Our daily activities aboard Viking Sky

Rickee Richardson 8/1/18 Rickee Richardson 8/1/18

Day 12 - Edinburgh, Scotland

A panoramic tour of Edinburgh and another excellent dinner at Manfredi's

Aug 1, 2018 - Viking Sky is anchored off the coast of Edinburgh, Scotland today.

Our morning is spent moving a few of our items into the Owner's Suite on Deck 7 Forward. We have been given the opportunity to spend two nights in the Owner's Suite to get a feel for what Viking's ultimate accommodations have to offer. After our stay in the Owner's Suite, we will post a thorough review of the accommodations. However, I think we are going to enjoy the next two nights!

Our included excursion 'Highlights of Edinburgh' requires a 15-minute tender ride to Newhaven Harbour.

We board our motorcoach and head off to see the sights of Edinburgh. We drive by Fettes College, a popular private school. Tony Blair attended Fettes as did Sean Connery and today, many wealthy Chinese send their children to Fettes College.

After passing by numerous sites, we stop at the Palace of Holyroodhouse where we have 20 minutes for a bathroom break, or some souvenir shopping. Holyrood Palace, is the official residence of the British monarch when in Scotland.

Our drive gives us a view of Edinburgh Castle, sitting high on a hill over the city. Our route continues through Holyrood Park on Queen's Drive where we have a photo stop with a panoramic view of the city.

*Rickee with Edinburgh in the background*

Our next stop was near the Royal Mile, a succession of streets forming the main thoroughfare of the Old Town of Edinburgh. The Royal Mile is lined with souvenir shops, clothing stores and pubs. The streets are packed with tourists today.

We have about 1 & 1/2 hours to spend here so Rickee immediately begins shopping for a Scottish cashmere scarf. It took a few stores, but she found one that she liked and bought it. The scarf will be a great reminder of our visit to Scotland each time she wears it. And, what visit to Scotland would be complete without a shot of Whiskey at a local pub? From our seat in the pub we could see it begin to rain outside. We were only about a block from where the coach is to pick us up, so we head out in the rain. We always bring an umbrella with us on excursions, but of course, we left it on the coach!

The 'Highlights of Edinburgh' included tour was quite good. However, Viking offers a few other optional excursions here (for a fee) that also look very interesting. Golfers will want to book the 'Historic St. Andrew's' excursion, for sure.

We return to Viking Sky and to the Owner's Suite where we get ready for our 7:30pm dinner reservation at Manfredi's. When we arrive at Manfredi's, we only have to wait a few minutes for our table to be readied, another beautiful window table for two. For the third time, Hector was our waiter. We had another excellent meal. Unfortunately, the photos I took with my phone got corrupted and I am unable to post them. Trust me, everything looked and tasted wonderful!

Tomorrow is another Day at Sea as we sail toward our final port of Greenwich, England.

Rickee Richardson 7/28/18 Rickee Richardson 7/28/18

Day 08 - Lofoten, Norway

A panoramic drive around the island plus a visit to a different kind of dairy farm

July 28, 2018 - This morning, Viking Sky is sailing toward the Lofoten Islands where we will dock at Leknes, the largest town on the island of Vestvågøy. Since the ship is not scheduled to arrive until noon, I have time to attend another excellent lecture delivered by Michael Ryan titled World Peace-Are We Up To The Task?

The lecture ended just about time for lunch. Rickee and I decided to pay another visit to the Pool Grill on Deck 7. We arrive about ten minutes before the grill is scheduled to open and a line is already forming! After lunch, we get ready for our first of two shore excursions. When we get back to our stateroom, we can see Lofoten as Viking Sky makes its approach.

Because of the way Viking schedules shore excursions, it is actually possible to do two, or even three shore excursions in a day! Today, Rickee and I will do the included excursion, Panoramic Lofoten, which arrives back at the pier at 2:45pm. Then we will part ways and I will go on the 3:10pm optional excursion, Aalan Farm Visit.

