Bm@il
Every week BARBARA FISHER looks at issues that affect us all – the issues that get you talking. You can join in by emailing bmailbarbara@gmail.com
WELL ... just back from Norway where we holidayed with Fisher Junior (FJ) and Son-in-Law (SiL). We had a great time, thanks for asking.
It was a relief to be on an air-conditioned ship after hot and humid Uxbridge. My hair, which had spent the past few weeks being flat or frizzy, certainly preferred it, and looked almost normal again.
We had a lot of catching up to do with FJ and SiL so preferred eating dinner at a table for four.
Anyway, there’s only so much small talk I can manage with fellow passengers before wanting to abandon ship.
One night we had the choice of joining a table for eight or waiting an hour for a table to ourselves. Not having eaten much during the day (to avoid morbid obesity), we were very hungry, so succumbed.
The inevitable ‘how many cruises have you been on’ conversation (nine if you’re asking) turned to comparing cruise lines.
We’ve always travelled with the same company – who can resist the lure of loyalty points? And free slippers.
But our grumpy-looking dinner companion was describing a different line which ‘attracted a ‘better class of passenger.’ Well, thanks very much.
I’m not sure he saw the funny side – or the connection – when I asked him what job he did. He was a retired prison officer.
The plus side of our holiday? The beautiful fjords. A train trip up the mountain at Flaam. Peace to read and relax on our balcony. Alternatively, cinema, shops, shows and bars with sea views.
SiL, an outdoor instructor in Wales, climbed the 1,000 metre Hoven mountain – and did the terrifying via ferrata – but managed to get back to the ship before we left Olden. A plus for him and a huge relief for us.
Most of us have a horror of not getting back to the ship in time, but in nine cruises we’ve never seen this happen. But in Bergen, after arriving an hour late, some errant passengers could only watch their belongings sail away.
I like to support local business, but the taxi home was £70 cheaper than the one from Uxbridge (big vehicle both ways). We will use a Southampton firm next time. Shame.
But for me, worse was to come. We hadn’t overeaten, had walked the promenade deck and FJ even persuaded me to sample the gym’s treadmill.
But when I weighed myself on our return, I’d put on three pounds. The exact amount Mr F had lost. Grr...