Category: 2014 Scandinavia

The Plan

Your floating hotel sails at 6:00pm, giving you another full day to soak up the sights of St. Petersburg. FB,L,D

Some Information

The Peterhof Palace is 32 km west of St Petersburg on the Gulf of Finland and is the brainchild of Peter the Great.  Peterhof was severely damaged during World War II when it was occupied by the Germans, and was completely gutted in 1944 when they blew it up as they retreated.  The German invasion happened very quickly and so the sculptures were buried to protect them rather than store them in another location.  Pre-war photos and drawings were of invaluable help during restoration, which took several decades but has finally been completed.  The magnificent chandeliers and paintings are originals, which were carried away into safekeeping during the hostilities. The 150 fountains in the 1000-hectare park get drained for the winter, but today is sunshine and summer to enable us to enjoy their splendor.  Peterhof was just a summer palace and so there is no restored heating here. During the winter all the sculptors around the fountains are covered in timber devices to protect them during the severe weather that comes to Russia.

How the Day Turned Out

We arrive at St Petersburg to a very cold day; forecast is for rain, and strong cold winds. After breakfast, we go to the ‘marshalling yards’ to get sorted into our groups for the day’s excursion. While waiting, I feel this feeling that tells me that my day is about to be interrupted – again. We go through Russian Immigration and onto our bus. After 5 minutes or so, I know I have to get off the bus and return to the ship due to strong vertigo. I left Lyn to do the tour to Peterhof Palace where she has wanted to return to since we were here in October 2012.

As far as detail for today’s excursion, I cannot give you but will use some other information we have on the Palace. Enjoy the photos!

Our second day in St Petersburg, we spend on the ship. Lyn has a pamper package to ‘put up with’ and then a acupuncture treatment to hopefully ‘kill’ the tooth pain she has had for 2-3 months. It seems to work as the intensity has worn off somewhat.

It becomes apparent that we should book for the main restaurant earlier than we tried as the only times are 5:30pm (too early) and 9:00pm (too late). The Tamarind Restaurant has a Pan-Asian cuisine evoking the rich culinary traditions of Southeast Asia, China and Japan. It is mid-ship on deck 11 with a magnificent view as we leave St Petersburg. I have ordered ‘salt-free’ and I get the best meal I have had on this trip. I am not a ‘food writer’ – yet, but after that meal, I just may do a bit on the side, too.

On our return to our room, we stop off at the sports bar to watch the Australia Holland World Cup Soccer, which was attended by a number of Aussies. Great game and a good result considering. Then another dizzy hit me and we were back in the room fairly quickly instead of going to the show for the night – a Russian gymnast doing his thing.

The Plan

Today you will have the opportunity to explore Tallinn and its historic Old Town. FB,L,D

Some Information

My thoughts on Tallinn in Estonia were not formed prior to our arrival this morning. I thought it was just going to be ‘another European city’ with churches and museums. And perhaps it is, but they were not prominent. Yes, visitors would use the spire of the Church of the Holy Spirit as a point of reference but it wasn’t ‘in your face’ dominant.

Tallinn has had a rather mixed history with the first traces of human settlement found in Tallinn’s city centre by archaeologists about 5000 years ago. In 1050 the first fortress was built on Tallinn Toompea.

Tallinn has always been an important port for trade between Russia and Scandinavia. It became a target for the expansion of the Teutonic Knights and the Kingdom of Denmark during the period of the Northern Crusades in the beginning of the 13^th century when Christianity was forcibly imposed on the local population. The Danes ruled Tallinn and Northern Estonia beginning in 1219.

The city has had the name of Reval even way back in 1285. The Danes sold Reval along with their other land possessions in northern Estonia to the Teutonic Knights in 1346. This was when medieval Reval enjoyed a strategic position at the crossroads of trade between Western and Northern Europe and Russia. Then, the city with a population of 8,000 was very well fortified with city walls and 66 defence towers. After World War II started, Estonia was annexed by the Soviet Union in 1940, and later occupied by Nazi Germany from 1941 to 1944. After the Nazi retreat in 1944, it was again annexed by the USSR. After annexation into the Soviet Union, Tallinn became the capital of the Estonian SSR.

During the 1980 Summer Olympics held in Moscow, the sailing events were held at Pirita, just close to the centre of Tallinn. In August 1991, an independent democratic Estonian state was re-established and a period of quick development of a modern European capital ensured.