We disembark Viking Sky and walk to the end of the pier where we meet with Viking Shore Excursion staff to get assigned a motorcoach for our first excursion, Panoramic Lofoten. It is an unbelievable 86 degrees today, freakishly warm for this part of the world, even in the summer. This becomes immediately apparent when we step aboard the coach to find the air conditioning is not working. Although our guide assured us that once we got moving, the AC would kick in, it never did. It was probably 90 degrees inside the bus for the entire tour. We looked forward to our first stop, a visit to the small fishing village of Ballstad.

Our local guide took time to explain the history of the fishing village. We also had a little free time to explore a local craft and souvenir shop. We reluctantly re-boarded the warm coach for a drive to Haukland Beach, which is crowded with locals and tourists on this unusually warm day in Norway.

We see lots of campers and tents. Apparently, anyone can pitch a tent on any piece of property in Norway, even in someone else's front yard! They have to remain a certain distance from a home or business, and they can only stay for two weeks, but basically, there is no trespassing law in Norway. We walk along the beach and come across a very unusual rock formation, obviously manmade, but interesting.

We spend about an hour exploring the beach area and enjoying the beautiful day. We re-board the coach once again for the drive back to the pier in Leknes. When we arrive at the pier, there is not time for me to go back to the ship, so Rickee and I hang out at a small gift shop near the entry to the port until time for me to join my next excursion, a visit to Aalan Farm. Fortunately, the motorcoach for my excursion had functioning air conditioning!

The drive to Aalan Farm only takes about 20 minutes. Along the way, our local guide draws our attention to various points of interest as we drive through the town of Leknes. Soon, we take a small road into the hills outside of town and arrive at Aalan Farm. When we disembark the coach, the owners of the farm are there to greet us.

This small family farm raises goats, which they use for the production of a brown cheese called Brunost. The brown-colored whey 'cheese' has a distinctive sweet caramel flavor. Technically speaking, it really is not cheese. The water from the whey of goat’s milk is boiled down, which caramelizes the sugars. The resulting product is left to cool and the result is Norwegian brown cheese. We were taken on a short tour of the production facility where we saw the tanks used to boil the goats' milk.

The "cheese" is formed and placed into a chilled room where it ages and becomes firm.

After this brief tour, we are taken to an upstairs tasting room where tables have been pre-set with cheese samples.

The Norwegian brown cheese (in the foreground) looks like chocolate, but don't be fooled, it is Brunost. Other goat cheeses and a cow's milk cheese are also sampled for comparison purposes. After the tasting, we have plenty of time to wander around the farm property. We can see goats running through the fields behind the farmhouse.

There is a small herb garden where the farmers grow fresh herbs used in making spice mixes and teas that the farm also sells.

The highlight of the tour was seeing and petting the baby goats.

The Aalan Farm excursion only costs $109.00 and was a good value and an enjoyable way to learn about a unique product from a local family. Notwithstanding the lack of air conditioning, the Panoramic Lofoten (included) excursion was nice, but I would say my favorite of the day was the visit to Aalan Farm. My excursion was the last to arrive back at the pier just before the 5:30pm scheduled departure from Lofoten.

Once back on board, I have time to shower and dress for our 8:00pm dinner reservation at Manfredi's. This is our second visit to Manfredi's on this cruise and, as soon as we arrive, we are greeted by Head Waiter, Bagus.

We get a wonderful table for two next to a window. Once again, our waiter is Hector, who already knows what I am going to order for my main course.

Tonight, Rickee tries a couple of new dishes (new for her). The Insalata del Mercato, her first course, a salad with ridicchio, endive, arugula, and zuchinni, served with an olive tapenade flatbread, received a thumbs-up from her. I went back to my old standby, the Caprese Salad with Mozzarella and cherry tomatoes drizzled with olive oil and balsamic. I could eat this every day!

Rickee went back to the Cold Cucumber Soup for her second course and I decided to try a small portion of the Bucatini Freschi alla Carbonara, a beautiful handmade Bucatini pasta in Carbonara sauce with Pancetta. Delizioso!

*Bucatini Freschi alla Carbonara at Manfredi's*

For main courses, we each ordered the Bistecca Fiorentina, the expertly-seasoned and tender Rib Eye steak. Rickee ordered the half-portion and still got more than she could finish.

