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Retired professionals wishing to see a little more of the world at home and abroad Meer informatie Chandler's Ford, United Kingdom
  • ReizigerBig Adventure
    Dag 2.130

    Tromso

    23 maart, Noorwegen ⋅ ⛅ 0 °C

    Waking up to clear skies, we wound our way through narrow passages and sounds. The landscape, covered in snow and ice was looking ruggedly beautiful. We passed by remote villages by the fjords, hugging the strip of land next to the sea. The ship stopped off at Finnsnes to drop off or pick up passengers, many of whom were returning to family to celebrate the Easter break.
    At Tromso, we disembarked to join an excursion. 15 of us piled into a mini bus, and we were taken up to the top of the island to a snow-covered parkland. We had enrolled on a snow- shoe walk, and our charming guide took us through the forest park, stopping off at intervals so we could take in the views and learn a little bit more about the town.
    The walk ended with a small campfire with warming beverage and nibbles, but not before we all had the opportunity to try our hand at tobogganing. The locals made it look so easy, which we were unable to emulate. We found ourselves spinning in a complete circle as we sped down the hill. It was great fun, though - and must have been quite amusing for anybody looking on.
    In early evening we set off to, visit the ports at Skjervoy, Oksfjord, Hammerfest and Havoysund.    Meer informatie

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  • ReizigerBig Adventure
    Dag 2.129

    Bodo - day 4

    22 maart, Noorwegen ⋅ ☁️ 4 °C

    Upon waking we looked out of our cabin window as we sailed past mountains covered in snow. We soon received an announcement to inform us that we would shortly be crossing the Arctic circle, which we did whilst sitting at breakfast. There is a metal globe on an island in the sea marking the position of this. However, we discovered that, apparently the Arctic circle moves 15 metres north each year - all due to the pull of the moon. The morning was spent at sea as we journeyed towards Bodo, our next stopping off place. We passed through snow-covered fjords - all very beautiful. Jo and Karen attended the Arctic circle ceremony. This involved a cupful of ice being poured down people's backs, followed by a drink of "pure vitamins" (a mix of chilli, lemon and grapefruit juice - quite revolting!).
    The ship meandered through the small passageways, which hug the coastline, giving us great views of the countryside with its smattering of local communities. At Ornes, the final stop prior to Bodo, a number of people disembarked the ship. We had planned on disembarking at Bodo to take a walk around the town. However the rain upon our arrival there put us off, and we opted to stay on board. We visited the bar for cocktails for the girls and beers for the men. We played cards (Barbu and Phase 10) - great fun.
    The night-time stop overs were in and around the Lofoten Islands, apparently a particularly beautiful part of the journey, Stamsund, Svolvaer, Stokmarknes, Sortland, Risoyhamn and just prior to breakfast Harstad..    Meer informatie

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  • ReizigerBig Adventure
    Dag 2.128

    Trondheim

    21 maart, Noorwegen ⋅ ☁️ 8 °C

    After another very peaceful night, where we were unaware of the ship having docked at the other ports on the journey north, we arrived in Trondheim not long after another very satisfying breakfast. We are enjoying the variety on each menu, with Karen in particular enjoying the variety of fish - herring and smoked salmon for breakfast, and salted cod as part of a lunch spread.
    As we approached the city, one of the Havila ships was just leaving its berth. We were out on deck as they approached. Suddenly, our ship's fog horn shattered the silence. It was quite a shock.

    We had three hours to look around the city, which we did on foot. We visited the Royal Family Trondheim residence (Stiftsgarden, inhabited by King Harald and Queen Sonja whenever they visit Trondheim). As we walked through the town square, we saw the monument to Trondheim's founder (the Viking king Olav Trggvason) - mounted on an 18-metre high obelisk. Next stop the Nidaros cathedral and Bishops Palace, followed by the old town bridge (often referred to as Lykkens Portal, meaning gate of happiness)
    We wandered through the old town (Bakklandet) behind the warehouses on the fjiord, which was very quaint. Beautiful brightly coloured wooden houses lined each street.
    We reboarded the boat in time for a quick G and T before lunch.
    After lunch, the boat hugged the coastline, taking us through to nightfall past quaint inlets and seaside communities. During the afternoon, we attended the information briefing in the conference hall on deck 6. The presentation given was quite haphazard and amusing at times. It gave a very brief history of Norway, starting with the Ice Age, then detailing the Vikings in Norway and through to present day time. All completed in under 40 minutes!!
    Leaving Trondheim the overnight stops were Rorvik, Bronnoysund, Sandnessjoen and Nesna.    Meer informatie

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  • ReizigerBig Adventure
    Dag 2.127

    Alesund

    20 maart, Noorwegen ⋅ ☁️ 6 °C

    The ship is very comfortable. The cabins provide excellent accommodation. The ship is very new, about one year old, and runs on lpg engines with electric batteries and as a result very quiet in operation.
    Our first stop on the trip ( that we were aware of - the ship stops off at a number of villages and towns on the route north during the night) was Alesund, where we were able to get off and have a walk around. Alesund was extensively rebuilt after a major fire in the early 20th century and is host to a collection of art nouveau inspired developments. Every thing in the city is spick and span, very little graffiti to be seen anywhere.
    We had a walk around the town and visited the high point above the city, accessed via steep inclines and 418 steps. The views from the top were worth the effort.
    After that, we had a mooch in the touristy shops and resisted the temptation to buy a Norwegian Troll, tempting though it may have been.
    Returning to the ship we enjoyed a pre lunch G and T in our cabin, followed by a very pleasant lunch. The staff in the dining area all being delightful.
    As we sat down for our evening meal the boat departed, in the dark, to proceed further up the coast.
    Overnight the boat will be visiting Molde and Kristiansund, with a morning stop over at Trondheim.    Meer informatie

