Cobh, Ireland

Happy Irish “Labor Day”. Today is a bank holiday here to celebrate their equivalent to Labor Day. Most of the shops in major town were closed today, but being this is port town and the rely on the ships business, most of the shops here were open for us today. We were up at 6:30am this morning and got dressed and ready for our excursion. We went the Neptune lounge with two avocados that our dear friend and staff member Noviar gave us and made avocado toast for breakfast this morning. Yes, I “cooked”. LOL Then we were off to the main stage to meet our excursion group at 8:30am. This morning we took a drive to the town of Cork where we had a scenic drive around the town and learned all about the history of this part of Ireland. Next, we off to our destination, the Blarney Castle! We were very lucky to be one of the first buses to arrive today. Megan and I hastily hauled up the path, climbed up the narrow spiral staircase, and reached the top of the castle. There were only about 12 people in line in front of us, awaiting their turn to kiss the Blarney Stone. We each took our turn and were promised to be gifted with eloquence for our kisses. There are many different stories, and fables that go along with why you kiss the stone. Enjoy looking them up. We took our time exploring the castle on our way back down. The castle is only a shell of it’s once grand self, but still a wonderful place to visit. There was. A bagpipe player had started serenading us while we were still inside the castle and it created a wonderful ambiance for the rest of our visited there. After we left the castle we made our way to the Wollen Mill for some serious retail therapy. They offer free shipping on purchases over $350 and we made sure to reach that goal. We had so much fun shopping for items made in for Ireland everyone back at home. We wrapped up our visit there with a complimentary Irish coffee and a scone. We hopped back on the bus and took the ride back to Cobn. We took a few hours to walk around town. There was a lovely town festival going on for the holiday. We found two cute pubs and enjoyed a couple more Guinness. We ran into crew everywhere we went today in town. Everyone relaxing, enjoying the sunshine, the warmer weather, and some local beverages. We also enjoyed learning more about the Titanic and it’s ties to this port. It is the last place the Titanic was ever at anchor before sailing off into its sad fate. The sail away from the pier was top notch today. We had a lovey band that played music for us, there were locals dressed in period costumes from the early 1900’s, and it was hard not to think about the Titanic and it’s final departure from here. Then we were off to the Canneletto for a special Italian themed dinner tonight. The Osso Bucco was delicious. We headed home after dinner. It was a very long, fulfilling, historical, and adventurous day. My heart is very full having had the opportunity to have been here twice. And I loved being able to visit the homeland of my ancestors who left here so long ago and never had the chance to return. I am feeling beyond blessed. Please enjoy all our photos from today. Love and hugs.

Dun Laoghaire, Ireland

Good morning from Ireland! As a mostly Irish Lassie, I am very happy to be back in Ireland this morning. I have had the blessed opportunity to have been here before, but not to this port. I am happy to be “home”. Megan and I were up at 7:30am this morning and we were quick to get off the ship. Today is a tender port and we were encouraged to get off by 9:00am or we would have to wait to later in the day after all the excursions got off, so we jammed off quickly. We had NO excursion today since our planned one was previously cancelled. We researched the port and the surrounding area and found there was a lovely farmer’s market within walking distance of the ship and lots of shops. Unfortunately, it is Sunday and a lot places were closed or didn’t open until after noon again. We started our morning down by the pier where we watched people swimming in the very cold water. It made Megan homesick and desiring a bathing suit. It was warmer today, jeans and t-shirts were still needed, and it got cold whenever the sun snuck behind the clouds. NOT warm enough to swim. It was nice to not need scarves, hats and gloves today as well. We had a nice walk through the park, enjoyed a grilled ham and cheese sandwich, bought some cookies for later, and enjoyed just sitting and watching all the families with their young children enjoying this sunny Sunday at the park. Lots of young families here, lots of children and so many dogs out and about. We then walked through the downtown area and found one of the only places open to be a coffee shop. So we sat and talked with a lovely local family who had their three little ones, one little girl, two days younger than my granddaughter. Their oldest was curious about our travels and asked if we had been to Australia. She had a friend that had just moved there and asked to see photos. It was super sweet. The girls name was Molly, which was the name of the first stuffed animal my daughter Valerie ever made at build a bear. It was a sweet coincidence. At noon the shops opened and we walked through some, but we weren’t looking for anything in particular. Our next quest was for a Guinness beer. We walked past at least four pubs and they were all closed. We finally resigned ourselves to heading back to the ship and as we walked down a street I saw men smoking cigarettes outside and I said to Megan I bet that is an open pub. And I was right. We walked in to see chef Tiffany from the ship enjoying a Guinness herself in this pub filled with local men. She was happy to see some other females come in and we sat beside here and enjoyed some time chatting with her. The bartender loved telling us local sayings and jokes. We enjoyed two Guinness and a local Irish whiskey before heading back to the ship. There is just something about drinking Guinness here, where it was made. It tastes fresher, the foamy head is creamier, and it just tastes better. We walked back to the ship and came home to decide our evening plans. It had started to sprinkle a little as we were heading back to the ship on the tender and as we came back into our cabin we were greeted by the most beautiful rainbow outside. To us they symbolize a greeting from heaven from my late husband. And since he was an Irishman I considered it an amazing blessing that he gave that gift to us as we were here visiting his home country. We decided we weren’t very hungry so at 6:00pm we went to the main stage and thoroughly enjoyed this evening show performed by three local Irish musicians and four local Irish dancers. It was the best show I have seen on the ship so far. If I wasn’t so tired I would have gone to the second performance just to see it again. Tomorrow is our second port of call in Ireland in the town of Cobh. This is a repeat port for me and I loved it the first time so I am excited to share it with Megan and you all. Sweet Dreams and we wish you a very happy tomorrow.

