On Our Way to Norway

If you've read my last two posts about the trip we took in June,  you know we were going to the Norwegian Fjords.  We've read books about them and seen lovely photos about the magical kingdom of Norway.  Norway is on the western and northernmost  part of the Scandinavian Peninsula, located up to the Arctic Circle.  The word Norway refers to the narrow shipping lane that passes by the village of Avaldsnes, called Way of the North, or North Way.  So come along with us as we travel aboard the Queen Victoria to the land of Vikings and slip into Norway by way of the North Sea.  

We boarded the Queen Victoria after being dropped off by coach from London.  Our excitement couldn't be contained as the two of us checked into our stateroom and began to experience being on board this lovely vessel.  

We were more than happy with our accommodations as we settled into the task of making ourselves at home.  We used packing cubes this trip and it made it so easy to just stick one of the cubes into a drawer and then hang our dress clothes in the closet.  If you're not familiar with them they make keeping track of your clothing so easy, such as socks, scarves and underclothes.  Our daughter recommended them so we decided to give them a go on this trip.

After attending the safety drill we made our way topside to enjoy the sail away from Southampton.  The lovely weather only called for a lightweight jacket as the ship dropped its lines and we headed out into the English Channel.  We're on our way!

 

Back in our stateroom we set our watches forward one hour so we would be ready for our day at sea.

At noon the Captain reminded us that we sailed to the north easterly and transited the Dover Strait,  passing Dover and Calais shortly after midnight.  We are now in the North Sea.  Since this is a relatively shallow area we see many offshore platforms due to hydrocarbon exploration and exploitation.

We were ready to relax and explore the Queen Victoria on this sea day.  There are many activities to indulge in if you so desire.  Grayden and I were both ready for a relaxing time after taking our morning walk on the Promenade. 

I never tire seeing the ship's wake during our morning walks.

When the Captain announced that the Queen Mary 2 would be passing us on its way to Southampton,  Grayden grabbed the camera and went topside to get a better view of her sailing back from Hamburg.   We do love seeing her in full view!

Every morning we visited the library and picked up the Brain Tease (very difficult) and the Sudoku puzzle for Grayden.  All Cunard ships have wonderful volumes to check out during your voyage.

The Queen Victoria is a smaller ship than the flagship Queen Mary 2.  It's quite elegant and well appointed, but not too stuffy.

The dining room is grand and we enjoyed every meal that we had.  They were so accommodating to my low carb diet.  I was never made to feel like I was imposing.  The wonderful stewards learned my likes very quickly and made us both feel so much at home.

It was so enjoyable dressing for dinner and enjoying time with my sweetheart.

Lovely strings playing in the background added to the romantic evenings for us.

After dinner we walked around the ship's promenade and noticed the sun was still quite high in the sky.  Yes, we are close to the summer solstice and we are experiencing the midnight sun.  How strange this feels, but so exciting!

I'll be sharing our first stop in Norway as time permits.  Thank you for sharing our joyous trip with us. ♥