Here are a few photos I took sailing out of Geiranger Fjord. It was raining and the lighting conditions were difficult, so it didn't make for great photos, but the mood was excellent.
It took several hours to sail out of the fjord, so this was our view at dinnertime. I would've been content just to sail in and out of this fjord for a week straight, but no such luck!
Next stop, Bergen...Geiranger is a remote village of about 300 year-round residents. During summer, they see about 5,000 tourists a day, in the winter, they see none...
I'm struggling with these photos. I'm not a landscape photographer and I feel like I'm doing a disservice by posting photos that can't possibly show you the beauty and scale of this landscape.
I wish my photos could show you what it was like to sail through this narrow passage, surrounded by snow capped mountains and natural waterfalls. It was spectacular!
Tied to my bike with bungee cords because when the perfect desk chair shows up at the secondhand shop for 165 Crowns (about $30), there's no time to be a princess.
After paying $40 to replace the light bulb in my bathroom, yes the light bulb, not the actual light, I needed something like this!
There are so many wonderful books that I wouldn't have known about if another blogger or message board poster hadn't drawn my attention to them, so I'd like to return the favor by posting what I'm reading.
Last week's cruise read was The Kitchen House...
Set on a tobacco plantation in the Antebellum South, this story takes place over the course of 20+ years and is told from the perspectives of Lavinia, a young Irish indentured servant, and Belle, a mixed race slave.
I've always been intrigued by the South, and the historical perspective of this novel made it a very enjoyable read.
What are you reading?
OK, so it wasn't the Love Boat (like you didn't see that coming!), but I'm happy to have had the experience.
As a get away from it all experience, my cruise was lovely. At $6.99/minute for cell coverage, and $1/minute for internet access, I was mostly unplugged for 5 days, which pretty much never happens. I had two days at sea and it was amazing to watch from the Promenade deck as the ship skimmed over the water, leaving a wake of beautiful greens and blues, and white foam. I took some video footage of it, for which I've been called a "hippie," and now I'm just a little self conscious!
As a travel experience, cruising is not for me. At least not in Europe. I think cruising is great for people who want to see as many places as possible in the shortest amount of time. If I had limited time in Europe, or wanted to inflate my travel resume to impress people at cocktail parties (you'd be surprised!), it would be hard to beat. But I like to spend time in the places I visit, I want to know what a place really feels like, not just rattle off the list of places I've been. Traveler vs. tourist.
Dining was a definite low point of the experience, which is sad because food is one of my favorite parts of traveling. I knew going in that as a vegetarian I'd have limited options, but most of the food was very rich, yet not very good, and it wasn't worth the calories/damage to my arteries. It was like spending a week at the Hometown Buffet, except with a head waiter, fancy linens, and a lot of forks.
But... the Norwegian Fjords are the most beautiful natural scenery I've ever seen!
This photo was taken in Geiranger, Norway. I didn't leave the ship that day because about 85% of my shipmates were of advanced age/limited mobility, so it took awhile to get them tendered. By the time my group was called, it was 1 PM, we were sailing again at 5:30, so I opted instead for a quiet day of reading, tea drinking, and looking out at the incredible scenery. On the upside, it was almost impossible to get an elevator without waiting 15 minutes, so I climbed a lot of stairs that week :)
More photos to come...
