Tuesday, November 6

Another suitcase, another hall -- or in this case, another room. 

This is the twelfth different room that I have stayed in since leaving home.  I have managed to stay in this one for two nights which seems a luxury after the one night stands at the beginning of this trip.  It is nice to unpack and feel like you are settled.  I guess that is why the bike and boat option is my preferred tour, but when that is not possible, one lives out of the suitcase.

Speaking of the suitcase......yes it was damaged on the flight from Frankfurt to Stockholm and it was replaced but it was a boring blue one, so I decided to keep this one and give the other to Rich and Jenn.  It is packed to the 23kg limit -- a little bit of juggling necessary this morning.  There is a 800 gm mandelmasse in the carryon.  At Arlanda, this was taken out and examined and I suspect that will happen again here, but at least it goes through.  I don't think confit de canard in a can could expect the same treatment.

Reflections on the trip.  Loved the bike tour.  They did well with the hotels and maps, but I am glad that I had my phone for gps.  Thoroughly enjoyed my time with Rhonda and Robert in St. Louis.  The week on Gran Canaria was great with the Swedes.  Next time I would probably just meet them there rather than the awkward flights, although, I would have liked an extra day in Sweden. 

The time here outside Frankfurt was nice.  I'm glad I took the extra day to see some of the city and not have three flying days in a row.  I did some specific sightseeing in the morning and in the afternoon I took a city tour.  Not sure there is too much more to come back for.  Now, don't think that I visited all the museums, but I did see the uniquely Frankfurt things and have sampled the special apple wine of the region.

And so it is back to Canada.  The shuttle to the airport leaves in 40 min.  The weather back home is supposed to be very windy, to the point it may cause traffic problems.  We shall see.  Going home to grey and cold November..........

Friday, Nov.2

Well, it has been sea, pools, beach, rocks, delicious food and sunshine here the last 7 days.  I am sure that Gran Canaria has lots to offer the tourist, but that is irrelevant to me.

As I explained to my 5 year old granddaughter, I am here to spend time with her, her sister and her parents.  That may be hard for a little one to understand, even one as sharp as TvE,

(given that this is a vacation that the four of them have been looking forward to), but that is the absolute reality for me who lives an ocean apart from this branch of my family.  Skype is nice, emails with pictures and facebook posts do keep me in touch with what is happening 6 hours away, but there is nothing like being there to hold a hand, read a story, play a game, build a sand castle, or inspect rocks to cement a relationship.  I want them to remember me as someone who played, laughed and adventured with them and now is the only time I am assured to create those memories and build those bonds.  Seize the day-- or in this case, the week.

Pictures are great, but it is because they will remind them of the feelings and the caring when someday, hopefully in quite a distant future, I am not there to cuddle them in person. 

Friday, October 26

Train travel is civilized, especially here on the ICE train from Basel to Frankfurt airport.  All the seats have fold down trays or, like where I am sitting, tables facing the seats opposite.  I elected not to reserve a set on this train, and therefore I have had to move to accommodate those who did.  No problem, there was a very nice young man who volunteered to put my 23 kg suitcase up on the storage shelf and then bring it down when we reach the airport.

There was nice young steward who came by with a trolley with coffee and snacks -- reminds me of Harry Potter, but the selection was not nearly as interesting.  Wifi is complimentary on the ICE (inter city express) and most people are talking to their phones or computers.  In addition, you can connect to the ICE site and select from a number of books that they will read to you as you sit back and relax.  Nice!

The next part of this adventure involves flying to Sweden this afternoon and meeting up with Rich, Jenn and the 2 sweeties tonight for supper.  We have a hotel for tonight and then are on a flight early tomorrow to Gran Canaria where we will be in a two bedroom apartment on the beach.  We booked all inclusive so that everyone gets a vacation.  Sounds grand.

Standing at the Lufthansa counter reminded me that the one and only time either of my parents made a trip back to Germany, it was my father, in 1963 (just after the Cuban missile crisis), who flew Lufthansa to Frankfurt where one of his brothers picked him up.  Dad didn't recognize him after 10 years. For us kids, the highlight was all the Lufthansa freebees that were brought back.  What a long time ago.

Tuesday, October 23

Not often do we get to step into someone else's life.  Visiting usually means a disruption of regular routines and putting on special meals, going places one would not normally go.  How the other person really lives, is lost in a flurry of trying to impress, or trying to show them everything there is to see or do in your area.  It is an artificial situation for both the host and the guest.  Now, some people go visiting for that purpose, to be entertained or catered to.  I have always felt very uncomfortable in that kind of a situation.  In university, I could not go to visit my best friend's family because I felt it was too much of an imposition.  As a young adult and then parent, I enjoyed entertaining, but it was the totally artificial situation I described.  I was not content in it, because, honestly, I felt no one went out of their way for me like that.  I thought that was the mark of true friendship.

How wrong I was!

