Today we arrived in Bergan. Still haven’t seen any fjords. Bryggen, the historical district that is the “must see” of Bergan is not near the port where we are docked. And it’s raining. Santo was not interested in going into town, but I felt I should at last take a look while I’m in Bergan. I won’t likely be here again.

         So I booked a ticket on a jump on-jump off bus for a tour around the city. I could see the highlights of the city in one one-hour loop. It was a long walk from the pier to the city street where the bus would pick me up. It was waiting when I got there, so I jumped on. A German woman I had interacted with on the ship got on ahead of me and I sat in front of her. It was fun being able to converse with her along the journey.

         Bergan is a lovey city of colorful wooden homes, not just the historic ones in Bryggen, but throughout the city. There was also an old fort, a historic wooden church, and lots of shopping. Sadly, many of the shops were the same international brands we had seen on Grafton Street in Dublin. The rain had not let up, so I decided to stay on the bus rather that get off at Bryggen as I thought I might. I later regretted this decision. Bryggen is renowned for the colorful wooden facades of the houses. But what makes it special is that it has preserved the original medieval arrangement of long, narrow rows of buildings separated by tiny wooden passageways. These could not be seen from the bus.

         Back on the ship, I took up my home spot in Carinthia to continue writing. I was passing on lunch to enjoy the 3:30 High Tea in the Queen’s Room.

         The Queens Room looked so different during the day: light and airy with white tablecloths on the small tea tables, set perfectly with China and silver place settings for four. All the tables were occupied, though many had empty seats. I would have to ask someone if I could join them. I scoped out the room: there was a gentlemen sitting alone, but I thought that would be weird. There were several tables with two women and two extra seats. I looked for friendly faces. Then I spotted a small older woman (perhaps seventy?) seated alone. She looked shy, and a bit dour, but something drew me to join her. As soon as I asked if I could join her, her face brightened with a warm smile and she waved her hand at the empty seats. “Yes, please,” she responded enthusiastically.

         I noticed her accent immediately and asked, “Sind Sie Deutsche?” Her face lit up again when she realized she would be able to converse in her native tongue. She was an extremely pleasant and welcoming person, and spoke slowly and simply, choosing her words to help me understand. After a few minutes, a younger woman, perhaps in her forties, breezed in in a rush, shedding her scarf and sweater as she sat down. She was an attractive blond, quite friendly and quickly joined our conversation. She spoke much faster than my original companion, and was seated further from me so I began to have trouble understanding and keeping up with the conversation. At precisely 3 pm, everyone in the room started rhythmically clapping. Then in walked a long row of white coated waiters carrying silver trays of tea. They spread out throughout the room and began serving. Then came the first course of small finger sandwiches. I took two and nibbled as I continued to strain to follow the conversation. Then to my surprise, who should show up to our table but Santo! He looked a bit out of place in his jeans and plaid shirt, and certainly surprised my companions. He arrived just in time for the service of scones with jam and coddled cream (delicious!). The scones were small but oh so tasty. Santo left as quickly as he came before the desserts were served, so I tried to jump back in to the German conversation. I had one small lemon tart for my dessert, finished my tea, and my first High Tea was complete.

         Dinner was again with Michael and Sabine, and our British ladies, Karen and Linda, had returned. They seemed a bit more talkative. Santo sat next to Karen and was able to draw her out a bit. He found out that she had lived in South Africa for forty-five years and had returned to England to be with her mother and sister. There’s more to Karen than meets the eye!

         Our after-dinner evening began at Carinthia where the duo we had liked from Friday was supposed to play. However, a different group showed up, four guys playing cool jazz. Quite enjoyable. It is amazing how we can just sit around, relax and talk, when we’re here. How can we replicate this at home? We are determined to try to spend some evenings at home just being together, sharing a drink, perhaps listening to some music. I know it will require me to set aside my “work” and disconnect in order to connect to Santo, and to my own center.

         Our next stop was the Commodore Club to listen to piano and get a glimpse of where we were headed from the bow. I was excited to see an empty table but as I approached realized that is was in front of a wall, not a window. The German couple sitting one table over reminded us that the curtains would be closing in a few minutes (at sunset) anyway, so we took the table. It’s still a lovely space. After the curtains close, they light the battery candles at each table with a remote and dim the other lights, which creates a lovely atmosphere. We are certainly getting used to all this pampering!

         Santo woke up still raving about the lightning storm. It was pretty amazing. Can’t imagine the Northern Lights being any better.

         Even though he hadn’t slept that much, Santo got up early and headed to King’s Court for his breakfast fit for a king. He hasn’t stop raving about King’s Court since our last voyage. I had hoped to go do dining room for breakfast, but since I slept in, I missed the 9:30 am cutoff. So I headed to my beloved Carinthia where I enjoyed a breakfast of Greek yogurt and fresh fruit. It is also my favorite spot to write.

         I started in on the blog after breakfast. A LOT to catch up on. Eventually, a couple came to sit in the two seats opposite me, which I welcomed. I’m always hoping to meet new people. This couple was British and seemed lovely; the only problem was that they were very soft spoken and difficult to understand. There are some British accents where the speakers seem to swallow their words before they project them and with my ears, that can be tough.

