Trip Day 10

Thursday August 17

7 am and we had a good nights sleep. Of course we had to pull the black window cavering down because there is a walkway outside.

Up's, breakfast and it's almost 9 am. Norwegian people like to live healthy. The buffets always had something like a "ginger shot". We liked that at the hotels. Marc found a "vitamin shot" on the ships buffet and yes, it tastes strongly ginger too. 

We can take our daily "airborne" in the afternoon. When the bus driver Stig parted with us he told us that he was driving an OAT group to Oslo which had just arrived with a Hurtigroten. 8 had Covid and 6 are suspected. We also wear masks in crowded public and use handsanitizers often.

After breakfast there is some freetime and I take my computer with me into the lounge and look for a pattern. The one I had bought with the yarn and needles is Norwegian and we figured out that it started on top and I really want to start at the bottom so I can knit until the yarn runs out.

I finally found a very simple one and went with that ...

... while the landscape is going by.

For 11 am Stephen had invited to a lecture he had prepared about the Oil Industry in Norway, how it was found and what the effect was/is in the country. It was very interesting, well prepared and not boring. But I really can't repeat anything here.

Lunchtime at noon. Buffet and open seating again. OAT has booked "FullBoard" for us which means we get a drink (besides water) with lunch and dinner. For lunch we like a beer, its local and nice.

For dessert I discovered "Rabarbra Crumble Pai" (rhubarb crumble pie). It was very nice but unfortunately too much strawberry in it. Very American to me.

After lunch we went up to deck 7. It is very nice there. At the time we went we had a good choice of seats. We quickly discovered that it was very hot in that first row and could relocate. 

On the map we could see how far we had gone into the fjord. Actually at that point some people left the ship on tenders for an excursion they had booked from the Hurtigruten Company. We were very complacent to stay on board.

Once in a while there was an announcement over the loudspeakers about what we are seeing. This waterfall was called "The Seven Sisters" but it has dried up somewhat (probably it is summer?).

Opposite is one which was called something like "suitor" because that is the story that he would have liked to marry the sister but could never get to them. Norway people have lots of stories. I am surprised there was no troll involved in this.

Watching left and right was so pretty.

But it was very difficult to take pictures through the window, not only because of the glare and mirroring.

This downtime is really good for me. I am making progress with my knitting.

I decided after a while that this pattern is just too boring so I am adding some stripes into it. I put the starting thread temporary into it to mark which one is the "right" side. 

At one point we decided we needed to walk a little and investigated the walkway in front of our window. It goes all around the ship and it was very nice to make several rounds.

Our group has a set dinner time for 6 pm. We also have assigned tables. James and mine is seven. Others have a number in the 50s but we still are all together which was strange but good of course. 

We got a menu which had 3 starters, 3 mains and 3 desserts of which we had to choose 1 of each. I selected the soup which was excellent. 

Lamb, which didn't taste at all like lamb but was very nice. James had the same.

My dessert was "Brownie with icecream" but the server tried to explain to me that the bread(?) was the same I would get if I would choose the soup the next day. Well, it wasn't really what I would call bread and it was very delicious. 

The ship is not really a cruise ship but what Stephen called a working ship, more like a bus or train. People go to places they have to go to, not necessaraly vacation. 

We were supposed to stop in Ålesund and get off for a short walk but the walk got shorter because the ship was a little late. The rule is that if it is late it will still leave at the appointed time.

We were off at 7:22pm and were meeting the group at the pier.

Stephen was leading us around and it was really a cute town. 

Marc was said that he couldn't run up the 418 steps up to the top of that mountain. 

Betty has a book about Norway and looked the step number up for me. She read: if the steps don't  leave you breathless then the view certainly will. Too bad.

Back on board. The ship would leave without you.

We stayed on that outside walkway for a while because it was so pretty. We were really lucky with the weather today.

We got the cards from the room and went to the 7th deck lounge again to play. Betty joined us and we made it all the way to the last round when the crew had a tasting of some local specialty. 

The leg of lamb is prepared by farmers in this remote area, hang up to dry. It is cut very thinly. The chief chef and a helper prepared some and we got a free taste of that.

They also explained the Norwegian Aquavit of which we did NOT get a free tasting.

This sun-down photo was taken 10:40 pm.

There was also another stop scheduled in Molde and Stephen had hoped that we could go for a short walk at 10:35 pm but since the ship is late that was not possible/cancelled. James and I watched from the walkway what was happening. Some people got on which luggage.

A forklift was whirring around unloading things from the ship's belly and put it into one of those strips close to the fence.

Time to go to bed. Night, night. Good thing nothing is going to happen very early again.