In the fall of 1986, I agreed to canvass in my neighbourhood for some foundation -- I think it was liver.  It involved knocking on doors on my street and asking for monetary support.  I detest asking other people for money, but felt it was a civic duty.  I did not know all the people on the street, especially the ones at the other end who had moved in more recently.  But the knock on one door changed me.  The lady who answered it had recently moved from England with her husband and two boys, one of whom was in the same school as my son.  I don't know why we clicked, but we did.  Soon we were shopping together, walking together, talking on the phone (my kids always said they knew who it was when I was on the phone for more than a few minutes as I normally hated long discussions and ended calls as quickly as possible).  She took care of my house when we were away and I took care of hers.  We ended up buying vacation condos in the same complex in Collingwood.  They took my daughter to concerts, I helped her son with cooking.  She moved away in 1996 and I was sure that our friendship would be over, but no.  I visited her several times in England and then in France when she moved there.  The most remarkable thing is that we pick up as though no time has passed since we were last together.  We both have grandchildren and compare notes and insights.  We both had aging mothers, mine has just passed away this summer, hers just celebrated her 90th birthday. 

We are now both gray and we laugh about that.  We have to remind each other to start relaxing and we laugh about that.  We compare concerns for our kids and how to love them but not smother them,  and we laugh about that.  We look at each other's grandchildren pictures and the funny things they do and say, and we laugh about that.  As you can tell, we laugh a lot!  There is no pressure to change oneself, each is accepted as they are and valued as that individual.  Friendship is a wonderful thing and I am truly blessed to have Rhonda as my friend.

Sunday, October 21

Yesterday was a train day, from Mainz to Basel, via Mannheim.  The train system may be a few minutes late at times, but then they make it up.  The ICE train that delivered me to Basel at 14:50 had left Amsterdam at 8:05.  That's fairly impressive,  considering the track problem just south of Koln which had meant that the train could not use the express corridor (where, I was told, it hits speeds of 300km/hr).  The fastest I saw on the monitor was 200, and it felt so smooth.

Rhonda was at the station in Basel and we step so easily back into our friendship.  It is wonderful!

Today I attended church with Robert.  He goes to a nice little church here in St. Louis.  A few years ago they got a new priest who is bringing in new people especially families.  I was told that the style has changed and the music, though still liturgical with lots of responses and chants, definitely has a modern feel.  My french is good enough that I could make out most of the singing (it was printed in the bulletin).  My oral language is much poorer, but I was able to figure out on which Gospel passage the sermon focused.  There were new members welcomed to the parish and we were all invited for a glass of wine in the foyer.  We did not stay.

Instead, this afternoon we visited Neuf Brisach, a fortified town built in an 8-point star.  It has 3 rows of trenches making it virtually impossible for attackers to survive.  The walls are impressively thick and very well preserved, considering it was built in the last of the 1600s. Today tourists are welcomed not only by the ancient fortifications, but also various art installations in the moat.

This will be a week to relax -- a welcome change from last week's rush.  But I love both!

Frrrrriiiiiiiidddddaaaaayyyyyy, October 19

Yes, it was a very long day -- perhaps not more than actually 14 hours since I got up, it just feels that way.

It's still dark at 6:30, actually the sun didn't come up till 8 am, but I get ahead of myself.

So I spent last night at a winery in Nierstein which has some rooms for tourists.  According to the lady who laid out my breakfast for 7, it has been in the family for 4 generations.  They have 65 hectares of grapes and she thought they produced about 75,000 bottles of wine -- Riesling.  We spoke of the low level of the river and she told me it had been June 4 since there had been a significant rain.  They have irrigation capability for the grapes, but it was so dry, that the vines reabsorbed liquid from the grapes and the ensuing grapes were quite wrinkled but very sweet.  She was very concerned about the climate change. 

This is a picture of the Roter Hang (Red Slope) which is quite famous, I gather.  However, the lack of rain may make it impossible to grow Reisling here much longer due to mineral accumulation.  I have found the Europeans in general much more aware and concerned about climate change that most North Americans.

The ride to Mainz went well and I arrived just after 9.  Could have made the 9:20 train, but there was no spot available for the bicycle when I did the booking on Wednesday.  So it was the 10:20 train, which was delayed 45 minutes.  The was a fire on a train last week and that has made part of the express route in the Rhine corridor unavailable at this point, so that accounted for about 10 min of the delay, and then there was a medical issue on the track.  

Anyway, I got to Koln at 12:45 and that gave me 4 hours to ride to Dusseldorf.  It is only 40 km, but if you have to hold your phone and check you position every few minutes, it does take quite a while.  Sometimes I got tempted to follow a sign rather then the phone and usually had to backtrack.  However, I made it to the train station just after 4 pm.  WC stop and pick up a snack for the ride back.  Oops, my train is not noted on the board, well, check with the information.  Oh yes, the train is on time and by now I have to hurry -- run through the station with the bicycle and up the stairs because I can't find a lift.  Thanks so much to the young man who helped with the bike.  The train arrived about 1 minute after I reached the platform.  Wait, I have to be in car 6 for my reserved bicycle spot and that car is way down the line.  Dash, I made it.  The bike has a spot, but there are so many people that I had to stand the 2.5 hours back to Mainz.  

