Norwegian Coast Enjoying your description of your Norwegian coastal cruise. It's one we have thought about. Will you view glaciers and visit North Cape and Tromso? We did a Princess British Isles cruise in 2017, but I didn't notice a great deal of formality on Formal Nights. We're just back from Iceland and know the Midnight Sun!
Hi there We are only doing 2 off boat tours - North Cape and the Lofoten Islands. Otherwise we are just sticking to walk around at the port towns.
Today and tomorrow has organised trips that included glaciers if we had wanted, but we didn't do these
Full day in Tromso. We have been before on a 1 week pre-xmas Northern Lights trip
On the one formal night we have had so far, in the areas we were in - 1 of the Main Dining Rooms, the "posh" central atrium and the theatre show, almost everyone had made a serious effort. Probably 50% or more of men in a black jacket/dicky bow tie and most others in a very smart jacket with or without tie. But couldn't comment on what it was like away from those central areas eg in the buffet dining room
Cheers
Paul
On the harbour front Hi
It's in Reykjavik, near to the harbour, next to the stretch of dual carriageway.
Are you aware also that there is a stretch of original, but relocated, rail track on Austurstraeti (North side) outside the Landsbankin?
Regards
Paul Wadsworth
Off on your travels again! I thought that you must have the itchiest feet! It sounds like an ideal opportunity to get back into travelling. Keep giving airport/Covidtips. Have fun!
Down Memory Lane Hi. I too have been to St Petersburg - - 6 days in 2007 - so much of this is a reminder! So far you do not mentioned the difficulty of reading the language i.e signs, metro stations etc. This was a major problem for us as we also were travelling independently. We went 'local' a couple of times and did what the Russions did i.e. stood on the edge of the pavement, held our arm out and a private car will stop - you tell the driver where you want to go, you can agree a price and they will mostly take you. However, with the advent of Uber perhaps this custom has disappeared. Our hotel was not far from the Mariinsky Theate - Alexandra House. You will of course have noticed that tourists pay a different price from locals. I shall look forward to the rest of your blog on Russia. Since India - I have only been to Poland, Ramsgate and Ramsbottom!! (After India I am sticking to Europe for the time being!) However, planning to do a walking trip to Wales in August and an Exodus trip to the Prosecco Hills at the end of September.
Hi Sheila
Thanks for reading our blog.
Signage out and about so far hadn't been too bad. Certainly the Metro system we have found very well signed, though I had printed a metro map to bring with us.
Just done our first half day in the Hermitage, General Staff Building, and all items labelled in Russian and English
Bit more difficult out on the streets Maybe we'll say something about this in a later blog
Ta Paul and Pip
"Fall colours & pumpkins" Just wanted to remind you it is also Halloween here in a big way, big pumpkins everywhere!! Also the fall colours in the Devon countryside take some beating, hope you don't miss the spectacle here! Enjoy your trip. Judy & Rod
Your trip. Pearl Harbour must have been very moving.Enjoy your last few days.At least you are coming back to British summer time and plenty to do in your garden!! Safe trip home. Judy & Rod.
Happy New Year Just that! Happy New Year to you both and your Christmas was certainly different too. We are all good here, and had the regular family days. Sadly my mum died last January so we were without her for the first time. However my middle sister has moved into mum's house with her son as that remains the family home. The bungalow she was living in(which also belonged to mum) is still on the market after nearly 6 months but we are hoping it will be more interesting after a lick of paint inside to brighten it up. My baby sister(52!) who is an assistant head in Hartlepool and lives in Ingleby Barwick near Middlesborough is home for the holiday and we all spent Christmas day at mum's house. Christopher, Nicole and Dominic came too, along with Nicole's brother, 17, who is having a few problems with his mum and dad. also my aunt who lives next door to mum so we were a large group of 10. I cooked the goose and took it with me and the others sorted out what seemed like the 10 veg at Sutton Bridge. On Boxing Day we all went as usual to Roger's sister's at Kimbolton .for the day and were 11 for lunch.. It is lovely to see all the little ones now, Dominic certainly gave Isla, who's nearly a year older than him(he's just 3) a run for her money when it comes to claiming toys! On the day after Roger went in to the garage for the morning to help Christopher as it was just the 2 of them on bank holiday duty. Christopher was closing early so when roger came in around 1 we went to spend the rest of the day with a friend near Thorney.
