The Purple Penguin

Didn’t get to update last night because Joe went out drinking. Until gone midnight. He claims it was work, but it was drinking. The last day of his conference was yesterday; today he was in the office.

So yesterday we had breakfast and then I headed down to Circular Quay to figure out the ferries. Got on the ferry to Parramatta and had a lovely trip up the Parramatta River. Saw loads of water birds. As you go up the river narrows until it ends in Parramatta in a weir. The river isn’t navigatable from that point. The places I wanted to see were opposite ways along the river and as I’d left a bit late I could only do one direction. I went to Elizabeth Farm and Experimental Farm.

It’s a lovely walk along the river. Not sure about the town as I didn’t really go in, just along the river to the historical homes. It was a bit hotter up there and had to climb up to the houses. Both are really lovely. I spent time at Elizabeth Farm wandering about on my own. It’s a living museum with all replicas, so you can sit in the chairs, read the books, touch and look at everything. It’s quite a nice place. As an added bonus there was a bushy tail possum hanging out in the oak tree in the courtyard, nomming on oak leaves. 

I then walked over to Experimental Farm and they do tours there. I wasn’t really given the option not to have the tour and I got the impression I may have been the only visitor that day! The volunteers are very nice and chatty and the home is interesting. It was called Experimental Farm because it was a social experiment to see if the convicts could sustain themselves, not because they were experimenting to see if crops would grow. 

From the farmhouse you could see the smoke plume from the bush fires. The city has been smoky all week and tonight it’s all yellowy orange light and dim. Very overcast heavy humid sort of day. Yesterday was bright sunshine! So the ferry trip was lovely in the sunshine.

Up a little later this morning, but still early. Took our time getting ready, then had breakfast, then Joe headed off to the office. I went off to figure out a bus route to Elizabeth Bay House. That’s the 311 which does a bit of a loop around Sydney – I got off and got back on the bus at the exact same stop and the return trip was quite different from the trip out! 

Elizabeth Bay is lovely and the house is beautiful. The oval saloon with the sweeping staircase is wonderful and I really enjoyed looking around. There weren’t loads of people there either, but they did start coming in as I was leaving. Looked like they may have been doing a lunch in the dining room.

Decided to have a shorter quieter day today and sort out stuff. So back at the room updating the blog and sorting! Will try to get photos up later!

Yesterday we arrived 6am at Sydney Airport. Let’s be more specific, Sunday 1 December, cause we’re now in the future! We left the UK on Friday night and skipped Saturday (though we were in Doha for Saturday morning). Most of Sunday was spent staying awake. This involved walking out to the Opera House and Harbour Bridge, and meeting a work colleague who was out for his morning run. It’s a small world sometimes. Then meeting up with a friend for brunch and, later, dinner. Then finally falling into bed and sleeping.

One other thing we did was to buy some local sim cards so we could stay in contact. You can get pay as go for a one-off cost that last about a month with unlimited calls and texts in Australia and some international countries and 35gb of mobile data. So that was a deal. If you want to do this, be warned that you have to register the sim and it won’t take a foreign address; but it did take the hotel address! It will also require your passport number and full name as on the passport.

Today, Monday, I went to work in the Sydney office. Kathleen did holiday stuff, because she’s not working.

K: That’s cause Joe’s here to do a meeting thing for the first week, then work with the Sydney office for the second week. I’m not. But it’s ok, because of the meeting we get to be in Australia for a few weeks. 

Joe left out that yesterday we walked around The Rocks and the market there (it’s there at weekends). Don’t really remember what we saw as we were very tired, but do remember some porcelain pins and jewelry that were very nice. Then we went to the MCA (Museum of Contemporary Art) to meet our friend. We ate in the cafe there – it’s on the top floor with an excellent view over the harbour. Except there was a huge cruise ship in port, so the view was blocked by that. Still a nice view. Then we walked back toward the hotel – we had checked in when we arrived but couldn’t get keys until 2pm. So we rested and unpacked and showered before dinner, then out to China Town for dinner and the best sweet dumplings. The dumpling place was a tiny hole in the wall, with a really nifty dumpling machine. Go up to the window, say how many you want, hand over very little money for wonderful dumplings. 

Today I went to the office with Joe, mainly because we were up early so we headed out to get breakfast. Once he was safely at the office I went out to Hyde Park and the ANZAC memorial – a large Art Deco monument. Walked down to the fountain, but skipped the Australian Museum because it’s closed. Instead I headed for the bookshop – Dymocks, which is associated with a Children’s literacy charity. So I’m looking for the section I need (the shop is very large) when I hear someone say my name. Turn around and there’s another friend – we’d been meaning to try to meet up but hadn’t managed to arrange anything. But that’s ok because we just randomly ran into each other. Hooray! So planning for dinner next week and a catch-up.

