On thursday the 26th, I spent the day in Norway's countryside. It was everything I imagined it to be: awe inspiring and impressive. In the morning we walked from the pier to the railway station and boarded a train for about two hours that took us to Myrdal. Almost everyone around me was sleeping and even though I was exhuasted, there was no way I could shut my eyes. The scenary was too fantastic to ignore. I could sleep later. When we arrived in Mydral, we started our hike down a valley to Berekvam station. My friend Momoko and I made it a point to walk with the first guide, so that we could see the landscape from the best viewpoint (with no one in front of us). Our guide was so sweet and we enjoyed her company very much. As we walked downhill, we passed waterfalls and were surrounded by mountains. There was still snow in some areas. The most amazing feature was the waterfalls on the side of the mountains, they were just incredible! And the water was the clearest I've ever seen...you could see everything in the streams. Our guide recommended trying the water and we were not disappointed....fresh indeed! At one point we encountered a goat farm and took the opportunity to have a break from the walking. There were probably about 60 goats, all of which were very sweet tempered. We continued walking and I tried to take in as much as I could....I couldn't imagine a healthier, more pure location. Clearly, nothing existed beyond this...it felt like an entirely different world. And yet I felt as if I had been there many times...it was a natural connection between myself the environment, but of course there is nothing like this in the states. If I could, I would walk our hike every day....and I think I would be a better person for it. When there's such beauty, it's almost unfathomable to think of all the pain in the world....
I had the same sensation as we crossed the Atlantic. Feeling completely isolated was peaceful....the world was so large but here, there was nothing but us and the waves....
When we got to Berekvam station it was only a few minutes until we reached Flam, where we had a buffet lunch waiting for us at the Fretheim hotel. We only stayed there for a little bit, and then boarded a bus which took us up the Stalheim Canyon. Apparently, the road was built in the mid 1800s. And we all held our breath as the bus continued up the steep canyon, making more than 10 extremely tight turns. Thank God for the talent of our bus driver...the view from the top was breathtaking....
After the canyon, we continued driving through the countryside, passing waterfalls and various lakes. We stopped in the town of Voss, which was having some sort of "extreme" sports festival. Most people went to check that out but I just walked along the streets, peeking into a few shops here and there. Overall, Thursday was my most enjoyable day in Norway. The landscape of Norway, the fjords especially, are just fantastic. If any nature lovers are reading this, GO TO NORGE! You won't be disappointed...it will be your paradise.
When we returned to Bergen, we decided to go out to the bars later that night, seeing as it was the last night in Norway (we had to be on the ship friday evening around 6-7). Besides alcohol being extremely expensive, I ran into other problems. Being one of the youngest on the ship, most of my friends are at least a year or two to three years older. And surprsingly, in Norway, most bars are 20 and up. There didn't seem to be any official law regarding drinking age, for I was was able to get into three different places we tried and had no problem buying beer or a cocktail. But the majority of the bars and clubs were off limits for me, which also made it difficult for my friends if I was with them. One of the nice things about the nightlife was that it didn't get dark until way after 11pm. Even as I write this, on route to Russia, it is 10pm and still completely bright out.
Friday was a pretty relaxing day but also a very rainy and gray one. It rained off and on during our stay in Norway, but Friday was the only day it seemed to have been overpowered by stormy clouds. So, I took this opportunity to see the art collection at the Bergen Art Museum and stayed there for a good hour (it's pretty small, an hour is perhaps all one needs). Three highlights for me were:
-the Nikolai Astrup collection
-the J.C. Dahl collection
-various Russian Orthodox icons
Before Bergen, I had never heard of Nikolai Astrup so his work was a wonderful surprise! Born in 1880, Astrup was known for "depicting nature in a characteristically intimate way, loading the pictures with mystery and symbolic content." Some of his best works included in the collection include "Birthday Party in the Garden," "Mother and Child by a table in the garden," "Clear night in June," "Morning in March," and "Kari-Motif from Sunde." There was also some Munchs there, which was great because I didn't have a chance to travel to Oslo to see "The Scream."
