The Last Three Ports and Heading Home

The Last Three Ports: Egypt, Greece and Croatia
After Italy, we thought our next stop was Istanbul but because of the bombings the plans were changed and we sailed to Alexandria. The Field Office did a spectacular job of putting together 7 trips and I spent the 3 days in Cairo. I never expected to be so insprired by the pyramids. I didn't think I could be more inspired than I was at Pompeii but standing at Giza and at Saqqara left me speechless. We had an incredible guide, Bahgat, for three days who called us all Habibi and we called him that in return. He talked openly with all of us about ancient history, women's rights, marriage, etc. and answered any questions that any of us had. We rode camels and took jeep rides through the desert and took a ferry boat down the Nile River. Sadly, at least half the ship became sick... "Pharaoh's revenge!" Below are pictures of the Cheops' Solar Boat, my kids at Giza, me on a camel and sunrise at Giza.

One day at sea and then we were in Greece. Our first stop was at the Acropolis. We had an awful guide and I was happy when we could just walk around on our own. It was an archaeological trifecta: Pompeii, Pyramids, and the Acropolis! I was in heaven!

Since my son was still on board and since we all wanted to see some Greek Islands we spent the next two days visiting two islands. First to Hydra which was small, quiet and gorgeous. No cars, bikes or motorbikes are allowed. There are a few dump trucks otherwise you walk or ride donkeys. We walked to a beautiful beach where we spent the day swimming and sunning. After some shopping and dinner, we headed back to Pireaus (our port). The next day we went to Poros, a slightly bigger island it was also beautiful and we had more time. Again, we found a great beach and swam most of the day in between meals. The next day we had to get David to the airport in Athens. After getting him to his flight, my daughter and I took the metro into Athens and did a little shopping before heading back to the ship to sail to Croatia, our last port.

Below are pictures of Hydra, Poros and the sunset at Poros. Even the locals came out and said they never had sunsets like this one.

Six students missed ship time (always at 7 PM and we typically sail at 9 PM though the Captain has the authority to change the time and leave earlier if he chooses). They missed the last ferry at the Greek Island they had visited and had to find (and fund) their way to Dubrovnik. They made it.

Dubrovnik did not look at all like I expected. It was mountainous and the water was beautiful and it was completely packed with tourists. Each day huge cruise shops docked at the harbor and thousands of tourists poured into the Old City by bus. I heard stories of people being locked in the city trying to get through the gate for 15 to 20 minutes because of the walls of people. We didn't even dock at the harbor; we were out in the sea and ot to the port by taking the "tender" (the lifeboats) which ran every 30 minutes between 7 AM and 2 AM. It took about 10 minutes to get to land. And it was very, very hot and more humid that Greece, Italy or Egypt. We only had three days there so I spent one in the city and one at the beach and the last one just walking around locally and grading papers!! (It's hard to keep up with all the grading I assigned.)
It's also a country still recovering from Civil War. Although there is not a lot of evidence right in town as we took a boat to the beach we passed about five completely bombed out hotels. It was clear that they were once quite grand and we were told that they are just now being bought up by companies like Hilton and Sheraton who hope to restore them. The beaches were lined with people but the building were vacant and just shells.

The pictures below are of the walled city, one of the ruined hotels and Jill and Julia as we waited for our drinks at a cafe! Amazing pina coladas!

Taking the Long Way Home (per the Dixie Chicks)

In so many ways this line rings true for me. We're headed home, having left Dubrovnik on Sunday, August 10. We dock in Norfolk, Virginia on Friday, August 22 at 8 AM. Twelve days at sea (plus 6 hours that we get back as we get closer to the US).

Many of us stayed on land as long as we could knowing that we were facing 12 days at sea and 12 days if iceburg lettuce, potatoes and coffee made from syrup! We also stocked up on some treats before we left. At about 1:30 the ship moved right to the harbor (no more tender boats) and we docked about 200 meters away from a grocery store. We pretty much wiped them out.

Last night we had gin and tonics on my deck as the sun set over the ocean! It was a great sunset (see below!).

As I write this there are two more class days left, two study days, two exams days, graduation and a packing day. To those of you who kept up with the blog and left comments, know that they were much appreciated. I look forward to arriving back home and to seeing everyone.

