What's Wonderful about the Waterfalls of Eidfjord

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We began today with breakfast in the Lido. I got an egg dish with assorted veggies, a couple of rolls and a couple of chocolate milks. Sharon got her usual waffle, despite heading on a tour called “Waffles and Waterfalls.”

We assembled in the Showroom and they were going over all of the “Need to Know” info for first-timers. This was our first port of call, so there might be some who don’t know to take your room key/ship’s ID with you, along with a government issued photo ID. Our Group Orange-13 was the next to leave, and two busses were required. Our elderly tour guide was an elderly Norwegian woman with a heavy accent, and occasionally I needed to revisit her uniquely parsed syllables. My favorite was the way she referred to the people living in these steeply mount-TAY-nee-ous fjords. She was pretty easy to understand and very knowledgeable. She was clearly proud of her region and all that the people living here have accomplished. They’ve realized a good deal of prosperity over the past 70 years. Today, it is not uncommon for those in farming areas to be both farmers while also having a day-job, so they are not adverse to hard work. And this has resulted in many to enjoy a good deal of prosperity. Adding insight to this statement she added “And those being prosperous are only too happy to reinvest this capital in the furthering of services and infrastructure in this region.” I guess this is a veiled way of saying that the Norwegians are the most heavily taxed people in Europe, if not the world. We could see that a great deal of road maintenance was in progress, and they need to complete before winter commences in just a few weeks. Norway is a country with many tunnels, and we passed through five or six on our way to the plateau. She also pointed out the importance of the Summer Cabins that play an importance in the lives of Norwegians. She had fond memories of the day when these cabins had no power, no running water and virtually no amenities at all. Sharon wouldn’t survive without WI-FI. Today she conceded living conditions have improved some; but, for some inexplicable reason (probably due for optimization of space) she was adamant about one thing: Cabins must have only bunk beds. Often these cabins will have sod and grass roofs that can last 20 years. Some have slate roofs that are good for 100 years.

It seemed like a long drive to where we were served Waffles. I found myself nodding off more than once; but, Sharon would make sure I opened my eyes to see the very sparsely vegetated plateau, complete devoid of trees. There was the dreary gloom of colder days to come. Winter is Coming. We were ushered into the upper floor of the waffle place, and were herded like cattle into seats around tables. Sharon and I were asked to seat at a table that was already full. They brought in seats and table services (a plastic demitasse spoon for me with a cup for coffee or tea and a stainless spoon for Sharon); but, I sat delicately perched on the corner and in the way of anybody trying to pass behind me at the end of the table, or behind me down the row between tables. In the center of the room was a round table for six, from which chairs had been pilfered, and two of our group found themselves seated there alone. Out came the not quite paper-thin waffles that had been pre-cooked for everybody. They were more akin the firmness and thickness of three tortillas; and, needless to say, they were not hot. There was no introduction about how you’re supposed to eat these or what the native traditions were behind them, so I must wonder, really, what is the purpose of driving to the top of a mountain the eat a cold waffle. We were all sitting around with the uncertain look of what do we do now. There was one small bowl of a berry jam-like substance on the table and a second bowl for what I thought might be butter. I eventually grabbed the “butter bowl” and spooned some onto a slice of waffle that I had torn off. We were obviously meant to eat these by hand. One bite and I knew this was not butter, and warned Sharon not to put any on hers. My first thought was creamed cheese; but, it was too soft for that, even at room temperature. Somebody else suggested that it was sour cream, and on reflection after a second taste, they were right. Again, no attempt to explain if this was a Norwegian Tradition, and whether your supposed to eat these the way a New Yorker eats a pizza pie slice. Even if this is “an acquired taste” it shouldn’t be assumed that everybody knows the local traditions when it comes to Waffles. If you’re going to emphasize this in the title of the tour, some effort should be made to impart some of the traditions to those taking this tour. And as for the waffle, I’ll say it again, they were cold and nothing special. There is a place near us back in Las Vegas called Waffles Café. They do great waffles.

Our next stop was at a dam, built using the rubble from the tunnels we passed through to get to the plateau. Sharon walked down to the rim of the dam while I was shooting pictures of the vast panorama from above. Sharon said the walk back up to the bus was not as bad as she feared that it might be. The restroom at this stop however left much that could have been improved on. I heard it called little better than a latrine, and one side was missing certain basic essentials.

We drove next to the resort tourist area by the waterfall. The infrastructure of the parking lot and walkways were being improved as we made our way sometimes over rough and uneven surfaces, in places leaving the less sure-footed of us in need of hand railings. The walkway heading out to observe the falls starts with an observation point that juts out above and slightly to the left of the falls as you look at water falling away to the rocks below. We’re told that the waterfall is about 600 feet high. There is also an impressive white water section feeding the top of the falls. The walkway continues to wind around following the terrain in a semi-circular path that gives to a view facing the falls, but at a distance where you can better gage the magnitude and height of the falls. The walkway is mostly improved; but, there are still some spots with rough surfaces require walking on rough rocks. The drive up was certainly worth having the view… the waffles were not. I went to use the restroom, which our guide had told was included in the tour; otherwise, I would have had to pay 10 Norwegian Kroner to go to the bathroom.