More widely known is the work of J.C. Dahl, who was born in Bergen in 1788. Known as the father of Norwegian painting, he is famous for his romantic landscapes. Personally, I did not enjoy his work as much as Astrup's, but was still very grateful to see his pieces. There was also a section dedicated to some Russian Orthodox icons, which was great to see. It also puzzled me as to why Norwegians would have them...I never did find out my answer...oh well, was happy they were there. The rest of the day was spent meandering around the city, but most of it I had already explored. One really doesn't need to have an extended stay in Bergen. Although quaint, a tourist can see most of the highlights in a day or two.
I was really happy to have spent my first port stay in Norway. The two major things I will remember is how beautiful the scenary is, and how expensive everything was. As I expected, I routinely encountered negative American sentiments, from a wide variety of people. Some Norwegians were extremely rude and most thought Americans supported Bush. Of course, I tried to persuade them otherwise.
So that was Norway! After four days, I was exhuasted. Yesterday and today we resumed classes, but tommorrow is Russia day, which will be filled with various lectures about Russian politics, culture, and language (the theme of this trip is Russia's relationship with Europe, so our global studies class is basically a Russian history course. All we have been reading since we arrived on the ship was about Russia, all the movies are Russian or about WWII, etc. I have learned more about the country of Russia in the past two weeks than I have my whole life). We had our cultural preport tonight and our logistical preport is tommorrow at 2000. Upon leaving Norway, I found out that our interport lecturer is none other Masha Lipman, a Washington Post contributer from Russia. This spring, I had actually read her articles! I couldn't believe it! I distinctly remember reading an article she had written called "Putin's Puppet Press" which aroused my curiosity. Here is a short bio:
Maria (or Masha) Lipman is the editor of the journal Pro et Contra, which is published by Carnegie Moscow Center and was co-founder of Itogi, the first news weekly magazine in Russia. Itogi was published in cooperation with the American news weekly Newsweek. It was part of Russia's first privately owned media group "Media-MOST," which was shut down by the government in 2001. That same year Ms. Lipman co-founded and became deputy editor of the news weekly magazine Ezhedel'ny zhurnal, which was published until 2003. Ms. Lipman has worked as a translator,researcher and contributor for The Washington Post Moscow bureau. She has had a monthly op-ed column on Russian politics, media and society in The Washington Post since 2001. She has contributed to numerous publications and has been featured as an expert in many international broadcast venues.
She actually came into my women in cross cultural perspectives class which was great. I better be off, but I would like to leave with a quote from the famous Russian writer Gogol's letter to a friend:
This is how you should make your voyage: first of all get out of your head all your opinions on Russia, whatever they may be: repudiate any conclusions that you have already drawn; present yourself knowing exactly nothing....
After you have arrived in the chief town or a disrict or province, strive to get to know the sights. They are not in architectural works and antiquities but in people. I swear to you that a man is worth being considered with greater curiosity than a factory or a ruin. Only endeavor to look for him with a drop of brotherly love and you will not be able to tear yourself away from him, he will appear so interesting to you."
-N. Gogol, in a letter to a friend.
________________________________
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Norge
My room resided in darkness in the early hours of yesterday morning. All was quiet as the ship rocked side to side, mingling with the waves beneath. And then, in a minute that came all too soon (at least I thought so at first), my alarm clock sounded, the rather unpleasant sound meeting with my groggy mind, having a not so nice conversation. But then, my mind made sense of the circumstance and realized...we are coming into Norway! The idea of five-twenty am quickly disappeared and was replaced by something much more agreeable...the thought of seeing my first european country. I quickly raced to get ready...running up to the decks...surprised at seeing I was one of many who were also up. Maybe two hundred of the students were awake, along with many of the teachers and life learners, and we stood together as we stared at the Norwegian coast, admiring the quaint sea towns. I don't remember a time I was this giddy. The excitement steadily increased as we became closer to Bergen, and when I saw the city...oh, I couldn't believe it...how beautiful, it was everything I thought it would be...the seven hills of Bergen cradled the colorful houses...the city seemed its own world, a real utopia...