Today (Wednesday) we had our last lifeboat drill. We are also stopped at Gibraltar to re-fuel. We can't disembark (we aren't even at the dock) but we have a great view of the area. See the pictures below:

It's been a wonderful trip and I know it will take me a while to process it all. Norway seems like years ago as does Russia. I packed in a lot this summer; I learned a lot and I saw a lot. All in all, it been a wonderful summer. See you in the 'Ville!

Life at Sea Since Denmark

A lot has happened since we left Denmark a few weeks ago. Life has been busy and blogging takes much longer than I ever expected. In addition, Mary Carlson, who was keeping a blog for U.Va. but left in Copenhagen, asked several of us to post some entries so you will find two of my entries on that site. the link to it is: http://www.publicaffairs.virginia.edu/uvatodayblog/abroad/ In addition to checking my site, you can also check this one for updates. I have posted many pictures on Facebook so if you want to see them please look there. For some reason, it is very fast to post pictures to Facebook and it takes forever using blogspot. If you aren't on Facebook, you can create and account and once we're friends you can see my photos, or if you really want to see them I can e-mail them to you through Facebook very easily. This is in case you have abundant free time or can't sleep... Thanks also to everyone who has sent notes; it's always nice to hear from all of you!!

But, a quick update: Since Denmark we have spent a total of about 8 days at sea - some of which were very rocky - at least by my standands), 4 days in Belgium and 4 days in Italy. Both were wonderful trips. After leaving Italy on Saturday and on our way to Istanbul we learned of the bombings that killed 17 people and injured more than 150. The Institute for Shipboard Education, in conjuction with the U.S. Embassy and a risk management team, determined that we should not go. After much discussion they decided we would go somewhere else and I now find myself on the way to Alexandria. I am very saddened by the reason we need to detour but looking forward to three days in Cairo. The Field Office very quickly organized about 8 trips and since the change was so last minute we (my kids and I) decided it would be easiest to do pre-arranged trips. Look for an update sometime over the weekend!

While in Belgium, I spent all of my time in Antwerp and I feel like I really got to know a good part of the city. I did lots of walking (and some shopping) and ate some wonderful mussels, shrimp and ice cream. The streets are beautiful and the since the city is confusing it was nice to walk around never knowing where you would end up.

Italy was also spectacular and I survived numerous cab rides which were quite the adventure. On our first day my son arrived (he is here for two weeks) and so we just spent the day in Naples (he spent the afternoon trying to get some sleep). We had a very tasty dinner at a restaurant close to the port and then found gelati for desert. On the second day we got up early and took the train to Roma! The train ride, mostly along the coast, was gorgeous and I of course loved everything in the archaeological district - the Colosseum, the Forum, Palatine Hill, etc. We did lots and lots of walking that day, ate some great food, and once again enjoyed just getting lost discovering the many side streets. On day three, we took a boat to Capri. We went to the beach, saw the Blue Grotto and took the chair lift to Anacapri at the top. There aren't enough adjectives to describe the views. Finally, on day four I went to Pompeii - an archaeologist's dream or at least mine. I could have stood there for hours and hours; it was hard to take it all in. In the afternoon I took a cab to the National Museum where all of the materials from Pompeii are housed. To walk through the rooms of artifacts and frescoes from the site was amazing (sorry, there's that word again).

So that's my update for now. Egypt tomorrow and updates soon!

Korsor and Copenhagen, Denmark: July 8-11

On Tuesday, July 8 we pulled in to the port of Korsor, Denmark. We were met by a band, flowers, flags and numerous townspeople waving flags. They even put out a red carpet for us!!

Had we pulled into Copenhagen (our original destination but one in which we couldn't dock due to the cost and the length of our stay) no one would have noticed. But here in Korsor we were on the front page of the paper -- "The Big Ship in the Little Port." After four days we would likely have a significant on the local economy!

I spent 3 of my 4 days commuting to Copenhagen -- strolling the main street and exploring the side streets, sitting in cafes, eating ice cream, visiting museums (three) and shopping. For many of us this port felt more like a vacation spot and I think I can safely say that most everyone (if not everyone) has been trying to figure out how to move here. Of course, we're here at prime time -- not too hot, not too cold and lots of light. We had a fair amount of rain but it always seemed to clear quickly and 10 minutes later the sun was out.

