so,no wake up call in the wee small hours to go and look at the lights which was a bit of a blessing as we both managed a really good night's sleep. yesterday had been busy in a daft sort of way. you climb so many flights of stairs on a boat getting from one place to the next, it's exhausting. of course, there is a lift but we leave that for the really old people! :)
yesterday's first call that we were awake for was a tiny place called torvik where a friendly norwegian couple who had chatted to us over breakfast were going to spend a week's holiday, fishing from their boat.
the lady had grown up in torvik and her 94 year old mother still lives there! we watched their car being driven off the side gangplank which they were using for the seven hour journey home to bergen later on.
an early lunch at 11.30 despite not finishing breakfast until 9.30 as the next stop was alesund at 12.00. this was a three hour stop so time for us to get off and have a wander about. the town burnt down back in the 17th century and was rebuilt in 1905 (well, that's how it reads!) in the art nouveau style. so we strolled along the quayside watching the fishermen in their tiny boats cutting up enormous cod to sell to the alesund housewives and househusbands.
over the bridge at the end of the harbour and we were in the area with the most art nouveau houses. i found a walking guide in the museum and we spent a happy hour photographing anything that looked remotely in the correct style. some of them were very well done and some needing a bit of a facelift.
back to the boat (they don't wait for latecomers!) and a calm afternoon watching the most amazing scenery pass by. the water was like a millpond. we could even see vegetation floating just below the surface. no plastic bags thankfully! the weather stayed blue and sunny and we thanked our lucky stars for it.
(at times this journey reminds me of the trans siberian express! you can't be out on deck all the time as it is so cold but the windows of the various lounges are as grubby if not more so than that siberian train. so photos are spoiled by old rain streaks etc. in the end you want the photo to remind you of the moment so you go ahead and shoot, streaks and all!)
we are the the early sitting for dinner and were intrigued to see which of our fellow passengers would be our table companions. (you can sit where you like for the buffet breakfast and lunch but are allocated a table for the waitress service evening meal) a genial couple arrived and soon we were chatting about chile as she had lived there back in the 70s and clearly had very happy memories of the place. a good meal but we passed on wine due to the horrendous price. most people seem to be doing the same thing as there are a lot of glasses of water on the tables! :)
for coffee we were asked to adjourn to a bar on the top deck (more stairs!) where a pianist was playing. seats were scarce and we asked if we could join a couple who, it turned out, were waiting for the second sitting. they were english so eventually where they came from became the topic. from surrey, the wife replied, camberley. they live on gordon road! well, strike a light! small world innit?! :)
yesterday's first call that we were awake for was a tiny place called torvik where a friendly norwegian couple who had chatted to us over breakfast were going to spend a week's holiday, fishing from their boat.
the lady had grown up in torvik and her 94 year old mother still lives there! we watched their car being driven off the side gangplank which they were using for the seven hour journey home to bergen later on.
an early lunch at 11.30 despite not finishing breakfast until 9.30 as the next stop was alesund at 12.00. this was a three hour stop so time for us to get off and have a wander about. the town burnt down back in the 17th century and was rebuilt in 1905 (well, that's how it reads!) in the art nouveau style. so we strolled along the quayside watching the fishermen in their tiny boats cutting up enormous cod to sell to the alesund housewives and househusbands.
over the bridge at the end of the harbour and we were in the area with the most art nouveau houses. i found a walking guide in the museum and we spent a happy hour photographing anything that looked remotely in the correct style. some of them were very well done and some needing a bit of a facelift.
back to the boat (they don't wait for latecomers!) and a calm afternoon watching the most amazing scenery pass by. the water was like a millpond. we could even see vegetation floating just below the surface. no plastic bags thankfully! the weather stayed blue and sunny and we thanked our lucky stars for it.
(at times this journey reminds me of the trans siberian express! you can't be out on deck all the time as it is so cold but the windows of the various lounges are as grubby if not more so than that siberian train. so photos are spoiled by old rain streaks etc. in the end you want the photo to remind you of the moment so you go ahead and shoot, streaks and all!)
we are the the early sitting for dinner and were intrigued to see which of our fellow passengers would be our table companions. (you can sit where you like for the buffet breakfast and lunch but are allocated a table for the waitress service evening meal) a genial couple arrived and soon we were chatting about chile as she had lived there back in the 70s and clearly had very happy memories of the place. a good meal but we passed on wine due to the horrendous price. most people seem to be doing the same thing as there are a lot of glasses of water on the tables! :)
for coffee we were asked to adjourn to a bar on the top deck (more stairs!) where a pianist was playing. seats were scarce and we asked if we could join a couple who, it turned out, were waiting for the second sitting. they were english so eventually where they came from became the topic. from surrey, the wife replied, camberley. they live on gordon road! well, strike a light! small world innit?! :)
2 comments:
so they used french artisans to re-build the town?
and of course Happy Birfday Lou, from the other side of the World
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