Bergen is the second largest city of Norway, with is a country of about four and a half million citizens. Historically, Norway was a very poor county, but upon finding oil, Norge has become one of the wealthiest countries in the world. This is a nation that takes care of its citizens to the fullest. Taxes are very high, but goodness, the Norwegians have basically everything! If you ever go to Norway, be prepared. Everything is incredibly expensive. For example, at every bar, do not be surprised to find the CHEAPEST beer to be about ten dollars. Just for ONE beer. All of the semester at sea students (including myself) have found this out the hard way. Another example: the new coldplay album came out when I was on the ship crossing the Atlantic and I made it a point to buy the album the first day in Norway. I found a really cute music store and decided to see if they had it. Ironically, the cd was playing overhead as I walked in. But, it was almost $34!! For those interested, Norwegians use the kroner as their currency. One kroner is about $5. So the cd was like, 169 kroner. In the states, I could get this for $10. See the difference? Pretty remarkable, eh? But we all knew Norway would be super expensive...in our preport meetings, we were warned. However, I remember hearing, perhaps on NPR, that oil in Norway/Sweden costs about $14....I think they were comparing it to our $5 crisis...Interestingly enough, I haven't seen one gas station.
Once we got off the ship, we walked about five minutes to the main part of Bergen, where amongst other things, the UNESECO world heritage site of Bryggen is. Along the harbor, they are a row of Hanseatic timberered houses, which have been rebuilt after a fire in the early 18th century. There are workshops and various stores now, even some restuarants. But they are absolutely beautiful.
Bergen is the second largest city of Norway, with is a country of about four and a half million citizens. Historically, Norway was a very poor county, but upon finding oil, Norge has become one of the wealthiest countries in the world. This is a nation that takes care of its citizens to the fullest. Taxes are very high, but goodness, the Norwegians have basically everything! If you ever go to Norway, be prepared. Everything is incredibly expensive. For example, at every bar, do not be surprised to find the CHEAPEST beer to be about ten dollars. Just for ONE beer. All of the semester at sea students (including myself) have found this out the hard way. Another example: the new coldplay album came out when I was on the ship crossing the Atlantic and I made it a point to buy the album the first day in Norway. I found a really cute music store and decided to see if they had it. Ironically, the cd was playing overhead as I walked in. But, it was almost $34!! For those interested, Norwegians use the kroner as their currency. One kroner is about $5. So the cd was like, 169 kroner. In the states, I could get this for $10. See the difference? Pretty remarkable, eh? But we all knew Norway would be super expensive...in our preport meetings, we were warned. However, I remember hearing, perhaps on NPR, that oil in Norway/Sweden costs about $14....I think they were comparing it to our $5 crisis...Interestingly enough, I haven't seen one gas station.
Once we got off the ship, we walked about five minutes to the main part of Bergen, where amongst other things, the UNESECO world heritage site of Bryggen is. Along the harbor, they are a row of Hanseatic timberered houses, which have been rebuilt after a fire in the early 18th century. There are workshops and various stores now, even some restuarants. But they are absolutely beautiful.
After we passed Bryggen, my friends and I went to Floibanen, the station where the funicular heads up Mount Floien, which is one of the seven hills of Bergen and provides tourists with a breathtaking view of the city below. It was perhaps the best way to start off the trip. If there was one downside, it would have been the weather....it rained off and on yesterday but luckily, we were able to take some photos before it started to pour. After walking around a little more, my companions had to return to the ship for some tours so I decided to continue exploring on my own. I have ALWAYS taken the greatest pleasure at discovering places by myself....and for a little more than an hour, that is just what I did. Being taken as a Norwegian many times, I mentally patted myself on the back for passing as a non-American (which, even in America, happens a lot...especially in the past year, many foreigners had thought I was also from Europe). Honestly, I could not tell you which streets I went on...I just walked and wandered, pretending as if Bergen were indeed my home. I will say that every street is so lovely...they are the streets I always dream of and search for in the states but never find....they are streets of history...........
