Cruise Musings.

The last day on a cruise is always a strange day with packing to be completed, photographs to be picked up and goodbyes to be said. A good time to reflect on the cruise just completed.

The passengers on a cruise in the summer holidays are a completely different demographic to that we are normally accustomed. With approaching 500 children onboard the average age is greatly reduced from our normal cruises. This became self evident when throughout the whole of the cruise we have not been able to get a single game of table tennis.

Another thing that staggers me every time I cruise is the lack of preparation by some of the passengers. Planning a holiday, exploring the places we are to visit and checking the likely weather is part of the overall experience and gives you a good idea of what to pack. On this holiday we have had people complaining that on one hand the weather wasn’t warm enough and others thinking that the fjords would be covered in snow!!

Tonight was Poppy and Joseph’s final session in the kid’s club, the night when the cruise prizes are handed out. Joey had the most points in his club and won a game, or as he said “I’ve won the kid’s club”.

Poppy although amassing an astounding 3,900 points failed to win the most points prize but was awarded the prize for the friendliest person.

Overall the cruise was most enjoyable, with Azura looking good. The entertainment especially the comic, Tucker and the musical act, We3, were excellent and the itinerary was first class. I’m certain that we will return to Azura at some time in the future.

Robbins Ramblings will be back in 223 days from the West Coast of America.

Bergen - Gateway to the Fjords.

When we last visited Bergen we were told that on four out of every five days it would be raining, today must have been that fifth day. Although the sky was overcast and a mist covered the top of the mountains the day stayed dry during our time here. We sailed into the picturesque harbour at 8.00am and after a quick breakfast decided to go ashore early.

This proved to be a great decision as the usual busy tourist areas were more or less empty. This gave us an opportunity to get some photos prior to the crowds arriving.

We spent some time exploring the shops and buildings of the Bryggen area, the ancient quayside made up of wooden warehouses which have been named as an UNESCO World Heritage Site. Renovation work is constantly taking place but this is strictly controlled with all craftsmen trained in the old techniques. Behind the brightly coloured facade lies a rabbit warren of wooden passageways leading to more shops and workshops.

At the end of the quayside lies the Bergen fish market, which disappointed me on our last visit. This time the choice of fish on view was much better and included long crab legs, klipfish, and various cold water fish in addition to the salmon that was prominent last time. Other stalls sold salami sausages made from the meat of reindeer, elk, whale and wild boar of which I enjoyed samples.

From the far side of the quay the Bryggen resembled a  fairytale town.

Passing a bakery shop on the way to the museum I couldn’t resist the temptation of the local delicacy, Skillingsbolle, a sweet cinnamon flavour pastry. It was much bigger than it looked on the advert but together Sylvia and I soon polished it off.

The Bergen museum, located just off the Bryggen features two main exhibitions. The first focusses on the ancient history and archeology of the area while the second concentrates on the Great Fire of 1916 when most of the city was destroyed. Fires seem to be a common theme through many of the Norwegian towns we have visited probably due to the many wooden buildings found here. In this case the fire lead to a complete re-planning of the city forming the modern conurbation that can be seen today.

Returning to the ship we bumped into Victoria, Oliver and the two children and joined them for lunch on board. 

This evening was the last formal night of the cruise and we all dressed up in our finery, Poppy joining us in the restaurant.

Joseph decided to go to kid’s club but afterwards had a late night snack before retiring for the night.

Tomorrow is a day at sea before returning to Southampton on Saturday.

Geirangerfjord.

We departed Alesund in the early hours of the morning to make the short trip to Geiranger. Following the meandering Geirangerfjord, the ship slowly made it’s way past waterfalls and towering mountain peaks. It is no wonder that this part of Norway has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage site. As daylight broke we opened the balcony to watch this stunning scenery pass the window. Sylvia couldn’t resist the temptation to go up on deck to view the scene in all its magnificence. I on the other hand stayed in bed.

The small town of Geiranger sits at the end of the fjord and has a population of only 300, but during the summer months will see around 160 cruise ships bringing some 600,000 visitors. 

Unlike yesterday the sky was overcast with the threat of rain at anytime. As a tender was required to reach the shore we decided to stay on the ship until the crowds had disembarked, enjoying a leisurely breakfast while taking in the sights. We were joined by Victoria as Poppy and Oliver had gone kayaking and Joey was in the kid’s club.

