22nd August 2014 The 7:30 am alarm was shattered by the sound of clanking chains at 7:00 am. Being in a lower cabin at the front of the ship means enduring the anchor being dropped right outside your window. It’s not a continuous, dramatic clanking like a World War I tank, but rather a series… Continue Reading

21st August 2014 A day at sea meant a well-deserved lie-in, so we didn’t stir until 9 a.m., practically decadent by our usual standards. After breakfast, we shuffled off to a port presentation on Åndalsnes, before rewarding ourselves with coffee in one of the lounges. Suitably fortified, we sat through a surprisingly engaging lecture on… Continue Reading

20th August 2014 A peaceful night’s sleep, gently rocked by the motion of the ship, left us bright-eyed and bushy-tailed at 7:30 a.m. We had breakfast with Barry and Jan (though I’m not sure they were thrilled by the company) before heading down the gangplank to a sunny and surprisingly warm Trondheim quay. Most passengers… Continue Reading

20th August 2014 What a night! Lying in bed, I decided to listen to a BBC Radio 4 podcast on the First World War that I’d loaded onto my tablet and connected via Bluetooth to a pair of headphones, so as not to disturb Sue. As the programme unfolded, I became increasingly aware of the… Continue Reading

19th August 2014 The previous evening, we’d been informed that the ship would enter the fjord leading to Flam at around 1 am, with an open invitation to go on deck and witness the breathtaking scenery. We woke at 7 am, and through the breakfast restaurant’s windows, we could indeed see the towering cliffs of… Continue Reading

18th August 2014 Another good night’s sleep, though we lost another hour as the clocks moved forward. We headed to Alfresco for breakfast at 8 am, though it naturally felt earlier. To shake off the cobwebs, we took a brisk walk around the deck before returning to our cabin to review the day’s activities. Sue… Continue Reading

17th August 2014 We always sleep soundly on a boat; night was no exception. The only drawback is that with an inside cabin, once the lights are off, it’s as black as the proverbial cat in a coal cellar, you can’t see a thing. Switching on a light feels like being a British Lancaster bomber… Continue Reading

16th August 2014 After our trip to Clacton, I, unfortunately, developed a painful sore on my big toe during our walk around the Naze. Despite taking Ibuprofen, the pain persisted, making walking rather awkward. I found some tablets prescribed years ago for a bout of gout and decided to give them a try. Although the… Continue Reading