OSLO--WISH WE HAD MORE TIME PT. II

Just loved this!

Our next stop is the Viking Ship Museum.  No, there’s nothing like Kirk Douglas here, but it is an incredibly interesting and intriguing place that triggers your imagination and makes you picture how these people lived.  These brave sea-faring warriors roamed the world in wooden boats that look small and fragile in today’s mind, but many diverse places felt their influence.  I remember when visiting Ireland that the Vikings were there too.

Just follow those lines.  They certainly got around!

This grand museum houses more than just tales and maps.  The Vikings, brave beyond my comprehension, also were religious, and because the afterlife was a voyage to Valhalla, they wanted to be prepared.  Buried with them was the ship to carry them to Valhalla, filled with the afterlife’s necessities, decoratively intricate wood carvings, and practical items like wagons.  Archeologists discovered this as they researched sites in Norway.

Just beautiful.  So intricate.  

Beautiful designs. 
Wouldn't it be wonderful to learn if some of those patterns had
special meaning?

Two of those original Viking ships are on display at the museum.  They are long and graceful, but the thought of crossing oceans in them seems almost beyond belief.  Once again, it is one thing to read about these voyages throughout the ages, but quite another actually to see a ship. 

Overall an incredible experience.

As if the Viking Museum weren’t enough, we moved on to the FRAM museum.  The Norwegians were very active in polar exploration, and Roald Amendsen was chief among them.  He was the first explorer to reach the South Pole, a feat he achieved in 1911.  His ship, the Fram, is on display in the museum.  It is the strongest wooden ship ever built and still holds the record from sailing farthest north and farthest south. (https://www.visitoslo.com/en/product/?TLp=181473)

The ORIGINAL ship!  Imagine!

Once again, the fact that it was THIS SHIP that made THAT TRIP puts your mind in a different place and time.  I walk the deck with a fevered imagination trying to conjure up what it must have been like to sail.  Not that I can imagine myself ever really going.  Haha

Amendsen was determined to reach the North Pole as well, and in 1918 while sailing parts of the Arctic Ocean, his ship spent two years frozen in the ice.  Eventually, in 1926, he did fly over the North Pole.

In 1928, while flying a rescue mission over the Arctic, his plane disappeared.  He and the crew were lost. Nothing was ever found.

Our next stop was another WOW moment in a day of Oslo WOWS.  We drove to the ski jump built for the 1952 Olympics and which is still used today.  If you’ve ever been to the top of Lake Placid’s or Germany’s Garmisch-Partenkirchen, built in 1923 and used in the 1936 Olympics, you know breathtaking amazement at the real-time sight of what ski jumpers actually face.  You gasp, and if you are like me, you make sure you’re on terra firma.  My imagination is ablaze, but I would no sooner get into that sport than….

Our guide was very proud of Norway’s Olympians, particularly of  a famous figure skater, Sonja Henie, a three-time Olympic Gold Medal winner in women’s singles, a ten-time World Champion, and a six-time European Champion.  She became a movie star, and as an old-movie-fan, I have seen her in the movies.  She lived in the United States, but when she was dying, our guide told us, she longed to return to Norway.  Sadly, she passed away on the plane home.

I wish we had more time in Norway.  It would be wonderful to return. No time for sorrow. As we are on a cruise, the WOW moments of Oslo get me well prepared for an evening in Bellinis bar on the Regal Princess and some comforting cocktails.  Next stop—Berlin.

Oslo--Wish We Had More Time Part I

The Regal Princess passing huddled homes along the coast
as we sail into Oslo, Norway

Our next stop is Oslo, and it is a wonderful drive through the city as our guide explains that much of Norway’s history involves learning how to deal with the extremely harsh climate. 

When Norway began to modernize, it looked to German design for insight, and we can see that influence along our route.  

However, as time passed and the Norwegians developed their own style, we can see the changes as Norway came into its own.

 

Colorful and attractive.  It was a pretty ride through the city.

The trouble with cruising as opposed to a land journey is there is limited time in each port, and we would have loved to spend more time in Norway.  Nevertheless, Princess’ “The Best of Oslo” tour was jam packed with goodies.