Oban, Scotland

Another day, another port in Scotland today. There is a chance of rain of rain today, but the temperatures are rising a tiny bit, so we are happy to not be so cold. We were up early this morning to get ready for our day. We grabbed breakfast from he Neptune lounge and then headed to the Main stage to meet our excursion group at 9:15am. Today is another tender port so it always takes a little longer to get passengers ashore. We were greeted at the pier by a man playing the bagpipe. A wonderful welcome into this Scottish port. Oban was originally a fishing village that exploded in population in 1794 when they started the whiskey distillery here. Along our drive to the castle we so lots of fields field with Sheep and lots of baby lambs. We also saw another herd of highland cows today. Along our drive we saw a beautiful church Saint Conan’s Kirk and the ruins of the Kilchuram Castle. We boarded our bus and and headed north to the the Inveraray Castle. The castle is the current home to the 13th Duke of Argyll Torquhill Ian Campbell. He is married to the the heiress of the Cadbury fortune. The castle was “originally” built in 1746 when the cornerstone of the existing castle was laid on the sight of a previous castle built in the 15th century. At the time the Duke didn’t want the town so close to his castle so he demolished the existing town and moved it further away. In 1975 there was a fire here and the townspeople all came to the castle to help removed the rare and priceless relics and they stored them in their homes and their barns until the castle could be fixed. The collection at the castle includes more than 1300 pikes, muskets, swords and other weapons. The collection was very impressive to see and they way the had it displayed was very eloquent. The 2012 Christmas episode of Downtown Abby was partly filmed here. There is a pain in the Saloon that houses a piano that tis said to be where Lerner and Lowe composed some songs for “My Fair Lady” and there is an autographed photo of Audrey Hepburn on the piano. *So here is the super cool part of our day. The Duke still lives here currently with his family. He just returned from a trip to Singapore most likely to attend the coronation of King Charles and Camilla. Oh yeah, and he was working in the gift shop today. We actually got to meet him and have conversation with him. Now that doesn’t happen everyday. * We purchased a couple of hats, postcards and a magnet at the gift shop before heading off. We took the bus back to the pier and Megan and I had a chance to walk around the town of Oban for a bit. We visited a whiskey store, found the post office and she sent home some postcards, had some fish and chips and bought a few souvenirs. We had to be back on the ship by 3:30pm today. We had time to come home and do a couple of things “around the house” before heading to the Pinnacle Grill for another wonderful specialty dinning experience. Tonight’s theme was Scottish Dinner. We had the honor of having crew member Spencer as our guest this evening and had the chance to celebrate his birthday a day early with him. The head chef is Scottish and tonight was his turn to shine and share his favorite foods and culture with us. Everything we ate tonight came from within 20 miles of where we are right now. Everything was resourced locally and bought fresh. Even the Haggis. There were seven courses to our dinner tonight and to say we are full is an understatement. We took lots of photos of everything we got to enjoy and we hope you enjoy them!