On the first day I went on a tour called The World at War. We went to the Jewish Museum and the Resistance Museum. Both were excellent and the Resistance Museum especially was quite moving. Upon leaving the museum I ran into Karen Ryan and decided to spent the rest of the evening with her and take the train back. So we walked up and down the streets until we happened upon a restaurant that we liked. There we had some drinks and a wonderful meal. The week we were here was also the jazz festival so we stopped at several spots to listen to some wonderful jazz. We even managed to find the right train back home and then hopped on a bus back to the ship.

On the second day I took a city tour of Copenhagen and the beautiful fishing town of Dragor Village. When I win the lottery I will definitely buy a summer home there. The residential area was filled with wonderful homes on somewhat narrow cobble-stone streets. The pictures below don't begin to do it justice. We walked up and down the streets and then went into a cafe for danish (yes, they really call them danish; it was a wonderful pastry which I couldn't eat -- the gluten thing) and coffee.


We then went to Cophenhagen and saw some different parts of the city: a wonderful Church, the town hall, changing of the guard at the Palace, the University, the canals and the allottment homes (subsidized housing). And, of course we stopped to take pictures at the statue of the Little Mermaid... A few select photos are below. Note the spiral on the building in the fourth picture is of dragon tails wound together.

Since the guide from the first day had encouraged me to go to the Danish National Museum to see the new exhibit on the prehistory of Denmark I decided to do that on the third day. (He also insisted on calling me Professor Rachel). Surprisingly, there were not dozens of people wanting to go with me so off I went, map in hand. Despite lacking a sense of direction, I navigated the train, followed my map and found the museum -- which was beautiful (and free). The exhibit was great (I loved the flint daggers and sickles!). There was also an extensive exhibit on Greece and Rome because King Christian VII of Denmark had purchased many antiquities and they are all stored at this museum.

I spent the last day in Korsor so as not to be late for "ship time." I walked into town (about a 10 minute walk) with Rebecca and two of her friends and after checking out some of the stores we stopped for a wonderful lunch. We then went to the grocery store (a must in every port before we leave!) and then back to the ship.

Our original plan was to leave at 9 PM (as we always do) and about 200 people came to see us off along with the high school marching band. The band started playing at around 8:15. Unfortunately, the captain had decided that we were going to take a different route to Belgium; we were going to go through the Kiel Canal. Exciting for us but also a short-cut of sorts and our departure was delayed until 4 AM. Just after 9 someone went out to tell the townspeople we would not be sailing. We all went out and waved and applauded and no one seemed too angry. We also made a huge banner thanking the town for their hospitality which will be mailed from Antwerp. At 4 AM the engines revved up and off we sailed.

Going through the Kiel Canal was like being on a train; it was very narrow and very smooth so there was lots to see all along the way. Next stop: Antwerp, Belgium (chocolate, waffles and beer; sadly, I can only have the chocolate...).

St. Petersburg, Russia: July 1 - July 5

On July 1 at around 7:45 AM we arrived in St. Petersburg, Russia. For the past three days we have heard nothing but warnings about the hazards here: gypsy thieves, pick pockets, skinheads, the police, etc. Many of us wanted to remain on the ship but we have 5 days here (the theme of the voyage is Russia and the West) so we had to brave the outdoors eventually.

"Clearing the ship" was a bit more complicated here than in Norway. In Norway we were cleared by around 9:00 A.M. and we weren't required to travel with our passports. Here, we waited until about 10:30 AM to hear that the ship had been cleared. After our diplomatic briefing (which happens at every port), we were called up group by group to get our passports. We were told that we need to have them with us at all times. The police are known to randomly stop people and ask for their papers. You must be able to show your passport immediately. (Having some extra rubles with you is also advisable.)

As for a bit of history: St. Petersburg was founded by the Tsar Peter I on 1703 and it was the capital of the Russian Empire for more than 200 years. It is Russia's second largest city and Europe's 4th largest city after Moscow, London and Paris. The population is 4.6 million people; equal to the entire country of Norway -- our last stop. It is built on a swamp along the Neva River and has been called the Venice of the North.

