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You can lose everything, but nobody will take away what you saw and what you experienced...
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Sep 13, 2023 08:00 PM Flam - to Brekkefossen Waterfall!
Flam is probably the nicest port visited on this voyage. It is located at the end pf narrow fjord with high mountains around. The tiny port can accommodate only one ship at a time. Only 12 deg. Celsius in the morning. I grab from the tourist office the free map, and started the walk to the waterrfall visible high on the green slope. First part it was easy, flat walk. But later the trail turned right to the steep gravel path climbing up through the forest. Soon it converted into stone stairs. Locals say that Himalayan Sherpa built them. It is very sweaty trail! But the view at the end of the path was magnificent! On the level of 160 m there is excellent viewpoint offering not only the good pistures of 150-m high waterfall but also the landscape of the fjord. The sun appeared and I decided to spend there about half an hour enjoying the views.
The return to the road was a killing-knees experience. Stone steps are high and that is normal. In the afternoon I visited a little cultural park established on the hill opposite the port. From the well- mantained paths there is a nice view of the cruise ships docking in the Flam's port. Great day!
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Sep 12, 2023 08:00 PM Nordfjordeid
This fjord is more than 20 kms long with the small town at the mouth of the river. The morning was nt so optimistic: they do not have a pier here so we are forced to use the tender to reach the land. It was foggy with some rain. But when I apeared on the othe open, 16th deck at 9.30 it cleared up. I was waiting 40 min in the line to get to the tender despite the tender tickets they distributed. This was the show how NOT to work! Shame on you you , MSC! On the land except one small church and coastal walkway there is not much to see. I decided to take the path uphill from the second bridge. Zero information, the city map is poor. I crossed wet meadow and on the level of 90 m found the gravel road heading west on the slope. Nobody will tell you that, bbut this empty gravel road could be called scenic road. It will take you to the waterfall - with great views of the fjord and our ship with many rainbows. After some 2 km I found branch road going down to the farm amd main coastal road. This was the highlight of the day! At the pier 300 people was waiting in the line to be taken to the ship. Crew man work like a snails - shame on you again MSC!
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Sep 11, 2023 08:00 PM Maloy - 3000 inhabitants
Maloy lies o the island, connected to continental Norway by the new bridge. Surrounded by mountains Maloy offers great landscape. Staff from the ship offers defferent, but expensive tours. I decided to climb the Veten mountain (612 m above the sea) for the views - on my own. It was sunny in the morning so it was easy to climb the stairs heading up between the neat houses. Finally my GPS took me to the town stadium on the level around 150 m. Left from the stadium a nice path will take you to the official view point no 1 - from this point you enjoy the view of the fjord and the bridge... Right from the stadium the poor and steep road will take you to the hut built at the dam. Artificial lake at the bottom of Mt Veten is very picturesque and you can go around it. But where is the trail to the summit? No signs... Finally with the help of GPS I found the ummarked beginng of the poor, wet path. But the rain started. I was waiting half an hour under umbrella (no shelter!) expecting the change of the weather. No chance! So it was a time to start the walk down. I enjoyed the view of our ship in the fjord - see the picture!
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Sep 10, 2023 08:00 PM Sailing to the north...
In the night we experienced heavy fogg - out ship was whistling every minute or so and I did not sleep much. But it is day at sea! Time to relax, rest and enjoy. My cabin steward from Madagascar make the cabin quickly and I had a time to have a nap after lunch. In the evening another good show - Circus 1920 - very funny... I attended also captains cocktail - this is occasion to have a free drinks (normally you pay 7 euro for the beer of glass of wine). Tomorrow we will reach first fiord.
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Sep 09, 2023 08:00 PM To Copenhagen....
