Goodbye Blog Hello New Blog

For some time I have been dissatisfied with this blog on the Google, Blogger platform because it is only a top down traditional format which makes it difficult to direct somebody to a particular trip,  to the USA or Italy for example, because they have to start at the end of the trip then find the beginning. Which is all a bit of a pain.  There are some complicated hacks to the coding available but Google are forever changing things so they will inevitably break.

Other blogs on the WordPress platform have impressed me with their functionality so while we were stopped at Lagos with very good, internet, (more about Lagos in the next blog), I decided to open a WordPress account and try their free platform, which I know has some limitations like Google but perhaps worth a try before stumping up to pay for space on a server. I would have liked to make it look exactly the same as this one for continuity but with the free version there are limited themes available and perhaps a freshen up wouldn’t hurt anyway.

So TheOldAgeTravellers new website is now live. The full address is:
www.TheOldAgeTravellers.wordpress.com so please take a look, have a play and subscribe if you wish so as to get any new posts emailed to you. Any comments, suggestions or criticisms will be very welcome.

There is a link on the navigation bar to the traditional blog with the most recent ones first but I think in a neater format. There is also a link to “Our Trips” which drops down to show a link to each trip with the posts arranged in Chronological order, which is just what I wanted to do and the main reason for the change. I have got the main functionality working fine but the page design still needs a bit of tweaking but tweaking is limited in the free version so we shall see how I get on in time.

Thanks for reading, see you over on the new site.

Steve

Winter Sun Calls 2017 - 2018

After our fantastic Norway Cruise and a few more days with son Kerry and family we headed back to the South of France. We took the western route this time as we wanted to visit a Funster friend Frankie (MotorhomeFUN.co.uk) and take her out to dinner as a thank-you for helping us sell our beloved leVoyageur motorhome.

December at MaisonMinervois.eu was a few chores and jobs on ”Jemima the Hymer” our motorhome, catching up with friends and various Christmas meals and parties. We had decided this year that we would have a nice quiet Christmas on our own. We created our own turkey from a Turkey Leg boned and rolled with some flattened Turkey Breast and filled with stuffing. It was fantastic and just enough for Christmas dinner with enough left over for a few days of the most important part of Christmas, delicious Turkey Sandwiches.

Boxing Day saw us packing the final bits into Jemima ready for the off next morning towards the winter sun, with drinks and “Turkey Sandwiches” at our neighbours Liz and Martin in the evening.

27th December 2017
At 9 am we were away, amazing for us to actually be ready on time, except that we had to stop  on the way to get some cash from the bank.

Steve was feeling good and amazingly with only a couple of stops he drove for thirteen hours 742 km, at 10pm we stopped at Xeraco just short of our destination of Javea to visit friends who had moved there from our local town in France. It was only in a road by some factories but very quiet and amazingly there was very good free public wifi there.

28th December 2017
In the morning we got an email from our friends saying that her dad was not well in the UK and it was not possible for us to meet up that day, a bit of a shame but a blessing as when we arrived at the site we had planned to stay at for a few days in Benidorm, there were only three pitches left only one of which was really suitable for Jemima because of their position. This particular site Armenello, doesn’t take bookings except from regular long stay customers so we couldn’t have booked ahead.
Our friends Fred & Chris and Chris & Lyn had already arrived and we had five days which took in the New Year celebrations on the beach front which was fun with very good weather. Not quite good enough for shorts but nearly.

We left Benidorm on the 3rd January 2018 and parted company with Fred & Co who were possibly going to stay in Spain. But we were  headed for Portugal or Morocco, we would decide which way when we reached Granada.

4th January 2018
We decided on Portugal as we had only planned on being away for two months this time and we had liked the feel of Portugal last year and wanted to visit some other spots in the Algarve  and spend more time at each.
Villa Real de Santo Antonio which is the first town in Portugal literally just across the river from Spain. with a fairly basic Camper Stop (N37.19887, W7.41486) only €4.50 a night with water, waste disposal and wifi included and even electricity for an extra charge if needed. We had seen it last year but didn’t stop as after heavy rain there were massive puddles after heavy rain. We picked a spot where we thought it was dry last year and were proved correct after a night of continuous rain. Some people woke to find their Motorhome parked in a massive puddle but around us was dry. The town is nice with quite a few shops and a supermarket and even a little ferry across to Spain for a diversion if you wished.

7th January 2018
After three nights we filled up with water and moved on 76km to what we had heard was a tolerated parking area at an enormous carpark behind Faro airport (N37.01400, W7.98504). There were probably more than fifty motorhomes parked there. We found nice walks across to a peninsular where the beach was and another along a boardwalk which took us right along the coast for a good 12 Km walk. We stayed here three nights with no problems.

11th January 2018
We had planned to move to a wild camping spot beside the beach at Quarteira where we stayed last year but needed to drain down our waste and fill up with water so we stopped a the camper stop in the very large market area which was conveniently just 100 meters from a good Lidl store (N37.0746, W8.07687) just €2 per night and another €2 for 100 litres of water but no wifi. The electronic panel which keeps track of battery and water seemed to be showing the wrong level of charge of the batteries and needed to be plugged in to the mains for 12 hours or so to reset it although electricity was available here for another €2 we couldn’t get close enough to an outlet with the length of our cable as all the French & German vans which seem to constantly need electricity had all clustered round them. So we decided to miss out the beach and head for Silves which had three camper parks.

