Cruise day 11

Morning, everyone!  It's New Year's Eve and I have a muggy head from last nights lateness and, perhaps, a bit from that last drink.  Nothing that a coffee or two won't solve though.

As I think most of us do, I've been pondering on this last year with all its adventures and challenges and also looking ahead a little bit.  I won't be posting about it all, though, until I am home and settled again.  Better late than never.

13:00

We're docked at Alesund, leaving again at about 01:00, after the New Year celebrations and the fireworks.

We (Diane and I) did the organised 'walk a mile' thing this morning rather than on our own earlier and it was really good.  We 'horseshoed' around as the front was extremely windy and every 'lap' we stopped and did a few other exercises.  I thoroughly enjoyed it and am rather inclined to continue this and make it habit once I get home, especially now I have super-warm clothes that have proved themselves in Arctic temperatures and winds.  I have a sort of aim to do at least around 5,000 steps each day and it would surely help with this.

I took some photos which get lighter as sunrise neared.  Just general shots and there seem to be quite a lot - just scroll past if they're too samey!  :-).

After that, Diane went to read and I went to a talk on Norwegian myths and their possible origins.  It was a bit 'dry' but really interesting; I'm glad I went.

I'm currently in my cabin after an early lunch.  Later on, we have a coach tour of Alesund and then it is the New Year's Eve posh do.  We're not going to have all that much time to prepare after the tour so I want to wash my hair now and get my clothes, etc, all ready.

So I had better start, hadn't I?

Back later

8:20, New Year's Day

Didn't get this finished yesterday, sorry.

The trip around Alesund was a bit disappointing really.  Not because there was anything wrong with Alesund, it's a lovely town, made up of three main islands and, after a disastrous fire in 1906, many houses and other buildings were rebuilt in the Art Nouveau style.

However, it was later afternoon so getting rapidly darker and we could see very little, we couldn't go up Mount Aksla because of dodgy roads (no one's fault, but . . . ) and the tour guide wasn't that good - very droney and monotonous and some of us fell asleep - I may or may not have been one of them. 

However, we did stop at one point and were invited to get out and take photos.  Most didn't but, as it was very icy underfoot, I decided to test out the Yaktraxs and they were fantastic!  The snow was like UK snow rather than the lovely Arctic snow, nasty and icy and pretty slippery but I felt completely secure and didn't slip once.  Definitely a win so thank you to everyone who recommended them.

It was a bit of a rush to get dressed for dinner, a posh, seven course meal (if you wanted that much) and absolutely delicious.  At this point I need to apologise for the recent lack of food photos - we've all got so social, I'm talking/listening too much and just forget!

Then it was the entertainment and the New Year party.  Alesund put on a lovely firework display in the harbour for those of us on boats and I managed to catch a few OK photos.  Here you go . . .

It was altogether a fab party with a good old singsong after the countdown and the fireworks and we finally made pout way to our respective cabins at around one.  

Now, I'm a bit tired but feeling far better than I deserve.  There's no organised Mile Walk so we may do our own if the decks are safe.

Today we're cruising along the Norwegian coastline, passing by Hornelen, Norway and Europe's highest sea cliff.  Then we head out into the North Sea so fingers crossed for decent conditions!

There's just time to wish all of us  . . .

Thank you for sticking with me, reading and commenting and generally all being lovely people.  May you realise your dreams in 2024.