Both steaks were perfectly cooked to Medium, as ordered. And, both were delicious. This was Rickee's first time to try the Bistecca and she is now a believer. She claimed it to the be the best steak she had ever eaten, a real punch to the gut since my grilled steak used to be her favorite.

*A perfect cook on the Bistecca Fiorentina to Medium*

It should be noted that Rickee also said her side order of grilled asparagus was excellent, as was my creamed spinach. And, during the entire meal, we never once reached for the salt or pepper grinders. Everything was perfectly seasoned. Manfredi's is becoming one of our favorite restaurants at sea, on any cruise line.

After Rickee enjoys a glass of cold Limoncello, we return to our stateroom to try and sleep off the excellent meal. Tomorrow is another day at sea as Viking Sky sails toward Lerwick, Shetland Islands.

Rickee Richardson 7/27/18 Rickee Richardson 7/27/18

Day 07 - Honningsvåg, Norway

A journey to North Cape and a Midnight Sun celebration

July 27, 2018 - This morning, Viking Sky is docked in Honningsvåg, Norway. Honningsvåg is the northernmost city in Norway and overlooks the Barents Sea.

*Viking Sky docked in Honningsvåg, Norway*

This afternoon, we board a motorcoach for the Viking included tour, "Drive to North Cape." Officially positioned at 71°10'21'', North Cape is the northernmost point in Europe that can be reached by car. A caravan of motorcoaches from the ship begin the drive up the steep mountains toward the cape. A brief stop at a Sami outpost offers some souvenir shopping opportunities.

Unfortunately, we have too little time to spend here. There is a Sami family that lives here and "work" with reindeer, but I am not sure what that means.

We only have about ten minutes at this stop and most people spend that time scooping up souvenirs in the little makeshift shop. We re-board the motorcoach for the remaining drive up to North Cape. When we arrive, we were surprised to find a sprawling tourist center with lots of cars, motorcycles and tour buses already there.

*Rickee outside of the visitor center at Nordkapp (North Cape)*

The views here are spectacular, especially on this sunny and unseasonably warm day. We really lucked out on the weather!

We did the touristy thing by getting in line to have our photo taken at the globe structure. Tourists hand off their cameras to strangers in line to shoot photos of each other.

The visitor center is very large, and has a well-stocked gift shop, a snack bar, a museum and a cinema. When we first arrived, I was wondering how we were going to spend nearly two hours here. When it was time to leave, I wondered where the time had gone. The excursion to North Cape is a definite must for anyone visiting Honningsvåg.

When we arrived back at the pier, officers and crew holding red umbrellas were lined up to welcome us back on board.

We board Viking Sky just in time for lunch at World Cafe. The featured dish today is King Crab salad made with fresh King Crab the chef purchased in Honningsvåg!

*Yes, those are actual King Crab on display*

After lunch, we attend an afternoon lecture by kilt-wearing Dr. Mike Gibson titled "Poles Apart," comparing the lives of two famous Norwegian explorers: Fridtjof Nansen and Roald Amundsen. It was quite interesting.

After the lecture, it was time for us to experience Afternoon Tea at Wintergarden (Deck 7). We remember how enjoyable Afternoon Tea service was on Viking Sea, so we had to make sure Sky was up to standard. Good news! Viking Sky Afternoon Tea is as good as we remember. Wait staff serve delicious scones with strawberry preserves and clotted cream. A multi-tiered tray contains all sorts of finger sandwiches and other sweet temptations. There is a menu with a wide selection of teas.

There was no way we could eat dinner after enjoying Afternoon Tea, so we decided that, while most other guests were dining, we would enjoy the scenery and an adult beverage in the Explorer's Bar on Deck 7 Forward. Periodically, I would have to step outside to take a photo of the breathtaking mountains.

At 10:15 this evening, Viking Sky Senior Officers invited guests to a Midnight Sun Celebration on Deck 9 Forward (Sports Deck) for caviar and champagne.