Leaving Victoria onboard Sylvia and I went ashore at around 11.30 and passing the tourist shops on the quayside made our way to a large waterfall just outside the town.

A series of steps alongside the waterfall lead to various viewing platforms and although there were fewer steps than yesterday’s climb it was still quite arduous. The photo stops on the way up making it more manageable.

Once at the top we gained magnificent views across the fjord with the mountains beyond dwarfing our ship.

Returning to the ship just before the rain started, we had a leisurely afternoon relaxing in our cabin. The children paid us a visit to show us the latest cuddly toys they had bought.

We pulled anchor and slowly moved down the fjord at around 4.00pm passing deserted farmhouses on the hillsides and more cascading waterfalls.

The captain stopped the ship in the narrowest part of the fjord and performed a 180 degree turn so that we could all see the view in all its glory. Of special note was the waterfall known as the Seven Sisters although due to lack of recent rainfall not all of them could be made out.

Tonight we make our way down the coast towards our final Norwegian port of call, Bergen.

Alesund.

Alesund, the largest town on Norway’s North-West coast and the country’s leading fishing town was today’s port of call. The town is built on three islands linked together by a series of bridges and tunnels.The Mount Askla viewpoint dominates the town and is reached by 418 steps from the town park. Sylvia and I had decided that we would would climb this today but on arrival we had second thoughts and chickened out. (Victoria, Oliver and the two children did successfully manage the climb).

Instead we walked through the Art Nouveau buildings that make up the old town of Alesund, the ancient buildings having been destroyed in a devastating fire in 1904. Remarkably with 850 dwelling destroyed and over 10,000 people made homeless there was only one fatality. We made our way to the harbour wall which gave magnificent views across the fjord to the islands beyond.

The lighthouse at the end providing a good photo opportunity.

The main reason to come to this part of the town was to visit the Fisheries Museum, housed in the white building in the photo below.

The town’s development depended on the fishing trade and the processing of by-products such as “Klipfish”, salted and dried fish, and Liver Oil, firstly from whales and latterly other fish such as haddock or cod. The museum took us through firstly the production of the liver oil from the crude methods used in ancient times up to the modern laboratory controlled processes. Of particular interest was the assortment of packaging used for the products which were on display.

Klipfish was an important product in Norway’s history with the modern production process being developed by two Scotsmen named Gordon and Ramsey. I kid you not!! Simply the process involved salting the gutted and cleaned fish and then drying in the open-air. Much of the work completed by the fish wives shown in the following picture.

Situated close to the fishing museum is a small glass workshop where a demonstration was given of glass blowing.I’ve seen this done a few times but am always astounded with the ease that the glassblower changes the shape of a blob of glass into an intricate tumbler or vase.

A visit to the town museum was next on the itinerary. This featured exhibitions of the history of the town, especially the Great Fire, and a special exhibit of Alesund in World War Two. An interesting visit.

Tonight was Indian night in the buffet, Oliver’s favourite night, so there was no decision to be made as to where to eat. Victoria had a mixture of English and Indian main courses…

….while Oliver concentrated on the sweeter side of things.

After a lovely meal we retired to the Planet Bar at the rear of the ship where Oliver had his favourite cruise tipple, a strawberry daiquiri. On a previous occasion the waiter took his order and then said “Thank you Madam” but this didn’t seem to bother him.

We don’t leave Alesund until 2.30am in the morning so we were able to witness a beautiful sunset over the town. 

Tomorrow we make our way during the early hours to Geiranger.

Stavanger and the Pulpit Rock.

The city of Stavanger with a population of around 115,000 is known as the oil capital of Norway since the discovery of the black stuff off the coast in the 1960’s. Prior to the oil boom, Stavanger was the canning centre of Norway with at one time over 70 canneries coping with the tonnes of sardines that were locally caught. The city itself is a charming mixture of old wooden houses ,carefully preserved from the 18th century and modern architecture. Although the morning was slightly overcast the journey down the fjord to the city was quite spectacular.

Sylvia and I had visited Stavanger last year on our way towards the North Cape so today decided to take a trip up the Lysefjord to Pulpit Rock. The boat that transported us was a catamaran that normally functions as a fast ferry moving folk from the various villages dotted around the long fjords. The sides of the narrow fjords were mainly barren with a few trees growing from within the crevices.

The first stop along the journey was theVagabond’s Cave, a hiding place historically for those that avoided taxes, which in Norway are very high. The boat made it’s way to the end of a very narrow inlet until the cave was clearly visible and then reversed out.