St. Petersburg was was renamed Petrograd in the early 1900s because, at the start of World War I, St. Petersburg was perceived to be too German-sounding a name. Three days after Lenin's death in 1924 it was renamed Leningrad. In 1991, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the name was again changed back to St. Petersburg.

But back to us... eventually we began to disembark. Most of us had a 12:30 or 1:00 tour scheduled but getting through customs would prove to be a VERY lengthy process. The picture below is a glimpse of the line in which most of waited for anywhere from 1 to 3 hours.

I was very close to the end of the line and scheduled to go on a tour of the Circus Museum with LaVahn Hoh and about 12 students. Four of us on that tour were waiting at the end of the line. After about 90 minutes, the Russian tour guide came to get us and moved us to the front since we were on a small tour and were holding it up. Needless to say we didn't make any new friends by doing this. We finally departed for our destination about 45 minutes late.


On the way to the Circus Museum we had a great tour guide who pointed out everything along the way: churches, old palaces, bridges, etc. My last name translates to "bridge" in Russian and St. Petersburg has about 6 bridges in the center of town that all cross the Neva River. It has been pretty cool to see my name following every bridge (e.g., the Birzhevoy Most)!

After about 20 minutes or so we arrived at the Circus Museum. It is in a wonderful old building with great statues all around it.

The inside is equally quaint and we had a wonderful tour guide there as well. My two favortie items were the stuffed bear from the Moscow Olympics and the statue below.

At the end of the tour we were told it was time to play. We all had the chance to juggle first two, and then three rubber balls, twirl a hula hoop, and balance a large stick with a plastic squirrel at the end. Pictures are below.

We then headed back to the ship for a quick dinner before the ballet. About 250 Faculty, staff and students gathered to get on 7 buses to travel to the ballet to see Swan Lake. It was a wonderful performance in a classic old-style Russian theater: 5 levels, small "boxes" at each level with 4 wooden chairs, a huge chandelier in the middle and heavy burgandy curtains with decorations of gold. The ballet was divided into three parts. At the end of the second part, many of us throught it was over (there was a large curtain call) and began to head out. But we then heard the ringing of a bell signaling the end of intermission and headed back up to our seats. Part III was short and ended with a twist (or so I have been told). In the original version of swan lake, the swan dies but in this version the swan lives and marries the prince (the evil-doers die). I was told that the ballet is performed with two endings: the sad one where the swan dies and the happier one (which we saw) where the swan lives. The ending is a surprise to the audience. I thought the performances were excellent and it was a lovely night (despite the heat and some rude moments with some of the locals).

Wednesday

Three of us decided to head out on foot today to try to see The Hermitage Museum and the Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood. The Hermitage occupies 6 amazing buildings along the Neva River. It was the Winter Palace of the Russian tsars and was designed by an Italian architect between 1754 and 1762. The Church was built between 1883 and 1907 where Emperor Alexander II was assassinated on March 1, 1881 (that's the origin of the name "spilled blood"). Both are gorgeous buildings. (The first picture is the Church; the next two are from The Hermitage -- the Winter Palace and the Plaza).

Walking in St. Petersburg means risking your life because crossing the street is impossible -- even if the light is green. Cars drive at warp speed and come at you from all directions. In addition, the ship is pretty far away. End result -- we walked and walked and walked for about 5 hours today. We saw beautiful buildings: there are an estimted 30 palaces here. Everything was or is a palace and there is gold everywhere. At the same time, many of the buildings are run down, the city can be very dirty in parts, and the main street, Nevsky Prospekt, is packed with stores and people.

We never made it into the Hermitage -- we encountered some tourists who told us they weren't able to get in because the lines were too long so we just toured the grounds. We saw lots of wonderful landmarks, however, such as the famous Statue of the Bronze Horseman, an equestrian statue of Peter the Great. We also walked the Nevsky Prospekt--the 5th Avenue of St. Petersburg.

Thursday

Determined to have a more precise destination today we (Mary Carlson, Liz Gushee and Virginia Talley and I) set off for Peterhof (Dutch for "Peter's Court"). Peterhof houses a series of palaces, gardens and a chapel (see pictures below) designed by Peter the Great. It has been called the "Versailles of Russia." The most amazing area is called the Grand Cascade and Samson Fountain.

