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Today on the ship was a 'sea day' which means lots of lounging around and exploring the ship. We sat through 2 lectures on Norway by a visiting professor - the first was on the Vikings (the people, not the football team). We learned that they didn't wear horns, as people believe (time to change the football helmets) and that they really were quite clever to raid and pillage the churches, since they were unguarded and that was where the money was and the monks and priests made for good slave trading to the arab traders. Hmmm... Seems like a spin that could make Hitler seem like Einstein.... Sure he was cruel and killed people, but he was clever about it. :). It was actually pretty interesting to see how rulers of the day gave up big chunks of land (see Normandy) to the Vikings to keep them from further pillaging. The second lecture was about Normandy today (I had no idea that a Napoleon combined Norway and Sweden into one country for 100 years or so).
In between lectures we found comfortable places to read, have some tea or coffee and watch the roiling seas outside. Speaking of which, the North Sea is very windy... A walk around the deck seemed fairly treacherous, as you round the corner and get buffeted by a big gust of wind... So we decided to wait until we reach the protected fjords to do more outside walking. (This cool weather was, btw, exactly what we were looking for after our last two summer trips which were characterized by heat, humidity and...heat).
Tonight is a formal night at dinner... I'm not super thrilled about it, but dang it.... I dragged that suit jacket along, I guess I better wear it. Plus it's worth it for the food. Our wait staff is engaging and nice, as always... Our assistant waitress is Olga, from the Ukraine - she looks like she could be Scarlett Johansson's little sister, and wears a giant white watch that looks like it weighs as much as her arm. Our waiter is Augusto, from Colombia... An older gentleman who seemed amused that Heather had actually been his home town of Bogota. We told our poor Sommelier that he wasn't going to be getting a lot of wine business from us, so I doubt we'll see him again. Our Maitre'd seems nice enough, and is from Turkey... And I couldn't catch his name.
Tomorrow is Stevanger, and thanks to Bob and Patty for sending Heather some tips on getting around there.
Hope all is well, thanks for reading.
- comments
Fram I am trying to figure out what you are doing in Liechtenstein. My map must be confused. It sounds like you are having a great time. How relaxing. No news here. The string broke on my outside umbrella and I am tired of fixing it so no umbrella on the patio. Rembrandt has started with good crowds. I haven't toured yet. I have a corporate event tomorrow night. Weather is good. I hope you brought enough clothes to keep warm. I bet it is refreshing. China was way over the top hot. Just think how cold Norway must be in the winter. No wonder so many felt at home in MN. So horn hats are not true. I never quite figured out what they accomplished anyway.
Fran I was just talking to a docent friend who has spent a lot of time in Norway. He said you are going to outstanding places. He suggests at Alesund there are rocks to cross over that might be fun for photos. In Bergen there is an Island House and Greigs Home that he recommends. In Oslo there is a concert free at the cathedral at noon and it is just a short walk. He also said the Parliament Building is very nice and be sure to visit the National Gallery. He believes they have the best landscape painting in the world. I am sure you have a list a mile long as well. Have fun!!! Remember the postcards.