Spandinavia

April - May 2017
Our first Viking Ocean Cruise started in Spain and went through Scandinavia to Russia. So we're calling it Spandinavia. Join us for the adventure. Read more
  • 30footprints
  • 13countries
  • 30days
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  • 11.3kmiles
  • 6.7kmiles
  • Day 10

    Sea Day Passing France

    April 24, 2017, Celtic Sea ⋅ ⛅ 55 °F

    Sea Day. This morning we had breakfast at Mamsen's with Frank and Libby Justice. I polished my shoes out on the balcony, and Glenda and I went for a walk. During the walk we noticed that lunch was set up on the Aquavit Terrace. We had Greek sandwiches. I then finished my walk and then took a dip in the pool. I met new friends named Jean and David. David is very conservative and from Massachusetts. He was a world history professor. This afternoon at 4 PM we will take a tour of the galley. We had supper with Frank and Libby Justice and then went to a show featuring Heather Clancy in the theater.Read more

  • Day 11

    Normandy

    April 25, 2017 in France ⋅ ⛅ 46 °F

    I woke up early and went to the upper deck to take photographs of the sail-in to Cherbourg, France. The temperature was rather cold today about 42°. We met our guide Frederica for the trip down to Bayeaux to visit the cathedral and also to see the Bayeaux tapestry. The cathedral was difficult to photograph on our first walk-through. However, I was able to come back later when fewer people obstructed the view. The way the museum displays the tapestry is brilliant. The use of portable headsets explaining the panels of the tapestry is very convenient. As one walks past, portable headsets explain each panel. For lunch Glenda and I grabbed a savory crepe, called a "galeta" from a little crepe shop. We got it to go and paid only €4. Another, fancier restaurant was charging about €19 for the same food. We walked through the town, and Glenda bought a bit a candy from a little shop. We had passed the little village of Ste. Mere Eglise on the way to Bayeaux. I had attempted to catch a photo of the mannequin dressed as a paratrooper hanging from the steeple. This display has been maintained by the church since John Steele hung by his parachute there during the D-Day invasion in 1944. Glenda asked whether it might be possible to slow down as we passed. Our guide Frederica and our driver Manuela said they could drive through the town and give us a brief photo stop. I got great photos of the outside of the church and of the paratrooper display. We returned to our ship at 4 pm and went for dinner at the Chef's Table at 6 pm. The culinary theme for tonight is "Salty and Sweet," and the cooks outdid themselves in preparing a creative masterpiece of a menu. Later tonight we will see a show featuring some musical hits from Broadway. All in all, I think this may be one of the more memorable days of my life.Read more

  • Day 12

    Le Havre, Honfleur, and Monet

    April 26, 2017 in France ⋅ ⛅ 48 °F

    Today we visited the beautiful medieval town of Honfleur under the direction of our guide Monique. This town was the home of Claude Monet, Eric Satie and several other noted French artists and composers. In the middle of the cold morning, we stopped for an eclair and a lemon tart at a small coffee shop. I took some beautiful photographs. We fell in love with the town. We came back to the ship for lunch and then went to an art museum. The rain caught us as we did the two-mile walk to the art museum. It was only 1/8 of a mile from the ship, however we had to walk around the dock and that made the distance much longer. We saw many impressionistic works, but Glenda was particularly taken with their one work by Claude Monet. We had reservations at Manfredi's. I had antipasti and lasagna, with tiramisu for dessert.Read more

  • Day 13

    Winchester

    April 27, 2017 in England ⋅ ⛅ 50 °F

    This morning we went to Winchester to view the cathedral and the remains of the medieval town. Winchester was the capital of Wessex before the English capital moved to London. A large statue of Alfred the Great is in the town square. We got to see the boxes containing the bones of the early English Kings such as Ethelbert Ethelred and Knute. We came back to the ship and I had a Pancho Villa burger. In the evening we went to a musical presentation called the Rat Pack, featuring the music of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Junior. Afterwards we went to a presentation given in tribute to Edith Piaf.Read more

