Terrible puns NEVER go out of style.
I swear.
This cruise has been a battle royale for the prize of Most Picturesque Norwegian Fjord, and I am happy to announce that YOU ARE ALL WINNERS. Seriously, each port is just as stunning, clean, quaint, and super-Scandanavian as the last, and it's been a pleasure to go exploring as much as I can.
We started our Legions of Norwegians (that's totally a thing now) with a stop in Bergen, which was the only Norwegian port I didn't get to see when the Maasdam did her Voyage of thw Vikings in 2010. Partly because I was on IPM, but more partly because I was knocked out on Vicodin from my ankle injury (y'all remember "Maurice"?). So all i saw of Bergen was whatever was captured on the bow and stern cameras broadcasting on the TV channels, and an assortment of pictures taken for me by Oli. So it was really nice to be able to actually get out and explore the area in earnest!
It was a SPECTACULARLY beautiful day, to the point that I was worried we'd gone to some other port in the Med and they just added some clapboard facades to the buildings to make them look Norwegian. It must have been about 85 degrees and completely sunny. Not only did I get to cruise around the port, but I came back to the ship, put on a bikini, and actually honest-to-god laid out on Deck 9 and got a decent tan!
Next up was our first dip into the crazy fjords, sailing into Geirangerfjord. This place was absolutely spectacular, and it's one of the few times I have voluntarily gotten up early to watch a sail-in (see also: Sydney Harbor, Milford Sound in NZ, and Eiskafjordur in Iceland). It was lovely, sipping coffee while passing by the famous Seven Sisters waterfall, as we rounded the bend to dock in the tiny town of Geiranger. Anthony and I had yet another of our famous Dream Days on a practically cloudless blue-sky day hiking up the side of the fjord to a bevy of incredible views. We toasted our success with sandwiches and Heineken at the top, and a cadre of military jet fighters inexplicably flew by overhead. Not gonna lie, that was a little disconcerting, but it was also a very interesting cherry on top of a beautiful day.
Then it was on to Trondheim, a port I knew absolutely nothing about, but earnestly wish I had researched before we go there (luckily, we go back in August). I woke up late (which was nice), to look out on the bow camera and see a bustling metropolis in the afternoon sun, and here I was, lazing away the day (which was less nice). I rallied and got to go out for a good three hours or so, where I was so pleased to discover sweet little cobblestone streets, pretty Scandanavian clapboard houses painted red and yellow and blue, summer flowers in bloom, excellent WiFi and questionably delciious bacon hot dogs in a small mall in the middle of town, and best of all, a random Marching Band Festival all around the city center. There must have been at least 15 separate bands, of varying ages, all staking out a street corner and playing all types of music. It was really wonderful, and totally surprising! I washed this all down with a coffee called "Thor's Hammer" (what Americans would call a "Red Eye"), and I ambled back to the ship feeling excited for the next time around here....they even had a museum dedicated to Norwegian rock and pop music! I mean, come on... No more sleeping in on Trondheim Day for me!
That night, I also had the extreme pleasure around this time to dine with Anthony, Annabel, and Chris in the Pinnacle Grill, which is the fancy-schmancy restaurant on the ship. We pretty much closed the place down, and very much enjoyed dressing up and eating steaks and grilled asparagus and far too much creme brulee.
Just kidding, there is no such thing as too much creme brulee.
A sea day, a port in Tromso which I spent on IPM (no worries, we'll be back in August) , then it was yet another Amazing Place With a Fjord: Honningsvag. This little guy is waaaaaaaay up at the top of Norway, and is also the jumping off point for Nordkapp, or the North Cape, the northernmost spot in continetnal Europe. I didn't get a chance to see Nordkapp (this time), but I did go hiking up the mountain just outside the port, which afforded incredible views of the fjord and of the Norwegian Sea. It also afforded views of the very steep and rocky/mossy way down the moutain we'd just climbed, and it took us twice as long to hike down as up....my calves were paying for it the next day! But all in all, it was a really lovely day, and yet another gift from the weather gods, who seem to be treating us very nicely on this cruise.