I then headed back to the Rocks and had a look around some of the small alleyways and older buildings. Went to the Tourist info and then into the tourist shopping area, before heading to The Rocks Discovery Centre which is a lovely tiny little museum. As it was getting to be later afternoon, headed back to the hotel to meet up with Joe when he finished work. Now trying to decide where to go for dinner – I know where to get great dumplings!

Guess where we are! 

Stayed at Gatwick last night – had dinner at home then headed out to Gatwick, but as the Gatwick Express was running late or even cancelling trains it took us a bit longer then we planned. But it was just to get to the hotel and sleep before flying out the following day, so.

Up early, drop off keys, head to check in for the flight. For some reason we flew to Rome. Joe thinks it gives us more time. Which is good, but flying is pretty miserable. But we survived. Just. Actually, it wasn’t too bad – our seats were on different rows and different sides of the plane, so Joe asked at check-in if we could please sit together. Pretty please. And so he moved out seats. To the premier extra room seats. Whoa. And there was a fluffy nun – well, fleecy nun. She had a cope in fleece! So a nun’s habit in fleece! Lots of people watching.

Flew over the Alps and argued about where we might be. But clear skies so lovely views over the mountains and along the Italian coast. Saw what we think was Corsica. Maybe. Landed a bit late, sorted train tickets while waiting for our bag, and then headed off for the train at a run so we didn’t miss it. Relaxing ride to the main station and short walk to the hotel (walked right to it) and got settled in before heading out again.

By the way, in Rome hotel rooms have paintings on the ceiling. Well ours does. 

Once all settled we headed back out again, trying to get to the Pantheon before it closed. Joe claimed I stopped to gawk too much, but I think it was just the right level of gawking. Lots of lovely little streets, old buildings, courtyards, and Roman ruins. Had to stop and look at Foro de Augusto but missed Trajan’s Market so have to go back that way! Made it to the Pantheon with plenty of time to spare and spend a good bit of time inside admiring the building, then walking around the outside. Joe got some photos. It was crowded but not as bad as we feared. 

We also got some gelato then started walking back toward our hotel via the Trevi Fountain. Stopped for a look, but way too crowded! On the way back to the hotel stopped for dinner – really nice meal. Now sleepy – planning lots more walking tomorrow and lots of ancient Roman stuff on Saturday! 

Not Joe. 

No, it’s actually dry! Cloudy and we had rain all the way down to Bergen (with small gaps that allowed Joe to get more photos). Finished packing this morning and took the bags out for collection on our way to breakfast. After breakfast, back to the cabin to check it over to make sure didn’t forget anything, grab our small bags and up to deck 7 to sit at the bow and watch the rain. And bounce. It was a bit rough. Top tip for travelling by ship: if you’re susceptible to seasickness or don’t know if you are, do NOT go to the highest part of the ship closest to the bow. If you have small children do NOT go to the highest part of the ship closest to the bow. The best place is as low as you can get, usually as low with windows (on Hurtigruten that was deck 4) and in the centre (on Hurtigruten the very handy lobby with seats!) So yeah, one man, two very small, very unhappy children and a whole group of adults fed up with him.

We got into Bergen about half an hour late, the winds were really slowing us down. But it cleared enough and there was enough light (YAY!) to actually see the scenery. And pretty sure I saw a sea eagle. YAY! So a nice day cruising south, with lunch. Then off the ship, onto the bus and off to the hotel. The bus took just as long as walking did. But got in quickly and got checked in and have a wonderful room with a view out over Bryggen!

So dinner tonight was early – 17:30 – and we were due on the walking tour of the fishing village at 18:40. So we were a bit stressed as dinner stretched out. We’re sitting in a group of eight, us and three other couples (well, two couples and a pair of women who are travelling together). Two of us were going on the tour and the other two tables were not. We were suppose to be getting our food quickly so we could make the tour, so the two tables were eating while the others were making comments about being hungry. Then one of the people not going said ‘well, I’m going to enjoy my dinner nice and slow. And take my time over pudding’. Ha! We docked at Svolvær while we were having dinner.

After quickly eating, frantic back to the room to put on outwear and dash back down to deck 3 (we’re on deck 5) to disembark and find the minibus. We all made it and headed out, just over the bridge. Our guide pointed out the mayor’s house and then talked about the growth of Svolvær as a fishing town. We got a lot of information in our tour. Got to see the drying racks up close, the inside of an old fishing hut (kept as it was as a museum), Joe tried dried stock fish, and we saw the old shop which is now a reception area for renting out the fishing huts which have been done up as holiday lets. We also were in the art gallery for the grandson of the man who founded the fishing industry – Gunnar Berg. The family have build the gallery and it holds about 15% of his work (if I’m remembering correctly!) Lots of interesting information about the town and people and lots of stories. The tour was well worth it.

