Another Adventure

We're heading off for a midwinter getaway. We'll start by flying to Barcelona, which we've not visited before.

Then we'll embark on a cruise of the western Mediterranean. The first leg of the cruise takes us to Rome, following the northern coastline. We then return to Barcelona by following the southern coast. All of our ports of call will be places that are new to us.

One thing that will be fun for us on this trip is that we will be cruising on the Viking Sea, the ship on which we cruised in Scandinavia last June.  We loved the ship and look forward to sailing with her again.

Follow along with us!

London

Sunday to Thursday, June 19 to 23

We left the Viking Sea around 9am Sunday morning in Harwich, England, and boarded a bus. The original plan was for the ship to dock in Greenwich. Trips next year will enjoy that proximity, but it was not to be for us.  It took 2-1/2 hours to transport us to Victoria Station, where we joined a lengthy queue (a word and activity we've encountered one heck of a lot in the past month!) for a taxi. We made our way to our hotel to drop off our bags. It was still too early to check in, but we took the time to freshen up and have a cup of tea in the pretty garden (how very British of us) before setting out to explore the neighborhood.

Our hotel and the garden.

Our neighborhood happens to include Albert Hall, a raft of museums and shops and restaurants, a Christie's showroom filled with Picasso ceramics, and a Lamborghini/Maserati dealership just over the wall from our garden idyll--a posh neighborhood to be sure. We walked through the South Kensington Underground station--which has become a second home to us, with us going to and from it two to four times per day--which brought us out onto a crazy busy pedestrian street. Before we knew it, we were in front of the Victoria and Albert Museum. Since this was on our list of places to visit, in we went. We spent quite a bit of time, but only grazed the surface of the collection.

On Monday, we got acquainted with the tube system and bought our Oyster cards. You put a certain amount of money on the card and can top them off as needed. We used the Underground system extensively for getting around.

We went to Trafalgar Square and visited the National Gallery. The highlight for us was, of course, the chance to commune with rooms full of Monet, Renoir, and Seurat. It is a big, architecturally beautiful space. I can only imagine how many visits it would take to make more than a cursory exploration of the place.  The nice thing about both the V & A and the National Gallery is that they are free, so you can choose to focus on one thing or another, knowing you can return for other offerings on another day.

Monday's highlight for us, though, was our first-ever London theatre experience. We took the Underground to Piccadilly Circus, had a very nice pre-theatre dinner, and made our way to the Theatre Royal Haymarket, where we watched "How the Other Half Loves," an early Alan Ayckbourn play. For decades, we have been fans of this playwright. If you've ever seen "The Norman Conquests" on PBS, you'll know why--he's wildly clever and funny and approaches plays in a way no one else does, almost always employing simultaneous but multiple perspectives of the action. It was a very special treat, indeed. We thought we'd take a taxi back to the hotel. But, after 40 minutes of wandering around trying to find an available one, we instead walked back to wild and woolly Piccadilly Circus and took the tube back to our SoKen neighborhood.

A real highlight on Tuesday was seeing Westminster Abbey. We and thousands of our closest friends. It was absolutely jammed. And the way it's set up, you basically move along with a conveyor belt of people, all with audio guides glued to their ears. Still, it's a massive and fabulously gorgeous space, filled to the brim with history. I mean major league history like separate chapels with the tombs of Queen Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots. This is one of those iconic places you've seen pictures of and footage of events that have occurred in it. It was very special to see it, even if we didn't exactly have the place to ourselves. Shortly after we emerged, the Abbey bells went into a ringing frenzy, which lasted 10 minutes. I love the sound of church bells, so that made me very happy. Good timing.

And, of course, right across the street from Westminster are the Parliament buildings and another icon, Big Ben.

We had a "small world" experience at dinner Tuesday night. We went to a little neighborhood Italian place and were seated next to a family of four. Here and there during the course of our meal, we exchanged a few words. When the family got up to leave, they wished us a good rest of our journey. I responded by asking them where they were visiting from--a question that became second nature during our cruise. They were from Portland. Oregon. They live in the Hollywood District just a few blocks from our first Portland home. And they have friends who just moved into a house on our tiny street. Really? What were the chances? In a city of 8+ million people, we bump into strangers that are practically neighbors and, almost as amazing, we communicated enough to unravel that unlikely fact.