12th January 2018
We arrived at Silves about midday and stopped outside the first Camper Park but they all seemed too close for our liking so we took a look at the next one just about 500mtr along the road Called Algarve Motorhome park (N37.18741, W8.45185) which looked very nice with very generous pitches and they had just one pitch left. The cost was €6 for the first night then €5 for subsequent nights and €2 extra for electric so we booked three nights  but the first with electric so we could let the panel reset itself. €18 just €1 more than 1night at Benidorm! The site was very nice very clean but the free wifi although fast kept disconnecting for some reason.
The Old Town of Silves was basically on a hill with an impressive Castle at the top and very steep cobbled streets. There were lots of small shops and it had a really nice feel about it. There was a Piri Piri chicken restaurant but it was heaving on Saturday when we walked passed so we decided to book for a couple more nights so we could go there for a meal on Monday. We asked the waiter for a menu and he said, “no menu we only have chicken”, so we said ok we will have chicken, “What kind? Piri Piri or not Piri Piri” so we said ok Piri Piri please and that was it apart from saying red wine to drink. We got a starter of a plate of olives a plate of bread with Sardine spread and a small round of goats cheese and a bottle of delicious red wine. Half a delicious spicy chicken with green beans and an enormous plate of chips followed by a dish of fruit and coffee all for €10 each we were very full.

Bodø to Bergen

Day 10 – Thursday 23rd November 2017;

We woke to a lot of howling wind but the ship wasn’t rocking as much as it had been during the night, but later during breakfast it was really moving with plates and dishes sliding back & forth, we only heard a couple of crashes though, one from the kitchen area sounded like a whole stack of plates. During the night we had stopped at Bodø at 02h30 then Ørnes at 07h00  and were due to cross back over the Arctic Circle at about 09h15. We heard later that at Bodø they were loading a large 25ft Christmas tree for decorating the ship but the wind was so strong that it lifted off the fork lift and flew down the dock and into the fjord to be lost as it would have been too dangerous to retrieve it.

Because of the heavy seas we actually crossed the Arctic circle line at 09h40 just a little late and this time it was daylight so we could get some photo’s of the marker. As the sea was so rough and the wind strong they asked us not to go out on deck but viewed the marker through the windows, unfortunately though, the windows had a lot of water on the outside so apologies for the quality.
The ceremony for crossing the Arctic Circle again was a dose of Cod Liver Oil, strangely all nationalities of a certain age had the same childhood recollection of having their nose held while being administered a spoon full. Because it was too rough and wet to be on deck they substituted capsules for liquid because of the potential mess, but we still were allowed to keep the rather nice engraved spoons. An interesting note from the expedition leader is that poorer Norwegian people used to paint their wooden houses with Cod Liver Oil as a preservative, what must that have smelt like when the sun came out in the summer.  
After the Arctic Circle we were supposed to dock at Nesna, Sandnessjøen and Brønnøysund but the weather was too bad but luckily the sea calmed down a bit by 18h00 because it was the “Captains Table” dinner, where all the ships officers greeted us all individually with a complimentary glass of Bubbly. Then after the main course we were treated to a song from all the officers and dining staff.  It was a very nice evening.
They managed to dock in Rørvik at 20h30 where there was quite a lot of cargo to load and some passengers to disembark.
In the evening the app on Steve’s` phone was saying that there was a very good chance of seeing the Northern Lights tonight, in fact the best forecast yet so at about 9pm we togged up and went out onto the rear observation deck to see. We could see absolutely nothing that looked like the lights but the wind was so strong after a while it was getting dangerous to stay out.

Day 11 – Friday 24th November 2017

We sailed through the night to dock at Trondheim at 06h30 till 10h00. We could have had an early breakfast to walk into town but had already done that and decided to have breakfast at normal time and a leisurely day just watching the scenery go by which was very nice as we had done this part in the dark on the way north.
The ship docked at Kristiansund at 16h30 then Molde at 21h00 so not many stops today.
We had to have our cases outside the lift by 9am in the` morning so after dinner we did all our packing then went to the lounge area to chat with the others for the rest of the evening.

Day 12 – Saturday 25th November 2017

As always the last day is just a waiting day so breakfast then clear the cabin then lunch and coffee till the ship docked at 14h30. Disembarkation was smoothly done by decks so the luggage arrived at the conveyor at the same time we did then outside to the waiting coach to the airport. Airport check-in was smooth especially when the guy on the desk said “As you are changing at Oslo I have checked your luggage right through* which was great. Unfortunately on this return leg we had to take two planes, changing at Oslo, with a lot of waiting in between. That unfortunately is the nature of travel nowadays. After docking at 14h30 we would not get to Gatwick until 23h00 then a cab ride home to Kerry & Cheryl's house. But apart from the waiting it all went very well the flight arrived half an hour early,we can certainly recommend Norwegian Airways although Judy was asleep as soon as we took off, there was free Wi-Fi on the flight which Steve found quite useful, the Cab driver was waiting at the gate and the journey to East Dean was traffic free and took just under the hour. Then Kerry and Cheryl were waiting up for us so we could have a drink, chat and relax before bed.

