A rest day

We fancied a slower day to today and so after a late breakfast we went back to the room to sort out a few things and then decided we would not eat in the main restaurant today as it had limited choice based upon my allergies. So we had time in the lounge downstairs reading and then back to the bedroom for a while then decided we needed to go shopping for some afternoon late snack as neither of us felt too hungry and the main restaurant is closed on a Sunday evening.

Once we had returned to the Hotel we spent some more time in the lounge and the main restaurant was packed and their was large group of about 12 or 14 people who made such a noise over dinner it would have been uncomfortable to eat in the restaurant and so pleased with our earlier decision

The weather today was quite wet and miserable so once completed our shopping trip and an avoiding all the tourists walking around the town we finally returned to the hotel to find that the car park had been blocked off for reasons we know don't know. So Jennifer moved the bollards and we returned to an empty car park only to discover later that the car park had been blocked off by the Ladies Porsche Car Club of France and so there were about 9 super expensive Porsche cars surrounding this lonely Lexus NX but thank heavens nobody complained. Most of this time it was raining and dark and grey with a low mist hanging over the town so not great for photos.

Jennifer had recovered from a minor tummy issue probably caused by eating garlic and onions which because of me does not eat anymore and so a quiet evening in the Hotel room listening to music and catching up on emails was the order of the day. We watched a rather stupid series on Netflix about the so called perfect couple, ahh.

And so to bed

Now on to Uzerche

Not such a long journey today and so we could take our time having breakfast in the Hampton Hotel before walking across the road to the underground car park to collect the car. As mentioned this is a vary tight car park not only are the parking spaces small but the exit roads are so tight even for our small car.

We had a choice of routes and as we have the time we decided upon the country route for the first two hours and so were able to enjoy the views and little towns en-route  to Uzerche.  After a couple of hours we joined the Motorway and headed South on the A20 which we have used so many times over the many years of travelling in this area.. We stopped for a break and grabbed a baguette for lunch and then continued our journey to the little town of Uzerche where we arrived at about 1520 and were able to check in to the room right away.

 

The origin of this fortified city, coiled in a meander of the Vézère, goes back to the mists of time. The Gauls already lived in Uzerche. In the 10th century, its monastery was very powerful and its Benedictine abbey radiant. The Saint-Pierre abbey, remains a major witness of the Limousin Romanesque art with its typical octagonal bell tower.

The city bristling with towers, full of vaulted passages, adorned with houses similar to small castles, forms a remarkable and rare architectural ensemble, hence the proverb "Who has a house in Uzerche has a castle in Limousin".
The rehabilitation of the paper mill has given birth to an exceptional cultural center, signed by the architect Jean Michel Wilmotte. A space entirely dedicated to graffiti has become the Correze temple of street art.
Uzerche, nicknamed the "Pearl of the Limousin" is since 2010 part of the "100 Most Beautiful Detours

We previously stayed in this Hotel in 2017 and we have a photo of being in the big Land Cruiser V8 during this visit and how we got thro the narrow roads Noel only knows. After a little rest as it was beginning to rain outside we headed down for a pre dinner drink before having dinner. Noel handed over hs requirements which they could cope with but the menu is quite small choice, two starters and two main course so a bit restrictive. Anyway Noel had the Tuna carpaccio and followed by steak, not as good as Costco, followed by cheese and biccies whilst Jennifer had a strange dish contain lots of garlic and cauliflower from which she was to suffer later. Then followed by duck which she sort of enjoyed as apparently a bit grisly.  However a nice bottle of Chardonnay washed it all down and we returned to the room to watch some items on U tube. And so to bed.

On to Tours for the night

Following heavy rain overnight in Wimeraux we left there at about 0900 after a light breakfast and headed off to the Motorway for out 4.5 hour journey to the Hampton Hotel in Tours. 

The rain packed up shortly after we left and the sun came out for a while and our route took us via Rouen, Le Mans and then on to Tours where we arrived at about 2.30 pm. The Hotel is on the edge of town but there is parking across the road but the parking spaces are so small you have to breath in as you park the car.

We checked in to the Hotel where we have stayed before and shortly afterwards we need to leave to find a restaurant for a very late lunch but most restaurant close about 2.30pm after the lunchtime trade and re open about 6pm except we found an Irish Pub, thy are always open , in the nice square in the centre of the old town. The square was packed with young students which is not surprising as there are spaces for 24000 students in the town for the University. Noel had a pizza followed by Profiteroles and Jennifer had Spagbol followed by a Apple tart.  The food was very good and so was the service. We had walked around the square and some of the side streets and there some really amazing old buildings which ere not demolished during the second world war, thank heavens.