I did explore the Fisketorget, also known as the Fish market, which is in the center of the town. If you are a seafood lover, I can't imagine any place that's better than here. There's everything...it's really intense. All the people offer fish...I myself had salmon a couple times from different vendors, but that's all. Many people had tried whale and said it was really good....but no whale...so anti that....today when we went back, I tried caviar. I think it's safe to say that was a one time tasting experience. I had also stumbled into the Bergen bus station, on the other side of the Lile Lungegardvann, which is a pretty large fountain (they call it a lake..clearly not a lake...but oh well). The bus station had a lot of stores which I perused through...I also bought some food...I was starving. Then, I met my roommate at Bryggen and we went to a little cafe, which we discovered had wi fi!!!! I have been there three times already....it has been sooo convenient. We proceeded onto seeing Mariakirke, or St. Mary's Church, which is the oldest building in Bergen, dating from about the early 12th century. It was nice inside, but ultimately, not that impressing. Either was the Bryggen museum, which we went to after. They had three exhibitions, we particularly enjoyed the one on witches. But I wouldn't necessarly recommend it....
Bergen is very small and easy to get around. It truly is a charming town, with friendly (almost all blonde haired, blue eyes) people. Just about everyone speaks English, which was no surprise to me, but nice. We are in the white nights region, which meant that the sun did not set until after 11pm....it was great! I was wearing sunglasses at 9pm! I had talked to a lot of Norwegians about which bars and places to go to...(yes, we want to go out on a tuesday night ,we told them) but since I am not even 19 yet (aug 7!!), it was difficult finding places that wouldnt let anyone older than 20 in, which was kind of shocking. After searching for about an hour, we found a cute bar that didn't card so we stayed for awhile, drinking our ridiculously expsensive beer (four of us shared one because we did not want to spend that money). The other negative part was the bar was pretty much taken over by SAS kids...every bar was. There were some Norwegians, but not many. We eventually stumbled back onto the ship after 12, there was really no point at staying out later. I fell asleep immediately but this morning came rushing just like the day before. After eating breakfast, my friends and I went through the fish market again, and found a bus station to take us to Troldhaugen and the Fantoft Stavkirke. Even though Bergen is not a large city by any means, it felt so refreshing to get into the countryside!! I loved it!! At Troldhaugen, we went to Edvard Grieg's summer home, which is on Lake Nordas. It was a charming Victorian home and a very romantic setting. I would recommend seeing this home...it's a nice excursion which won't take that long once you arrive (it is about a 10-15 minute walk from the bus station, but a pleasant one at that). After, we got on another bus and went to see the Fantoft Stavkirk, which is a stave church, something I had never really heard of before doing research on Norway. A funny story though before I write about our the church itself. When we got on the bus, we realized that the bus driver charged us more than what it was to originally go form Bergen to Troldhaugen...and yet we were at Troldhaugen, wanting to go about two stops to the stave church..and then when he dropped us off, we thought he stopped at another church, one we didn't want to go to. Luckily, we realized that he had indeed taken us to the right place, but I think he made a nice little profit off of us Americans (or perhaps not). So, back to the church. Apparently, in the middle ages, there were about 750 stave churches in Norway, but only 30 are still standing. What we sw was originally constructed in 1150 but was moved to Fantoft in 1883. Unfortunately, the church burned down in the early 90s when some guy set fire to it (he's in jail, 20 year sentence)...so this is an exact duplication of the original. I did not go inside the church, but took many pictures and admired from the outside. If you're ever in Bergen, DEFINITELY go there...architecturally, its one of the most interesting buildings I've ever seen. After coming back, we did some window shopping and talking with locals. My good from Momoko and I had the most interesting conversation with a woman named Jorid (pronounced you-wi-din, means beautiful horse). She was working at this very small household decoration store, probably in her mid to late twenties. At first, we talked to her about gender relations in Norwegian, and then I talked to her about the current state of the economy in the US as well as Bush and the campaign. I was prepared to proove to her that Americans too, think Bush is, excuse my language, a dumb ass. I hate to end of that note, but I'm thorougly exhuasted. Tommorrow I'm going on a SAS trip, called Norway in a Nutshell. I will go to the villages of Flam and Voss and maybe a few others. I'm looking forward to seeing waterfalls!!!! It should be wonderful. If you would like to see pictures, here are some public links:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2002815&l=f0ab1&id=1084770089 <http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2002815&l=f0ab1&id=1084770089>
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2002823&l=65b4c&id=1084770089 You may or may not be able to see these videos: http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1010048926550 http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1010048686544 Enjoy them! I'll definitely write soon again!
