Welcome Home!

Having sailed past Torvik, Maloy and Floro in the night, we had a leisurely breakfast and finished packing the cases, so that we could enjoy the final views of our approach to Bergen in daylight. Not a drop of snow to be seen anywhere along the coast, which just proves the efficiency of the Gulf Stream in keeping these waters warm (relatively speaking!)

We passed hundreds of tiny islets, some of which had summer homes built on them or lighthouses and were so close to either side of the ship that you felt you could have jumped on to them from the deck! Very skillful steering from the captain and his crew!

We finally docked at Bergen and said goodbye to the crew and our fellow travellers and made our way by coach to the airport. We had a really magical moment en route when we drove through a long tunnel under the mountains and emerged into - Narnia!! The trees were white with frost and there was snow on the ground, although it had seemed like Spring at the port. What a contrast in such a short distance!

I liked this sign at Bergen Airport to welcome travellers home - even if it was home to Norway!! However, Bergen Airport itself was a shambles and I hope to never have to use it again. Arrivals were ferried in through the Duty Free areas, pushing through passengers waiting to depart from the same gate and it was chaos! Very surprising in such an otherwise efficient country and a disappointing memory on which to end a wonderful holiday.

We arrived back in Edinburgh to learn that it had been raining non-stop for a week - but we hadn't seen a drop in Norway!