6 June 2019 Torsdag 0800-1800 (D-Day, 1944)
Photo Link
Temp at 0800 is 63*f and full sun, supposedly going up to 79*f today. We'll see. Their record is 80*f.
After breakfast we went out to the HOHO bus, paid, and went topside in the double-decker. At the third stop the clouds started coming in. At stop eight the driver slid the topside retractable cover over us. About stop ten the rain started seriously. Lightning & thunder, hard rain for fifteen minutes at we reached stop one at the ship.
We decided to go around again. Then at stop two the rain was very light so we hopped off. Then we walked the Bryggen, the old warehouse & store district where most of the wooden buildings date from the 1600's. We shopped but bought nothing on our way to the ship. Fran said hi and passed us during this hike of about a mile.
The shopping was not helped by having three other cruise ships in town. After we docked the Costa Meditarranae docked at the next slip, then the AIDAdiva across the pier. People everywhere.
Now at 1144 the temperature is 64*f. Humpf to all weathermen.
We hung around the ship until 1230, then went to the bus for our afternoon tour. Dry, cloudy. We toured the city on our way to Fantoft stave church. This church is a rebuild of the one moved here from Fortun in the 1800's. The original burned a few years ago due to an arsonist. It was rebuilt with hand-made wooden parts. Perhaps Tom Fortney's ancestors worshiped in the original in Fortun. See the picture slideshow when I get it up.
Then on to Edvard Grieg's home Troldhaugen on a beautiful site overlooking a lake. The house isn't large, but it was his and Nina's. He had a separate little place called his composing hut. We toured the reception center, then the house (where it rained on us), back to the reception center & shop. Then we waited a bit for the auditorium to open for a concert pianist's take on some of his work. Mr Jonsson was excellent. We enjoyed it all.
Then back to the ship. It rained again on us as we were boarding. We went straight to the Crow's Nest for wine. It quit raining. As we were leaving to change for dinner, a deluge began. We got underway. The rain quit. Strange weather.
So we backed out, turned and headed for the ocean. Goodbye, Norway.
We did dinner in the dining room with lots of laughs from Ricardo, and great service from Harris (Harry). Duane & Fran gave them goodies from Hawaii and a tip, we tipped. Not necessary, but they deserved it, if for no other reason than the laughs. This caught me by surprise because F&D proposed Canaletto's for tomorrow, so no Ricardo & Harry. We got it done.
Three of us did martinis in the Mix before we returned to our cabins. Another good day.
At 2130, doing 19.5 knots, course South. Hooting the fog horn. Sunset 2239.
Notes on Grieg:
Henrik Ibsen, famous Norwegian dramatist, wrote a five-act play in verse named Peer Gynt. Grieg wrote music to it. Listen to Grieg's "Hall of the Mountain King" from his Peer Gynt suite.
Photo Link
Temp at 0800 is 63*f and full sun, supposedly going up to 79*f today. We'll see. Their record is 80*f.
After breakfast we went out to the HOHO bus, paid, and went topside in the double-decker. At the third stop the clouds started coming in. At stop eight the driver slid the topside retractable cover over us. About stop ten the rain started seriously. Lightning & thunder, hard rain for fifteen minutes at we reached stop one at the ship.
We decided to go around again. Then at stop two the rain was very light so we hopped off. Then we walked the Bryggen, the old warehouse & store district where most of the wooden buildings date from the 1600's. We shopped but bought nothing on our way to the ship. Fran said hi and passed us during this hike of about a mile.
The shopping was not helped by having three other cruise ships in town. After we docked the Costa Meditarranae docked at the next slip, then the AIDAdiva across the pier. People everywhere.
Now at 1144 the temperature is 64*f. Humpf to all weathermen.
We hung around the ship until 1230, then went to the bus for our afternoon tour. Dry, cloudy. We toured the city on our way to Fantoft stave church. This church is a rebuild of the one moved here from Fortun in the 1800's. The original burned a few years ago due to an arsonist. It was rebuilt with hand-made wooden parts. Perhaps Tom Fortney's ancestors worshiped in the original in Fortun. See the picture slideshow when I get it up.
Then on to Edvard Grieg's home Troldhaugen on a beautiful site overlooking a lake. The house isn't large, but it was his and Nina's. He had a separate little place called his composing hut. We toured the reception center, then the house (where it rained on us), back to the reception center & shop. Then we waited a bit for the auditorium to open for a concert pianist's take on some of his work. Mr Jonsson was excellent. We enjoyed it all.
Then back to the ship. It rained again on us as we were boarding. We went straight to the Crow's Nest for wine. It quit raining. As we were leaving to change for dinner, a deluge began. We got underway. The rain quit. Strange weather.
So we backed out, turned and headed for the ocean. Goodbye, Norway.
We did dinner in the dining room with lots of laughs from Ricardo, and great service from Harris (Harry). Duane & Fran gave them goodies from Hawaii and a tip, we tipped. Not necessary, but they deserved it, if for no other reason than the laughs. This caught me by surprise because F&D proposed Canaletto's for tomorrow, so no Ricardo & Harry. We got it done.
Three of us did martinis in the Mix before we returned to our cabins. Another good day.
At 2130, doing 19.5 knots, course South. Hooting the fog horn. Sunset 2239.
Notes on Grieg:
Henrik Ibsen, famous Norwegian dramatist, wrote a five-act play in verse named Peer Gynt. Grieg wrote music to it. Listen to Grieg's "Hall of the Mountain King" from his Peer Gynt suite.
7 June 2019 Fredag Last day of the cruise - at sea.
No Photos
Woke up in total fog which cleared as the morning went on. Ate breakfast and spent the morning fooling around and preliminary packing. Bought Rotterdam shirts on deep sale.
Where in the world trivia is on at 1300.
I'll try to check in at 1430 to Delta for flights DL9278 (KL0645) and DL5100 tomorrow to get home. It didn't work until 1530, when it worked perfectly. Hmmm.. Then I went to the pubic computer in the library and printed our boarding passes. One more thing done.
We joined Fran & Duane at Trivia at 1600 and did not do well. Then to Sip'n'Savor to sample a Gruner Veltliner - very good. We broke for a period and then we did our Last Supper at 1900 in Canaletto, where the food was very nice and service good.
Then we said our goodbyes, since we'll go different directions in the morning.
We went to the room to finish packing. Our checked-baggage suitcases were place in the passageway for pickup that starts at midnight. Then we slept.
No Photos
Woke up in total fog which cleared as the morning went on. Ate breakfast and spent the morning fooling around and preliminary packing. Bought Rotterdam shirts on deep sale.
Where in the world trivia is on at 1300.
I'll try to check in at 1430 to Delta for flights DL9278 (KL0645) and DL5100 tomorrow to get home. It didn't work until 1530, when it worked perfectly. Hmmm.. Then I went to the pubic computer in the library and printed our boarding passes. One more thing done.
We joined Fran & Duane at Trivia at 1600 and did not do well. Then to Sip'n'Savor to sample a Gruner Veltliner - very good. We broke for a period and then we did our Last Supper at 1900 in Canaletto, where the food was very nice and service good.
Then we said our goodbyes, since we'll go different directions in the morning.
We went to the room to finish packing. Our checked-baggage suitcases were place in the passageway for pickup that starts at midnight. Then we slept.