I did explore the Fisketorget, also known as the Fish market, which is in the center of the town. If you are a seafood lover, I can't imagine any place that's better than here. There's everything...it's really intense. All the people offer fish...I myself had salmon a couple times from different vendors, but that's all. Many people had tried whale and said it was really good....but no whale...so anti that....today when we went back, I tried caviar. I think it's safe to say that was a one time tasting experience. I had also stumbled into the Bergen bus station, on the other side of the Lile Lungegardvann, which is a pretty large fountain (they call it a lake..clearly not a lake...but oh well). The bus station had a lot of stores which I perused through...I also bought some food...I was starving. Then, I met my roommate at Bryggen and we went to a little cafe, which we discovered had wi fi!!!! I have been there three times already....it has been sooo convenient. We proceeded onto seeing Mariakirke, or St. Mary's Church, which is the oldest building in Bergen, dating from about the early 12th century. It was nice inside, but ultimately, not that impressing. Either was the Bryggen museum, which we went to after. They had three exhibitions, we particularly enjoyed the one on witches. But I wouldn't necessarly recommend it....
Bergen is very small and easy to get around. It truly is a charming town, with friendly (almost all blonde haired, blue eyes) people. Just about everyone speaks English, which was no surprise to me, but nice. We are in the white nights region, which meant that the sun did not set until after 11pm....it was great! I was wearing sunglasses at 9pm! I had talked to a lot of Norwegians about which bars and places to go to...(yes, we want to go out on a tuesday night ,we told them) but since I am not even 19 yet (aug 7!!), it was difficult finding places that wouldnt let anyone older than 20 in, which was kind of shocking. After searching for about an hour, we found a cute bar that didn't card so we stayed for awhile, drinking our ridiculously expsensive beer (four of us shared one because we did not want to spend that money). The other negative part was the bar was pretty much taken over by SAS kids...every bar was. There were some Norwegians, but not many. We eventually stumbled back onto the ship after 12, there was really no point at staying out later. I fell asleep immediately but this morning came rushing just like the day before. After eating breakfast, my friends and I went through the fish market again, and found a bus station to take us to Troldhaugen and the Fantoft Stavkirke. Even though Bergen is not a large city by any means, it felt so refreshing to get into the countryside!! I loved it!! At Troldhaugen, we went to Edvard Grieg's summer home, which is on Lake Nordas. It was a charming Victorian home and a very romantic setting. I would recommend seeing this home...it's a nice excursion which won't take that long once you arrive (it is about a 10-15 minute walk from the bus station, but a pleasant one at that). After, we got on another bus and went to see the Fantoft Stavkirk, which is a stave church, something I had never really heard of before doing research on Norway. A funny story though before I write about our the church itself. When we got on the bus, we realized that the bus driver charged us more than what it was to originally go form Bergen to Troldhaugen...and yet we were at Troldhaugen, wanting to go about two stops to the stave church..and then when he dropped us off, we thought he stopped at another church, one we didn't want to go to. Luckily, we realized that he had indeed taken us to the right place, but I think he made a nice little profit off of us Americans (or perhaps not). So, back to the church. Apparently, in the middle ages, there were about 750 stave churches in Norway, but only 30 are still standing. What we sw was originally constructed in 1150 but was moved to Fantoft in 1883. Unfortunately, the church burned down in the early 90s when some guy set fire to it (he's in jail, 20 year sentence)...so this is