June 25th Constellation Norwegian Fjords (Long with pictures)

[Syrreal]

We didn’t have any ship tours scheduled for Alesund either. However, there had been a tour that I had been interested in that included the Atlantic Sea Park. The problem with this tour, for me, was that we would only be spending a very limited time at the aquarium because it was just one stop in a couple. Luckily, I had noticed on the Sea Park’s website that there was a shuttle bus that took you from the cruise ship port to the Sea Park and back and it included the admission to the park as well. So that is what we decided to do.

 

We walked off the ship with our jackets in hand. The sign at the pier said the bus would be arriving in about 20 minutes as it runs every half hour. While we were waiting, we both started getting warm so I ran back to the room to leave the jackets. One less thing to carry. I managed to run back in, go through security, run upstairs and back down with three minutes to spare before boarding the bus to the Atlantic Sea Park. The bus driver let us know that when we boarded again to be taken to the pier that he could also drop us off at the center of town to sightsee a little before heading back. It was about a 5 minute walk from downtown back to the ship.

 

After about a 12 minute ride, we reach the Atlantic Sea Park. If you’re expecting Sea World, you will be disappointed, as it’s not a huge building, but it does have some very nice exhibits and a petting area where you can touch all kinds of marine life. There’s also an outside play area and a penguin habitat. By the looks of things, the park is expanding as there were bulldozers and some construction in the area too. The park also has a gift shop and a little cafe.

 

There was a tropical fish exhibit. Clownfish are a Pacific fish, but they look pretty, so why not have them?

 

 

This was an anemone in the Fjords display

 

At the petting area, C helped a little Norwegian girl touch a Sea Cucumber.

 

Kissing the crab

 

Holding a pink sea urchin (that looks like you could eat it)

[Syrreal]

Outside area of the Sea Park

 

Some kind of flower

 

A spider that was close to those flowers

 

Penguins

 

Time for a quick snack. I chose a chocolate covered coconut marshmallow thing that I ate with a Knork (what I was calling this knife/fork combination). It was very good and I couldn’t finish it because it was this weird combination of light yet rich.

 

 

 

A quick stop at the gift shop for a couple of T-shirts for the kids meant that we missed the bus back into town. So now we had half an hour to kill and decided to walk around the park that surrounds the Atlantic Sea Park and go play in the tidal pools that surround the area.

[Syrreal]

Missing the bus was one of the best parts of the day (one of many).

 

We walked past one of the crosswalk signs. We started calling this the Film Noire crossing. You can only cross if you are wearing a fedora!

 

 

We climbed all over the tidal pools and saw fish and little red anemones and a man getting clams. Families were at the park that day (a Sunday) and there was a dad showing his little girl the water.

 

 

 

Anemones in the tidal pool

 

As we were walking back to the bus stop, we passed a grandmother finishing a crown of purple clover that she gave the little girl who was with her father.

 

We boarded the bus and headed into town.

[lhall85917]

I love Jungle Jim's. They have a HUGE international section and they are the only place anywhere near here where I can get Brazilian products like my coffee (I'm a total self admitted coffee snob) and cheese bread mix as well as other things from there. We went this time to see if they had Chicken Fries (these chips we had found in Norway) but didn't have any luck in that department.

The one we went to is in, I believe, Fairfield, just off Dixie Hwy.

 

Thanks for the review and pictures. It is interesting to read your discussion with Terry about Jungle Jim's. We moved from Cincinnati a couple of years ago so are familiar with it. I went there at Christmas one year before our Baltics cruise and found something from each country to give to my husband as a gift. It was a fun present to help with the anticipation!

[Syrreal]

A post on a different thread (one about passenger complaints) reminded me of something that happened on one of the nights that we had ordered food from the mdr to be brought to our room. We had dinner and then called to let our steward know that we were done and then went on with our business, watching tv or whatever. Well, our trays were never picked up. We just assumed that we didn't hear the knock on the door. No biggie.

When our steward cleaned our cabin the next morning and found that the tray was till there, he wasn't happy. He apologized and said that there was a new night person. We told him that it wasn't a big deal and that we assumed that we just didn't hear anyone knock and not to worry about it.

That evening he brought us a bottle of wine for our inconvenience. He really didn't have to do that, but I wonder how many people might have made a huge deal about something like this happening in the past.