Wednesday's highlight was a visit to the beautiful St. Paul's Cathedral, the Christopher Wren masterpiece. Here, the crowds were much more tolerable. It is a lovely space with the most beautiful mosaic ceilings I've ever seen. Here, too, so much history. We usually forgo visiting crypts, but the crypt at St. Paul's is really special, and we're glad we went through it.

Moving from the sublime to the ridiculous (or, if not ridiculous, then at least the substantially less sublime), on our return from St. Paul's we got off at Knightsbridge and stopped in at Harrod's to get a quick sense of the place. Oh my. Coming into a Harrod's door almost immediately after emerging from our tube stop, we entered a world of purses. Prada and Gucci and a host of other high-end purses. Three rooms of high-end purses. It was like being caught in some never-ending loop of purses. Finally, we peeled off and found the food halls for which Harrod's is famed and which we wanted to see. One room is devoted to chocolate and tea and coffee. Another room is meats. Then there's seafood and produce and prepared foods. A bewildering array of foods.

We admired some fresh dim sum and dumplings at one station and figured out that they could be consumed at a counter in one corner of the room. We snagged a couple stools and perused the menu. The prices were high, but we decided to order a few things. This would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, after all. The food was very good. And the tab was breathtaking. 

Our focus on Thursday was going through the Churchill War Rooms. Jerry spent much of our cruise reading a book about Churchill during what is called the "wilderness years," or the years between the world wars. That made the visit even more special. To be underground and see the space used for commanding the war effort, especially during the bombing, was very affecting. We also heard first-person accounts from people who lived and worked in those mole-like conditions. Plus there is a Churchill museum in the space where we learned more about his life. It was a very worthwhile visit.

Eventually, we had to return to our hotel and start the final packing. Never the fun part of a trip, but necessary. Where did all that extra stuff come from? 

We had a nice dinner at a little brasserie that was about a 10-15 minute walk from our hotel. Given the very unsettled weather, including a couple big thunderstorms the day before and heavy rains in the afternoon with humidity at 94%, we lucked out and got to and from the restaurant with only a little mist on us.

Back to the hotel for the finishing touches on the packing. That 5am wake up call and 6am taxi were going to come too soon.

It has been a great trip, filled with new sights and incredible beauty. But home is sounding awfully sweet too.

Cruising

Sunday, June 19

Alas, our cruise has come to an end.  It was a special time in so many ways: (1) Though, technically, we've cruised before, this was our first ocean cruise on a ship of some size. (2) This was the first time the Viking Sea had traveled these waters; after all, she was just christened in London in April. (3) This was a part of the world I had long wanted to see. And (4) we had the extra flourish of having Torstein and Karine Hagen--owners, father-daughter, President and Senior Vice President of Viking Cruises--and Karine's ever-present Yellow Lab, Finse, with us for over half of the trip.

The ship is beautiful. At 930 passengers (and 550 crew), she is considered a small cruise ship, but certainly is the largest sailing vessel we've been on. The staterooms were nicely designed and comfortably sized. The public spaces were full of wonderful furniture and art and books. (Speaking of art, I noticed no fewer than 10 Munch etchings hanging on the walls of some of the public spaces.) Each of the five restaurants and several lounges had a distinctive look; each of the dining areas had different dishes (and different salt and pepper grinders--that may seem an odd thing to note, but I think it gives a solid clue about the attention to detail in the planning and execution of this new Viking venture). Everything was immaculate--partly because it's so new, I suppose, but also because there are myriad staff keeping it that way.

The Viking Sea at anchor in Geiranger Fjord, with one of our tenders busy ferrying people to and from the ship.

The decor is all in soft blues and white and beautiful woods. I can't tell you how many people I heard say that they wanted to buy the pillow covers or tables or whatever. And I heard numerous people coveting the salt and pepper shakers in the World Cafe.  As astute as Viking is about marketing opportunities, I'm stunned that they don't have those salt and paper shakers and numerous pillow covers for sale in one of their shops. And I'd wager that if we were to cruise on the ship again in a year or two, they'll be part of the shop merchandise. 