*Guests gather on Deck 9 Forward for Midnight Sun Celebration*

Executive Chef, Thomas Noack, is on hand to serve up caviar with all of the traditional accoutrement.

It has been a spectacular day aboard Viking Sky. We visited the Top of the World, attended an interesting lecture, enjoyed a delicious Afternoon Tea and had caviar and champagne under the Midnight Sun! Tomorrow, Viking Sky will be in Leknes (Lofoten), Norway.

Rickee Richardson 7/26/18 Rickee Richardson 7/26/18

Day 06 - Tromsø, Norway

We officially enter the land of the Midnight Sun and visit and hike with the dogs

July 26, 2018 - This morning, Viking Sky is docked in Tromsø, Norway.

This afternoon, we disembarked the ship for our optional shore excursion "Husky Trek Through Arctic Hills."

We boarded the motorcoach for the 30-minute drive to Villmarkssenter, a Norwegian adventure company with more than 300 Alaskan Huskies. In the winter (which lasts about 7 months here), they offer dog-sledding excursions, some lasting four to five days!

Not long after disembarking the motorcoach, we get the first glimpse of the dogs. Most are laying on top of their wooden dog houses, most likely enjoying the warm sun, a rare commodity in this part of the world.

Our group of 36 is divided into two smaller groups, each with its own guide. Our guide delivers a brief explanation of how the hike will work. Anyone wishing to hike with one of the dogs will wear a harness around their waist to which the dog's leash will be attached. These dogs are way too strong to handle by holding a leash in your hand. Each dog is capable of pulling 130 pounds! In fact, the guide warned us not to wrap the leash around our hand lest we risk a broken hand!

It was at this point that Rickee decided to bow out of the dog portion of the hike, as did about half of our group. Instead, they will hike along with us through the Arctic tundra. The sun is shining today and it is much warmer than we expected. Our jackets are soon removed and wrapped around our waists. The scenery here is spectacular.

Once the I have the harness attached around my waist, the next step is to attach the leash which is attached to the dog's harness. My Husky is named Haggel (pronounced 'hoggle') and is one of the largest and most powerful in the group (of course).

Once everyone has their dogs attached to the harness, the guide begins walking, and when the guide goes, you had better be ready to go! Don't be mistaken, I am not walking the dog, the dog is walking me. Or, more accurately dragging me. These animals are bred and trained to pull, you don't walk them like a typical domestic dog. Their power is amazing.

The tundra is very mushy, so every step feels like you are walking in mud, and often, you are. The terrain is uneven and wherever the dog decides to go, you sort of have to follow. You can use the leash to direct the dog a little, but it takes a firm pull. You can tell, these dogs LOVE to pull. It was quite a workout, to say the least. Along the walk, Haggel would come upon a little depression in the tundra containing some rain water and want to take a drink. Our guide told us, if they want a drink, let them drink (like I could stop him!)

At one point, we all stopped to give the dogs, and ourselves, a rest. The dogs were tied up to trees and we had a chance to enjoy some cake, tea and coffee. The dogs are very friendly and love being petted. Whenever the group would stop, we were instructed to pull the dog in toward us using the leash, straddle him and start petting him. That is the signal for them to rest and stop pulling.

After about an hour of walking, I was worn out. This was pretty physically demanding, mostly because of the terrain. At some points, our boots would sink 6 or 8 inches into the mud. A couple of guests actually fell down during the excursion, but the ground is so soft, you can't really get hurt. At the end of the hike, the dogs are tied back up and we get an opportunity to see and play with the puppies!

The pups are only a couple of months old and three of them are awake and ready to play. Of course, this was the highlight of the tour. I think everyone who participated had a great time on this excursion. it was one I won't soon forget. We boarded the motorcoach for the drive back to Viking Sky, which was ready to sail from Tromsø as soon as we arrived.

This evening, we attended another production show, "Rat Pack Revisited," featuring the three male vocalists on board.

After the show, we are exhausted and ready for bed. We get back to our stateroom at around 11pm and the sun is still shining brightly. This truly is the Land of the Midnight Sun! Tomorrow, we will be in Honningsvåg, Norway.

