Mr Rumor

Linda and John, glad you're still armchair cruising with me--got some great ports coming up, including Alesund in the a.m.

Wes, Adam Tanner continues to impress. He spoke again this afternoon on a completely different subject, one that he has written a book on: "The Hidden Multi-Billion Dollar Trade in Medical Data." As for Adam gym sightings, I think I might have seen him last Monday, but not sure as I hadn't heard him speak yet. By the way, the gym has been on the quiet side most mornings. I'm used to more early a.m action.

Gerry, I wish I had had time to have hiked down from the Rokenes Farmhouse Cafe to get a shot of more of the golf course. It is steep enough for one of the tour drivers to crack, "It's made for mountain goats!" So probably the best thing it has going is its novelty. As for what's next for us, we don't want 2018 to pass without giving our daughter Shauna another cruise experience (she lives to ride those tour buses!), so we've booked a ten-day Caribbean cruise on the Voyager in November. Will be reunited with GM Davor at that time.

Our trivia team was back to full strength today. I won't go into detail about how we fared. Let's just say it's a riches to rags tale. Looking to rebound tomorrow.

At the Seven Seas Society Cocktail Party tonight, Captain Rosario Giovanni Vasta said a few words (a crew member swears that if I were to don one of the captain's uniforms I'd be a dead ringer for him--I say, "Nahhhh!"):

Then during her remarks, Cruise Consultant Gudrun shared the number of passengers in each Regent tier level:

Commodore and Diamond, 0

Titanium, 4

Platinum, 29

Gold, 113

Silver, 230

Bronze, 50

Ten of the Platinums are newbies. They filled the stage as they gathered to collect their pins and be toasted:

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

A Regent first for us: Our terrific enrichment lecturer, Adam Tanner, capping his fascinating talk on "How India Influenced the Beatles and Pop Music in the 1960s" this morning with a mini-performance on his travel sitar. The former Reuters correspondent, author, and fellow at Harvard's Institute for Quantitative Social Science, also happens to be a musician who studied with Ali Akbar Khan, a sarod maestro who played with Ravi Shankar.

After the talk, a group of Adam fans—his earlier talks on the exploration of the Arctic and why Scandinavians perennially rank so high on the happiness meter packed the downstairs section of the Constellation Theater and created a bit of a passenger buzz about Adam—gathered to get a closer look at the sitar and chat with Adam:

Adam played excerpts of a handful of Beatles recordings that feature the sitar or other Indian influences, including:

"Norwegian Wood." We heard an earlier version, in which George's sitar is more prominent.

Harrison's "Within You, Without You," the only non-Lennon-McCartney song on "Sgt. Pepper." George on sitar.

"Here Comes the Sun." The bridge "Sun, sun sun, here it comes" features an Indian rhythm.

"My Sweet Lord." You can hear "Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna" being sung in the background.

Adam showed how impactful George's sitar explorations were by playing recorded snippets of sitar/enhanced hits by other artists. . . "Paint it Black" by the Rolling Stones, "Signed, Sealed and Delivered" by Stevie Wonder, "Do It Again" by Steely Dan."

Adam's conclusion: Thanks to the Beatles, Indian music was fated to become a piece of the soundtrack of the '60s.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Good morning! It’s our second and final sea day, and the day is off to a great start with a 75-minute workout and now, for breakfast, my favorite blended drink—low-fat milk, banana, carrot and cantaloupe—prepared by Daciana (fourth Regent contract, Romania) from the restaurant team. Daciana wishes you good morning, too!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

And in the midnight hour we have an unstable internet. But I’m going to let it all hang out and try to post several shots from our jam packed six-hour tour on Friday, “Nordland Highlights by Rail & Road.”

At Saltstraumen, boasting the strongest tidal current in the world:

Never thought a vehicle I was riding in would have to brake for goats! These critters and a hundred or so of their friends decided to meander in our path near the village of Tofte.

Photo from a passing bus. . . Skaerstadfjord.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Crisy, we’ve already broached the idea to Jess of a third visit. I can’t get Norway off my Bucket List!

In the midnight hour. . .