Early wakeup! At 5.15 am I was already in the Gdansk airport... Flight to Amsterdam was full! But I fly to Copenhagen! Well, sometimes it is less expensiwe or more convenient to fly around to your final destination... Once in Copenhagen I bought the 3- zones ticket for metro (30 DKK) and jumped on the train of line2. Then connection in Kongens Nytorg to line 4... At final metro stop - Ocean Kaj I was forced to wait 20 minutes for the bus 25 heading to the cruise terminal. There are 3 terminals one by one - my brand new ship - Euribia was waiting near terminal 3 - some 400 m walk from the bus stop.
Wow! My "studio" cabin is cosy (but dark). A lot of new technology... Great inside promenade on the deck 6... We sailed away at 6 pm. At 7.30 show in the theater. You have to book your place online!
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Sep 08, 2023 08:00 PM New, interesting ship!
I almost always traveled on old, inexpensive ships because they were the cheapest for the budget traveller like me :). I didn't care about luxury. What mattered was what I saw and what I experienced. But here came the opportunity to take a week-long cruise on the newest ship of the MSC company - "Euribia". In a single cabin and at an incredibly low price. Maybe MSC appreciated that I've been doing several cruises a year with them lately? So I set off - from CPH to Kiel in Germany and to the southern fjords of Norway - curious about the latest technologies apparently used on this ship. This won't be a long expedition. You will find "hot" messages from the route of this trip, as always, in my travel log.
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Aug 29, 2023 08:00 PM Barcelona to Gdansk
The cheapest way to get to Barcelona airport is to take public bus 46 from Plaza Espanya. It cost only 2,40 euro per person. But from our pension it is 3 kms to Plaza Espanya and it os hot, hot to carry your backpack to Espanya. I decided to take Aerobus from nearby Plaza Catalunya (6,75 euro) to Terminal 2 where low-cost carriers are boarding their passengers. It took us half an hour with only two intermediate stops.
Ryanair flight 333 to Gdansk was delayed 45 min...
And it is already happy end of the two teenagers with their grandfather. Everything was according to the plan, except side trip from Tulon to Marseille cancelled because lack of the time (ship docked out of Toulon - this require extra time for transfer to the centre of Toulon).
We landed in wet and cloudy Gdansk. The boys are going back to school on the day after tomorrow. memories will remain...
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Aug 28, 2023 08:00 PM Walk around Barcelona
Yes. There are buses offering sightseeing, but I always prefere to walk around, to feel the atmosphere of the city. We went to the Arch the Triomphe. It is little known attraction - elegant garden with the palms well worth a visit. Then we took a long walk to Plaza Espanya where former bull are is converted to the shopping center. From the plaza a great view opens to the Museum of Art - like a palace located on the the hill. There is big Magic Fountain at the bottom of the hill, but ot does not work during the day. People say you can see it working only at 9 pm...
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Aug 27, 2023 08:00 PM Stormy night on the way to Barcelona
The sea was very rough at night, but in the morning in the port of Barcelona we enjoyed nice weather. It was a time to say goodbye to our ship. Through the Europa Bridge ee were walking to the column of Columbus and then along the famous Rambla promenade to our Arosa Pension near the Plaza Catalunya. The location is very central, but it is expensive - 120 euro for triple room with shared bath. My grandsons are in Spain for the first time... It is not far from our pension to the famous cathedral...
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Aug 26, 2023 08:00 PM Sunday in France
When I went at 6 am to the open deck of our ship it was still dark and it was raining. We were just approaching Toulon in France. At the breakfast time short storm was possing by. Then, at 9.30 am we decided to go ashore because rain stopped. The cruise line is cheating passengers: we are docking not in Toulon , but on the other side of the bay - far away from the city center. They offer round trip sailong to the center on little water tram charging extra 20 euro for round trip. Tourist info in the pier will not tell you that some 400 m away (second street to the right after the port gate) is a little jetty. Local mororboats are taking people from there for just 2 euro to the city. Toulon is not a big city, especially the old town is very compact. There is a Maritime Museum near the entrance to the hige naval base. It is also worth to see Liberty Square with the fountain. The cathedral is old but poor. 2 kms east we wisited nise Lido beach before returning to the ship.
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