Traveling Home

07-15: Up and out early for us – Before 9a! We got a Bolt (like Uber) that took us to our airport hotel location in 20+ minute ride. We can get a noon check-in but, in the meantime, we played cards in the lobby. Their restaurant only opens for dinner. They have a bit of food/drink in the lobby. We split a club sandwich and a bag of chips, along with a Coke. We were in our room by 1:30p and spent the rest of the afternoon on our laptops and catching up on a few things. When we went down for dinner, we were met with a closed restaurant and a dinner buffet was the only option. Since there are no restaurants near us, we did the buffet. Then off to bed.

07-16: Up and to the airport by 5a. All checked in and waiting in the Polaris Lounge. There is some concern flying through Frankfurt airport as there have been many long waits and problems for us there in the past. This time things went smooth. I had a wheelchair, so we made it through the check in process faster. We are now scanned and set up for the new EES system, I hope. They did it differently for each of us and didn’t take Stuart’s photo. We’ll see what happens next time! Flight from Frankfurt to SFO was fabulous. We traveled in Polaris class. I could lay down and even slept for a couple hours. Nice movies, pretty nice foods, and friendly staff. True travel in comfort! We had a long wait in SFO, even longer with a delayed take off. We did walk in our front door about 11p. Good to be home. 

Bergen, Norway - Tuesday

07-14: Early lunch in the World Café. We talked about getting off. Since we have already spent about a week total in Bergen, there really wasn’t anything we wanted to do. After lunch we packed everything we could do without overnight and, put our suitcases out before we went to dinner. Our last meal onboard was good and dessert was delicious! I’ve never seen apples sliced so thin and retaining a bit of crispiness. We finished the night in the Atrium “Livingroom” playing cards and saying good-bye to some of our favorite people (Rot and Nonty, others have left already). Hopefully, we will sleep well and wake up refreshed in the morning for our move to the hotel for one night.

Eidfjord, Norway - Monday

07-13: Eidfjord, Norway. We went up top and looked around for what is close – Nothing really, so we stayed onboard. We had lunch and played cards surrounded by the lovely Eidfjord. In the afternoon we watched a movie and Stuart put the last touches on his presentation and rested. His presentation was 6:30p. This is his last one. We got the disembarkation information today as well. After dinner in the World Café we went to the show that was part farewell from the Captain and after that an ABBA show by the singers. It was good. Torshavn was next listening to some rock and roll music, then bedtime.  

Stavanger, Norway - Saturday

Hi June, If you are reading this you know how I am doing. No one reads this but you so each post is for you really! I hope all is well at your place and with all the kids. Miss you. I hope to call you before I get home so we can catch up. You know those first few days home are hecktic. xo

07-12: Stavanger, Norway. Not feeling well at all. I think I had gastro-upset that sort of felt like chest pain. I couldn’t sleep. I took Tums but I ran out of them. I had a big bottle of them but I cannot find it now. I just had the few that were in my purse. Stuart brought me tea and a muffin. I am feeling a little better, no pain now. Stuart did laundry again, hopefully the last time. He also found Gaviscon at the ship store and that really helped a lot. I am still watching what I eat today. Today we are docked right next to house on the starboard side. It is a quaint and beautiful little town. Quiet evening, we did go to the show but then to bed early.

Oslo, Norway - Saturday

07-11:  The ship was only in port until 11a so no real time to get out and do anything. We had lunch in the dining room and then went up to the Explorer lounge to watch sailing out of the narrow fjord. We played Rummikub and watched the beautiful scenery go by. We played until early evening but instead of dinner we had just snacks. We didn’t go to the show because it was a repeat of one we already saw, and not a favorite. I think Stuart has one more presentation. I think we are both ready to be done here. There just isn’t much to do onboard.

Oslo, Norway - Friday

07-10: Oslo, Norway. We were up early and on our way to the Munch Museum. It was a very pleasant visit. Though I am not a fan of all Edvard Munch painting, there are many I do like. We saw the entire museum. We spent little time in the area dedicated to crafts or drawing, mostly for children but also some adults. We did see every exhibit. We both liked the biggest room with the largest paintings the most. Most prominent was the Sun, just beautiful with 2 side paintings painted to go with it. After visiting all 11 floors, the 12th was the restaurant. We had a nice lunch before heading back to the ship. Stuart did his presentation at 6:30p and we had dinner in the dining room after that. We watched the show, a singer from Canada, he was good. A few cards and off to bed.