On this lovely Spring day, the highlight for me was the Vigeland Sculpture Park, an amazing collection of 212 bronze and granite sculptures created by Gustav Vigeland over a period of 30 years, depicting the life of man and set in the gorgeous natural setting of a park. 

The theme of the sculptures is the circle of life, and all stages are represented by single groups of sculptures, a wheel of life, fountains, and a monolith.  It is Norway’s most visited tourist attraction, and it does not disappoint.  Most of the sculptures are set along a long axis, and you just have to look at the WOW expressions on visitors’ faces to see how impressive the park is. I really enjoyed the family sculptures the most.  The joy in them was almost palpable.

We could have spent the day at Vigland, but our next stop was also amazing--the Cultural Museum of Norway.  I love this type of museum, particularly when they have some of the original buildings.  I recently posted on the cultural museum we visited and then joined here in North Carolina, Old Salem, and Rob and I have visited others that are memorable, particularly one in Ireland.  At any rate, this was quite an eye-opening experience. https://thirdagetraveler.blogspot.com/search?q=old+salem

Once again, Norway’s harsh climate made the number one challenge that of survival. Buildings were clustered, and animals were carefully sheltered in the severe winter months, often right with the family, Our guide explained that some misinterpret the living arrangements as primitive, but it was necessary. Animals must be kept alive. The sauna was important too, and in this museum, there is one built as it was in those early times. 

Houses were sturdy, close together, and the barns and animals were kept close by.

 The Norwegians also used grass on their rooves as an insulator as well as a sustainable fixture.  Once the roof was completed, the grass grew but was of a type that did not need cutting.  It also offered food for birds and climbing animals.  Our guide explains that a roof as we see demonstrated might last 50 years.  In fact, as we drive through Norway’s countryside, we see that these rooves are still in existence.  They’re quite beautiful.

This is actually a schoolhouse for the village.
Notice the grass roof.

There was a schoolhouse in the village as well. 

The most stunning building was the church.  No seats inside.  No windows.  Quite dark.  The building is beautiful.

A beautiful and impressive building.
It sits on the top of a hill and can be seen almost anywhere in the village.

Once again, I am going to post an Oslo Part II because the rest of the day was excitingly compelling and fascinating.  So much to share with you.

FRIDAY'S FOTO

Traveling through that engineering wonder, the Panama Canal.
Looking closely, you can see how little space is left on either side of a ship moving goods
and/or people from one ocean side to another.
Cruise ships like our Coral Princess must be smaller to go through.
We went on a repositioning cruise as the Coral Princess moved from its winter Caribbean itinerary to its summer Alaskan itinerary.  Most cruises do not go all the way through from one ocean to the other.
The three steps of the Gatun Locks, via gravity, each lower ships 28 feet to the level of the Atlantic Ocean.  You can see that how much lower the cargo ship is in front of us.
A great book about the Panama Canal is David McCullough's The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal  

FRIDAY'S FOTO

Magen's Bay, in St. Thomas, is arguably one of the best and most beautiful
beaches in the Virgin Islands.
Just look at it and dream of being there.

CRUISING THE BALTICS AND SCANDANAVIA

I had never considered guest posts before, but I get some wonderful emails, and it is time to open up Third Age Traveler to others who love to see the world.  I find more people email me than use the comment link at the bottom of each post, and there is so much to share. 

This cruise sounds fabulous to me.  So does her next one!  Sharon's advice is well worth considering, and PLEASE note what she says about dealing in the different currencies.  We were beginning to see that off and on during our last trip to Europe, and as the idea of a credit card chip becomes more and more prevalent, our U.S. banks will have to adjust.

Thanks, Sharon, for sharing your trip with all of us.

Please tell me what you think of the guest post idea.

If you would like to be a guest poster, please send me your post.

***********************************************************

Wendy
My sister & I sailed on Royal Caribbean "Jewel of the Seas" departing Harwich, England on July 26.  We flew from Miami on British Air and it was a pleasure.  British Air is a great airline which great service and can you believe really good food.  We were a little concerned having to fly into and out of Heathrow because of the Olympics and the intended strike by immigration personnel due to begin the day we were to arrive, but the strike was cancelled and going through immigration and customs was a piece of cake.

