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The Norwegian Cruise

mai - juni 2024
  • Andrew Jerome
Our trip through the fords of Norway, up through the Arctic Circle, with some time in The Netherlands and Belgium too, Les mer
  • Andrew Jerome
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Par, Cruise skip, Vennskap, Natur, Sightseeing, Turer, Ferie, Villmark
  • 44,4kreiste kilometer
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  • Flyvning38,4kkilometer
  • Cruisebåt2 254kilometer
  • Tog1 607kilometer
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  • 26fotspor
  • 25dager
  • 126bilder
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  • Andrew JeromeReisendeThe Norwegian Cruise

    Day 21

    16. juni 2024, Tyskland ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    Despite going to bed very late last night, I still woke at the regular time, which is probably likely because my brain is working overtime thinking about everything I needed to do. As breakfast was provided here, I got dressed and went down to the modest dining room. I’m pretty sure I’m the only person who speaks English here! The breakfast was very traditionally German, with bread, meats, eggs, cheese and coffee. I think everyone else staying here is at least 60 years old too!

    After last nights expensive Uber to the hotel, I asked my cousin Roman if he could pick me up today. He arranged for my other cousin Sandy to pick me up instead as she would be passing by on the way to Roman’s place. I had plenty of time to get ready, as the checkout time was 12:30pm.

    It was really great to see Sandy and Martin again, and I also got to meet their three kids, including their eldest Julia who is thinking about coming to Adelaide next year. I was originally concerned that my suitcase would be too big for their car but we managed to fit it in perfectly.

    The drive to Roman and Steffi’s house was about 20 minutes and he has very kindly let me stay there during my time in Berlin. He has a detached apartment close to his house, which they rent out via Airbnb, and is a great size with two bedrooms, kitchen and a large living room. Roman had arranged a barbecue for all of us which was a great way to spend the afternoon. Plenty of food and good conversation!

    The weather turned bad by late afternoon, which everyone said has been typical of the weather recently, so we packed up everything and continued inside. Sadly it wasn’t long until Sandy, Martin and their kids had to return to their place which is about an hour away. Hopefully we will be back in Germany again or they will be able to come to Australia soon.

    By the evening, the weather had turned nice again, so Roman and Steffi set dinner up again outside. Since the days are longer here too, it was still light when we all headed to bed. Tomorrow I will taking a train to Leipzig to visit my friend Luise whom I met whilst studying Spanish in Valencia back in 2017.    Les mer

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  • Andrew JeromeReisendeThe Norwegian Cruise

    Day 22

    17. juni 2024, Tyskland ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    Even though I don’t have any plans in the mornings, I still keep waking early which is somewhat frustrating! I spent some time in my apartment typing up this blog before meeting Roman and his family in the main house for breakfast. Today I had plans to meet my friend Luise in Leipzig, so I had an easy 15 minute walk to the train station. Since the supermarkets weren’t open yesterday, I stopped there on the way to get some food and water before catching my train.

    Since arriving in Germany, my 5G hasn’t been working which has caused a deal of frustration, but fortunately there was wifi on the train to Leipzig. After a quick connection at Südkreuz station, the train journey was about one and a half hours. One thing I noticed at the station was how I was the only person wearing shorts so maybe I stood out as a tourist.

    Upon arrival in Leipzig, Luise met me at the station and it was so good to see her again after 7 years. Similarly, I haven’t been to Leipzig since 1997 so I’m pretty sure it has changed since then. Luise admitted she wasn’t a very good tour guide as she was unsure about most landmarks in Leipzig, but I didn’t mind since it was nice just to walk around the city.

    We first went to a Konditerei for coffee and cake, which is one of my favourite activities in Germany. When Luise said she would like to take me to the zoo, I was somewhat confused as a zoo isn’t always the most common attraction. After spending the day there, I could totally understand - the zoo is amazing! The aquarium included a lot of tropical fish from the north of Australia, and the zoo itself even had koalas and kangaroos (although I only saw the latter) - so I felt like a part of home was there with me.

    We had lunch in an outdoor restaurant at the zoo, where you could see some of the Patagonian Mara nearby. One of the highlights of the zoo was Gondwanaland, which was an enormous dome containing a huge rainforest, complete with a boat cruise and treetop suspension bridges. One interesting thing was how the three toed sloths have escaped from their enclosure, and could sometimes be seen hanging from the beams up on the roof of the dome.

    Luise recommended a cafe in the zoo where we could have coffee and cake and, just like our lunch venue, there was plenty of animal spotting as giraffes and ostriches walked past while we enjoyed cheesecake and coffee. Luise then accompanied me back to the train station late afternoon, so we bid each other farewell until we meet next time.

    The train back was just as quick as the morning one but, since I had taken so many photos at the zoo, my phone battery was almost dead. Upon arrival back at Teltow Stadt, I chose the wrong exit and after walking for a while, realised nothing looked familiar. I opened a map back to Roman’s house on my iPhone and quickly read the names of the streets where I’d need to turn before the phone died completely. Thank God I got back okay! Otherwise I would’ve been wandering the streets of Teltow clueless.

