Norwaylady

Plans for ports of call are varied and fitted for a more sporty and more active group. (No way the Queen would join us😝) Santorini Caldera Half day tour 6h, Volcano, hot spring and Thirassia. Non-ship tour Kusadasi Private Ephesus, House of Mary and Artemis. Non-ship tour Mykonos Go for a walk, see the windmills and beach 🏖️ Rhodes Fishing 🎣 trip. Non-ship tour Hydra Go by the flow😎🇬🇷💙⚓️ Let’s see what we do🙃

So this time (compared to last sailing by the Queen) we have a lot of things going on😎🕺🏻💃🏻🕺🏻 First of all, we are booked in a concierge room deck 8. (Yes I know it’s a small room for some… but double price for a Sky suite was not worth it to us) Pricing was reasonable (considering it’s school holiday season, airfare on the other hand was crazy expensive🤪🫣😵‍💫 I was lucky to get award tickets one way) We booked as all-in before they changed all-in. So we have call+basic WiFi and tips. We have a very port intensive cruise, so we will not spend so much time in the cabin. It will work for sleeping 💤 We will have 2-nights pre cruise in Athens. It’s decent time for some sightseeing😎 Me & Mr has visited before, so we will do it again😜 What not to do for your nephew🥰 We kick off the event by a food tour of Athens tomorrow afternoon. Greek 🇬🇷 food coma, here we go😋 On Friday we will do a tour to Cape Sounion and temple of Poseidon. A beach 🏖️ break is planned to cool down during the day. Saturday is cruising day🕺🏻💃🏻🕺🏻⚓️🇬🇷⚓️ We will kick off the morning by an Acropolis tour early morning😜 07.45 to beat the crowd and heat. After our tour we proceed to Piraeus and X Infinity💙 Our sailing route:

We were supposed to beat our nephew on OSL in arrival….. Well…. A lost train and the next delayed for 17.minutes…. Well, what to say…. Nephew, Maximus arrived just before us from a flight from north of Norway 🇳🇴 We are sleeping a few hours on OSL at Radisson conference hotel at the airport. It’s next to Red that we usually use for red eye flights😅 We are leaving on SAS to Athens at 05.55 YES, you are reading correct🤪 early morning flight ✈️. Hallelujah 🙌🏻

So the cats are dropped off at grandma and grandpas house 🏡 They were not to happy about the suitcase 🧳 🙀😿😾 IMG_4756.mov One final inspection and some petting and love was needed before we could run to the train🥰😻😿😻 ( that’s why I just missed the train😅)

Here we go again….. (yep, who knew🤣) It’s time to start the party 🎉 So here I am… sitting on the train station 🚉 just missed the train (you see I’m I lyrics mode today😆) Mr & Mrs Norwaylady is ready for a Greek 🇬🇷 adventure ⚓️💙⚓️ You all know the drill, if you want to know more about me, just search 🔍 up older lives from⚓️ If you want to join along on IG: https://www.instagram.com/al_be_ra_bo?igsh=bWR3NWkzZW52eXNt&utm_source=qr It’s in private settings, just ask for permission👌🏻 So back to this sailing…. ⛵️ Some of you know it’s a confirmation present to our nephew🎁🎁🎁 (yes, I heard some mumbling from someone if it was possible to be adopted by us😂) Since last time the house renovation has moved forward. YES 🙌🏻 We are a bit tired and have worked 24/7 to get it finished and ready for the summer🏡 Kitchen has received a cosmetic change, new countertop, zink, backsplash and the entire kitchen cabinets has been painted in a new colour. The wooden panels and the concrete walls are freshly up and finished ✔️ All wooden floors on first floor and the staircase has been deep cleaned and re oiled, so it looks good again✔️ New entrance door is installed and the ceiling outside is freshly painted and the lamp by the entrance is installed ✔️ The new ceiling in the bathroom is installed✔️ So it’s getting better😎👌🏻 Last ting I did was to hang up my Key West hanging chair/hammock😎🏡 Yes some pictures of what we have done 🪚🔨🔧 From this🥸 to this Old kitchen before renovation was dark and old…. Some hours of painting, buffering, telling nighttime stories and singing 🎵 to them changed the kitchen into something more modern😊

