Its 3.50 am when the wakeup call comes. Arising we find it is dark but not overcast – trust it to fine up as we leave. Down to the shuttle and across to the airport to board a plane for Frankfurt then to Bergen. Frankfurt is enormous. We land and enter the terminal at gate A5. Our flight to Bergen leaves from gate A69. Hmm a bit of a walk ahead but we get there in plenty of time in fact we could have caught a flight to Basel we were that early.
Cooled our heels for an hour and a half before we caught the plane and arrived in Bergen. We caught a cab into town and played a guessing game with the driver about his place of birth. It started when Doug asked him about refugees in Norway and comments were made about Afghans in Australia for 200 years. We went all round the world and he turned out to be Afghani. Checked in our luggage at the terminal (cab was the way to go – door to door) and took a walk through the city – did not see much but what we did see was appealing and cold.
We are sailing on the Hurtigruten line. Hurtigruten (“Express Route”) is a daily passenger and freight shipping service along Norway’s western and northern coast between Bergen and Kirkenes. Sometimes referred to as Norwegian Coastal Express, Hurtigruten ships sail almost the entire length of the country, completing the round-trip journey in 11 days. We boarded the ship and went through the safety ritual and the unpacking and then the evening meal – Doug and Kerry both went to bed while Nerida and I represented the team at the next information presentation. Well at least I did Nerida went to sleep in the presentation. Its now 9.30pm and Nerida and I check out the gym and then retire for the night. The ship sets sail at 10.30 and throughout the night we feel it go bump as it docks at various little villages delivering supplies.
glendon1954 