| After dinner we went wandering and popped in to have a look at the synagogue which was near our cabins. It's another of those things you know is there but never got around to seeing. |
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| Amy and I went to the bookshop only it was shut for another forty minutes so we were outside. I got talking to the NI bloke again as a crew member emptied the hot tubs while Amy was talking to a Scottish bloke. As we made our way back inside we took some photos and posed for a few. The shop was open earlier than it said so she bought some postcards then we went our separate ways. |
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| Flåm an hour late! We were woken by an announcement about the first excursion which subsequently had to be cancelled. I heard two hundred people were on that but have no idea if it's true. This is one port we hadn't actually fancied any excursions so were relieved. After breakfast in Maurentania we went for a stroll around the ship. |
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| We met up with Amy and Jason and en route to the Purser's Office, saw the Aquitania Suite was open and being cleaned so took a quick photo when no one was looking. |
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| Then we went ashore and decided to explore the little town filled with souvenir shops and cafes. They had excellent postcards of ships but alas none with Lizzie. It was just so beautiful and I have to confess I preferred Flåm over Geiranger. Perhaps it was a photographic point of view as Flåm allowed for more excellent views of the ship amongst the scenery whereas Geiranger was limited. Also apart from up and mountain, down a mountain, up a mountain, down a mountain as I'd done in Madeira, there wasn't anything much to do in Geiranger whereas Flåm was a self-contained little town with a train, plenty of lanes to stroll, a river, many waterfalls and even more beautiful scenery. The others preferred Geiranger. |
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| Once we'd got back down to the main road we decided to stop off for a drink and bite to eat at the hotel. We had a cake which was like a Victoria sponge and smoothie which was delicious. |
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| I chatted to David before reboarding. He said she hadn't seen Sue since that night and hadn't expected to see any of us. I watched the EastEnders omnibus, since we still had BBC1, while Rowan had a nap. Later I went on deck while Rowan prepared for dinner and as we waited for our 6pm departure, Captain McNaught came on the tannoy and ranted about his bosses in America for the late arrival, saying the planners don't listen to those who'd worked on the ship years and the arrival should have taken a couple of hours longer. We all were a tad surprised by he doesn't seem to care what he says. I agree to some extent as their itineraries are working on the basis of cruise ships going up, like Queen Victoria and the Princesses powered under their own steam, rather than a liner with a deep draft and who needs tugs like Lizzie. I had got talking to another David, this time a passenger, who turned out to live not far from me and whose wife used to do hearing tests and check for nits when I was in infant school! Glad I didn't meet her as it would've been odd seeing someone who fiddled with my hair as a child. Our sailing was late and the heavens opened! |
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| Dinner then a quick, cold and very wet pop outside. Such a shame as it is just such a beautiful country. It would have been nice to have some warmer weather. |
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| We went back to the Yacht Club and after Amy and Jason went early again, the crew member came over. He told us he'd had his third warning. Oops! That's what happens to naughty boys. Still it made for a fun cruise - sorry, voyage. We had a couple of drinks then left. In the morning we arrived at Stavanger. We went to breakfast in the Mauretania and how people were so damn fussy over it being a smoking area even though there was hardly anyone there and no one smoking. Every time we've been in no one smoked in that part. Anyway just before we left we not only saw Amy and Jason heading for a table, but there was an announcement about hydraulic failure so one of the gangways was stuck. I got a quick photo through the window then as Rowan did other things, I went on deck for pictures of our surroundings and that hilarious start to the day. |
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| We went to the town to try and find a new camcorder. Pam had found two places and Alexander Photo was the nearest so we decided to try that first. It was a pointless journey as they didn't have what I wanted but even if they had, Norwegian prices were far too expensive so I wouldn't have paid it anyway. Still it gave us the chance to see the ship at different angles and watch as the crew did their lifeboat drill. |
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As we slowly made our way back to the ship in the on/off rain, we walked along the quay on the opposite side just as the DFDS ferry, Queen of Scandinavia arrived and ruined the view of Lizzie. The yacht, Halcyon, was in as well, doing a charter out of Stavanger. The wind occasionally whipped up and I was sure my umbrella would be seen off this time. Somehow it managed to survive again. We bumped into Howard further along who was pleased about the ferry then he went to meet his wife as we continued gazing adoringly at our beautiful ship before slowly walking back. |
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| After lunch in the Mauretania, we went to wait for our Cruising Lysefjord excursion. This was the most expensive so we hoped it was worth it. The weather was a pain, dry, wet, cold, warm. The boat was parked behind Lizzie so we had a great view of the best bum in the world! We had opted for the 1pm trip, the last of three and boarded when the previous one returned. There was no seating up top and we also weren't given any stickers but no matter. Not many people were up top anyway as it was so cold, and less when we got going. |
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