[Syrreal]

Thanks for the review and pictures. It is interesting to read your discussion with Terry about Jungle Jim's. We moved from Cincinnati a couple of years ago so are familiar with it. I went there at Christmas one year before our Baltics cruise and found something from each country to give to my husband as a gift. It was a fun present to help with the anticipation!

 

I'm glad you're enjoying the review. I'm having a fun time remembering the amazing trip :)

 

I love Jungle Jim's. It's a dangerous store though as I can easily find things and spend way more money than intended. Ha ha!

 

That is a really cute idea for the gifts. Was the cruise a surprise for your husband?

[Syrreal]

We stepped off the bus into downtown Alesund.

 

Alesund is a very cute city. It reminds me of some place that you would see a romantic comedy filmed. Katherine Heigl would be running around clumsily trying to get the attention of Josh Duhamel or something like that. Just insert any two romcom actors.

 

It was Sunday, so most of the shops we closed.

 

That snack at the Sea Park was long gone and we decided to walk around in search of some lunch. Then it started to rain.

The deluge came.

 

 

 

We walked into the ANNO partially because it was there and partially because we spotted some of the food they were serving. They have an outdoor area with umbrellas and some uncovered tables and we spied some pizza. There was also a pub close by but that was definitely not what either one of us were in the mood for. Pizza usually wins that battle.

 

And it was very tasty pizza.

 

Prosciutto Pizza K$140 (about $25 US)

 

As a last minute addition I put in an order for Fish Soup. This delicious and creamy soup was served with two thick slices of warm fresh bread and some butter. Perfect for dipping into the soup

 

Fish Soup (K$115 approx $20 US)

 

While we were dining, the sky cleared in time for us to start walking back to the ship.

 

What's in the barell?

 

View and flowers

[Syrreal]

You are here

 

 

Constellation coming into view

[Syrreal]

Skjolden is exactly what I envision when I think of an old Viking farming village (adding modern housing, of course). This village has approximately 200 inhabitants. Our cruise ship increased the town’s population tenfold.

 

Skjolden Pastoral Scene

 

We had our last tour scheduled for this stop. We were on our way to see the Urnes Stave Church and an adjacent deer farm. We hopped on our bus and were on our way on this extremely narrow little road. Looking at it, you’d think this was a one way road, but no, it isn’t. It is a two way road where the bigger vehicle has the right of way. Many times we would find ourselves waiting for a car or an RV to back up until it reached a place it could pull off the road enough to let our bus pass by.

 

"Two Way" Road

 

We had a photo stop at a waterfall where we all apparently went much further up the path than we were supposed to. Oh well!

 

Waterfall stream

 

Back on the bus we continued to the Urnes Stave Church. The bus parked a very short way off and we walked the few steps to the church.

 

Urnes Stave Church coming into view

 

Urnes Stave Church

 

[lhall85917]

I'm glad you're enjoying the review. I'm having a fun time remembering the amazing trip :)

 

I love Jungle Jim's. It's a dangerous store though as I can easily find things and spend way more money than intended. Ha ha!

 

That is a really cute idea for the gifts. Was the cruise a surprise for your husband?

 

No, but it was our first overseas trip. I did manage to surprise him with an upsell we received from a balcony to a penthouse room. :o I got the call for the upsell a week before leaving but didn't let him know until we were at the ship ready to board!

[Syrreal]

This is a beautiful church. It is full of carvings and much detail work. But you aren’t allowed to take pictures inside the church at all. For this reason I would recommend, if you are planning on taking this same cruise, to take the tour to the other stave church (Kaupanger) because you are allowed to take non-flash photos inside that church.

I have to confess that I did take two somewhat contraband photos from the outside.

 

Church Ceiling from outside

 

Area where the upper class could attend church without mingling with the peasants

 

Door

 

Carving outside the church

 

Purple flower view of church

[Syrreal]

Once our time at the church was done, we walked the thirty feet or so to the deer farm. It was really just a partially gated enclosure with about fifteen deer or so. More like a backyard enclosure than a horse farm, or a bigger farm.

