I got to spend some time listening to the band in the Centrum and admiring the foyer of the ship.
I decided I felt well enough to make my first trip to the MDR. I have My Time dining, and despite some of the reviews I have read I had no issues and walked straight in, no reservation, to a table. I think what helped was I went in at 7pm, the first show was still ongoing and the second sitting wasn't until 8pm, so I struck the time just right. I started the meal with some mushroom aranchini.
Followed by the eggplant parmigiana.
Wasn't feeling the dessert options, so went with the ice cream of the day - coffee.
I had wanted to see the show that evening, but unfortunately the performer was unwell and cancelled the second performance (wasn't me! I didn't give her my lurgey, I swear!).
The next morning we arrived in Bergen. Cold, wet, dreary Bergen.
I had opted for the 'Bergen on your own' tour. Total waste of money. They advertised it as a map, lunch and a ticket in the funicular. When you got off the ship there were free maps, and I had to boycott lunch because one of the options they were pushing was a WHALE sandwich! Funniest part was they put on a shuttle. For about 150meters. In hindsight I think it a security/safety requirement given it was a operational wharf, but we were all very confused given it took us longer to board than to drive.
I did however use the funicular ticket.
The view from the top was spectacular, though as it was raining it was hard to get a great picture.
Wasn't a great day for it, but up the top you can hike, there is a resturant, a playground - there is a bit to do on a nice day. The ride wasn't as scary as other funiculars I have been on either, this one was quite modern and smooth.
I got to enjoy some of the great street art in Bergen.
I also found a pharmacy! Cold medication, soft tissues! Ahhhhhhhh.
I went to check out the aquarium. I had thought it would be packed given there was little for families to do, and the weather was terrible, but there was only a handful of people in there, so it was really pleasant. They have penguins and seals and tropical fish and displays of Nordic sea life. This is a Norwegian crocodile apparently.
Just like in Stavanger, the Bergen aquarium was also big on stuffed animals.
Whilst the weather was not ideal it was beautiful to walk around.
I visited the fish market for lunch (boycotting the whale) and had quite possibly the best fish and chips I have had in a very long time.
By this point I was soaked and freezing (not ideal with a cold) so I decided to go back to the ship early to defrost.
I found a nice warm spot in a bar to admire the view. Though I did wonder why all the chairs have their back to view with such lovely large windows.
Ended up having dinner in the Windjamer last night. It was great, they had some Scandinavian food - so Swedish meatballs and potatoes with salmon it was for dinner. I then went and hit up the evening performance in the centrum after dinner only to get the sense we were being followed...
This little guy was waiting for me when I got back to my room.
We had a really rough night. We were sailing into headwinds of around 90km/h. I slept through it, but interestingly we were moving so much that my Fitbit would not recognise it as sleep and counted it as steps!
This morning I woke up to this.
Sunshine! We are in Alesund today. It is cold, but out in the sun it is beautiful.
Got to enjoy the view whilst eating my eggs benny in the MDR. Best cruise ship eggs benny I've had.
They have a lookout here that you can either drive to on a tour, or walk up. It was just shy of 500 stairs.
It is actually not a hard climb. It is not steep, and there are regular spots to stop, sit and rest. There are also regular photo look outs for those that do not want to go the whole way. But if you do go the whole way, it is spectacular.
There is a cafe at the top where you can sit and enjoy the view (the food was great). As you can see we have company in port today, that is the Norweigan Star on the left.
Afterwards I did some walking around town. The buildings are again lovely to wander and look at.
There is a church that they recommend you visit, but sadly it was closed today for a funeral.
A couple of things on both ports. Both have a red hop on/hop off bus. Alesund also has a little tourist train. In Alesund the lines were really long as there were two ships in port. The Alesund tourist info place also runs walking tours, which is another option for those not keen on ship tours. Both cities are doable on foot.
Time to rest the feet and just enjoy the view - headed off on a big hike tomorrow.
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