheese.

After driving back down the mountain and into town we headed up the only other road out of town that is called the Eagle Road. The eagle road climbs quickly with a number of hairpin turns. While on our way up we found that someone who was coming down the mountain in a motorhome has gone through a concrete barrier at one of the turns and gone down the embankment a short way before being stopped by a large tree. Luckily, everyone was able to walk away from the overturned vehicle. Emergency vehicles and a helicopter came to rescue.

From a lookout along the Eagle Road we are able to get a look at the famous De Syv Sostre (the Seven Sisters) waterfall. The waterfall is named this because there are seven different falls clustered together. Across the fjord from the seven sisters waterfall is another very large waterfall called the Suitor or Whiskey Bottle because of its unique shape, which resembles a whiskey bottle.

The evening’s entertainment was an acrobatic variety show by Olympic gymnast Lance Ringnald. Lance is a very engaging person although his act was a bit lacking in content. He told a few jokes, showed some movie clips of himself, did a bit of juggling, played the piano and sang a song. He still has an incredibly fit body at 44.

Another one of our group is Eldon (nickname: Eldita), originally from Regina, Saskcatuan, Canada, but is living in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. He recently left his accounting position and is looking for another. He has several options to consider and doesn’t seem too worried about finding another one. He is almost 50 and is always impeccably dressed and is a fun, engaging person. He is traveling alone and spends lots of time in the casino. Eldon enjoys the shows onboard also.

Dale and Thom are currently living in Princeton, New Jersey. Dale is PhD working for Bristol Meyers and Tim was a banker and is now a retired teacher. Dale spends lots of time in the spa and Tom shops. Tom had an altercation with another passenger while in line to get his VAT back. The lady thought he was cutting in line (he was not) and hit him in the face and he fell to the floor. Security was called, but not one staff asked him if he was OK….guess because he was the man. We are sorry that happened…..physical altercations are not good under any circumstances.

Others we have been are Elsie, from Oakland. She is travelling with Dan, from Berkeley. Both met in a bereavement group at home as they both lost spouses. Dan is usually at the LGBT cocktail party. We convinced Elsie to join us once. They both have Neptune or large balcony suits and we are jealous.

There are two Brazilian gals, Marcel and Andresa, on board with family members. They are delightful, but speak little English. They have been together for 22 years and are convinced that Mark is Kent’s father (NOT!)…but they continually tell Kent how “elegant” and serious Mark appears. Other ladies say the same thing. He is a hottie!

Two other male couples from Ottawa are also traveling and we have had limited interaction with them. Another single fellow, Doug, from Albany, CA has also joined our group for dinner, but stays pretty well by himself. Some don’t like to “join” we guess.

June 24, 2014   Sea Day

 This was another sleepy sea day with very few activities available onboard. We attended another Mariners cocktail party and luncheon where several folks were recognized with medallions for the number of sea days they had traveled on Holland America Line ships. A gentleman that looked like Santa Claus with long white hair and a beard was recognized for his 804 days at sea. He said he had fourteen more cruises booked! It must be nice.

After cocktails in the Ocean bar we had dinner in the Pinnacle Grill with friends. The food and service is always excellent. One in our group of six guys includes Eddy from Melbourne, Australia. We’re not sure what Eddy, 45, does, because he has mentioned several professions: autistic student teacher, derivatives trader, model, import business manager, gay bar manager, etc. He has lived in many places and is traveling to Hungary to buy investment property with cash in his cabin. He says he is bisexual (we say that means a stop on the way to “gay.”)   He is a real talker (we don’t know what to believe) and knows many people on the ship. All seem to have a nice word to say about him. He is considerate and thoughtful with all in our group. Eddy has bought clothes in almost every port. He says he will donate his old clothes to the orphanage in our last port. He is apparently quite the entertainer in the sauna….if you know what we mean, and is always talking about sex and hooks up in ports after using Grinder.

June 23, 2014   Sea Day

 We departed Honningsvag about 6:00am for a couple of days at sea before we arrive at our next port. As we sailed past the North Cape a small group of passengers took part in a Nordic Plunge in the outdoor swimming pool.

There were very few activities scheduled so it was mostly a quiet day onboard with folks reading, swimming in the indoor pool, enjoying a spa treatment or napping.

Kyle Kennedy was the entertainer for the evening. Once a member of the cast on a Holland America ship some twenty years ago, he is now a headliner. He sang a variety of soul music, many of which were familiar but he had no pizazz.