Wednesday we had a rest before our anniversary night away Thursday to Newmarket where we have found a very nice hotel with a spa and pool.that is more reasonable than Congham Hall! Tonight we are going to Fincham near Downham, to a Country Lodge cum restaurant with the other Marshland retirees - Sian and Dave, Chris and Paul, Phil and Ian, Bob and Jan, Tricia and Gordon and Sue Renwick and Alan (remember her?, before your time?)
Am enjoying reading your blog, you're not even half way through your trip yet, would love to do prolonged trip too, but Roger really still needed to help out in the evenings for Christopher. We are thinking of going away at some point very soon for 10 days, possibly Cyprus, but need to be in Uk on 27th to support my middle sister as that is the anniversary of when mum died this year. We all still miss her desperately but I think Leila is still grieving more, and quite depressed as she used to spend every evening with mum and every weekend with her more than Louise and I, until the last 3 months. I have my family here and am very lucky. Louise is stronger too, and buries herself in her work and has a very close friend nearby, although sadly for her a friend who's a boy(although I hope he was more than that for her, she's never said!) from her college her age died not long after mum very suddenly so she was doubly bereaved.
We did go to Malta in November for 12 days, the Soroptimist conference was there this year so we killed 2 birds with one stone. It was very warm, hardly less than 20 degrees and mostly more, and similar in the evening. The warm weather really does make us feel much better!
Haven't done a Christmas letter this year but will try and write one in the new year so fill you in on my other activities over the last few months eventually. I look forward to hearing from you again when you next post your blog. Continue to enjoy yourselves and make the most of every day. Much love, Lyn xx
NEW YEAR GREETINGS FROM 2nd Cousins And 3rd Cousins In Chester. Your trip is amazing! So many memories... images.... thoughts.... emotion....all there to store...AND when you're home in Devon, you'll feed off all this for years to come! GRAB IT ALL...and a HAPPY NEW YEAR from us all....Jan, Ray, Guy, Liz, George, Alice, Ric, Kristy, Oscar and Holly...no doubt including several future Intrepid Travellers To Be! XXX
You could have warned me! Dear Pip and Paul,
Surely, I thought " they won't attach a picture of an eight legged thing", but, no, there is was. I had a fit. I should have been alerted by the guided night time walk in the rainforest! The thought of which brings me out in a cold sweat. Anyway, I was ( generally) delighted to get an account of your most recent escapades- I can't believe how much you are doing. I find Neil Diamond preferable to Led Zeppelin when I am travelling , and the Aussie's LOVE HIM!!. Take care of yourselves and catch up again soon. love Fran.x
Hi Fran. Paul here - my bad. I forgot that Pip had said I should put in a warning.
But hey, it's only a photo, we could touch them if we wanted. We didn't want, so didn't!
?
Amazing time you're having....Seize every day....Smell all the roses....And more importantly: keep every one of your fingers crossed for America after todayXXX
News Really enjoying reading your blog. One day, when I get my knees done, we will be heading that way. Went to Australia December '77 so I imagine things have changed a bit since then. I see what you mean about the camper van, ours is considerably more spacious thank goodness! Looking forward to your next missive, love, Lyn x
"A long long walk, a hitch-hike, a taxi and another walk and we eventually got there.....after 2 hours...." That would've been my favourite bit! Proper travelling :p x
Water Yeh, except that we hadn't planned for that, we had no water as we had expected to get some on route (our bad, won't happen again), it was around mid-day and so 35°+ and the walk was basically alongside a motorway and through building sites. Otherwise, tickety-boo.
Pip & Paul
We are now both retired, Paul for nearly 12 months - Oct '15 - and Pip just so - Aug '16.
Married for 37 years we have always enjoyed travelling but have been limited by being employed and the limits that has on how much holiday we could take.
Despite that we have got quite a few miles under our belts - several USA road trips, many 'city breaks' and some large travel company trips, Peru, Africa safari, Uzbekistan.
But now is the time to let our wings really fly.... full info
AndrewHL
Andrew Lisowski
Norwegian Coast
Enjoying your description of your Norwegian coastal cruise. It's one we have thought about. Will you view glaciers and visit North Cape and Tromso? We did a Princess British Isles cruise in 2017, but I didn't notice a great deal of formality on Formal Nights. We're just back from Iceland and know the Midnight Sun!