    That night I had dinner with Roman and his family again, but I have offered to buy dinner tomorrow night since I haven’t contributed anything since my visit! Roman and Steffi thought sushi sounded like a good idea. Tomorrow I’ll be visiting my cousin Simone who has lived in Berlin for about 10 years as an an opera singer.    Les mer

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  • Andrew JeromeReisendeThe Norwegian Cruise

    Day 23

    18. juni 2024, Tyskland ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C

    Today I had arranged to meet up with my cousin Simone but since she was busy until lunchtime, I spent most of the morning in the apartment. Since I’m flying home tomorrow, I spent quite a bit of time trying to find the best route home possible. After checking seat numbers, connection times and destinations, I chose the route of Berlin-Frankfurt-Hong Kong-Melbourne. So you can imagine the frustration when the staff travel website crashed as I was about to buy the tickets! I called Ted for help and fortunately, he had no trouble buying them for me on the computer at home.

    After walking to the train station, the connecting train to Simone’s location was easy to reach. I bought a 24 hour train pass which ended up being fortuitous as I needed to take several transport options during the day. Simone came to meet me at the train station with her 4 month old baby David who was really sweet and happy. Simone suggested we go for lunch, so we went to a Thai restaurant not far away.

    The food was really nice and we were amused that the waitress was wearing a Melbourne T-shirt, although she told us she’d bought it in London. As I paid for lunch, Simone offered to pay for coffee and cake, so we went to a place nearby called House of Small Wonder which was previously a Jewish school. The two girls who worked there were actually from Australia and New Zealand, and the Aussie girl and I talked about her interest in becoming a flight attendant. Simone and I couldn’t decide on the bread pudding or the chocolate cake so we ordered both and shared them between us.

    When we headed towards the U-Bahn we were detoured slightly as an apartment building was on fire, meaning there were a lot of firemen and emergency crews blocking the street. Simone was keen on having me meet her daughter Clara so we went to her daycare to pick her up. I think Clara may have been very tired though, because as Simone described it, she’s going through the Terrible Twos! After a short while at their apartment, I headed towards the U-Bahn for my journey back to Roman’s house.

    The first part was easy however, trying to find the train line after leaving the U-Bahn was far from easy since the connecting station was split into two different parts depending on the train taken. Thanks to Google maps, I eventually reached the correct station and was able to return to Roman’s house without any further problems.

    Even though I’d offered to buy sushi for dinner, Roman ended up paying for it, insisting that I was the guest and shouldn’t pay. Therefore I made a promise to pay when they all came to visit Australia! Tomorrow I have an early start to the day (4:30am) as I will need to be at Berlin airport for the first flight to Frankfurt. Even though there are plenty of flights, it’s better to get on the first flight possible in case there are cancellations or delays.

    After packing up all my remaining items, I farewelled Roman and Steffi and thanked them for their hospitality. I’ve already ordered an Uber for tomorrow so hopefully I can still get some good sleep.    Les mer

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  • Andrew JeromeReisendeThe Norwegian Cruise

    Day 24

    19. juni 2024, Hong Kong ⋅ ☁️ 31 °C

    I’d had some concern about whether I’d be able to sleep or not, particularly with a wake up at 4:30am, but I didn’t have any problems whatsoever. My Uber driver was right on time so after collecting my bags and closing up the apartment, my driver took a high speed route directly to the airport, guaranteeing I would not be late!

    At the check in counters for Lufthansa, I didn’t receive a confirmed boarding pass for my Frankfurt flight yet, but I was still able to check in my bag and make my way through security. I bought a croissant and coffee, just in case I wouldn’t be receiving a meal onboard, and waited patiently at the boarding gate. After the last passenger boarded I still hadn’t heard anything from the ground staff so I inquired about whether I was on board. The lady said “oh yes, you’ve already got a seat”, took my standby boarding pass and wrote “3A” on it. The only downside she said is that I wouldn’t be guaranteed a meal but I didn’t mind.

    As it turned out, a lot of the passengers in business class didn’t want the meal anyway, so I received a tray of cold meats, yoghurt and cheese (avoiding the cold meats of course)! The business class seats were the same as economy, with the middle seat kept free to give passengers more space. The flight was very quick although upon arrival, the wait for my bag was about 25 minutes. I think most passengers who do this route are businesspeople who don’t travel with luggage.

    After taking the transfer train, I sat on a seat close to the Cathay Pacific counters and waited, as the website said they opened four hours before the flight departed. It turns out that no one told that to the staff because we were all left waiting for over half an hour in line! At check in I was given an Economy Class boarding pass straightaway and advised any upgrade would occur at the boarding gate. Considering I was given an awful middle seat, I silently prayed for an upgrade!

    After going through security, I was immediately bailed up by a beauty consultant in the duty free area who wanted to give me a spiel on skin care products. I let her show me the products and even test them on my skin before politely declining her offer of sale! At the boarding gate, the lady from the check-in counter remembered me and advised she would let me know if I received an upgrade. This took a lot longer than expected, and whilst economy class was boarding, she presented me with a boarding pass for Premium Economy.

    Truthfully, I was not disappointed about not receiving Business Class. The Premium Economy offered was spacious and comfortable and, as I read later, one of the best amongst all the airlines. The dinner they offered was great too, as I enjoyed a fish stir fry. I wasn’t originally sure how I’d spend my time during the flight, but decided to watch the film Cape Fear which I’d never seen before, and enjoyed a lot.

    I also tried to watch the film Parasite, however tiredness was starting to set in so I thought the option of sleep sounded a lot more appealing. Tomorrow Hong Kong, then Melbourne, and then, home!    Les mer

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  • Andrew JeromeReisendeThe Norwegian Cruise

    Day 25

    20. juni 2024, Australia ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C

    Paying extra for Premium Economy certainly pays off, as I managed to get at least five hours sleep during the flight. Whilst having a breakfast of scrambled eggs and toast, I watched the movie Parasite, which I only found mediocre. Before I knew it, we had arrived in Hong Kong!

    After a pretty quick disembarkation, I was hoping the whole immigration and bag collection process wouldn’t take too long, as I only had 45 minutes to catch an 8:30am transfer bus to my hotel (or wait another hour for the next one). Luckily it didn’t, but the only problem was dragging my broken bag all the way through Terminal 1 to the pick up area!

    I managed to get onto the bus with ten minutes to spare, which was easier said than done as the pick up area was outside the airport, and the Hong Kong heat was oppressive. The bus was air conditioned though and I ended up being the only passenger for the quick ten minute drive to the hotel.

    The hotel was amazing! After taking the elevator to reception, they kindly gave me my room early (it wasn’t meant to be ready until 10am). The room is beautiful, modern and quiet. I considered sleeping or showering, but instead decided to get changed and buy some food and water first.

    The hotel was directly above a huge shopping centre but since it was still early, I wandered around it before finding a cheap restaurant named Law Mark Kee which offered a $HK36 (about $7) breakfast of porridge, scrambled eggs on toast, and coffee. It was definitely a deal I couldn’t refuse, although it did feel interesting being the only Westerner in the restaurant!

    After getting some water and a sandwich from a 7-11, I went back to the room for an amazing shower and nap. I’d set my alarm for 3pm although doubted I would need that much sleep. It turns out I was wrong as I kept sleeping until a few minutes before the alarm sounded. I then packed up my bag, ironed a shirt and went downstairs to check out. I would definitely stay at this hotel again in similar circumstances. The airport transfer left at 4pm, so I waited downstairs until being taken to the airport.

    Fortunately we were dropped outside the terminal instead of being taken to the car park area. The airport terminal though was still hot, as the heat and humidity made it uncomfortable. One good thing is that I received a boarding pass for Premium Economy straightaway, so I had to wait to see if I would receive an upgrade at the boarding gate.

    After paying $AUD11 for an iced coffee to cool down, I went through security and straight to the boarding gate until the flight boarding time started. Since the staff at the boarding gate were unable to tell me if I’d received an upgrade yet, I waited in the Premium Economy queue until boarding commenced. When I scanned my pass, the machine beeped and advised me to speak to the boarding desk. The agent took my pass, checked her computer and advised me….

    …I’d been upgraded to Business Class! Woohoo! I did a little happy dance before making my way down the separate boarding entrance. I had my own pod in 22K which is beautiful and better than the current Qantas product. Of course I couldn’t resist taking photos and a video, as well as posting my status on Instagram before our departure.

    The cabin crew have been lovely too. When my entertainment system stopped working, they let me move to the one spare business seat so I could still watch my movie. When the last vegetarian option wasn’t available, they managed to find me one when a passenger changed their order. The dessert of panna cotta was wonderful too.

    As I’ve now finished my dinner, I’m going to settle down for a sleep in my Skybed.    Les mer

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  • Andrew JeromeReisendeThe Norwegian Cruise

    Day 26

    21. juni 2024, Australia ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    After managing to get some good sleep, I wasted time watching the film “Everything, Everywhere, All At Once” before having breakfast and landing into Melbourne. It was still very early so, after a quick immigration and baggage collection process, I walked to the domestic terminal and checked my bag in for the flight home to Adelaide. I will certainly be happy to offload this broken bag once I get home!

    Since I wasn’t in the mood for sitting in a noisy airport terminal, I instead went to the Melbourne crew room which was completely empty when I arrived. After speaking to some crew during the morning, I headed to my Adelaide flight and was very surprised that I got business class yet again! There were so few seats available, I thought my run of luck had finished.

    Upon arrival in Adelaide, I stopped to collect some things from the crew room and spoke to some colleagues before catching an Uber home. Now I just have a mountain of unpacking and clothes washing ahead of me!

    Ah, the end of another trip. So extremely grateful for all the wonderful places we saw, people we met and experiences we had.    Les mer

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