The decor was nothing short of perfect. I'm guessing I'm not the only person from this cruise that is reevaluating their home decor in light of how much we enjoyed the ambience of the Viking Sea. I probably won't go so far as to drape reindeer hides on my sofas, but don't be surprised to see some changes at our address.

Winter Garden, where afternoon tea is served each afternoon, but where you can lounge anytime.

Our favorite corner of the very large Explorers' Lounge (note the reindeer hides on the sofas).

More of the Explorers' Lounge--the bar, the front viewing area, and one of two sweeping glass stairways that take you to a quieter upper level.

Our favorite dining room, the Chef's Table.

We enjoyed the cruising experience more than we expected to, I think. We've never had much interest in cruising. But some friends mentioned their interest in this cruise, and this itinerary--Norway, the Shetlands and Orkney--turned the tide, so to speak. We liked the ship when sailing, with lovely views as we sailed past and the thrill of pulling into and out of harbors.

I'm a nervous sailor and prone to motion sickness. Jerry, on the other hand, is a natural sailor. Sea Bands were my constant companions, and, luckily, I only had to take pills a few times. Even on our roughest patches of sailing, Jerry remained unaffected (lucky dog!).

We traveled over 3,000 nautical miles before disembarking in Harwich, England (a few hours from London), and most of it was stunning. We loved the ship, the crew, and most of all the experience of seeing the Norwegian coast. Two weeks was long enough to be sailing, and we were ready to stop. But I was somewhat sad to leave the Viking Sea behind. She is a beautiful and special ship and has carved out a special place in my heart.

Shetland and Orkney

Wednesday and Thursday, June 15 and 16

We have long wanted to visit these islands, and the fact that this cruise made stops here was a real selling point. 

We got a fairly rude welcome, in that we had to go through UK immigration at 6:30am, preceding our 8:30am arrival. We showed up at 6:20am, and those who know us know that that is a rather early hour for us.  The line was already quite long, but it moved along relatively quickly. The only answer to that imposition in our leisurely pace was to decide which restaurant to visit for an early breakfast.  It did not go as well for many who followed us. The order of staterooms to be screened was obviously set by the value of our rooms. The two decks of us at the lower end of the pecking order drew the 6:30am time slot, while the various upper decks drew later times. However, the two UK immigration folks had a hard time keeping up, and there were soon announcements telling people not to come until further notice. We were safely out of the queue before all that, luckily.

For only the second time on our cruise, we had to tender in to Lerwick, Shetland. The winds were strong enough that we could not dock as planned and had to use our tenders to make landfall. We had a bus trip around the main island and got a sense of its topography and habitation. It was a more gentle land than we expected, and offered lovely sweeping views across the island as well as to other islands in the archipelago. 

We saw many sheep, and it was shortly after lambing season--lots of ewes and young lambs visible everywhere. (Our guide told us there are about 7,000 people on this island, but 280,000 sheep!) We also saw Shetland ponies here and there (if not here, where?). We heard that the ponies can be quite temperamental. Some folks who went on a Shetland pony excursion got nipped, and went home with some funny stories of their up close and personal time with these creatures.

There are lots of stone walls on the Shetland Islands, but no trees. A Shetland saying is, "If you're lost in Shetland, stand up." And there is wind. Apparently, the wind is just an accepted fact of life here. They also have a large coral reef system here, resulting in a number of pretty, pale sandy beaches, in this case, dotted with seals.

After touring about, we spent some time in the old stone city of Lerwick. We definitely got a sense of being someplace very different from where we'd been so far on this trip.

Our weather took another step south on Thursday in Orkney. Lots more wind, but this time accompanied by colder temperatures and solid rain. Our highlight here was a visit to a circle of standing stones--think a small version of Stonehenge. The wind and rain and bitter temps added to the mystical nature of these old stones. As we modern folks trudged out to the stones and then walked amongst them, we had the droning wind to help set the scene.

We also got to see the Italian Cathedral, an old Quonset hut (with a fancy facade) that was ornately decorated by a group of Italian prisoners of war during WWII. Quite a feat of determination and zeal.

After returning to our ship, we caught the shuttle bus that took us into Kirkwall, the main city in Orkney. We visited the grand St. Magnus Cathdral and wandered down the cobbled streets.

A very brief visit to two spots we'd wanted to see. Such abbreviated time left us wanting more, but at least we now have a good sense of what these pretty islands are like.