Familiar spots rushed by the windows--Koln cathedral, the Mauseturm in the middle of the river (now on a substantial island thanks to the low water level), Koblenz and Ehrenbreitstein castle, the Lahn river, the Loreley.  How lovely to have memories of all those places, from a couple of different trips!

I had hoped to finish the whole Rhine on this trip, but the section from Freiburg to Strasbourg will have to wait for another time.  After a season of not much riding, my legs are quite tired after 6 days -- it was 62 km again today.  But, the bike is locked in the garage downstairs.  My handlebar bag and pannier are with reception and I am eating a soup and drinking a beer in my room.  All the hotels on this trip have been great and the support from Eurobike has been good.  I would travel with them again.

So, I have to ponder why I have enjoyed this river so much over the years.  I think I came here to find a part of myself and my heritage that I did not know.  I recognize some of the unique turns of phrase. I love the different advertising and foods.  My soup is an eintopf -- which actually means ' one pot', so it is very much like a stew.  My favourite has been lentil with little sausage pieces -- a memory out of my childhood.  Every other time I went back and shared the pictures and memories with my Mom.  Not this time.

Thursday, October 18

The Loreleri song has a line about 'ruhig fliesst der Rhine'.  Well, the critical thing currently is not if the river is flowing gently, but rather that it is flowing low.  I mentioned the low water previously, but today it was really hammered home. 

After a 60 km (yes, wrong turns again) ride, I anxiously arrived at the Nierstein ferry.  Having passed this morning another ferry spot that was abandoned,  I was really hoping that this one was operating.  I had passed a cyclist who indicated that two days ago, it had been doing the traverse of the river, and he had not heard otherwise.  The ferry was doing its back and forth between Kornsand and Nierstein, but there was a catch.  On the bank, there was an excavator straddling water and sand, dredging the docking area of the ferry.  Impossible to say how long they will be able to keep this up!

Construction is not a Canadian exclusive.  There were several detours today to the route, some I negotiated well, others put me way off the desired path.  About 50% of the ride today was on gravel path.

Need to mention the people that one meets.  No one brushed off my questions and requests for help.  More common, was the well meaning individuals who wanted to tell me how to go for the whole day and the next 10 km.  Sorry, can't digest that much -- just need to know the next two turns, especially when I get back into regular cycling territory where there are signs.  Oh, thanks for the signs -- gave me a couple of short cuts, really appreciated after some wrong turns.  Thanks, Google, especially in finding my hotel once I get to the final city

I will need to use google tomorrow.  Just before I came over here, I bought something called pocket juice (a battery to recharge the phone on the go) which I think will come in handy tomorrow.  Early to bed.

Wednesday, October 17

Yes I have checked in to Asgard -- Hotel Asgard, that is, in Worms.  I don't know if the mythical creature is holding my bicycle to the ground or vice versa, but there are more of these blue dragons around this city.

Today's ride was about the shortest of this tour -- 45km.  It travelled along the Neckar river a while before heading overland up towards Worms which lies on the west side of the Rhine.  Again, there were fields and farms and lovely countryside all going about their daily and yearly routines.  Cows were being milked, asparagus was going yellow in its rows. 

I got to Worms early in the afternoon, affording me time to do a little historical sightseeing as well as my usual shopping adventure.  "Here I stand."  was Martin Luther's statement to Charles V in this place where he would not recant his doctrines.  The bishop's palace is long gone, but the monument stands as remembrance. 

There are some very fine churches in town pointing to the importance of this location in religious history -- Diet of Worms always brought a chuckle.

The home improvement giant Bauhaus is no longer in this city, but is replaced with OBI which features many of the same OOH and AAH kitchen, baths and renovation ideas which have long impressed me about Europe.  Often I think that North America is very far behind.  This is the most amazing corner cabinet I have ever seen!

I have been trying new drinks from the grocery stores.  Today's Frau Rauscher's apfelwein at 5.5 % is a definite winner.

Tuesday, October 16

It may be close up, but the HD does not refer to Hi Def.  It is Heidelberg! and that's where I landed after 60 km today. 

Yes, it was only supposed to be 50, but a wrong turn took me a good distance out of the route, but I saw nice fields of beets and potatoes and strawberries and winter wheat and some ordinary towns.  I think that is what this trip is really showing me.  I don't have the time or energy to do the regular tourist things in the cities I am visiting.  When I am finished riding for the day, I need a nice shower, rinse out some of the riding clothes and go in search of supper.