The next day was Canada Day, and besides a watermelon in the Lido being carved to look like the maple leaf flag and me spouting as many Canadian stereotypes as I could at our very sweet saxophonist, Cassandra (from Toronto) for my own amsuement, there wasn't a whole lot of hoopla. Although everyone did seem much more polite that day.... :)
The next day was Longyearbyen, our first port on the island of Svalbard, which is WAAAAAAAAAAAAAY the hell up there, between Greenland and where Santa Claus lives. The city itself isn't much, but I did get to take a picture next to the world's largest mailbox, which supposedly receives all of Santa's mail. So, you know, that was pretty cool. Another high point of this day was discovering that Anthony, another of our singers in this cast, also accepted the contract offer from Belinda King that I was offered!! It's such a joy to know that I'll get to work with this wonderful gent for another contract...the question is, can he withstand another year with ME?
:-D
We came back on the ship, shivered a bit, drank some hot chocolate, and then i got to do something I have been longing to do for quite some time: I sat in with the orchestra during their afternoon jazz set and sang a bunch of songs with them! I was more nervous during this set than I think I've ever been for a stage show, purely because these arrangement aren't always what I'm used to hearing, and I had never done these songs with this band before, so I was on high alert the entire time. I was told later that my participation was appreciated, if nothing else, than for a good change of pace. I sat in with them again a few days later, and it was MUCH less nerve-wracking, but I definitely needed a glass of wine after this first set was through!
The next day, we sailed even further north, the most north I have ever been in my whole life, and we reached the edg eof the polar ice cap. Meredith, whose boyfriend is sailing with us this cruise and has a PIMPIN' suite up on Deck 10 with a blacony, invited the cast to come and watch the sail-in from their cabin, complete with mimosas and warm blankets. It was a blast, and we enjoyed seeing our fellow crew members piloting a tender out into the ice floes to go harvest a chunk of iceberg to be served in the bars later that night.
We turned back around and headed south again to Ny Alesund, which is a research station waaaaaaay waaaaay waaaaaay up north. We were originally supposed to be tendering into this port, and as such, the crew were only allowed to get off if we volunteered to "stand guard" along the trail through the station, making sure the guests didn't stray from the path, disturbing the protected wildlife (or getting mauled by a polar bear). I offered myself for a 30-minute slot, but we ended up anchoring at the port anyway, so the appeal wore off quickly. However, it was a really interesting place to see, and the sheer desolate feeling of the place really threw into stark relief the lives of the researchers who dedicate their days to living up here. They are a hearty bunch, to say the least!
Two more days at sea with a performance of my favorite show--Red Hot and Blue-- then we were in Alesund. Such a cute little town, and we started our day off by scaling the mountain (ok, the "mountain") at the head of the city for some really nice panoramas and little nature trails. We wended our way down again for some coffee and WiFi (and by far the best chocolate chip cookie I have ever eaten), and then the rain and wind kicked in. Apparently, only tourists carry umbrellas here, as we discovered the hard way. The place is renowned for its high winds, so the locals just hunker down and bear it. BUnch of crazies, these Norwegians!
I bought some home decor at a cute little shop here, and my room is slowly resembling a tarot reader/soroity girl's boudoir. I'm digging it. It beats the off-white metal walls with no natural sunlight that make up my cabin!
I have been noticing, too, that Norway is CHOCK full of adorable little home decor places. I feel like they almost outnumber the clothing stores! I like the style, but a lot of their decor is very stark (very IKEA-esque)....oh, and also outrageously expensive. Seriously, if you're planning a trip up here, save up. Or shop at thrift stores, like me! :)
Next stop was Flåm, at the tip of Yet Another Stunningly Beautiful Fjord (Sognefjord, this time). I was all ready to get my first kayaking experience in, but as we had to tender into the port, we got out-booked by about five minutes due to our later arrival. Luckily, the weather was spectacular, and we took ourselves on a hike up to Brekkefoss, a beautiful waterfall not too far from town. If you've ever been to Yosemite, it reminded me of a smaller version of Vernal Falls. It was a steep hike, and my arm still hurts from the walking sticks we salvaged to help us get up to the top, but it was well worth it. The best part was running into another 15 or so crew members at the top! Matan, Anthony, and I spent a good 20 minutes lounging on the grass, making shapes from the clouds forming overhead. It was beautiful. We hiked back down, I had a beer with our pianist, John, and I came back on board for a very relaxing night, accented by Brazil's spectacular loss to Germany. The Dutch on board were excited to be going so far in the World Cup, but alas, it was not to be...