Rickee Richardson 7/24/18 Rickee Richardson 7/24/18

Day 04 - Molde, Norway

I check out the Nordic Spa and we do some shopping in Molde, Norway

July 24, 2018 - At 5:30am, I am just sitting down at Mamsen's on Deck 7 forward to begin work on my daily cruise blog when I notice a really interesting monochromatic scene as Viking Sky slowly sails into Molde, Norway.

Molde enjoys a pristine setting among countless shelter islands, fjords and forested hills. On a clear day, The Molde Panorama is visible, a breathtaking view of 222 peaks. As you can see from the photo above, this is not a clear day. Viking offers several excursions in Molde. However, today we have opted to stay aboard Viking Sky to enjoy the ship's facilities, and perhaps explore the town of Molde on our own.

My first stop: the ship's LivNordic Spa on Deck 1 forward. For some reason, I never visited the spa on Viking Sea last year, and I have regretted it ever since. When I arrived at the spa check-in desk, the young lady at the desk informed me that there was no need to check in to use the facilities. Nice. She gave me a quick, but thorough tour of the locker room, sauna and wet area of the spa. Of course, there is a well-equipped Fitness Center adjacent to the spa.

There are separate men's and ladies' locker rooms with secure lockers for valuables and clothing. The lockers intelligently "lock" using your stateroom key. Rubber spa slippers and a plush robe are waiting in each locker.

Inside the locker room is a dry sauna and adjacent cold plunge.

The coed spa area includes a large thallasotherapy-style pool and a smaller hot tub/whirlpool. The thallasotherapy pool was modestly warm, while the whirlpool was a bit warmer, I would guess around 102 (F) degrees. I would have preferred 104 to 105 for some real muscle relaxation, but I understand that is probably too hot for most guests. The tubs are surrounded by padded loungers with pillows and blankets.

Nearby, a steam room is billowing puffs of steam through the door. The steam room did not lack for heat or steam and was one of the nicest and best I have ever enjoyed. But, the coolest thing (no pun intended), is the Snow Grotto across from the steam room. Snow? Surely, they didn't. Oh yes, they did! A cold room filled with snow! The perfect way to end a steam is to go into the Snow Grotto and begin covering yourself with handfuls of snow. It is amazing, and something I have never seen in any spa on land or sea.

Of course, if you want to cool off after the steam room in a more traditional way, you can stand under a large bucket, yank the rope and be drenched in refreshing cold water. The LivNordic Spa on Viking Ocean ships is clearly the nicest spa at sea. I will most certainly be back for a return visit.

After lunch in the World Cafe, Rickee and I decide to walk into the town of Molde to get a little exercise and do some shopping. From where Viking Sky is docked, it does not look like there is much to see here. But, walk a block from the ship and there are streets lined with cafes and shops.

One of the first shops we came to had a down jacket that Rickee has been looking for. After trying it on, she decided she had to have it. So, out comes the credit card and she now has a new jacket to pack for the trip home. The sales girl at the store informed us that we can be refunded the VAT tax when we leave the country. Typically, you do this at the airport. But, we are flying home from London, not Norway. So, we left the shop assuming that the tax refund was a lost cause. More on this later.

We walked quite far down the streets of Molde. When a drizzle of rain started, we figured it was best to head back to Viking Sky. After boarding the ship, we decided to stop by the Guest Services desk to inquire about the tax refund. Turns out, all we have to do is present the paperwork (receipt and short form) to Viking Guest Services and they will submit the refund request for us! The refund will show up on Rickee's credit card within 10 days. How cool is that?

This afternoon, we attended our first lecture in The Star Theater. Mr. Phil Smart gave an informative talk on "Spectacular Glaciers & Fjords of Norway." It was quite interesting.

After a nice dinner at World Cafe, we attended our first production show of the cruise. On our last Viking Ocean cruise, we saw the Les Artistes de Paris show, but it was presented in the smaller TorsHaven lounge. Tonight, the show has been moved to the big stage in The Star Theater. The show highlights the vocal talents of the three female vocalists on board. We were quite impressed with the performers on our Viking Sea cruise last year, and if tonight's performance is any indication, we will be equally entertained on this sailing.

