Norway - the fjords near Stavanger.
I went on a mini-cruise (two nights on the ferry) from Newcastle to Stavanger in Norway which included a three hour tour of fjords near Stavanger.
The early (packed) train to Newcastle on Sunday morning was Standing Room Only and because it was hot, tempers were fraying. I had the misfortune of sitting at a table which included a woman with two small children. To be fair, she was doing her best, but it seemed that once she got the boy settled down, the little girl would set off (then the cycle would repeat). It was a relief to arrive in Newcastle. I had time for a drink before the bus went to the Ferry Terminal in North Shields. Beautiful sunny day and the flowers at Central Station made the place seem a bit like Switzerland. Huge baskets of colourful flowers all over the place.
Alas, as we went out to North Shields the sun vanished and we entered a bank of fog which covered the entrance to the River Tyne. It was so thick that I could only see the ferry landing at North Shields but none of the buildings on the hill and alas, nothing of Tynemouth.
We sailed at 1530 hours and the fog did not clear that evening, but the weather was balmy and the sea quite calm. Smooth sailing! Dinner was only slightly better than airline food but the restaurant .. indeed the whole ferry .. is spacious and well appointed. This ship, Queen of Scandinavia, was built in 1981 in Finland. While showing its age, it has been well maintained and I enjoyed it for the sheer sense of space and good circulation areas.
Morning revealed a cloudless sky as we sailed along the west coast of Norway. We landed in Stavanger on time at 1030 and then .. the only unpleasant part of the cruise – queued in very hot airless covered gangways for immigration control. The Norwegians had only one person checking passports for the several hundred people wanting to get off the ship (it accommodates 1700 passengers but was probably only one-half filled). I managed to get around the harbour and find the tour ship Forsand which would take us on the 3 and one-half hour ‘Pulpit Rock Cruise’. I was not expecting much but this turned out to be a real treat due to (1) the lovely weather and (2) the fact that the ship did actually go well up into one of the most beautiful fjords ; Lysefjorden which is lined with massive rock outcrops. There were two other ships and a very deluxe yacht but this did not have a sense of being overcrowded even though the fjord is quite narrow in places.
Back to the ferry for the 1500 hour sailing. Dinner was a bit better (if expensive) I opted for the rib eye steak which was well cooked and delicious. I finished dinner in time to take photographs of the impressive sunset .. which seemed to go on and on. I probably have a few more pictures than most people would require.
Docked in North Shields at 1030 and I got myself well placed for departure because I had a lunch date, but still there was a long queue. For once, being a foreigner was a benefit. The queue was for EU passport holders and there was no one in the ‘All other Passports’ queue. Because I had my landing form completed and documents ready, I went right to the head of the queue and was out and in a taxi within 5 minutes.
Things went downhill rapidly when I arrived at the Travelodge on Newcastle’s Quayside. I did not expect to check in (it was around 1130 in the morning) but the Receptionist could not wait to tell me that check in time was 1500 and their policy was that they did not store luggage .. they refused to store my suitcase until my check in. This meant I had to drag it up the hill into the city .. trying to think of what to do. Finally I opted to go to my former employer's office and leave the case with my friend Catherine (we were meeting for lunch).
A few changes in Newcastle .. Waterstone’s have closed the large bookshop in Grey Street and decamped to their smaller premises on Blackett Street. Down on the Quayside, pedestrian areas have been expanded which makes walking much more pleasant. My old office (Mansion House Chambers) is still unoccupied and looks forlorn. Otherwise the new buildings and bridges down there are well maintained and attractive.
Catherine and I had an excellent lunch at our favourite spot .. Paradiso .... and caught up on the gossip. I collected my bags, checked into the hotel, checked the Internet and had a walk and later a shower before meeting my friend John at the Crown Posada. It is unchanged .. nice old fashioned pub with a wide selection of real ale. Big news is that John is taking a year out to tour and walk in Australia and New Zealand. We had several pints followed by a good Indian meal.
I slept well and enjoyed a nice walk in the morning (a sunny warm day) before catching the 1300 hours train to London. Altogether, a nice break and very relaxing.
Photo Gallery - click on the picture below or here to see the slide show
The fine print
DFDS the ferry line
Pulpit Rock - the fjord tour