Today, I also managed to wander around the city for a bit.  I visited the university student's quad and saw the old bridge and the castle on the mountain side -- regular tourist stuff.  But I also sat on a small greenspace beside the river Neckar and watched the traffic -- road and ship.  I saw for the very first time a child's car seat with a 4 year old in the passenger's seat -- just looked wrong.  I don't know about the legality of that here.  There was also a gentleman in his Mercedes sports car with a huge bandage on his left ear.  There is a very famous hospital right on the south bank of the river, next to the university.

I have to mention the signage.  There are large signs which give destinations and distances, but the sign I like to see most is the little green arrow.  It gives turns and adjustments to the larger cycle paths, and, most comfortingly, it shows you're on the right path.

Monday, October 15

It is raining and getting cold at home, but this area of Germany is experiencing lovely almost summer-like weather with sun and temperatures in the low 20s.  It makes for lovely riding. Falling leaves look like sparkles under the trees.

And that is enhanced by riding through forests and fields, along a levee protecting the countryside from highwater on the Rhine. (Actually, the Rhine level is uncommonly low forcing the ferry which I was to use today, to abandon its crossings of the river).

So, there was a detour needed and to shorten it, I pushed the bicycle up 41 steps and over a water regulatory gate.  It was beside a huge power plant outside of Karlsruhe.  But the trustworthy Europaradweg (European cycle path) brought me to my destination. 

Germersheim is a fairly sleepy town with a fortress remains in its heart.  A walk about showed me a monument for soldiers of the 1870-71 war with the French, a sculpture part from a symposium in 1997, and a condo renovation in a barracks building complete with shooting holes.  But I must admit, I spent the most time at the local grocery store -- Penny.  I do love seeing what other people buy and use to feed themselves.  Included in that are kiwi berries, grown in Germany, which are like mini kiwis where one eats the whole berry.

Yesterday's ride was a total of 71km.  Today I went 62.  Those are the two longest rides of this tour and it is going well on the bike.  There don't seem to be too many people going in the direction that I am, but I pass cyclists going the other way usually every 5 min.  Late fall riding is great!

Starting again

After a long travel day (Toronto - Iceland - Frankfurt -Saarbruken - Strassbourg) and a great night's sleep, it was time to pick up the bicycle and start on this, the last big chunk of cycling along the northbound Rhine river.

Strassbourg is a hopping city -- it is after all the seat of the European Parliament.  There were lots of people out on Saturday night and a city express grocery store.  (too bad I didn't realize that this morning.)It is the destination of many weekend tours -- I met the members of one at breakfast this morning.  I took no time to sight-see.  I may have time for that next week after this tour is done.

There was lots of riding on cycle paths and the dam lining the river.  Little transport on the river today, perhaps Sunday is still respected there.  It certainly is in the towns and cities that I have visited today.  In fact, there is no grocery store in Rastatt that is open today, so supper is scrounged from a little bakery.  At about the 39 km mark, I took the ferry across the Rhine and continued along the German side. 

The guidebook I received this morning was quite good in getting me around, I only made a few wrong turns and one ride back and then retrace my steps as I was right in the first time.  The phone does come in handy when there is a question about where I am.  The bicycle is a heavy 7 speed, step-through commuting item, but I have all the gear for repairs and bags for the back and the handlebars.  It runs along in 5th or 6th gear quite nicely at 20 - 21 km/hr.

European TV -- quite interesting to hear the British news and then, of course, German TV.  Today there was an election in Bayern (south east Germany) and the surprising results of the Green party up to 18% and AfD (the far right) is up to 11%, show a growing polarization of the electorate.  Yesterday there was a huge demonstration in Berlin for human rights.  I encountered protesters in the Frankfurt train station.  There is unrest here.

After 70 km today on a strange bike, I am tired, but I am delighted and excited to ride again tomorrow!

Norway 11 -- Easter in Bergen

Easter is a big deal.  I'm not talking about great religious ceremonies with sunrise services and special breakfast at church, but rather the serious secular celebrations.  This means decorating the house with eggs everywhere, candies in hollow paper mache eggs (your parents fill them), and heading out of town to the cottage in the mountains.  Needless to add, that means that almost everything in town is closed, starting from Good Friday, most of Easter Saturday, Sunday and Monday.  Tourists be advised.

We took a transfer on Saturday from the boat to the hotel which is across the street from the train station and very centrally located.  The Zander K is a modern hotel with a number of the bare concrete elements found in North American design 30 to 40 years ago.  Minimalism extends to storage space -- not a single drawer or closet.

We have been getting suppers to have in our room and eating out for lunch.  You may have heard that Norway is expensive -- that is most certainly true.  Burger and fries with a drink will set you back about 45 to 50$CDN.  Finding grocery stores that are open on the holiday -- a challenge, and then you have to stare mostly at empty shelves.

Sunday we stopped in at the Domkirke and listened as the 7 person choir practised before the service.  Sound (including the organ) was great.