It is magnificent and even more incredible is the fact that Peter the Great designed most of the 140 fountains himself. In addition, all of them work without pumps. Water is supplied from natural springs and it collects in reservoirs. The pressure that drives the fountains is created by the elevational differences. The Samson Fountain is supplied by a special aqueduct (which is over 4 km long) and it draws its water and pressure from a source at a higher-elevation.

The Samson water fountain is, however, a reconstruction; it is not the one that Peter installed. The reason for this is that during World War II the Germans captured Peterhof. The people tried to bury the gold water fountains but they were unable to save them all; about 75% were destroyed. Russia began the restoriation process after the war.

We walked all throughout the gardens and they really are amazing. Hard to imagine what it must have been like to come home to something like this. The tough part of the day was that we couldn't get IN to the palace. We stood in a line for almost 30 minutes only to be told that "foreign tickets were sold inside the museum." We couldn't get in the museum to buy a ticket because we didn't have a ticket. We were told (yelled at?) to come back at 2:00 but that didn't work either. Finally, one of the women I was travelling who speaks Spanish found a tour guide who spoke Spanish and she told us we couldn't get in before 4:00. We gave up and just walked around some more. It was very crowded inside anyway...

After the 20-mile walk back to the ship (okay, not quite but it's about a 45-50 minute walk from the start of the downtown area), we were again exhausted. We had plans to go out to dinner but couldn't muster the strength. We ate on the ship and then rallied to go across the street and get a shot of Vodka. (How can one leave Russia without having Vodka?). We decided the shot was a bit too strong and wanted to mix it with something. There was no tonic so we ended up with very delicious cherry juice and mixed the two together. The shot was 60 rubles, the juice was 30 rubles (this converts to just under $4.00). It was quite delicious and one was plenty. We then tried to navigate through a grocery store and met the first cordial person in Russia who helped us pick out some things. Luckily, the dollar is doing a bit better against the ruble than the kroner and so our money goes much further here than it did in Norway.

We had a nice (short) walk back to the ship and at around midnight (with it looking like it was 3 in the afternoon) we called it a day. We're at the tail end of the "White Nights" in St. Petersburg where the sun never sets. We figure its dark for about 1-2 hours each day -- sometime between about 1:00 and 3:00. Amazing.

Friday

Friday was our last full day in Russia and Mary Carlson and I set out to master the Nevsky Prospect (see photo above and picture 5th Avenue on steroids). Just getting there is a 45 minute walk but it was a beautiful day and off we went. Our first stop was for coffee and we found a wonderful cafe with a great view of the street. Personally, I could have sat there for hours watching people but there was more to see and do.

After coffee off we went to try to find some jewelry and trinkets, to walk through the "souvenir flea market" and to avoid pick-pockets and gypsies. We walked and walked and walked and found some nice items as well as a lovely outdoor restaurant for lunch with a menu partially in English. Unlike Norway, very few people speak English here (those who do speak only a little) and most people we encountered did not want to help us. One exception was a very helpful woman in a bookstore who gets credit for directing us to the great lunch spot. Despite warnings to avoid water, ice, fresh fruits and vegtables (because they have been washed in water), meat and fish we decided this was a nice enough place and we could be a bit risky. Mary got a salad and a salmon panini sandwich (and avoided most of the lettuce). I got a caprese salad which was excellent.

After lunch, more walking, a few stores and the L-O-N-G trek back to the ship. We returned at around 4:00 feeling quite weary.

Saturday

Our last day here and because of the potential problems with getting off and then back on the ship most of us are aiming to return by noon even though "ship time" is not until 7:00 P.M. It will be nice to have some time to rest and relax. One thing we realized today is that there is no "down time," no weekend. When we're at sea we're teaching and in meetings; when in port, we want to be out and about. Thus, we basically go non-stop. No wonder we are all so tired.

We had another successful departure: all 583 students were on board, on time with no lost passports among the 1,000 people on the ship. Several people did experience some thefts -- pick-pocketed credit cards, cameras, a slashed backpack and a few other incidents. No one was hurt. Our next destination in Copenhagen but, unfortunately, we dock in Korsor which is about a 90-minute bus ride/60 minute train ride from Copenhagen. We'll be spending a lot of time commuting but we're all quite excited about our next port.

