We’ve made land

Maybe “Water, water everywhere” would have been a better title for this post as Monday night and Tuesday morning were rough. Very high winds battering the ship, making it difficult to walk without appearing drunk. So much water the decks were closed, apart from the outdoor jacuzzi and around the outdoor pool as that was all contained. As our cabin was low (deck 4) and in the centre of the ship it was buffeted the least which also helped. Having said that, I think I’ve coped really well. Hardened cruisers have coped by swallowing medication and jangling “special medicinal” bangles from wrist to elbow. We’ve found lying flat helps, as does eating, that was a struggle🤣. So on our unscheduled sea day yesterday, we’ve eaten (again and again), slept for 90 minutes, listened to some guitar instrumentals (great Santana), a talk on Alaskan cruises and I connected with my new bridge buddies whilst Steven went to a talk on explorers. We were planning on going to dancing lessons but we thought we really didn’t need to inflict more rotational motion on my semicircular canals.

You can watch the beautiful sunny, calm sea from Monday (here) and compare it with the video of the swimming pool yesterday here

From mid afternoon Tuesday ie afternoon tea time (everything is timed by the food) we approached the Sognefjord and as we were more sheltered, the wind dropped and everything was more stable. This time I really did see a tree and that meant land, mobile signal and connectivity. I had paid for Wi-Fi, but it was extremely slow. Norway’s 4/5G is much better. Whilst the wind had improved, the rain still descended so visibility was still poor and we couldn’t really see much of the scenery we were cruising through until about 21:00, but we ventured out on deck then for what we came for – our cruising experience through the fjords. After the last 48 hours, that 20 minutes was so worth it.

After dinner I went to the theatre for the first time to see “The Flyrights” – Mr I was right, they were just my cup of tea -Motown, soul and reggae from the 60s and 70s. We bopped, just a little! And after a great night’s sleep we were up early and I genuinely saw a tree outside the window. We have docked in Skjolden. Woo how – a day off the ship. The weather is grey, mizzly/light rain – but we didn’t care. We were off like a shot.

We spent a lovely but wet morning mooching around Skjolden and in the afternoon had a trip to the mountains and the Nigardsbreen Glacier. It was a four hour trip, and at least three and a quarter of those hours were spent on the coach. Out for a 5 min photo opportunity, back on the coach. Repeat. Our idea of a trip is not being bussed around for a quick snap here and there. Don’t get me wrong, I love snapping away, but I like to feel I can capture the essence of a place. I may not succeed very often but I like to at least try. There were morning and afternoon trips, both full and we feel it would have been better as an 8 hour trip, with a couple of hours at the glacier and some time walking around the national park that we passed through. Having said all that, the glacier even from afar was stunning. The ice is genuinely blue looking, and with the benefit of a long lens and a stable hand, you can see people walking on it and you can get a sense that they are tied to each other. We were the last coach back to the ship exactly at 16:30 and they weren’t impressed, as the ship set sail literally the minute we’d set foot back on it. At least we didn’t have to queue for security to get back on.

The scenery is stunning – Mountains and waterfalls, with the rocks looking as if they have been cut and they just bleed torrents of water. There has been so much rain that its not uncommon to see three or four waterfalls in a row.

This evening we have sat and watched as we’ve cruised back down the Sognefjord – I guess this is what cruising is all about. It really is beautiful despite the weather. The Norwegians say that when Norway was created, it was so beautiful that it is washed every day. It’s just that we wouldn’t have minded if it hadn’t had a wash whilst we were here!

Tomorrow we wake up in Olden and another new experience. A tiny tender to take us to shore. Oh joy . . .