Not calling at Hammerfest gave a day cruising dramatic fjords which would otherwise have been passed in the dark. So it turned out for the best. There is more snow in this region, but it is high on the mountains.
Dinner in suite - pizza, champagne and 'Darkest Hour' movie.
Morning walk round Tromso. The shuttle bus went through a long tunnel and there was a first for TSH and Diva. An underground roundabout where two tunnels met!!
The afternoon excursion was to the beautiful island of Sommaroy. A group of 4 wild reindeer on the road caused the bus to divert around them. Waffles and hot drinks were much appreciated in the cold weather.
On return to the Silver Spirit, all guests were strongly encouraged to go immediately to the theatre for an announcement from the captain.
Tuesday, 26 June 2018
Sunday, 24 June 2018
Good Vibrations?
At the small port near North Cape, TSH and Diva took an unguided walk around the few streets. They went out 20 minutes too early and got totally drenched, although the weather did partially clear later. Mist drifted around for most of the day, sometimes coming to very low levels and at other time retreating to the high mountain tops.
Dinner was taken with the Hotel Director, who was keen to gather views about the changes to the restaurants and the menus. Mostly favourable.
Many guests stayed up for the 22:00 cruise around North Cape - the weather was clear by then and there were excellent views of the sheer cliffs. At this latitude and time of year it is light for 24 hours. No sunset and no sunrise.
The captain (along with the guests!!) is concerned about intermittent vibrations through the ship. Very intrusive and totally different from movement due to the wind and waves. Apparently they caused the piano in Silver Note to move across the floor!! An announcement was made at 23:00 advising people not to worry because all was under control. Divers will examine the propellers at the next port. Wherever that is.
Silver Spirit will not be calling at Hammerfest, the next scheduled port, because the swell is too high for safe tender operations and there is no place to dock. So there is an extra sea day before Tromso and TSH and Diva will miss the Meridian monument (to the scientists who measured the earth in 1852) and the possibility of becoming members of the Royal Polar Bear Club.
Dinner was taken with the Hotel Director, who was keen to gather views about the changes to the restaurants and the menus. Mostly favourable.
Many guests stayed up for the 22:00 cruise around North Cape - the weather was clear by then and there were excellent views of the sheer cliffs. At this latitude and time of year it is light for 24 hours. No sunset and no sunrise.
The captain (along with the guests!!) is concerned about intermittent vibrations through the ship. Very intrusive and totally different from movement due to the wind and waves. Apparently they caused the piano in Silver Note to move across the floor!! An announcement was made at 23:00 advising people not to worry because all was under control. Divers will examine the propellers at the next port. Wherever that is.
Silver Spirit will not be calling at Hammerfest, the next scheduled port, because the swell is too high for safe tender operations and there is no place to dock. So there is an extra sea day before Tromso and TSH and Diva will miss the Meridian monument (to the scientists who measured the earth in 1852) and the possibility of becoming members of the Royal Polar Bear Club.
Saturday, 23 June 2018
Another Captain
The first Captain, Captain Portillo, left the ship in Copenhagen and the second Captain took over. So naturally he also wanted to meet TSH and Diva by inviting them to dine with him. He presented them with their 'free' 7-day cruise certificate (for reaching 350 days sailing with Silversea) and a photograph was taken at the Venetian Society cocktail party.
Most captains give wind speed and wave height during their weather update over the ship's communication system. But this one informed the guests that the wind and sea were 'grumpy'. A bit like camera-less TSH. A sympathetic Danish fellow photographer patted his shoulder and said 'I feel your pain'.
Every day, a Hurtigruten ship leaves Bergen for the traditional 12 day round trip around the Norwegian coast. Although there are 12 of them around, Harstad was the first place where the Silver Spirit encountered one. Because it was docked when they arrived, docking was delayed.
There are no snow-capped mountains but there is snow to be seen in north-facing gullies. Unless the cloud cover is down to less than 1000 feet.
Angela Grace and Alex performed 'Hallelujah' by special request of TSH and Diva.
Most captains give wind speed and wave height during their weather update over the ship's communication system. But this one informed the guests that the wind and sea were 'grumpy'. A bit like camera-less TSH. A sympathetic Danish fellow photographer patted his shoulder and said 'I feel your pain'.
Every day, a Hurtigruten ship leaves Bergen for the traditional 12 day round trip around the Norwegian coast. Although there are 12 of them around, Harstad was the first place where the Silver Spirit encountered one. Because it was docked when they arrived, docking was delayed.
There are no snow-capped mountains but there is snow to be seen in north-facing gullies. Unless the cloud cover is down to less than 1000 feet.
Angela Grace and Alex performed 'Hallelujah' by special request of TSH and Diva.
Thursday, 21 June 2018
Adventures in the Arctic
TSH and Diva are now above the Arctic Circle. The Silver Spirit has made no acknowledgment of this and when Diva asked when the crossing would be, neither the shore concierge desk nor (more scarily) the bridge officer, had any real idea.
Going ashore in Svolaer, in the Lofoten islands, involved a hazardous transfer into a bouncing tender. Further hazards included a single track road tunnel where the bus met a car coming the other way, a drive up a narrow winding road (unsurfaced) with a steep drop on one side and a five point turn at the top (better than the alternative which was to reverse down the narrow road!). The purpose of the latter was to provide a phototstop. Not very popular when you are above the clouds. Throughout all this, Diva was too busy being terrified to be able to continue to worry about the hazards of the journey back to the Silver Spirit.
