June 12, 2017



Sunrise 03:55 Sunset 22:38

  Today we are at sea on the way to Flåm, Norway which is a little north of Bergen. The sky is overcast.  The temperature at 8 am was 12 C, sky overcast and the wind was over 30 knots per hour (45 km/hr). The waves were three to four meters high, causing a slight rocking motion on the ship.


  
  Out of curiosity at 3 a.m., I ventured up to the Promenade Deck 3 to see how much light was visible and noted just a sliver of pale light in a small place on the horizon.  Sunrise was not for over an hour.
  We ate breakfast in deck 2 dining room with a couple from Perth, Australia and a woman from Idaho. During breakfast an announcement was made to not use the port side doors to the Promenade Deck, because of the strong west wind. We explored the ship after breakfast, finding the small library on deck 12 in the Crow’s Nest Lounge.  We passed some North Sea drilling rigs. We stopped at the future cruises offices to book a South America cruise with an itinerary sailing along the Antarctic coast for a few days and stopping in Stanley, Falkland Islands. Later, I attended a presentation about Le Vian jewelers chocolate diamonds and their rose gold settings.  Steps 4562.
  The captain’s noon message advised that we were 30 km from the Danish Jutland coast and the sea depth was just 50 meters but as we got closer to Norway the depth would drop significantly. He said that the official sunrise tomorrow would be 3:50 a.m.
   We had lunch in the dining room and sat with a couple from Stuttgart, Germany and two women from California.  We both ordered the Radicchio and Arugula salad, one with roasted chicken and the other with baked salmon.
   We walked on Promenade Deck 3, in the wind for just one lap due to the wind.  Three laps is equivalent to one mile. We attended the Tea Dance in the Queen’s Lounge in the afternoon and danced to the five piece orchestra and enjoyed tea, mini sandwiches and small desserts.   By 4 p.m., the ship had reached the same latitude as the southern Norway coast.  The beverage of the day was a Blue Coco Mojito with Blue Curaçao and we went up to the Crow’s Nest Lounge to enjoy one.
   The dress code for the evening is “Gala Attire”.  There were fewer than 50% formal outfits in the dining room. At a nearby table, 40 something parents clad in t-shirts and faded jeans and their 10 year old daughter, in a nice capris and tunic, were served.  They were not the only casually dressed diners. Gone
are the days when dining room dress code is enforced!    At the table this evening was a young man from Zurich , Switzerland, Kristian; Diane and Jeff from Melbourne, Australia and retired nurses, Marsha and Cheryl from Seattle, Washington. Our choices for appetizers were Orange Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail or Arugula & Frisée salad. Six people ordered the Cracked Pepper Beef Tenderloin with Grilled Shrimp, cooked spinach and beans, while I ordered Truffled Mushroom Risotto.  We ordered either Creme Brulée or Chocolate Souflé for dessert.   The meal took over two hours as there were 600 people ordering in a 45 minute period.  Tonight’s show starring the ship’s dancers and singers was called “One World”.
   The temperature didn’t reach higher than 12 C, but by dinnertime the water had gentle swells of half a meter and the wind had diminished.  The ship is now cruising about 30 km from the Norwegian coast.  About 3:30 in the morning the ship will be picking up the fjord marine pilots.  For the next 10 days there will be almost 24 hours of daylight each day.
Steps 11,179.

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