Langelinie - in almost all European languages the meaning of this is easy to figure out - long line, is the place of berth for our first stop on this trip through the Baltics: Copenhagen. All our destinations are said to be beautiful places. But undoubtfully we start with one of the biggest gems on this string of pearls, which unravels its qualities best when you walk at a slow pace. So, let's do this, let's take a walk from Langelinie into town, maybe musing the keywords that spring to mind when you think about Copenhagen: Monarchy, Hans Christian Andersen, ships, maybe Carlsberg and Pølser, friendly, very friendly people and Bicycles.
And indeed, you find it all. Not far from our ship sits the biggest attraction right at the waterfront, being surrounded by people almost like the Mona Lisa, another mysterious female in history: The Little Mermaid. Bonnily as she sits there, not everybody will remember that she suffered great pain as a price for the fulfilment of her love, as the pretty tail turned into unhappy feet later on.
Well, the sun is shining brightly today, and so let our feet carry us on to see what there is. The presence of the monarchy is ubiquitous, today there is even a little spice added in the form of many yellow-wested security guards who watch over the grounds while Russian Prime Minister Wladimir Putin visits the Danish government. Next keyword Carlsberg is also hardly to be overlooked, be it in the many bars and cafés that line the pretty port of Nyhavn or - more stylishly - at the great oxen of the Gefion Fountain which is a donation by the company for their jubilee. Have a sausage in Nyhavn, dare to be tourist! It is a must for many, and here and now it is tasty. Musicians play on the pier, people are chatting away and enjoy themselves - yes, indeed, you want to stay here, be in good company and feel the holiday.
Later on, as the sun starts to settle, the beautiful evening light creates a Margritte-like atmosphere that hangs in the skies and accompanies us back to our ship. And then it is time again to cast the lines and head on. Good night, wonderful, wonderful Copenhagen!
Changeover day. This stands for hectic arrangements on the pier, the tangle of taxis and busses, crew arriving and going, sad passengers leaving, happy early-arrivals being refused by port authorities, and bystanders unsuccessfully trying not to be in the way of everyone else.
And finally it is done. Time to get a quick dash into town, Norways capital is waiting in the sunlight, nice. After a few minutes walking a weird feeling is creeping up my neck, without being able to put my finger on it. But then - of course: Where are the people…?? Try to spot one in the pictures...
Any curfew in effect? Nuclear threat? The plague? None of it! It is a long week-end, so all these nature-loving Norwegians are out into the mountains or on their boats, leaving the capital to the few tourists. And us, of course. So we contributed significantly to Oslo's liveliness today, without even knowing it. After a rather eerie walk, back on board. House-keeping has worked harder than hard to get the cabins ready, and already at 12 o'clock the new group shows up.
So, let's start all over again. Welcome aboard!
A typical sea day, ideal to chill out and either digest the plethora of memories we accumulated, or erase half of the redundant pictures from our memory cards. Or - do nothing, what about that for a change..?! Dozing a bit out on deck in the sunshine or attending one of the last round of lectures (or even the other way round - dozing in the lecture?...It's holiday after all). Somewhat in the early afternoon we round Lindesnes, the southernmost point of Norway. This is another good reason to celebrate after having had Easter decoration at lunch. The galley even puts up a variety of tasty (and heavy, every calorie counts…) Easter cakes in the observation lounge.
The crew took advantage of having a bit of landing-free time by excercising a fire drill, which also is so much nicer in the sun.
An interruption in the packing activities is the late afternoon invitation of the Captain for a last farewell cocktail, a parting speech and a song. It was a memorable voyage, and this was certainly a happy bunch on board. Crew and Staff are truly thankful for that - it makes life so much easier every day. So, have a safe trip home, and come back, if you like. You will be welcome!
Do we owe you an apology? In our constant struggle to present every place as authentic as possible to you, we must have slipped. Bergen is the city of rain, sporting no less than 220 days or 3000mm/sqm of rain per year. But the musky smell of the wooden walkways of Bryggen, the old quarter of the Hanseatic League will not really develope today under a sun that is trying to mimick mid-summer. People are sitting outside in T-shirt (and less), having a beer in one of the many bars and cafés surrounding the harbour.
OK, the crew of staff is pleased, as they receive one of the biggest loads of provisions for the season - 110 palletts of goods and parts and everything. A terrible amount of work. So we better get to town, so we don't have to watch this…
The excursions of the days bring us closer to what Bergen has to offer. Which is a lot! So much that I rather dispense here with the formal introduction of this immensely important trade location, of the several impacts of history, from Vikings to Hanse and WW II, of the fires that threatened and destroyed the wooden buildings, about the UNESCO world heritage list, recently listening the historical harbour area. Instead please find here a variety of impressions of a sunny walk in the city of rain. Which can be, actually, very delightful.
