Alesund, Norway

Overnight we moved to Alesund which at first glance is a bigger city than what we have been visiting so far.

Our last excursion today is the only one we didn’t book with the ship. It was a short walk to the pickup point and off we go.

We head up to the mountains which only a few weeks ago were covered in snow. Now summer has arrived it is melting, so we saw plenty of waterfalls. The foxglove flowers grow wild everywhere here.

The countryside is picturesque, and the guide explains how the glaciers formed the U-shaped valleys. Our seats were right at the front, so we got the best view.

We reached the peak of Trollstigen-Land of the Trolls, for some awesome photos of the valley. The rivers are running fast, the waterfalls were loaded and spectacular. Norwegians have a custom of building small rock piles to signify they were there and will return.

Sitting at the front of the bus was a good idea until the descent. There was barely room for cars to pass let alone a coach. The driver was very experienced while we just hung on to gripping the seat. The hairpin turns were the worst.

Safely down the mountain, the driver got a well-earned applause and before long we stopped where the troll story is told. Of course, we didn’t see the real ones because they don’t come out in daylight.

Back on board we did our daily visit to the martini bar. We chatted to a couple who were about our vintage. Alan was a very interesting person. He is retired now but served for 44 years in the US Air Force as a fighter pilot flying M16s. He explained what it was like to be a fighter pilot. We learnt a lot. He doesn’t believe Tom Cruise could fly a jet fighter!

The show tonight was a Beatles concert, and the crowd were the perfect demographic. Their performance was slick, and they even got a standing ovation. The evening entertainment has been great all week.

We are back on the North Sea again turning south sailing back to Rotterdam.Read more