We have sailed on the Jewel of the Seas before.  We had a balcony cabin in the front of the ship but the seas were like glass all the way and the Captain said it was the best Baltic cruise so far this season.  We did notice a change in RCCL over when we were on one of their ships last summer to Alaska.  No lobster and pot roast???  We could see a cut in quality, I am very sorry to say.  My sister and I are both Emerald Status with RCCL so we have sailed with them a lot.  The entertainment was good and the theater big enough to hold the crowd.  But there was only one Production Show with the RCCL singers and dancers.  It was called City of Dreams and was spectacular.  We had seen it before and it was just as good the second time around.  The singers and dancers were a new group to this ship having boarded at our first port in Copenhagen so I don't know if that had anything to do with the reduced number of production shows or not.

The activities on the ship during the day were pretty poor to say the least.  But to be fair, once we left England we had only one day cruising and then a port, one day cruising and a port and then 4 ports right in a row so there weren't many sea days.

This was a 12 day cruise and our ports were Copenhagen, Denmark; Stockholm, Sweden; Helsinki, Finland; St. Petersburg, Russia for 2 days; Tallinn, Estonia; Gothenburg, Sweden and back to Harwich.  We have never been to the Baltics before and really enjoyed the ports.  We have done a river cruise of Russia starting in Moscow and ending in St. Petersburg but one never gets tired of St. Petersburg.  All of the counties were beautiful, clean and full of history and architecture.  Sailing into Stockholm through the archipelago with its 24,000 islands and islets was breathtaking.

We toured many of the castles and mid-evil forts in different ports and they were all wonderful.  We visited a 100 year old non-working Vodka distillery and had a taste testing of 5 different Vodkas while we were in Estonia.  I was very surprised to find out that Estonian and Finnish Vodka is as good as good Russia Vodka.  Another fact that I learned is that Absolute Vodka is made in Sweden and Smirnoff is actually made in the US even though it is marketed as Russia Vodka and of the 5 we tasted, Smirnoff was the absolute worst.

One word of caution, on this cruise we dealt with US Dollars, English Pound Sterling, Euros, Swedish Kronor and Estonia Kroon.  Visa or MasterCard is accepted BUT most places only will accept a credit card with a chip embedded in it with a pin number that you must than enter into their credit card machine.  US banks do not yet have this system/technology and therefore US credit cards do not have the chip and many establishments will not accept US cards as they can't process them with the new machines they have.  If you intent to use your credit card, ask if the establishment will accept it before you buy that meal or glass of wine.

We are home for about 3 weeks and then are off on another cruise.  This one is on Princess, a transatlantic, and sails out of Copenhagen to Oslo, Norway; Kristiansand, Norway; Glasgow, Scotland; Dublin, Ireland; Belfast, Northern Ireland; Reykjavik, Iceland; Qaqortoq, Greenland and ending up in NYC.

Sharon

Bermuda  Part I

Everyone should go to Bermuda!  At least once!  Before you ever set eyes on a tropical island, the one you imagine is Bermuda.  It is a place of pastel colors as well as of colors bright and vivid.  It is a place of beautiful beaches, sparkling waters, gardens and flowers, friendly people, colorful homes, British influences, Gombey dancers, and peaceful, beautiful nights.  It’s small enough to be easily accessible and big enough to offer diversity.  It really is a tropical paradise. 

But don’t think Bermuda and Caribbean; Bermuda is about 1,000 miles north of the Caribbean.  It is in the North Atlantic, and it is warmed by the Gulf Stream.  It has a second flaw.  It lies just about 600 miles east of the Carolinas, so it is not a year-round summer paradise.  Unfortunately.  Natives will tell you the swim season is from the end of May until September.  Sound familiar?  I’m afraid so.  So think about Bermuda as you would think about the Carolinas.   And go.  You will not be disappointed.

