Tapp's Travels

[pmb_print_buttons] Stavanger is known affectionately as “Oljebyen” – the oil capital.  The petroleum museum (with dinosaur on the roof – as you do!) is located almost adjacent to our moored ship.  The morning tour boards the coach on the quayside,…

[pmb_print_buttons] Stavanger is the biggest city we’ve seen in a while.  In fact there are only 3 cities bigger in Norway – Oslo, Bergen and Trondheim.  About 122,000 people live in Stavanger – almost as many as live in Torbay!…

[pmb_print_buttons] Some of these fjords are pretty long!  Sognefjord is no exception.  Flåm is located a convenient 180 km (112 miles) from open water.  This fjord is actually Norway’s longest at 203 km, ahead of Hardanger Fjord (179 km).  There…

[pmb_print_buttons] Sorry about the delay.  There is a reason, but we’ll get to that in due course.  Our transit from Geiranger Fjord to Moldefjord was “interesting”!  Force 9 or 10 winds in the North Atlantic had stirred up a bit…

[pmb_print_buttons] It’s Thursday 15 September (or at least, it was!).  By the time we wake we are miles up the Geiranger Fjord at Hellesylt.  Here we marooned a number of enthusiastic hikers ashore.  They were going to walk the final…

[pmb_print_buttons] As I said, early morning tea was delivered by Kumar.  Another day, another port!  It’s Ålesund today!  A pretty little town with a small harbour with old sailing fishing boats (just like in Brixham) in front of our ship…

[pmb_print_buttons] We woke to find ourselves in Bergen, the second largest city in Norway.  Our walking tour took us to Bryggen.  This neighbourhood features colourful wooden houses on the old wharf, once a centre of the Hanseatic League’s trading empire. …

[pmb_print_buttons] The internet cover here is tragically slow!  There are very few opportunities to update this account! I think we were in Eidfjord when last I wrote – athough, by then we were in Bergen!  The “Eid” part of “Eidfjord”…

[pmb_print_buttons] Well, on Sunday morning, after 36 hours we are still at sea and not expected in “port” in Eidfjord for another 14 hours.  However,  it’s true to say that nine of those hours will be sailing up the fjord!…

[pmb_print_buttons] Well this is different.  Well, not so very different actually!  We do seem to start our trips in distinctly non-conformist ways.  This time a “technical hitch” at our credit card company resulted in non-payment of part of the final…