A few photos to add to Eugene's Photos:


Eider duck sitting on eggs at Vigor Island.


The 200 year old boat that Eugene talked about, it could hold up to 60 sheep.


One of the locals, an 11 year old boy that was very friendly with Ngaire and Cheron.


Isafjordur, Iceland taken fron the Voyager.


The harbor at Isafjordur taken from the Voyager.

Shamrock 10

We had a terrific guide for our "Akureyri Nature and History" Excursion yesterday. Akureyri is Iceland's second largest urban area. I think the population is around 25,000. It was settled in the 9th century but did not receive a municipal charter until 1786. The area is said to have a "relatively" warm climate due to its location, and as a consequence the town's harbor stays ice free.

From the pier we, crossed Iceland's largest fjord and drove inland. Beautiful snow-covered mountains surround the area. Our first stop was a very interesting farmhouse made of stone and turf that was once a manor house and vicarage. Apparently it has been expanded over the centuries, and the oldest section is believed to contain timbers from the 1500s. Walking through the structure was like walking through a dark maze with low ceilings and many uneven paths conducive to breaking one's neck! (I think I only twisted my leg.) There is period furniture and a several antique agricultural implements outside.

From the turf house we went to Godafoss--the Waterfall of the Gods--a picturesque waterfall in which the Skjalfandafljot River cascades over a horseshoe-shaped cliff. It was definitely photo worthy but not as spectacular as the one around Reykjavik.

From there, we headed back to Akureyri to visit one of Iceland's rare botanical gardens that is made possible by the area's more moderate microclimate. I took several photos of flowers, but it wasn't anything like some of the gardens we saw in the UK. However, what made it all worth it was the sight of these to little Icelandic children who were real "hams"--especially the little girl in the pink who even got up an a stage outside and started singing to us.

We returned back to the ship too late for Trivia, and the group's team lost. When reviewing the missed questions, we determined that had Gail and I been there, we would have put them over the top. Oh well, next time.

Dinner with Mitch, Bert, Ngaire, and Ken was very enjoyable and I decided to spend some of our onboard cruise credits on "premium" wine. We had a good 2004 Syrah from the St. Ynez Valley from La Sirena Vineyards. (I had spent several hours online looking ratings and prices of wines on the premium wine list, and there were bargains to be had.) For dinner, I ate escargot, followed by an interesting artichoke sale with mushrooms and grilled peppers, then osso buco, and the very good apple strudel (the best apple dessert I've had by far). During dessert, Gail spotted a whale not far from the ship. I was skeptical so I ran to the window and sure enough after waiting several minutes, it surfaced again. By then, we had everyone remaining in the dining room standing and looking. He surfaced several times.

After dinner, we went to the Observation Lounge where at 10:30 PM it was still sunny outside. I can't tell you how crazy and unusual it is to see the sky in this part of the world. We saw blue sky high up, but near the horizon everything looked very gray. In fact, even during dinner, when looking at the horizon it looks like icebergs in the distance but they are really clouds, while the sky itself is still blue. Gail went out to the pool deck where she was inducted into the "Blue Nose" club denoting that we passed the Arctic Circle. They draped an Icelandic Flag around her shoulders and placed a Viking hat on her head. She had to place her foot in ice and drink a shot of Aquavit. She was feeling no pain the rest of the night but this morning is a different story.

Today is a sea day. So time to catch up on things and relax.

Akureyri harbor area


Akureyri from across the fjord


Turf House


Bedroom


Old kitchen


New kitchen


Dining area


Antique farm implements


Church


Godafoss Waterfall


More pictures next post.

Akureyri Botanic garden photos:



More flowers


Icelandic Children

I had no idea that Iceland would be so beautiful. Thank you for the seamail and most of all thank you, Eugene and Ken, for the wonderful photos.

Bravo , loving all the great reports and the magnificent photos.