an exact duplication of the original. I did not go inside the church, but took many pictures and admired from the outside. If you're ever in Bergen, DEFINITELY go there...architecturally, its one of the most interesting buildings I've ever seen. After coming back, we did some window shopping and talking with locals. My good from Momoko and I had the most interesting conversation with a woman named Jorid (pronounced you-wi-din, means beautiful horse). She was working at this very small household decoration store, probably in her mid to late twenties. At first, we talked to her about gender relations in Norwegian, and then I talked to her about the current state of the economy in the US as well as Bush and the campaign. I was prepared to proove to her that Americans too, think Bush is, excuse my language, a dumb ass. I hate to end of that note, but I'm thorougly exhuasted. Tommorrow I'm going on a SAS trip, called Norway in a Nutshell. I will go to the villages of Flam and Voss and maybe a few others. I'm looking forward to seeing waterfalls!!!! It should be wonderful. If you would like to see pictures, here are some public links:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2002815&l=f0ab1&id=1084770089 <http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2002815&l=f0ab1&id=1084770089>
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2002823&l=65b4c&id=1084770089 You may or may not be able to see these videos: http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1010048926550 http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1010048686544 Enjoy them! I'll definitely write soon again!
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Hello all! I thought I would take this opportunity to provide the addresses of the places where I can recieve mail, if anyone reading would like to send something :). The US Post Office recommends sending international mail at least two weeks in advance and no packages. I won't include Norway or Russia seeing as the suggested airmail dates have already passed.
Denmark: July 8-11 MAERSK BROKER AGENCY 1, Midtermolen DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark suggested airmail date: June 24
Antwerp, Belgium: July 14-17 ANTWERPEN PORT SERVICE COMPANY Handboogstraat 20 2030 Antwerp, Belgium suggested airmail date: June 30
Naples, Italy: July 23-26 KLINGENBERG SRL Pizzale Stazione Marittima Inteno Porto Napoli 80133 Naples. Italy sad: july 9
Istanbul, Turkey: July 29-Aug1 I.T.S. Buyukdere cad. Kaya Aldogan sok. 12/1 International Travel Services 80300 Zincirlikuyu, Istanbul, Turkey sad: july 15
Piraeus, Greece Aug 03-6 ISS Cruise Services 55 Polydefkous Street Piraeus 18545, Greece sad: July 21
Dubrovnik, Croatia Aug8-10 ATLANTAGENT Obala Stjepana Radica 26 P.O. Box 40 HR-20000 Dubrovnik, Croatia sad: July 25
Based on Eastern Standard time, here are the different times:
Norway +6 Russia +8 Denmark +6 Belgium +6 Italy +6 Turkey +7 Greece +7 Croatia +7
Right now we're four hours ahead already...I believe tomorrow night we move ahead, and then monday night another hour passes. I'm finally getting used to ship life...I don't get that seasick anymore...I think the bands really do work. And the weather has been considerably nicer...still chilly, though. Tommorrow we have the day off which EVERYONE is happy about and a talent show during the evening. Then only two more days until Bergen! I already know that I'm doing one SAS trip on Thursday, the 26th:
Norway in a Nutshell with Hike: Start the day with a short transfer from the pier to the railway station in Bergen. Travel on the Bergen line for about two hours through green and fertile land to the village of Voss, beautifully situated by a lake. From here take the train into the mountains. Start the hiking tour at Myrdal station, hiking down the valley, walking on paths in the hillside, following a stream. Walk downhill for about two hours until reaaching Berekvam station. Here, board another train and travel for 30 minutes until reaching the village of Flam. In Flam, walk a short distance from the station to the Fretheim hotel for a late lunch.