How the Day Turned Out

When we arrived in Tallinn this morning, the weather was fine but cold. The ship has many excursions available but we decide to take a hop-on hop-off 24-hour bus pass that enables to do 3 different tours with commentary in English. This a rather good way to see a city quickly and still get enough informative comments along the way. We pass many older buildings and many that have been done up since the Russian occupation and earlier.

The city contains 23% of parkland and we enjoy the lush green we had become accustomed to in Norway. Quite old trams are a means of transport in this city and so wide boulevards exist. The red double decker buses are very busy today as there are two largish cruise ships in port. The port is quite close to the old town centre. There are two distinct skylines here with a skyline of older buildings, and a more modern but not plentiful array of recently constructed buildings.

We take two hop-on hop-off bus routes. The first is around in the city centre which I cannot comment too much on as I dropped off to sleep. Not a good idea to pay money to go to sleep on a tour of a city. The second or ‘green’ route took us more out of the city to the suburbs and we pass the location where the mass choirs of Tallinn perform. These choirs often have 20,000 singers performing to audiences of well over 100,000. It was really the choirs that managed to get rid of the Russian occupation as the Estonians didn’t have an army but had had a history of large choirs creating havoc to the forces of Russian power. You see, armies don’t like killing large numbers of people singing songs together about unity for their own good.

It was good to see the suburban ‘backyards’ set in very green parklike areas. Lovely country-style roads in suburbia were experienced. The yachting competition of the 1980 Moscow Olympics was held just close to Tallinn old city. The competitors’ accommodation is now a Casino and accommodation building and is now a ‘talking’ point for the tour guides. After the tour, we walk through the old town browsing the gift and souvenir shops interspersed with many cafes and restaurants. I feel like a hot chocolate and some cake. We sit down in a sidewalk café and are dished a choc Latino with a large amount of coffee included. The cake turned out to be a small chocolate truffle. (I don’t know what a chocolate truffle is but now I know not to order one when I want a piece of chocolate cake).

We browsed a nice shop that was full of beautiful glass blobs with pictures of animals and face engraved on the back of them through which light is shone to enhance the drawing in the glass. There are many amber stone shops. I learn that a contained piece of amber is one which, when found, ‘contained’ an insect of some sort.

To return to the ship, we take a bicycle taxi. The guy doing all the work, recognized that we were ‘from a different country’ and gives us an extra tour of some of the parklands on the route to the ship. He speaks good English, but didn’t understand some of our Australian. (Our Estonian is extremely poor).

When back on the ship, we have some lunch and Lyn gets her nails repaired.

The Plan

Spend a leisurely day on board the ms Eurodam and familiarise yourself with the ship’s extensive facilities of simply relax on deck. FB,L,D

How the Day Turned Out

Because we will be out of range of free Wifi and the ship’s internet connection is .75 per minute, the posts will not necessarily be posted daily from now on.

Getting on a cruise boat is just a little different in boarding an international flight. There is no luggage weight allowance and we have to receive keys to rooms. A declaration of our current health status is signed and our accounts are all confirmed for use on board. All the staff is friendly and happy to have us join them on the cruise.

The Eurodam is a Holland America ship and is in a fleet of 15 vessels. It was built in 2008, cost $447 million dollars and weights in at 87,000 tonnes. There are 929 crew serving 2104 passengers. Total number of meals each day is in the vicinity of 12,000 meals, yes, some have more than 3. Who wouldn’t? They are all included.

We set sail at 4:30pm, a little later than planned, as a group of people couldn’t leave the airport before declaring their lost baggage in transit. Those passengers have been fitting themselves out with clothing from the on-board shop to get them to the next port, Tallinn in Estonia, before their luggage catches up with them – they hope. On exiting Copenhagen, a wind-farm located in the ocean on our right, is spinning away creating electricity for the power grid.

Our first full day on board is a full day at sea. We are travelling along at just 12 knots in calm waters with blue sky. There are many ‘shows’ and learning experiences held today. Information about the coming ports is provided and what day excursions are available in Tallinn and St Petersburg. Lyn and I went to a Microsoft seminar on how to use the digital cameras; more for Lyn than myself but Lyn picked up some pointers. There is time on the sundeck although the temperature is a bit on the chilly side.