Rob and I sail from NYC for a week’s cruise on Norwegian Line’s Gem.  This cruise offered two particular plusses.  It sailed from Manhattan, and it docked at King’s Wharf, also known as the Royal Naval Dockyard, in Bermuda for the entire stay giving us total freedom of movement—a floating hotel.

We could easily spend our entire vacation on Bermuda beaches—a new and beautiful beach each day, but the temptation to explore proves irresistible, especially when there is a Segway involved!  I love these things and wish I had one at home.

After meeting our guide, we begin with the area right around the Dockyards and learn a little about the island’s background.  We visit the main fort, The Keep, and ride around much of the 24 acres.  It's beautifully done in stone, and many of the buildings have been converted into restaurants and shops featuring local artisans.  There is also the Bermuda Clay Works.  We actually visit these places later on during our visit, as we keep riding those Segways!

Off we go, down the road past the walls where visiting ships’ crews leave their signs to let others know they’ve been there. 

Off into the country we pass one inviting beach after another, lots of flora and fauna, and wild chickens that roam the island.  We actually taste and/or smell some of the plants, and our guide makes it a fun guessing game to see if we recognize the very herbs we use at home but which grow here. 

There is only one other couple on the tour; I guess Segways are still a bit off-putting for some people.  It certainly works to our advantage as we zip along the roads or follow nature’s unpaved trails through the garden-like parks.  We pass brightly colored homes.  Everything is sparkling clean and inviting.

Even the cemetery has a beautiful view.

When our tour is over, we walk back to the ship and pass a Moongate, a wedding band-shaped arch.  Couples who kiss under Bermuda’s Moongates are assured of a long and happy life together.  We, of course, seal our happiness beneath it.

Snorkeling is a passion, and we book what seems to be a great tour, but unfortunately the weather turns against us, and it is too rough to go to the wrecked ships.  Our inventive guide takes us to another location as well as narrates a great tour of the island from the boat.  Again, we are with only one other couple, so touring like this is up front and personal.  We do get to do some snorkeling in the most beautiful sparkling teal water I’ve ever seen.  Of course I’ve said this before at other sites, but suffice it to see, this experience among the coral was memory-making. 

So we have toured quite a bit of Bermuda by land on a Segway and then by water on the snorkeling tour.  It is early Wednesday, and as we are heading to Hamilton by bus, we are going to see Bermuda from another vantage point.

Hamilton on Wednesday nights means Harbor Nights, a weekly festival of music, Gombey dancing, crafts, food, and fun.

The public bus ride from King’s Wharf is wonderful.  The uniformed school children are on the bus, many carrying their cricket bats.  We pass more residential sections and small stores and clubs as well as some lovely beaches, hotels and marinas.  B stands for Bermuda and also for boats. 

Our driver lets us off in the middle of Hamilton where another cruise ship is docked.  Hamilton is a pastel city for the most part, although some building are in the rich, deep colors we see in New England.  The contrast is strikingly beautiful.  All is immaculately clean and inviting.  We spend the remainder of the afternoon wandering around, stopping for a coffee, and people watching.  Motorcycle seems to be the preferred mode of transportation, and yes, Bermuda shorts are worn by many of the businessmen.  It is familiar yet different.  It is beautiful. 

Let's not forget Bermuda's British heritage.  This bobby is probably more for the tourists than for practicality.

We walk along the waterside and see lovely boats, and up into Storywalk Park where one can follow the signs associated with a children’s tale.  Here we spend some time sitting under shade trees and talking.  The leisurely pace is lovely.

As the afternoon slowly eases into evening, we head back toward the center of town past booths that have miraculously appeared, and we follow the music to a wide street.  Coming down in a serpentine dance are the colorfully costumed Gombey dancers, Bermudians of all ages in costumes resembling bird plumage. 

Gombey is a mixture of British, West African, and indigenous new-world  cultures.  The dancers are accompanied by young men playing a variety of drums. 

As they reach the bottom of the street, they move into a plaza surrounded by the crowd where they perform interpretive dances, vigorous and thumping, all very intriguing.  Then, they make their way back up the hill into the night.