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Ginny and I are sharing the Explorer with 690 fellow cruisers, spanning 28 countries. Female passengers have a slight edge, 349-343.

I have heard a lot of different accents around the ship and on tour, so I was surprised that there are so many more Americans on this cruise than on our Voyager Singapore-Sydney cruise earlier this year, 493 to be exact compared to 318 for Singapore-Sydney. There are significantly fewer Brits, 57 (compared to 153 in February on the Voyager) but more Aussies (45 compared to 20). Our Aussie friends do love to globe trot!

Here is the complete Passenger Nationality Breakdown:

United States, 493

United Kingdom, 57

Australia, 45

Canada, 25

Germany, 12

Belgium, 6

Switzerland, 6

South Africa, 5

China, 4

Spain, 4

Italy, 4

New Zealand, 4

Venezuela, 4

Mexico, 3

Brazil, 2

France, 2

St. Kitts and Nevis, 2

Netherlands, 2

Russia, 2

Taiwan, 2

Ireland, 1

Kenya, 1

Sri Lanka, 1

Norway, 1

Portugal, 1

Romania, 1

Sweden, 1

Ukraine, 1

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks, Linda, Gilly and Jackie; my iPhone and Tapatalk make taking and posting photos a pleasure. Tell, and show, is where it’s at for me these days!

Linda and Gilly, here is another linocut from Mr. Kristiansand, who is still active and regularly spotted out and about in Harstad:

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

We’re docked in Bodo. Strolling Deck 12 just now, I was reminded that there is temporarily a second “northernmost” golf course: the Explorer’s!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Midnight on the Pool Deck:

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Good morning—and, hooray, the internet was down starting at about 11 last night, but it’s back up now!

Jackie, Peggy, Jan and Dave, and Gilly, thanks for the congrats on the "million-dollar" win at Trivia--I had a little spring in my step into the evening yesterday. (Gilly, I hope that someday you and your hero and my heroine and I will have the chance to vie for a million Andy bucks together!)

Jan and Dave, will be happy to say hi to Andy and Tammy for you. As you know, each is super approachable.

Wes, you're so welcome. And thank you for thinking to let Craig know about the blog--I don't know why I didn't think to tell him!

Thanks, Got2Cruise. Trust me, you will not be disappointed by the Iced Cappuccino Parfait. Take care with the dark chocolate cup itself as it is a little sturdier than you might think. You don't want to exert too much pressure and accidentally send a delicious shard flying across the table--you might not get it back!

Crisy, I sprung your photo on Hendra at dinner tonight, and he was surprised and delighted to see it! He sends you and your husband his best regards.

The five-hour "Trastad Collections and the Rokenes Farm" excursion carries a $89 Regent Choice upcharge, and was worth every extra penny. The itinerary was varied, the weather was great (some glorious sun!), and we had in Merethe, retired head of the physiotherapy department at Harstad's general hospital, one terrific guide. I loved her enthusiasm for sharing her beloved island with us.

We started with a drive along the Kraefjord.

Our visit to the site of an institution for people with disabilities that operated from 1954-1991 was sobering because of the sparseness of the accommodations and the lack of attention residents received (the pavilion we toured employed two daytime and one nighttime aide to tend to the 90 residents). The day room:

But the visit was also inspiring. It was eventually discovered that special-needs people had potential that could be developed. Staffing was dramatically increased, and teachers were brought in. One 40-year resident, Herleik Kristiansand, was even fated to became famed throughout Norway for his art, especially his linocuts:

We took a deeper dive into the history of the area when we visited the picturesque Hemmestad Brugge, a combination trading post and fisherman gathering spot dating back to the mid-1800s.

The building now contains a small museum. I was interested in the display of old fishing nets.

We also visited Nupen, a spot favored by visitors from around the world for Midnight Sun viewing. Then it was on to Rokenes Gard, a onetime family farm turned cafe and conference center and owned by the same family for ten generations. The Norwegian cakes were delicious but I was even more taken by what the Kulseng family did with its former farmland: Turn it into what it bills as the northernmost golf course in the world. The sixth green:

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

We did it, Gilly, 15 out of 15 at Trivia today! Check out CD Andy with his six newly minted Andy millionaires! (L to R, team members Al, Joyce, Ginny—you kinda have to look for her—Robin, Ron and Rumor)

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thank you, Gilly! Ginny’s attitude is always “Tomorrow will be a better day.“ Tomorrow” is now today, and it is! Will report on Andy and Tammy's show.