CONCLUSION!

The holiday was great we both really enjoyed it. We saw the Northern Lights which was our ambition, perhaps they could have been a bit more like the films we have seen but then we would probably have to go to the north pole or camp at Nord Cap for a month or so in December which I think would be a bit too full on, especially driving a 4,500kg camper with front wheel drive and very limited grip, on the icy roads. Which would probably mean buying spiked tyres, perhaps an expense too far.
We had a ride on a Husky Sled too short and too expensive perhaps but another great experience.
We crossed the Arctic Circle, OK on a ship, but we certainly plan to come back in the Motorhome so as to actually drive there as we have driven to the Tropic of Cancer.
We liked the feel of Norway so definitely want to come back in the summer, it is perhaps the most expensive country in the world, the prices are excruciatingly expensive and not just alcohol. As we were both developing colds probably caught from the other Brits. we went into a Pharmacy to buy some “Lemsip” or equivalent, they don't do it with any active ingredient like Paracetamol and just a lemon drink was over £6 then a pack of 16 Paracetamol which cost about 20p in Tesco's were £5.50 and the theme seemed to apply to everything except fuel which seemed to only be a little higher than the UK.

Some Facts about the voyage

When the Captain gave his talk about navigation he showed a Power Point slide with information, so Steve asked him for a copy, these are the figures:

• From Bergen to Kirkenes is 2,600 nautical miles / 4,815Km
• there are 239,057 Islands
• 81,192 reefs
• 1,841 lighthouses
• 12,000 Navigation Marks
• 5,000 Marks with lights

So quite impressive navigation especially as most of the journey is done in the dark.

Halfway & Huskies

Day 7 – Monday 20th November 2017

During the night the ship stopped at Vardø at 03h15 pronounced Varder because the Norwegian Ø is pronounced “er”, then Vadsø at 06h45.

We got up for an early breakfast so as to get all our warm clothes on and be on the dockside as soon as the ship docks at Kirkenes at 09h00 to catch the coach to the husky farm and Snow Hotel. As soon as we arrived we were split into three groups, luckily we were in the first, then issued with enormous arctic cover suits and gloves if we wanted them. There were about eight sledges with eight Huskies each already harnessed to them. All the dogs were barking and howling so excited and just wanting to run. We were directed to the furthest sledge to meet our Musher (driver) Tommy who helped us to get seated, Steve at the back astride the sledge with Judy the same between his legs. Eventually when all the others had got themselves settled we were off. The dogs just loved it. Unfortunately there was not much snow and the track we were on was mainly ice and quite bumpy. Wherever there was soft snow the dogs used it as they could run much better in soft snow and it was better for their feet. Unfortunately we didn’t get as long as promised on the sledge because there were too many people booked in the time available but what we did was a wonderful experience. The dogs were great, even Steve who is not a doggy person at all was stroking and playing with them.  After a hot drink beside a log fire we took a short walk to a compound with some Reindeer. On the way we passed a snow machine producing a large mound of sow which will eventually be carved into an Ice hotel for Christmas, as with the Husky track there had just not been enough snow yet this year. By the time all three groups had had their go the coach only just made it back by the sailing time at 12h30.
By the time we had lunch, because we were so far North it was already dark. We docked at Vardø at 15h45 then shortly after leaving there was an announcement that the Northern Lights were visible from the rear deck, so a quick sprint to the cabin to get togged up and we watched a fantastic display for about an hour before they faded again and we returned to our cabin for a large whisky and Drambuie to help warm up. We heard later that it was minus twenty two degrees. No wonder we were chilled to the bone.
We had seen the Northern Lights but were so  frustrated that our camera would not behave and take the pictures we are sure it is capable of. While sitting in the lounge later we saw a South African guy looking at fantastic pictures of the lights on his Android phone very similar to Steve’s. so we worked through what settings he was using and that setting is not available on Steve’s phone, grrrr. But he very kindly said he would email them to us so at least we had something to remember, they were the same lights we had seen at the same time after all.
We were now on the return trip from Kirkenes south and there were not as many passengers so we had been moved to an earlier sitting at dinner and a different table. Now we were sharing a table with two Australian ladies who we got on with straight away, they were a laugh a minute.
The main course at dinner was a beautiful Reindeer steak so Christmas is off this year because we have just eaten Rudolf!!
After dinner Judy collected her emails to find that the South African guy, David had trouble sending the pictures and had asked an English lady Linda, to send them to us and she had also sent about twenty of hers as well, such a nice gesture.As you can see, they are quite spectacular. We are really lucky to have experienced it.

The next stop was Vardø where were to walk to the Witch Monument to the persecuted Sami People but the ship encountered a lot of fog from Kirkenes so arrived late so not enough time to walk to the monument which was a shame, but another thing to do when we return in the motorhome.
There were two more brief stops today at Båtsfjord at 19h45 and Berlevåg at 21h45.