The Subarctic Norway Coast

Monday and Tuesday, June 13 and 14

We left Bodo around 9pm Sunday night and sailed 180 miles to Bronnoysund. This town of about 5,000 people is the national registration center, something of which they are very proud. Registration of drivers, hunters, cars, marriages, you name it. The probable reason for this honor is that Bronnoysund is located halfway between the north and south of Norway, essentially equidistant from Tromso and Oslo. Pleasant little town that looks out to the beautiful Lofoten Islands. Surprisingly, they have no hospital, instead relying on air and boat ambulances.

It was a big deal to this small town to have us visit. Think of all the buses, tour guides, and bus drivers, not to mention special excursions that had been booked. These communities we are visiting are each very proud of their area and history and seem to delight in sharing their information. And this is especially evident when we visit such a small community.

In Bronnoysund, our excursion included a visit to their church and a drive over an unusual bridge--it climbs quite high in a short space. We were also treated to a scenic drive. We then stopped at an old fishing dock, where the community had gathered a number of people to give us a flavor of their area. We could see some cod that had been hung to dry. (Elsewhere in the north, we had seen klippfisk, which is salted and air dried. This cod was not salted.) There were several young women in national costume serving lefse. There were two men working on a traditional boat. A couple of our guides sang some folk songs. There was a little bit of everything. It was a constructed opportunity, but I thought it showed how much Bronnoysund wanted us to know them and share in their pride.

We set sail by midafternoon, heading for Alesund, 300 miles away and our last stop in Norway.

We arrived in Alesund on Tuesday morning, with bright sun and deep blue seas. Alesund, with 46,000 inhabitants, is in one of the most stunning settings we've seen. Our first stop--following a number of twists and turns up a skinny, steep road--was at a popular viewpoint.  As much fun as our bus had making its way up to the top, I can only imagine the trek for those who choose to walk/climb up the stairway.

The hard way to get to the viewpoint.

Views from Mt. Aksla.

We visited Sunnmore Open Air Museum, with its collection of old buildings and a performance of Norwegian folk dancing and fiddling.

We had some free time before sailing, so we walked through Alesund's noted area of Art Nouveau buildings, known as the Jugendstil. Pretty streets, hilly, charming.

Everyone we talked to on the ship agreed Alesund was the most appealing town we'd seen and in the hands-down most spectacular setting, not harmed by the fabulous weather either, of course.

Just to get us on our way, Alesund had a fire boat escort us all the way out.

We then made our way through a gorgeous archipelago, after which our ship aimed for the Shetland Islands. What a beautiful wrap up to our time in Norway!

Traveling to the Far North

Thursday to Sunday, June 9 to 12

We left Kristiansund at 7pm Wednesday night and did not reach our next port, Tromso, until 8am Friday.  Thursday was our first "at sea" day, but clearly we were going to be sailing for around 36 hours, for 516 nautical miles.  As soon as we sailed into the open sea, the boat started rolling--gently at first and a little more insistently as we got toward bedtime. Even a skittish sailor such as myself didn't find it frightening, but it did eventually get the better of my equilibrium (and Sea Bands).  Drugs to the rescue!  

The seas calmed around dawn, and we had smooth sailing thereafter. Helping in that cause was the fact that much of our time on the Norwegian coast has been sailing in protected waters, with islands and mountains and dramatic views on both sides of us. A win-win as far as I'm concerned.

The highlight of this segment of our trip--ignoring for a moment that the views in every direction have been nothing short of spectacular--was crossing the Arctic Circle at 66 degrees latitude. This happened about midday Thursday.  A number of us gathered on the bow to revel in the moment (and to take a picture or two of the scene and the special marker on a small island).

By the time we reached Tromso Friday morning, we were 217 miles north of the Arctic Circle and at 69 degrees latitude. It is the major city in northern Norway and is a university town.  We visited the university, well up into the hills above town. We saw a show in the planetarium on "the aurora," as they refer to the northern lights here. Tromso is a major destination for people traveling to see the lights. Since we are visiting during the time of the midnight sun, we will not have an opportunity to see them.  For that, one is more likely to visit during what they call "the polar night," or the days of perpetual darkness.

Tromso's Arctic Cathedral, a popular spot, which we visited on our way back to the ship.

