Nautical week in Norway. Getting to grips with onboard life.

Swimming pool, shows, lovely food, and good company all sound great, but even having just completed my first one, the word cruise oozes something I am still not comfortable with. I suppose I just think they sound boring.   Seeing the  one grey mass that boarded with me it did say something about the age cohort of people free to holiday during the school time, it is us older people.  No getting away from it.  I am old and seeing this reflected all around me was a challenge.  Seeing the bulk of the ship above me it was also a challenged and I wondered if I had been stupid to book it, but by the time I sat down for the first evening meal in very good company,  I was beginning to see the positives too. 

 Everyone I spoke to who was a first time participant in cruising, found it odd and surreal, but many were thinking of going on a second trip by the end.  The advantages are enormous, you just get on in the UK, get whisked around, dropped off in interesting places and then brought back again. Far less stressful than most modern day travelling, the disadvantage is that it seems a bit too privileged and not a real trip to another country.  One really is just dipping a toe.  I did not really even meet any Norwegians this time, but in truth quite often when travelling it is only other travellers that one meets.   Lots of the people travelling for the first time alone, had lost a partner and that was humbling.  And although most of us were above 50, that still meant a wide range of ages and experiences and hopes and dreams.    So I have laughed, swum, seen lovely entertainment, eaten some wonderful food, found out more about the many Filipinos working on the ships and made new friends.  I have also seen something of Norway,  such a beautiful country and one with a very interesting and at times inspiring history. 

                                                                                  

A few years ago I got an unexpected inheritance and almost all of it went West curtesy of a certain Mr. B and the CPS who decided that a person who had admitted that he had my money was not guilty of a crime as one day he might give me back said money!.   So this new very unexpected bonus is being spent by me - now.  How anyone affords to do regular cruises heaven knows, but apparently one person on board sails for 5 months of the year.  I would love to do the round the world trip, which is why I thought I should at least try one cruise, but I will have to keep working and working even more if I want to do that.  It is a dilemma as that would be amazing.