Isle of Skye, Portree, Scotland

Good morning from Scotland. Land of tartans, vikings, castles, highlands, sheep and Hairy Coos. Another wonderful wake up this morning as we stepped outside to see what view the morning holds and to check the temperature. It’s like opening a Christmas present when we open the curtains in the morning to see what the world holds for us outside on our balcony. We awoke to views of green rolling hills and the highlands all around the ship. This morning we are anchored off the coast of Portree so today was a tender port. Megan and I got bundled up and grabbed a quick breakfast from the Neptune Lounge. That has become our habit lately. I think it’s because we have been eating such large meals at dinner time, that that has become our only meal. We met our excursion group at the main stage at 9:30am. We arrived a little earlier then we had to so we got bumped up to the 9:30 departure instead of the 10:00 departure. We took the bus on a scenic drive through the highlands of the Isle of Skye and over the bridge to the mainland of Scotland. The Island is also called the Winged Isle and it is 50 miles long. But from any point on the island you are never more than 5 miles from the sea. We saw lots of sheep and their newly born spring lambs. We drove to visit the Eileen Dolan castle. It was constructed in the 1300’s and was under the control of several different clans through the centuries. The longest clan to occupy the castle was the  Mackenzie clan. In 1719 it was occupied by Spanish soldiers. They brought several barrels of gunpowder into the castle for storage. English soldiers attacked the Spanish in the castle and they surrendered quickly. Since the English didn’t want to move the gunpowder and the didn’t want the castle to again fall into enemy hands again, they ignited the gunpowder and blew up the castle destroying most of it. It remained abandoned until 1911 when it was purchased and restoration began. It took 20 years to restore it, but it was restored to be used as a summer home and was renovated to include plumbing and electricity. It is still owed by a family trust of the family who purchased it in 1911. The oldest family member who is in charge currently is 94 years old. They no longer stay in the castle, but have a more modern home on the property that they live in. We were only permitted to take photos on the outside of the castle so sadly I can’t share all we saw, but there is more to see on their website. On the way back to the ship we made a stop at a field so we could visit and pet the highland cows that live there. One of our favorite animals ever, affectionately called Hairy Coo’s here in Scotland. Once we were back into town, Megan and I walked around and visited a few shops. We purchase some warm scarves, Megan’s is called a blanket scarf and she will be using it for a while while we are still in the cooler weather. Not sure how much she will get to use it when we get home. LOL!! We took the tender back to the ship in time to get ready for our 5:00pm seating for dinner. I am exhausted after last night. I am going to bed super shortly. Megan is off to play cards and we will be up and going early again tomorrow at our second and final stop in Scotland of Oban. Such a wonderful day. I love the scenery here. All the rolling green hills, which I understand is how California currently looks as well. The people are so very nice and polite here as well. I had previously loved my visit to Scotland as well and look forward to coming back here on a land tour some day. There is much whiskey to be tasted and so little time.

Sea Day ; Happy King’s Day

Today is King’s Day in the Netherlands. It’s a national holiday and celebrates King Willem-Alexander’s birthday with lots of music, dancing, flea markets and fun fairs. This holiday is traditionally celebrated while dressed in orange. So by no coincidence tonight is also the Orange Themed party, a Holland America tradition they have on every cruise. I got up this morning and went to the Pinnacle for breakfast and Megan slept in a little. She met me around 9:30am in time to participate in the Project Linus Group this morning. There was about 30 completed blankets turned in this morning. I was happy to get to turn one in as well. We spent time catching up with our friends, finding out what they had done over the last few ports, and taking about what it coming up next. Then we headed to the Neptune Lounge so I could work on some “work” and Megan prepared for her tutoring session at 12:30pm with Bonita. We had had some flight changes for our return journey early on in the cruise and my mom was wonderful about calling Alaska and getting that cleared up. But that had put us on a 9 hour overnight layover at Seattle airport on our way home and I was able to get that rectified today. Now we will come home and arrive home all on May 12th. We are so happy to be getting home now a day earlier. All in time for my granddaughter’s 1st birthday party on the 13th. I went to an acupuncture appointment at 2:00pm today. Before we knew it was time to get ready for tonight’s Orange Party. They had a Norwegian themed menu in the main dinning room. They served many traditional dishes. It’s so hard to not over eat some times when you want to try everything. LOL!! Then it was time for the bar hop. We got to visit four separate bars that each served something orange and alcoholic. Most of the drinks were way too sweet for my taste. My favorite was probably the mango margarita with the tabasco and the spicy smoked salt on the rim. We ended at the Lido bar, tequila sunrise, where the party was in full swing by the time we arrived. Another wonderful evening of music provided by DJ Nyron, complimentary drinks and passed snacks, and a time to interact with and dance the night away with the crew. Megan and I danced until the music ended at midnight. Everyone was trying to get Nyron to play one more song, but this time they were very strict about stopping the music at midnight. It is the second opportunity we have had to socialize “outside of work” with the crew. So much fun to see them laughing, having a few drinks, and seeing them out of their uniforms. We have enjoyed these two events this trip the most out of the all the others. Special memories were made for sure!! Enjoy the photos.

