Ålesund, Norway

Hello from Ålesund, Norway!

View from the ship

It was a pretty sail in this morning and I was up early enough to capture the pilot boat speeding away.

I had one goal for the day today - to get a specific picture. But you know if I peek out my balcony and see a big group of passengers heading to their ship tour I won't be going with them.

You also know if I peek out my balcony and see a red bus or two part of my plan is already in place.

In many of the ports we've visited this trip there have been two companies running the Hop On Hop Off busses. They are both red but one says City Sightseeing on the bus and the other says Hop On Hop Off. Prices are typically the same, they both are HOHO, and I have found here in Norway they both give discounts if you have taken a previous HOHO with their specific company. It can be confusing to know which is which because the bus and the tickets don't always match. Thankfully I took old tickets from both companies just in case and found out the yellow is the Hop On Hop Off company and the Stromma is the City Sightseeing company.

Old ticket = 10% discount

With the Mein Schiff docked right next to us my bus
was full of Germany-speaking passengers

There really was only one reason I wanted to catch the HOHO today. Sure, I wanted to go around and see the sights in the city.

I'm sure there is a reason the dead tree is in the
middle of the road but I couldn't find it

Pretty cobblestones I don't have to ride on

And sure, I wanted to get out of town and see some local homes.

And sure, I wanted to see other things going on in and around the water.

Plenty of kayakers

Plenty of boats

Plenty of little islands

And sure, I needed a picture of a road sign.

But the real reason I took the Hop On Hop Off bus was to get a specific picture of Ålesund I'd seen before. I thought it would be off limits to me because of what you have to do to get it. Climb 418 steps to the viewpoint.

See the zigzag up the side of the mountain?
That's what 418 steps looks like.

But as I learned there is an easy way out. Use transportation like the HOHO bus to take you to the top where you will be rewarded with this most splendid view. While it’s not the perfect picture as I took it from inside the bus and not on the viewing platform, I’m still pleased with it.

Taken by me with no steps required!

With the photo snapped I thought I had the highlight of my day. When the bus stopped back at the ship I got off, went to the cabin to get something to drink and use the bathroom, 

Port restrooms

and sat on the balcony watching folks coming and going. Which made me want to head back out again. So Scooter and I tackled the areas around the ship not requiring cobblestones (mostly) and found more pretty sights along the waterfront. 

As we went down different streets it seemed the phone camera just couldn't capture the true beauty of this place. Strolling the area could also be considered a highlight of the day.

Be still long enough and you can watch a bumblebee at work

I stopped in a souvenir store before going back to the ship. As I've mentioned before, trolls are big in Norway. 

Must be one for every personality

I even picked up some new bling for the scooter that might just be another highlight of the day.

Hey, it's me on the scooter!

Tomorrow's itinerary reads Shetland Islands (Lerwick). Which I thinks means we'll be visiting Lerwick in the Shetland Islands. We won't be docking but will be anchored offshore and tendering to get to land - and we all have a required UK face to face immigration meeting in the morning before we're even allowed to get a tender ticket. 

Crossing my fingers I'll either see Lerwick or the Shetland Islands or both. See you then!

Haugesund, Norway

Hello from Haugesund, Norway for the second time this summer!

View from the ship

When we were here exactly a month ago I took the Hop On Hop Off bus for a tour of the area. Today I actually scootered around on some of the same streets I took pictures of from the bus last time.

But it almost wasn't to be. Every morning at breakfast I slowly sip my water and cranberry juice, not letting one glass get more than a quarter of an inch lower than the other. Slowing things down and focusing on the glasses allow me to practice being still, silent, and calm. If it's a sea day it works great. When it's a port day, I find it much more difficult to quiet my mind. 

Slow and steady

There was a time when I was adventurous and spontaneous and was up for anything. Now my mind starts playing out scenarios beforehand. 

Will the shuttle bus take the scooter? 

Will there be hills? 

Will there be cobblestones?

Do I have the stamina to make it?

But then I catch myself and remember whatever I do it'll be enough. Then when I come back to the cabin and get ready to head out, I second guess myself again. Tell myself I don't have to go out if I don't want to. Then I second guess myself again (can you third guess yourself?) and know I need to tell a story for the day. Thank goodness the blog keeps me accountable or I'd be fourth guessing myself. 

So yes, I did go out today. And for the first time saw the shore side power I've heard about for years. The ship taps into this when in port so they can turn off their non-environmentally friendly engines.

Plug her in!

Yes, the shuttle bus took the scooter. For 70 NOK ($7 USD) I was able to take the shuttle to town. I thought last time the shuttle bus dropped off at the waterfront, but this time it dropped off at the top of the hill near the Vår Frelsers Church.

Yes, there were hills. 

I have to go down this to get to the waterfront???

Getting closer

Once at the bottom of the hill I was rewarded with beautiful views of the marina area.

Unfortunately for me, what goes down must go back up.

It's a long steep climb

After dragging Scooter all the way up the hill and
multiple sit down breaks, we're almost there!

Yes, there were cobblestones. And square blocks and wavy blocks.

At the top of the hill I strolled/rolled down the side streets where all the shops were and just looked around. It was early so it wasn't too busy yet. 

The local florist

These were so pretty I didn't think they were real. But they were!

A llama mama

I contemplated picking one up for even more bling for Scooter

Reindeer hides

Yes, I did have the stamina to make it back. After my outing I took the shuttle bus back to the ship, sat outside in the sun on a lounge chair for a while, and then almost couldn't get up because I hurt so much. 

Soaking up the rays in Norway

The benefit of not being able to get up? The workers were varnishing the floor near my lounger and I was sitting downwind and...I caught a whiff of it. Add varnish to my smell list!

See the darker brown? That's a newly varnished floor - and a new smell for me.

My health app tells me I took more steps today than I have in the past two years. Being those were uphill and on cobblestones and while pulling a scooter and on feet that aren't supposed to be walking I think those should count as quadruple the steps. While I did have the stamina to make it back, it's going to have to be another arthritis strength ibuprofen/extra strength acetaminophen/scalding hot shower/in bed before 8 PM kind of day if I have any hopes of salvaging tomorrow. Ålesund, Norway I'm coming your way!

Return of tastes and smells post-Covid: 

Tastes - Maple fudge

Smells - Rosemary, lavender, brief whiff of sunscreen on my face, strawberry body spray, pine body spray, varnish being applied