Reset search
Margaret JenkinsMargaret Jenkins
SatelliteEdit route

Margaret Jenkins

June - July 2018
Seeing family in England Read more
  • 25footprints
  • 3countries
  • 24days
  • 140photos
  • 0videos
  • 8.5kkilometers
  • 4.2kkilometers
Follow Calendar Share Bucket list
Date ascending
  • TravelerMargaret Jenkins
    Day 12

    Kew Gardens

    July 1, 2018 in England ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Today we used our bonus ticket on Brit Rail to go to Kew Gardens. Not perfectly straight forward as works were being done on the line near Richmond so were diverted to a bus for some of the journey. Hence it took 2 hours to get from Ascot to Kew Gardens.
    The temperature was very close to 30 deg c again, and there were lots of people enjoying the gardens. The map which the office gave out was a little hard to follow as there were grass tracks as well as pebbled tracts and also tarred paths.
    However we did see the plants in the heated dome, and the flower variety was stunning. The vista over the lake was impressive as well as Queen Charlotte's cottage. This thatched cottage was donated by Queen Victoria in 1898 to the Kew Gardens and consisted of 32 acres as well as the house.
    Trip back to Ascot was even more complicated as the bus did not run straight to Hounslow from Richmond but needed a second bus and a walk. However eventually Anita was able to pick us up from Ascot.    Read more

  • TravelerMargaret Jenkins
    Day 13

    Bergen Norway

    July 2, 2018 in Norway ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    This morning Anita drove us to Gatwick where we got a Norwegian flight to Bergen. Anna came with us too which was great. Traffic to Gatwick was very heavy.
    According to a sign at the airport Bergen is 60deg N, and 5deg E.
    After finding our AirBnB accomodation we set out to explore Bergen which is a mix of the very old, the quirky with a spattering of ultra modern buildings. There are many cobblestoned pavements and some very old wooden buildings. The harbour wends its way through the city and many of the old scenic buildings are clustered around the harbour. The stone hills rise sharply above the buildings providing a great backdrop.    Read more

  • TravelerMargaret Jenkins
    Day 14

    Morning in Bergen

    July 3, 2018 in Norway ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    This morning we started out to explore a little more of Bergen. First Anita and I did a small area near our AirBnB which we found very comfortable. The cobblestone streets are very prolific and we came across many more this morning.
    First photo is of our accomodation which is the apricot coloured place next to the corner house. We were up on the first floor. Second pbhoto is a modern building which I thought was interesting.
    Then we went to see an area called The Fortress. The church there was built between 1247 to 1261 and there does not seem to be any cracks. Quite amazing. Then we went into the church courtyard through an arch which was constructed in 1728. This whole area overlooked the docks, and yes Jenny Anna did take a photo of the Benalla travellers.
    We observed the very long queue for the funicular, and did not join it. Instead took photos in the market which will be the next blog.
    Cheers everyone.    Read more

  • TravelerMargaret Jenkins
    Day 14

    Food in Bergen

    July 3, 2018 in Norway ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    Walking through the Bergen market was fascinating. The salmon seemed huge, and would cut into much wider portions than what we are used to. There was also a lot of dried fish hanging from hooks, some whale as well as dark unidentified fish.
    The number of tourists was amazing. This morning we saw the Queen Elizabeth which left Southampton on Sunday and is going into the fiords. Currently it is docked at Burgen.
    The weather is fantastic. Beautiful blue sky and about 20 deg c.
    Bergen was well worth seeing. There are supposed to be 230 days of rain each year. But not a drop while we have been here. Let's hope it continues for some of the next week.    Read more

  • TravelerMargaret Jenkins
    Day 15

    On the Polarlys

    July 4, 2018 in Norway ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    Yesterday afternoon we boarded the Polarlys in Bergen. The boat left at 8pm to music by the composer Grieg. Quite a moment. The boat has about 400 passengers and seven levels. There are numerous indoor and outdoor lounges. The meals are delicious with many choices.
    There was a lot of light at 2.30am and you could easily take photos. At one stage there appeared to be pink rock on the top of the mountains. However the photo was spoiled by the electric light on the ship's deck.
    We pulled into Maloy about 4.30am with the first rays of sun striking some of the town. Torvik was considerably smaller. After breakfast we came to Alesund which is about 26,000 people and apparently has a lot of commercial activity.    Read more