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  • ReizigerBig Adventure
    Dag 2.126

    Bergen

    19 maart, Noorwegen ⋅ 🌧 7 °C

    The day started like clockwork with our taxi arriving at 6:30am to pick us up. After stopping off in Otterbourne for Syd and Jo we were on our way to Gatwick for a late morning flight to Norway.
    Our eta for Gatwick was 8:30 duly met, which gave us some time for breakfast and a quick visit to the 'Spoons (for the men). Our Norwegian Airlines flight left bang on time and after a smooth flight we arrived in Bergen 15 minutes early.
    The Flybussen took us in through the city directly to the Havila terminal where we were expecting to be able to book in directly onto the boat.
    This is where things went a bit awry. Check in was delayed due to "some technical issue" on the boat. We watched the boat disappear from its dock to return immediately but facing the other way. The land crew were unable to advise what the problem may be other than that it was a technical issue.
    After some time the boat disappeared again to return facing in the previous direction. We were all hopeful that we may soon be boarding, but that was sadly not the case. We found a quiet spot in an upstairs cafe area to wait out the delay and watched as the other 280 guests and ourselves got progressively more hungry and more exasperated.
    Eventually we were able to board to join another queue for the allocation of eating times and tables for the early part of our trip. The ladies with permanent smiles on the reception desk were dealing with a lot of complaints about the boarding procedures, justifiably so.
    Eventually, we were able to grab some food from the on-board cafe to beat our hunger ( we were not prepared to wait in another queue for the main dining room to become available.)
    We returned to the dining room much later in the evening where we were treated to some delightful food, very much adding some joy to an otherwise frustrating late afternoon.
    The ship left Bergen at 8:30pm to begin the journey to The North Cape.
    Tonight the boat will be stopping at Floro, Maloy and Torvik prior to arriving at Alesund in the morning.    Meer informatie

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  • ReizigerBig Adventure
    Dag 2.046

    Chandlers Ford, UK

    30 december 2023, Engeland ⋅ ☁️ -3 °C

    After a very long flight back from Taipei, an extra 3 hours in the air due to a change in flight path - to the south of the Himalaya mountains - presumably to avoid flying over China
    Syd and Jo were there to pick us up.
    For once the passage through Heathrow was slick long may it continue.
    We now had one day to prepare for the family's arrival. If only we had a kitchen    Meer informatie

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  • ReizigerBig Adventure
    Dag 2.038

    Eatons Hill

    22 december 2023, Australië ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C

    We had a family trip into the city to see the South Bank family Christmas show. Arriving a little early we met Renee, who had just left her office, at a street Xmas market.
    The show was a mini panto which was well performed. Afterwards we tumbled into Ole restaurant for a tapas evening meal. Very nice too. The south bank was very colourful with plenty of people enjoying the lagoon. As we walked back to the car we stopped to listen briefly to the carols being performed by the Brisbane river. A very festive atmosphere.
    The following day we celebrated Jamie's 40th birthday with another visit into the city. Parking up at New Farm we walked into the city along the river - the girls and granny taking turns on the electric scooter. Our target was the restaurant "Kickin'Inn" specialising in Cajun seafood.
    Jamie was given a complimentary prawn martini salad for his birthday, which set the tone, and we ordered a bag of mixed seafood for the table - literally. The youngsters had their own choices made up too.
    The food was fabulous, eaten directly from the table, and we were provided with gloves and bibs to aid the process.
    The staff sang hbty and presented birthday boy a chocolate cake to finish. Summer managed to eat most of it.
    In the evening as we hadn't eaten enough (!!?) the girls turned out the chocolate cake that they had prepared for dad - yum    Meer informatie

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  • ReizigerBig Adventure
    Dag 2.034

    Eatons Hill

    18 december 2023, Australië ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    Now we start the serious preparations for Xmas. The streets around Jamie are awash with Christmas lights with some most spectacular displays of decorations.
    We have spent a lot of our time in and around the pool with the girls. Sophie and Sammy perform their acrobatics at every opportunity. Little Summer is getting very confident in the water, and can now swim underwater across the pool.
    Renee had Wednesday off work, so we all piled into the car once again to complete the Northlands Gorge walk, which is part walk part swim. A pretty challenging "walk" with steep ascents and descents for the walking part of the trek. On several occasions we waded and swam through fairly deep water. Summer used her inflatable shark to aid her buoyancy, and was confident to leap into the water whenever necessary. We were all weary when we reached the car after the return journey.
    The pile of presents under the tree grows each day. Santa delivers the Christmas stocking contents for the 3 girls, the rest of the presents being put under the tree. Excitement is mounting as the big day draws near.
    The weather is largely being kind to us. After returning from Stradbroke to high temperatures and scorching sun the temperatures are now more reasonable (26 - 30 degrees). A storm or 2 thrown in, but generally pool weather. We eat most meals outside - making the most of the opportunity to do so before returning to a British winter.    Meer informatie

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  • ReizigerBig Adventure
    Dag 2.033–2.038

    Amity Point

    17 december 2023, Australië ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    Our last day on the island saw us get up early to pack all away and head for an early ferry back to the mainland.
    We enjoyed a brilliant week with the family, finishing off with a meal at the local Community Club on Saturday night. Travelling day was a busy day - packing everything up into our 2 cars (in intense heat), driving to the ferry on the island and to Eatons Hill from the ferry in Cleveland and then unloading everything into Jamie's house. We were all exhausted and very hot and sweaty by the time the cars were empty. We all plunged into the swimming pool and relaxed there for an hour or 2.Meer informatie

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