Hei hei from Harstad, our northernmost port. Harstad will always hold a special place in Jess’ heart as his ex-wife, Jorunn, a former Royal Viking Line nurse, was born here. Jess met Jorunn aboard the Star in early 1977, several weeks after I had my onboard meeting (and romance) with Ginny, who was traveling on a portion of a South Seas cruise with her family. Sadly, Jorunn passed away several years ago, which was a blow to Jess, as they had remained close friends. Jess has lots of memories of Harstad, as I am sure we will be making our own as well today. Jess approved our five hour excursion, which I'll be chronicling later.

The forecast as recently as yesterday had been for rain. The updated forecast is for cloudy skies. If the patches of blue remain, so much the better!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

And the blue stuff, as you might have guessed, was icing, so no problem to dispose of!

Peggy, as you know, I sometimes pack my RVL tie. Wish I would have this time as it would have turned Andy’s and Tammy’s heads! The tie surprised CD Jamie, another RVL alum, a few cruises back.

By the way, although they’ve danced, Andy and Tammy began their cruising career at Royal Viking Line in 1985 as singers, not dancers as I previously reported. They will be performing their show tomorrow night in the Constellation Theater.

Now it’s time to share a little something different—a mini-series of Norway-themed Eilfeldig Notaters (Random Notes) courtesy of my buddy Jess.

Jess was so chock full of interesting info on Norway that I felt obliged to keep pen and notepad handy as we motored about the Oslo area. I’ve bunched some of the notes thematically rather than dispense them one at a time. Here’s Edition 1:

One of four cars purchased in Norway is electric. There is no tax on the purchase of an electric car (on gas and diesel cars, the tax runs to 60-70%). Also, drivers of electric cars don't have to pay tolls, and parking is free.

I pay three tolls to get into downtown Oslo--one as I enter the third ring, one as I enter the second, one as I enter the first. It's about $17 in total to drive to the city center, and that's with my discount (Auto Pass sensor placed on windshield).

Gas is currently $9.50US per gallon. Gas used to be cheapest Sunday night until Monday at noon, but now the government has switched back and forth on prices during the week, confusing people.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Checking in from Pacific Rim. The lobster tempura with three dipping sauces (appetizer portion) was fantastic, even better than I remember it being in 2016!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Linda, did you know that Andy and Tammy are Royal Viking alums? It’s true! They began their seafaring careers in 1985 as dancers aboard the Star. RVL connections still abound!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Gilly, the ship’s motion got to Ginny this afternoon—odd to have so much motion today and no white caps—so I was the only one to make it to Trivia. The second group of two couples I approached found my appeal—“May I join you and ride your coattails to victory?”—irresistible and took me on. I actually made myself useful on several questions and we got 12 out of 15, meriting two Regent Rewards points, but no Andy money!

Speaking of our CD, posing with our blue noses with him earlier today (at least I think that was him under the Viking helmet and behind the waist-length beard) I remembered that I wanted to post a photo of Andy in his kilt. He donned it last night on the occasion of the Block Party.

"Heath" is actually an English name, but as Andy's DNA test revealed he is 30% Scottish, "I qualified in my mind!” for a quilt.

Andy explained that modern tartans don't belong to a specific clan, he chose a "Spirit of Scotland" off the rack in a kilt shop outside Glasgow when the Voyager docked there in 2016. "It takes 15 minutes (to get dressed in a Scottish traditional outfit) and I had only 20, so I said 'Please dress me.' I wanted to see how they did it.” It was only after he was fully dressed that his salesman gently informed: "Andy, all the instructions are online."

Andy then walked out of the shop and right into a Glasgow downpour. What to do, the Voyager was a 20 minute walk away? “I figured I had leverage in this situation due to the fact that I had just made an expensive purchase,” he explained, “so I went back inside and said, 'Which one of you can drive me back to the ship?’” Andy and his kilt made it back safe, sound and dry, and he has been wearing the special garb on special Regent nights ever since.