Following lunch we headed back to the Hotel as it was looking like rain again and plan to have a quiet evening resting in the room and watching some TV. Tomorrow we head of to Uzerche ad very old ton on the top of a hill, more details tomorrow.

We leave today

Yes, an early morning start to try an beat the traffic only we failed as it took nearly 45 minutes form West Byfleet to the A3 junction with the M25. IN addition there are quite a lot of road works en- route to Dover which is our destination. We had not counted on the rain to aggravate the journey but after a while that stopped.

The journey to Dover Port was just over two hours and at least half an hour longer than usual although the port was so quiet with nobody at immigration and no one queuing to get boarding passes etc and so by 11.20 we  were in the queue to board our DFDS ferry which is due to leave at 12.55 which it did , give or take a minute. The journey was a little bouncy doe quite strong winds and highish waves in the channel but we spent some time in the Premier lounge where it was reasonably quiet except for one excited family.

We arrived on time and was off the ferry quiet quickly and headed of to our Hotel La Speranza in Wimeraux just up the coast from Boulogne sur mer. We did not want to travel to far this first day and were staying in a Hotel with a nice restaurant where we have eaten before quite a few times in the past. We were joking on the way there that we had originally planned to go to the Hotel then walk along the sea front and find  nice bar and have a pre-dinner drink but when discussing it was pouting with rain so we gave up that idea except after we had checked in the rain stopped and we did a brief walk to a local café for a beer.

We then returned to the Hotel for dinner which was very good. The restaurant is well known for its seafood which is what I did except that Jennifer had the pork loin which she enjoyed very much. Then off to bed where we sat and read for a while but the room was quite warm for sleeping , about 24 C  and it had started to rain again. The Hotel does not have parking and so parking on the street is what we did with a certain amount of trepidation being concerned that somebody might try to break in, however this is not London

Rather a lot to do today

It was rather a busy day today as we are preparing for our trip to France leaving tomorrow morning whilst we have to attend a Estate Residents meeting tonight which should be interesting.

In the last few days we have gathered our clothes together and started the preparing including all the documents you need for travel with a car to Europe and then sort our the house before packing it up for three weeks.

Never mind we are looking forward to our trip and have to leave around 0900 tomorrow morning as the A3 and M25 Junction 10 is a mess whilst heavy traffic in Wes Byfleet that time of the day makes for difficult driving.

Ah well early morning tomorrow.

Leaving on a Jet Plane

Well we had a slow morning but the sun was shining and their was a lot of blue sky which is a shame we did not get more of this on our travels.

Following breakfast we checked out and waited around for several hours in the lobby of the Radisson Blue Hotel until such time as the bus to the airport was leaving. We had decided to use the airport bus, not only would it be a lot cheaper than a taxi, we recognised it had several stops en-route but we were not in a hurry so it did not matter. We had also considered travelling up the funicular but unfortunately Noel Lars problem had kicked in again overnight and se we need to be careful.

At 1500 the bus duly arrived and initially there was a problem as an elderly gentleman fell off the bus but we hope he was OK as looked very pale when lifted up. The bus took a circuitous route to the airport and visited some nice areas of Bergen we did not know existed, ah well next time. We arrived at the Airport new terminal just around 1600 which was 3 hours before our flight and we had to use the machines to check in our bag, print the baggage labels and then affix then move them and scan them as they disappeared down the track hopefully to be seen at the other end. In the old days you went to a check in counter where they did all this for your but now ! but I feel sorry for somebody who has never got used to technology as they could easily get lost.

The queue for security was quite long but actually moved quite quickly and they only asked you to expose a large notebook, but mobiles in bags and also belts and shoes were ok ON but Noel had been pulled aside due to his metal knee and use a special machine. We had read that there was an ‘Upper Crust’ sandwich place at the terminal but we could not find it and so Jen had a nice brown bread baguette with shrimps and Noel some sushi whilst waiting for the flight. On the way to Bergen the flight was really full and we were a little slow on boarding as everybody had rushed in front of the priority boarding (us) and so Jen had to sit with her bag under the seat in front and most uncomfortable and so this time we wanted to be board early. We need not of worried as the flight was less than 30% full  I guess and we actually left 15 minutes early and so had plenty of space for hand carried bags. The flight was interrupted for a call for a Doctor or Nurse, not sure why unless someone had been affected by some light turbulence and we were expecting that upon arrival that Paramedics would come on board but nothing happened. The flight  arrived  30 minutes early and we cleared immigration and had collected our suitcases and was waiting for the taxi driver 10 minutes before the plane was originally due to arrive but the taxi was early so all good.