Bergen, Norway: June 24 to June 26

After nine days at sea (!!) we arrived in Bergen, Norway early on the morning of Tuesday, June 24. As I opened my curtains at around 7:30 A.M. I was met with the most glorious view shown in the two pictures below.

That initial impression lasted; Bergen is an amazingly gorgeous city and I have spent the past three days exploring with various groups, individuals, and on my own. Below is a sampling of how I spent that time; it would take too long to include everything (and you would likely fall asleep) so these are some of the highlights. They likely won't do the past three days justice; they have been spectacular. (Advance apologies for the overuse of adjectives like beautiful, wonderful, spectacular, glorious, etc.; they are hard to avoid and accurate.)

Tuesday
The day began with an 8 AM meeting where we were briefed by a diplomat from the US Embassy on the history of Norway and some safety tips (there weren't many; Bergen is incredibly safe and it's light for almost 24 hours a day). The economy is one based on oil and Norway is a major exporter. They are investing wisely and so their economy appears to be booming. When they exhaust their oil resources they will return to the fish business. They have
socialized medicine, wonderful maternity and paternity leave policies, and attending university is free. Taxes are about 25% and included in the sticker price you see. And Norway is very, very expensive. A bottle of water or soda is about $4.00; a meal will run you about $40.00-50.00 without wine (about $20.00) or beer (about $12.00) and gas seems to run about $9.35/gallon. Desert is also about $20.00. Your "run of the mill" souvenir is about $15.00. You get the idea.

Norway chose not to participate in the EU and thus their money system consists of the Kroner. Right now, with the US economy the way it is, the exchange rate is about 5 kroner per $1.00. We quickly became quite good at rounding and dividing by five to figure out how much things cost.

I had plans to meet with LaVahn and MF Hoh later in the morning and to take a city tour at 1:00 but I was anxious to explore so I set off on my own for the next hour. I ran into Karen (Ryan) and her son and we followed the crowd into the city. Although it was cold, windy and raining the main street we encountered was beautiful. We found the ATM and explored some stores but mostly I was happy to be walking on solid ground. The odd thing is that once you get your sea legs walking on land can be a challenge. Most of us stumbled around as we still felt the ship rocking even though we were off the ship.

I headed back to the ship to meet up with LaVahn, his wife and Bill Wilkerson and we did some more walking, grabbed lunch and went to meet our tour bus. SAS has an endless list of 1/2 day trips, days trips and overnight trips. I prefer less structured activities but wanted to go on the tour to get the lay of the land so I signed up for the Bergen City/Mt. Floyen Tour. The tour bus drove us around Bergen and we got a nice history lesson on the downtown area of the city.

We saw several old buildings and churches and learned a great deal about the historic buildings located on the water.



The Kontor (a foreign trading post) in Bergen was the last of the four Hanseatic Kontors to be established and it lasted the longest. The society consisted of all males; members were not permitted to marry and returned to Germany when their term was completed. This Kontor closed in 1899 ending almost 500 years of trading between Germany and Norway. Below are the buildings where the Germans lived; they are currently under restoration as they are sinking and tilting (see the stairs in the second picture). This is the result of the building being built on top of about 7 meters of ash which is very soft; the ash is the result of hundreds of years of fires because all of the buildings are built of wood.


Our last stop was to the top of Mt. Floyen which we accessed by taking the funicular (like a tram). Despite the fact that it was raining off and on, sometimes even pouring, the view was spectacular. The three pictures below show the funicular, and two views from the top of Mount Floyen (the second one shows our ship which looked quite small next to the giant cruise ship).

At the end of the tour we returned to the ship and then headed out to dinner. LaVahn had information on a great restaurant which we walked to quite easily and the three of us (LaVahn, MF and I) had a wonderful dinner. (We have grown quite tired of ship food and so it tasted even better.) I had the salmon. At 7:30 LaVahn and MF headed back to the ship but given how light it was (and how stuffed I was) I decided to walk. I spent the next two hours walking up and down a number of streets and also found a beautiful mall (where I bought a few pieces of warm clothing). At around 9:30 I headed back and along the way encountered a range of people including David Gies who had just arrived (his wife has been on the ship working in the library) along with a few other people. We strolled back to the ship amazed at the night and the nightlife and the light (I know I keep mentioning the light but the midnight sun is fascinating.) The picture below was taken at around 10:30.

