9.29.22 - 10.8.22 Amsterdam, Viking Venus, Bergen to Oslo train

 9/29/22 

This morning the ship arrived at our final port in Amsterdam. Such beautiful weather!! We disembarked at 8AM and took a quick 15 minute ride to our Hotel Esthera.

We dropped off our luggage, had a coffee and then took a leisurely 30 minutes walk to the Van Gogh Museum. They have the largest collection of his works. Over 200 paintings. We had a private tour and learned so many things.

Did you know that it is possible that the French painter Paul Gauguin is the one that cut off his ear. There is also some evidence to support Van Gogh being shot by someone else meaning he didn't commit suicide. Saw many of the famous paintings. Also a few that I have never heard about inspired by his interest in the Japanese style.

We had lunch at the Hansel and Gretel cafe. Beef croquettes and Weiner schnitzel. Both very good. Plus a couple of local beers that weren't called Heineken. We have just one night in Amsterdam. We will have a canal cruise tomorrow morning and then will embark on the Viking Venus for a cruise to Norway.

The best surprise of the day was the message from Katarina Repkova that she could meet us in Amsterdam tonight. What a lovely reunion.

9/30/22

We took a wonderful private canal cruise through Amsterdam this morning.

The only hiccup was trying to get out of the boat. The captain pulled up to a very steep side of the river and we let him know we'd need to be closer to a ladder.

10/1/22

Great first day onboard Viking Venus. Such an easy embarkation. Had a great dinner of Norwegian fish soup, beef tartare and Red Thai chicken. The beef tartare was some of the most flavorful that I have eaten. An love the presentation of the quail egg. Served with truffle butter and toast points. How fancy!! Finished dinner with a huge cheese plate.

Today (Saturday) we have a sea day sailing the North Sea, with a stop tomorrow in Skagen Denmark - another new country for this trip. After that will start multiple days of Norway ports.

10/2/22

Today was a stop in Skagen Denmark. Pronounced "Skayen" - almost like the BeeGees "Stayin Alive". We had a short city tour and some of the surroundings including some interesting dunes and a buried church built in the 14th century.

The dunes keep eroding and nature pushes them northward, further extending the northern tip of Denmark. And at the same time making the middle of the country narrower. I loved how the clouds were just hanging down.

Having a pre dinner snack of blue cheese on buttered rye bread. Tonight's dinner will be in the Italian specialty restaurant Manfredi's. One of my favorite restaurants on any cruise line. They have an amazing marinated rib eye!!

10/3/22

Yesterday was a stop in Oslo. We had such perfect weather. Oslo can be rainy, windy and/or cold. We had none of those conditions as the sky was a bright blue and the temperature reached over 65°F.

Our included excursion was a tour of the east and west sides of the city. The east side is nicknamed Manhattan and you would think you're in NYC from the look and feel.of some.of the architecture. We had a walking tour of the Vigeland Sculpture Park. It is the largest sculpture park in the world with over 200 pieces in bronze and granite. All created by Gustav Vigeland. The overall theme of the park is the circle of life. Each statue and sculpture evokes a certain emotion. And Vigeland also decided that all his works would show the subjects in the nude. So if nudity is shocking to you, this probably isn't the place for you.

There were some fascinating pieces showing the progression of life from birth, to dating, to marriage, divorce and death. Vigeland may have been eccentric but he knew how to create pieces that make you think.

We also visited a ski jump platform. Ski jumping is practically the national sport in Norway. Children are taught to ski soon after they learn to walk. We only had twenty minutes to visit here. We bought admission to the museum (160 Krone/adult - about $15 USD). Really needed more time to explore the museum which had a full history of ski jumping. But it also allowed us access to the funicular which took you all the way to the top of the jump. Terrific views from here. And they also had a zip line!!

After lunch on the ship, we walked to the nearby Opera House. On the way we saw some floating saunas. You can rent these and they were all occupied so apparently quite popular. In addition to being a concert venue, the Opera House also serves as an elevated public park. It is a very popular place for locals and tourists to go, especially on such a great day.

After visiting the Opera House we found a burger bar and had gin and tonics with local gin, a tasty bacon burger, grilled cauliflower and the best sweet potato fries I have ever had. So crispy and well seasoned!

We also took advantage of the great weather by exploring all the outdoor pools on the ship. There is an infinity pool in the aft. It was probably about 70°F so not a water temperature for everyone. But there was also a nearby hot tub for warming up.

Dinner onboard was a tasty sweet potato soup, a smoked salmon dish that was complimented by apples, celery and salmon roe and a grilled salmon fillet topped with crab meat.

The theater had a very good Beatles Songbook show. The production cast did an amazing job with the famous Lennon and McCartney harmonies.

Today we are in Kristiansand. While it is the fifth largest city in population, it is more like a small town For comparison, Oslo has about one million people. Kristiansand has 100K.

10/4/22

Today was a stop in Kristiansand, the fifth largest city in Norway with a population of about 100K. We had a walking tour which included a fish market, fortress, waterfront and a church. Many of the apartment complexes have community gardens. And most residents here own their own homes versus renting.

After the tour we found a food truck serving doughnuts. We went with plain, but you could have them dipped in various toppings. It was 20 Norwegian Kroner (about $2 USD) for two doughnuts.

Also took a stroll up the main shopping street. They have a tribute to breast cancer survivors. And don't worry. Burger King, McDonald's and Starbucks are well represented for your fast food needs.

Tonight there will be a deck party with live music from the house band as we sail away towards Stavanger, our next port of call.

10/5/22

It was a wonderful cruise from Stavanger to see Preikestolen - aka Pulpit Rock. The weather was a bit foggy so we weren't sure we'd see it at all. On the way we saw many salmon farms. Had a snack of Norwegian waffles with sour cream and jam. Had a stop at a cool looking cave and a magnificent waterfall. Visited some billy goats just hanging out on a cliff. And we were able to see Pulpit Rock just below the clouds. It was a bit rainy - but that is typical got Norway. And without the rain, that waterfall wouldn't have been so spectacular.

We decided to not take the afternoon walking tour and just relax in a padded chaise by the window. Tomorrow we will be in Flam.

10/6/22

Tonight we sail away from Flam, our last port of call on this cruise. We took a scenic rail ride on the Flam Railway and saw some epic waterfalls..

We stopped for some waffles and coffee then took the train back to Flam. Tomorrow we will be in Bergen to disembark and get ready for the next leg of the race.

10/7/22

Today we started the third leg of the trip!! After disembarking the Viking Venus at 7:30 AM, we took one of the most iconic train rides in the world: The Bergen-Oslo line!! This is a 308 mile journey through a variety of landscapes, weather and climate. Captivating waterfalls as you head out of Bergen. Beautiful landscapes through the snowcapped mountains. Large stretches of farmland where hay and cabbage are common crops. And more heavily populated areas as you get closer to Oslo. It takes roughly seven hours with several local station stops along the way. I highly recommend the Pluss car which has a lot more leg room, larger tables and a small couch in the coffee lounge. I was just enjoying all the beauty so no pictures to share.

Staying just one night in Oslo at the Amerikalinjen hotel which is a quaint hotel with quirky rooms. We had dinner at the hotel restaurant. After only having food from the snack car on the train, some comfort food was in order. Short ribs and a pasta dish which had shredded beef and a super smooth cheese sauce that tasted like cheddar. And I needed a few vegetables to balance out the meal so I got a seasonal salad which was mostly fresh arugula and pickled onions with a light vinaigrette. They also have a special house beer that is a collaboration with a local brewery.

10/8/22

Up early for the transfer to the Oslo airport. We were so excited when our transfer was a Tesla!