  • TravelerMargaret Jenkins
    2
    Day 15

    In the Geirangerfjord

    July 4, 2018 in Norway ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    Today after calling into Alesund the ship continued into the Geirangerfjord which is surrounded by majestic mountain peaks, steep cliffs and cascading waterfalls. The mountain peaks appeared to get steeper the further into the fjord the boat travelled. There were many drifts of snow on the higher reaches of the mountains which fed the numerous waterfalls. These waterfalls were quite spectacular and considering that it is summer one can only imagine the volume of water they would discharge in winter.
    When we got to Geiranger we saw almost half the boat get off to do the bus trip back to Molde. We were rather surprised to see the Queen Elizabeth boat (black boat with red funnel) and a ship of the Costa line both in the harbour there. The scenery was obviously a drawcard for the large boats and their passengers.
    Overall it was a spectacular journey.    Read more

  • TravelerMargaret Jenkins
    1
    1
    Day 16

    A Morning in Trondheim

    July 5, 2018 in Norway ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    This morning the Polarlys docked at Trondheim and we did an independent walking tour of the city. Trondheim which was formerly called Nidaros was founded in 997 A.D.. It was Norway's capital from 1030 to 1217 and is home to the Nidaros Cathedral which we saw during our walk.
    Trondheim is a mix of very old buildings such as the Cathedral and some old wooden buildings built on wooden stilts. These wooden buildings looked as though they had been there for many years and planning regulations have presumably changed since they were built. There were also some extremely modern buildings in Trondheim.
    We also wandered around the fishing area and admired the variety of boats we saw. Once again we had blue skies and a temperature approaching 20 deg c.    Read more

  • TravelerMargaret Jenkins
    Day 17

    Nordland evening (almost midnight sun).

    July 6, 2018 in Norway ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

    Greetings from Guest Blogger Anita. Last night, as sensible people were windng down at 9pm after an early, Arctic Circle start to the day, we arrived at Svolvaer 68'N. Pulling in to the quay, there was a poignant memorial to the women who have lost men at sea and behind that A frame fish drying racks. Svolvaer was a small town, and after a walk around we would have been happy to hit the hay. Alas, on reboarding at 9:45pm, an announcement was made that at 11pm we would enter Trollsfjord and that it was worthwhile seeing. Although it was cloudy we were also interested to see how light it stayed that late and so stayed up. Trollsfjord is only 100m wide (the ship is just under 20m wide) and can be visited in calm weather, which we had last night. The crew handed out delicious fish soup to sustain the crowds there. We didnt quite make midnight, and there wasn't sun, but the light was bizarre and wonderful to experience.Read more

  • TravelerMargaret Jenkins
    1
    Day 17

    Crossing the Arctic circle

    July 6, 2018 in Norway ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    This morning we got up early as we were crossing the Arctic circle about 7am. Last evening the passengers were invited to submit a time when they thought this would happen, including the hour, the minute and the second. The Arctic circle is marked by a hollow globe on a small island.
    During the morning we proceeded on toward Boda past some impressive scenery. Some of the mountains appear quite close to the water.
    At Boda which has a population of 50,000 people we went on an Arctic Coastal Walk. The guide to this walk gave us a mixture of geology, agricultural and historical information. Apparently the beach could change in appearance quite considerably, and one day have lots of kelp whilst another day would just have sand. We were told that there had been a submerged coral reef in the vicinity, which contributed to the sand on the beach.
    We also came across a paddock of freshly baled hay. Due to the 24 hour light which happens above the Arctic circle, farmers can cut three lots of hay each summer. We also found cloud berries, which appeared very similar to strawberries.    Read more

  • TravelerMargaret Jenkins
    1
    Day 18

    Tromso

    July 7, 2018 in Norway ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    This morning we had a visit from King Neptune to baptise passengers who had crossed the Arctic Circle. This apparently is quite a tradition and many passengers participated. Anna was very quick with the camera and it was lots of fun.
    When we reached Tromso we did a self guided tour of the town. We went by taxi to the cable car and went up into the clouds. The ride was very smooth but there had been rain so the photos were not good. After the cable car we walked our way leisurely back to the boat via several points of interest. First we saw the Arctic Cathedral the roof of which was constructed with 2 metre sheets of metal. Anna says this is to cope with expansion.
    Then we walked over the bridge and admired several buildings along the waterfront. We looked at the library and also the Tromso Cathedral which was made of wood. Finally we saw the Polaria which was a funky Aquariam and the MS Polstjerna. Altogether another very interesting day.    Read more

  • 2024© FindPenguins
  • Home
  • About us
  • Blog
  • Group Tracking
  • Press
  • Terms
  • Privacy Policy & Cookies
  • Support
  • Legal notice
  • English