We visit the booths along the wharf, and I do pick up a memento or two.  And then we take the ferry back to Kings Wharf.  What was nice about the ferry was the ability to bring your bicycle if that were your mode of transportation.  There are many bike trails on Bermuda.  As we leave the city by water, we have lovely views of Hamilton in the twilight as well as of boats coming home for the night.  Yes, it is paradise, albeit a bit crowded on the ferry, but not irritatingly so, just a lot of people heading home for the night.

Here's a travel tip for Bermuda.  You notice that on the two tours we took, we were accompanied by just one other couple.  Normally when we cruise, we book our tours through the ship, but here we did not.  We were docked so we could conveniently get off the ship:  no tender and no waiting for the ship's shore excursions to leave.  I did a lot of research about these tours, consulting Trip Advisor, Cruise Critic, and Frommer's.  I know we had a far better experience doing it this way.  I don't recommend this method for every cruise, but I do for Bermuda.

travel "Third Age Traveler" "travel blogs" vacations cruise "New York" Norwegian Gem photo "photo blogs" photography "Statue of Liberty" "New York Skyline" Bermuda "King's Wharf" "Royal Naval Dockyards" moongate Segways tours "The Keep" forts beaches water oceans sand  snorkling swimming houses colors Hamilton motorcycles bobby ships "Harbor Nights" Gombey dancing parks ferry bus children costumes "travel tips" "cruise critic" "trip advisor" Frommers

MT. McKINLEY WILDERNESS LODGE

At the McKinley Lodge we should have a spectacular view of Mt. McKinley from our window seat in the beautiful restaurant. But we do not see Mt. McKinley. It is shrouded in clouds although that’s not unusual. Apparently the entire mountain is visible only 30% of the time. We decide McKinley is like Mt. Rainier in Seattle photos—photoshopped in. (Only Kidding). In Seattle we actually drove out to meet the famous mountain in person. Here we’ll have a few more Denali possibilities. Stay tuned!

Continuing our Alaska food expedition, we begin our explorations with Wild Alaskan Smoked Salmon Chowder, an incredible combination of roasted red pepper and cream, with potatoes, garlic, onions, celery and wild Alaskan salmon smoked in traditional Northwest style over native hardwood.

As we’d been told salmon is not the only Alaskan specialty, we have to try halibut too, so for dinner we order and share Asiago Crusted Alaskan Halibut. These are the menu notes: “Noted for its flavor and texture, prized Alaskan Halibut is crusted with fresh herbs, asiago cheese, and Japanese bread crumbs. Then pan seared and finished with a fried caper and lemon butter sauce. Served with parmesan risotto and fresh brocollini.” The other entrée was Grilled Fresh Alaskan Salmon with Lemon Butter Sauce, lightly seasoned and simply presented with a subtle blend of lemon, butter, and fresh dill. Now, aren’t you just salivating? It is as good as it sounds.

Rob and I are very impressed by our tour already. While there are many possibilities for traveling in Alaska, we are quite pleased so far, and I want to share that with you, particularly if Alaska is one of your future destinations. The accommodations here are in a series of lodge buildings. The decor is rustic, Alaskan-animal oriented and quite "lodgey" and "moosie." Note the bedside lamps. I got a kick out of it. We did, however, miss having a coffee pot in the room.

The Main Lodge and other facilities are hardly rustic! They were beautiful and inviting. Yet that out-in-the-woods feeling prevails. It's inviting and invigorating.

Here is a factoid to tuck away for some future Trivia Pursuit game: Mt. McKinley, also known as Denali, is the highest mountain in the United States. It actually is taller than Mt. Everest if measured from sea level, but if measured from its base, Everest is taller. So we’re talking big!!!!!!

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NEXT STOP--COSTA RICA

These days Costa Rica, nicknamed the “Switzerland of Central America” because of its tall mountains with slopes cradling lush vegetation, is a major sun destination, so it is with additional interest that Rob and I looked forward to the time here. We also booked a great shore excursion that included a 90 minute drive through the city and countryside, a gondola ride up through the forest canopy with commentary from a naturalist-guide, and a trip on an amazing jungle river. We were not disappointed.

