Other photographs

Chinese New Year:

Four D's and a C

Most of the sail-away parties, held on the aft outside deck seemed to be scheduled for 6 pm, just when I should be sitting down to dinner.   The service on board was the most excellent I have ever experienced and my waiters (waiter and assistant waiter as well as the Head Waiter for my section) were wonderful.  They, along with many other crew members, spoiled me wonderfully - thanks guys.  But, as I hated to make them wait (in the other sense of the word) for me, I would always miss the sail-away.

However, the last Southampton sail-away began about 4 pm and while standing next to a dance host, I saw the Isle of Wight, his home.  He pointed out various landmarks and really should work for the tourist board. 

As I turned to dance with some people doing the Electric Slide, my best friend from the crew said, "There you are.  I want you to meet some other friends of mine".  And thus, I met the 4 D's and a C - Iris, a big-band singer with a lilting voice, Steve with a very dry English sense of humor, Jaimie, tall, blonde, ebullient and irrepressible and Tom, by turns a serious businessman and a hilarious party animal and great dancer.  

C, husband of the aforementioned Jaimie, is one of the most interesting people you are likely to meet.  I can imagine him in a "MacGyver" situation, having to prevent x-number of bad guys from taking over the world.  He would devise a fiendish plot (only fiendish to the bad guys, brilliant to the rest of us) using a spanner, burned out light bulb, plastic cup, lemon juice and string and would, in fact, save the world without harming anyone or the environment.

Jaimie and Tom are best friends, best siblings, best off-spring and a tribute to their parents.  Steve and Iris are the kind of parents many of us wish for and rarely get.

The D's and C exude love for each other and it radiates around them.  I was lucky enough to be within the circle and it was one of the most wonderful times of my life. From the trivia quizzes at the crack of dawn, 10:30 am, to the after-disco trek to the buffet from 2 am on,  we talked, laughed, negotiated trivia answers, danced, sang in the ballroom with Pat at 2 am, joined in singing BUILD ME UP, BUTTERCUP at the karaoke and laughed some more. 

Another "amazing" adventure which ended with an invitation for me to visit them - I'm looking forward to it. 

Thanks for the memories.

Three Opinions and The "D's"

I have mentioned, probably more than necessary, that the accident in December changed my life.  It convinced me to travel on the RMS QUEEN MARY 2, originally for NYC and back, which kept getting extended until May.  During this time, I had some right knee/right leg pains but only when I was inactive.  I could dance, walk around the deck, go up and down the stairs - quickly - but sitting for long periods seemed to freeze my knee and make the entire leg throb.

So, after absolutely no consideration and a very long time, I began the rounds of doctors, specialists, physical therapists.  The surgeon was very cute, 40-something, with a deep, well-modulated voice guaranteed to send women my age into a swoon, but not before signing the consent form.

After enough x-rays to cause my knee to glow in the dark, the surgeon began to describe the injury:  when I fell, the top of the fibula was split but no one in the ER noticed it - he skipped over the not-noticing part.  Actually the ER doctor didn't notice the blood caked on my left leg even though I was wearing a skirt.   I told her that I didn't want to get blood on the clothes so I didn't wear trousers - the temperature was close to freezing, "it being winter and all".  She was more surprised about my not feeling the cold and kept telling me that.  I kept telling her that my knees hurt and finally she said, "Of course, you just fell down!" - in parentheses, "You Dummy!"

So, everything healed, new bone grew but all in the wrong places.  By the time I got my knee looked at in July, it was no longer possible to prove that the injury was from the December accident.

So, the surgeon began, in deep, reassuring tones, to describe the proposed (7+ hour) operation, which seemed to involve shaving the new growth........that's when I tuned out and simply smiled at him.  When he was finished, I asked him what he would recommend if I were his mother.  For a moment, he lost his "cool" so I repeated my question, pointing out that I was more than old enough to be his mother.  He sighed and said, "Lose weight and live with some pain and take aspirin on a full stomach if the pain interferes with sleep".   Sounds like a winner to me!  We parted, if not as lovers, certainly as friends.

So, back to the ship, for my "reward" - a continuation of the voyage and meeting the  4 D's and 1 E -  five barking mad, extremely warm, welcoming and wonderful people.  More about them when I get their permission.

