Hoopster95

Birch bark roof… and the grass/etc to add weight to the roof to Hold in place, also for insulation… and how was the grass/plants/etc trimmed and Maintained from getting out of control? Goats!! I had a latte and a “swata”, which is a Norwegian pancake with butter and brown sugar. It’s eaten cold. InAmsterdam I had Poffertges which is kind of the same but served warm… liked those better. Oh, and the clerk Told me they eat the Svete by hand, so of Course I had to the same

I’m normally not a museum guy, but the short 1.5 hour visit to the open air Sunnmore Museum to learn about some of Norway’s early history was actually really good The last photo… Norwegians historically from Viking days were big people? Why were the doors so short? Answer: to keep as much heat in the home as possible.

Ålesund Kirke (church) and views of various islands including Godoy and Giske which we visit. IMG_4225.mov IMG_4229.mov

Hey everyone, I did an excursion today with many CC’ers on the roll Called “Aselund - the Ultimate Sightseeing Tour” by Norway Excursions AS https://www.norwayexcursions.com/en/tour/alesund-the-ultimate-sightseeing-tour/?_gl=1*1tq38*_up*MQ..&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIoLTC8r7HhgMVPKWDBx144hQPEAAYASABEgLBOfD_BwE For brevity’s sake, check out their website if you wish … I’ll just post some highlights

Ya right … NOT! 😆 I believe Capt also said the “main” part of the fjord transit begins at around 6’ish. Hopefully the weather co-operates once again! (Knock on wood)

Goodbye Alesund IMG_4428.mov

We’re here!!! Ciao for now

Video of Jewel Spinning…photos from deck 5 port and aft. IMG_4184.mov

We’re here folks… beautiful sail-in. The ship is spinning now as we’ll be backing in to the pier. IMG_4182.mov

Approaching…. IMG_4168.mov

And from the helipad which they just opened a few minutes ago…. And it’s starting to rain … and it’s COLD 🥶 IMG_4151.mov IMG_4153.mov IMG_4155.mov

Good morning everyone… entering the channel to Alesund IMG_4146.mov

Just crossed the arctic circle 5 minutes ago

And a final salute with a Blue Kamakaze shot

I think twangster got some great footage! Here’s the secondary ceremony for people not wanting to jump in the pool … ice water down your back that’s the Activity Manager Bern “ Bern baby Bern!”. Met him on Indy last year… great guy IMG_4116.mov

Mr. Polar Bear has arrived!

OMG… the wind has picked up on deck 11 and it feels 10 degrees colder than a few minutes ago! This is gross!!!!

AAAAAAAAGH!!!! twang… are you attending? I need proof that I actually did this 🥶😉

Those photos above that twangster shared reminds me a lot of the entry into the Alaskan Inside Passage… a wall of mountains stretching for miles. You can see below where we are in the Norwegian Sea and that stretch of mountains we were sailing alongside for some time is coming to an end. And you can where we’re heading for tomorrow in Ålesund, much farther south than the arctic circle once we cross later this evening.

“Holy Whale Watching Batman! Look … it’s a Biker19 sighting!!’”

9pm. Lots of natural light and…… BLUE SKY!!!! Just beautiful out there and surprisingly not freezing cold. Fingers and toes crossed for the next few days. “Blue Nose” celebration on pool deck tomorrow 1:30pm crossing the arctic circle southbound… I’m going for it! (jumping in the pool) 😳🥶 p.s. I can’t find An emojie for an “innie”😆

Nothing close to the ship as far as I know, however at MJ trivia earlier this evening the trivia was stopped as everyone gasped and ran to the windows, pointing out in the distance maybe 5-6 different whales coming up for air (blow hole sightings).

Capt announced earlier that we would pass by Nordkapp at 7:11 “precisely”…. well we passed by 10 minutes ago at 7:01 i wish I had Twangster’s lense for this, I did my best with my iPhone IMG_4076.mov

We were back at about 1:30…. I, and pretty much everyone else, beelined to the ship Without delay as we were done for the day. I figured after a workout I can get right with some sauna & steam room time, however many others had the same idea! The spa was a busy place this afternoon. We’ve just left and heading out to sea. Next up….. it’s twangster!

Lastly we stopped at a small fishing village to discuss Norway’s recent king crab industry. They are much larger in Alaska… if any of you have the opportunity in Ketchikan, book The excursion called “Bering Sea - The Aleutian Ballad”. Here in the North, Cod is the #1 industry, and you have to fish a Quota of Cod before you’re allowed to trap for crab. Also on the tour he offered is some cured reindeer meat as a snack… it was gamey. IMG_4033.mov