Olden, Norway

Ted. It is rare for Judy and me to pay for an excursion at a cruise stop. When we do, though, we prefer to hire a local company. 

I booked two excursions at this port with Olden Adventure so that we could explore a bit of the countryside. Olden is only slightly larger than Skjolden but gets a lot more cruise ships because of the extra spectacular scenery nearby. Since it is only a 7 hour drive from Oslo, we also saw lots of folks from all over Europe who were visiting this area by car. 

Once we docked, we hopped on a shuttle bus to the nearby village of Loen where we boarded a gondola that whisked us 3,000 feet up Mt Hoven. 

There are several walking trails at the top and a nice cafe. We savored the 360° views, spotting an eagle and a paraglider. Judy even got a quick glimpse of a base jumper! 

Can you spot our tiny ship on the left?

Just another fjord!

After a bit, we returned to the port and had time for a quick lunch on our ship before taking our next excursion. First, we had a 40 minute bus ride up a charming valley to the little hamlet at the trailhead for the Briksdal Glacier.

Glacial runoff makes this lake appear green

We were fascinated to learn how this very popular destination first attracted visitors. Back in the 1930's, before the Norwegian government had much interest, the local farmers paid to have a road built to this point. They worked out an arrangement whereby the local community would own the rights to the access to the glacier and began organizing visits by tourists. Today, the Briksdal glacier itself lies within a national park but all of the surrounding area is controlled by the local farmers. The buses, cafes, lodge and excursions are all staffed by the local families and it is now an important revenue stream for the community.  

Rather than a long hike, we opted to ride “Troll Cars” (John Deere UTV’s) driven by locals (of course) to get to the glacier’s base. As it was approaching 90°F, the glacier was melting quickly and the resulting river was roaring!

We had to drive through this waterfall!

The same waterfall from above

Worth it!

We had about a half hour to stroll around before we reversed the process returning to the ship just before departure time. As our ship slipped its lines and pulled away from the pier, folks gathered on the terrace of the nearby pub to sing and wave flags in farewell; a touching tradition.

Skjolden, Norway

Ted. After visiting Rotterdam, our ship headed north into the appropriately named North Sea. Our revised schedule called for us to visit three ports in Norway. 

Years ago I asked my well travelled father which country had the most impressive fjords. He noted that the fjords of New Zealand were beautiful, the fjords of Alaska were magnificent but nothing compared to the fjords of Norway. 

One of my first surprises was just how long the fjords are. Our first destination, Skjolden lies at the end of the Sognefjord, 127 miles from the sea! It takes many hours to sail the length of it at our reduced speed so we entered it about 3:00 am. The sun rises about 4:30 am so we decided to get up at 5:00 to enjoy the journey up the fjord. 

At it’s widest, this fjord is over three miles wide so it’s a bit like traveling along a huge river. It’s also over 3,000 feet deep so there are no worries about hitting any rocks. On this morning, the surface was like a mill pond.

No bridges here, one crosses via ferry

The banks rise steeply up to 5,000 feet high with snow and glaciers capping the tallest peaks and lesser fjords branching off to the side. It is truly unlike anything else we have ever seen. 

Approaching Skjolden

The tiny village of Skjolden (population 300) didn’t have much to see; a couple shops, cafes and hotels so we just hiked to two nearby falls. 

By the time we got back to the ship, the temperature was in the 80's!

Beer with a fjord back!

It was a lovely introduction to the Land of the Midnight Sun.

Independence of the Seas

Judy. This is the first time Ted and I have taken such a short (7-day) cruise, leaving and returning to the same port. I'm not sure if that and the Norwegian fjord destination have affected what I've seen here, but I have several observations.

First of all, I've never seen so many families on  a cruise, and it's really quite lovely to see parents and grandparents sharing time with their children. Of course the ship has many activities for the kids, and several toddlers have shown me the pictures they've colored. Meals are beautiful things, with large groups laughing together. Of course, there's the occasional tweener dashing around without looking to see who else is nearby, or shoes flying in hallway battles, but for the most part it's been delightful.