WE arrived home at around 2100 in time for a nice cup of tea….another holiday complete. Its nice to go away but also nice to come home.

As you can see our trip took us up the Norwegian Coast and above the arctic Circle.

A day around Bergen

Not the earliest of starts and perhaps we missed the best of the weather as Noel’s LARS problem had kicked in overnight and so this made for a late start. We are staying this time in the Radisson Blu Hotel on th waterfront, slightly more modern than the one we stayed in two weeks ago but the rooms are bit more modern and a walk in shower and not the shower in the bat type which is not suitable.

After enjoying the large choice at the breakfast buffet we spent some time getting Blogs up to to date and then about midday we headed off along the side of the harbour , around the end and up in to the town which was pretty soulless with modern concrete buildings ad it could have been any German town as their were quite a lot of German chain shops on the main road that we visited. Whilst walking along we stopped on a corner to take a photo of a bath with yellow daffodils in it and at the same time noticed a lady who seemed to be struggling with two cameras and big tripod attempting to take photos. As we passed her by we said hello and she said that she had taken a photo of me with my bright yellow coat next to the daffodils as she was part of a team working on a Norwegian version TV programme called ‘Bake Off’. Anyway we chatted about the weather and she said that tomorrow would be a lot better, lets wait and see. We took quite a few photos whilst walking around with a couple on this page but the rest on the Smug Mug site.

Earlier on our walk we had passed thro the fish market which not sells fish, crabs etc but is also lined with several restaurants and as now it was beginning to rain a little heavier we headed back their and with the idea of having a nice lunch overlooking the harbour which we were successful in achieving. We started off with a plate of shrimps to share and then Jen had the fish and chips, too much for her to eat, and Noel had a nice broiled Cod and baked potatoes with spinach. It was very tasty even through the bill left a bad taste in the mouth as it was not cheap. We did notice however q few tables of Asian tourists who were attacking the crab and lobster etc so how much they spent I cannot imagine.

On the way back to the hotel in the main square were several approved traders and one being a baker and so we purchased some cakes for later in the evening. Arriving back at the Hotel Noel spoke to his sister and then we decided to watch the next few episodes of the ‘Unforgotten’ which again was good and with the intention of trying to watch the football using a VPN on Virgin but it does not work and so back to a few more episodes of the series and then to bed.

The shuttle bus to the Airport leaves directly from outside the Hotel and so Noel booked tickets for the Wednesday afternoon to be at the airport in ample time to have a snack and then relax pending our flight departure on Norwegian at 19.00

Time to disembark from Havila Polaris in Bergen

One often wonders where time went and in this case its absolutely true. Watching rolling hills and mounts, Islands with lighthouses, villages covered in snow and the interest of watching them load and unload different loads at the various ports seems have made the days fly by.

With usual wake up at around 0800 we had to put the suitcases in a central location by 0900 on our floor for the staff to make them available in the terminal later in the day. So following breakfast we retired to the room for blogging and again just watching the scenery go by. As a background we had chosen a suite for this cruise which gave us quite a large room with a settee and a couple of chairs with two very large windows from which to view he passing world. At the time we thought it might have been an overindulgence but actually it was great and something we would certainly do again.

At breakfast we discussed the days events with the Chelsea FC supporter who was also the Maître d’ of the restaurant and agreed that most likely we would loose to Everton, on time will tell. We had a quick lunch prior to the ship arriving back in Bergen just before 3pm and within ten to fifteen minutes we were off looking at the crowd of people waiting to check in for the next voyage. We caught a taxi to the Radisson Blu Hotel where we checked in at round 1545 and then we caught up with some emails etc.

On the ride from the Airport earlier in our trip and again today I noticed how many Electric Vehicles there were and commented to the taxi driver. Apparently Norway wanted to be all electric and assisted the likes of Tesla in selling cars by reducing taxation and also the cost of electric for same. However after the original panic to get a electric vehicles the dealers are finding it far more difficult it would would appear with suppliers offering rock bottom deals.

Chelsea were playing tonight and I wanted to find out if my VPN would allow me to watch Sky Sports but unfortunately SKY have stopped this access and so I have decided to record the game on my home system and watch it if we win and discard if we don't. It was time for something to eat and so we decided we would visit the same burger restaurant that we visited last time we were here and so we took the 15 minute walk along the port basin and then up the hill to the restaurant where we both had a nice burger and beer. 