Ålborg, Denmark - Thursday

07-09: Ålborg, Denmark. We slept in. We weren’t getting off anyway. We ate lunch at the grill because it was nice, sunny, and warm. We played cards there for a little while, then back to the cabin. Stuart had a much-needed nap and I worked on this blog and photos. The show was a repeat for us so we skipped it. Of course, everything is a repeat because we are doing the same cruise in the opposite direction. We had a nice dinner in the Dining Room with a really tasty piece of blueberry pie to share for dessert. Cards and bed after that.

Copenhagen, Denmark - Wednesday

07-08: Copenhagen, Denmark. We had a long and busy day today. I hope I can remember everything we did! We didn’t take the ship’s shuttle because we wanted to save the walking for Tivoli Gardens. Stuart has been there before but I had not. We took a Bolt to the entrance and quite quickly we purchased tickets and we were inside. It looked so crowded we thought we would be waiting for some time, but they are very organized. Tivoli Gardens is a fun place just to walk around. There are lakes, ponds, beautiful flowers everywhere, 40+ dining choices, shows several times a day, and even peacocks walking freely about. There are scads of rides for all ages. If you choose to ride rides you can buy 1 ticket or get a pass for all the rides. We didn’t have a chance to see any shows today. It seems like week days they have them later in the day, and we had to be back to the ship. We did have a delicious lunch and a separate stop for a glass of wine among the flowers. There is a Lego store right by one of the entrances of the gardens. We stopped in there because I wanted to get something only found in Denmark, birthplace of the Lego! What a cute shop with some fun things! We caught another Bolt back to the ship. We had just 30 minutes to refresh before our next cooking class.

Tonight we are cooking Mediterranean tonight. Tonight the class only has 6 people. One cook was a sweet lady with dementia, so she was no real help. The other 5 of us had a lot of prep work to do. We made ravioli (pasta was premade and cut), tomato sauce, fennel and white bean salad, and lastly swordfish steaks. Everything was so good! The fish had a white wine sauce with lemon and saffron. I made sure to get that recipe along with the all of the others. The pastry chef made us a stunning dessert. What each person was served was enough food for 2 people. Our instructions were given by Chef Joseph again. He is such a nice man. In 2 days, he leaves the ship for a break, but he is going to be back on this ship or another.

Warnemünde, Germany - Tuesday

07-07: Warnemünde, Germany. It is cold and wet again today. We had such a nice time when we were here before, what a difference this stop is. Stuart gives another presentation tonight so we just stayed onboard. Even if he didn’t speak, it would have been no fun go get off in the rain. After his presentation we went to dinner. Tonight they had German sausage and all the extras to go with them. The soft pretzels were good! Actually, all of the dishes were good and there were several kinds of German sausage to choose from. We had to rush to the theater to watch the movie Hamilton showing tonight. There is no show as most onboard took the 12-hour excursion to Berlin. We have both been in the past and it was great, but a really long day. The movie was just okay, so we left after an hour. A lot of Rap music and rather hard to understand and keep up. We played some cards to finish off the day.

Bornholm, Ronne (Denmark Island) - Monday

07-06: Bornholm, Ronne (Island in Denmark): Another day with pouring rain. This second cruise is so much different than the first. Of course, it is all repeat ports for us, but also the weather is the opposite from what it was on our first stop. We had such an enjoyable time when visiting this island before. Today we were going to find a coin shop, but it was less than inviting to go out – we stayed in! We sent some time researching and checking things for our 2027 Africa Trip. It was also very cold throughout the ship so we stayed in our cabin all afternoon doing that and watching some TV. They really don’t have activities during the day. This is a “Thinking Man’s Cruise” and I guess everyone is thinking all afternoon. Anyway, the real fun was dinner time. We took another cooking class on the ship. We really had fun before and this time was also great. We had a French menu this time. The starter was a fish stew – so amazing. It had a white, creamy broth with Monk fish, mussels, scallops, and prawns. Garnish for this stew was 3 additional mussels with lemon zest and chives. It was a meal in itself. So delicious. I am so glad we have the recipe. The next course was filet mignon. First Stuart and I made the chorizo salsa. That consisted of the diced chorizo fried until somewhat crispy (for me it was too crispy) with cherry tomatoes, shallots, chives, parsley, white balsamic, olive oil, zest and juice of one lemon, with salt and pepper to taste. Later the beef was seared in the leftover oil from the chorizo and some of that was also spooned over the steak as part of the garnish. The filet was served on a bed of the salsa, topped with a goat cheese and fennel fondue. It was okay considering I don’t care for goat cheese. With all the fennel and other things added to it, it didn’t taste much like goat cheese anyway. There were several other garnishes added to the beef dish but I am not sure of all of them. Dessert was provided by the pasty chef. Tonight it was Bailey’s Chocolate Mousse. It was very good also, but didn’t taste the Bailey’s in it. We are stuffed! All of this was served with a white and then a red wine paired to go well with the dinner, and it did! A few card games listening to the piano player Lisa and then off to bed.  