Then it was on to the Floyen funicular with a spectacular view of the city.  This is an outdoor recreation area also and many families were coming for the day, skis in tow.

We spent all afternoon in art galleries.  In Bergen these are KODE 1, 2, 3, and 4.  The have everything from old masters, to Norwegian icons such as Munch and Dahl, to a modern installation involving 4 boats and 350 km of red yarn  (not our favourite).  There is a fabulous silver collection and a very impressive room from the Singer mansion.

Monday, I took the light rail to view the Fantoft stave church.  There aren't many of them left.
In the afternoon, we spent a few hours at the Maritime Museum -- a fabulous exhibit.

That brings us to today, Tuesday.  We caught the bus to take us to the train at Voss.  Track repairs.  Then it was onto the train that goes up over the mountains -- up to 1222m.  It was a snowstorm up there.  I can't imagine living in a place that bleak.

And now here we are at the Oslo airport.  Flight home is tomorrow afternoon.

Norway 10 -- end of the boat trip

The pleasure craft became more frequent, the snow more remote on the mountain tops, the houses on the shorelines more numerous and we made our way southward. 

There was a farewell party with champagne, group picture and folk dancing on the outdoor deck at the back of 7.  Last breakfast, last lunch, last salmon.  We chatted again with some Germans we met earlier on the trip and have actually exchanged email addresses.  Last kms around the deck.

Everything comes to an end and usually there are lineups involved.  Also here, but luggage was collected and we were bussed to our hotel in the city centre just across from the train station which we will need on Tuesday morning.

Virtually nothing is open in Bergen (or anywhere else in Norway) this weekend.  Even with google, it took 4 tries to find an open supermarket to get a few groceries for supper.  We have a Bergen Card which will get us into a lot of places free or highly discounted.  We will just need to see what tomorrow brings.

Norway 9 -- Trondheim again

So this time we arrived in Trondheim again early in the morning, but we had a scheduled city tour by bus and then a visit to the Nidaros Cathedral.  We actually drove to the area we had mistakenly walked last week -- there is a fortress there stemming from the time when Norway was defending itself from those warring Swedes.  The city was like a ghost town, it being the Easter holiday and almost everyone goes out of town to their cabin in the mountains.  One might find a cafe open but all the shops and even the grocery stores were all shut up tight.

Then we stopped at the cathedral.  It is an incredibly imposing stone structure in the gothic style constructed of soapstone.  It had spectacular stained glass windows and stone carvings.  These were first done by European masons as Norway had had no history of stone work when the church was started.   (No inside pictures allowed.) But the most important feature of the building is a magnificent Wagner organ, which is actually the first of two organ in the church -- total of 11,000 pipes.  Unfortunately, there was no music during the short time of our visit. That would be something worthy of a trip back to Trondheim.

The scenery has changed remarkably.  The mountains are more rounded, there is no snow at the lower levels and there are now trees again on many of the slopes.  Population density has increased and there are many more farms and flat places along the shore.  There is now an abundance of small watercrafts with marinas in most centres.

On a 'thank goodness' note, the captain spoke last evening and told us that up in the north where we were just a few days ago, storms have continued and snowfall is so great that most of the roads are closed, avalanche threats are everywhere and many of the small ports are closed.  I think I am glad to be on the southward journey.

Norway 8 -- Bronnoysund

Yes, today we have a very informative walk about in the town of Bronnysund which prides itself as being the middle of Norway.  There was a lovely Lutheran Church with 2 pipe organs, the registry office for anything official in all of Norway, and a nice little shop to sample elk, fish chips and chocolate with cloudberries.  So, today I talk about food.

We have eaten fabulously on this cruise.  Hurtigruten prides itself at sourcing the local specialities, right down to the sea salt with birch flavouring.  The fish is brought aboard fresh each day, they bake their own bread and cakes, they do vegetables in so many innovative ways -- hot and cold, their cheeses are superb, they do lovely mousses and have berries in every form.  I have had cod ("in cod we trust") and salmon (baked, poached, grilled, cured, smoked, pate, hot, cold, in salad, etc) and now can truly appreciate good fish.  We have been absolutely delighted by the treatment of beef and ox.  Lamb has been served dried and in a cured sausage.  There is always a vegetarian dish, usually well spiced in Indian, or Indonesian fashion.  They make their own crisp bread which is seeds and grains just barely held together.

At breakfast I have sampled 8 different jams/preserves.  Cloudberry, rhubarb, and raspberry are my favourites.  They have less sugar in their jams than is normal for North America and therefore a better acid balance.

This evening we had the gala 125th anniversary dinner of 5 courses -- cured meats, pea soup, cod, cheese, and  Norwegian Omelette (baked alaska).  Superb!  And for those of you wondering, Ian is feeling much better and was able to enjoy the feast.

And finally, we had, today, after we passed back over the Arctic Circle, the Norwegian product which children all over the world hated every morning -- cod liver oil.  But, there was a cool souvenir spoon!

Norway 7 -- Hammerfest

There seems to be a braggin battle between Hammerfest and Honnigsvag at to which is actually the most northern settlement.  I think it hinges on the term settlement or city or town.  In any case, we have been hanging around as north as it gets.  The scenery is incredibly stark, reminiscent of the Group of Seven paintings -- especially Lawren Harris.  The contrast of light and dark is amazing.

So in Hammerfest, there is a Royal and Ancient (1963) Polar Bear Society.  The object of this group is to preserve the tradition of hunting and fishing and maintain the museum to inform future generations.  For a one time fee of 200 NOK (about $37CDN) you can become a member for life and are invited to the annual membership meeting on the 3rd Sunday in January always held in Hammerfest.  It seemed a more worthwhile remembrance than a polar bear stuffie.

We sailed on, trying to catch up on time.  We were slow due to the storm the night before and battling the waves.  Also, the big Easter Holiday weekend is coming up and last evening in one port we were unloading 25 cars and bringing on 12 more as people head to their holiday destinations.  I like that this shipping line is functional for the locals as well as a pleasure for the tourists.

And it is becoming more of a pleasure for Ian again.  Now that we have the western offshore islands to protect us, the water is much calmer which means he no longer needs the motion sickness meds and therefore his tummy is much happier also.

We finished the night (or started the morning) with a midnight stop in Tromso where we boarded buses, drove over the bridge and attended a midnight concert at the Arctic cathedral.  It is an architecturally beautiful building -- very modern and open in its design, et with excellent warm and full acoustics.  The three musicians -- a baritone, a cellist and a organist/pianist -- delighted us with a selection of modern and classical pieces in the venue.  It was certainly worth staying up to attend.

This morning we continue west and south.  We now have the Lofoten islands protecting us on the west.  We just passed through an area where a channel had been dredged in 1922 to permit ships an inside passage through this area.  The natural depth is only 2 - 3 metres, but our ship draws 5.5.  Thankfully the channel, marked by a series of buoys, is maintained at 7 metres.

This space up on deck 7 which is officially Multe -- the bakery, is a wonderful area where one can get a coffee and purchase baked goods.  But it is also the play area.  Kids bring their own toys -- like the kids playing Minecraft lego-- or borrow some of the games, puzzles, or toys available.  There is usually at least one puzzle on the go on the table which conveniently has a small cove molding around the edge.  Anyone is welcome to come and join at any time.  It is also my favourite area to work on the cross stitch.  The light during the day is very good and the backdrop wonderful as I see the mountains and town sail past.  Conveniently located to the viewing area at the back of deck 7, I have gone out to the heated area to wait for a particular point of interest. 

Ah, it is snowing again here.  The weather is very localized and often it is sunny out one window and snowing and dark out the other side.  A very different and interesting landscape.

Norway 6 -- Kirkenes

Kirkenes, the final frontier. 

Not only is it the most eastern portion of Norway, it is the part that snuggles up to Russia and that certainly historically and even to the present, brings a unique situation.

Historically, the Pomorade trade (trade with the Pomors -- Russians from around the White Sea) brought prosperity to the north which was usually isolated from the rest of Norway.  The Russians were willing to take any amount of fish, even in less than perfect condition, and readily trade cheap flour and other essentials which were very expensive and infrequent, from the south.

Today, Kirkenes is still very connected to Russia -- the border is 17 km away.  This is still a major shopping location, now for the Russians to come and get cheap commercial goods and for the Norwegians to go across the border for cheap gas.  Signs in town are often in both languages.  There is a monument to the Russian soldier.  Kirkenes is another one of those northern towns bombed by the Germans in WWII due to its strategic position and an iron mine. 

It is not affected by the Gulf Stream as is the rest of the coast we have travelled.  This means that even now, there is ice in the fjord and we were an ice breaker in order to come into the harbour.  Everywhere there is at least a metre of snow and so little traffic on the roads that everything seem pristine white.

We were also in open sea most of the time. The storm last night had 70 km winds and 8 m swells.  The ship shudders as we drop from crest to trough.  Poor Ian is not a happy seafarer.

The waves also mean that we are now about 2 hr. behind schedule.  We go through snow squalls where you can't even see the water from the windows, and then a few minutes later, there will be bright sunshine on the white mountains.  A very imposing landscape.

Norway 5 -- Nordkapp

What do you expect when you go toward the pole?  Snow storm, of course.  In fact the storm was so bad it caused avalanches and the road to North Cape was closed causing the excursion which was to go there by bus, to be cancelled.  I had not planned on doing this, so it was not such a disappointment.  Instead, our expedition team took us on a walk of the town of Honnigsvag.  It was a small town, all destroyed during WWII except for the church.  It was in that building that the first people to resettle the town stayed while they rebuilt.  The architecture is simple and very efficient without ornamentation.  Ian tells me that this is what our northern towns look like also.

