Visit to the rainy port

The daily program said that the gangway would be on Deck 4 forward. TSH and Diva have cruised enough times to know that this means 'towards the pointy end'.  But they have not been on Spirit of Discovery often enough to be confident where that is and which way they should turn when leaving their suite. Especially when the ship had taken a tortuous path in its approach to the dock, appearing to make a complete about turn at one point. So when they emerged from the lift on Deck 4 (with other guests - it was not just them) they were met with empty corridors and no sign of an exit. They met a shocked crew member who was relieved to direct them away from the crew area. They had to return to Deck 5 and descend using the correct stairs at the other end of the Spirit of Discovery.

It is a well known fact that it always rains in Bergen. Except when it is 28 degrees C and sunny and TSH and Diva are visiting.  The heat was relentless in a way that was totally unexpected in Norway. So this was a brief visit, although they found some shady alleyways of quaint old wooden buildings that they had not encountered before. They were relieved to return to the air conditioning of the ship. Large glasses of water before lunch.

Flam and Bergen

TSH and Diva took the scenic train up the mountain through the tunnels and past the impressive waterfalls. Diva expected to be afraid but the gradient was so gentle that it was difficult to realise that they had ascended over 800m. At the top was a hotel which provided hot drinks and waffles with raspberry jam to the guests, who were very hungry after almost an hour away from the Silver Spirit.

On arrival back in Flam, TSH insisted on a visit to the train museum, which was next to the station.
Flam is in a very beautiful location and during the sail away up the long fjord one guest (who embarked in Copenhagen) said that the scenery was so good that the cruise was now worthwhile and anything else would be a bonus.

After being sustained by lunch, TSH set off for a walk (with strict instructions to be back well before the ship sailed). He walked round the fjord to a place he had been to forty years earlier. He couldn't remember how much had changed but he did remember that he still did not like the brown goat's cheese that he had in a packed lunch all those years ago. TSH was back on the ship in time to enjoy a cold beer before the ship sailed.   

In Bergen, TSH and Diva went to the market with Chef (David Bilsland), where they surveyed, sampled and purchased (him, not them) fish. They sampled King Crab legs, smoked salmon and smoked whale (Minke, so not protected). The rain was judged to be severe even by TSH criteria (he is from West Cumbria, which is one of the wettest places in the UK). On return to the Silver Spirit, a major change of clothes was needed.

Cows and dragons

Up at 06:00 to prepare for excursion to mountains, waterfalls and fjords around Bergen. Pampering was taken to a whole new level when the butler appeared to ask if help with the luggage was needed. Diva was devastated. Was it the last day? Did she have to leave Silver Cloud? Had she missed the cruise? He meant help with any bag being taken on the day trip. But what is the point of trying to take something you need a butler for?

Trains were seen when leaving Bergen, which pleased TSH. He was less pleased when lunch happened at 11:00. An early lunch is the norm at home but on tours it quite often doesn’t happen until 14:00. So he’d got up early, eaten a huge breakfast and could not really do justice to the excellent buffet lunch, although he did manage 6 kinds of herrings.

A visit to a ‘staved’ church in the afternoon produced the first sight of dragons, which were used to decorate the roof. Apparently the churches were designed using a fusion of Christian and Norse tradition.

A squirrel, which was probably red, ran across the road in front of the bus.

There is a law in Norway which states that all cows have to sleep on mattresses. Farmers were reluctant to invest in this improvement, but apparently it has been shown to have a significant positive effect on milk yields. The guide said that Google would confirm this bizarre fact.  But how do you get a cow to sleep on a mattress? Is there a new profession? Cowmattressfacilitator? (joined together because Norwegian is constructed like German).