Day 8 – Tuesday 21st November 2017;

There were four more stops during the night Mehamn, Kjøllefjord,Honningsvåg and Havøysund at 07h45 by which time the ship was back on schedule then a two hour stop at Hammerfest at 10h45, we visited the Polar Bear Museum there, which was very interesting and showed the serious effect that modern human life was having on the Polar region and the Polar Bears in particular.   There were three further stops that day at  Øksfjord, Skjervøy and Tromsø.
In the afternoon we had a very interesting talk by the Expedition leader, about the Islands of Spitzbergan & Svalbard which is halfway to the North Pole. She had lived there most of her life and showed us some spectacular pictures. In the evening our Captain, Captain Nilsen gave a talk on navigation in the Norwegian waters. There are literally thousands of islands from large to small with thousands more lumps of rock and other hazards he has to avoid while also keeping the ship to its amazing schedule of stops. The day finished with another hour or so on deck staring at the sky watching the Northern Lights.

Day 9 – Wednesday 22nd November 2017;

The Ship was supposed to stop at seven ports today; Finnsnes, Harstad, Risøyamn, Sortland, Stokmarknes, Svolver and Stamsund but the weather was too bad for it to safely dock at Svolver so the excursion from there was cancelled but a bus was arranged for passengers who were dropped off later at Stansund. A bit annoying for them I should think as it will have made them about five  hours late by the time they get home. But living .here I should think they just take that sort of thing in their stride. There was an hour long stop at Stokmarknes where we could have visited the Coastal Steamer Museum which was basically about the Hurtigruten shipping story but we didn’t think we could do it justice in just an hour, especially as one of the earlier ships had somehow been lifted out of the water and was part of the exhibition. So another thing to do when we come back in the motorhome.

In the evening we had an excellent talk on the history of Hurtigruten which means “fast passage”. Before, in summer a letter from the North of Norway would take five days, but in winter it would take five months. Now with one northerly ship and one southerly ship daily the Norwegians have a daily delivery the same as us.

Tomorrow we again cross the Arctic Circle going south at about 09h15.

Into the Arctic

Day 4 – Friday 17th November

During the night the ship docked at Brønnøysund at 00h45, Sandnessjøen at 03h45, then Nesna at 05h25 we both woke probably at the sound of the engines to see really heavy snow falling outside the window then dozed for a bit as we were due to cross the Arctic circle just after 07h00 and needed to be dressed up in our coats to be on deck. We actually crossed the line at 17 minutes past 7, but it was so dark the view of the marker was not good. At 09h15 the ship docked at Ørnes  for just 15 minutes. To see this 80 meter ship dock itself, load goods and cars and sail again in just 15 minutes is amazing.

At 10h30 we were summoned to the rear deck again, for The Arctic Circle Ceremony when King Neptune greets and anoints new visitors to his Arctic Kingdom helped by the Captain of the ship that brought them there. Basically the captain and King Neptune would pour a ladle full of iced water and ice down the neck of each passenger in turn. Steve thought he had timed it just right as the bowl of water was empty with just ice in it, but as he bowed to Neptune a large bucket of iced water was added to the ice and the Captain put a full ladle down his back closely followed by Neptune with another full ladle. Judy took some photos then ran to avoid the same fate. Drying off after, Steve even found ice in his boxers!

We had a quick lunch along with most of the other passengers as we were docking in Bodø at 12h30 for three and a half hours for a bit of sightseeing. The town was covered in snow so quite a bit of care was needed while walking, to avoid slipping. From here north it looks as if we will need the spiked attachments for our boots we had bought and our poles, for a bit more support.  Walking around the town we were amazed at the care of drivers, slowing and stopping for pedestrians before they even arrived at a crossing. The cars must have spiked tyres because the roads were so slippery, we actually noticed that some of the bicycles also had spiked tyres.

We sailed again at 15h00 with the sun going down then docked at Stamsund at 19h00 then again at Svolvær at 21h00. Just before 23h00 it was announced that we would shortly be entering the Troll Fjord and to be on the front deck. This fjord is just 200 meters wide at it’s entrance quickly reducing to 100 meters with almost sheer sides. In the summer the ship would actually go into this fjord, turn at the end where it widens then sail out again, but it is forbidden in the winter for fear of avalanche. But the captain did enter the first part lighting up the sheer rock faces ahead with two powerful search lights. Unfortunately the pictures are too dark to publish here.

After another hour or so chatting our cabin called, a really good fun day today, but this lazy life is so tiring….