Bergen, Norway

Today was our last port in our visit to Norway. We had previously had our excursion cancelled so we had opted not to reschedule a new one as there was nothing that jumped out at us. It was a wonderful choice. We slept in till about 8am and then grabbed a light bite again from the Neptune Lounge before heading off the ship. We bundled up for another really cold day outside with the forecasted high of 40 degrees today. We walked up and then down a hill, on a road that was reminiscent to Lombard street in San Francisco and we went to the water front area. We visited a Starbucks that was in a building built in 1877 and it was across the street from the Mc Donalds in a building built in 1710. It is still so strange to me to see buildings standing that far surpass the history of almost anything we see back in the United States (and it was a Mc Donalds!). I’d be very remiss not to tell you about the crazy weather we experienced today. We got caught in the rain, and snow, and even hail multiple times throughout today. There was even a time that the sun was shining and we almost had to take our jackets off, and then ten minutes later we were putting our gloves back on and zipping our coats back up. It definitely made for a memory and we will look back on it fondly. We found the Bergen fish market and walked through it in the morning. We purchased a yummy pastry and a cappuccino before going off to do some shopping until noon when the seafood restaurants opened inside the fish market. Our goal for the day was to enjoy some crab and we succeeded. We enjoyed our visit here, had a great opportunity to do some walking, bought a couple clothing items, got our magnet and just enjoyed being in an amazing place without the hustle and bustle and time constraints of an excursion. I think I need to do that more often in my future travels. We were back on the ship by about 2:30pm and we took some time to do our laundry, work on our Project Linus blankets, and Megan got some schooling done. We had dinner this evening at 6:00pm. Today was quite food day. Pastries in the morning, lunch consisted of whale carpaccio (it was a fist for both of us), Norwegian caviar and three types and crab, and dinner was a Norwegian themed specialty dinner in the Pinnacle. Five courses of lovingly prepared food by the chefs onboard with local ingredients just for this dinner. I have really come to love these specialty meals, even when they last for hours. After dinner was “done” we had a lovely conversation with our friend Tina who is in charge of the Pinnacle Dining room. It was really great to sit and talk with her and just have some time to socialize with her when she wasn’t working. These people are our family now. Having spent so much time together and getting to know about them and their families and their lives outside of cruising we have really come to love and appreciate them even more. It will be sad when we have to say goodbye and we hope we run into them again on future sailings. It is close to midnight and we are just now crawling into bed for the night. Tomorrow is a beloved, long awaited for, sea day. We are looking forward to our sea day routine and to have a day of rest. Please enjoy all my food photos from today. It was a yummy, yummy day!! The photo of the ship was taken by a passenger from the top of the Fløibanen funicular that we did not go up.

