We are back in sunny Coundon Towers and I don't think we will actually be pining for the fjords anytime soon. I think we have had a truly wonderful fill of them.. We did have a very good trip and Norway has absolutely stunning scenery. 
Three of the four towns we visited were interesting and quite pretty and we had a nice time in each one.... but we were disappointed that there was very little Aurora! Of course you can't order nature and to be fair as I think I might have said before - sitting on the back of a ship, in the middle of the sea, in a wind chill factor of minus 17, in a blizzard is quite an experience in itself.
To make up for the loss of Aurora we have some beautiful blue, gloriously blue sky days which just set off the snow on the mountains and the pretty painted houses absolutely brilliantly, followed by some wonderful sunsets which made the windows dazzle and the mountains glow pink.
Three of the four towns we visited were interesting and quite pretty and we had a nice time in each one.... but we were disappointed that there was very little Aurora! Of course you can't order nature and to be fair as I think I might have said before - sitting on the back of a ship, in the middle of the sea, in a wind chill factor of minus 17, in a blizzard is quite an experience in itself.To make up for the loss of Aurora we have some beautiful blue, gloriously blue sky days which just set off the snow on the mountains and the pretty painted houses absolutely brilliantly, followed by some wonderful sunsets which made the windows dazzle and the mountains glow pink.Once again we met some canny people - this was the diffence to the time before ... it was a ship largely populated by notherners - who were fun and chatty and were interested in the stars and hats off (or rather....fit as many hats on as you can wear) to those people who stuck it out on deck along with the two astronomers, for hours and hours on end in the freezing temperatures. Having those people on board to chat with did make a huge difference to the enjoyment of the cruise.
Theres no escaping the fact that the food on this ship is very disappointing... so much so that we bothered less with main meals but enjoyed the very excellent breakfasts, tasty afternoon teas and then the extremly not very healthy for you supper club. The food at these services was tasty and filling (although not alot of vege.. but then there was a distinct lack of veg at main meals..). having said that its very pleasant to be served food without the fuss of having to shop, cook or clean up so maybe I'm being a bit harsh there🤣 (and also you have to remember that as 'crew' we have to eat in the cafe bit rather than the posh restaurant)
Theres no escaping the fact that the food on this ship is very disappointing... so much so that we bothered less with main meals but enjoyed the very excellent breakfasts, tasty afternoon teas and then the extremly not very healthy for you supper club. The food at these services was tasty and filling (although not alot of vege.. but then there was a distinct lack of veg at main meals..). having said that its very pleasant to be served food without the fuss of having to shop, cook or clean up so maybe I'm being a bit harsh there🤣 (and also you have to remember that as 'crew' we have to eat in the cafe bit rather than the posh restaurant)Everything else on the ship delivered as promised. The staff are really helpful and friendly - the ship is comfortable and clean and there seems to be a pretty varied program to keep most people occupied and out of trouble🤣... and althouh its constantly noisy.. quizes, music, speakers, it is possible to find a quiet(er) corner to sit and contemplate the world, watch the scenary go by, read a book or chat to a new friend. Working on the ship.. even just as a glamorous assistant did provide a great opportunity to see a new part of the world and that experience is much appreciated.
We've got a few months before we need to be ship shape again so time for some real adventures - I'll be blogging our new (to us) campervan experiences... and we are heading up north to bonny Scotland for a jolly in a couple of months...
Welcome back to dry land 🙂 Shame about lack of aurora action, but it was good to see your foties of places we recognized... I think on the big cruise ships you probably can't get the same sense of the places as on the smaller Hurtigruten boats, which manage to squeeze through the smaller gaps and get closer to the little settlements up and down the coast... 🚢 See you soon xx
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