Newcastle, and Hadrian's Wall, June 27th

Newcastle,

There were several tour options available for Newcastle. We always enjoy taking a Princess Cruise tour with the assurance that should we run into problems of any sort with equipment failure causing a delay in our return, the ship will wait for us . We had visited Hadrian’s Wall before, between Hexham and Carlisle. We felt it was time to renew our acquaintance.

The Wall is 73 miles long and connected Wallsend on the Tyne with Bowness on Solway Firth. In most places, the rampart was 20 feet high and 10 feet thick. Portions of the original wall still exist. It is always nice to touch the stones, sit on them, think about the construction efforts….Most of the stones were removed by local persons interested in using them to build their own homes. We were told that at least 3 major castles were built with stones from the Wall. We were able to drive along the route of the original wall, visit parts of the Wall (designated as a World Heritage Site) and view the rolling hills of Northumberland.

Gravdal to Trondheim

 

 

Gravdal (Lofoten Islands) Web Cam Photo

 

See, it's not all ocean!
Forgive me for getting this out of sequence, but I thought you might have already looked at the Lofoten Island postings and would miss this, if I put it in there.

Scenes From Bergen, June 23rd

Bergen is always everyone's favorite. It is nice to come for a 2-3 day stay, soak up the atmosphere and enjoy all the sites. From Bergen, one can take the Norway in a Nutshell one-day tour, offering the train to Myrdal, scenic train to Flaam, cruise along the fjord to Gudvangen, with a motorcoach ascent to Voss, ending with a rail journey back to Bergen. This requires a special trip to Bergen, because it cannot be done while there on a cruise day. (Be sure to click on the video link in the lower right hand corner on the "Norway in a Nutshell" page.)

 

 

 

 

After visiting Bergen for the day, the Ocean Princess will be at sea on June 24th before arriving in Dover early on the 25th.
(What would it be like to spend a few nights in a Martello Tower? I will tell you more after joining the ship.Click on the link to see Guy Ruddy's Martello Tower in Dymchurch. The five of us will be staying in the Martello Tower in Folkestone.)

Geiranger, July 22nd

The motorcoach tour from Hellesylt is a very scenic drive. When it reaches Mt Dalsniba, there is a descent into the village of Geiranger. There are many photo opportunities along the way. The ship waits in the basin below.

 

 

 

 

Hellesylt, on the Way to Geirganger--July 22nd

Not everyone will get off the ship in Hellesylt, only those on an overland trip to Geiranger. After dropping off the land tour passengers, the ship will continue through the Geirangerfjord to the town of Geiranger and wait for the tour passengers there. Those who remain on board will want to take the shuttle boat into town to explore the town, or take one of the many tours to the top of the mountain.

 

 

Trondheim, July 21st