         Shortly after they sat down, there were stirrings about the Trivia game set to begin at 10:15 am. Another couple, Americans from North Carolina, came over with an answer sheet ready to play and asked us if we wanted to join. So I did. Interesting questions and a good group. But after the game I was ready to start writing in earnest.

         At 12:30 pm I went to a lecture in the theater about Norway’s progress on global warming initiatives and how they have achieved so much. It gave a good history of how we got to where we are, then detailed some specific reasons why Norway is doing so well. One is that much building in Norway is wood, which is more carbon-friendly that other types of building. They also incinerate a large percentage of their trash. The speaker joked that in a country where there are months with no sunlight, solar doesn’t really make sense. But they have tapped hydropower in the water flowing down from the fjords.

         The talk finished just in time for me to make it to the dining room for lunch. I was quite comfortable sitting by self and got a great seat looking right out at the ocean. I had an appetizer of pate with a fennel salad and a fish curry for my entrée. Also tried to drink tons of water since I am not getting my usual water intake without my water bottle.

         After lunch, I checked in with Santo in the room. I thought maybe we could play Rummikub, which they have here, but since he needed to catch up on sleep, he opted for a nap. I returned to Carinthia for more blogging.

Tonight was the first gala evening on the ship, the Black & White ball. We wanted to go to the Commodore Lounge before dinner, so we both got dressed by 5 pm. I was able to wear the beautiful dress that had been created from two of my friend Jane Herman’s dresses. I had fallen in love with the deep silver and black skirt as soon as I saw it. Unfortunately, when I tried it on, the attached black velvet sleeveless top did not fit. But I had the idea of putting the beautiful skirt together with the black velvet top of another dress Jane had given me. Luckily, I was able to find a seamstress in Auburn who was able to magically produce the desired garment. I wore it with my Downton Abby style necklace and earrings. Very classy.

Santo wore his good black suit with the silver and black bowtie, pocket square, and cuff links we had gotten for our last cruise. The suit really looks like a tux and he looked very dapper in it. We love dressing up!

The Commodore Room is on Deck 9 at the very front of the ship. It is shaped like the bow, following the contours of the vessel. Large, elongated port hole style windows line the walls, which are of gleaming wood. The carpeting is a swirl of light and dark blues and gold. Comfortable chairs of dark blue or gold are grouped in front of the windows. The low ceiling is all white, with hidden blue lighting circling the room. Nautical pictures and illustrations dot the walls. The whole effect gives the impression of a ship captain’s white uniform. At the center of the room is a grand piano where tonight’s pianist plays a lovely mix of classical, Broadway, and adult contemporary music. A great way to enjoy a relaxing drink before dinner.

A little before 6 pm, we headed to our second dinner on the ship. Everyone is required to wear their gala clothes for dinner in Brittania, or eat in another one of the dining options. As we walked through the main lobby, I loved seeing all the lovely dresses and men in tuxes. So many wore black and white for the gala theme and everyone together looked magnificent.

Our German table mate Sabine wore a black dress with a glimmering white wrap and looked lovely. Michael wore a tuxedo. Sisters Karen and Linda were absent, perhaps choosing to forego the gala. After several minutes, another couple joined us: Michael and Lynn, a couple from Australia. Michael is a handsome black man in a tuxedo who immediately introduced himself and his wife, who is a tall and graceful white woman wearing an off-the-shoulder turquoise gown. She is equally friendly. Both of them also speak German, having lived in Germany for many years. So the conversations were lively, in both English and German.

Having time to kill between dinner and the gala, we headed back to Carinthia to listen to some jazz music. The gala was due to start at 9 pm, so we headed down to the Queen’s Room about 8:45 pm. The room has two levels of seating: on the floor level with the large dance floor and a few steps us to a second level. The room is large and elegant, decorated for tonight’s back and white theme. Tuxedos and elaborate gowns abounded. We scanned the room for a seat, and the place was already nearly full. We finally spotted two seats at the back of the lower level and shimmied our way in.

The dance floor was already full, and the dancers all looked like professionals. Lovely to watch, but very intimidating. Santo and I love to dance, but we are nowhere near on par with the level of talent on the dance floor. The official band for the night started at 9 pm and played an appealing mix of contemporary and older tunes, all played with a distinct rhythm for ballroom dancing. We could picture our friends Jane and Bob, seasoned QM2 travelers, all decked out and dancing away. They are such an elegant pair. How we would have loved to share a journey with them.

Santo kept wanting to dance, but I was too intimidated. The dancers were all in step with one another and paraded around the dance floor in one fluid circle. It felt like we would be trying to jump into a swiftly rotating jump rope. He finally wore me down though, and we did enjoy a few dances on the edges of the dance floor. It felt good to be out there, to be in Santo’s arms gliding across the floor. I was even able to keep my head held up over his shoulder!

We came to the end of our first full day on the Queen Mary and already felt immersed in the rhythm of life aboard ship. At least it was easier to jump into than the synchronized dancing!