*Elora, Alexandra and Katherine show off their vocal skills in Les Artistes de Paris*

It has been an eventful day aboard Viking Sky. Tomorrow, the ship will be sailing toward Tromso, Norway. So, a relaxing day at sea will be enjoyed by all.

Rickee Richardson 7/23/18 Rickee Richardson 7/23/18

Day 03 - Geiranger, Norway

We visit the tiny village of Geiranger, Norway, and get our first fjord experience of this trip

July 23, 2018 - This morning, I am not the only one awake at 5:00am. Many Viking Sky guests have gathered in (and outside) the Observation Lounge on Deck 7 to view our sailing into Geirangerfjord.

*Guests gather on the bow for the sail into Geirangerfjord*

Geiranger is a village in western Norway, at the head of Geirangerfjord. The fjord’s waterfalls, including the Seven Sisters, the Suitor and the Bridal Veil, are visible as we sail into Geiranger.

The Seven Sisters is the 39th tallest waterfall in Norway. The waterfall consists of seven separate streams, and the tallest of the seven has a free fall that measures 250 meters. However, as we pass by the Seven Sisters, three of the sisters are missing. With much of the snow already melted and little rain this season, there's only enough water for four sisters.

Viking Sky is too large to dock in Geiranger, so she is moored less than a 10-minute tender ride to shore. We were not able to get on a tender in time to make our 1:55pm excursion "Eagle's Bend Overlook and Scenic Drive" (included) but, when we arrived ashore at 2:00pm, Viking staff informed us that we could go on the 2:30 coach tour. We had just enough time to visit the nearby souvenir shop for a little browsing.

Norway has its own currency, the Krone, with about 8.2 krone per US Dollar. The shop did accept US currency, but gave a lousy exchange rate of only 7.5 krone per dollar. That's why it is usually best to use a credit card when traveling abroad. At 2:30, we boarded the motorcoach for the drive up the winding road to the Eagle's Bend Overlook, a popular tourist lookout point. In the photo below, you can see the road going up the mountain with multiple switchbacks. How these motorcoach drivers navigate these narrow winding roads continues to amaze us.

Once we arrive at the Eagle's Bend Overlook, we disembark the coach and have 10 minutes to take photos.

After re-boarding the coach, we drive down the mountain and through Geiranger in the opposite direction, then up another winding road to Geiranger Skywalk, the premier lookout spot in Geiranger. The scenery along the drive is amazing with green pastures, grazing goats and waterfalls.

We spent about 30 minutes at the Skywalk, which quickly became very crowded with tourists from another large cruise ship. We then drove about 15 minutes up the mountain to a lake.

After the Geiranger Skywalk, the lake was a bit of a let down. Clearer skies and more reflection of the surrounding snow-capped mountains would have made the lake much more photogenic. Nevertheless, it was nice and cool at the lake, about 62 degrees (F) compared to 78 degrees in the town of Geiranger. We only spent about five minutes at the lake, just enough time to take a quick photo. Our excursion is running a little late due to the motorcoach traffic jam at the Skywalk. We are about 30 minutes late getting back to Geiranger. Fortunately, Viking Sky is waiting for us to return. The last tender boat was scheduled to depart Geiranger at 5pm, and it is already well past that time.

*Rickee is about to board today's last tender back to Viking Sky*

Once back on board Viking Sky, we head up to Deck 8 aft where we enjoy a glass of sparkling wine as Viking Sky slowly sails out of Geirangerfjord. A guest lecturer provides narrative over the ship's PA as we pass by famous landmarks of the fjord. Rickee offers a toast to The Seven Sisters as we slowly sail by.

*Sailing by the Seven Sisters waterfall*

This evening, we have an 8:30pm reservation at Manfredi's, Viking Sky's optional Italian restaurant. Our dinner at Manfredi's aboard Viking Sea last year was one of the dining highlights of the cruise, so we were looking forward to another great meal. We were not disappointed. My Caprese Salad starter was a massive chunk of fresh Mozzarella surrounded by sweet cherry tomatoes drizzled with olive oil and balsamic. It was delicious.