We take an afternoon nap before I take an acupuncture appointment to see if that type of treatment will help my Meniere’s disease. My therapist Brad, has treated ‘at least 10’ with Meniere’s saying that some had had no positive response at all. However, he inserted 18 needles around my body and I lay there for 30 minutes or so. Brad said that by being on holiday in a relaxed mood like on a cruise, acupuncture seems to have a higher success rate. So this will be an interesting exercise. I have the option of 2 or 3 further treatments to get them at a discounted ‘cruise’ rate.

It didn’t take long to realise that we had left Norway – the food, in presentation and in quality, hit the top of the scale at the first meal. The attendants are all friendly and welcoming and do take care of us very well.

Tomorrow, we berth at Tallinn in Estonia. Our plan is to get around on our own and hopefully get back to the ship early to enjoy the great lifestyle.

The Plan

Today join us for an Included city tour of Copenhagen.  This afternoon choose one of the following Included SCENIC FREE CHOICE tours: (1) enjoy a harbour cruise of Copenhagen’s romantic canals; or (2) visit the Carlsberg Brewery.  SENIC ENRICH: Tonight we enjoy a memorable dinner at the local restaurant in the Tivoli area. FB,HD

Some Information

Denmark’s population is 5.6 million.  Greater Copenhagen’s population is nearly 2 million.     Over the years, Copenhagen has been known to be a fishing, merchant, agriculture town.  It heads the gateway to the Baltic Sea.  There are over 94,000 students in its universities and they come from all over the world.  Known as a bicycle city, bicycles have right of way even over pedestrians. When you cross the street, watch out for fast moving silent bicycles that just may bowl you over.

Denmark is a constitutional monarchy and consequently has no president. There is a Danish Queen as head of royalty and her husband is French. A single chamber government governs the country. The government is made up of 179 members from 8 different political parties. Currently, a minority government is in power.

How the Day Turned Out

For us, the day starts out a bit embarrassing as the clock on our TV is running 10 minutes slow.  This means breakfast is rushed before the commencement of our tour of the city in our coach.  Our driver is John and our city guide is Anne.  Anne speaks very good English and at times I think of her as a storyteller to elementary school students telling the fables of Hans Christian Anderson.

A city tour is a time when you get to see the major attractions of the city and a little of the history of it.  Copenhagen’s fortress has literally been re-built three times after citywide fires.  The first fortress had wooden chimneystacks and burned down after 50 years. The new fortress also had wooden chimneystacks and burned down again after a further 50 years.

Denmark is well known as a maritime nation with 10% of ships at sea having been built here in Denmark and 20% of all ships have bits and pieces that were designed and created in Denmark. However, there is very little ship building in Denmark today. There will be 400 calls by cruise ships during this summer.

We visit the Rosenborg Castle to check out all the artifacts and wealth of past monarchs. We also visit the residences of the monarch and the next in line, and just as we arrive, the queen is on her way out for an engagement. The flag on the roof has come down but the flag on the roof of Prince Frederick is waving which indicates that he is home with his wife Princess Mary from Tasmania. The changing of the guard takes place while we are being told of the formalities of the residences.

We pass the stock exchange, the parliament and various other old buildings of note that enhance the history of Denmark. On the banks of the river, are some more modern buildings, a marked contrast indeed; one being called the black diamond because when the sun shines on the black glass windows, there is a twinkling similar to a diamond.

Lunch is a ‘buy at a café’ before we board a canal boat for a tour of the city from the water level. We pass lots of colorfully painted houses and houseboats along the way.

Our time is now free until 6:30pm so we choose to walk back to the hotel along the car free street in the direction of the hotel. It sure is a busy city, with many buskers doing their craft to enhance the visit to the city by the many tourists. Four of us stop at the best hotel in the world. It is called Hotel Chocolate. Mmmmm! Chili hot chocolate sounds interesting and, it is very nice.

The Tivoli Gardens is the chosen place for our Scenic Tours farewell dinner. The area of Tivoli Gardens is a fairytale experience for all ages taking up a very large section of the city. There are roller coaster rides and show-like games with many restaurants to enjoy. We take a stroll around the gardens before our evening meal arriving back at our hotel around 11:00pm.

Senior’s Moment of the Day

Bob was so kind. On our return from the canal excursion, we stopped but the Hotel Chocolate for a taste of Danish Hot Chocolate – would you believe, chili Hot Chocolate.  His benevolence exceeded his intentions as he went to pay for the experience.  What a pity  the cashier didn’t accept his room key as payment.

