Aug 9 & 10 Alesund & Andalsnes, Norway

The weather in Aselund is just as forecast. Cloudy, foggy, and rainy most of the day. We stay on the ship as we have no excursion planned and just to go walk in the rain doesn't make much sense.

Overnight we cruise to Andalsnes. This is a tender port. Cunard uses at least 4 lifeboats as tenders. The weather is party sunny, little fog, and just a few showers. The best weather they have had here in quite awile. Originally I had booked a train excursion here, but it was cancelled by the Railroad due to high demand from local passengers as a major road through the valley has been closed by rock slides.

Our bus trip takes us along part of the route that the railroad would have. The scenery is spectacular. Snow still sits at some of the higher elevations. We stop at a local lodge for "coffee and cake"  Actually the "cake" was excellent apple pie and ice cream. Just what everyone should have at 9:30 AM.

Several stops to see old bridges and waterfalls. Very scenic and uncrowded. Of course the "trolls" are a big part of the tourist attraction.

Just about as the last tender returns to the ship, it begins to rain. 

I  have probably caught a cold from the hackers and the inconsistent heat and cold throughout the ship. I forgo the dining room and have dinner in the buffet to minimize me spreading anything to those around me.

Tonight will be TV in the cabin, a lot of rest, and hopefully I will feel better in time for our noontime tour tomorrow.

We head back out to the North Sea and head to Olden tomorrow.

No sunset to see tonight, the ship is shrouded in fog.

In the North Sea

We take two days to get from Hamburg Germany to Aselund Norway. The temperatures have dropped to 60. The seas have increased enough that the ship constantly creaks and moans. I don't quite understand why as the seas are less than 3 meters, a wave height that doesn't cause most cruise liners to creak.  Creaking can only be caused by a certain amount of flexing of the hull, not a comforting thought if you think too seriously about it.

The dynamics of the cruise have changed substantially. Dress is more casual, more families and more children. Probably 50% of our passengers are probably German.  A large contingency of the passengers are coughting and hacking. Programs are held just for the German passengers, a nice touch on Cunard's part.

Maintaining comfortable air temperatures in internal spaces are always a challenge on ships. I think this is probably one of the worst cruise ships I have seen in this regard.  The cabin temperature swings widely without adjusting the thermostat.

We are on deck 4, possibly the coldest hallway on the ship. One end of the buffet is uncomfortably hot, the other end uncomfortably cold. Well at least today. Yesterday it was just the opposite.

The entertainers that had their show cancelled the other night have not been seen. Probably sent off the ship in Hamburg.

We have a lovely couple next to us in the dining room now, Suzy from the Chec Republic and Carl from Hamburg.  Early in his first career Carl was on freghters that sailed the world including stops in Chicago and Milwaukee. Today he sails on Cunard frequently.

We are headed almost straight north along the coast of Norway. tomorrow we will be in Aselund. The weather is expected to be rainy with a high of about 60. We have no excursion scheduled.