Getting there is HALF the fun....

Getting there is NOT half the fun......

Friday and Saturday, July 10 and 11-Day 1 as Viking names it.

 

Friday the 10th was our day to get up early, try to remember what we had forgotten to pack, and wait for time to leave for the airport. We did ok on getting up, did remember a few things that had been overlooked, and did a lousy job waiting for 2:30.

Left the house at 2:30 and drove to Sterling, VA. where we parked the car at Toni's friend Shirley's house. We are leaving it there for the two weeks of our tour.

We took a taxi to the airport and had no traffic. A good sign.

The check in was effortless (although the line was a bit of a wait) and got our seat assignments for the Heathrow-Bergen leg as we had not been able to get them preassigned. That turned out to be a very good thing once we got to Heathrow.

The Airbus A380 is one HUGE aircraft! We had seats on the second deck (and, trust me, even though the airplane was big, the legroom was not) and had a very smooth (long) trip to London Heathrow.

We arrived at 6:30 AM with no sleep. It seemed strange that when we deplaned, we spotted a British Air employee holding a lit sign with our connecting flight number on it. He verified we were connecting to the Bergen flight and we began our trek across the terminals of Heathrow.

For those who have not been to Heathrow airport, a word of warning: Have plenty of time available to get to a connecting flight. The place is enormous, spread out, and a bit confusing. We took the train, walked a long way, took two escalators and one 'lift' to get to security for the Bergen flight.

Then, going through security, it seems Lee left his laptop in the carry on luggage instead of sending it through the scanner separately. This oversight led to a pat down, a carry on search, and a scan of the laptop. No bombs found.

The flight to Bergen was short. Once at the Bergen airport, we were met by the extremely efficient Viking onshore staff who hustled us all onto a bus for a 1/2 hour ride to the ship.

The ship has to be seen and experienced to be able to comprehend. Small by cruise ship standards (930 passengers), the builders have listened to travelers and have incorporated the best features. The stateroom is a bit smaller than we would like but is very well equipped.

 Stateroom 5068

Boarding was simple. Name check at the registration desk, picture taken of our passports (as a backup in case we lose it), boarding pass issued, and champagne upon boarding.  We had lunch as our stateroom was not quite ready and then toured the ship to get familiar with locations.

We got unpacked and took a short nap. Believe me, jet lag is not fun with 'sandy eyes' and a general feeling of tired. The short nap helped.

Dinner was excellent. We asked the hostess to seat us near 'someone fun' and she obliged. Actually, we sat near four other couples who turned out to be mostly fun. Good conversation, excellent food, good wine. This trip is looking up already!

Went to the Explorer's Lounge after dinner (about 9:00) and talked to some folks. It was still light out (remember this is Norway and the sun does strange things) and a bit rainy. Just the setting for an after dinner drink. Then bed.

More tomorrow. On tap is a walking tour of Bergen, wander the streets for a bit, then set sail at 6:00 for Flam, Norway.