A Last Look at the QM2

Here are just a few last pictures of the QM2. We did love this trip and we have booked another adventure for next year.

We hope to sail on Cunard's Queen Elizabeth. She is not in the water yet, so she will be very new. I think her maiden voyage is in October. Our plan is to head for the Mediterranean Sea for a 17 day cruise and we would go with these same friends.

One thing I noticed on this ship that I don't remember on the other lines I've been on is that along the hallway windows are tables for games and cards. We took advantage of that a few times. There were great bars (during the World Cup, no less), a casino, computer centers, library, and theaters. AND of course, High Tea. Thanks, but I will stick to the Chai Tea Latte from

Starbucks!

Guess those kids will have to book their wedding around us! If you're available for a June in the Med, let us know...the more the merrier.

Bergen "The Gateway to the Fjords"

Bergan was our last stop and what a beautiful city, full of rich history and tradition! We had a full day here and didn't even scratch the surface. Much of the city located along the water's edge was lost to fire in the 1702 because of all the wooden structures so close together. At that time in Norway's history, this area was occupied by the Hanseatc League whereby they dominated the Northern European trade routes. Many of the original old buildings have been restored and converted to little shops. There is a Hanseatisk Museum that gave lots of history and displayed many artifacts. Life was quite harsh in those early years. You can see the existing old buildings and style of architecture here.

We did take an inexpensive museum tour that was recommended in the Steve Ricks Tour book that was indeed stellar and worth 3 times what we paid. Our docent showed how the drying of cod and shipping of cod was big business in Norway hundreds of years ago. I believe this gal said she spoke 5 or 6 languages! I can't even speak Spanish!

We did not take any tours the cruise line offered because Bergen is such a modern city that it was easy to find a "hop-on, hop-off bus" for a few Norwegian Krone. We did take the funicular up to the top of Mount Floien to view the city of Bergen below. The fog would blow in an out, but it was an amazing spot to look out over. Bergan has universities, hospital, and many large businesses. It is second in size next to Oslo.

Getting Dressed Up

On cruises you have to pack a few nice things. For us beach folks, that requires a trip to the mall! The Queen Mary 2 was not exactly the same as the Carnival Line in that you even looked nice on "sea days." Poor Dan had to buy a lot of new things as his usual jeans and Shore Management polo shirt uniform was just not going to cut it. He is now the proud owner of a tux, a black suit and a navy sport coat. Now if we had bought that tux 5 cruises ago, we really would have gotten our money's worth! I told him we just have to go out more! He really looked great :)

It was kind of fun to get dressed up each night. Here are the rules if you want to eat in the dining room (which we did because we had already paid for it):

Elegant casual~ Jacket for men and dress, skirt, or trousers for ladies.

Semi-formal~ Jacket and tie for men and cocktail dress for women

Formal~ tux or black tie/suit for men and evening dress or formal attire for women.

Did you notice the word jeans was not on the list? Actually, it specifically says in the literature no jeans. Well, we wore them every time we got off the boat for our day cruises. It is hard to let those things go!

We had 5 elegant casual, 5 formal, and 1 semi-formal. Girls, that is a lot of make-up which I rarely put on since I retired!!!

There are photographers taking pictures all the time. We bought one to put in a scrapbook, but I bet we "threw-out" 3 dozen. Pictures are $25 each! My camera does just fine thanks!

I just had a thought! Now that Dan has a tux AND a black suit, he has something to wear to the upcoming wedding! Of course, I will have to BUY something in the "wedding colors!"

Honningsvaag-The Top of the World

This small city was by far my favorite! The population is 2,575. It is located at 71 N and is the northernmost city in Norway. You might think it would be very cold and desolate, but you would be wrong. The day we were there it was rainy and about 46F but comfortable. Again we had no sunrise or sunset. Because the ocean is ice free, it is rich with fisheries. This is a great spot to see the Aurora Borealis. The phenomenon is typically seen between September and May when the darkness enhances the lights. Obviously, being there when there was not dark, we were going to miss this great site.

A few of the homes had cod-drying racks on the outside walls. I cannot imagine living like this. I am too much of a princess! I wanted you to have one last chance to see the dry cod! Should I send Dan over to install a drying rack?

One little boy,who I think was Sami, was showing us the crab tanks where they kept fresh catch. He put on these huge gloves and would hold out the crabs for the tourists. We gave him some of our Kroners~we have no idea the worth of these coins, but it seems like a good cause. He was so cute! Reminded me of my 3rd graders.

They're Engaged!

We interrupt the tour of Norway to announce the engagement of Jay Timothy to Heidi Kirsten. They have been dating for about a year and Jay popped the question after asking for her parents blessing. I guess he got it, because he has given her a ring! He had the ring designed just for her, so it is a good thing she said "yes". I hear Heidi was not expecting the big question. He proposed up in the mountains of Big Bear while they were hiking, thus the scruffy, sporty look in the picture. The proposal was while we were on the cruise, so he let us know via email/text message, "She said yes!"

We have since gone out to dinner to celebrate the upcoming event which should be sometime next summer here in San Diego. Tomorrow night Dan and I are meeting her parents for the first time and we look forward to that. We are having them over for BBQ chicken~real beach food. Dan and I are both excited for Jay and we really like Heidi. Having two daughter-in-laws will be wonderful. We just wish Brian and Patience lived a bit closer, but Chicago is a fantastic city to visit.

Casino Night!