On the way back we read all the notices about the refurbishment of this area of old Bergen which is completely replicating the methods and material used when first built all those years ago. see link below for more information.

https://workingbyhand.wordpress.com/2017/09/29/restoring-things-the-old-fashioned-way/

So we watched a couple of episodes of ‘The Unforgotten’ and then the Netflix film about ‘Randy Andy’ and his relationship with a know paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, it was well done but of course Price Andrew and his loyal staff lived inn a box and unaware of the real world.

On our walk around town we found out the the shuttle buss to the airport goes from outside our Hotel which is great and id a lot cheaper than a taxi fair.

One day to go from excellent trip

It was a usual day with breakfast around 0900 and then sit and watch the world (Norwegian coast actually)  slowly glide by. I may have mentioned before that this ship is extremely quiet and no vibration except when pulling in to port which they will do 34 times during this trip. Its powered by LPG and has major electric battery storage and so in many ways its very efficient  and helpful to the do-gooder’s of the work on climate change.

The staff are a mixture of Swedish and Norwegian but they all speak English and the Maitre D was telling us he get 22 days on the the ship and then 22 days off which he fines really good compared to some cruise lines.Jennifer must have read at least six books in the two weeks and every moment she can  she is reading which is lovely. Me on the other hand are blogging and dealing with photos although the  Wi-Fi kis very slow its not possible to upload my photos to my Smug Mug . Lunch was achieved and was a large choice but Jen had the pork ribs and two lots of  sautéed scallops which we understood had come from Canada.

The afternoon was spent with some packing of the suitcases and bit more blogging and some emails to family and friends before heading off for dinner. By now the food choice for Noel was not great and so steak was enjoyed two nights in a row and then back to the cabin to watch another couple of episodes of ‘The Unforgiven’  which is beginning to hot up. There are some well known acting faces in this series , which although now on Netflix, I think was made by the BBC.

The weather outside the ship was not good with lots of rain a nd quite windy and even a little bit of snow, whilst some of the ports we visited in the winter are not exactly the most visibly beautiful. Oh well we get off tomorrow and yes its been a great t rip apart from Noels health problems which have just about gone, a bit late really as it messes up part of Noels holidays.

Anyway I am writing this blog after leaving the ship and at the Radisson Blue Hotel where we spend two days exploring the town before leaving on Wednesday evening.

There is a lot of water here

When you do a journey like this and also the many other cruises we have been on you do appreciate more that the earth is 71% water, most of of it in its natural form you cannot drink. Many ships take in the salted seawater and with their on board desalinisation plant are able to produce water for some the the thousand of guests on board.

Today was another day where we stopped several  times to take on stores or unload some cargo. Some guests went on tours to salmon farms and similar, not quite our interest. The weather was rather mixed and its started of well and then went downhill by lunchtime. I have just checked and we have stopped at six ports during the day and night and so the crew on these ships are kept quite busy, I hope kits profitable as we would like to do this cruise again sometime.

So most of day is spent, along with many other guests on board, just watching the Norwegian Coast line slide by and wonder just how good the Caption and his crew are with some many rocks, ports with a small entrance etc , Our hats off to them.

We had a quick zizz, or something like that, in the afternoon and then went to dinner to find that the Scottish couple were not there but a single guy from Devon who was on his 14th Trip up and down this coast but his first time on Havila Cruise as all the other were on the competitor Hurtigruten. This chap was little deaf but also spoke quietly and a bit difficult to understand sometimes but we did understand that when he did start doing these cruises there were three guys but over the years its down to him. After dinner we sat in one of the lounges and watched the snow covered mountains drift by

I was able to speak to my sister who is in Dartmouth today which was good as I may have mentioned I came down with rather a nasty cold the day after we left Bergen and lost my voice which made it difficult to call anybody.

Finally we watched a Netflix series called ‘The Unforgiven’ on the notebook, however the notebook sound is low and so had to turn on the subtitles to understand what is being said. Tomorrow will be our last full day on the ship and so some packing will take place during the day no doubt so as to be ready for the suitcases to be collected.

Ah well that is for today

We have crossed the Artic Circle -TWICE

Today was a pretty normal day with the usual visits to the restaurant form Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. There is limited choice for food regarding my diet issues but for the rest of guests its perfect.

We pulled in to a number of different ports during the day with passengers getting off and joining tours from snowboarding, dog sledging, u name it they have it but all at a cost.

