Bergen, Norway

I'm going to try to write posts as soon as I can, after the scheduled port/day. However some days just don't work out that way. This was the way it was with our first full day at Bergen. so I may forget spomething but I'm really trying not to!
We started out with our first excursions. These are our fun-to-do activities we had signed up for to do at each port. This was a looong time ago that we figured out our excursions. I started right off the bat doing my own thing (sorry Jacky). I took the "A Taste of Norwegian Farm Life" while Jacky did the "Bergen Walking Tour". He said "Why should I go visit a farm when I live on one?" Well we both had a great time and learned a lot.
My farm tour was only 10 minutes from Bergen. It was on a small patch of land that had been in the same family for 5 generations.They only had sheep, chickens, rabbits and 4 horses and we only got to see the horses and the sheep. It poured down rain the entire time which made things not so fun. The wind mainly  caused umbrellas to bend backwards, and I thought a couple of the people on the tour were going to be blown down! Wind (and rain) are such a common occurrance there that they put grass on the roofs so the wind doesn't blow the roof down. It starts with bark, then soil and then grass. You see this everywhere! When the grass gets too high, they go up and cut it, or even better, let the goats and sheep up to graze. I don't see a problem with this method.I think our chicken barn needs this!

They had 2 beautiful Norwegian Fjord horses. The gray color I have never seen before. All 4 are work horses for the farm, but sometimes are used for horse back riding in the warmer months by guests. The sheep are another Norwegian breed called spal. They remind me of our Cassiopia, whose breed I can't remember for the life of me. We didn't get to see the chickens and rabbits.

The house was built in the 1600's. It has been restored to its original condition with red paint in the dining room and green paint in the hallway. Big timbers make up the walls. It was all fascinating. The owner put on his tradional Norwegian clothes. Upon confirmation girls and boys are given their own tradional clothes. These are beautiful in design and cost in the $1000's. The people of Norway wear these special clothes on Nationalist day on May 17.

I'm sorry but I think I'll go ahead and publish this. I planned on adding a lot more pictures but the internet/blog site is soooo slow, it has been taking over an hour to upload one picture! I'll try to do better with the other posts.

The Destination Cocktail is the "Fjord!". One destination cocktail per port. This is this first one and we're going to make a study of these and see which is our favorite. It's our duty :-) The Fjord was very good! Nice one to start with.

Viking Star

Sunday
Not sure even when this day started. It was on a plane anyway! We got on a KLM plane for the short 2 hr flight to Bergen, Norway. They still served us a 'snack', which really constituted a meal for me. A sandwich made with linseed breed (organic) and Beemster cheese made in the Netherlands. I picked the tiny coke (150ml) for a quick pick-me-up since we were surviving on little sleep.Yummy sandwich!

Bergen was cold and rainy - a lot like Minnesota when we left! But the scenery was very different. All our bags made it (thankfully) and we were met at baggage clain by representatives from Viking Cruises. All aboard the bus to make it to the dock and the ship!

Bergen was founded in 1070 on the site of a Viking settlement and was the capital of the Kingdom of Norway during medieval times. The cobblestone streets, the older houses with tile roofs, all sitting between the peaks makes Bergen a beuatiful harbor. There is a historic Bryggen Wharf and a local fish market. There isn't time to see it all! Jacky will be exploring Bergen on foot tomorrow but I hope to also be able to see more of it up close.

Our ship, the Viking Star

Can you believe it? As we stepped foot onto our home for the next 2 weeks, we were handed a celebratory glass of white wine. Now THAT'S the way to welcome someone on board!

We were worried about Jacky's brother Allen and his wife, Carolyn. They were flying here from Dallas, Texas and were supposed to get here before we did. But they never did check in. Allen wouldn't answer his phone either so Lee (Jacky's sister) did some frantic searching and found out their airplane in England had been overbooked. Over 40 people who were supposed to be here today were stuck in England! Finally, right as we were going to bed, Lee said their plane is supposed to arrive in Bergen tomorrow morning at 10:55. 

We went up to the restaurant called "The World Cafe" for supper. With a name like that, I was eager to try it out. Our daily paper, called the "Viking Daily" which gives us all information for the following day's activities and excursions, said they were having a fresh seafood buffet. My mother and I were like, "Get out of my way! here I come!". I must say it exceeded all my expectations.

There were mussels cooked in white wine and garlic, sauteed sea bass (possibly the best fish I've ever had), some kind of flat buckwheat bread that he put a tablespoon of caviar, or fish roe, on and topped with sour cream and chives. I did not try the shrimp, the crab legs, the chicken, potatoes..( do you see where I'm going with this?). I did however try a few of their dessert items - all very european. Jacky, or course, had chocolate gelato. Oh yes, there's free house wine with the meal too! :-)

View of room with our own balcony!

Off we go!

Well I found out it’s really nice to leave out of the airport later in the day. It gave me plenty of time to get the animals ready, the plants watered, the bird feeders filled…and yes, to pack. We made it to Northfield (in the pouring rain!) to pick up Mother and to leave our car in her garage. Mother had reserved a shuttle to take us from Northfield to Minneapolis Airport, which is nice to not have to leave a car parked at the airport for so long. Unfortunately, the driver showed up in a Prius. It really wasn’t large enough for 3 people and their luggage to last over 2 weeks! Jacky and I sat in back with a good portion of the luggage between us on the seat and on the floor. We made it though! Kim joined us shortly after and we cruised through security and were first on the plane.

The plane ride to Amsterdam was pretty uneventful. There was enough leg room , and we were fed dinner . All of us partook of the complementary wine! Needless to say, I had trouble staying awake for the movies I was watching after dinner. Pretty short night though, with the time change and everything.

We had to change planes at Amsterdam but we had about a 4 hour layover. Kim and I took a walk around the concourse (to get in some fitbit steps!) and we quite enjoyed the stores there and what they offered.

This area is known for their Gouda cheese – and boy, were they selling it! Such colorful displays made my mouth water (it was lunch time, that’s my excuse).

Look at all these cheeses! Mostly Gouda, although there were some Brie

Jars of Herring and different kinds of fish roe (eggs)

There were fields of colorful tulips as we flew into Amsterdam. I wasn't able to get a picture but you can imagine rows of red, orange and yellow flowers lighting up the landscape. Inside the airport were kiosks selling bouquets of the lovely flowers.

Packing needs to be done!

Here I am, the night before we leave, at 11:04 pm. You'd think I would be in bed getting much needed rest, but instead I have set up my newest blog (Ta Da!) after having just also set up my new fitbit.
Yes, alas, I have laid my old fitbit to rest. It had gone off the deep end - vibrating and flashing lights at the oddest times (in the middle of lunch, 2:00 am...). Sooo, since I wanted to count all my steps this voyage, I had to break down and get fitbit #2. I think we should name it. Maybe "Wencel", which means 'traveler' . At least I think that's what it means.
Of course, at this time I should also be mostly packed. All I can say is a lot of my clothes are on the bed next to the suitcase. Various sundry items are scattered about the house, all with the intent of finding their way into said suitcase. Two of the five dogs are confused and worried in Rochester as this is not their usual routine. The others do not have a clue as to what tomorrow brings.
Now that I have the most important things done ( fitbit and blog), maybe I should go see to that suitcase. It won't pack itself!