Gdansk, Poland - Sunday

07-05: Gdansk, Poland. We are in Gdansk, Poland again. We thought about getting off, but it's very cloudy and just pouring rain off and on, so it's just not worth it. We were going to take a historical car tour through the city but not in this weather. It was sweltering when we were here before on the first cruise. We spent time this afternoon working on our Africa trip. We went to deck 8 above the explorer lounge to watch our sail away. On these ships, they don't do any sail away festivity of any kind. The only option for the afternoon was watching a documentary on Poland that was running in a loop all afternoon. Tonight was another seafood extravaganza in the Café. It was just amazing with heaping platters of everything you can think of: Lobster, King Crab, crab claws, prawns, shrimp, muscles, scallops, mussels, clams – all fresh and delicious! There were also premade salads and poke bowls of several kinds to choose from. The food on Viking is really very good and served at an appropriate temperature! 

At Sea - Saturday - 4th of July

07-04: At Sea, Happy 4^th of July! The seas are rough today. I took a Dramamine first thing this morning to make sure. For lunch they had a special sandwich event scheduled for the Aquavit Terrace. Due to weather, it was moved inside to the Wintergarden next to the grill. They served both Cuban and Ruben sandwiches. They were served nice and hot, so they were pretty good. We played a little backgammon after that. Stuart was tired (probably from the Dramamine) and my back is not doing great today. He also had to tweak his presentation so things are lined up with the stops in the reverse order of the first cruise. At dinner they were giving out some small margaritas as we entered, something different. I am surprised there is nothing mentioning the 4^th of July. There was a flag cake in the buffet area. The majority of people on this cruise are from the USA. Of course, they are showing World Cup either… I have hopes for tomorrow since Brazil is playing Norway. This is a Norwegian line so maybe? We skipped the show with country music, played some cards, and to bed early.

Tallin, Estonia - Friday

07-03: Tallin, Estonia: Our second visit here was uneventful as we did not get off the ship. We played some games and rested. There is always something to work on for laptops or photos. I had my nails done today and that took almost 2 hours out of the middle of the day, just for a manicure! It is nice but sure took a long time. We went to trivia, skipped the show, and enjoyed the sunset. There has been rain off-and-on all day. The candied ginger is out, as are the green apples. I guess rough seas are expected. 

Leaving Stockholm - Thursday

07-02: Leaving Stockholm. We left around 2:30p today. Stuart was in the Explorer’s with a commentary as we passed through the Stockholm Archipelago. It was well attended. He has several other small obligations today so I stayed in the cabin and worked on photos until the captain’s welcome and show time. Stuart and the other speakers were introduced at that time. We spent just a bit of time in Torshavn before it closed, then we played cards and went to bed. Tonight we turn the clock 1 hour ahead.

Stockholm, Sweden - Tuesday

06-30: Stockholm, Sweden. Stuart was up early because he had a 6a presentation in the Explorer’s Lounge. It was a commentary while passing through the archipelago as we headed into Stockholm. I did make it up before he was done so we went to breakfast in the dining room for the first time. Waffles for Stuart and French toast for me. Around 10:30a we headed out to meet Kurt and Camila. They live in Visby and came into Stockholm to meet us. It was a full day! First, we headed to the ABBA Museum. We spent a fun couple of hours there. They were such a great group. I was surprised how each of them had ongoing careers after the group broke up. This museum and others are on the island Djurgarden. On this same island we also drove to the Royal Gardens for lunch. Well, it was supposed to be lunch but it was really Fika. This refers to friends gathering for a beverage and sweet with conversation. After that we walked around the gardens for a time. Then back on the road on this same island with an ice cream stop. For dinner it was back on the mainland and heading to a restaurant that has been here since the 1600’s. We met their son Jesper and his girlfriend Cecila there. We had a marvelous dinner. It was Swedish Meatball, mashed potatoes, pickled cucumber, and a lingonberry sauce. It was just amazing! Next, we were scheduled for a ghost walk. We began the tour with steep stairs with no rail and a lot of them! I barely made it up there. Stuart opted us out of the rest of the tour and met them afterwards. I was sorry to sit it out, but I just couldn’t do it. After we met up with the group Kurt and Camilla took us back to the ship. It was a delightful day with a lot of wonderful memories made.