Shamrock Report 11

Yesterday morning, we went in to the town of Torshavn, in the Faroe Islands, with Sheila, Ken, Mitch, and Bert. It was very quiet as it was Sunday morning. No cars or people. We walked past the harbor and some very brightly colored houses and boats, reflecting nicely in the water. The day was cloudy when we started the walk but the sun kept trying to come out. We walked past many little shops and cafes, all closed, and also past the Town Hall, Visitor center, and school, also closed. Ken and Sheila had been to this town before and knew of a park on the top side of the town with a little stream running through it. It was very picturesque. There were mallard ducks which all seemed to be paired off. Suddenly another male would arrive, feathers would fly and then the female duck would go off in a huff. Men! (This section was written by Gail!) There were also trout in the stream, but we didn't have any poles. David, I thought of you. We then hurried back to the ship for an early lunch since our tour left at 12:15.

And that tour was quite an experience. We had signed up for a Boat trip to the Vestmanna Sea Cliffs in order to see birds, particularly a better view of puffins.

We departed the pier for the drive to the village of Vestmanna where unfortunately we were the second of two buses. I say unfortunate because there were two boats waiting. One a reasonably sized boat with a large indoor cabin and the other a much smaller cabin cruiser type boat with a cabin that could hold maybe 15 people. There were of course seats outside the cabin and above it, but it was pretty cold, especially during the sail.

Anyway, one gets very close to the cliffs, and we were rocking and rolling. Some got sick, some got scared, but Gail enjoyed it. Taking photos was "murder" because of the movement. It was an interesting ride in that one sailed along the cliff walls into narrow gorges, and in fact we had to don hardhats in case of falling rocks. (That hats came in handy not for falling rocks, but for sick passengers.) We thought there might be a mutiny because many wanted to return to the dock. I think we were out for essentially the allotted time, but it wasn't great. We found out later that those on the larger boat had a wonderful excursion, which caused further disappointment. Gail spotted a puffin, but I guess because of the movement (of both the bird, the water, and the boat) my photos were not good. Ken Simpson managed to get a good photo.

After the hair-raising sail, we were back on the bus for a drive to the pier with a brief photoshop to view the capital. We returned just in time for Trivia, and I think we came in second (or possibly third).

Dinner was at Signatures, and it was very good once again. I ordered exactly what I had last week: lobster salad, magret de canard, and tiramisu. I think both Gail and I overdid the food and wine, as we were not feeling too chipper this morning.

But the weather today, in Lerwick, UK in the Shetland Islands was gorgeous. I'll report on our wonderful excursion here in the next report.

Some photos:

Some nice reflections during our morning walk


More reflections


Duck pairs


Modern igloo-like houses on our way to Vestmanna


Salmon "rings" for salmon farming and a town along the way

More photos from Torshavn

Gail hanging on but loving it


One of the gorges we navigated


The building with the turf roof is a kindergarten


View from about 1000 meters


One of hundreds of sheep along the way


Almost time for Trivia.

---------------------

Eugene

Am posting a couple of photos from Ken Simpson:

His puffin photo during our harrowing excursion yesterday


And one of Ngaire and Ken at the terrific fish & chips place that a number of us ate lunch at today in Lerwick, UK (Shetland Islands)


I'll report on Lerwick, tomorrow. We are scheduled to arrive in Alesund, Norway at 11:00 AM.

-----------------------

Eugene

I had to smile when I read about your excursion to Vestmanna Sea Cliffs. We did the same one when we were there in 2010. Like you, we were on the last bus, and the last ones to get off the bus. So we ended up on a small boat with no cabin at all, only outside seating. It was cold, and it poured down rain on us, but like Gail, we loved it anyway, and had a great time! It was another memorable adventure!

Really enjoying your posts - bringing back some great memories!

Wonderful images - first reflection image with the bright colors and interesting shapes was special!

Eugene that was a stunning set of pictures. Ken said they were so good he had some similiar but yours were better so he is not posting his pictures. That first shot was sensational.

We were warned again it could get rough and again it was very smooth. Only that ONE night so far of a little rocking and rolling other than that really calm seas which is amazing considering where we are. Ken and I have not been rained on yet either.

