En route back to Southampton....

Hello from the North Sea!


Firstly, for everyone worried about our ships, officers, crew and passengers, none of us are in or near to Oslo at the moment – although we’re all sending heartfelt thoughts to anybody who is.

We’ve just left Bergen after a cold but dry day! Bergen is renowned for suffering around 270 days of rain every year and we arrived to clear skies! What a novel treat!

One of my favourite tours from Bergen is a ride on the Vossebanen steam railway which takes you through a mountainous valley full of glorious scenery and I’ve only done it in the pouring rain. Mind you, I don’t think you can beat the smell of the countryside in the rain combined with the steam of a train. It’s like jumping back into the olden days.

I’m so glad it was dry and bright for everybody who went off on their train journey today though. It’s so special chugging through the mountains in vintage style, and there are some fantastic photo opportunities there.

Here’s a couple I’ve borrowed from my colleague who unlike me, has managed to join this tour in the sunshine…..



We’ve had a good couple of days in Norway this week. Our first Norwegian port of call was Ålesund and it poured with rain for pretty much the entire day. However, that was hugely overcome by the fact that we had the luxury of a late night sail. We’ve been so lucky this cruise (with 2 late sails in Ålesund and Dublin and an overnight in Reykjavik) and I made the most of venturing out for dinner.

I knew Norway was expensive (I’ve been telling our current passengers in my port presentations all week that Norway’s standard of living is around 60% higher than the EU average), but I nearly cried when I got the bill. I always say that you can’t go to Norway and not taste some locally caught salmon, so I had a bowl of tagliatelle pasta with smoked and poached salmon in a cream sauce. That wasn’t what broke my heart and melted my credit card though. It was the bar bill that did that!  What did I learn?? (as my dad always asks me) …………. A very good lesson! – get someone else to buy the drinks!! :o)

Still, my philosophy on life is: ‘How many opportunities will I get to do this?’ and any opportunity that arises should be grabbed with both hands. So I’ll look at my expensive night out in Ålesund with fond memories of a fun evening, and worry about the cash at the end of the month when I have to pay off my credit card bill.

After Ålesund we sailed into one of my absolute favourite Norwegian ports of call, Geiranger. If you’ve been there before, you’ll know immediately why it’s got such a special place in my heart. Geiranger is a tiny village at the end of the breathtakingly beautiful Geirangerfjord and it’s surrounded by waterfalls that run down the dramatic mountainsides.

Here are a couple of pictures to jog some memories….



We have to sail all the way along the Geirangerfjord to get to the village at the end, and I have to say, the sail in and out is just as wonderful as spending a day ashore here. It’s so beautiful, the fjord has gained a well deserved place on UNESCO’s list of world heritage sites, and the village waiting at the end of it for us has been declared one of Scandinavia’s best tourist destinations.

Geiranger has about 250 permanent residents, and yet throughout their short, 4 month summer tourist season, they see around 150 ships arriving. Imagine what the villagers think when 1800 of us pile ashore to explore?! As it happens, we don’t call in to Geiranger for us to see the little village. We actually call there because it’s a gateway to some of Norway’s most spectacular natural beauty, so the majority of us step straight ashore, onto a coach and head off into the breathtaking wilderness. It is a lovely place to wander around though, shop for some souvenirs, and enjoy a cup of coffee after the tours of the area.

Anyway, I’m sitting in my cabin (it’s a lovely cabin on here. It’s an inside cabin but I’ve got a lovely big fridge, a sofa, a coffee table, a double bed, a desk for my computer, a lovely bathroom full of lots of cabinet space, and 3 big wardrobes which just about have space for my 16 ball gowns and cocktail dresses plus about 30 pairs of shoes!! – I love formal nights and any opportunity to get dressed up in a few sparkles!) and I’m going to make a cup of tea and watch a movie….

Thanks so much for all of your comments this week.

Chris - I look forward to meeting you when you come on board on Sunday! Please do come and introduce yourself.

Jo