Tothesunset

Naughty! 😉

That looks like a wonderful itinerary. The Kiel canal transit is very special. Gute fahrt!

I'm Irish. Didn't know such things existed

Theses metric types. Give them an inch...

Of course they don't. That would ruin it.

You could start a thread discussing the correct wrench size for the head bolts on a Volkswagen Beetle and it would still end up as a dress code thread.

Isn't that sort of decoration more suited to the bedroom door of 11-year-olds?

We saw Tina Turner at the Fairmont Hotel, San Francisco in Oct 83. It must have been around the time of her first solo album. Simply awesome, she was. We then got a smile and wave from her in SF airport but only because my OH embarrassingly pointed and said, too loudly, "Oh look. It's Tina Turner!" A stunning looking lady and outrageously gifted. Tina, that is, not OH.

Paul Simon.

Very sad. What a voice. What a life.

X5 x-drive 50e. In black. Of course. 489bhp, 700 lb/ft torque. What's not to like?

It's a crazy world in the car business. Your Audi is made in Germany and you ship it to NY. My new German car is on the production line in Spartanburg SC then has to be shipped across the atlantic. Just seems odd.

Come, come. There's nobody like Mysty.

Does that sentence apply if you remove the word cruise?

Aren't there always?

SoA sailed from Bergen to Geiranger at the head of the Geiranger Fjord where we would stay overnight. I missed the sail in which was nothing at all to do with being too lazy to get up early. Well, maybe a little bit to do with that. This was a very painful day. To understand why you must know that I spent my teenage years in West Yorkshire where they cleave to thrift like a barnacle to a tea clipper. (Tea. Again!) You might well imagine, therefore, the angst caused by actually paying for a tour. No, really. We'll come on to the Fjord itself later. Geiranger town, if such it is, has a population of around 250 so our arrival quadruplified it. (That is a real word. I should know cos I just made it up. If you think about it, all words are made up. I rest my case.) Of course the fruitless Norwegian jumper hunt kept Mrs TTS quiet for a while. To be honest that's about all there is to do in this beautifully situated but otherwise unremarkable settlement. The tour, however, was rather splendid as well it might be for £69. That's my clothing budget for a decade. 3 hrs on a coach with frequent stops in geography of biblical intensity and beauty. Some snaps: SoA looking tiny: About half way through we stopped for a toilet stop. For a coachload of prostatically challenged geriatrics this could have been the highlight, if only there had been more than one toilet. However, in this age of chivalry and self-sacrifice the approach was littered with the broken bodies of grey-haired women who'd been foolish enough to get in the way of the male stampede. And then, just as the queue started to organise itself another coachload turned up. My brother-in-law endeared himself to the leg-crossers by getting himself locked in. I now understand how wars start. Clearly, such excitement whets one's appetite to be satisfied by the verandah grill's monstrously large hamburger. Not a bad setting for lunch: Tomorrow was the sail out from Geiranger, along the Fjord and back to the open sea but we shall leave you now as we spend the remainder of the day chatting, drinking and eating.

Too many Margaritas? That's like being too rich, too handsome or too kind. Reminds me of telling my sister-in-law that we always had a Margarita before dinner. Her response? "Why would you have a pizza before dinner?" I know!

No we didn't. And that's a shame. Somehow the gentle city of Bergen seems an atypical venue for heavy metal. Spent quite a bit of time searching for a Norwegian pullover that we could afford without a mortgage, though. Failed.

Bergen. After the 1st sea day we happened upon Bergen. That's the place you see on all the Norwegian tourist literature with those multi-colour wooden buildings on the dockside (bit like Copenhagen on a budget). Norway's second largest city with a population size similar to that of Leicester. That's where the comparison ends because Bergen is a clean, attractive, friendly and cosy place. The harbour is, of course, the hub of the town and has been since it's founding by German traders of the Hanseatic league. The included tour was a couple of hours on a coach with 2 or 3 stops for photos. Bergen's most illustrious son is the composer Edvard Greig, brother of cricketer Tony (I made that last bit up). He doesn't only get a statue but a whole concert hall shaped as a grand piano. The local guide was very proud of the concert hall but I have to say it's external skeleton resembles rusty girders and it's underwhelming. Doesn't lessen the master's genius, though, even if he did have an uncomfortably close affinity for composing in a minor key. Mr Greig's life-size statue (he was all of 5 feet tall in stocking feet and nightie): And the concert hall built in his honour: I'd not rush back to Bergen. It's fine. It's alright. It's OK. And it isn't Leicester. However, who goes to Norway for the cities? Lots of people, probably, but we wanted the Fjords so we shall move on.

Eeek. They might have. I don't know. I'm useless.