We walked downhill from the planetarium through a small but nice Arctic botanical garden--the furthest north botanical garden.  Everything in this area is the furthest north something or the other.

After some time back on the ship, we set off to see more of Tromso. We visited the Domkirke, the largest wooden church north of the Arctic Circle, and enjoyed seeing some of the old wood buildings for which this far north town is known. It was sunny but only 41 degrees, yet people were out eating at sidewalk cafes and sitting around the square.

We only have a couple nights of true midnight sun, so I was determined to make sure I saw it. On one night, I fell asleep, but I awoke at the stroke of midnight. Fate, wouldn't you say? Clearly, it was meant to be that I would get to experience this special moment, and I quickly went out on our balcony to enjoy the sight. I happened to awaken at around 2am as well--not nearly so fateful feeling--and the sun was shining even more brilliantly. What an interesting thing to see!

By Saturday morning, we had gone about 200 miles northeast of Tromso to the town of Honingsvag. This will be our furthest point north in the cruise. But we jumped onto a bus for a 1 hour ride to the northernmost point on the European continent. The North Cape, or Nordkapp, was another highlight of our trip. It was a spectacular journey through a harsh and barren area, with a couple sightings of reindeer. ( ! ) It is also a spectacular site. Dramatic and stark and with winds whipping my hair into a true Norwegian maelstrom. A thousand feet above the sea. We were now at 71 degrees latitude, or 5 degrees and 300 miles north of the Arctic Circle. Wow!

Coming back down from Nordkapp and heading for Honingsvag.

On Sunday morning, I started the day by attending an interdenominational church service. Jerry couldn't get past the idea of our rather slick cruise director leading us in prayer and devotional readings in the cabaret. I ultimately decided it was too rich an opportunity to pass up. We all underestimated Aaron, I'm afraid. He did a very nice job. He shared a nice poem, read some scripture, shared an inspirational story from Chicken Soup for Christians. And a couple of the ship's performers sang a lovely song. The backdrop of the nightclub was a projected triptych of stained glass, Jesus at the center. There were many familiar aspects to the service, and there were 60 or so of us gathered. Let's just say that the service was brief but so much more than I expected.

We arrived in Bodo (pronounced like Buddha) midday. This would be our last port of call north of the Arctic Circle. Soon after docking, we left on a special excursion we had booked. We drove 40km to a small ferry--big enough to hold our bus, but only a handful of other vehicles--that took us to Kjerringoy Island. Then we drove another 15 minutes to an old, intact trading post.  It was very interesting to hear the history of this spot and to be able to walk around and through the old buildings, all in a rather stunning setting.

Once we returned to the ship, we encountered a long line of people also returning from various excursions or ambles through the town. We decided we didn't have enough time to get through the long line, get freshened up, change clothes, and get back out to the pier for our next excursion. Instead, we decided to go as we were and stepped out of the line and on to the shuttle bus that would take us to the Bodo Cathedral for a 7pm concert. (Fortunately, we'd brought our tickets with us.) We were treated to a concert of several organ pieces on their very impressive pipe organ, plus a handful of songs by a choir of 30 teenage girls in national costume. Quite nice.

We had a late dinner and made it to the last bits of a Beatles show being put on by four of the resident singers. Most of us on this cruise were part of the Beatles era, so it was an enthusiastic crowd.

All in all, quite a full day.

During the night, we crossed back over the Arctic Circle. No fanfare this time.

As a side note, since we arrived in Tromso, we have been amongst Viking royalty. We have had the owners and some of the chief officers of Viking Cruises on board with us. We assume the reason for this is that this is the first time one of their ships has been in this area.

Our first sighting was of Mr. Viking, Torstein Hagen, with a series of his henchmen and a raft of photographers.  Mr. Hagen when asked how he'd found a room replied that there happened to be a room available, he thought it was called the owner's suite (there is indeed a suite with that name).

There have been film crews popping up onboard and off. We've seen drones, too. We expect to see footage appearing in upcoming promos.

Karine Hagen--who calls herself the godmother of the Viking Sea and who we understand is actually the person responsible for Viking going into the ocean cruising business--and her ever-present yellow lab, Finse, have been spotted many times. They are usually accompanied by a crowd of people wanting pictures.