The highlight of the excursion was a visit to a reconstructed Viking long-house which belonged to a rich local leader. The modern day Viking who explained the site was knowledgeable and very funny.
The misty drizzly weather means that the wild dramatic Lofoten scenery looks very atmospheric. The jagged mountain tops continually appear and disappear through the mist.
TSH is persevering with learning to take inferior pics with the smartphone.
No suitable T shirts located yet.
Wednesday, 20 June 2018
Trauma in Trondheim
Ultimate humiliation for TSH. He walked around the pleasant city of Trondheim taking pics with Diva's smartphone. Which he doesn't really know how to operate.
His brand new Nikon SLR has developed a fault with the SD card reader, which he is fairly sure is a hardware problem. It will be fixed under guarantee on return to UK but in the meantime he is extremely unhappy. He has cancelled his solo bird watching trip but is still going to the glacier.
The weather was deteriorating so they cancelled outdoor pizza in favour of a civilised meal in the Atlantides restaurant. Turbot - the king of fish according to Chef.
Next morning at breakfast there were a number of incidents in La Terrazza becasue of the choppy sea. Many items were fastened down but plates crashed to the floor and a guest was heard to remark that cruises are so expensive because the cruise lines need to pay for the breakages. A massive orchid on a corridor fell over and a group of officers worked to clean it all up.
TSH and Diva have tablets and wristbands and attitude. No problems for them.
Overheard in Trondheim from a guest waiting to get on the shuttle bus which had just arrived to take people back to the ship: 'It's already full'. Yes, with people who had just travelled from the ship to the city centre and were about to get off.
His brand new Nikon SLR has developed a fault with the SD card reader, which he is fairly sure is a hardware problem. It will be fixed under guarantee on return to UK but in the meantime he is extremely unhappy. He has cancelled his solo bird watching trip but is still going to the glacier.
The weather was deteriorating so they cancelled outdoor pizza in favour of a civilised meal in the Atlantides restaurant. Turbot - the king of fish according to Chef.
Next morning at breakfast there were a number of incidents in La Terrazza becasue of the choppy sea. Many items were fastened down but plates crashed to the floor and a guest was heard to remark that cruises are so expensive because the cruise lines need to pay for the breakages. A massive orchid on a corridor fell over and a group of officers worked to clean it all up.
TSH and Diva have tablets and wristbands and attitude. No problems for them.
Overheard in Trondheim from a guest waiting to get on the shuttle bus which had just arrived to take people back to the ship: 'It's already full'. Yes, with people who had just travelled from the ship to the city centre and were about to get off.
Monday, 18 June 2018
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.
Friday, 15 June 2018
Something rotten in the state of Denmark
On the first day in Copenhagen, TSH and Diva took an excursion which had the worst guide they have encountered in a while. His English was excellent but he managed to be almost inaudible whether on or off the bus. His directions and organisation were so poor that TSH and Diva and a couple of others managed to take wrong turning on the way back to the bus and were the last people back on board.
The destinations were excellent, however. They visited the extremely impressive Frederiksborg Castle and walked on Hamlet's ramparts.
TSH and Diva still agree that the food on the Silver Spirit is better than ever and the presentation is superb. There are, however, two restaurants which were never their favourites and now are definitely off the list. The Silver Note (was Stars, which served a tasting menu of small plates which were much enjoyed in early 2017) now serves a complicated menu where it is not obvious how many courses to order. There is no clue in the ship literature but it turns out the food is very spicy. Diva asked for her salad without chilli but still managed to almost choke on something very hot. Her main course was served on an elaborate glass construction with black bits in the bottom (not in the actual food, which was OK). On the last night of the first cruise, they went to Hot Rocks, where guests cook their own food on hot rocks. So the food gets cooked on the outside and stays raw inside unless you cut it up and then you get dry shreds. Not a great experience and not to be repeated.
A marathon walk round the city on the second day. TSH and Diva saw SCAT, the most impressive yacht they have ever seen. Google says it cost $75 million and belongs to Charles Simonyi, who was very senior in Microsoft. They also saw a seaplane, which flies a service between Danish islands and the mainland.
Silversea has been taken over by Royal Caribbean!!!!
The destinations were excellent, however. They visited the extremely impressive Frederiksborg Castle and walked on Hamlet's ramparts.
TSH and Diva still agree that the food on the Silver Spirit is better than ever and the presentation is superb. There are, however, two restaurants which were never their favourites and now are definitely off the list. The Silver Note (was Stars, which served a tasting menu of small plates which were much enjoyed in early 2017) now serves a complicated menu where it is not obvious how many courses to order. There is no clue in the ship literature but it turns out the food is very spicy. Diva asked for her salad without chilli but still managed to almost choke on something very hot. Her main course was served on an elaborate glass construction with black bits in the bottom (not in the actual food, which was OK). On the last night of the first cruise, they went to Hot Rocks, where guests cook their own food on hot rocks. So the food gets cooked on the outside and stays raw inside unless you cut it up and then you get dry shreds. Not a great experience and not to be repeated.
A marathon walk round the city on the second day. TSH and Diva saw SCAT, the most impressive yacht they have ever seen. Google says it cost $75 million and belongs to Charles Simonyi, who was very senior in Microsoft. They also saw a seaplane, which flies a service between Danish islands and the mainland.
Silversea has been taken over by Royal Caribbean!!!!
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