When we boarded, we saw several people in orange shirts that read "Royal Caribbean Autistic Cruise Staff," and have been pleased to see people on the spectrum both with their families, or being cared for by this staff. There are those who are afraid of anyone different, and it makes me so very happy to see folks who are sometimes shunned welcomed, at dinner, at the pool, and on the dance floor. Just now I passed a "private event"--all the families and the staff were having a party.

And the diversity on this ship! We've heard every language you can imagine, and seen cruisers wearing everything from the shortest of short shorts to Muslim women in full hijab or even a burka. Everybody seems to respect everybody in this delicious  microcosm of the world.

We're used to repositioning cruises of twelve days or more, during which time we get to know our waiters and room stewards pretty well. I was surprised to find that seven days is still enough time for them to remember our preferences. The first night in the restaurant, Ted told Kiran that he didn't eat sweets, and would prefer fruit for dessert. Every night, a lovely fruit plate is ready for him, and, since I nibbled off his plate the first evening, he started bringing me one as well. And of course, we've seen pictures of his wife and daughters back in Bangalore. Rohan is our room steward, and has kept up the tradition of making towel animals.

One thing that hasn't changed is the sense of humor of the Captain. On every cruise it seems the Captain slips in jokes during the announcements. On the first day, we cracked up when we heard, "Good morning. My name is Tor, and I work here," before continuing with what we needed to know. In one port when we arrived after a very foggy night, Captain Tor announced, "Well, I wasn't sure where we were headed last night, but the port sign says Haugesund, so I guess we're in the right place."

For the first time, we have reached the level where we get into a private lounge and can have four drinks per day. We can't quite handle four drinks per day (lightweights, I know), but it's fun not to think about how expensive some of the wine is.

Ted has played pickleball almost every day, and must know half the people on the ship, so I get to meet many of them. Half the time if I'm talking to someone and Ted walks up the two of them point to each other and say, "You play pickleball!" I've been to an abs class and yoga, but it just doesn't have the same opportunity for conversations. Dinner companions are another story. A couple of nights ago we met a couple who was eighteen months into the same nomadic style we have, and last night we compared travel stories with a woman from North Carolina.

On our last night, we wandered to a lounge for a cognac, only to find a "Hush Party" going on. Everyone wears headphones and dances to music no one else can hear. We were just watching them when a young couple from Hong Kong grabbed a couple  and brought them to us, laughing. After awhile, I pulled the young woman onto the dance floor and tried it myself! Neither of our partners seemed to want to try it. It was silly and lots of fun.

Needless to say, the ports have been worth (as we say) the price of admission. I expected that. But we both love sea days, and they have been as good as we remember. Seas have been calm, but somebody forgot to tell the dolphins and whales we were coming. Maybe next time.

 

Rotterdam, Netherlands

Ted. Judy and I have dreamed of visiting Norway for many years. The first opportunity that made sense came to our attention in November of 2023. That is when we booked a 7 night cruise of the Norwegian fjords from Southampton. Scheduled to depart in July of 2025, we would visit four ports in Norway. You can imagine our disappointment when we received an email from Royal Caribbean in April of this year informing us that, “Based on valuable feedback from our crew, we’ll now visit Rotterdam, Netherlands on Day 2 instead of Molde, Norway.” To make matters worse, we would be there on a Monday, when all of the museums and churches would be closed!

There is nothing wrong with the Netherlands but we felt as though 25% of our trip had been scuttled. So we asked ourselves, "What might this make possible?"  While not on fjord, the city of Rotterdam did offer some interesting sights. 

We knew we were in a good place when we spotted a mural in the cruise terminal building. 

Much of the city was destroyed in WWII but the locals did a nice job of preserving what they could of older buildings.

Old Harbor

The "White House," once Europe's tallest building

The city also put their architects to work to design creative new structures. 

Market Hall

Cube Houses

Erasmus Bridge

Our stroll of the city ended with a delightful lunch and chat with the owner. Judy and I found much to like about the country’s second city. Our biggest surprise, though, was the stretch of the river that was set up with a wave machine and artificial beach. Yes, you can now swim in the river in Paris, but you can surf in Rotterdam!