Our next course was a wonderful bowl of Cold Cucumber Soup that was both refreshing and delicious. When it came time to choose my main course, it was an easy choice. The Bistecca Florentine is a huge ribeye steak that has been rubbed with olive oil, Porchini mushroom powder, brown sugar and a few other spices, then grilled to a perfect Medium (or however you prefer). The steak was massive! I rarely use the phrase "best" when describing food, but this was definitely the BEST steak I have ever had on a cruise ship.

The peppery and perfectly dressed arugula salad was a nice complement to the marbled beef. And, the Creamed Spinach side was equally as delicious and perfectly seasoned. We even had a surprise visit by Executive Chef, Thomas Noack, who stopped by the table to see if everything was to our liking. After heaping praise upon him and his amazing staff, we told our excellent waiter, Hector, that there was no room for dessert. He tried to tempt Rickee with a Limoncello tasting, but we were just too full. The good news is, we will be making a return visit to Manfredi's next week!

It has been an amazing day in Geiranger aboard Viking Sky. Tomorrow, Viking Sky will be docked in Molde, Norway.

Rickee Richardson 7/22/18 Rickee Richardson 7/22/18

Day 02 - Bergen, Norway

A Panoramic Tour of Bergen

July 22, 2018 - The ancient city of Bergen is nestled between snowcapped mountains, one of Europe's largest glaciers and spectacular fjords. Originally a Viking settlement, the city was founded in 1070. Bergen is Norway's second-largest city. The most iconic landmark, and the one we immediately recognized, is the Bryggen wharf with the row of colorful, and historic, wooden buildings.

After some much needed sleep, we get a late start today. Thankfully, Viking Ocean allows guests to book excursions in the morning or afternoon! The meeting time for each excursion is listed in the Viking Daily newsletter. After a quick lunch at the Pool Grill, we make our way off the ship and outside the cruise terminal where we board one of the motor coaches for our Panoramic Bergen tour.

The two-hour long tour is one of Viking's included excursions. In each port of call, Viking offers guests an excursion which is included in the cost of the cruise fare. Of course, there is a wide variety of optional excursions (additional fees apply). But, it is conceivable that one could travel with Viking, see the world, and never pay for an excursion!

Once onboard the coach, we met our guide for the day, Beatriz, who began explaining the local history as we drove up the winding road to our first photo opportunity.

Our first photo stop was a panoramic view of the city and the Sotra Bridge in the distance. The Sotra Bridge connects the mainland of Bergen to the island of Litlesotra.

The final stop of the tour gave us the opportunity to photograph Bryggen wharf from across the harbor.

This was a very good, slow-paced excursion that gave everyone a glimpse of Bergen. The city, however, is best seen on foot, which is easy to do from where cruise ships dock. It is only a five-minute walk to Bryggen wharf from the ship! We were back on board Viking Sky in time for the mandatory muster drill, after which, we headed to the Star Theater for the Port Talk on Geiranger, our next port-of-call. Our Cruise Director, Aaron Syfert, gave a presentation on Geiranger and the sights we can expect to enjoy tomorrow.

After the port talk, we decided to have dinner this evening in The Restaurant on Deck 2. The Restaurant is the main dining room on Viking Sky (and all Viking Ocean ships) with a menu that changes daily. We arrived at around 6:45 and, unfortunately, all of the window tables for two were already taken. So, if you want a table next to a window, you should arrive at 6:00pm when The Restaurant opens. However, there are a lot of two-top tables for couples who wish to dine alone. Once seated, we were presented the daily menu.

The menu offers a 3-course meal consisting of a starter, a main course and a dessert. However, you can order whatever you like from any section of the menu. We each had two starters and a main. The Three-Onion soup (think French Onion soup) was a rich beef broth filled with onions and topped with a melted cheese on a toasted crouton. My crab cake appetizer was quite large and very good.

The Beef Wellington, a perfectly cooked, fork-tender beef tenderloin wrapped in a mushroom duxelle surrounded by a puff pastry was the highlight of the meal.