By the way, this is our first cruise with Andy and we're enjoying his cheerful, enthusiastic approach. Ginny and I find Andy's wife and Explorer hostess Tammy to be a delight as well.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

OK we went for the Blue Noses—and the Aquavit!—at the Crossing the Arctic Circle event. So did about 300 others!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Each Davor greeting has been personally delivered to the GM himself, and he appreciates them and gives his best regards in return. Jennifer, when I reminded him of how he had come to the aid of your friend in Auckland, he proceeded to relate the entire story. I felt like I was rereading your blog entry from that day--his memory is something else!

Crisy, I loved your Hendra photo and know someone else who will, too--thanks for sharing!

Well, we've been going going going every day since we flew to Oslo on June 10 with the exception of a rainy Sunday in Sandvika when Jess and I watched World Cup matches in his apartment while Ginny worked on a craft project. So I'm relieved to finally have a quiet day, which is what sea days are--right?

Well they can be of course, but how can I pass up at least one of Adam Tanner's two enrichment talks today, one titled "The Daring and Often Fatal Exploration of the Arctic," the other "Are Scandinavians the Happiest and Best-Off People on Earth? An Intro to the Region."

Then there's "Crossing the Arctic Circle" at 11:30 on the Pool Deck. . . "Enter the Order of the Blue Nose as the Seven Seas Explorer crosses the frigid Arctic Circle (Rumor mini note: It actually happens mid-afternoon today). Don the sacred Viking horns, shout Skal with Aquavit, and have your photo taken with a blue nose."

And then how can I miss the Greek Lunch, my favorite themed Pool Deck lunch. I think I'll keep my blue nose on for that.

And in the afternoon: Cruise Consultant Gudrun's Future Cruise Presentation (hey, I could win a $250 shipboard credit by just showing up), followed by an appointment at 3:30 with Gudrun herself--time to book another cruise.

4:30 of course means "Andy's Million Dollar Team Triva" in the Observation Lounge. This will be my first opportunity this cruise to show what I don't know, but I'm already thinking an appearance by ol' Rumor will be iffy because I'm starting to get worn out just typing up this list.

But after dinner in Pacific Rim, how can Ginny and I pass up on the Explorer Production Cast Singers' "Broadway in Concert," a "journey through Broadway's past and present."

Maybe I can do it all if I can just work in a power nap between, say, 1:30 and 1:45? It's the only slot I have open!

Rich

P.S. I am typing this on the Pool Deck. I'm definitely underdressed for the outdoors in shorts and short sleeved shirt but I'm almost toasty sitting in the comfort of the dining area, with overhead heaters conveniently spaced. I just counted 23 of them on the port side alone, and they are smartly incorporated into the wood-slat ceiling design.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

For those who adore Davor, this is his reply to the report that he will be retiring:

"Thanks for letting me know!"

The GM joined the Explorer in Southampton on May 31. He said he'll be on until Copenhagen, September 3. After vacation time back home in Croatia with wife Mirjana and son, Marin, now 17, Davor will fly to Monte Carlo to join the Voyager on November 5. Lucky us ("us" will include daughter Shauna) will get to cruise with him again on the Voyager later that month.

There will be other Regent contracts for Davor in 2019 and beyond, he said, because "I don't have any plans to retire!"

Gerry, iriswitchy and Linda and John, I loved our view of Bergen from our passing bus this morning and hope that Ginny and I will have the chance to stroll those charming streets "next time." We opted instead for an all-day tour, "Hardanger: Queen of the Fjords," after Jess read the description of this Regent Choice Excursion ($159 upcharge) and gave us his seal of approval. We were joined by 84 others and we occupied three buses, with plenty of room to stretch.

We traveled a 125-mile loop that included a 10-minute ferry ride (Hatvik-Venjaneset), a visit to an historic church in the village of Holdhus that's owned by the Norwegian National Trust, a walk up to--and behind--the Steinsdalfossen waterfall in Norheimsund, and a buffet lunch of Norwegian favorites at the 19th Century Hotel Sandven, also in Norheimsund.