Stavanger was next, and it could not have been a more convenient port. We were docked righ tin the center of town, a mere 3-minute walk to all the points of interest, and everything in the city was very walkable and accessible. I spent far too much money on decor and clothes (thanks, Salvation Army!), but it was just a delightful little place. And there was some sort of promotional fair going on, so I got a free bag on cinnamon rolls. Don't mind if I doooooo!!!
Then on to Kristiansand, which is apparently the sunniest holiday spot in all of Norway. And boy, did it live up to that title!! It was a VERY warm day, maybe in the low 80s. I escorted a tour to Mineral Park, a rock exhibition and nerd-kingdom hidden up in the forests. There was also inexplicably a beautiful lakeside beach there which i didn't have enough time to enjoy, sadly. What I did get to enjoy, however, were the incredible specimens of rocks an dminerals from around the world, in some of the most mind-blowing forwmations I'd ever seen. I was interested in this tour mainly because of my brother Corey (lovingly nicknamed "Rock Boy" by the family), and I knew that he would have some interesting tidbits to add to my pictures when i came home. It really was interesting, and even more exciting, it got me back to the ship with enough time to head into the city and go exploring with my favorite travel buddy, Anthony. We walked along the waterfront chatting about life, the universe, and everything, got some tasty ice cream, and decided that the hottest dads inthe entire world apparently come from Norway because OH MY GOD.
I think the Danes still take the top prize for Most Jaw-Droppingly Beautiful People, but the Swedes and norwegians are definitely duking it out for second! The Finns and the Icelanders, however....they'll have to step up their game. :-D
That night was another round of crew-only fun in the spa, and I indulged in acupuncture and a massage. It was divine.
Finally, we docked in Oslo, our last port of this epic 21-day cruise.I got to meet up with my fiend Phil and his friend Terri on the getaway "beachy" (I use that term VERY loosely) island of Langøyene. It wasn't much to write home about, but it was really cool to see a hometown friend on the opposite side of the world. We splashed around in the water for a bit, but then I had a tech rehearsal for our last show, Rock at the Opera (which got a standing ovation, thankyouverymuch). I did have some time and a very lucky run-in with my friend Kevin who lent me his bike, so I popped back out in to the city to see the sights. This was one port that I had been to before, on the Maasdam back in 2010, but as I was injured then, I didn't get to see a hwole lot. Now, on the bike, plus the absoilutely stunningly beautiful day, meant that I got to crusie around all of Oslo and take it all in. i did a bit of shopping, but mostly I just biked everywhere I could, including up the gravel path that lead to the Royal Palace as well as the sloped outer paths around the National Opera House.
OK, that's partly a lie, I only walked my bike up that ramp. That thing is STEEP! But it did give me some great views of the harbor and the city.
So that's the last I'll see of Norway for a few weeks, when we revisit many of these ports in August, barring Svalbard, Kristiansand, and Oslo (but adding Leknes, wherever that is...). But in the meantime, we have quite an incredible itinerary coming up, made even better by the fact that MY PARENTS AND ONE OF MY BEST FRIENDS IN THE WHOLE WORLD are coming on this ship TOMORROW!!!
I am so happy and blessed to get to share this ship and this part of the world with three of my favorite people, and I can't wait to treat them to everything the Prinsendam has to offer. I've already been told by several key players here that whatever they need, all I have to do is ask.
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| I MEAN... |
So, until next time, I hope you're all well, and I'm sure I'll have lots to report after this dreamy dreamy cruise!!! Maybe I can even get my dad to compete in the chacha for Dancing With the Stars....???
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