The drive back down the mountain got us back in time for a late lunch. We went up to the Lido and everyone must have gotten back at the same time because the place was a zoo. We were lucky to find a table. Sharon had gotten white turkey meat, which is what she asked for, so she was upset when I asked her “Why is most of your turkey dark meat?” “That’s not right,” she complained. “I ordered White Meat.” She thought about going back and complaining; but, hunger overcame this urge and she began to eat. I had gotten myself a couple baked chicken thighs; only, I had made sure I got 2 thighs after rejecting a leg that the server tried to give me. I also got some roasted artichoke which was surprisingly good.

Today we double-checked the schedule and avoided heading up to the Crow’s Nest to find our Teammates who were already waiting for us at the Deck 2 Billboard Onboard. Its good to have schoolteachers on your team; and, I’m afraid it looks like much of the competition may have thrown in the towel. At the last minute though as Christina our Cruise Director arrived some teams did manage to assemble, and some new blood was looking to join another team as well. The first question was “What does “CBC” stand for in Canada? We all agreed that it must be “Canadian Broadcasting Company”. Teams were scattered around the lounge so Christine had asked us to grade our own papers. Our scribe hadn’t written down ‘Company’ very clearly, and I think she wasn’t listening when Christine announced that the last word is “Corporation”, so she hadn’t marked that answer as wrong. We also missed “What is the longest river flowing into the South China Sea.” We went with “Yangtze” but it’s a bit farther south than that: It’s the “Mekong River”. Our teammate was sure that the type of tea that is extracted from the Bremond Orange is Earl Gray. We were all happy to accept that until I suggested “Orange Pekoe”. Well, our scribe found herself out voted 4-1 with Sharon abstaining… she just says “I don’t know” if she doesn’t know. If we’d all followed her suit we’d have gotten it right because our scribe insisted that she did know, as implausible as orange having anything to do with Earl Gray. Alas, our Scribe isn’t going to let us forget this one. “What are the words at the bottom of an Ouija Board?” We all thought we knew that these were “Yes” and “No”; but, Christine was looking for “Good Bye”. We also had trouble with “Rib, Stretcher, Runner, Ferrule, Crook Handle and Tube are all part of what kind of protection equipment?” Sharon came up with Face Guard (or Catcher’s Mask). Alas, it was the simple umbrella. We had some discussion on how many lines there are in a limerick. Our first answer was 4; but, I suggested it was more. Later though, when a couple examples of limericks were suggested that maybe shouldn’t be printed here, there was agreement on 5. And as for the 4 the confusion lay with the difference between lines and sentences. We got the point with 5. Also, there was doubts about who got two perfect scores in gymnastics at the Olympics in 1976. Sharon convinced the team it had to be Nadia Comaneci and it’s a good thing she did. The bonus question was “What are the names of the four girls in ‘Little Woman’?” Now, this is where it comes in handy to have school teachers on your team. Sharon thinks that she would have come up with “Beth” and “Jo”. And our scribe had already completed writing them plus “Amy” and “Meg”. We told the scribe that she really couldn’t count the first question as right, and looking at “Company” you could tell that it started with a “CO”; but, beyond that it wasn’t very legible. We convinced her to deduct that point as well, and we wound up with a not very imposing 12 points. Christine had allowed one-half point for each correct name for the sisters. One other team had 12points as well, and Christine tried her best to find someone with 12.5 points. We needed a tie breaker. “How many operas did Mozart compose?” I suggested seven, writing the number “7” on the back of my sheet. The scribe could only come up with “3” by name and was leaning towards that number. Pleading her case she said, “I only have one thing to say on this matter: Earl Grey.” We pushed for more, and I really pushed for at least “7”. We wound up at 5. Our competition must have come up with the same three operas that our scribe had listed; only, they went with that number… 3. Christine revealed what each of our guesses were, and assured everyone that the answer wasn’t 4… It was in fact 17. With slight of hand I added a “1” in front of my “7” and said “See, that’s what I said!” We won the tie-break, and the pins; only, today’s pins were the cheap ones again.

Sharon went to mass while I went to Bingo. Surely this must be a scheduling SNAFU to have these two at the same time. Hardly anybody showed up; but, evidently there were enough to play the game. The first game winner was under $100 which is something that I’ve never seen before. I got to stand a couple times; but, during the second game (while I was standing) there was a small commotion in front of me. Someone got the Assistant Cruise Director’s attention to let them know that an elderly lady up front had Bingo but a couple calls back. Now, it is not like she’s in the back of the room and can’t be heard. She was probably closer to the ACD than any other player in the room. Well, despite the fact that you have to call BINGO on the last number called, you also must call it loud enough to get his attention. Anyway, to a chorus of catcalls and hisses, he awarded her the BINGO.