Wednesday

Our plan today was to meet at around 9 and explore Torget (the famous fish market and craft fair). A few of us headed out along with Haley Parker (rising 4th year UVA student). The fish market was wonderful... all kinds of crafts and souveniers but also amazing fish with free samples of salmon, shrimp and cod (I tasted the first two) as well as reindeer, elk, moose and whale (which I passed on). Haley, MF and I decided to shop and stroll for about an hour before meeting back at the market for noon. We paused to take some pictures at this beautiful plaza area with a fountain.

By noon we were back at Torget for a great meal of smoked salmon and salad and then headed to the archaeology museum! They have a great permanent exhibit on the historic district and a temporary exhibit on witches which was nicely done and interesting though Bergen apparently only burned at the stake one woman thought to be a witch. For my fellow archaeologists below are three pictures just for you.

After a few hours at the museum we divided up and Haley and I took off on foot. We walked and walked and walked (and walked)... through the town -- the stores, the plazas, the churches, the small alleyways, the University of Bergen, and up and down almost every little street we found. We stopped for ice cream ($5.00) and a soda ($6.00).

This is St. Paul's Church and the view of the city from the stairs...

and this is one of the main buildings at the University of Bergen...

We loved the restaurant from the previous night so much that we decided to return so Haley and I met up with LaVahn, MF, Gordon Braden and Bill Wilkerson at around 6:30 for another wonderful dinner (this time I skipped the desert and this was less stuffed by the end of the meal!). We walked back at around 10:00 and headed to the Faculty Lounge for a drink. About eight of chatted for an hour and then, as I was heading to sleep, I ran into my daughter (who I never see!) who filled me in on her wonderful day -- an all-day excursion on busses, boats and a train to see the fjords (a few of her pictures are below because they are so beautiful). Plus she seems to have befriended a troll... a rare occurrence here in Norway where trolls can do scary things to us humans.

Thursday

Another rainy, damp day... so common here up North. Our plan was to head to Ole Bull's villa and we were determined to go despite the weather. This involved navigating two busses and a small motor boat to get to the island on which his villa was located. As we got off the first bus to switch busses we encountered the Casteen clan (John and Laurie and their two children and Laurie's mother). We all eventually made it to the island and the house which was magnificent. Built in 1872/1873 the pictures below don't do the house justice; it is piece of art. We listened to a short tour and walked through the parts of the house in which we were permitted and then (cold and wet) sat down for a cup of coffee and a small bite to eat at the Kafe. We had a delightful conversation with our tour guide, Anna-Clara who is a German exchange student studying education at the University of Bergen.

We had to catch a 2:30 ferry so that we didn't miss a bus and so we began the long, windy, terrifying trip back. Terrifying because the bus drivers navigate the roads leaving enough room to fit a tissue between them and the oncoming traffic. And, we were heading downhill on very windy roads. But we made it back to town where we did some more walking and ate a light (ish) dinner and I am now back on the ship!

Tomorrow is our last day in Bergen; we leave at 2100 hour for St. Petersbger; ship time is 1900 hours. That is the time by which you have to have passed through security and swiped in with your card. Being in line doesn't count and since everyone tries to spend as much time as possible in port, the line can be long. If you are late you get docked time at the next port. This includes EVERYONE: Faculty, Staff, students, etc. Thus, my plan is to get up sort of early, head out at around 9:30 to do some last minute walking, shopping and eating and to return to the ship by 3:00. This should give me some quiet time before dinner to grade papers and prepare for my Saturday and Sunday classes. (Yes, we teach on the weekends as there is no concept of day, week, weekend here on the ship.).

Monday is "Russia Day" and we will pull into St. Petersberg at 8 AM on Tuesday. Right now my plans include a tour of the Circus Museum with Rebecca (she is taking History of the Circus), and then the ballet in the evening. I'll then do some exploring and plan to spend a day (or two) at The Hermitage. As of right now I have decided not to go to Moscow as I have never been to St. Petersberg and it seems to be a very walkable, relatively safe place. Stay tuned!

P.S. Check Facebook for more pictures and less text!