One of the few animals that can survive such a rugged terrain as this is the mountain goat and one very tame one is fed regularly by the crews of passing ferries. Today was no exception with the goat rapidly making it’s way to the water’s edge to collect his meal, joined on this occasion by a passing flock of seagulls awaiting any scraps.

One of Norway’s most famous tourist attractions is the flat rock high on the valley’s side named Pulpit Rock. Gaining it’s name from a local man who thought that it resembled a church pulpit it can only be reached after a two hour hike across the mountains. Today we viewed it from 1982 feet below from the stillness of the fjord, much more civilised.

The last stop on the trip was at the Hengjane waterfall where a member of the crew gathered a bucket of the clear water for all to taste. Remarkably it tasted of water!!

Returning to our ship for lunch we later walked into the city with Victoria passing the canning museum on our way.

Outside the oil museum there is a playground made of surplus plant and equipment from the oil exploration industry, which proved to be fun for all, young and old.

The weather by this stage had turned a little damp with persistent drizzle so a visit to the appropriately named  St Swithun’s Cathedral was called for. Typical of most Northern European churches the inside was very sparsely decorated with white walls and no adornments. However throughout the cathedral were a number of ornately carved memorials to several local families and a most beautiful carved pulpit of which some of the intricate detail can be seen below.

Stavanger is a lovely city and one that is well worth visiting if you have an opportunity. Tomorrow we will be in Alesund.

Over the sea to Norway.

ADVISORY WARNING - This post contains pictures of me in swimming apparel, if you are easily offended stop reading now!

As we made our way along the English Channel last night the threatened storms didn’t seem to have the expected results. The winds were high and the sea a little rough but not as much as predicted. As we turned into the North Sea with the wind behind us the strength of the wind was effectively neutralised and the sun started to come out. By lunchtime people had gathered by the swimming pools and were actually sun bathing.

Poppy and Joseph were desperate to join in the swimming and although the main pool turned out to be a little cold and deep for them, the splash pool proved a success. It was so nice that I joined in their fun.

With the sea calm and the sun out it was a perfect opportunity for a selfie on the balcony, this being the most successful of several attempts.

Later in the afternoon we all attended the theatre for a show entitled “Ministry of Science - Live!”, a fun presentation of science experiments which was enjoyed by children, parents and grandparents alike. The children sat with their new found friends from the kids’ club and joined in all the fun. The presenting team are apparently on-board throughout the holiday and will be carrying out daily experiments. Poppy and Joseph are really looking forward to these.

Tonight was the first of two formal nights on this cruise and as there was nothing too appealing on the main restaurant menu we decided to eat in the Beach Hut, a Tex-Mex offering which we all throughly enjoyed. Tomorrow our first port of call - Stavanger.

Back on the Azura again!!

Yes, we are off again! This time just a week’s cruise to Norway together with Victoria, Oliver and the children. 

We always seem to have issues at the beginning of our cruises, what with car crashes last year and missing fingerprints in the US earlier this year, and this one proved to be no different. I woke up yesterday morning to find half of my front tooth missing, the filling having decided to part company with the rest during the night. I phoned the dentist at 8.30 and was offered an appointment next Tuesday. Telling the receptionist that I was about to go on holiday only brought the response that they only treat emergencies when the patient was in pain. I explained that although I wasn’t in pain that the loss of a tooth in this manner would spoil my youthful good looks, which gave me a 10.45 appointment that day. It helps to have an understanding dentist!

The dental treatment complete we started on our journey to Southampton where we were due to meet up with Victoria and family and also Helena and our other two grandchildren. The weather conditions were far from good and the journey took a lot longer than normal but we arrived safe and sound. We had a lovely afternoon with the children in the West Quays shops especially “Build-a-Bear” where numerous cuddly toys were purchased.

When in Southampton we normally stay at the Holiday Inn but even though we tried to book some months ago we couldn’t get rooms so booked the Grand Harbour instead, which is located just across the road. This hotel has a magnificent glass facade and views across the harbour, although our room was on the other side!

The boarding process went very smoothly and we were on the ship and in the buffet by about 1.15 and we weren’t due to board until 3.30. The captain informs us that the sea may be a little rough this evening, in fact we needed two tugs to get us off the berth safely. The good news is the wind tomorrow will be behind us so shouldn’t have such an effect.