WEDNESDAY 29TH - SKJOLDEN

A very successful day, particularly because it didn't rain as forecast. According to our guide on this morning's excursion, any day in Norway which doesn't rain is a good day. Having said that, it was pretty cool but we were dressed for that.

 

Skjolden is at the head of the Lustrafjord one of the longest in Norway. On the way up the fjord this morning we passed the waterfall above. It was impressive enough to take a photo. It turns out that it is the highest waterfall in Norway.

This morning's excursion took us to the Jostedal Glacier National park where we saw the foot of the Nigardsbreen Glacier. We couldn't get particularly close to it in the time allowed and heard the usual story about glaciers about how it has been retreating in recent years. Having said that, the ice field from which it flows, the Jostedal Glacier is the largest in mainland Norway.

Nearby is the very impressive Breheim Glacier Centre an information centre about glaciers.

 The landscape here makes the ship look tiny.

 

After returning to the ship for lunch, we braved the cold and walked into the town itself. Nothing exciting to report although it is a very national park activity orientated town.

We wake up in Molde tomorrow.

TUESDAY 28TH - EIDFJORD

Yet another fascinating place. Eidfjord is the name of a small town at the end of the Hardangerfjord Fjord at the foot of spectacular near vertical mountains. As you might expect, the ship completely dwarfs the town.

On the way up the fjord, we went under a 55 metre clearance bridge. If the ship lowers its rear mast, it is 54 metres in height. We made it

Given that there is very little to do or see by simply walking off the ship, we participated in a Holland America excursion to the huge Hardanger Mountain Plateau. Our first stop was the Voringsfossen Waterfall which cascades almost 600 feet into the valley below. The air temperature was a little cool at 2 degrees but, as the Norwegians say, there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothes. Fortunately we had suitable clothing for the conditions.

From there, we climbed further up the mountains to the Sysen Dam, part of a very substantial hydro power generation scheme.

 

Our final stop was the Hardangeridda Nature and Wildlife Centre an excellent presentation on Norway's nature and wildlife. Large herds of reindeer live on the Plateau but generally make themselves scarce so we didn't see any, other than as represented in the Centre.

 

A common roofing system in the local area is to plant the roof with grass and small plants. They solve the problem of how to keep growth under control by putting some goats on the roof.

 

After returning from the excursion, we walked the local area, did some souvenir shopping and, of course, sampled the local brew. 

 

SUNDAY 26TH MAY - AMSTERDAM AGAIN

Yes, we are back in Amsterdam The cruise we are doing is actually two cruises back to back. The first was the Baltic Sea. The second is the fjords of Norway Today is change over day for those not doing both cruises.

Given that we have seen most things one can see within walking distance of the cruise terminal, we took an excursion to Zaanse Schans where we learnt a lot about windmills and the various purposes for which they have been used over time. Extremely interesting.

The windmills are located in a restored historical village where a number of craftsmen work including clog makers.

 

We also got an insight into the local cheese making industry.

One of the secrets of success of the local cheese industry is the incredibly lush paddocks in which the cows graze. The Netherlands is a water logged country, so much so that all paddocks are below sea level and are drained into ditches from which water is pumped into canals at a significantly higher level than the ditches. Dykes act as dams to keep the canal and river water from flowing back into the paddocks.

 

From there we went to the delightful village of Edam, in historic times the home of rich merchants who lived and worked in the area. Very cute.

 

We noticed these buses which attached themselves to overhead charging stations while waiting at their terminus – presumably battery powered electric buses.

Tomorrow is another sea day before four days of different Norwegian ports.

FRIDAY 24TH - AARHUS

We are in Aarhus today, the second largest city in Denmark. It is said that it rains or snows once every two days here and, sadly, we struck a rainy day, the first of our cruise so we can't complain.

We still managed some exploration of the city although we didn't get as far as we wanted to. This is a city of contrasts – the very modern

and the very historic.