As for "the Queen," we had one picture postcard view after another as we cruised along highway 48 on what turned out to be a sunny, lovely day! Alas, the only opportunity we had to photograph the fjord from outside our passing bus was on the hotel grounds. I'm not blaming Regent's tour operator for the lack of photo ops, as I didn't see any turn-outs for buses along this route. Luckily I got a few shots that I'm happy with.

We didn't return to the ship until about a half hour before we were due to set sail, and I felt grateful it wasn't later after viewing more than a mile's worth of parked cars on the other side of the highway as we returned to Bergen on highway 7. There had obviously been some type of event, I’m guessing a bad accident.

The Holdhus Church in Holdhus dates back to 1306. When the original building, a Stave, was torn down in 1726 it was replaced with this timber-framed one.

Toril, our church guide, stands beneath the church’s most valuable possession, a sculpture of Mary and the Christ Child that is Norway’s only painted stone sculpture from the Middle Ages.

View of Hardangerfjorden from a passing bus.

Another view of the Queen from the grounds of Hotel Sandven. The band of white in the distance is the Folgefonna glacier.

At the Steinsdalfossen waterfall, Norway’s most popular. . .

. . . because it’s fun to be able to walk behind a roaring waterfall, not get wet, and be able to take some fun pics!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Docked—blue sky, come back! (Packed our rain-proof jackets and umbrellas just in case.)

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

If that was a distraction, Gilly, please continue to distract away! Thanks for the check-in and happy/safe travels.

We’re sailing into Bergen and what do I see? Blue sky! Jess had cautioned us that, like Ketchikan, rain is measured in feet in Bergen—14 last year—so weather wise, we’re off to a promising start. It definitely feels chillier!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Linda, I have another Copenhagen restaurant possibility for you: Olive Kitchen and Bar. We wanted to eat there our first night in the city but it was fully booked. Liked the ambiance and the menu. You can easily Google it.

Bob, thanks for the check in. I think we flew out at about the same time you began your Venice to Venice blog. What I’ve managed to read is delightful and your photos are great. Please continue to blog—we need you on this board!

I should be sawing wood by now, as we have a 7.5 hour excursion in Bergen tomorrow. But I can’t turn in without lavishing a few words of praise for the Regent Production Team’s “World Beat,” a celebration of dance and music from around the world. It’s simply the best post Jean Ann Ryan production we’ve had the pleasure to feast our eyes and ears on. It’s an extremely demanding production, but this first rate cast never faltered.

We were so jazzed by “Big Beat” that we decided to continue the evening with a go at Music Trivia with Ross and Tammy in the Observation Lounge. We tied for first and made new friends in our teammates Linda and Ralph.

I just realized why I have more pep than usual tonight—dessert! Not just any dessert. . . the Iced Cappuccino Parfait with Caramel and Chocolate Sauce. It appears on the CR menu usually no more than once a cruise, and when I see it, I pounce!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Ah, the Kristiansand Volunteer Sailaway Escort Service!

As we left the jet skiers frolicking in our wake we passed this lighthouse:

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Happy for that, Boatmans Lady, and thanks for the kind words.

Here are some glimpses of our very pleasant--the weather was spectacular!--three-hour Hollen, Sogne & the Vest Anderson Open Air Museum excursion today.

White was the most expensive paint color in olden Kristiansand days, due to a key ingredient, zinc, being in short supply. So people of modest means could only afford to paint the front of their homes white, using more reasonably priced paints for the sides. (The cheapest color was yellow, made from a certain everyday product.)

Vintage storage house at the open air museum.

Figurehead of an unknown ship, circa late 1800s (open air museum).

Seventeenth Century thinking?: Men once got the window seats at The Old Church (circa 1630) in nearby Sogne, while women were relegated to the other side of the aisle. "The belief was that women would be easily distracted sitting near the windows," according to our museum guide, Julia.

Altar at The Old Church.

In the town of Hollen we walked "Skippers' Street," once populated by ship captains, traders and other wealthy types and regarded as the toniest address in town. We saw several front porches like this one, with his and hear facing seats.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk