ON THE FANTASTIC FANTASIA

So, how do I go about putting the last ten days into a blog? I did keep a journal and every morning we got a newsletter from the ship outlining the days activities, the ship's course and choices for on shore excusions. I will try to hit the highlights only so as not to bore you (and me!) with too many details. Here goes.

We left Kristiansund on Friday, March 26th after Todd and Kristy came home from work. A stop at a Chinese cafe was great - delicious food and relaxing piano music in the background. Howard asked for root beer but that is not to be had in Norway. I guess Norskies just don't go for the taste. He settled for a Solo orange "brus". We continued driving on through lovely mountain passes and were amazed to see the view mirrored in the lake in the moonlight. It was a bit foggy and rainy too at times, but the temperature was above freezing so roads were good.

We got to our hytta about ten thirty, a welcome sight. But as Todd later put it "It looked good from afar, but up close it was far from good!" The cabin was cosy and warm with decor from the 70's with its orange striped sofa and chairs and chrome table with extensions on two sides. The problem was with the beds. The livingroom couch made into a bed of sorts. A bedroom and bathroom were up a flight of five steps. Bunkbeds awaited us in the bedroom. What to do? The old folks could sleep on the sofabed, but not ideal to have to go up and down the stairs for our evening bathroom visits. Todd and Kristy would not fit on the sofa but Todd wouldn't fit in a bunkbed either! What to do? Kristy suggested taking the mattress off the top bunkbed and putting it on the floor in the livingroom. She would sleep there and Todd could sleep diagonally on the sofa. The old folks could snuggle on the bottom bunk, which was a bit wider than the top one. It seemed to be the best solution so we were off to bed. In the morning no one bragged about their good night's sleep! I didn't hear any train whistles so must have slept more than I thought. Of course T & K woke up when the old folks got up to the bathroom. We were all glad when morning came and we could get up!! We had breakfast along - juice, fruit and "God morn", a yogurt with a side of granola that you flip over the yogurt. I love it! We did our cleaning duties and Kristy negotiated a cut in the charges, down from 700 kroner to 500. Then we were off and "on the road again".

The drive to Oslo went smoothly. We met miles of cars heading out of Oslo for the Easter break. T & K counted cars with racks of skiis on top and came up with a 40% rate. Easter break is often the last chance for a ski holiday and there was still lots of snow on the ski hills around Lillehammer, just over two hours from Oslo. Todd parked the car at the Gardemoen airport and we took a shuttle bus to the terminal. Soon we were on board our two hour flight to Munich, Germany. We were offered ham or cheese sandwiches, a Kit Kat bar and choice of drinks. We changed planes and were off to Genoa, Italy where we landed about ten thirty pm. The plane came in over the water and it seemed like we were never going to get over land! But we landed safely and waited in line for a taxi to our Comfort Hotel. We were driven through a maze of winding streets and then our taxi turned into a narrow street that looked more like a sidewalk. There we were, right at our hotel door! We took an elevator built for two to the 6th floor. After last night, we were excited to see what awaited us behind those hotel room doors. We forgot that it was rather late and were talking back and forth until a fellow poked his head out of a doorway and called "SHUT UP". We did, quietly said our good-nights and closed our doors. WOW! A king sized bed awaited us, quite a contrast to our bunk last night. We had such a good sleep

We had breakfast at the hotel, then went for a walk to get a feel for this Italian city. It was a sunny morning, perfect for a stroll by the harbour. We stopped for lunch at a little sidewalk cafe. Back to the hotel, then called a taxi to take us to the Fantasia. We had a discussion with the taxi driver about our fare and he finally said it would be 18 euros. A guide book had suggested that you find out the fare before you get in and it was a good idea. No surprises when we arrived. The taxi took us right to the boarding area where our suitcases were labelled and ready to be delivered to our rooms. We went through the boarding procedures - submitted our passports, gave a credit card number, had our pictures taken. Soon we were given a plastic card with our name, room number, dining-room and table number. The card has a magnetic strip that unlocks our room and is used to pay for the extras on board. Room numbers on one side of the boat are all odd, the other side are even. Soon we were in a mirror lined elevator up to deck 11, room 199, just two doors down from T & K. Our suitcases were waiting for us beside the door. Another king sized bed awaited us, along with a couch, all in a rich burgundy decor. A bathroom with shower was just to the right of our door. A desk with a flat screen TV was on the corner wall. A patio door led out to a balcony where two wicker chairs and a table awaited us. I was soon busy unpacking and getting settled in our home for the next five days. (to be continued in the morning)