Kent and his new friend

North Cape

Honningsvag Village

Oversized mail boxes

June 22, 2014   Honningsvag, Norway

 We arrived in Honnigsvag about 11:00 am this morning. Honningsvag is located at the northern most part of Norway and has a population of 2,500. The city thrives on its fishing industry, which is aided by the ice-free Barents Sea. From Honningsvag you can take a forty-five minute drive to the North Cape that is the northernmost point of Europe. The cape has a 1,000-foot cliff overlooking the Arctic Ocean. The weather was not very nice with cloudy skies and intermittent rain throughout the day, not to mention the cold temperature and wind. We chose not to take this trip, but several of our friends did. They returned somewhat disappointed.

We wandered the small town, but being a Sunday most of the shops were closed. A few large gift shops were open to accommodate the four cruise ships that were in port. The homes here were mostly constructed of wood painted in bright colors dotting the hillsides. There was a short downtown business district with a few shops, a library, a church, a cemetery and a market. More unusual was the large sports complex with both indoors and outdoors soccer fields. We were amused with the large mailboxes on all the houses.

Being that the ship was docked in port until early the next morning, there was not the usual entertainment. On this night they had a special Nordic Jazz and Food Festival onboard where they served a Smorgasbord of Scandinavian snacks like smoked fish, salads, and desserts.

After the food festival they invited guests to move to the Crow’s Nest lounge to see the midnight sun while listening to classical music, sipping Gluwein and eating cheese fondue. Unfortunately the sun was not visible through the cloudy skies.

Interior of the Cathedral

View from the Cable Car

Interior of the Cathedral

Tromso Arctic Cathedral

Tromso Sami House

Sami People

June 21, 2014   Tromso, Norway

 Researchers have found evidence of civilization in this area dating back nearly 10,000 years. Tromso is the seventh largest city in Norway today with a population of about 75,000. The city of Tromso is split between an island called Tromsoya and the main land now connected by a bridge. The town was originally built on an island but after the bridge to the mainland was completed in the 1960’s the town expanded to the mainland. Due to its very northern location, Tromso was often used as a starting point for Arctic expeditions.

There is a very large medical university in Tromso where students from all over the world study specialties like hypothermia, sun deprivation and depression, as well as the ordinary subjects.

Our tour took us to the Tromsdalen Church or Arctic Cathedral as it is called, which is located on the mainland. This very modern church was built in the 1960’s and houses Europe’s largest stained-glass window measuring 1,500 square feet and depicting the return of Christ. The window was not part of the original design of the church but was later installed after the morning sun through the glass wall behind the altar was so blinding to the parishioners, they needed to wear sunglasses in church. The pastor couldn’t tell whether or not the people were paying attention.

Next we took the Fjellheisen Cable Car to the top of Mt. Storsteinen where we got a great view out over the town of Tromso. Unfortunately it was cold and snowing so the views were somewhat restricted. Luckily there was a lovely café at the top where you could enjoy the views from a warm comfortable spot.

Our next stop was the Tromso Museum, which is the largest and oldest research institution in northern Norway. Here we saw a short film about the Northern Lights phenomenon that occurs during the winter months when the sky is clear. These colorful swirling waves of bright colored light appear in the sky when the atmospheric conditions are just right.

Another exhibit was the Sami Ethnography exhibit where we learned about the indigenous “Sami” people who lived in this northern region from Norway, through Finland and into Russia. They believe that the Sami people (formerly called Laplanders but is now not politically correct) were using wooden ski’s with fur pelts on the bottoms for traction some 4,500 years ago. They lived in structures similar to a teepee (like our native Indians) although some of the permanent homes were more substantial including the use of wood for the structure with sod covering it. They used reindeer for pulling sleds, spears for hunting and lived completely off the land.

The museum here also features exhibits on geology, botany, zoology and archaeology that we had a quick look through.

After lunch onboard the ship, the weather was improving and we were able to take a shuttle bus back into town to have a look around. The city center is very charming with a blend of old and new architecture. Since today was the longest day of the year the city was having a summer solstice party including a midnight sun marathon.

We attended a cocktail party in the Crow’s Nest hosted by the captain for those guests who were on the ship for more than one cruise booked back to back. There was a good-sized group of folks in attendance. The evening’s entertainment was a repeat of a show that we had seen last week called “Ace’s High” performed by the Ryndam singers and dancers. Although we had seen it last week we went with friends to see it again.