Costa Rica is the second smallest republic in Central America. It’s narrow, and you can easily enjoy Pacific Ocean beaches as well as Caribbean beaches. It has magnificent rain forests. Only a few degrees from the Equator, the temperature throughout the year rarely moves more than 10° away from the norm of 89°. It has only two “seasons,” the rainy and the dry, and from what our naturalist-tour guide, Randall said, it can rain 15 days straight during the rainy season, and rainfall can reach 100 inches per year. On the other hand, when you think of the lush vegetation this climate engenders, you feel you’re traveling in a tropical paradise filled with magnificent, tall trees, brightly colored flowers, and jungle-rimmed rivers where crocodiles lazily sun themselves on the banks, iguanas gaze at the passing tourists with arrogant disinterest, and a plethora of birds fill the air with their sight and song.

Now through the Panama Canal and in the Pacific Ocean, our ship docked in Puntarenas, and for our tour we traveled in a Mercedes coach through the port village with its colorful shops and stands filled with all the souvenirs any tourist could desire. Randall gave us a running commentary on the history of Costa Rica and its democratic traditions including free education for all citizens. In school, English is mandatory. With these new opportunities for its citizens, Costa Rica has attracted businesses like Intel because there now exists a skilled workforce. Sounds a bit like Ireland, and look at their boom economy, the Celtic Tiger!

Our first stop was the Guacalilo Estuary where we boarded a covered shallow draft river cruiser to explore the ecological offerings of the Tárcoles River. In this country where the rain forests impact heavily on everything Costa Rican, there is a huge push at ecco-tourism so that visitors gain an understanding of the fragile interweaving of nature. The company Princess Cruises hires stresses the Save the Rainforest campaign, and their very knowledgeable guides point out changes in the ecological balance throughout their presentations.

The river cruise is extraordinary. We begin moving slowly along the shore of this brackish river, and our bus guide changes hats, slips on a field glass harness and we have a real expert on Costa Rican wildlife. BTW, guides are licensed in Costa Rica, and Randall is a college grad and extremely knowledgeable—and sharp eyed.

We see about 23 different species of birds, and Randall describes their habitats, unique qualities and notes if they are in any way endangered. He points out iguanas of all colors and shapes. He does the same with crocodiles and explains that of the many types of crocodiles that once existed, only about seven different types exist today. I loved seeing the birds, but I admit the crocs were incredibly exciting. They lie on shore almost camouflaged by the brown waters and sand.

They lie there, some absolutely mammoth and mean-looking, mouths open to breathe, and should they decide to stop posing for us and head to the water, they rise on their legs, looking quite ridiculous but still incredibly lethal. They move swiftly and smoothly—more swiftly than one would imagine of a reptile often more than eight feet in length can move—and they silently, stealthily, slip beneath the water leaving behind not so much as a ripple.

It’s utterly amazing. All we see are two bulging eyes and the end of a snout. We viewed this scene several times during the ride, but repetition did not diminish the dramatic spectacle.

Our boat went to the spot the river opens to the ocean, at which point we turned around and took another route back. We entered a man-made river carved out of the jungle years ago by a foreign corporation now long gone. The river has been maintained, and it offers a unique opportunity to travel into areas which would have been inaccessible to us. There we saw and heard the cries of howler monkeys high up in the trees. Their loud screeching echoed through the jungles as they leapt between trees. Seeing animals in their own habitats is incredibly exciting, and Rob and I have decided to investigate the possibilities of doing more eco-tourism.

After we returned to the dock, we boarded our coach for our journey to the Pacific Aerial Tram.

travel cruise adventure eco-tourism "Costa+Rica" "Central+America" Switzerland tours excursions "shore+excursions" mountains gondola canopy forest vegetation "tropical+rain+forest" Equator Caribbean Pacific "Pacific+Ocean" seasons jungle "Panama+Canal" education "Guacalilo+Estuary" "Tarcoles+River" "Princess+Cruise" "Save+the+Rainforest" birds iguanas crocodiles "Pacific+Aerial+Tram"