No…. INF has been priced as the other ships in the fleet from Norway. Nothing on sale. But when my travel companions want Greek 🇬🇷 isles…. Then INF was the best option to get what they wanted😅🇬🇷⚓️🇬🇷

First plan is to get the house ready..... We are waiting for the wood that will cover the outside of the house and new countertops to the kitchen. It will be delivered to us on the 24 or 27.... So then it's full speed to get it up and finish the majority of the renovation before the school ends. The roof will not be delivered before august... its longer delivery times than usual🙄 So that is good for us! That means that the majority of the outside renovation is taken care off and the cosmetic details inside is finished when we go on our next adventure😇 I had the electrician yesterday, so its slowly getting together🤓 Next adventure is on INF, yes again😂 Those Greek Isle💙 I just can't get tired of them this year🤣 Now its time to bring the nephew on holiday🥰 YES, the confirmation gift we gave last year.... So at some point in late June, it might be something rolling out....... Lets just say it involves a birthday celebration in Athens, a bit more action then by the Queen and a crazy gang on tour😜

We made it back safely to Oslo🇳🇴 Our flight landed in Oslo 18.05 so it was full speed from ARN to OSL. The flight was 90% fully booked. Same aircraft as from ATH. Airbus A320 / SAS Plus+ GO. We had the same seats 2AC and empty middle seat👍🏻 Service is a snack service, so cold and hot beverage and a snack of your choice. Flight was just up/down and Welcome Home😜🇳🇴✈️ Crew was very friendly and wanted to go quick to OSL to try to catch up the delayed time. Bags 💼 were on the belt quick and ready for pickup when we arrived downstairs. Then it was the train to the city centre and onwards the Queens station🥳🇳🇴 So the King could pickup the Queen and I could be picked up by Mr. We needed to go to the construction store (it’s 17.may national day and Pentecost holidays. That means red public holidays and everything closed from Friday until Tuesday morning) So everything we needed of materials needed to be picked up….. and some food for the fridge during the weekend🤓 Straight back to reality🧐😆🤪😂 The “construction” manager was on holiday and the temporary “leader” Mr Norwaylady has not worked very hard to be on top of the game😂😂😂😅🤪 So it’s a packed weekend ahead for us to get back on track with our house project🫣🤭🫡😝😎 The cats 🐈‍⬛ were very happy to see me🥰🥰🥰 It was a purring mafia waiting by the door when I arrived🥰 They have slept on/next to me the entire night😂🥰🥰🥰 It’s not bad to wake up in the middle of the night and have purring sound around you, this view from your bed and your best friend and darling next to you🩷

So….. I have to say a very funny thing from Santorini🇬🇷💙😂 The Queen was 🤭😝🤣🤣🤣 We were on the Pyrgos tour from the ship. A very nice day and a decent 3.5- 4h tour. If you’re not into Akrotiri ruins, this is a good option for visiting a “classical” village. So you have time for shopping in Fira and a walk around town. Back to the tour! We did visit the Venetsanos Winery🍷 as I said yesterday. In the winery it was shared tables, 6 guests together. We had a shared table with 4 American guests. As I was taking my chair out to be able to sit down. One lady at the table looked hard at me and said loudly out: are you participating in the wine tasting? You need to be 21 to be legally allowed to drink wine! You should follow rules! The Queen looked at me and I could see her face 🤭🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤭 I politely answered the lady that I’m not a US citizens and the legal age of drinking in Europe is lower than in the US. And I’m more than old enough to participate in the wine tasting😅 I have a husband at home and we are running as Mr&Mrs for year 14😂😂😂 She was just SO quiet 🤐 looking at me and she said: oh my goodness, how do you manage that??? 😂😂😂 I was not angry or upset about that😝 See it as a big compliment😘😘😘 The Queen was just 🤣🤣🤣🤣 Yep, that’s me😆😜😝 no wonder everyone think I’m 15🤪🤪🤪 ( CD Ernest could not keep his poker face when he talked to me & the Queen and discovered that I’m the “tour leader” of the cruise & I’m soon 40😆🤣 He did not see that coming🤣🤣🤣)