Southampton, England

Ted. Judy and I enjoyed a wonderful short stay with our friends in Rye, England before taking the train to Southampton. 

Ted, Judy, Colin & Harvey

We arrived the day before our ship was scheduled to depart so we did a wee bit of exploring. The town is quite old and served as the departure point for many famous journeys such as Henry V’s journey to Agincourt, the Mayflower, the Titanic and much of the D-Day invasion force. 

Our ship, the Independence of the Seas from the city walls

About 70% of the old city walls are still intact (or restored) and a number of old buildings and churches were rebuilt after the “Southampton Blitz.” As important port and home to the Spitfire fighter factory, Southampton was a key bombing target for the Germans in WWII. 

Holy Rood Church

Mayflower Pilgrims Memorial

We learned that a good many French Huguenots found refuge here after the terrible persecutions in 17th century France. They even worshipped at a church which still exists. It is possible that Judy’s Huguenot ancestors worshipped here before sailing to Virginia. 

St Julien's Huguenot Church

Speaking of which, we were warmly greeted on Sunday morning at St. Michael’s Church, a part of which was erected in 1070 AD. Alas, we couldn’t stay for coffee and cake as we had to board our ship.

St Michael's Church

Back to Europe...again!

Ted. After three months in Georgia, Judy and I feel as though we have accomplished most of our goals. 

We checked in with all of our doctors and saw lots of family and friends - traveling as far as the state of Washington.

Son Stefan and wife Sarah have sold their house and purchased a bigger one closer to Sarah's office. They will move and get their two sons enrolled in their new school just before the new school year begins (whew!).

After 16 years as a teacher, our daughter Leslie has left the public school system and is embarking on a new adventure. Her husband Daniel continues to thrive in his job.

We couldn't be prouder of our two children, their spouses and our four grandsons and cherish time with all eight of them (plus our two grand-dogs). But, alas, it is time for Grandpa and Mami to hit the road once more.

You may recall our travails last July as we left the country with Judy in a wheelchair. Modern medicine and caring doctors have her back in tip top shape!

I am writing this post at Heathrow Airport, London where we have just arrived. After spending the night at an inexpensive airport hotel to overcome some of our jet lag (travel tip!), we will continue by train to the lovely town of Rye for a short stay with friends Harvey and Colin. Then it's on to Southampton where we board a ship for a one week cruise of the Norwegian fjords.

Upon our return to Southampton, we will immediately fly to Glasgow for three weeks of walks and wanderings in Scotland (first visit since 1977) . We then fly to Oslo for three more days in Norway.

Next will be a month in and around Lithuania followed by a month in France. Our journey ends with a repositioning cruise from Southampton to Port Canaveral, Florida. We'll be back in Georgia on November 1 for more hugs from kids and grandkids.

It's a life!

Judy. It was truly a whirlwind trip back in the US for those three months. In addition to everything Ted mentioned, I started getting involved in some organizations and protests, both to help me feel like I'm doing something to help my country, and to help me better understand and talk to others. Our church sponsors a class called "Sacred Grounds," an exploration of racism in America, which I attended. I also joined and began workshops in a group called "Braver Angels," which teaches participants how to depolarize conversations and promote better understanding--something we definitely need in our divided country. I began yoga classes at a wonderful Sangha, where the practice helped me to settle my mind. AND we got to give a party to celebrate Leslie's being named Clarke Central Teacher of the Year.

Coming back to the US is never easy for me. I love my country, but there are so many issues there for me. There are also people and organizations I love, so I'm always torn. This is something I'm working on.

But, in all honesty, I was more than ready to get on that plane. I slept better than I ever have on a transAtlantic flight, grabbed a shower and brunch in the airline lounge, and now feel ready to discover new places and settle in old ones with people we know and love. In November, I'll be renewed and ready to jump in again. But right now, here feels good, and I'm ready!

 

Quote du Jour

"I'm a travel addict on my way to recovery. 

Just kidding, I'm on my way to the airport."

                                       - Anonymous