We arrived for our 6PM reservation at Canaletto. I had the antipasti and the buffalo mozzarella with tomatoes as the appetizers. Sharon ordered the pasta dish of plain spaghetti with butter. And I ordered the entre of roast veal wrapped in bacon. Normally the ordering is family style for two and they recommend getting two appetizers, one pasta dish, and one entre. That’s what we did. Normally these dishes are shared; but, in our case I just didn’t get a pasta dish. Having had pasta four out of the past five days, I think that I’ll be okay! I had the cannoli for dessert; while, Sharon had the lemon torte, which I think that she enjoyed.(Sharon- it was OK not great)

We got up to the Crow’s Nest early for Evening Team Trivia expecting our group to already be in “our spot” which we’ve taken as our own. We were able to sit down and claim it, despite the bar being fairly crowded. And our teammates did finally show up; but, we were getting worried. Tonight’s Trivia was a bit easier than this afternoon’s affair, where there might have been a chink in our armor visible to give our opponents hope. Nine of the questions were “Popular Repeats” from other HAL trivia events; but, I had to argue for my choice for “What body of water is the Great Barrier Reef in?” I was happy to finally getting this one correct, after missing it on at least two prior occasions. But these school teachers weren’t happy with my recommendation “Coral Sea”. When they couldn’t come up with anything else, it’s what we went with. They did however know where Russell Crowe was born and Rembrandt’s surname. So we got New Zealand and van Rijn. When they also came up with the actor playing the scarecrow in “The Wiz”, Sharon and I had the bonus question covered, “In the world of laptop computers, what do the initials ‘LCD’ stand for?” Did you know “Michael Jackson”? I had never seen the Wiz. One of the schoolteachers who did know this claims to also never seen “The Wiz”. In fact, she claims to never have seen the original “Wizard of Oz” either! We came in with a perfect score and won some more of those cheap pins. I hope they run out of them soon.

Two of our Trivia Teammates were participating in the “What on Earth” game show. Sharon said that we needed to go watch them. Long story made short is, Sharon and I got volunteered to be the third couple needed for the game. We did dreadful in the buzz-in rounds, and most of the game was buzz-in rounds. When team number one got the peacock as their team mascot, and team number two got the tiger, and we as team number 3 got this god-ugly frog that goes “Ribet” for its buzzer call, we might have known this wasn’t going to be our day. We didn’t completely embarrass ourselves; but, our teammates better not greet us tomorrow by going “Ribet-Ribet”.

Sharon went to see the show, where the Comedian made one particular joke that hit home. He said, “I always call my wife Babe!” When everybody went “Awww”. He continued, “Yeah, I always thought that that was a great movie!” I decided not to go see the show when one in our Trivia Team party had mentioned that they had just gone to the first show, and that they didn’t much care for the comedy; besides, this way I got to play blackjack!

The blackjack table was empty for Fun-21 which suited me; while, all of the other blackjack tables were full. All I could think was, “I’m so glad that I’m not playing at them.” Again, I start out with a cold shoe, and the dealer was pulling ahead; although, I did win the first hand when I’d made a bet for the dealer. And I also won the third hand when I again placed a bet for the dealer when they did a dealer rotation at my table. There might be a lesson here. Bet for the dealer… Win! No bet for the dealer… Lose! The losing streak that followed wasn’t too bad; and, by the end of the shoe I was a bit ahead. I wasn’t getting a lot of blackjacks; but, I was winning more than my share of the hands. And I was making 21 on three or more cards quite a bit, and in Fun-21 that’s an automatic win (even should the dealer make 21 himself). I was using surrender effectively and it even saved me a couple of times with “Early Surrender”, saving half of my bet when the dealer turned out to have blackjack. The other thing that I’ve noticed from playing this game in the past, it’s been my observation that when you bet they way that I do, it is not a good idea to double. This is the first time I’ve played live with this strategy, and it seems to be working out well. Quite a few times I’ve hit what would have been a terrible double-down card, to then be able to hit and wind up getting 21 for the automatic win. And with all of the Kings missing from the deck in Fun-21, the dealer is much less likely to bust; and, the player is much less likely to hit that ten-card which is sort of de facto assumed when you double down. Eventually I was feeling a bit too tired, and decided to quite the first time that I lost a hand that I thought that I should. And then I won some hands, more than I was losing. Then I won four hands in a row, and I got 19 on the next hand facing a six. A few cards later the dealer claimed that hand after hitting 20. I took that as my sign to call it a night; still, with a very nice profit. The Pit Boss came over an noted, “That’s a nice result for tonight… but not as nice as you did on the first night.” “I won a lot of hands in a row on that night.” I was wondering if she knew that I’d won 11 hands in a row; but, she didn’t say.

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