It’s been interesting, as we’re out of season we’re pretty much getting private tours. This tour, the guide was unlocking the museum buildings and turning on the lights just for us. With the lack of sunlight here, I’ve completely lost any sense of time; so I keep feeling like we’re being allowed to tour late at night! But it’s been really nice.

We actually made it back to the ship a bit early! So went and got out of our wet clothes (it was snowing off and on while we were out) and headed for the bar on deck 7 where Joe had a whisky and I had hot chocolate. The entertainment tonight was ‘Hurtigruten Lucky Numbers!’ With the tour organiser and hotel manager dressed in their night clothes. Hmmm. Well the tour organiser also had a bright red wig with horns, so probably a troll. Tomorrow morning around 9:30 we cross the arctic circle back into daylight!

And we’re actually getting a bit brighter. Almost had daylight today. We cross back over the arctic circle tomorrow morning.

We went up to the deck 7 bar and had a drink before dinner, had the really good seats at the bow, but couldn’t really see anything in the dark. Still nice drinks and sorted through the photos – the Norway album should be up to date, more of less! Then dinner and then a nap before getting up around half 11 to get dressed and ready for the concert in the Arctic Cathedral in Tromsø. Loads of announcements that when we came into Tromsø, the concert goers were to leave first and those with bags should wait. So I thought we needed to be on time due to other people attending. But nope, the group from the ship were the only ones there – so it was a concert just for us!

Lovely concert, really good music, and we really enjoyed it all. The cathedral is small and lovely, but unfortunately not a lot of time for photos! And when we left it was snowing heavily.

I forgot to say that Christmas day the tour organiser had organised that a group from the ship could attend the Christmas service in Vardø – the minister agreed to hold the service until they arrived. The group that went said it was really nice, they were made to feel very welcome and the service was done in Norwegian and English, and the minister kept it within time for everyone to get back to the ship. As the Captain, Chief Engineer, and Hotel Manager were all at the service as well the group figured the ship would wait! The Captain and Chief Engineer made sure they were the last to leave so they knew everyone was back on board. Put this in because the entire trip has been like that – special effort made to make sure we see and do things. So a private concert for us is becoming normal!

So we slept in today having not got to bed until gone 2am. The weather has been pretty awful – strong winds, snow and sleet squalls, and generally bleugh. But we had some light! And more tomorrow! We also went through Risøyrenna today, which is very narrow, Joe stood out on the bow and took photos. And coming into Sortland we went under a bridge where we ‘met’ the bus from the morning excursion crossing the bridge. Now that was timing! Tonight we’re doing a fishing village walk somewhere in Lofoten!

So we got off atVardø last night and watched the mad people who went ice dipping. There is a little wooden box thing with steps down and you’d go down into that and then dip yourself up to your neck to get the certificate. Not for us! But I did ask our tour operator where the fort was and got directions – at which point everyone standing on the dock headed off in the general direction (they actually headed in a slightly different direction, but still heading for where they though the fort was). We  waded through the snow to the fort and part of the way around the fort. It was too dark to do much else. At 4pm. I’m really struggling with time in the dark and the fact it was Christmas day so everything was closed just adds to my confusion!

Back onboard the ship we did laundry. Nice set up for a ship! And had dinner, which was leftovers, with Norwegian potato juice to finish. Or that’s what Joe called it. Google tells me it’s actually Akevitt (Aquavit) and drinking it told me it’s quite strong!

We headed back to our room and once our shoes were off there was an announcement of the lasso competition on deck 7. Joe and I laughed and thought about going up. So Joe got all kitted up and headed out and as soon as he was gone there was another announcement – northern lights! So I got into my outerwear in record time and out on deck 5 as I thought deck 7 would be crowded. The sky was lit up, but they were pale. Found Joe and we watched then a squall blew in – whale watching weather! We huddled together and watched the blur of the sky. When the squall blew over we saw the lights were still there and as we watched they brightened then started to swirl with red, yellow, and green. It was a wonderful display – huge and bright. We ended up staying out for quite a while watching the lights. And the lasso competition was cancelled because everyone was watching the aurora!

This morning we were up earlyish and had breakfast. At 10:15 they served an ‘energy drink’ on deck 7 as we passed the natural gas plant (the first one to export liquid natural gas in Europe). The drink was coffee, chocolate, and chilli and quite nice though a bit spicy! It was also quite thick and creamy.