Speaking of Ian.  He is seasick -- not to the point of throwing up over the side (I took along both pills and some patches), but queasy enough to miss meals and just lie in bed.  It is amazing to see how the ship rocks and heaves when the waves don't seem very big at all.  Today we spent a good deal of time in the open sea -- going around the top of the country, so the people with the delicate constitutions found it a difficult day.

Today's lecture was on ship building here in Norway -- past to present and what is coming next.  They are just finishing the first hybrid ship which will run on electric only when it goes into the arctic and the antarctic where they wish to minimize their footprint. 

There is a picture puzzle table upstairs and anyone who wishes, sits down and puzzles a while.  There was a young German girl there today.  Also, whenever I pull out the heirloom, someone shows up to comment.  They love it and admire the dedication.  Nice people with which to interact.  But there are also the people who push in front and don't line up.  Just like anywhere else in the world.

Norway 4 -- Tromso

Well, we were roused from bed for good reason.  The Aurora was quite good.  Pictures do not do it justice, but we saw green and in some places purple also.  They didn't quite dance, but certainly moved around.  Although there was some high cloud, it was a good show.

Today we were introduced to the Sami culture.  Tromso is the gateway to the Arctic and it was interesting to walk around this university city.  It was more modern than we anticipated with a downtown much like all the other towns.  There are many new bridges that connect the islands and the mainland on the coast.  Oil money put to use.

We visited a local art gallery and the Polar museum which focuses on Arctic exploration, something the Norwegians did very well.  Amudsen is the local hero.  And then there was Henry Rudi -- the 'polar bear king', having killed 713 of them in his life.  Also of note was Wanny Woldstad who was the first female taxi driver in Tromso and then went on to become the first woman hunter on Svalbard.

Of interest is also that we are carrying more passengers who just are going from one small village here to another.  Many don't take overnight cabins.  This ship is more like a ferry service for them.  That's great to know it isn't just for us tourists.

Items of interest today:  a submarine just cutting the surface along the waterway between the coast and the outer islands, and an oil rig in the protected area for maintenance.

Every day seems to bring something special!

Norway 3 -- Bodo

OK, this is what we came for.

Twice last night -- at 11:15 and then again at 3:00 am, there was an announcement that there were some northern lights to be seen.  There was still quite a bit of high cloud, so it was not the sharp dancing ribbons, but it was varying green lights.  I hope that we will see them more clearly, but we have to lose the clouds.  I'm sitting here at our first stop in the Lofoten Islands and it is quite overcast.  The spectacular pictures will have to wait.  Mind you, hauling oneself out of bed and dressing in a hurry is not the nicest activity.  I will need to improve my preparation.

Our second Nordic activity took place at 07:19:56.  We crossed the Arctic Circle.  There was a small marker on a little island to mark the spot which a few of us noted at that hour of the morning on the deck.  However, the ceremony to mark the occasion did not take place until a civilized hour when everyone had a chance to breakfast.  We gathered up on the back part of deck 7, called for Neptune, and proceeded to have the 'Arctic Baptism' in 4 languages.  Neptune and the captain did the honours -- pour crushed ice down the back of the neck of all the brave.  Ian was very stoic and had no reaction, so they figured they needed to do it again.  The cruise director, congratulated him and called him a Viking.  Then he found out he was Canadian, and that explained everything.  There were still little ice pieces in our clothes by the time we retreated to our cabin to change (after a shot of cloudberry schnapps). Video of Ian's adventure is on my facebook page.  This picture is the aftermath in our room.

Bodo (sorry I haven't got the right letter for the second 'o') was our longer stop for the day.  Here there is still ice everywhere on the sidewalks and that makes for very cautious walking.  I happened upon the Domkirche -- the local cathedral -- a very different structure.  From the outside it looks like an old abandoned factory, and inside it is light and wood and fabulous stained glass.  Sometimes I regret that the church in Scandanavia is Protestant, I do love the catholic cathedrals with their ornamentation. 

The scenery now is very bleak with only a few houses perched on little flat pieces of land at the foot of some of the mountains.  Many of the huge rocks strewn in the ocean off the coast, have no visible inhabitants.  The map shows roads along the coast, but they are not highly travelled.

Every evening, our dinner (served) comes with a history and explanation of the main ingredients.  The food is fantastic and locally sourced.  As a showcase for Norwegian Coastal cuisine, it is great.  This evening we started with a special local herring, had a fork-tender roast beef for main and finished with a chocolate mousse paired with a rhubarb compote (yes, rhubarb).  It worked amazingly well!  I have been enjoying the rhubarb compote with cheese at breakfast and lunch and would not have believed that it paired so well with chocolate.  Live and learn!