Tallin, Estonia - Monday

06-29: Tallin, Estonia. We have both been to Tallin in the past, and experienced the old town area. So, today it was taking the ship shuttle into the newer area of town and walking around a little bit. We saw a cute burger joint with locals, so we had lunch there. Stuart felt it was the best burger so far on this trip. It was juicy, hot, and delicious. We dropped into a thrift shop of sorts in search of old coins, but it was all clothing so we walked on. Time to head back to the ship as Stuart has a presentation. We had a quick dinner in the World Café because we want to go to the show. Tonight was a farewell toast with the captain as the beginning of the show with a toast and acknowledgment to some of the hard-working staff. Andre, the cruise director, took us on a musical journey through his life in the entertainment field. We ended the night in Torshavn.

Sea Day

06-28: Sea Day! We had a leisurely morning and took lunch in the Dining Room. Stuart worked on a few things this afternoon and I did some album work. His presentation was at 3:15p today. Upon entering I finally met Kathy, we have a mutual friend (Helen) and she is from Fresno. We chatted for a while. A few card games and going to Alan’s presentation took up the rest of the afternoon. We had a nice dinner with Resident Historian Erin Barr, her mother Sue, Alan Carlton, and the two of us. Erin and Sue will be getting off in Stockholm but Alan will continue on like we are until our Bergen disembarkation. It was really too late to go to the show since we had a late dinner. A few more card games tonight and off to bed. 

Gadansk, Poland - Saturday

06-27: Gdansk, Poland. This is the 99th country I have been to! A trip into town was the plan, the ship provides a free shuttle. They have heat warnings so we don’t plan to do too much. I was hoping to find perogies to taste. That is a sort of dumpling, small, and filled with various things. The charming outdoor café didn’t have them. We didn’t really want to walk further, so we opted for pizza. It was good and we had a couple of cold beverages to go with it. I had my first alcohol free sparkling wine, it wasn’t bad. We were thinking about taking the historical car tour in town, but no one was around to rent from. We will plan that next time since we make all the same ports stops on our way back. We were spent after waiting in the blistering sun for the shuttle, with very limited AC. The first stop was a big cold beverage on our return to the ship. We played one game of Phase 10 then it was to the cabin for a rest for me, and computer work for Stuart. A couple changes have been made to his presentations and he needs to adjust to that. After showers it was time for dinner. There was a Perogi station tonight on the Aquavit Terrace. There were 4 types of filling. One was a bit better than the others because the dough was not as thick. It was fun to try them. The Aquavit Terrace on Viking Ocean Cruises is a signature indoor/outdoor space located on Deck 7, directly aft of the World Café. It offers the most al fresco dining at sea, acting as an extension of the buffet where you can enjoy meals with panoramic ocean views. Tonight was a Beatles Tribute done by the cast. The music was great. Tonight we turn our clock forward an hour, making us 10 hours ahead of home time. Tomorrow is our 1st and only sea day on this 1st of 2 cruises. 

Bornholm, Ronne - Friday

06-26: Bornholm, Roenne (Ronne). Today we went on the included, scenic tour of Ronne. Bornholm is a lovely island belonging to Denmark. Our trip was mostly traveling country and forest roads. They grow a lot of crops here, though I am not sure what all of them are! There was corn crowing in various stages, the grain for canola oil, and many more grain-type crops growing. Our one stop on the tour was the Round Church, Østerlars Church. Four of Denmark’s seven medieval round churches are located on Bornholm. The round churches were built as a combination of a church and a defensive structure and each of them have their own characteristics. The one we visited was built in the 1200’s with frescos dating back to the 1300’s. It was a lovely, relaxing drive to see the island.  We drove on seeing remains of a fort and passing through the small town named Hasel. This small town has a plant that makes ALL the fish burgers for McDonalds in Europe for 50+ years! After our return we had a snack and played cards in the Explorers Lounge. There is a snack area there called Mamsen’s. They serve open faced sandwiches, cakes, cookies, and sometimes soup. We went to dinner in the dining room, so we didn’t want to eat much. After dinner was the show. It was a Whitney Houston Tribute show, which was fair. It would have been better if she picked more popular songs we would know. Again, visiting with a few people and then on to Torshavn to close the day out.

Warnemünde, Germany - Thursday

06-25: Warnemünde, Germany. We had a most delightful day. A good many people took the long trip into Berlin, which is a 12-hour tour. We have both been there before so for us it was a walk to the canal area. Stuart did remember being in this area before and it did not disappoint. We had a wonderful Bratwurst lunch. With it they served a very tasty sauerkraut. I usually don’t care for that but it was very good. We walked all around the canal area. I even did a little shopping. Later we had a cold drink and then headed back to the ship. It was a long walk for me! We freshened up and had dinner in the Dining Room for a change. It began with mushroom soup, followed by shrimp and scallops, and then an apple treat for dessert. It was a full day and I am exhausted. No show tonight as it is some video in the Star Theater, we skipped that, played cards, and went to bed early.