Eidfjord, Norway

Well, they did tell us it would be colder today. And they were correct.  We woke up this morning to find ourselves and the ship within the Hardangerfjord.  It is the fifth largest fjord in the world and the second longest in Norway.  It stretches 111 miles from the Atlantic Ocean into Norway.  The air is so clean and clear here.  The scenery was absolutely majestic and breathtaking.  We saw several waterfalls right off our balcony.  Megan and I grabbed a light bite from the Neptune lounge this morning and some hot tea.  Still about the same in our health journey with the runny noses, but that may be a new way of life until we get out of this cold weather.  We met our excursion group in the Main Stage at 8:15am today.  More passengers are learning the new exiting instructions, and some were downright pushy and rude trying to rush out of the room faster to get “prime” seats on the bus.  I think they may need to rethink that strategy.  We boarded a bus and took about a 45 minute drive north to a cute little resteraunt where we had waffles and hot beverages.  Along the way we climbed up to 3700 feet in elevation.  We were above the tree line and all we could see for miles was white.  It snowed most of the day as well and it was like being in a winter wonderland.  We also had the opportunity to pass through several tunnels that were built using dynamite about 25 years ago.  The old road was narrow and sketchy and unable to accommodate buses.  We could see it periodically throughout the day.  They have no seismic activity here, no earthquakes, no volcanoes.  So they build their tunnels here to last a lifetime.  One tunnel we passed through was 1.3 miles long and a second one was called a spiral tunnel.  This 1550 foot tunnel turns almost completely in a circle within the mountain with a 7% grade.  It is quite a marvel of architecture and construction.  The longest tunnel in the world is also here Norway and it is 15.2 miles long.  Megan and I couldn’t resist all the freshly fallen snow and had the opportunity to have a snowball fight, we were careful not to strike any other passengers.  After we left the resteraunt we headed back down the hill.  We passed the Sysen dam which is constructed all from stones.  The dam is used to hold the water that is used to create hydroelectric electricity.  Most everything here in Norway is run off electricity generated this way.  They are the greenest countries in the world with about 50% of their population driving electric cars.  They are working hard to create an infrastructure here to support 100% clean, green energy by the year 2025.  Our last stop was the Voringsfossen Waterfalls.  The falls are 600 feet high and they were flowing due to the snow melt that is currently occurring here.  We hiked from one vista point and then climbed through the snow to a walking bridge on the far side.  Look for the two red asterisks in the photos below.  We hiked from one point across to the other.  It was exhilarating and only a few passengers took the journey.  When we reached the summit my heart rate was 165 BMP.  Elevation, climbing and a healthy fear of the heights were all contributing factors.  I am proud that I pushed myself to accomplish it.  We had a little more time for snow play before we got back on the bus and headed back to the ship.  Once we got back Megan ran into the ship to change out of her wet jeans so we could take the short walk into town.  We walked through a couple of shops, got our magnet and then found a café so we could enjoy another waffle and a cappuccino.  We ate the first ones so fast earlier today we forgot to get a photo, so we had to sacrifice ourselves and get a second amazing one so we could get a picture for you.  Then we decided to head to the Burger and Beer house next door where several other passengers were hanging out. Megan and I split a FANTASTIC burger, with fries, an order of mozzarella sticks and included with the burger was a beer so I ‘forced’ myself to drink a tasty Mango IPA.  It was a lovely and relaxing end to our visit here in Eidfjord.  We got back to the ship around 3pm and headed to the Neptune lounge so I could write my blog and Megan could assemble her Lego Lamborghini that she bought today.  We have almost no wi-fi and cellular service currently as we are in the fjord surrounded by mountains.  Passengers keep coming into the lounge to complain about the service even though several announcements have been made informing them about the issue.  It’s funny how people’s patience seems to be lessening as this trip nears its conclusion.  I have seen more couples “bickering” lately as they have been without any time apart in 112 days.  Megan and I had a difficult period of about a week about a month ago, but other then that we have been getting along really well.  Throwing some snowballs at each other today was probably a good way to relieve some tension too.  We had quite the scenic sail out this evening.  We headed outside around 4:45pm and spent another hour outside, in the cold, watching the ship pull away from the pier and sail under a suspension bridge and down through the fjord.  The scenery was indescribable.  So beautiful.  After the sail away we headed back to the cabin to thaw, again.  Warm tea, hot soup from room service, and cozy sweats and life is good. We are cuddling in for the night and looking forward to our next adventure at our last port in Norway tomorrow.  It has been a lovely time visiting here.  I look forward to visiting here again someday!