We then arrived in Hammerfest where we had a tour. We thought it was a walking tour but it was by bus and only about a dozen people on it. The guide wasn’t the best, but we got a good look around the town, including the Meridianstøtten (Meridian monument), a traditional Sami house, and up to the lookout where we could see the whole town below us. It was worth it for those things alone as we’d never be able to walk to them in the time we had. Also everything in town was closed. However, all along the main street the pavements were completely clear. They were slate and electrically heated to keep them clear of snow and ice. Our guide also told us that the town was surrounded by fencing to keep out the reindeer; however, some do get into town (those must be the flying ones) and when they do the mayor gets on his pink scooter and rounds them up to get them out of town. We were welcomed to come back in summer to watch the mayor round up reindeer!

Back onboard for lunch then I napped while Joe wandered around and got photos. At some point around 4 or 4:30 (I did say it was hard to know what time it is in the dark! And it’s almost always dark, just a brief period of time when the sky is blue, sort of a twilight blue) we got an announcement about northern lights. So up and dressed and outside again to stand on the bow (or as close as we can get) and watch the sky. Another thing about watching the lights – the sky is full of stars!

And just now they announced : “Ladies and Gentlemen, this is for George Michael” and then Last Christmas started playing. So sitting here listening to Last Christmas.

Up earlyish this morning and definitely a white Christmas. Trying to remember if I’ve ever had a white Christmas and I don’t remember any. Bound to have been somewhere with snow before though. Of course it wouldn’t be Christmas without Slade and Merry Christmas Everybody. So I’m getting dressed and sure enough there’s a loud ‘It’s Christmas!’ Joe had put it on his phone and was playing it.

We docked at Kirkenes and headed out to the bus to go dog sledding. It was a large group so we were split into three groups of 20 and Joe and I were in the last group. It was based at the Snow Hotel, so we had a look inside (but didn’t get to the bar unfortunately) and then went over to see the reindeer (lovely white one), then to see the dogs and finally onto the sleds for a ride around. Very bumpy! But fun. We then had to hurry back onto the bus and back to the ship – so no time to stroll around for a look around. Maybe if we go again!

So Kirkenes is right at the Russian border. So close to the border that Joe got a ‘welcome to Russia’ text on his phone as it picked up a Russian cell tower.

Back onboard with loads of new people doing the southern journey. We’ll have a walk around Vardø around 4pm then do laundry. So an exciting end to Christmas day!

Christmas eve is the big celebration in Norway, so that’s what we did tonight! But last night, after dinner, we gathered in the bar on deck 7 and decorated a Christmas tree and sang carols in several different languages. Norwegian carols are fun and bouncy, English and German less so. We were getting tired so headed back to the cabin only to get the message that there were ‘not very bright’ northern lights. So I went out, without my coat (brr) to have a look. They weren’t as large or bright as the night before so I thought ‘meh, I’m cold’ and headed back in. So Joe says I’m already getting blase about the lights.

Up a bit earlier today but I didn’t bother with lunch – our excursion was 11:15 to 14:45 so they were doing brunch from 10:15. I got coffee then waited for brunch! We got ready to go, had brunch (more like lunch than brunch), then headed out for the bus to the North Cape. We docked in Honningsvåg so it was about a half hour to the North Cape. Except some people got lost so the buses had to turn around to get them. But we got to North Cape – had a very good guide who gave us information on the way. I walked out to the globe had a look then went inside and spent most of the time inside. Mainly because of the wind which really blows strongly. Joe stayed out and got photos, then about 10 minutes before we were due at the bus we met up inside and headed out to the lookout point. Which was a mad move, as the wind had really picked up. It was strong before, but a real fight to get to the lookout, where we really couldn’t see anything anyway because of the wind! Then back on the bus and more info from the guide on the ride back to the ship.

The ship left Honningsvåg and as we left we got a Norwegian traditional Christmas rice pudding which was really nice. Later in the afternoon we sailed past Finnkirka which in the winter is all lit up in different colours. Quite interesting. While we were looking at Finnkirka a small boat pulled up to our ship and a king crab fisherman boarded with some king crab. Joe and I watched the boat leave – he did a large circle and waved to us as he drove off – then headed up to deck 7 to see the king crabs.

We docked at Kjøllefjord at 17:00 and as it’s Christmas eve and the main celebration for Norwegians we’ve stayed here all evening. We don’t leave until 22:45. There was a service at 18:00, but Joe and I skipped that. We also had a huge Christmas meal – buffet dinner with all the traditional Norwegian Christmas foods. About the only thing we didn’t try was the lutefisk, but there really wasn’t any left when I got up there! We even had some king crab! Then up to the bar on deck 7 for more Christmas karoke and Father Christmas.

Tomorrow is dog sledding! Then we head back south.