Yesterday was a glorious sunny day with no wind. We had such a good time. Ken and Sheila joined us for a walk in town. We started with coffee and scones with jam and cream and then walked the path along the sea finishing up coming across the golf course. The sun was shining, the water blue and the wild flowers out in full bloom. It was so quiet and peaceful. Lerwick is a delightful small town with lovely homes and lots of quaint shops.

While waiting for the shuttle bus into town we talked to two guides who were just so friendly. One was named Audrey and she had a son in town who owned the camera shop. The shuttle bus driver was fantastic, talking all the way and helping everyone, a very unique person. While walking the town we saw the camera shop so we went in and said AUDREY sent us she said you would give us all a free camera. Lots of laughs all the way round it was great fun. The locals here were lovely.

The General Manager of the Voyager, Ralph, and the locals told us about the fish and chip shop near the fort. So we headed there for lunch about 1.30 pm. Eugene, Gail, Mitch, Bert, Mark and Kay were all eating in the cafe. It only had six tables that sat four people and it was TINY and cramped. I think it was primarily a "take away" shop with just a few tables in this tiny room. The fish was delicious with the big fat english fries I like so much. I was in heaven. After being very good on this trip, no bread, pasta or deserts I went crazy over these carb loaded goodies. I think I am the only one with not a scrap of food left on the plate. The servings were very large.

We decided to walk back, got lost ended up in a lumber yard, lost Sheila's Ken for a while but we finally got back to the ship.

We went to trivia and now split into two teams. The questions were SO easy and were read and selected by a beautiful "blond" dancer the entire room got 15 out of 15. After two more tie breaker question the entire room still have 17 out of 17. The sweet little girl was at a loss as to what to do she said she asked all her hard questions. A passenger gave her a question "what Texas city holds an annual rattle snake round up" I knew that answer as I have been to the Sweetwater Rattle Snake Round Up twice. I was the only one in the room that knew the answer, talk about a perfect tie breaker question for me, so our team won again.

That night Mark, Cheron, and Ralph joined us in Signatures and I was NOT hungry at all. I only ordered a single rack of lamb and of course it was the best I have had on the cruise. I could easily have managed a double order!

Shamrock Report #12

Photobucket is acting up at the moment so that I can't finish uploading photos. (In the meantime, I'm posting our write-up for yesterday, which has reporting that duplicates what Ngaire posted.

In Lerwick, UK in the Shetland Islands, we had our best weather since leaving Southampton. It was a bright and sunny day, even if the temperatures were in the 50s. The Shetland Islands are the most northerly part of the British Isles with about 22,000 people. There are over 1000 islands , the largest being the Mainland of about 351 square miles. Both the Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea border the islands.

Our tour began with a scenic one-hour drive to the southern part of the island. We drove through some very interesting land and seascapes and various lochs. We also passed a broch at the head of a loch (say that fast with a Scottish accent). They don't know if the broch was used as protection or whether it was just a status symbol for a wealthy farmer. We also stopped at an overlook of a beautiful bay with two beaches. On one of the beaches was a group of seals with at least four pups. At one point a male swimming in the water tried to come up on the beach and one of the largest seals on the beach seemed to defend his turf and his harem. Quite a malay ensued (see photo).

We continued on toward Jarlshof and at one point drove over the airport runway, remembering to look both ways. Our guide said that some tourists make a left turn at the runway, believing it is the fastest way to the airport--a potentially dangerous mistake--though air traffic isn't exactly a problem! We then arrived at Jarlshof. A violent storm in 1905 had uncovered this archaeological site, revealing remains from the Stone Age and settlements from the Bronze and Iron Ages. Stone houses from an ancient Viking community are also visible. The name Jarlshof, or Laird's House, refers to the community of the Norse Jarls that resided there in the 7th century. During our visit, our excellent guide, Peter (note his mustache) explored remains with us pointing out the various structures, from most ancient to the final 17th century manor. One of the Iron Age houses--the wheel house--was particularly interesting. It is round with internal "spokes" delineating the rooms for various families.

There were also Shetland ponies at Jarlshof--one of the most famous attractions of the Islands. The ponies have inhabited Shetland since Viking times. Their shaggy coats and flowing manes equip me them to withstand severe weather conditions.

During the course of the tour, we also saw small agricultural areas where sheep farming is apparent. At almost ever small village (and in Lerwick itself there was a cemetery near the water. Peter said that this location was chosen so that surrounding neighbors would see the funerals taking place and sail on their boats to attend.

From Jarlshof, we drove to Hoswick where we could learn a little about the history and culture of Shetland and do a little shopping--the most interesting items were the local knits.

From Hoswick, we headed back to Lerwick and drove around the quaint town. We had Peter drop us off in the town center, having decided to look for a fish & chips restaurant for lunch. We heard that there was one in particular that was supposed to be outstanding. Fortunately, we ran into the general manager from the ship who had just been there, so he could point out where we should head. It was well worth the effort. The fish & chips were outstanding. We saw a number of our fellow cruisers there, despite the fact that only about 20 people could be seated at any one time. (In the photo of the fish and chips, to give you an idea of the portions, the plates are those of Ken, Ngaire, and the Simpsons.)

We walked around a bit more after lunch, and then headed back to the ship. When we went to Tea & Trivia a little later, the Lounge was a mob scene. Trivia was ridiculously easy--I think at least 10 teams got all of the answers correct. Then most of them also got the tie breakers correct. Finally, the third tie breaker was, "In which Texas city is a rattlesnake round-up held?" Fortunately, Ngaire--who knew essentially every other answer, too--also had been to these round-ups twice (I think). The answer: Sweetwater, Texas. We won!

We had a pleasant dinner with friends--a repeat menu from last week. We turned in relatively early because we were losing another hour as we headed to Alesund, Norway.

----------------------

Gail and Eugene

Here's some photos that I previously uploaded. I'll fill in a few when Photobucket is "back."


On the way to Jarlshof


Seals on a beach


Shetland ponies


Jarlshof


Juxtaposition of ruins


Ruins up close


Inner sanctum
[IMG]http://i886.photobucket.com/albums/ac63/Dreps1948/Innersanctum.jp
g[/IMG]

Seagull among the ruins


The best fish & chips


Lerwick Skyline


Leaving Lerwick

We just returned from our wonderful sail along the Hjorundfjord in Alesund, Norway, and Photobucket is back. So here are the rest of the photos from yesterday in Lerwick:

The Broch on the Loch


Farm in the South


Peter our guide


Cemetery


I hope I can keep up with the reports and photos, given that we have early arrivals and early excursions until Oslo.

-----------------------

Eugene

Pardon my ignorance; what's the definition of a "broch?"

Loving all the reports and pix - thanks so much!

According to Wikipedia, a "broch is an Iron-age drystone hollow-walled structure of a type found only in Scotland. Brochs include some of the most sophisticated examples of drystone architecture ever created, and belong to the classification "complex Atlantic Roundhouse" devised by Scottish archaeologists in the 1980s. Their origin is a matter of some controversy. The theory that they were defensive military structures is not accepted by many modern archaeologists (see the 'general references' below), while the alternative notion that they were farmhouses is dismissed by some others. Although most stand alone in the landscape, some examples exist of brochs surrounded by clusters of smaller dwellings. There is controversy about whether or not brochs were roofed."

If this is ever a trivia question, we'll be able to answer it!

Very busy day in Geiranger and no Internet service until now. Here's a photo of some of our group at a scenic overlook on our way down from Mt. Dalsnibba -- it was snowing up there at 1500 meters with very limited visibility -- taken by Ken H. on my camera. (The Voyager is at the top right.) Off to another event ...

----------------------

Eugene

Geiranger webcam

Nice stalk, Karen. I do remember that as a beautiful place in the world, so secluded. All you SHAMROCKers are enjoying all the lovely views in Norway!

Shamrock Report #13

We arrived at Alesund, Norway about 1:00 PM on Tuesday. It was a beautiful, crisp day with blue skies and puffy clouds. Our excursion began by boarding a large motorized catamaran that was moored not far from our ship. It held about 100 people, and the seats in the enclosed cabin were similar to those found on a bus. One could also go upstairs above the cabin for a 360-degree view.

We cruised the 20-mile long Hjorundfjord, which is considered to be one of the most magnificent in Norway. It is surrounded on both sides by majestic peaks, many of which were snow covered. One view was more beautiful than another. We spent considerable time upstairs outside the cabin, though it did get fairly cold and windy, at times. We did have a guide throughout, pointing out various sights, who also liked to pepper his talk with jokes--but perhaps one had to be a Norwegian to appreciate them. In addition, his accent made it somewhat difficult to follow at times. After about 2 hours we disembarked for the ride back in a bus. That, too, lasted about 2 hours because of the several stops we made for photo opportunities. Views of the town from above were particularly breathtaking. Again we had a guide, who was elderly and had an even thicker accident, which made it even more "work" understand. I guess it was the luck of the draw because when we ran into other groups with other guides, I overheard perfectly clear English. I know that I would have gotten much more out of it with one of them. Nevertheless, the area was so picturesque and the weather was so beautiful, it didn't matter. I snapped about 300 pictures during the excursion!

We returned to the ship too late for Trivia, but "our" team did not win--perhaps because we weren't there . We prepared for dinner, which we had with the Simpsons and another Australian couple that we had met on one of our earlier excursions. We thought that they would enjoy meeting. It was a fun, delicious dinner. I had spoken to the chef about the fact that this we had been in Arctic char country, which he knew, and after unsuccessful attempts at a couple of earlier ports, he managed to purchase it. Many, many people that I spotted ordered it--as did our whole table. It was wonderful.

As I wrote this yesterday, it was morning and we were about to arrive in Geiranger, Norway, which is now listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We cruised very near the cliffs of the fjord, and I ran to get the camera after I saw a huge waterfall blasting water sideways from the mountain side. Unfortunately, I was too late. But I did get dozens of photos when we left. I hope I'll find the time to post a few. We have another early excursion in Flam today.

------------------------

Eugene

We are in and out of fjords, so I am going to try and post some photos from the Hjorundfjord trip in Alesund before I lose the signal again.

Thanks for the seamail and the pics. I know Norway was dad's all time favorite cruise for the relaxation and scenery. we stayed on board a coupld of times (in lieu of an all day excursion) just to enjoy sailing past the magnificent waterfalls. And topping it off with new and old friends - how could it get more perfect for you all?

Enjoying the reports and beautiful pix.

Shamrock Report #14

On Wednesday, we were in Geiranger, Norway where the steep fjords blocked all Internet most of the day. Since 2005, the Geirangerfjord has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and we were told it is a popular wedding and honeymoon spot for Europeans.

After tendering from the ship, we boarded a bus at the pier for the ride up Mt. Dalsnibba. We passed mountain farms, water falls, lakes and streams--though it has been colder than usual so one of the major lakes we passed was frozen over (see photo of Lake Djupvatn). We made our way up the hairpin road to the summit of Mount Dalsnibba at 4,900 feet. It was snowing fairly steadily and the road itself had walls of snow on either side that were deeper and deeper as we reached the summit. Gail loved the snow, Eugene didn't. We didn't stay long as the visibility was very poor.

From there, we headed back down with a stop a the Djupvasshytta Lodge on Lake Djupvatn for coffee or tea and Danish pastries. They were pretty good, and it was nice to warm up a bit. We then re-boarded the bus for our trip back down to Geiranger. We made one stop on the way down from the Lodge for a photo stop at the Flydal Viewpoint, which is where the group photo that I previously posted was taken. Actually, Ken H knew a slightly better place than the exact place the bus had stopped, and we made our way down to there for our photos.

We didn't win at Trivia, and then there was a special event for "frequent cruisers," which was a behind the scenes view of the "Cirque Voyager Acrobats" Hana and Alexander. It was actually quite interesting and included some videos of award-winning performances of Alexander with his brother Dimitri and also one of Alexander in solo competition. We also saw some live entertainment with Hana performing and even some audience participation on the elevated ring. Even the Cruise Director got in the act on the elevated rope. It was fun to watch.

We then went to dinner with Bert and Mitch and ended up in Prime 7 because Compass Rose was full and there was an empty table. The food was very good, and Mitch ordered a special wine that was excellent. The sun was very bright as we exited the restaurant well after 10:00 PM.

Some photos:

Arriving in Geiranger


Old bridge along the way to Mt. Dalsnibba


More of the scenery along the way


At the summit (Ken Simpson bundled up)


Djupvasshytta Lodge where we had coffee and Danish


Old abandoned settlement

We had a glorious day in Flam. I started a narrative, but in the meantime, I'll post some photos, which really speak for themselves. I hope to post the text some time after our excursion tomorrow morning in Bergen.


Entering Aurlandsfjord


Fjord reflections


More along the fjord


Mountain lake (from the train)


Coffee break in Vatnahalsen


Rushing water


Waterfall and Road Zig-zags


Kjos Waterfall


Siren beckoning us at Waterfall

Here are a few more:

Water clarity


Red House


Flam Church


Re-entering Flam


Lunch at hotel


My view at lunch (Ken and Mitch and backdrop)

lovely

Shamrock Report #15

The weather was glorious in Flam yesterday--bright, sunny, cloudless skies greeted us when we opened the curtains in the morning as we were cruising to the end of the Aurlandsfjord,, which is an arm of the Sognefjord--the largest fjord in Norway and the second largest in the world. The fjord stretches 127 miles inland and reaches 4,291 feet below sea level. The cliffs surrounding the fjord rise almost straight up from the water to heights of 3,300 feet. The inner end of the Sognefjord is southeast of a mountain range rising to double that height and covered by the Jostedalsbreen--continental Europe's largest glacier.

The name Flam is derived from the Old Norse word fla meaning "plain, flat pier of land," referring to the surrounding land around the Flam River. The spectacular scenery of mountains, fjords and waterfalls have made it a popular tourist destination and it now receives 450,000 visitors a year.

Our excursion was taking the 12-mile Flambana railway to Vathnahalsen, which is the second stop from the last. The railway has one of the steepest railway tracks in the world. It climbs one meter for every 18 meters it travels horizontally, climbing over 2,800 feet. It opened in 1909, making Flam a crossroads for passengers, mail, and freight to and from Oslo and Bergen. The route traverses the steep valley, crossing back and forth across rivers and through 20 tunnels. There are numerous deep ravines, waterfalls, mountain farms, and snow-capped mountains.

At Vatnahalsen, which took just under an hour to reach, we disembarked and enjoyed tea or coffee at the Vatnahalsen Mountain Hotel. Along with the beverages, they served little waffles that one spreads with jam (it was raspberry) and a delicious type of sour cream (much better than our store-bought), which you then fold and eat. Really tasty! After the refreshments, there was time to walk around some footpaths and view the Flam Valley. Of course there was a souvenir shop, too.

Then we climbed back on the train for the trip back down to Flam, which was somewhat faster. We made sure we sat by a window that opened this time so we could take repeat photos that were not hampered by the glass. It was so beautiful and relatively warm back in Flam, that we decided to avoid the crowds waiting for the tender and had a delightful lunch in the outdoor area of a hotel's cafe. Again, there were shops in which to wander around after lunch. We broke up after lunch: Ken Simpson went on a hike, Gail and Sheila wandered the shops, and I went back to the ship with Bert and Mitch to work on my photos. When we saw Ken yesterday evening, it had been apparent that he got quite a lot of sun. We met up for Trivia, and it was very difficult. I think that we received our lowest score of the trip. I think the several winners received 10 points and there was a tie-breaker to pick a winner.

The sail along the fjord out of Flam was beautiful with sunny skies. We had dinner with Mitch, Bert, Cheron, and Mark. Most of us had an eggplant involtini for an appetizer that was delicious and duck a l'orange for a main course. Then even after dinner, it was still so beautiful and sunny that we went up to the Observation Lounge to spend some more time. Unfortunately, we had an early morning excursion in Bergen, so we finally retired to our cabin.

---------------------------

Eugene and Gail

Sunshine!!!

I can't tell if the Voyager is in this webcam pic of Bergen

Gail said that it cannot be seen because we were docked in the inlet you see at the top of the picture to the left. There were at least six or seven ships here today, including the Jewel of the Seas, which is the biggest one that I noticed. As a result, the lines at the funicular were very, very long, and worse when we departed than when we arrived at about 9:30 AM.

-----------------------

Eugene and Gail

Shamrock Report # 16

Yesterday, in Bergen, we took the excursion, "Troldhaugen & Mount Floyen & Funicular." We awoke to clear skies again and temperatures in the 60s. I guess compared with temperatures nearing 100 in DC, this sounds pretty good to us.

We headed directly from the pier to the funicular station with the guide pointing out various sights along the way. When we arrived there were already significant queues. I don't think the excursion or the guide handled things very well. Instead of telling us to get in line while he went to get tickets, we just stood in a group watching the line lengthen. By the time he returned, it probably added 30 minutes to our wait for the 8-minute ride up Mount Floyen.

The mountain rises about 1,000 feet over Bergen and the views were pretty spectacular, given the unusually clear skies. We stayed up there about 15 minutes, but again the instructions were confusing and, as a result when we reached the bottom, no bus or familiar faces could be seen--we thought we were only 3 minutes late. Turns out our guide was still at the top, and we didn't leave for almost another half hour.

Then we toured the city some more from the coach and headed to the south toward Troldhaugen, the former home of composer Edvard Grieg, where he composed many of his most famous works. He is also buried there with his wife Nina, in a cave down some very steep steps close to the fjord. At the site is not only is his villa, but there is now a modern museum and concert hall. We had plenty of time to tour the complete area, including the garden. The weather remained very accommodating.

So much time had elapsed that we headed straight back to the pier where we enjoyed lunch on the pool deck. I finally tasted one of the ship's salmon burgers, which was very tasty. There was a bike race in the old town that was supposed to commence at 1 PM, so perhaps that is why we didn't go through that area. In addition, we are departing relatively early today for our cruise down to Oslo.

Yesterday, Trivia was pretty tough. We were particularly ashamed that we couldn't come up with 3 of the 10 songs that the Beatles recorded having the word "love" in the title. We ended up with a total of 9 points (out of 15); the winners had 11 (2 teams).

For dinner, three of us had special ordered ris de veau with a sauce that was slightly different than sauce that I requested, but it was good nevertheless. We enjoyed dinner, stopped by the end of the "La Cirque" show (which we had seen already), and then went up to the Observation Lounge where Ngaire and Ken were actually alone. We sat with them for a little while and Bert and Mitch joined us. But we were not in a partying mood and all retired to their cabins reasonably early.

Some Bergen photos:

The Funicular Station


The visibility was great up on Mt. Floyen


A beautiful tall ship down below


The fountain in the lake below


Gail and Eugene


Church close-up

A few more Bergen photos:

Group of Girls lined up after our funicular ride


Gazebo where concerts are given in Bergen


Edward Grieg Museum


Grieg's Villa on the property


Grieg's Artistic Profile at the Museum

A few more photos from Shamrock:


B&K cocktail party, Gail, Eugene, Sheila, Jaclyn, Lynne, & Ken.


Fred, Jan, Bert, Paul & Mitch


Cheron & Mark walking down the hill in Alysund, Norway.


Ngaire, Sheila, Gail & Eugene on the top of Mt. Dalsnibba in Geiranger, Norway.


Ngaire & Kathy at the the Stalheim Hotel.




Bike race in Bergen, Norway.

Eugene, thanks for your seamail and photos. The trip to Grieg's home was a favorite of mine. We had a concert in the museum hall given by a relative of Grieg's... that was special. I think I remember that Edvard and Nina were small and had the entire house scaled down to 3/4s of a normal house at the time. Even their furniture was scaled down.

Good to see the people pictures, especially Jan & Fred and Paul. Everyone looks so great!!

Eugene, your pix have whetted our appetite for our 18 day Cloud voyage from London Tower to Iceland and back next July--thank you for sharing.

If you happen to run into Peter & Nancy (young couple in their 40's) who have been on the Voyager since Auckland, pls give them Ida and my warm regards--he also posts wonderful Voyager port pix on Facebook.

Eugene - have you met or come across Jim and Jill? They have been on for both segments and actually are staying on for the 7 day after you'all disemabark. Anyway, if you see them tell them "hi" from me and I hope they are enjoying the cruise.

Shamrock Report #17

We had strong headwinds during the night resulting in fairly rough seas. As a consequence, we arrived in Oslo late at about 3:45 PM. We were following a fairly significant rain storm into Oslo but as we arrived, the sun came out. We, and several of our friends, met for an excursion to Oslo's Maritime Highlights.

The tour started with a quick drive through Central Oslo, which we planned to explore on foot the next day. Our first stop was the famous Viking Ships Museum. The ships on display are well-preserved examples of the Viking period's ship-building craftsmanship. They had been found by farmers in their fields. They were found in Viking burial mounds. The Vikings believed that when they died they went to Valhalla and, that they would need their ships and other implements to survive in that world. There were also displays of household implements that were found during the excavation of the ships. These ships were like the ones that were used to discover America 500 years be fore Columbus.

The next stop was the Kon Tiki Museum, which houses the original balsa raft used by Thor Heyerdahl and his five companions. In 1947, their voyage took them from Peru to Polynesia, cross 1,864 miles of ocean. We saw photos, including their stop at Easter Island. Also on display was the papyrus boat, RA-II, which Heyerdahl used to cross the Atlantic Ocean in 1970 from the Western coast of Afirca.

The final museum stop was to visit the FRAM, built by Colin Archer in 1892 to explore Polar Regions of the Arctic and Antarctic. The ship was built so that when the ice would freeze the ship would be pushed on top of the ice and therefore would not be crushed. The ship made three voyages, each about three years long, one to the North Pole, not to Greenland, and the last to the South Pole by Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, who was the first to reach the South Pole in 1910-11. We were able to board the FRAM and walk through the ship looking at the Captain's quarters, the galley and the recreation room. No balconies or even port holes! It was very tight quarters. The three museums are located in the same general area.

Since we were running late because of our late arrival into Oslo, upon return, the six of us quickly dressed for dinner with Ngaire and Ken on their last day. The number of main dishes per person at our table definitely greater than one and included Beef Wellington, Dover Sole, and Florida Lobster Tail. After a leisurely dinner, we said good bye to Ngaire and Ken as they were flying back to Dallas from Oslo. (They will miss Copenhagen tomorrow, but in 9 days, they leave again to escort a Black Sea cruise.)

First Viking ship that we saw


Detailed carving


Second Viking ship


Oars of ship


Inside of ship from above

This may be my last post. Depends on how packing goes. We walked around the Oslo city center this morning and I took a lot of photos of the buildings, which are pretty impressive.

Eugene

Ra-II ship in the Kon Tiki Museum


Relative size of ship


Kon Tiki ship


Cabin is a little different from what we're used to


Model of Fram


Actual bow of the Fram


The "girls" in the Fram's party room

It has been so much fun to follow your journey here, Eugene. We have been entertained and enchanted by your photos and Kens. Thanks to all you SHAMROCKERS for your posts. So glad you have all enjoyed your wonderful cruise!