Haugesund, Norway

Remember how I said it was cold yesterday, well today was even colder. And you know what, tomorrow is forecasted to be even colder still. We are bundling up and dressing in layers everyday right now. We were up this morning and had a light breakfast of fruit, tea and muffins from the Neptune lounge. We met our excursion group in the Main Stage at 9:15am. This morning we had another walking tour in the village of Avaldsnes. It is recognized as Norway’s oldest kingdom. This site housed St. Olav’s Church, built in 1250, a Viking History Center, and a Viking Farm. There was much to see and learn about today. We learned about the history of the Norwegians, about the folklore that inspires this region, and the monarchy that ruled here over the years. We walked quite a bit to and from the Viking Farm where they have recreated structures in the spirit of the Viking life and now show how they would have lived their daily lives. There was a group of middle school students here today on a field trip all dressed up in period costumes “living” the life of Viking village. It was cute to see and interact with them enjoying their day. Did I mention it was freezing cold. When the wind came through it was bone chilling. We were dressed appropriately, but our faces and noses were definitely red and chilled. For those of you who don’t know I have a bit of an obsession with the movie Gladiator and Russel Crowe. Our guide today looked much like an older Russel Crowe. He told us he has even been mistaken for him at the airport by the paparazzi. I told him that the song from the movie was the ringer on my cell phone and then he shared his dog’s name was Maximus, and then I told him that was the name of my car. The best part of the day was when he mistook me for Megan’s sister. He was so apologetic and I told him that, that was the best compliment he could pay me that no apology was necessary. We were back on the ship by about 2:00pm today and we needed to warm up. They served us hot chocolate as we got back onto the ship. Megan went and got some tea and then took a hot bath. I took one right after her and enjoyed warming up my soul. I had acupuncture this afternoon as well and am happy to say my body is feeling better. We are both still blowing our noses like crazy. Not sure where all that comes from, but the cold weather definitely doesn’t help. Tonight we went to the a specially prepared Indonesian themed dinner party at the Pinnacle Grill. Our dear friend and employee Tina was integral in working with the chefs to help come up with and execute a delicious menu. It was a fantastic meal and we had the honor of dining with our very good friends Gail and Marty. With all the ports we have had lately we haven’t had much time to see them and it was really nice getting to catch up and spend some special time with them. Tonight we are headed north and into another fjord where will be protected from another incoming storm. The weather is expected to get even colder tomorrow and we will definitely get off the ship prepared for another outdoor excursion. We are looking forward to another fun adventure tomorrow. We are snuggled in for the night and are looking forward to a good nights sleep. I heard the weather in California is supposed to be getting warmer and I am looking forward to sharing that all with you soon enough. Wishing a great start to your week and a blessed day.

Kristiansand, Norway

Brrrr…from Norway. I mean good morning. Megan and I opened the door on our balcony last night and propped it open to refresh the air in the cabin. I woke up at 4:30am and the door was still open and I could see myself breathing in the cabin. Needless to say the air was refreshed. I finished another project Linus Blanket last night and am thinking I have enough time and yarn left to make on last one. We are still in Norway today. We woke up and had breakfast in the Lido this morning. Then we headed to the Main Stage to meet our excursion group at 9:15am and to “meet” the excursion protocol they have put in place. You don’t get your tour number and sticker until they call your group so no one can leave the ship early, loiter on the dock, and go to the bus and grab all the seats in the front prematurely. You’d be surprised what we have seen this trip. LOL. All that is mute today though because we are doing a three hour walking tour. Kristiansand is a quaint little town. Sadly, it is Sunday and all of the shops are closed for today. As our tour guide told us, this is the bible belt and going to church and taking Sundays for rest is strongly practiced here. We visited a historic home that was built in 1855 and learned about life during those times. The home we visited housed 25 people, about 5 families and each family had their own bedroom. They shared the kitchen and the outdoor potty. During the times when soldiers were in Norway, an additional 17 soldiers occupied the attic of this home because the government gave a stipend to the families for putting the soldiers up. It is hard to believe so many people lived in this one home. We walked through the town center where there was a beautiful church and cherry trees blossoming. We couldn’t go into the church because there were services going on today. We also visited the Kristianholm Fortress. This fortress has 15 foot thick walls. It has 8 cannons still on sight and has a beautiful view of the bay. After our walking tour Megan and I went back to town and found a lovely bakery where we bought way too many goodies and a hot coffee. It was really cold today and the wind made it even worse when it blew through. We had some Nutella and jelly filled small donuts that reminded us of Dunkin Donuts. It was a nice treat. We walked over 12k steps today so we earned the treats. We made our way back to the ship and we were back on by 1:00pm. We went to the Neptune Lounge for tea and then home for hot showers to warm up. We spent the afternoon reading, I paid some bills and updated my calendar for the summer events we have coming up. It is slowly time to start easing my way back into the reality of things to come. The blessing is we are coming home to summer vacation. I am looking forward to spending a lot of time this summer with all my family and loved ones back at home. We had dinner in the main dining room this evening at our normal 5:00 dinner time. It was just the end of the third segment of this World Cruise so we tipped out our servers and room stewards again this evening as well. It is the least we can do for all the care, attention, and phenomenal service they provide to us. Megan and I are still fighting stuffy noses, but we are definitely in the home stretch to getting healthy. This cold weather has been such a shock to our systems. Scarves, jackets, gloves and hats have been needed every day now. We were blessed with some sunshine and no rain again today, so we will happily take it!! We were back home right after dinner again for a relaxing night in. A little extra rest, a good movie and some tea. Life’s simple pleasures. Sweet dreams from Norway….where will be again tomorrow but in a different port. Enjoy the photos, especially the Mc Donalds. It’s an old bank being renovated for the golden arches. Only in Norway.