Oh what fun! I learned how to play Texas Hold'em and I actually won! I have never really played poker before and sure don't know what beats what. But, the tables are run electronically and each opening bid is $2. So, I put a big $50 on my electronic Gambling Card (enough to last the entire 11 days) and guarded it with my life.

You could raise or check or basically choose from the menu on your little

electronic computer in front of you. This was good because I don't know how to check and raise.

On days when we were at sea all day, they would hold tournaments that lasted about and hour. Dan actually came in second place and won $75.

Tournament people play kinda tough, but our little after dinner regulars played very fun. No cut-throats or bullies. Lots of laughs and jokes. The Englishman I am seated next to lost his wife several years ago and now he spends what seems like 3/4 of the year on cruises going around the world. He meets people as he goes and tells the most entertaining of stories. He was leaving our ship at the end of the trip and the re-boarding for another excursion to someplace new. They all know him well. He was such a delightful old guy. See all that daylight coming though the window? Well actually it is past midnight! In the end I won $37 above my $50 investment and had many hours of after dinner entertainment.

Tromso-The Arctic Ocean

At noon we officially crossed into the Arctic Ocean. It was quite windy and rainy, but the QM2 was stable and you would never know how nasty the weather was. For those of you who are geography nuts, Tromso is as far north as Barrow, Alaska. It was a drizzly 47F when we headed out for the Arctic Cathedral.

After viewing this very modern cathedral, we boarded our motor coach headed for Mt. Storsteien. To reach the top, we took a cable car. You could view the city below in between the fog that would glide by. After leaving this part of Tromso (Pronounced Trom-su), we continued driving around the city with an

excellent tour guide!! Norway has a zero unemployment rate! The other side, well everything is taxed at 25%! Lots of people need psychiatric assistance due to the limited light caused by the short days/long nights.

The native people are called the Sami and today they still herd reindeer. As a matter of fact, 10 families own all the reindeer in Norway. These animals are protected and each one has a chip that identifies its owner. If you should accidentally hit one of these animals as they cross the road, you will need to pay the family as much as $10,000. Hefty fine! We are here during the time when it is always daylight~it is weird having no sunrise or sunset.

Geirangerfjord and Stryne

Have you discovered that you can't pronounce the names of these cities yet? It was definitely a challenge. Sunrise was at 3:49 a.m. and it was a good thing that each of the cabins has blackout curtains. We left the ship at 8:45 a.m. for a full day up the Geirangerfjord. A fjord is an extension of the ocean so it has the same tide table. We learned so many little facts on the motor coach that took us first to the Stryne Valley. Too bad I will forget the majority of them. Retirement of the brain I guess. At the top of Stryne Valley we stopped for this amazing picture. The lake below is known as Deep Lake. We had a chance to eat, take pictures, and walk around before heading down to Geirangerfjord Park and then hop on a boat and motor up the fjord.

There are waterfalls everywhere! They come in all sizes and

shapes. This one is called the "Seven Sisters" because of the 7 falls running so close together. Some waterfalls seemed to come out of nowhere and yet they were pounding the ground. Sunset was at 11:18.

Stravanger, Norway

Norway is a land full of fjords. The Lysefjord was formed after the last ice age, about 10,000 years ago. We disembarked the QM2 and got on a small tour boat called Ronde Fjorde Cruise that took us up the Lysefjord along side sheer granite rock. We came up under the famous "Pulpit Rock". It was given that popular name because at the top there is a section of rock that sticks up like a pastor's pulpit. Apparently it is a "hiker's destination." No thanks! The scattered homes along the fjord edge have been handed down for generations. Those you see above would run about 700K in USD.

In the actual town of Stavanger, homes are narrow and built vertically. The streets are a kind of cobblestone and very narrow. Most things are built on hills. Along the dock we saw a replica of a Viking ship seen to your left.

One of the main exports in Norway is fish and they had a lot of dried cod in the local fish markets. The fish is just stacked in bins and people re-hydrate it to make soups etc. It reminded me of salt coated cardboard and smelled. Looked yucky to us, but so did a lot of the local fish.

It was a fantastic first day. The weather was a mild 50F and we had lots of sunshine. Sunrise was at 5:54 a.m. and sunset was at 10:35 p.m.

Norway , "The Land of the Midnight Sun"

As many of you know, Dan and I went to Norway this past June. I still don't have all the pictures edited, labeled, filed in iphoto, let alone have the scrapbook started. A friend mentioned just today of being tired of seeing "the fence" pictures in the last posting, so I thought I had better get to it. So, I guess I will begin a series on Norway.

Our trip began June 13 when we flew with our friends Pat and Carol from SD to Philly and from there to Heathrow, UK. Carol is a travel agent and she and her husband have asked us to go on trips for years, but alas as a teacher, my window of opportunity was limited. So finally this year we could say, " yes." After 13 hours in an economy class seat our tushes were sore and with all the excitement, we slept very little. Once in England we took a nice motor coach to Southhampton~ about 2 hours away with traffic to the Queen Mary 2 Cruise Terminal. I remember thinking, "Oh, goody, more time to sit," but the lull of the coach put me right to sleep. Boarding the QM2 was smooth and efficient, unlike other experience we have had when boarding ships.

This picture is actually at our first stop in Stavanger, Norway. You see Dan dwarfed by the QM2. This is a HUGE ship and very elegant. VERY British, from the service, food, decor, shows, etc. Next in the series will be more on Stavanger.