Norway 2 Trondheim

Our cabin is working out well.  We are not disturbed by the night-time stops and starts (thank goodness) and thus slept well. 

Trondheim did not show its best side to us.  Mostly it was our fault for not being absolutely clear with each other as to where we wanted to go and therefore we ended up nowhere we wanted to be.  We did, however, get a good walk with a nice view of the city from above.  We saw that there has always been significant money here as there were neighbourhoods of large stately homes.  Boarding schools must have been (maybe still are) the norm for the well-to-do and we walked past a number of them on the hill.  The waterfront is a busy place and there is an extensive train network hub on the harbour as well.  We will be stopping in Trondheim again on the way back south, so I hope we will make a better plan for that visit.

The lectures on board have been varied and appropriate.  Today we had a talk about Vikings from our cruise director who spent 25 years as a 'Viking' with his own viking ship which was featured in a number of documentaries.  It is always fascinating to hear about history and another culture from a totally different perspective than the Canadian one. 

Each evening there is a discussion of the next day's destinations and highlights.  Even just cruising, there are noteworthy sights like the lighthouse today.  This octagonal structure is 20 metres high and sits on a rock which is under water for part of each day.  It is automated now, but was formerly the residence of a lighthouse keeper and his family including 3 children and their tutor.  On stormy days, the kids were tied with a rope when they ventured outside so as not to be swept away.  Can't imagine living like that.

Most times we cruise between the outer islands and the mainland for protection.  However, at some points each day we must venture out to the open sea.  These open sea times are noted on our daily program sheets so anyone with mal de mer can take appropriate action.  I have only seen one poor soul wretching over the railing.  We have been shown how to 'waddle' to maintain stability when the boat sways.  It is a strange feeling to have the ground sway under foot, but I am getting the hang of it.

Norway 1

What is an adventure?  Some would say that all of life every day qualifies as an adventure as there are no guarantees even in our most regular activities.  I tend to reserve the term for those activities which or new to me or very outside my regular routines.  In this context, our flight from Stockholm to Bergen in Norway marked the beginning of our latest adventure.

Bergen is a different city -- second largest in Norway at 250,000 inhabitants.  It has a crescent shape around a bay with the oldest part of the city at the center which also houses the old port facilities.  The Bryggen district has buildings dating back to the 900s and some of them certainly look it.  We had about 24 hours in Bergen and will get a chance to explore it further after our cruise.

On Tuesday afternoon, we deposited our luggage, them checked in and finally boarded the Kong Harald boat of the Hurtigruten fleet.  Their ships have been cruising the length of Norway's fjord coast for 125 years, being the mail, passenger and goods delivery system to the far north.  We chose their cruise as it would sail the full length of the coast, all the way over the top and to Kirkenes which is 10 km from the Russian border.  It is a 12 day cruise (including the return to Bergen) and we are guaranteed to see Northern Lights, or we get a free cruise.  Hurtigruten prides itself in the authentic Norwegian experience in terms of food, lectures and excursions.The Norwegian fjord cruise is Ian's 60th birthday wish.

We departed Bergen at 22:30 after a wonderful buffet meal.  There was fish of all kind, reindeer and lamb and beef and cheeses aplenty.  Successful for all tastes.  The ship can accommodate 590 passengers and so is much smaller than the 3500 people apartment buildings that parked themselves outside our window in Ponta Delgada last month.  Level 5 deck is the 'walk around the ship' deck.  One circuit is 250m.  Level 5 is also our cabin deck and the rescue assembly deck.  Convenient!

After dinner there was a presentation of Frilufsliv -- the Norwegian passion for the outdoors.  It's about as close to a national philosophy as one gets.  It is supported by the education system starting with the youngest children.  Even the law allows anyone to camp on any land a few nights, whether it belongs to them or not.  And Nature is always close at hand. 

Our cabin has a window (nice) and two comfortable beds.  Both are fold down and can be stowed during the day for convenience and extra sitting space.  There are sufficient plugs and storage spaces, i.e. an efficient and satisfactory room.  I slept very well.  Ian did hear some of the noises of our dockings during the night.

Each day there is one stop where the ship will spend a few hours in dock.  Today that was Alesund.  There are numerous excursions possible through the cruise company and we had booked the Art Nouveau walk.  Alesund was 85% burned to the ground in 1905 during a January night.  Rebuilding started almost immediately and since it was just at the time of the Norwegian independence from Sweden, it became the embodiment of the new nationalism.  Architects from all over Europe flocked to Alesund bringing with them the clean lines of the Art Nouveau style and marrying it to the Norse symbols which were the artistic expression of the new country.  The building was in stone and in many cases used the beautiful granite of the area.  Carved rock figures and norse designs abound on the streets of the planned city.

It has rained most of the day, but that doesn't stop the locals -- or us.  There is a lot of wet gear drying in the room, but I was warm and dry the whole trip. 

It has started as a very interesting and enjoyable adventure!