Blogs from Western Norway, Norway, Europe - page 10

Have you ever waited for a couple of hours for the sun to rise and it’s teasing you on the edge of the world, dotting up between distant islands, but just not quite making the effort? It was windy and cold, so by 2am we gave up and went to bed. That’s how my day ended - waiting for the sun to rise. Welcome to the Arctic Circle! My plan to start the day was to get up around 3am again to get a timelapse of the sunrise, but when it came down to it, I decided bed was better. Yesterday must have been long, as my sleep was also long and I didn’t wake until 10am. So breakfast was late and we missed the first landmark of note - some bridge. The next landmark was ... read more

Cruise day 4 A golden tour from Andalsnes and two annoying Maitre Ds July 18th 2019 Today was a pokey-stick-day. I have no idea where Claire gets her pokey sticks from but she manages to find one everywhere we go. Today she began poking me with her latest at 3:15am. Yes, that’s am. 3:15 in the morning. But I got up and we headed up on deck for what turned out to be quite a decent sunrise so I’m glad I persuaded Claire to join me. We were cruising down a fjord and so there were some decent photos to be had in the peace and quiet. Surprisingly not many other people joined us....only three in fact....maybe Claire has all the pokey sticks.... After a couple more hours sleep we got up properly and ate a ... read more

Cruise day 2 Posh togs and the ship bore July 16th 2019 Despite being warned that the clocks were going forward an hour we expected our Apple watches and iPhones to do their usual thing. But there’s no internet....so no automatic updating....so we walked through the lounge where we were due to see the talk on our first destination, Andalsnes and everyone was already there....over an hour early... Aah. Quick breakfast (really good!) and we sneaked back into the talk which by now was standing room only. Luckily we hadn’t missed much. Our devices are now the right time. Next up was a talk on Ice: Frozen Landscapes and Polar Seas where we sat at the front as Claire had left her glasses in the cabin. It was a bit warm in there and the speaker ... read more

Blog 11 - Goodbye Bømlo ?? July 7 This morning we all arose early not wanting to be late when Reidar came. Thankful for the leftovers from yesterday’s feast; we broke our fast on Norwegian pancakes and lefse and herring and lamb. Then we waited... Finally it was time and we hauled our bikes and gear across the bridge along with Reidar’s large container now empty of water. Again we waiting but not long. Very soon Reidar’s car was seen coming up the road with his trailer for the bikes. Since we were ready early, Reidar took us on a tour of Meling and then on a different road back to the fast boat (we learned it is not called a ferry). We did have to stop once and re-do the bikes. Just before we got ... read more

Blog 9 - Friday July 5 From Beach to Bluff or A Swim in the Sea and A March Up the Mountain A day of swimming, cycling and hiking! I woke up this morning prepared to do what we were going to do yesterday but nobody was willing. I was determined this morning would be different so I showed up in the main room of the house in my swimsuit and said OK it’s time to go. Much to my amazement after some cajoling the others got dressed and we headed to the spot I had found on our bikes. I found this spot on our first day here when I had taken a ride to the end of our road and it seemed the perfect spot for a dip in the North Sea. Isabelle was ... read more