Unfortunately, we were too full after our main course to enjoy the Chocolate Souffle dessert. Maybe next time. Tomorrow, we will be in Geiranger, Norway.

Rickee Richardson 7/21/18 Rickee Richardson 7/21/18

Day 1 - Bergen, Norway

After a long day of flying, we finally embark Viking Sky in Bergen, Norway

July 21, 2018 - Once again, American Airlines has us fearing that we will miss a connection and be a day late arriving for our cruise. When we will learn? Our flight from DFW to Chicago was supposed to depart at 12:40 and the message board at the gate now says 1:20 which, in American Airlines lingo, means 2:00pm. Our FInnair flight from Chicago to Helsinki departs at 6:00pm, so we will have a tight connection, at best. We got lucky and our flight did leave DFW, at 2:00pm, NOT 1:20 as they promised. But, we did get to Chicago in time to make our connection.

Once on board the Finnair A330, we began to relax. The only remaining concern was whether our luggage was transferred to the Finnair flight in time. Rickee did a masterful job of getting us excellent Economy Comfort-class seats on Finnair (their version of Premium Economy). Our bulkhead seats (21A & C) had at least 4 feet of legroom! They were well worth the extra $105 per seat. In addition to more legroom, Economy Comfort seats come with a small amenity kit, a bottle of water and noise-cancelling headphones. People seated in Ecomomy Comfort also get to board early and are served meals before everyone else in Economy class. The service was excellent and even the Economy-class meals were quite good. Our entertainment systems worked well and there was a decent selection of movies and TV shows.

*Rickee settles into her Economy Comfort seat on the Finnair A330*

We arrived in Helsinki at around 10:30am and had a five-hour layover until our flight to Bergen. After going through Passport Control at the airport, we found a Finnair lounge that accepted my Admirals Club membership and allowed us to use their facilities. What a great relief! The lounge was huge, with lots of comfortable seating, complimentary food, beer, wine and soft drinks. We boarded our final flight to Bergen on Widerøe, a Norwegian regional airline. The seating was pretty cramped, but it was only and hour-and-a-half flight to Bergen.

Once we arrived in Bergen, we were relieved when both of our pieces of luggage came sliding down the carousel. Viking personnel were waiting for us on the other side of Customs. Porters grabbed our luggage and escorted us to the waiting motorcoach. Our names are checked on the guest list before we board the coach.

*Names are checked against the guest list before boarding the coach*

The drive to the ship only takes about 25 minutes. Viking Sky makes a striking impression against the Bergen skyline.

As soon as we enter the cruise terminal, we go through a security scan and have our passports checked. Next we go to the desk where ship personnel are checking in guests. It only takes a few minutes for our passports to be scanned, and we are given our stateroom key cards. Anna, the ship's Guest Services Manager, greeted us and escorted us on board Viking Sky where we were met by Sujith Mohan, the ship's Hotel Manager. We sailed with Sujith last year on Viking Sea. He remembered us and actually took the time to meet us and welcome us back as we boarded to ship!

Anna escorted us to our stateroom (6068) located aft on Deck 6 where we were greeted by Arvin, our stateroom attendant. Arvin welcomed us and gave us a thorough "tour" of our stateroom, explaining all of the features. He offered to get us anything we needed. It was the most professional welcome we have received from a stateroom attendant in many years. An envelope containing tickets for all of the excursions we pre-booked on the Viking website were waiting for us on the desk.

By the time Arvin left the stateroom, it was 6:15pm and we have been up for more than 30 hours. We are exhausted! We decide to leave the unpacking duties until after we get something to eat. We head up to World Cafe (Deck 7), which happens to conveniently be located almost directly above our stateroom! I will go into more detail about World Cafe in our final review, but it is one of the nicest Lido Buffets you will find on any ship. We enjoyed a leisurely meal as we sat by the window taking in the view of Bergen.

When we arrived back at our stateroom, our luggage was waiting for us. We unpacked and immediately went to bed for some much needed sleep. Tomorrow, Viking Sky will still be in Bergen and we will be taking one of Viking's "included" excursions.