 

The old city has its share of quaint houses

and historic churches. This church was built in the 1200's but it was only discovered during some renovations in 1959 that it has an underground crypt.

The city also has an Australian Bar. It was closed when we went past it so we didn't see how it was decorated.

Tomorrow is another sea day before returning to Amsterdam for a changeover. We stay on for the Norwegian segment.

THURSDAY 23RD MAY - HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEB

Today we celebrated Deb's birthday in Kiel, another German port. Because it was an important port during the second world war, it was comprehensively bombed so the “old town” no longer exists. All of the buildings in what was the old town originally established in 1230, were rebuilt in the 1950'sincluding the very impressive church of St. Nikolai.

It is the access point for Hamburg, several hours away so like Berlin, we didn't go. Hamburg needs much more than several hours.

 

There seems to be a Kyle connection in the city in that there is a Tom Kyle brauhaus (beer house) right in the centre and

the name of the city in old German is Kyl.

We had our usual beer of the country before returning to the ship, this time a Flensburger.

We also got to sit in one of those ridiculous beach chairs we saw so many of on the beach at Warnemunde.

Why would they describe their German Naval Yards in English? 

 

 Tomorrow we will be in Denmark at Arrhus.

TUESDAY 21ST - STOCKHOLM

What a fascinating place. To get there, we had to sail through the Stockholm Archipelago “with more than 30,000 islands, ancient fishing villages and centuries old towns, inviting coves, cliffs and soft sand beaches”. It took four hours for the ship to get from the port of Stockholm to the open sea.

There were numerous waterfront properties in idyllic settings. Obviously a boat is an essential means of transport.

Water is a constantly recurring theme in the cities we are visiting. Finland claims to have the most fresh water in the world.

 

Stockholm is constructed on a series of islands. The island on which the old town is located is described as a cork restricting the flow of water from the vast lakes to its west to the Baltic Sea to its east. Even restricted, the flow is significant. Where else can you fish for salmon in the middle of a city?

Because the port is some distance from the city, we once again used the Hop On Hop Off bus to get around. When its communication system is working, it is a valuable source of information and is an easy way of working out what is worth seeing in a strange city. It is also considerably cheaper than the ship's excursions.

We happened to be in the right place, the Palace, at the right time for the changing of the guard.

Unlike other cities we have visited, Stockholm's islands are quite hilly giving an opportunity for some great views of the city and waterways.

 

As you would expect, tours by boat are readily available. Unfortunately we didn't have time for one but still got an understanding of the waterways.

 

Stockholm definitely deserves a longer return visit.

Once again, the weather was extremely kind to us – 21 degrees and sunny.

Tomorrow we are at sea. Friday, we are back in Germany at Keil, followed by Arhus in Denmark on Saturday We then return to Amsterdam before heading north for the Norwegian segment of the cruise.

 

As usual, we had to have our obligatory beer. One in every country.

MONDAY 20TH - HELSINKI

This morning, as we ate breakfast, we docked at Helsinki. The town is some distance from the cruise port so we resorted to the Hop On Hop Off bus to get an understanding of Helsinki. Once again, the weather was fabulous, sunny and 21 degrees. We have been really lucky with the weather.

Our first stop was the Rock Church, so called because it is cut into a rocky hillside with the cut away rock constituting the walls of the church. While it is described as the most popular tourist attraction in Helsinki, it functions as a Lutheran parish church.

 

From there, we went to the Sibelius Monument. Sibelius was a famous Finnish composer. I am not sure what the attraction is but there were plenty of tour buses there.

 

Next stop was the city, the Cathedral in Senate Square.

 

Then the Flying Cinema, a three dimensional movie with special effects showing the sights of Finland followed by the Skywheel.

Then the Uspenski Cathedral, closed on Mondays as we eventually worked out.

Followed by the mandatory local beer at the Cafe Carousel on the waterfront on the way back to the ship.
 

Tomorrow, we wake up in Stockholm.