Bergen and Alesund

Yesterday we spent the day in Bergen, waiting for the transfer to the Hurtigruten pier at 17:35 to board the MS Trollfjord.

Breakfast was very good and included a melon type fruit with a leathery skin which I have yet to identify. Today I’m sure it was included in a stirfry for lunch. We noticed that they like their bacon VERY crispy here.

Data was purchased and set up with the help of two gentlemen at the NetCom store close to the hotel. Mission 1 accomplished we went in search of a money exchange so that we can pay in NOK. This we found in the area of the Tourist Info office (Above the famous Fish Market) in the Bryggen area. This used to be the old port and is probably Bergen’s most famous landmark – the rows of colourful wooden houses lining the waterfront.

Following some picture-taking we strolled into a KIWI PRIS which is a supermarket. Here we realised that softdrinks are beyond affordable and we will have to settle for coffee/tea during this journey. A 1.5 litre coke zero is around 30 NOK – my fellow South Africans – that is around R60…. and 2 litres of long life milk – 20 NOK (R40). Make that BLACK coffee/tea. A bag of potato chips (Lays or similar) was around 39 NOK (R78) …. ouch!  Makes me appreciate the all-inclusive package n the cruise soooo much more.

We settled for the familiar – Burger King for lunch – McDonalds was just way too busy and given food prices we did not want to take a chance with the unknown. I ate that burger and sipped that precious coke zero very appreciatively.

One think however was free and quite unexpected – sunshine and blue skies in the city of rain. We had a beautiful sunny day and almost the entire population was in the main square (nearby our hotel) to enjoy it. Kiddies were climbing the rocky outcrop at the Ole Bull statue in front to the hotel. We have noticed that the local kids cannot resist rock climbing – no matter what the age. If there is a stone – they will climb onto it – awesome to watch 🙂

We hung out in the hotel lobby untill it was time to go to the port. Check-in was quick and after a safety video and the obligatry hand cleaning before embarkation – we found our way to our cabin. Minutes later our luggage was outside the door. Very efficient – Hurtigruten staff.

We went down for supper – all the salmon you can eat, I did not have the reindeer (still working my way up to eating rudolph) and copious options for dessert. The apple tart was less sweet than I expected – a good choice for my pre-diabetes diet. We have a wine package included as part of our suite offer – I can see this is going to be a problem. One bottle of wine with dinner each evening for the duration of the cruise. And there was sparkling wine chilling on ice in the cabin (welcome gift )…  Well, lets just say that the champers is in the frigde and the rolling of the ocean, jetlag and the wine from supper made for an interesting first night. No-one was drunk, but we were a little off balance and very tired (there was cold medicine somewhere in the mix as well). Woke up at 2am-  having missed the big – “leaving Bergen port” moment – bummer.  We’ll see if tonight is any better 🙂

After breakfast we walked around the boat, checked out the ‘sun deck’ – there was actually someone in a bikini in the jaccuzi – brave lady. Met some tourists from Australia and had a chat. Following lunch we set out to visit the aquarium at Alesund and watched how they feed the fish in the big tank. The penguins did some ‘synchronised swimming’ move in their enclosure – no, it’s not part of a show, they just seemed to move around like a group of ballerinas in the water.  The penguins in cape town’s aquarium don’t do that. The sea lions hid in the farthest corner – clearly “off duty” on this Sunday. There were some very big crabs and lobsters and eels and dogfish. The best show for me however was the kiddies treating the rocky ‘decor’ as their personal jungle gym. I saw a sign and expected it to say… stay off the rocks.. but they know their ‘customers’… it  said “Climbing the rocks is at your own risk” 😛

Then we went up Mount Aksla to a lookout point and restaurant popular with the locals. There were many locals walking their dogs and enjoying the mountain hike in the show. Saw a pond frozen over and this would probably double as a natural ice skating rink. We took some pictures and headed back to the boat…. after we stopped to collect a group-member that failed to adhere to the scheduled times. Lesson here (as mentioned before) if these people say they leave at 12:00, they will wait untill 12:01 and then they go – with or without you.

Our guide pointed out that – once again – we were lucky as we had no rain during our visit.

Back at the boat I purchased some laundry tokens and located the passenger laundry facility. Figuring out how to work the washing machine was quite an interesting exercise (even with english “subtitles”), the tumble dryer was even more ‘fun’. But the washing is dry and the non-dryer friendly items are dotting our cabin. Hopefully the central heating will work its magic and they will be dry by morning.

We had the most beautiful sunset this afternoon and in the minutes before there was shafts of sunlight flooding the cabin, something I did not expect to see on this cruise.

OKAY… blogging interrupted by a Northern Lights accouncement – weak Northern Lights in front to the ship. Unusual this low below the arctic circle. Mad rush to put on shoes and jackets and get to the sun deck. Went out in my cotton track suit pants – dont care if I freeze – I’m not rushing around for warmer pants right now… One way to mobilize everyone on the ship and get them talking and bumping into each other in the dark, staring at the sky. There was a feignt glow which one man proclaimed to be “the glow of London’s lights” 😛  I think I saw a shimmer of green moving above the horison… yay!  but then decided that its early days yet and hopefully the lights will put on a lovely show closer to Kirkenes.

Back in the cabin now and feeling is returning to my legs… a burning sensation. Guess I’ll have to study the instructions on how to photograph the lights tomorrow, I thought I had more time, at least untill we reach Tromso.

Time to go to supper (we got allocated to the late sitting) and check which bus we have to get on for the Trondheim excursion tomorrow morning – we leave the ship at 8:45 – so early breakfast.

I’m sure the dinner conversation is going to buzz with our early stroke of luck… Maybe , just maybe the hazy clouds we witnessed was a shadow of the real deal.

Time to put on some jeans – I have an appointment with some salmon and 1/2 a bottle of wine.

See you flipside