Week Nine - Back to "Normal"

Great start to the week - on Wednesday Nadia and I had most of the day off to go exploring! Might as well take advantage of these quiet times because they aren't going to last.  We were advised to go to Skagen, the northern tip of Denmark.  Took the train there and back and in between did a lot of walking.  We started off walking on the walking/shopping street and reveled in the novelty of having time to browse leisurely and not have to rush back for some food related reason.  That took up most of the morning and we made up a lunch from grocery store items and buns from a bakery.  Then we took off again, out of town and along the beach to a nature park area.  The beaches in the park were fairly busy but the ones to get there were quite deserted and we enjoyed stopping to take pictures, look at rocks, etc.  At the park we couldn't face walking all the way to the northern tip of the country but we did climb a hill (I use that term fairly loosely but Denmark is such a flat country any change in elevation counts as a hill) to at least see the tip.  We took the easier roadside walk back to town and finished off the day with an ice cream and Skype session.

creative selfie set up

The following day we took the ship out to sea for engine trials in the morning.  Everything went well and after a small crew change we headed out in the afternoon to get back to Norway.  With just 17 people on board it was a lighthanded transit but took less than 20 hours.  A lighthanded deck department means that there was more use for a galley girl on deck and I got up for an hour or so of night watch during which we set 3 triangular and 2 square sails.  Setting squares means going aloft and it though it might sound strange if you haven't done it, going aloft to work in the middle of the night, in the dark (no flashlights, it messes up your night vision) is amazing.  After all that sail handling I did a short stint on helm before heading down to get some rest before breakfast.

Once we got back it was full steam ahead to get ready for our first day/evening sail of the season.  Tables to set up, fish soup to finish off, provisions to take on, cleaning and polishing and making ready for our guests besides the usual feeding crew business.  The sail went well and people seemed to enjoy themselves as we cruised through the fjords, I didn't have much time to admire the scenery but as we'll be doing these trips for the next 6 weeks or so I'm sure I'll get a chance.

A day to recover/prepare and then into Norway Day (17th of May) madness.  We had open ship from 11-6 which included a bar and fiske soup sales on deck and a full buffet, with two seatings, in the banjer.  It was busy busy busy but overall organized chaos I think!  Lots of people came dressed in traditional folk dress and if I'd had more time it would have been interesting to talk to people about where their clothes come from (different parts of the country have different styles of dress) and if they, or a family member had made their outfit and inspect the embroidery and knitting that so many displayed.

Today (Tuesday) we did another day sail, this one just in the afternoon and all we had to serve was coffee so that was quite easy and I was able to take in some of the scenery.  At the end of the day we gathered on the dock and inflated an old life raft.  It was interesting to see how it worked and explore all the contents: drinking water from 1985, triangular bandages with instructive diagrams, short stubby paddles, rock candy, a flashlight, knife, etc. etc.