The afternoon excursion takes us to Fantoft and to the famous Stave Church. An orgy in carved wood, burnt down years ago by a maniac heavy-metal musician for publicity (he succeeded insofar as it brought him a 16-year prison sentence and certainly a few headlines.) It was completely rebuildt later and is now to be seen in all its beauty. A little further on is Troldhaugen, the Troll Hill, retreat and domain of Edvard Grieg. Norway has many famous names in music and theater, like Ibsen, Bjørnson, Holweg, Tveitt. But Grieg outshines them all by his work, for which he found all the inspiration he needed in this place: Sitting on a mossy hill, overlooking the fjord, it is a place of immense peace and beauty. The house is kept in its original state, unfortunately no pictures allowed inside. After visit of house and museum we get a piano recital in the splendid concert hall. Grieg's Lyrical Pieces with the backdrop of fjord, tree and sunshine - nobody wants it to end…
But it does, and so we get back to FRAM together with the last pallets. Lines are cast and we set course for our final destination, Oslo. To keep minds off that thought, the crew presents surprising skills in their newly choreographed crew show. See if it works...
We have learned that our Expeditionleader Karin can be fully trusted, so we have no doubt that we are cruising through Nordfjorden, if she tells us so on the PA system. It is not that anyone could verify this information this morning: Someone must have painted the ship's windows white, there is no way that fog can be so dense… But you can actually go outside and have the same sensation of being "whited out". Hm, so it is really just funny weather. But as if the city of Olden has a contract saying otherwise, the fogs get thinner and then stay entirely behind us as we approach the pier. Even the sun makes an attempt to come out. A good attempt, because one hour later the whole fjord is bathed in warm sunshine, revealing the prevailing colors green and dark grey for moss and rock that go so well together here.
Perfect timing indeed, for we all are leaving on different excursions. There is that fjord panorama tour, bringing you high up for wonderful views from a lofty perspective. Those who feel more active join the Briksdal Glacier Hike, a splendid walking tour to both sides of a roaring waterfall, up and up until the valley ends in front of a crisp blue-and-white glacier, source of countless waterfalls that all merge in a turquoise-colored lake which in turn is covered with a sheet of floating icecubes, glistening in the sunlight like obscenely big diamonds. This is a paradise, can't we stay a little longer? We can, getting an extra half hour to hang out and utterly enjoy this extraordinary day. The water, by the way, is not only about 500 years old but also so pure that they fill it in bottles right away and sell it to the world. "Olden" is a well-known synonyme in Norway for the still water bottled here. (Like Kleenex or Scotch, only for something more delicious in this case…)
Well, and then there was a small group of real fun-lovers who went and took a flight into the valleys - in a helicopter. They come back with a smile that doesn't want to disappear ever again from their faces.
In the evening, our musician Bjørn presents a lecture on traditional Norwegian folk music, and so we listen to soundbits of the old times as we glide past the places where they were invented. What a treat!
Langelinie - in almost all European languages the meaning of this is easy to figure out - long line, is the place of berth for our first stop on this trip through the Baltics: Copenhagen. All our destinations are said to be beautiful places. But undoubtfully we start with one of the biggest gems on this string of pearls, which unravels its qualities best when you walk at a slow pace. So, let's do this, let's take a walk from Langelinie into town, maybe musing the keywords that spring to mind when you think about Copenhagen: Monarchy, Hans Christian Andersen, ships, maybe Carlsberg and Pølser, friendly, very friendly people and Bicycles.
And indeed, you find it all. Not far from our ship sits the biggest attraction right at the waterfront, being surrounded by people almost like the Mona Lisa, another mysterious female in history: The Little Mermaid. Bonnily as she sits there, not everybody will remember that she suffered great pain as a price for the fulfilment of her love, as the pretty tail turned into unhappy feet later on.
Well, the sun is shining brightly today, and so let our feet carry us on to see what there is. The presence of the monarchy is ubiquitous, today there is even a little spice added in the form of many yellow-wested security guards who watch over the grounds while Russian Prime Minister Wladimir Putin visits the Danish government. Next keyword Carlsberg is also hardly to be overlooked, be it in the many bars and cafés that line the pretty port of Nyhavn or - more stylishly - at the great oxen of the Gefion Fountain which is a donation by the company for their jubilee. Have a sausage in Nyhavn, dare to be tourist! It is a must for many, and here and now it is tasty. Musicians play on the pier, people are chatting away and enjoy themselves - yes, indeed, you want to stay here, be in good company and feel the holiday.
Later on, as the sun starts to settle, the beautiful evening light creates a Margritte-like atmosphere that hangs in the skies and accompanies us back to our ship. And then it is time again to cast the lines and head on. Good night, wonderful, wonderful Copenhagen!
