Fiords and Glaciers

The first three days of the cruise have been busy. On the first full day we sailed up the Storfiord and eventually entered the Geirangerfiord. Very similar to Milford Sound but much longer. At the head of the fiord I took a tour in which we went ashore in a smaller boat and boarded buses for the very steep road up the side to a lookout at 1500m. Then we drove for several hours across country including 2 ferry crossings. We passed through a national Park and drove down the terrifying Trollstiggen (Troll’s path) road with hairpin bends. I would not want to drive it in a car let alone a tourist coach.

We had dinner in the town of Molde known as the city of roses, there is even a rose garden on the roof of the Town Hall and waited for the ship to arrive at 9.30pm.

The next morning was spent in the city of Trondheim where I will be leaving the ship on the return trip next Saturday. The cathedral was impressive  although darker inside than I expected in Norwegian cathedrals. It had a beautiful Rose window. The Norwegian kings are crowned there.

On the third full day, after crossing the Arctic Circle, I boarded a hydrofoil at 8.30am and we headed for the coast and the Holands Fiord which we followed up to the end and the Svartisen Glacier. It is Norway’s second largest glacier and the lowest in altitude. We walked a little over a kilometre (there was a bus but most walked) each way to the impressive view over a lake. Pancakes and coffee were provided as we walked around before returning to the boat and a fast trip to catch up to our ship at the town of Bodo. On the way we stopped near one island and the ship’s crew threw out fish they had caught, attracting lots of seabirds and finally some white tailed eagles.

The young guide spoke German, English and French and, when I chatted with him, I learnt he is studying Scandinavian languages (but there were no Norwegians on our tour). He lives in Hamburg and had visited New Zealand which he loved. He  has a friend at the Otago University in Dunedin. However he had never been to Munich.

In the afternoon the ship sailed across to the Lofoten Islands. I have booked a bus tour of them for the way back. In the evening we entered the Troll Fjord. This is scheduled for daylight hours on the return trip but  is only possible if weather permits so although way past my bedtime I stayed up as we entered the fiord at 11.30pm.  They used searchlights. The entrance of the Fjord is only 80 metres wide and it is 3 km long with 1000 metre cliffs so the manoeuvring of the ship (20 metres wide and  122 metres long was impressive. Some of the crew ran around dressed as Trolls and Troll soup (I guess fish)  and Troll drink (tea and rum) was served. I gave both a miss.
photos in order. I will arrange when better connection
Geiranger
Trollstiggen
Tronheim cathedral
Svartisen

Travel Plans

I have finalised accommodation in Europe and am now commencing the US part of my journey.
The Round the World air fare has been paid (it sounded an awful lot in NZ dollars) and I am to fly from Dunedin to Sydney on August 7. 
I will, of course, stay with my sister and hopefully catch up with friends.

On August 19, I will fly to Bangkok staying in the hotel near the airport where I have stayed 3 times before (please red and yellow shirts, solve your differences by then) and onto Frankfurt on August 20, again staying at the same hotel near the main station as in 2008.

Then I will travel by train to Copenhagen, on the overnight ferry to Oslo and train again to Bergen where I board the Hurtigruten ship, MS Richard With, for 11 nights journey along the Norwegian coast and fiords to places like Tromso, Hammerfest and North Cape before turning around at Kirkenes and returning to Trondheim.
At Trondheim I will catch the train back to Oslo and have a good look as I stay there for 2 nights before continuing to Copenhagen for another 2 nights.  I visited both cities back in 1974 but would expect many changes since.

From Copenhagen I will catch the  train to Esbjerg then the overnight ferry to Harwich and train onto London.

I am quite excited to have just booked 3 nights at the Proms.

The night I arrive I have a program including Schubert's 8th (Unfinished) Symphony and Mozart's 40th plus some works by Schumann.  The following night is Monteverdi's vespers and then on the Saturday night I have a ticket for Proms in the Park. I do not have a Snowball's chance in Hell of getting tickets to the final night in the hall but will watch it on the screen from across the road.  However the park also has a pre-concert which will include Dame Kiri Te Kanawa and Jose Carreras.

After 4 nights in London I am going to the Lakes District for 3 nights at Ambleside, hopefully relaxing with some walking after all that wonderful music.


Then there will be a rush by train with overnight stops back in London, in Luxembourg (to add another country to my list) and Mainz before meeting my friends from South Africa who started all this a year ago.