 

 

The ride back to the ship felt like it took a much longer time than it did. This was the time when our tour guide decided to not only impart her political views but also her experiences with her divorce. I don’t know if others felt this way, but it completely put me off. At least she waited until we were past the tour or it would have really soured my entire experience and not just the return to the ship.

 

We decided to walk from the pier to the town proper as we wanted to go in search of more Chicken Fries.

 

Bridge in Skjolden

 

We stopped in the only grocery store we could find, which was really more of a convenience type store. Sadly, they did not have chicken fries, but they did have some pear cider for C. We bought some of that and I put it into my backpack. After walking around a bit more, we decided to go back to the ship for hot dogs and hamburgers.

 

I walked through the metal detector and put my bag through the x-ray machine fully expecting to have to give the can of pear cider away for keeping till the end of the cruise, but it just went right on through and I brought it up to our room.

 

We had just gotten our drinks and sat down with our food when we heard it… An older gentleman starts speaking to the Asian guys from the bar.

 

“You know, I just love Chinese food. We have the best Chinese buffet…”

 

And it just went on and on (downhill) from there. That boy and I kept exchanging glances and I felt so badly for him. But he was the epitome of politeness. I was very proud of him for keeping a straight face. It reminded me of when the Crypt Keeper comes to my job and ogles me and grabs my hand at every opportunity and tells me just how special and sweet I am and how he wants a woman just like me. MInd you, he is about a hundred years old and looks exactly like the guys from Tales from the Crypt.

[Syrreal]

No, but it was our first overseas trip. I did manage to surprise him with an upsell we received from a balcony to a penthouse room. :o I got the call for the upsell a week before leaving but didn't let him know until we were at the ship ready to board!

 

That's awesome! I wish I could surprise hubby with a trip but no one I know can keep a secret LOL!

[Syrreal]

I am so sorry that I haven't updated in a while. Life's been hectic, but I promise the last few days will be updated soon.

[Syrreal]

Our next stop was in Bergen. This town is awesome and I definitely want to get back to it someday.

 

 

We didn’t start with our usual routine today. As soon as we were done with breakfast, we were ready to get a move on. C was on the prowl for a vinyl store to look for Norwegian metal or other metal/prog rock that he can’t readily get in the US. So off we were.

 

We made a beeline for the shop. Thanks iPhone and internet! He found some stuff and then we got to sightsee. We found a beautiful little square that led us back to the fish market just in time for lunch.

 

 

 

 

 

Me in the square (candid)

[Syrreal]

The fish market is pretty awesome! They will grill fish they caught that morning for you and, let me tell you, that is some tasty fixins.

This was also another multilingual adventure since I was in Norway speaking Spanish with the guy who was working at the Fish Market shop that we decided to eat lunch at. Small world indeed.

 

Again, lunch here was NOT inexpensive, but it WAS DELICIOUS!!! For the adventurous, you could also try whale. We didn’t, but if we ever get back to Bergen, and I hope we do, I’ll give it a taste.

 

I think this was salmon and cod

 

grilled crab

 

Norwegian fish soup

 

Torget sitting area by booth we ate at

 

 

After lunch we still had a while to kill so we decided to just explore with no heading. We turned left and right and found the funicular and a few churches and old buildings and narrow streets alleyways and then found ourselves in a bakery for some more school bread. It wasn’t as good as the one from Molde, but it was still tasty.

 

 

We began our way southward to Oslo and saw the moon for the first time in days.

 

[Syrreal]

The next day was filled with a wonderful slew of food, coffee at Cafe al Bacio (where we hung out on some very slow internet or read) and I got to visit the library where I hung out for a while. Only one person came on for a minute while I was there but there was actually a good selection of books, even some new ones. I was reading the 50 shades books (like at least half the people that had a book in their hand on deck). We also hit the Persian Gardens and the pool a few times. Relaxing to the max.

 

Sunny day on deck

 

Wake on the North Sea

[Syrreal]

Throughout all of our walks, we kept looking for more Chicken Fries. Could it be that the only place that we would find such a summer favorite was a tiny campground grocery? Finally, in Bergen, in an underground grocery store beside the bottom level of a bookstore, we found them and bought a couple of extra bags and some chocolate and some Viking looking beer.

My beer was in my purse and again made it through with no trouble.