Today’s service to Stockholm is lunch. Menu: Smoked Chicken and salad. Tasted good and the chicken was not dry. The white wine was a South African🇿🇦 blend. All okay 👌🏻 Dessert was coffee and handmade chocolate 🍫 Flight was uneventful and crew did a great service. We touched down at ARN 16.15 local time Sweden 🇸🇪 (that’s -1h from Greek 🇬🇷 time) Luckily we have the same aircraft to OSL😂😅 So we are just walking up and down the gate🤣🤣🤣😁💙😁🙌🏻 So now we stretch our legs 🦵🏻 a little round and it’s back onboard✈️ No time for Fika this visit☕️🥮🇸🇪

One run way in ATH….. That means trouble for quick departure🤐😵‍💫🤪 We had to wait 20+.minutes at the gate before they could push us out😜 YES 🙌🏻 this is very promising for our connection🤣🤣🤣 On the other hand…. If the arrival gate is correct in ARN and the departure gate…. That means that this aircraft is going onward to OSL😅🧐🤭👌🏻 That means that we will be on the same ✈️ plane… At 13.28 was the green light given💙✈️ So we pushed from gate and started to proceed to the runway. We were waiting in line for takeoff 🛫 Delta, EasyJet, AA and several others were waiting in line by us. You need to take off between arriving aircrafts. So they are literally landing on you🛫🤪💙✈️ And incoming aircrafts has priority over departure 🛫 So you see the lights incoming….. please stand by🤓 IMG_4521.mov SK direct to OSL was just behind us….😝 (when I booked airfare, the direct flight to OSL was not available) After a few arrivals…. Finally it was our turn😁 so we were off the runway at 13.57.

The flight from Athens to Stockholm is delayed. The Aegean Airlines departure on our gate was delayed and SAS was waiting for parking 🅿️ space🫣 Boarding started a bit late and I received a text of new departure time 25.minutes after scheduled departure…. Boarding was slow. New time was 12.55. Lots of hand luggage and very untrained passengers standing in the aisle blocking for passengers going onboard🫥 Crew really tried to ask for cooperation from passengers and speed up the process. Boarding was not completed until 12.58. Bridge was disconnected 13.05. Flight is operated on a A320. 2-class Plus/Go. we are seated on Plus 2AC. Empty middle seat💙👍🏻 We will have a very short connection if we make it🤪🤪🤪 Fingers crossed 🤞🏻