 Late in the afternoon we crossed over the Artic Circle for the second time only on this occasion it was Southbound. 

On the Northbound leg there is a ceremony held on  deck with glasses of shampoo and the opportunity for the sea devil to come and pour freezing cold water with ice lumps down your back which is a nasty shock to the system. We did not join on the Northbound celebration as Noel was suffering health wise and so no a good idea to stand on deck for a while.

At one port we watched them loading pallets of garden fertilizer and at another boxes of fish with the hungry seagulls waiting for a dropped box or at least spillage.

In the afternoon e decided that an additional two night stay, already part of our original plan, was on and so we needed to find a nice Hotel for two nights. The one we stayed in upon arrival in Bergen ten days ago, was sort of Ok, the shower was a handheld in the bath with no rails to hold on to which I require and so this time the Radisson Blue Bergen Hotel does have proper walk in showers and a much bigger and more friendly area to sit and wait on Wednesday before leaving for the airport. I believe the Airport bus also stops outside the Hotel and this will save us a taxi ride I believe.

I may have mentioned the collection to employ consultant on our attempt to overturn a Woking Council decision to possibly allow the building of over 500 houses and travellers sites next door to our Estate and within 30 hours all the money had been collected , not bad really with still a few laggards not paying or away from home etc. however the magic figure of £12K seems to have been reached.

The weather today was mixed and for about an hour this morning we sat on the balcony in the sun enjoying the fresh air except for when the diesel fork lift loading stuff in the hold down below us passed us by.

As I am writing this we are pulling in to the Port of Sandnessjoen which is quite small but the main town on this area of the coast. As usual u can leave the ship for some tours including watching salmon swim, a bit like watching my KOI in Weybridge

Another day glides by our cabin window

After a while you get in to a rut with breakfast around 0930, lunch about 1300 and then dinner at 1845 , all good food and u must be careful not to eat to much although the servings on board are small with the idea that if you re still hungry you order a further dish. But in between time we spend a lot of time looking at the passing scenery which is rather nice and stopping every now and again for an hour, or sometimes ten minutes to take on shipments, and then back on the road.

We are both impressed by the handling of these ships and they Captains of same seem to do an amazing job in fitting them in to little slots on short wharfs, yes most impressive.

There was no football last night and so we had a quiet evening reading and Noel catching up with photos and blogging and email etc . Whilst we are here there is a lot activity in respect of our estates action to counteract the proposed extremely large and mostly unnecessary development of over 500 houses and 15 traveller sites which equates to 15 caravan per site or a total of 45 caravan plus all their trucks and vans etc. Within our estate we have some residents who have planning knowledge and so six people have started work on the subject and will appoint ‘legal beagles’ to present our case and in a short day we have so far raised over £12K and this is most encouraging.

My cold continues to hand around and although I beginning to feel a little better I keep losing my voice and what there is left is all squeaky just like micky mouse. In the meantime their are activities on the family side back home which will requite some attention by us when we get back.

At the evening meal we sit next to a Scottish couple who own bakery producing shortbread which they sell thro a limited supply chain, nice couple and just enjoying her Birthday trip.

Not much to report really

 Another day gliding through the very cold water of Norway. The ship is most stable and quiet, I did mention previously the lack of music playing everywhere  you go on this vessel and much quieter than any other ship we have been on.

WE are now starting our journey back to Bergen where we will arrive next Monday afternoon and just hoping that the weather will be kind and not to wet. We had our usual visits to the various food venues and after dinner last night sat in the lounge which was pretty much deserted and had a quiet drink before heading back to watch the football. Last night it was PSG vs Barcelona and the second half was more active than the first but still better than the match the previous night with Arsenal.

At one time we had thought we would get off at various stops and walk in the snow but actually there has been a lot more ice everywhere and  therefore we need shoes with metal cramps or similar which we don't have.  Neither of us needs to have a fall on this ice and it is so much safer to walk around the ship whilst on the other hand some of the little towns looked all locked up with lots of warehouses and the odd large supermarket. However we came for the views of the mountains and snow and not warehouses and so our decision to mostly stay on hoard is a sensible one. There are of course lots of tours from crab fishing to bird watching and snowmobile tiding etc but all at extra quite expensive costs.

Noel is still suffering from his cold and perhaps its the longest cold he has ever had and getting fed up with it. We are not sure whether to spend the final two days in Bergen or take an earlier flight home , we shall make that decision in a couple of days time.