  • Day 14

    Sailing Toward Norway

    April 28, 2017, North Sea ⋅ ⛅ 43 °F

    Today is a Sea day. We had a leisurely morning. We went to the presentation about Haugesund. I walked for two hours and then we went to a recital featuring a pianist and some other instrumentalists. I assisted Frank Justice in learning how to use ancestry.com. We will go to the captain’s farewell reception and then enjoy dinner at the chefs table. Tonight the menu features Scandinavian delicacies. After dinner at the chef's table we went to see your show featuring the musical selections of the group Abba.Read more

  • Day 15

    Haugesund - Cradle of Norway

    April 29, 2017 in Norway ⋅ 🌙 39 °F

    This morning after breakfast I went to the Explorers’ Lounge and used my binoculars to get my first glimpse of Norway. Then I photographed the sail-in to Haugesund, Norway. After a quick lunch at Mamsen's, we boarded the bus that took us first to a mountain overlooking the town. Next we went to the monument marking the tomb of Harold Fair Hair, the first king to unify Norway. Then we had free time. Glenda went to shop for shoes and I took pictures. We walked back to the ship, then had our last dinner with Frank and Libby Justice at Manfredi's. Tonight's music has Sally Jones singing the music of Sir Andrew Lloyd-Webber.Read more

  • Day 16

    Bergen

    April 30, 2017 in Norway ⋅ ⛅ 41 °F

    Today was an embarkation day. We went out into the town of Bergen, Norway. Our first stop took us to the ancient castle. I took photographs on the way to the tram that leads to the top of the mountain. We passed by the Anglican church but there was a service going on. We stopped at a little bakery for cinnamon buns and coffee. We went to the Museum of the Hanseatic League. Glenda bought a sweater while I ate the ham sandwich we brought with us. Glenda got hungry so we shared a beef quesadilla at a sidewalk café in the port. We said goodbye to Frank and Libby, who are leaving for Oslo today. While we were meandering back to the ship we saw a drum corps march by. After dinner we listen to the piano music of Olga in the atrium, and met some new friends who had just come aboard. In the evening we went to a concert featuring the music of Edvard Greig and Ole Bull.Read more

  • Day 17

    Grieg and the Fantoff Church

    May 1, 2017 in Norway ⋅ ⛅ 54 °F

    This morning we took a general bus sightseeing trip around the city of Bergen. In the afternoon we went to the Fantoff Stave Church, an all-wood structure built in the style of the Vikings. After that we went to the home of Edvard Greig, heard a concert of his music, and visited his grave site. Returning to the ship, we had the emergency drill followed by Music from Olga in the atrium. Then we went to dinner.Read more

  • Day 18

    Eidfjord and the Railway

    May 2, 2017 in Norway ⋅ ⛅ 52 °F

    We took a bus from Eidfjord to Voss, Norway. Then we took a train from Voss to Flam. The scenery was spectacular, rivaling anything we every saw in Alaska. We returned to Eidfjord by train and bus. We had some time in the town to walk around before supper at the Chef's Table, where we enjoyed an Asian meal.Read more

  • Day 19

    Stavanger and the North Sea Oil Industry

    May 3, 2017 in Norway ⋅ ⛅ 59 °F

    We arrived in Stavanger, had breakfast and started the walking tour of the town and the oil museum. Our guide was named Ourania Papadimitriou, and she was fantastic. Her husband works in the oil industry and must stay on a ship for two weeks at a time. Glenda saw an Elizabeth Arden store at the beginning of our walk. When we finished we went trying to find it again. Eventually we succeeded. I went on to photograph the cathedral. Then we realized that to get the product she wanted requires a doctor’s prescription. We came back to the ship, had lunch, and took some photographs. I took a short nap before a lecture given by Dr. McCann on the Hanseatic league. We ate at Manfredi restaurant. Our waiter Henry convinced me to get a steak I didn't want, and I ate entirely too much. We went to the atrium to hear the music of Olga, and entered into conversation with Tom and Judy from Bakersfield California.Read more