I met Kathy and Peter on the train to Oberammergau in 1980. We attended the Passion play together and later travelled part of the Romantic Road. We have kept in contact and I have had dinner with them twice when they have visited Sydney.

After the decision to have a 30 year reunion, we had a breakdown in communication and I went ahead and booked anyway. We established contact again this year but it was too late for them to gain accommodation in Oberammergau so they are staying at a nearby village and I will spend one night with them before going to my hotel in the town itself. Hopefully we will see each other at the play.

The day after the play (September 22) I am flying from Munich to Chicago and the second half of my epic journey.

Need Help in Trip Planning

While a major reason for my big move was to leave the Sydney Diocese, an equal reason was to move to a cool climate and another was to free up the funds tied up in the block of land next to my house in the Blue Mountains.

I purchased the block a few years after the house in the mid 80's. It protected the view over the valleys from my house and I  enjoyed landscaping the upper section of it. I did not enjoy maintaining the garden as I got older.  It had a cliff of about 10 metres dividing the upper 20% from the lower 80%.  I do not remember when I last went down the bottom.  My house block was similar but the upper section was more  like a third.

A problem developed when I became eligible for an age pension from the government. The Australian government takes into account all assets other than the family home and block in assessing the amount of pension. They counted the neighbouring block of land as an asset but I could not earn any interest on it nor spend any of it.

I knew it would be very hard to sell on its own and most potential purchasers (young couples) of the house were uninterested in the extra land.  I was very thankful when a middle aged couple agreed to buy both.  I have allocated the money from the land sale to future travel.

Which brings me to the point of this post. I need to at least book my flights soon.

I have long ago booked and paid for 2 nights in Oberramergau (Sept 20&21) so planning hinges around those dates. I want a month in Europe before and a month in USA/Canada afterwards


A Round the World Trip allows 5 stopovers. I intend them to be Sydney, Bangkok, Frankfurt, Chicago-Toronto, and San Francisco or Los Angeles. Bangkok and LA or SF are mainly to allow me a good sleep as I detest long flights.

My vague itinerary at the moment is to arrive (after 10 days in Sydney) in
Frankfurt on Aug 20(1n)
Train to Copenhagen (1n)
Overnight ferry to Oslo(1n)
Train to Bergen (1n)

Board Hurtigruten ship for 10 nights cruising the Fiords up to Kirkenes and back to Trondheim

Train back to Oslo (2n)

Train to Copenhagen (2n) (I visited Oslo and Copenhagen in 1974 but guess they have changed)

Train- overnight ferry-train to London about September 9.


Undecided here for 10 nights except I have a dream to attend the Last Night of the Proms (ok in the park opposite) on September 11 and must be in Munich on September 19.

I have never been to Ireland, would love to return to Lakes District and have a friend in Bradford. (Have not been to UK since 1980).  Paris always beckons but perhaps I could give it a miss and hope for future trips as I spent 2 weeks there in both 2002 and 2007.

After Oberammergau, I hope to fly from either Munich or Frankfurt to Chicago on Sept 22 (arrive 23) and stay 2 nights. (I spent 24 hours there in 1999)

Back on trains I plan to travel to New York (undecided about travelling on Lakeshore Limited or Cardinal)

I want to worship with Rev Elizabeth at Chatham on September 26 and there is also a possibility of a Brokeback meeting in New York that weekend.

I have about 9 days to see Boston (was there in 1980), perhaps visit Fran in Albany (Hi Fran) and Motheramelia in Maine and see the Fall colours.

The last Cat from Yarmouth to Portland is about Oct 9 (2010 timetable not yet posted).

I have allocated 6 nights to Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island then back on train.

Overnight to Montreal (4 n)

Quebec (2n)

Ottawa (3n)

Toronto (4n with a day to Niagara and back)

Not sure why I allocated the nights that way, am certainly open to advice there.

Then possibly 2 nights in either SF or LA. have been to both and prefer SF  but would like to visit a church in the Diocese of LA.

Finally Dunedin via Auckland.
(phew)

Some comments - I hate flying but know it is a necessary evil if I want to travel from the bottom of the world.  It is why I go for so long at a time - to make the trip worthwhile.

I love train travel and am quite fond of ship travel although am wary of a long cruise and this will be the longest I have ever spent on a ship at one time but hope the Norwegian scenery will make it all worthwhile. I think I would be bored on a long ocean cruise.

Would appreciate any advice either publicly or by private email (see profile).