Oslo, Norway

Good morning from Oslo. We woke up this morning and enjoying a scenic cruising into the Oslofjord. Ian provided narration via the bow camera tv station in the cabin or you could have gone to listen to it live in the crows nest. Megan and I had tea and muffins and fruit for breakfast in our cabin. We had a lazy morning in our cabin until it was time to get ready for our excursion. We met our excursion group at 11:15am at the Main Stage. We had to wait a bit longer than we wanted to as we had to wait for the ship to clear immigration and my understanding was we had some passengers that had to be medically off loaded this morning as well. Once we got off the ship we had a scenic drive around Oslo. We got to see the City Hall, where they award the Nobel Peace prize, the Royal palace, a fortress built in 1299, and the National Theater. Our first stop we had was to the Vigeland Park. The city donated this land to this prolific artist to be used for the purpose of him placing and displaying his art here for the community to see. He has 221 works here in this park. We enjoyed walking through the park and seeing the sculptures, so many of them displayed so well in such a compact space. The sculptures are all done in granite, bronze and wrought iron. We boarded back onto the bus and drove to the Kon Tiki Museum and the Maritime Museum. They are located right across the street from each other. Oslo is home to the very famous Viking Ship Museum as well. But it is currently closed for full renovation and is not expected to reopen until 2026. The Viking Museum has donated a couple of their smaller boats to the maritime museum for temporary display during the renovation. We got to see the Viking ship and learn about the Klink method of building the boats. The museum has actually recreated a boat in the the exact way it was built by the Vikings, using the same wood, retreating the nails for raw iron ore, using only tools the would have used. It is amazing how they are studying the history of the boats and learning how they were made. There had been no written instructions found to be in existence. In the maritime museum there is a new display showing the remains of a viking ship and its cargo contents that was found just last year when they started rebuilding part of downtown Oslo. It is exciting to think that there are more remains to be found still to this day. We also drove through the Norwegian Museum of Cultural History. This is located in the woods outside of Oslo where many old and historic buildings have been relocated to preserve them and so people could see them and experience them. They have a stave church here that was built around 1000 BC. I had to read about the history of stave churches and there are only 28 of them left. Throughout our time here today we saw piles of snow all around. We were told the last time it snowed here was just two weeks ago. We brought the sun with us here as well and like yesterday everyone kept saying how wonderful the weather was that we were experiencing. It was another day full of historical wonder and education. We were back on the ship by about 4:00pm in time to get ready for our 5:00pm dinner in the main dining room. We were home and back in our Pajamas by 6:00pm. We are both still fighting sniffles and stuffy noses. So we are looking forward to some warm tea, a movie and lovely sail out of the Oslofjord again this evening. We hope to be to sleep early. We shall be sailing toward Kristiansand, Norway this evening and will be having a new adventure there tomorrow. This is the wonderful life we are living right now, go to sleep in one place, and wake up somewhere new. It is fun and exciting and we are living our best life in these last few weeks of this grand cruise.