Good Bye, Norway

Norway did not want us to leave without saying "Goodbye" so, after starting the day with brilliant sunshine and nearly calm seas, we ran into "weather".  At 4 pm we left the Arctic officially (66 degrees N), sailing in a designated lane about 60 miles out.  The wind and waves increased and for one of the few times, we knew we were at sea.  There was just enough motion to remind us.  Most of the time it is so smooth that we do not experience that sensation. 

Amazing!

58,627.5 nautical miles / 12 Dec 11 to 12 May 12

The distance I sailed from December 12, 2011 to May 12, 2012.

Since December, I have sailed in every ocean on this planet.  Another reason for my Attitude of Gratitude.

Alesund, without the small "o" over the capital "a"

 What a difference a guide makes!!!!!

Bente, our guide for the walking tour, was an absolute gem.  We trudged up hills (she kindly paused to give the out-of-shape people - me - a short rest) accompanied by her expert knowledge of the city, past, present and future.  She, like all good guides, solicited questions which she expertly answered, all the while giving us photo opportunities.

We walked - my favorite - up and down a lot of hills.  My thigh muscles started to complain but the calf muscles beat them to it.  There is a famous look-out at the top of 435 (?) steps.  Given enough time, I could have managed the steps but not the long drops off the side going up.

Alesund is a small town of about 35,000, located on 7 islands, connected by ferries and a tunnel.  There was a toll on one of the roads or tunnels and when the cost had been paid, the toll was abolished - how cool is that!!!  

Buildings which survived the fire

There was a tremendous fire in 1904 and the wooden town burned rapidly and almost completely.  The German Kaiser, Wilhelm II, sent a lot of aid: there is a statue of him in the city park in recognition of his aid.  The Germans were looked upon fondly until they occupied Norway during WW II.  Both sides were surprised at the actions of the other.  The Germans never really understood the Resistance and the Norwegians never understood the entitlement mentality of the Germans.

The town was rebuilt after the fire in the prevalent style of the time - Jugendstil / Art Nouveau.  Consequently, there is more Art Nouveau architecture in Alesund than anywhere else in the North.  Many of the decorations reflect the national influence where the architect studied:  thistles when the architect studied in Scotland, roses from England and France.

House, one room wide

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The town dates from the 9th century when Rolf/Rollo/Rollon (same man, different spellings)  the Ganger (his nickname should be a clue), a thoroughly unpleasant man to have as an enemy had his settlement there.  He later led his Northmen (Norsemen) to northern France and founded what became Normandy, in the process becoming the ancestor of William the Bastard who conquered England in 1066, and thus the ancestor of the English language and of those of us with some Anglo-Norman genes.   If there is a gene for "wandering", perhaps I got it from Rollo.

The group had lots of questions about Norwegian life and one which interested me especially was the unemployment rate - about 2% but still too high as far as the government is concerned.  Also, retirees are encouraged to go home for a few months but then to come back to work.  Sounds ideal.  According to Bente, there is enough work for people who are flexible - just another reason to love this most lovable country.

One more sea day and then Germany and the hope of having my knee, badly damaged in my accident in December but not noticed at that time in the ER, repaired without surgery.

The Midnight Sun

I probably have not given enough space to this most, .....well, amazing phenomenon.  At the North Pole, it lasts for 6 months and at 71 degrees north latitude, it lasts from May to July.  It's difficult to describe a world that never gets dark, where you can read on the deck at midnight and after, and where my body simply did not register getting sleepy until about 3 am when the sun was back up anyway.  I had wondered about the heavily lined drapes in my stateroom - aha, to fool your body into thinking it was night. 

My body adjusted within 30 hours and I was back to being my normal, sleep-deprived self - remember how when you were a child and you had to go to bed and KNEW you were missing something special?  Well, I did not have to miss anything but sleep and enjoyed every waking hour.

Years ago I worked with a Swedish company and the agent told me that because winters are so long and hard, the company closes every day at 1 pm during the summer so that the employees have more time to enjoy the summer.  Quite a good idea.

I have wondered how long it takes to adjust to winters -3 months of darkness??  Once, on a ski trip to central Norway, we never saw the sun.  The hills around the lodge were not particularly high but the sun did not get above them.  On the other hand, the nights were magnificent with a gazillion stars and twice, with aurorae.  Certainly, they would be compensating factors.