So…. Infinity ♾️💙⚓️💙 It’s a adventure💙⚓️💙 I can’t help it… it’s a golden oldie⚓️💙⚓️ I feel very lucky to be able to be onboard with this amazing crew👌🏻💙⚓️ She had a dry dock during the winter. It was a maintenance dock. So no bigger renovation/ full renovation. You can see new carpets and furniture in Al Bacio, Cellar Master, Rendezvous Lounge etc. public spaces. The waterline is fresh painted and the ship is clean. She is very well kept for her age. Some signs here and there…. But you’re not going on a ship on the edge of scrapyards😊🫣🤪 (I think they would have benefited from a little more work time on some of the public restrooms on busy floors… ladies toilets are very clean but extremely worn out/visible repairs repeatedly fixing signs…. This would be clever to replace fully to give a good impression) Maintenance is going on 24/7 around the ship. So don’t worry about the age! The rooms are okey, yes it’s “wooden” but it’s very timeless compared to other cruise lines. Housekeeping has really delivered, Lerma has really kept up with us😅💙👌🏻 The food has delivered. Everything has tasted well, arrived warm and fresh. Only concern/complaint was the ice cream🧐🧐🧐 it was really 😫😳🤯🫣😑😵‍💫😬 But they are listening 👂🏻 . So it has improved! Well done 👍🏻 keep up the good work and progress of keeping the ice cream good! Buffet has served multiple options every time I have visited. everyone will find something, just remember to walk around the entire place😊🫡 Table 527 is a very good table for a view. Very nice location all the way back of the ship. The dining room crew, Dheeraj+Ruth and sommelier Juliana has worked hard for us🫡🥰😅 Service was great and we have really enjoyed the service and hospitality from our staff. A big thank you to Irwin and the supervisor group for giving us a great experience and table. The visible crew in MDR are friendly and welcoming. We meet some great crew during breakfast in MDR. So I know it’s many very good people around me every morning👌🏻💙 Entertainment has delivered, the shows from the production cast and guests have been great 👍🏻 CD Ernest has improved his impression since we arrived onboard. He is very friendly and has been very visible around the ship. Senior officers and Captain Ioannis has walked around every night and day. Very friendly and visible to everyone. Captains Club events was very welcoming and friendly. Service was great 👍🏻 10/10. The Queen has felt very cared for and very happy about the service around the ship. Our friendly crew in Al Bacio, Cellar Master, theatre, Mast Bar and pool bar has really made our stay enjoyable. Service from them has really delivered 10/10. Ports of call are 10/10. Greek 🇬🇷 isles and Istanbul is a winner 🏆 If it were only Greek 🇬🇷 isles, it’s still 10/10. Because Greece 🇬🇷 is 💙👌🏻🇬🇷 I will really go all in Greek 🇬🇷 this year😂😂💙🇬🇷💙 I can’t wait to be back onboard soon again with this amazing crew and Greek 🇬🇷 adventure! Until then, safe sailing to all my wonderful crew onboard and we meet again in 6-weeks time🇬🇷💙⚓️

Last breakfast was in MDR… you know💙 The Queen had some fruit and pancakes 🥞 I went for melon and BYO poached egg salmon🥰👌🏻😋 It’s always good to end a cruise on a high note 🎵 of a good breakfast and a great farewell💙⚓️💙 The crew on INF is really great! We walked off after our breakfast. Bags were waiting and I texted our driver since we were early ready for pick up. We had scheduled 08.20 but we were ready 07.50. Driver arrived shortly after and off to the airport it went🚙 It’s rush hour, so today it was 1h 15.minutes to the airport. Drive was uneventful and driver friendly👌🏻 We delivered our bags after 10.minutes in line and now we are waiting in the LH lounge for our flight from ATH-ARN-OSL. We fly SAS💙.

Mr Norwaylady is counting down to my arrival😂😂😂❤️ And the cats are very “ready” to get me home🥰😂❤️ The King is always ready to get the Queen back😂❤️ He is really not a great chef😂😂😂 So today he will have a full dinner service again👌🏻😋 🇬🇷⚓️🇬🇷 is never wrong! I do looking forward to be back shortly on Greek 🇬🇷 isles⚓️💙⚓️

Last dinner onboard tonight🫣 Tonight’s menu: The Queen went for escargot and Jerk Chicken 🍗 Finally the beet root salad was on the menu😋 So of course I had it for starter😋 For my main course…. It was a little bit🧐🧐🧐 So I ended up on spaghetti bolognaise. The best root salad was on track❤️👍🏻 And the pasta was delicious 😋 (Mr have eaten the spaghetti before and then it has smelled really good and he said it was delicious) It was actually really nice 👌🏻 The final dessert menu: Yay 🙌🏻 it had cheese cake! Before the menu arrived I said to the Queen…. I’m surprised we haven’t seen the cheese cake on the dessert menu… usually it shows up once during a week… Well….. here is it! OMG it was not an American cheesecake❤️🙌🏻 it was a European style! Same type I make at home❤️ And it tasted SO GOOD 😊 It was real strawberries in the sauce🍓 The Queen had crème Catalan. She really liked it❤️ Our waiter was conserved we were going to bed hungry😂😂😂 So a little ice cream was dropped off🤣🤣 It was really good 👍🏻 Vanilla and raspberry. Not a el cheapo edition, real velvet, full body ice cream👌🏻🙌🏻💙 Then it was time to bed….