Day 5 – Saturday 18th November

During the night the ship docked at Stockmarknes at 01h00, Sortland at 02h45, Risøyhamn at 04h15 then we woke with the sound of the engines at 06h45 as we arrived at Harstad for an hour. we didn’t leave the ship but had breakfast so we could sit and watch the scenery. The expedition leader gave a very good talk about the early trappers and hunters and even one man who still lives that lonely lifestyle then the ship docked again at Finnsnes at 11h00 just for half an hour. Next stop was Tromsø at 14h15 where Suzanne & Adam the nice Australian couple were to be leaving us, she in fact was English but had a good Australian accent. So a quick lunch then donned a lot of cold weather clothing. After our experience at Bodø in the snow we also took our walking poles with us. There obviously had been snow but being a fairly large university town they had it all cleared but it was cold and already by 15h00 it was completely dark so we returned to the ship at about 17h00 where we chatted to  an English couple who had joined the ship just for one stop so they could join a sailing boat at Skjervøy our next stop on which they were going Wale & Northern Lights watching.
Judy got a great photo of the very modern Cathedral as we arrived in the light then another as we left in the dark. Sightseeing in the cold and dark is difficult but we are determined to come back in the summer in the motorhome when it will be very much easier.
With the boarding door open the observation deck had become very cold so we went to our cabin to warm up but over the speakers they announced that there was a little bit of northern lights outside so quickly on with our coats to be met at the stairs by a lady saying “Nothing to See”, a bit disappointing then Steve realised that she was coming from the back of the ship but north was to the front. So we pushed on to the open deck and headed for the bow to be rewarded with a bright green glow ahead which unfortunately turned out to be the Starboard navigation light reflection!  At the Bow when our eyes has got used to the very dark night, sure enough there was a very faint green glow like a plume of smoke which gradually got bigger then faded to the slightest hint. By this time we were both frozen as in our haste we had forgotten to don our over-trousers and scarves. Back in the cabin we carefully laid all our clothes out so as not to forget anything next time. In preparation for dinner at eight We had showers then as Steve was just getting out the speaker went again saying that the lights were back, So this time everything on then sprint to the bow on deck 5 open walkway. This time there was a much bigger light in the sky, not dancing and swaying like the film had showed us but a definite improvement on last time.
At 22h30 we docked at Skjervøy. After dinner, we sat in our cabin ready to run if the speaker went again. But the lights were not cooperating for us. But in the hope that the intercom would wake us up if there was anything to see, we finally went to sleep.    Perhaps tomorrow….

Day 6 – Sunday 19th November

No northern lights during the night unfortunately. But we had docked at Øksfjord at 02h00, Hammerfest at 05h15 then Havøysund at 09h00. Passing through a narrow channel the speaker told us that on the other side of the Island was Nord Cap the most northerly point in Europe. We arrived at Honningsvåg at 11h15 which was on the mainland side of the island. This would be a long three and a half hour stop to allow time for an excursion to Nord Cap, this is another sight we will see better when we return with the motorhome. The ships crew used the time to lower one of the life boats for checking and have a full scale emergency drill. We donned all our gear again and had a nice walk round the sleepy little town. It was fascinating to see local people walking with little pushchair-like sledges using them as a sort of zimmer frame to avoid falling on the ice. The main street was on a hill and as we were walking up an old lady was zooming down on the other side standing on the runners of one of these sledges. We were so amused that we didn’t think to take a photo, by the time we had uncovered the camera from inside all the clothing though she would have been gone anyway.

Back on the ship after a nice walk we only just had time for lunch before the restaurant closed, as it was we had to take our main course into the coffee lounge to finish. The ship sailed on at 14h45, docking again at Kjøllefjord at 17h00 and Mehamn at 19h15.
Before dinner there was an excellent lecture on the Sami, the indigenous nomadic people of Scandinavia. Yet again like America and Australia, stories of persecution and executions for living the life and having beliefs that were different. Tomorrow we will visit a memorial to  them.

The speakers suddenly piped up again that the Northern lights were visible, this time from the rear observation deck as we had turned south west after the North Cape towards Kirkenes our last stop before retracing the course.  So a frantic dash to our` cabin to don all our cold weather gear and up on deck.
Well, the whole of the northern sky was filled with an eerie green misty light, slowly changing shape, getting brighter then darker. It was spellbinding, fascinating and humbling all at the same time. What must primitive people have thought. Occasionally a giant face would appear or on one occasion  the shape of a crocodile was clear.
After about half an hour of being totally spellbound suddenly a shooting star, comet, meteor or whatever shot across the  sky with a trail of sparks behind it. What a bonus. sadly without a tripod and the means to adjust the exposure on the camera none of the photos showed anything because the lights were so dim. Also the ship was pitching so much that any long exposure would have been blurred anyway. We stood there for another half an hour before the lights completely faded then returned to the lounge for coffee and excited chat about our recent experience. It will be great if we get another viewing with more intense colours but if not the purpose of our cruise, to see the Northern Lights has been fulfilled. Another tick on the “Bucket List”

Berlevåg at 22h00 and Båtsfjord at 23h45 were our last two stops today, what a great day. Tomorrow will be an early start as we are going on a Husky sledging adventure.

So till then …..

The Norway Adventure Begins

Day 1 - Tuesday 14th November

Our alarm was set for 6am but we were awake at 5h30 so started to get ready.  Judy had done a fantastic job of thinking through all the different permutations of clothes and other things we would need and they were all in Kerry & Cheryl,s utility room.

The cab arrived at 6h45, 15 minutes early and suddenly chaos erupted. Kerry & Cheryl had business meetings so Kerry was just driving to the station, Cheryl was getting the girls in the car to be delivered to a friends for breakfast and we were getting our cases etc. into the cab. Within ten minutes however, peace resumed and we could quietly lock the house and Motorhome up and settle into the cab for the journey to Gatwick.

Gatwick was painless except that for some reason Judy tripped the metal alarm in security and had to stand in the full body scanner and then be checked all over with a hand scanner. After security there was time for a “Gold Plated” breakfast at Wetherspoons (just to get us used to the Norwegian prices), then walk to the plane. We were flying by Norwegian Airlines which was a bit more relaxed that Ryan Air and even had free Wi-Fi during the flight.

At Bergen airport our cases were just going round the belt when we got to it but by the time we got outside the transfer coach had just left but no real problem, there was one every hour. At the Hurtigruten terminal we were issued our cabin number then a safety briefing and introduction to a rather comprehensive life jacket but not comprehensive enough to survive the sea above the Arctic Circle me thinks.

Our ship for the trip was the Polarlys, which looked pretty big to us but when they showed us later with it parked next to a usual cruise ship it was tiny in comparison. The cabins were ready by 17h30 and very comfortable ours looked. We had opted for the Superior cabin which had a double bed and large window rather than single bunks and a small round porthole. It was also on the 6th deck without a walkway outside so we would have an unobstructed view. But another passenger we were chatting with said it rolls much more on the top deck! Oh well, we will see. The next morning we were chatting with them again and they had a bad night from all the banging they could here which we didn’t so perhaps the top is best lets hope we can soon find our sea legs. The ship sailed at 22h30 with many people on the rear deck watching the lights of Bergen slowly disappear. (don’t forget clicking a picture makes it larger)

Day 1 finished with a spectacular buffet meal then a welcome meeting and a bit of exploring of the ship before settling down for the night.

The ship sails through the night and docked at Florø at 04h30, Måløy at 07h00, Torvik at 10h30. Each of these stops were only for 30 to 45 minutes each just to deliver or pick up a bit of freight or the odd passenger. The ship is actually the mail boat and local ferry but also takes cruise passengers like us.

Day 2 - Wednesday 15th November

After a good night, for Steve anyway, Judy woke a few times, probably not used to the very low throb of the engines or maybe the rocking, we headed for breakfast. Just as we were leaving our cabin they announced that we were just about to enter the open sea and to be prepared for some rocking. Well as if they had pulled a switch, the deck started leaning quite significantly. Breakfast became quite entertaining with everybody staggering around like drunks on a Saturday night out. Carrying a cup of coffee was interesting, and needed extreme concentration. Steve did the coffee and found that it was best to wait until the destination was uphill and walk quickly so as to arrive and hold on to something before the floor went the other way. Amazingly we only heard one plate hit the floor. The stewards were great though and could walk holding quite a few plates without the drunk act. We decided though that for us, carrying more than one thing at a time was a step too far. Perhaps by the end of the voyage, we will get used to it. Although we are told that we only go into the open sea a few times, the rest of the time we are in fjords or between the islands and the ship is very stable, we will see.

At 12h00 we arrived at Ålesund where we had three hours to spend on shore if we wished. The tours arranged by the Expedition Team on board were very expensive, a two hour hike to the top of a view point for example was £50 each person and that was the cheapest, some were over £200. We had seen a “Noddy Train” tour, around the town advertised and to the top of the same mountain for a much more reasonable price but it left from the Cruise Terminal which was about a twenty minute walk from the Hurtigruten terminal so we had a walk to get a feel for the town and find the train. When we got there however there was no train to be seen so perhaps only a summer thing. Never mind it was a nice walk and we found a supermarket on the way back to buy a few drinks for our cabin. We had heard about Norwegian prices, but £50 and upwards for an ordinary bottle of wine on the ship seemed a bit too steep! In the supermarket we found that bottles were about £12 each and a 3 litre bag-in-box for about £40 so equivalent to about £10 a bottle so the mark-up was about normal for a “Hotel” type of establishment. At home in France we buy our wine for just £1 a litre.
Apart from alcohol everything else we saw was also very expensive except for clothes and fuel which seemed to be about the same price. But it does make one wonder if wages are as high to compensate.

Back on the ship the next port was Molde for just 45 minutes then a long journey to Kristiansund where we would arrive at 22h15.
The whole of the top deck of the ship was lounge areas with the front being a massive panoramic viewing area with large leather lounging chairs where we sat for the whole afternoon watching the rugged coastline with little clusters of houses. Very much like the highlands of Scotland which we had enjoyed from the road when driving the Highland 500 in our motorhome. The middle part was an ice cream parlour and` coffee lounge then the rear was an open viewing area where hopefully we will eventually be able to see the Northern lights.
We had been issued with a time of 18h00 for our evening meal which was a bit early so changed it to 20h00 or it would be a long evening as it was dark by 19h00 and would get darker earlier as the cruise went further north. As we were leaving our cabin to go to dinner they again announced that we would be entering the open sea for about two hours. At least we would be served our evening meal rather than carrying it ourselves like at breakfast. Never having been on a ship for more than the English Channel trip both of us were not sure how we would feel and to be honest had been a bit concerned about it, but apart from not being able to walk straight so far it had not been too bad. Unlike an Australian guy we had been chatting to who suddenly started to turn green and headed for his cabin to lie down. His wife however had no trouble and chatted with us for the rest of the evening.

After dinner there was a film explaining the Northern Lights, which was our main reason for the trip. The film was very interesting with some stunning photography. We both really hope that they are well behaved and appear for us.

After the film we spent some time chatting with a few fellow passengers before heading for our cabin.

Day 3 – Thursday 16th November

We had a good night and today is our 44th wedding anniversary, the ship left Kristiansund at 23h00 last night and arrived at Trondheim at 06h00 this morning. We had a slow start though and by the time we had breakfast we left the ship at about 09h30. for a walk to the Trondheim cathedral. It was a very modern town but the old part was very much like parts of the USA or Canada with wooden clad buildings. There was an entrance fee of £18 each for non registered pilgrims and by the time we had looked round the outside probably didn’t have time to properly see the inside, so had a stroll back looking in the shops. In places the pavement was very icy and we almost went over a couple of times.
From Trondheim there was quite a time before our next stop so we had a very pleasant afternoon watching the ever wilder scenery.
As it was our anniversary, although not a requirement on this voyage we scrubbed up a bit for dinner and splashed out on a bottle of wine. It was a beautiful meal very nicely served then as we received our sweet all the restaurant staff came to our table waving Norwegian flags and singing what must have been their equivalent of “Congratulations”. I think thanks must go to Lisa our Travel Agent, but I don’t remember mentioning it to her. At 20h45 while we were having dinner the ship docked at Rørvik just for half an hour. We finished the day off just chatting with some of the English & two Australian people we had palled up with during the cruise.

Another good day but tomorrow we must be up early as we are due to cross the Arctic Circle at around 07h00.

till next time …………

Aberdeen & The Illuminator Run

After the Troll hunt at Braemar we had a week parked at Nik & Annie's house visiting local parks and searching for some more local Geocaches. If you would like to know more about this fun pastime visit www.geocaching.com where you will find more information.

On Thursday 26th October Kerry & Cheryl with Daisy & Isobel arrived by plane from Eastbourne for us all to spend a few days as a family. After settling in we all went to Aberdeen beach for a walk and all the kids to let off steam. Here they all are all standing on their sand castle to see who falls off first while the water washes it away. Then it was home for a bit of edible slime fun.

In the evening Nik, Kerry & Steve went for a tour of the nearby Brewdog Brewery in Ellen, North of Aberdeen which now has a very special multi purpose Still, from which they now make Gin. After the tour, the lads of course had to sample many of the products and bring home some of the new line of pre-mixed Gin-n-Tonic in a can to the girls to finish off the evening. Thank you Annie for driving us both ways.

Friday evening, all the children dressed up for the village Halloween party. Finlay as Harry Potter, Isobel as a skeleton with a pink Tutu, Daisy as a cat and Lewis as Malfoy from Harry Potter. They all looked fantastic and had a great time at the party.

On Saturday morning we re-located the campers to Aboyne in preparation for the Illuminator Half marathon, a night time 15 mile run or walk through the Glen Tanar forest in the Cairngorms National Park. Nik & Kerry were running. There was quite a bit of competition between them. Especially as Nik had recently run an “Iron Man” which included a run up and down Ben Nevis, Britain's highest mountain. Annie was walking it with friends, while we looked after all the children. The lads did very well coming in quite close together, Kerry at 2h25and Nik just behind at 2h28. Looks like an annual event.

We all drove back to Nik's the next day which ended up at a slap up restaurant meal to celebrate both Nik & Judy’s birthdays. Monday evening sadly Kerry & family had to catch their flight back to Gatwick and on Tuesday we headed off South again.
We stopped of at Motorhome friends in Birmingham for a few days which included one very long day at the NEC for an art exhibition where Judy attended a number of very interesting workshops on different art techniques.

Heading south again we visited Steve’s brother Bob & his wife Jill who live at Marlborough then on to Steve’s cousin Keith and his wife Linda in Storington west Sussex then on to his other cousin Marlyn and her husband Dick in Pagham near Bognor. Finally we arrived back at Kerry & Cheryl’s house for a few days so as to pack for our next adventure, a cruise round Norway to  the very North, near the Russian border where, hopefully we will get to see the Northern Lights. Something we need to tick off on our “Bucket List” but that will be the subject of our next blog.

So till next time….

If you hadn’t discovered when viewing our blog on the web if you click on a picture it will open up to full size.

Blair Drummond Safari Park

We left the Falkirk Wheel on Sunday the 15th afternoon, for the half hour drive to the Blair Drummond Camp site. We don't often use camp sites but with Nik, Annie & the boys in a small camper it would make it much easier for them especially as the weather was threatening rain and the tail end of the Hurricane Ophelia could possibly reach as far as the centre of Scotland where we were. The part of the camp site where we found two adjacent pitches` was inside high brick walls so would hopefully offer some protection if high winds did come.
The storm didn’t hit overnight after all and we all had a good night. Next morning we bought tickets to the adjacent Safari Park which, as we were staying in the camp site would last for the duration of our stay rather than just one day and we were able to just walk into the back gate of the Safari Park. Another bonus was that as we were on foot, they drove us through the wild animal enclosures in a safari bus and we got a great view of the animals and a commentary from the driver.  Much .better than worrying if a monkey was dismantling the Satellite dish on the roof of the motorhome! We had a great two days, all the animals were in great condition and seemed really happy which was good to see, the day finished with a really funny display by a Sea Lion called Lela.
As well as all the animal exhibits there were many other activities for the kids most of which were included in the admission price. the big fiberglass slide was a particular winner even tempting Steve (Gramps) to grab a sack climb the steps and have a go.

We arrived back at the vans quite tired after a good day. That night the storm did hit  and it was a very noisy and windy night. The next morning while servicing the vans before leaving the site we could see dustbin lids scattered all around and when checking out the manager told us that some of the long term caravans outside the wall had sustained damage. So we were lucky to be inside.

From Blair Drummond  Safari Park we headed to Pitlochry, the town was very busy as they had an enchanted forest event on but we found a nice level car park a little outside the town near to the Hydro Electric dam.and just had time to walk to the dam and see the enormous flow of water over the dam and through the turbines after the recent rains. There is also a very interesting Salmon ladder, 34 connected tanks allow the salmon to gradually swim past the  massive obstruction of the dam to their spawning grounds higher up the river.  After a good night we walked the short distance to the town to visit the mountain clothing store to buy some special warm clothing for our impending trip to Norway, none of which are necessary or available of course in the South of France. We then spent the morning in the visitor centre for the dam which had a number of very interesting exhibits which the boys found very interesting. There was also a Geo Cache in the centre which they enjoyed finding.

Our next destination was Braemar which meant a spectacular drive across the mountains through the ski resort. On the way Nik suddenly stopped for no reason and ran back to ask for Judy’s camera. He had spotted a magnificent Stag, standing in the river just beside the road.
In Braemar the local knitting club had an annual fund-raising event. They knitted characters that were set up around the town as a treasure hunt for the children, the characters were then auctioned off at the end for charity. This year the theme was Troll’s and we all had great fun and two good walks hunting for  them all. The quality of the knitting was amazing.

We parked for the night with four other motorhomes in the town parking and had another Troll hunt in the morning.Most Scottish towns seem fairly relaxed about motorhomes parking whish is great and allows us to visit explore and spend a bit of money if we can. After the morning Troll hunt Nik & Annie headed for home while we visited some charity shops to find some more cold weather gear for our Norway trip and found some real bargains before heading to Nik & Annie's house a little north of Aberdeen.

So till next time……

The Kelpies via Edinburgh

Well the wind blew all night and the rain came down by the bucket full but we were quite warm and snug all night. With the rain still hammering down we left the farm shop at 8h30 long before it opened but were grateful for the night’s stop.

We were heading towards Edinburgh to hopefully to meet up with an art friend of Judy who moved back from France to the UK some time ago. We had emailed her but had no telephone number as she had moved, so decided to just knock on her door, unfortunately she was not in so we spent the rest of the morning stocking up on food for the week in Asda which was nearby.

Judy couldn’t resist it!

The Kelpies

After shopping then lunch, we headed for the The Helix Park which contains the magnificent stainless steel sculptures by the Glaswegian artist Andy Scott. Called the Kelpies, after the mythical Scottish beasts which usually took the form of a horse to fool unwary travellers. Andy however soon moved from the mythical, towards the beautiful Clydesdale heavy horses that used to pull the barges on the canals which flow between the Kelpies.

When it got dark we walked to the Kelpies again, they were now lit internally gradually changing colour  from gold to red, blue green and back  to gold absolutely beautiful.

At night all lit up, beautiful.

We had checked with the visitors centre that it was ok to park for the night so after the magical view of the Kelpies at night we settled down in our nice and snug motorhome.

Nik and family arrived about lunch time on Saturday so we headed with them to the fantastic play park at the other end of the Helix Park. The play park was truly amazing with the highest tunnel slide  we had seen other than at a swimming pool. These were stainless steel and Steve was really wondering if he could have a go! Apart from  the slides there were all sorts of other equipment that we had never seen. Finlay and Lewis had a fantastic couple of hours and we really enjoyed it as well.

Nik had seen on-line that there was a Geocache nearby. These  are little boxes of hidden treasure literally all around the world which you locate by GPS coordinates. Not real treasure just Christmas Cracker junk toys. you take something and leave something else and log your visit in the box and on-line. It is a really good way to see and explore the countryside and the boys really enjoy the search for the treasure.
Having discovered the “treasure” we walked again to the Kelpies with the boys then after tea another walk to see them lit up in the dark. We all had a good night and being the weekend a few other motorhomes joined us in the car park.
Next morning after another go on the play-park we drove the few miles to the Falkirk Wheel which is an amazing structure that lifts or lowers large canal boats 24mt. (79 ft) from the Clyde Canal to the Forth & Union Canal.

The Wheel just loading two boats

Now rotating to raise and lower the boats

This is the only one of its kind in the world and literally only uses the power for boiling a kettle to move this gigantic structure with its cargo of two large boats floating in large tanks full of water. Without this structure, a long flight of locks would have had to be built which would take a lot of space and time for the boats.

After parking the campers we donned our walking gear for a walk to the Antonine Wall, which was a defensive barrier built by the Romans many miles north of the better known Hadrian’s wall.
On our walk we also searched for some more Geo-Caches which turned out to be very cleverly hidden and very difficult to find. One was behind a rotating surface on the side of a fence post and another in a small sample tube embedded in a hole in the fork of a tree. Judy turned out to be very good at finding these. But again great fun looking for them.
After a walk through a long canal tunnel we arrived back at the Falkirk Wheel complex for an hour or so letting the boys lose on the play park. Much to their displeasure and our relief the water play area had been emptied for the winter or else we would have had some very wet clothes to look after during the rest of our trip.

From the Falkirk wheel we headed off towards Blair Drummond Safari Park.

Sorry this is a bit late being posted but the days are very full with the boys.

Till next time……..