[Syrreal]

Oslo

 

We awoke to canons pointing directly at our balcony. An old fort was right outside our window and you could just imagine being an invader in olden times and not making it into the city.

 

View from our balcony

 

We quickly made our way to the ferry that would take us to the place that most called to C. The place where his brethren were remembered. The Viking Ship Museum.

 

We got off the ferry and walked about a mile through a residential neighborhood to reach the museum and there are really no words to describe the amazing ship and artifacts. So, I’ll post a ton of pictures and you can get a tiny sense of the awesomeness. After all, if a picture is worth a thousand words and these pictures don’t begin to show the detail and scope of the artifacts, they are worth more than anything I could write here.

 

Ferry stop

 

Finding our way to the museum

 

Viking Ship Museum

 

Bee in a Rose at the Viking museum (there's a rose garden out front)

[Syrreal]

Viking ship

 

Carving

 

different view of ship

 

Revelling in the awesomeness

 

carved head

 

different ship

[Syrreal]

While waiting for the ferry back to the mainland, we listened to some guy use very big words that meant nothing while on a business call back to the US. He was very loud and everyone in a pretty big radius could eavesdrop even if they didn’t want to.

 

Second part of the mission- finding this ultra metal of metal stores called NeseBlod records. This is where you can get metal band member’s pee and blood soaked shirts as well as tons of records. It is the metal mecca and we had a VERY long hike to get to it. We passed by some important looking building, past the shopping district, past some ethnic area of town, and finally to what kind of looked like the beginnings of a more artsy area which probably just meant more hipster-y. But there it was. Next to yet another church and just past the 7-11. Neseblod.

 

Fancy building in central oslo

 

Neseblod

 

Norwegian medieval metal

 

Graffiti on an Oslo wall

 

Back to the ship with only 20 minutes till call. We passed this cute little boat that had a dinghy garden behind it.

[Syrreal]

The bow-

 

Leaving Oslo behind

 

As we were leaving, this was one of the ships that came to see us off.

 

I think this is some kind of inn but am not sure

Edited September 3, 2012 by Syrreal

[Syrreal]

That night was the last formal night on the ship. We had no intention of getting dressed up to go and were just going to get some stir fry when we got back to our stateroom and saw a note on the door. We were cordially invited to join the hotel director, Christophe, at the captain’s table that night at dinner. Well, when the captain’s table calls, you answer. We got ourselves dressed up and off we went to Cellar Masters for hors d’oeuvre and champagne before being introduced to dinner. We chatted with the other seven people and Katy (Christophe’s girlfriend) while we waited. There we were with our two little cruises under our belt, surrounded by people who have already taken more cruises than I probably will in my entire life. It was a really fun evening and both C and I are really glad that we didn’t blow it off. Christophe was a very kind host and talked to me about life on the ship. C asked me if he was headhunting me (since this was shortly after he heard what my work background was). Katy wasn’t too thrilled by the end and there were some off color (aka sexual) comments made by the end towards Christophe (thanks to the free flowing wine) but he took those comments very good naturedly. I don’t know if I would have kept my composure quite as well.

 

(please forgive the sideways picture. I couldn't get it right side up) Does anyone recognize themselves in this picture?

 

Sunset after dinner

Edited September 3, 2012 by Syrreal

[Syrreal]

Our last sea day was very similar to the one prior to Oslo. We spent our last evening on the ship looking out at the sunset and enjoying our free wine, “smuggled” cider, and “smuggled” viking beer.

 

 

A farewell toast to Norway

[Syrreal]

Our last day in Amsterdam was spent taking in the city sights in a much calmer way than we did when we arrived. We were off the ship by 8 am and to our hotel by 8:15. Our room wasn’t ready and we had about 6 hours to kill before it would be. Off we headed from the Grand Hotel Amrath with it’s beautiful architecture inside and out, to the streets of Amsterdam.

 

Skylight above central stairs in the Amrath

 

 

We walked through a very quiet Red Light District where only two women were peddling their wares. Through the flower market area and by a herring stand before making our way to the Rembrandt house.

 

 

 

We ate some lunch at the Renbrandt Corner which was good and relatively inexpensive. We figured we’d give some pancakes a try. Bacon and cheese for me and ham and cheese for C.

 

 

I'm not sure I'd fit in this car