After some iced tea and a lemon 🍋 tart it was time to pack🤪🫣 I said to the Queen, pack up…. I need a last session in the hot tub😂😎💙🇬🇷💙 So I soaked into the warm water and enjoyed the view of Santorini💙🇬🇷💙 I went downstairs to pack and prepare for show…. Guess… The Queen was in the shower and the luggage was not closed🤣🫣🤪 So I said speed up and make the show, magic 🪄 NO….. So I sent her down in Al Bacio and said I will arrive when I’m done throwing all my clothes into the suitcase🤣🤣🤣 and shower🥰 I said goodbye to Lerma for excellent service and went downstairs to join the Queen in Al Bacio.

From the winery it was bus to Fira. You need to walk uphill to the pedestrian area of Fira. The guide will take you there and explain how to find the gondola 🚡 down to Old Fira port. They will also give you a one-way ticket 🎟️ to use to get down. The Queen wanted to find a store she shopped a wristband in before. So we had to have a little search for it👍🏻 We took the grand tour of the pedestrian shopping area. (You will find everything in Fira, clothing, jewellery, art, furniture and souvenirs) Breakfast was a rapid process in OV this morning… So we had to have a little stop for something to eat… We couldn’t visit Greece 🇬🇷 and not have at least one bite of Gyros😅😋 Our usual place was not open😳🫣😨 We have visited every time we are on Santorini 🇬🇷🫣 So we needed to go for plan B😂😎😋 It was still Gyros💙🇬🇷 After the Gyros 🇬🇷 it was time to head out for the store of the Queens request We found it👌🏻 I ended up getting a new bracelet or two🤣🤣 After the shopping therapy… The Queen was getting ready for the gondola 🚡 So I dropped her off in line and said, help yourself😂😂 (she had 1h in line) See you downstairs👍🏻 I went down the 🫏 donkey trail…. I have walked it up and down before. So I knew very well that the Queen will NEVER walk up or down that road🤪🤪 IMG_4492.mov It’s not for everyone! You need to be able to walk down hill a longer distance AND have full control of your feet 👣 It slippery due to old stone and dirt from the donkeys 🫏 I went onto a tender asap after arriving at the pier. I waited for the Queen in Al Bacio, she arrived around 30.minutes later than me onboard. She had walked straight onto the tender and left for the ship asap.

Weather for Mykonos & Santorini 🇬🇷🇬🇷🇬🇷👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻 couldn’t ask for better! Sun, blue sky and no wind💙😎💙

From Pyrgos Village it went onward to the Winery. The view from the winery is very pleasant😎🇬🇷💙🇬🇷 Its a 3-glass tasting 1-white dry 1-red dry 1-red dessert (think port) It’s a Greek 🇬🇷 Meze with cheese, olives, bread, turkey, tomato tapenade and olive rice.

So, bring a newspaper or a book to the shore excursion meeting😂 I know why it takes time to unload the ship in Santorini. Unfortunately some Spanish speaking passengers didn’t follow the tender and group protocol… So it really made a little hiccup for the crew and the rest of us🤪🤪🤪 But back to a great day😎 Everyone has to love Santorini💙🇬🇷💙 We had booked Pyrgos Village. I booked it during Black Friday weekend and it was a really good discount. The tour description said Pyrgos Village and ticket to the cable car one way. So we were pleasantly surprised when the tour guide said we are stopping by the winery after Pyrgos. The walk in Pyrgos is uphill/stairs. Think Mykonos streets and uphill😅 It’s the highest village on Santorini🇬🇷💙🇬🇷 the airport on Santorini

Today’s shore excursion

A very good morning from Kaldera IMG_4360.mov

CruiseCompass Santorini Day 10

The MartiniBar has really showed off 🔥 every night after the 19’ show it’s a perfect opportunity for a performance of flair show🍸🍸🍸 IMG_4340.mov IMG_4342.mov The Queen found a matching 🍸 in the tower😂😂😂 Cheers 🥂