Fellow guests. Well, where to start? As a foursome aged 65,66,69 and 84 we probably brought the average age down about 5 years. I'm constantly surprised and also somewhat impressed by the sprightliness of nonagenarians many of whom I've got 30 years start on but couldn't hope to keep up with. Clearly, there are many guests with mobility issues and it's comforting to see how well the crew manage and how much enjoyment the less mobile get from the experience. In total there were 4 medical emergencies, one of which necessitated medevac by helicopter during the final night. Exciting stuff, unless you're one of the 4, of course. Bet the included Saga insurance came in handy. Tea. What is it about you Brits and your tea? I'm guessing the total weight of provisions in the food and beverage orders must comprise at least 50% tea bags. I think we can assume that Saga do a decent cuppa. But, and there's always a but, their coffee was, to be generous, of variable quality. I had a few very good cappuccinos; sadly, though, I also had a few cups of brown water with foam on top. Still, the other 3 in our party did their best to drink Saga out of tea and were happy with the offerings. Anyone want to hear about the ports and excursions? OK then. I'll even try to append some photos. More later.

Let's talk entertainment. But first please appreciate that we never go to the show unless there is a compelling reason. Bearing the above in mind I have only 3 experiences to relate: 1. A recital in Britannia by a Ukrainian ensemble comprising violin, viola, cello and piano. They played a couple of pieces by Sibelius and some movements from Peer Gynt in honour of Greig whose hometown of Bergen we had just visited. Well, they were superb, especially their interpretation of Hall of the Mountain King. 2. Pianist in the Supper Club. My sister-in-law was with us and since she is a professional pianist her opinion was that he was accomplished if somewhat muted. 3. And now the biggie - Ray Lewis, lead singer of The Drifters, did a show in the show lounge which had the packed venue jumping like a 70s disco. Not strictly my type of music (give me Clapton, The Who etc) yet his vocals were outstanding. This was probably the highlight of the shipborne element of the cruise. So there you go. Not much help, I suppose. We prefer to take our entertainment over a Margarita with friends in the bar. Be good, my children. More tomorrow.

I can't answer your question. I don't know what was happening in the Grill of an evening. Agree about Khukuri.

On to the restaurants, then. Let's start at the top and work down. The Grill. I think I've covered this previously but I'll try and be impartial. It seems to be very popular for breakfast, lunch and dinner and I think that's great. Why? Because it keeps people away from all the other, nicer, destinations! Actually, that's unfair. It seems that the offerings are very good, there is waiter service for bread and drinks and you can dive in, get fed and be out again in minimum time if such is your need. Also on deck 12 is the verandah which is open for food at lunchtime and benefits from outdoor seating and splendid views. The food offerings are of the fish and chips, burger variety, but what they do they do very well. The gourmet burger is exceptional. Not fun when it's windy, though. I shall ignore the Living Room. We didn't eat there and the one time I repaired there for a cappuccino it was quite busy which accounts for the 30 minute wait for service. What the snacks are like I couldn't say. (Service in Britannia was similarly glacial.) Amalfi. Nope, no idea. On boarding I rang the spec restos reservation number but could only book one speciality because apparently: a. The ship was full and b. That meant only one booking per cabin on this 7 day cruise. Disappointing but understandable. Khukuri. Loved it. Great food and very slick and personal service. Gold star. Supper Club. Was called from the wait list to say we could have a table of 4. Yes please. The food was so memorable that I can't remember what we had - must have been good; I'd have remembered otherwise. Very disappointed they don't have any live music other than some muted piano-playing. It's a supper club, for goodness sake, not a crematorium. There's plenty of choice elsewhere for noisophobes so I don't get the "live music would spoil it for many guests" nonsense. We ate in the main restaurant for all breakfasts, 4 lunches and 5 dinners (oh, and one afternoon tea). Look, I've paid good money for the cruise so I want the full shebang. We find the restaurant a very pleasant space. The service was generally good even though one or two waiters could have tried smiling and they could write down my cheese selection rather than try to remember it. Incidentally, the cheese selection is impressive and the cheeses themselves very good. Unquestionably, the standard of food prep and presentation is very high. The Exec Chef deserves top marks. The free-pour wine selection suited the 4 of us although I, in particular, have no idea about wine. Their Irish coffee is a joke, mind. Decent enough coffee but with Scotch and squirty cream! Awful. Talking of booze, we tried the Britannia lounge for cocktails but the Margaritas were weak and OH's mojito had sugar granules in the bottom of the glass. So tried same in the North Cape bar. Ditto. Then tried the Supper Club bar and bingo! Good cocktails, great service and the best waiter on the ship. Thanks, Walter. I'm as bored as you are now. Any questions at the back?

Possibly the first cruise blog that should come with a content warning: Contains themes which Silversea diehards may find distressing. What a well-considered and superbly written travelogue. Perhaps we could club together to send Mr and Mrs F on another trip just for the pleasure of reading the reports? Chapeau.