The Plan

We  farewell the west coast of Norway and travel through the highest mountain range in Norway.  We enjoy a visit to the beautifully maintained medieval stave church in Lom, before continuing to Lillehammer. FB,D Overnight Stay: Lillehammer

Some Information

The vest has been retrieved.

How the Day Turned Out

We are sad to leave Geiranger today, as it has been the highlight of the tour so far. As you have seen from the photos, Norway does have some beautiful scenery. You can click your camera every minute and you will have postcard type pictures to share and brag about.

It is raining as we depart the hotel and make our way up the many switchbacks out of the fjord that we now call ‘ours’. Once up the long climb we head out of the snow area into lush countryside again where the evidence of a great growing season can be enjoyed. We pass orchards and open farmland with the traditional red buildings for the animals and farm equipment and white buildings for human habitation.

We stop for a break at the town of Lom. Here is the first church we have entered for the whole tour. (Norway prides itself in the beauty of nature rather than the building set for worship.)

This church is a quaint ‘stave’ church, which means it is timber throughout but the foundations are stone. No part of the timber is against or in soil. This reduces rot and degradation of the timber. The church was built in 1158 and still stands. There are only 29 churches in the world known as ‘stave’ churches with all, except one in Poland, being in Norway.

Initially, the walls did not have windows so the cold did not affect the congregation too much and they all used to stand for the service period. Windows were installed in the 17^th century.

The entrance way was dark with the choir section the brightest part of the sanctuary, portraying the sinner in darkness being led into the light of God’s presence. The church service used to take 2 to 3 hours. The money collected was stored under the floor of the church.

Prior to 1537, the whole of Norway was Catholic and it was after the revolution that the country became Lutheran Christian. In 1634, pews were installed. The reason why the women sat on the right side of the church was because Christ put Mary on his right hand side. Of course, men had to sit on the left.

In the 19^th century, someone donated the organ, which is still used today. And the electric heating was installed in the floor in 1970. When the installation took place, the archaeologists were called in to identify the coins found in the foundation area and also to survey the remnants of an even older wooden church that was built into the ground below.

Well, back on the bus and have lunch down the road a bit. Our group finds some bits and pieces in the Kiwi Mini Mart. I notice a guy pushing a plastic bottle through a hole of a machine. We work out that he must have an account and a credit for recycling bottles returned, was given against his purchases for the day.

Then it is on to Lillehammer through some lush green meadows again. In Lillehammer we go direct to the out door museum called Maihaugen. It is a re-enactment of history and the guides take us into a few of the buildings. Yes, a second stave church for the day. This one has doors on the end of the pews to keep the congregation warm. (I thought it might be to keep the sinners in). We visit a schoolhouse and are given a ‘jovial’ time of going back in life and becoming students again. What a hard taskmaster our guide is, and would have been, had he been a teacher in the day.

From here we are guests in a farmhouse and shown various practices of the family; where the individuals would be sat at the table, and for what reason, and other little ‘family’ secrets were told.

Our accommodation is in a very unique hotel overlooking the city. Sadly, we are not shown anything of the goings on in the town during the Winter Olympics, just a few years ago. We notice the ski jump close to the town, but no mention of it is made.

Once in the room, I start to have another Meniere’s attack and so that is why this post is 24 hours late. I was in no fit state to eloquently write a post. Sorry for that. Each day, I try to have it posted by 10:00pm our time for it to be ready for those in Australia at 6:00am the next day their time.

Seniors Moment

While Lyn S was shopping for lunch in the supermarket, she thought she was buying butter. It turned out to be yeast.

We were in the farmhouse at Maihaugen and Lyn H asked why a door was larger than the doorway. the guide was a bit put off and appeared not to know the reason why. When the door was closed, it was able to fit into the doorway, no problem.

The Plan

Today’s Included excursion takes us on a cruise of the magnificent Geiranger Fjord.  Sail past the ‘Seven Sisters’, ‘The Suitor’, and ‘The Bridal Veil’ waterfalls.  This afternoon we travel the 11 hairpin turns of the famous Trollstigen, or Troll’s ladder road, for spectacular and unforgettable scenery.  Take the time to let yourself be embraced by the majestic landscape of this region.

Some Information

Norway has the highest cost of living in the world. Because Norway has some of the most beautiful scenery around, they believe they don’t have to provide any incentives for us to visit by building big-roomed five star resorts. And so, they only provide the bare necessities.  There are very few five star hotels or resorts in the country but there are many three star hotels with 10 star views and locations.

A new saying or two

Spruce is an energy vampire.

Jolly river is enjoying itself.

Savage mountains

How the Day Turned Out

I thought of just saying one word for this section but the word ‘magnificent’ is not the highest-ranked word in the dictionary for the day’s outing we had today, and I can’t find the right one.

A ferry is waiting close to our hotel this morning to take us along the Geiranger Fjord. There are seven waterfalls we view, the 7 sisters are showing off with a brilliant rainbow. We pass three cruise ships, the ‘Celebrity Infinity’ and the ‘MSC Magnifica’, and a smaller one ‘Berlin’, each bound for Geiranger to view the sights we had seen from the mountaintops yesterday.  This is such a beautiful Fjord.

From the arrival port of Hellesylt, our bus takes us through a few tunnels and climbs altitude to some breathtaking views. No matter where you look, you can see either high solid granite mountains or a fjord down below. We arrive at Stranda for another shorter ferry trip across a fjord to Liabygda. From here, we drive along the shore of the fjord passing orchards and strawberry gardens.  At Sylte we turn and head into some very nice territory; lush and rich in colour. A stop is made at a very ‘jolly’ waterfall for a rest and some photo shooting time.

Our destination today is to the Stigfossen Waterfall on The Trollstigen Road. A decision is made to drive down the switchbacks, take a photo stop and sing happy birthday and drink some Estonian snapps, to Alan. We then drive the many switchbacks back to the top to the visitors’ center to have lunch and take another photo stop. Alan says it’s the best birthday present he has ever received.

Our fearless Swedish driver says he has never driven the roads we are on, but one would never know.

Our return to Geiranger is back the same road to Sylte but join a different ferry to cross the fjord to Eidsdal. From here we travel towards Geiranger and take the 11 switchbacks into the town. Because there are 3 cruise ships in the village, there are many buses going up and down this portion of the road to various photo shot spots along the way. Nic does exceptionally well ‘missing’ other mirrors on the other buses without tipping us over the cliff.

 The Plan

This morning we travel alongside mountains that are home to Jostedalsbreen, the largest icefield in continental Europe covering 487 square kilometres. SCENIC ENRICH:  We will visit one of the most photographed and impressive arms of the icefield, Briksdalsbreen, where we will have a truly Norwegeian experience and be taken by ‘trollycar’ up the glacier for a spectacular view of the glacier and magnificent waterfall.  We will continue via Stryn to Dalsnibba for unforgettable views of Geiranger Fjord (weather permitting) before arriving at our hotel. FB,D Two Night Special Stay: Geiranger

Some Information

There are many years of oil ‘stored’ on the shelf of the North Sea with many more years of gas supplies available.  In 1959, the discovery of gas by Netherlands changed thinking towards oil finds in the North Sea. And so exploration in Norwegian territory, commenced with permission only given by the crown. The first ‘find’ was made in 1967 and the second in 1969.  The biggest find is 3192 meters below the sea bed. Pipelines were built direct to the UK and Germany. The output varies each year but roughly the output is 100-500 billion litres for each of the last 4 years.  The oil fields provide 3% of the national employment but provides 25% of the nations GDP.  There are 33 billion krone held in reserves and the country does not have a national debt.

How the Day Turned Out

We set out early and leave the lovely little village of Balestrand where whenever we woke during the night, you could take a photo and think it was around 7:00am in Australia during the winter. I said in my post yesterday, that I would be up at 2:00am to wander around taking photos. Well, that never happened.

After a short ferry ride with the bus aboard, our journey takes us through many tunnels. Each tunnel exit presents us with a dramatic scene, which we all clamour to take photos of. The reflections are spot on and at times unbelievable.

As we are travelling, I feel a menieres attack coming on. By the time we arrived at the Briksdalsbreen Glacier, I am in a full spin and can’t take the ride to view the glacier. Never mind, I managed to take a rest for an hour. However, today is a bad day for Lyn though, as her camera has decided not to work. It’s like a ‘death in the family’, as she enjoys using the camera to capture the brilliant scenes that we are enjoying.

Lunch is taken at Briksdalsbreen before a different episode of this tour commences. We climb up and around many switchbacks to new countryside. We are above the tree-line and all there is, is unmelted snow from the winter season. A lake that is over 800 meters deep still has a thick layer of ice on it. Our driver, Nick from Sweden, is doing a fantastic job as we wind up the switchbacks to a location we have probably all seen on postcards or movies. Before us is the majestic Geiranger Fjord. There are two cruise ships, the ‘Aurora’ and ‘Ocean Princess’, moored near the shore with tender boats ferrying passengers back to the ship for their onward journey this evening.

Our room is allocated to us on the 4^th floor with a “view to kill for”. The situation and view reminds us of Lake Louise and Milford Sound all wrapped up together.

Our evening meal is buffet with probably 5 coach loads of passengers arriving for the meat at the same time – meal-time bedlam. But the desserts are very special.

Tomorrow, we explore more of this majestic fjordland of Norway.

Seniors Moments – Door Matters

The other day, I came back to the room to brush my teeth and the door wouldn’t click open.  Suddenly, it opened. The lady wondered about my sanity, and I did too.  My room was two doors down the passage.

As we were coming back to the room from breakfast yesterday, I noticed this elderly lady having trouble getting into her room.  I thought it best to go help her.  Before trying to turn the key myself, I checked the number of the key tag.  It was 770 and she was trying to get into 670. “Bl…. hopeless me”, she said. I offered to help guide her to the lift.  She says, “Just don’t tell anyone, will you.” I hope she doesn’t mind that it is I who writes the daily post and I needed some more raw material.

The Plan

This morning, start your journey by train from Bergen to Myrdal where we change trains and continue on the world-famous Flam railway.  Amid spectacular scenery and roaring waterfalls we will descend 900 metres to the picturesque village of Flam.  From here we enjoy a gorgeous fjord cruise to Balestrand where our hotel is located waterside at the junction of the Sognefjord and Esefjord. FB,D Overnight Special Stay: Balestrand

How the Day Turned Out

Our itinerary says we have just done Day 5 of 10. Of the 5 days, 3 have been full of postcard pictures at almost every turn. Today is no exception as we board our electric train to Myrdal where we change trains to the famous Flam railway. There are lots of those Norge mountain scenes which we have all seen and wondered at in times past, but to be ‘in it’ is a real privilege.

Myrdal is situated on a mountain plateau, and we have been warned to have warm clothing ready as often the temperature is way below freezing point but fortunately, for us, not today. The Flam railway train is waiting for us. Our seats have been pre-registered which enables us to be in the one compartment on the train. There are 10 carriages, with a second engine on the back.

For all the technical buffs, here are a few facts about the railway:

Year of completion 1940

Length 20.20km

Altitude Difference 863.6 meters

Steepest Grade 1:18

Brake systems 5

Tunnels 20

Bridges 1

Water Tunnels 4

Stops and halts during the 1 hour ride – 8

Time to build it – 20 years

Cost – 20 Million Krone

Cost if built today – 20 billion Krone, per kilometer.

While travelling down the very steep slop towards Flam, the train brakes are continually on. For all my fellow menieres disease sufferers, I have found a temporary cure for tinnitus; ride the Flam and experience high screeching and so, for a short period, no tinnitus.There are many waterfalls along the way. If only we were here a month ago when the snow-melt was at its highest, the waterfalls would have been a real treat to behold.

The train meanders down from the high plateau through tunnels and makes a stop at the mighty Kjosfoss, a waterfall whose spray showers the train with its fine mist. We get out and take the “selfie” (that didn’t turn out ok at all) and get our camera lenses dampened from the waterfall mist. As the train gets close to Flam, we see orchards and meadows in the valley.

We are given free time in Flam to wander through the train museum, have lunch and just stand in awe at the high cliffs that go straight down into the water many many meters below. Large cruise ships can come into this fjord, it is so deep.

Our hydro-ferry is waiting to take us to Balestrand, just 90 minutes down the fjord. We check into the Kviknes Hotel and have the best buffet meal we have had on the tour so far. The view from the table is one you would die for as we look out over the water and up the fjord. After the meal, we wander along the quiet streets of the village looking for vantage spots to take photos and to remember them for tomorrow morning’s early, early morning photo shoot I plan to do on my own: would you believe it is light enough at 2:00am? Look for the next post to see the results.

Thank-you Scenic Tours, a great day for all of us.