After lunch, board a motorcoach and travel through the tunnel to the village of Gudvangen. Continue up the steep Stalheim Canyon. The coach follows old Stalheimskleiva road that was built in 1842-49. The road is very steep, with thirteen sharp, hairpin bends. Pass several waterfalls, including Sivelfossen Waterfall, which has a freefall of 240 meters. The road travels along Oppheim Lake and further on to the Tvinde to see the magnificent Tvinde waterfall. Continue to Voss and Dale before returning to the ship.
I know A LOT of people going on this...I can't wait. Tonight I'm going to plan the rest of the days. We had thought to travel to Oslo but after finding out that would take 8 hours on a train, we decided that staying in Bergen would probably be better. Will update later!
Oh, ps...here is the link to the position report! http://www.semesteratsea.org/voyages/current-voyage/summer-2008-position-report.php
Denmark: July 8-11 MAERSK BROKER AGENCY 1, Midtermolen DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark suggested airmail date: June 24
Antwerp, Belgium: July 14-17 ANTWERPEN PORT SERVICE COMPANY Handboogstraat 20 2030 Antwerp, Belgium suggested airmail date: June 30
Naples, Italy: July 23-26 KLINGENBERG SRL Pizzale Stazione Marittima Inteno Porto Napoli 80133 Naples. Italy sad: july 9
Istanbul, Turkey: July 29-Aug1 I.T.S. Buyukdere cad. Kaya Aldogan sok. 12/1 International Travel Services 80300 Zincirlikuyu, Istanbul, Turkey sad: july 15
Piraeus, Greece Aug 03-6 ISS Cruise Services 55 Polydefkous Street Piraeus 18545, Greece sad: July 21
Dubrovnik, Croatia Aug8-10 ATLANTAGENT Obala Stjepana Radica 26 P.O. Box 40 HR-20000 Dubrovnik, Croatia sad: July 25
Based on Eastern Standard time, here are the different times:
Norway +6 Russia +8 Denmark +6 Belgium +6 Italy +6 Turkey +7 Greece +7 Croatia +7
Right now we're four hours ahead already...I believe tomorrow night we move ahead, and then monday night another hour passes. I'm finally getting used to ship life...I don't get that seasick anymore...I think the bands really do work. And the weather has been considerably nicer...still chilly, though. Tommorrow we have the day off which EVERYONE is happy about and a talent show during the evening. Then only two more days until Bergen! I already know that I'm doing one SAS trip on Thursday, the 26th:
Norway in a Nutshell with Hike: Start the day with a short transfer from the pier to the railway station in Bergen. Travel on the Bergen line for about two hours through green and fertile land to the village of Voss, beautifully situated by a lake. From here take the train into the mountains. Start the hiking tour at Myrdal station, hiking down the valley, walking on paths in the hillside, following a stream. Walk downhill for about two hours until reaaching Berekvam station. Here, board another train and travel for 30 minutes until reaching the village of Flam. In Flam, walk a short distance from the station to the Fretheim hotel for a late lunch.
After lunch, board a motorcoach and travel through the tunnel to the village of Gudvangen. Continue up the steep Stalheim Canyon. The coach follows old Stalheimskleiva road that was built in 1842-49. The road is very steep, with thirteen sharp, hairpin bends. Pass several waterfalls, including Sivelfossen Waterfall, which has a freefall of 240 meters. The road travels along Oppheim Lake and further on to the Tvinde to see the magnificent Tvinde waterfall. Continue to Voss and Dale before returning to the ship.
I know A LOT of people going on this...I can't wait. Tonight I'm going to plan the rest of the days. We had thought to travel to Oslo but after finding out that would take 8 hours on a train, we decided that staying in Bergen would probably be better. Will update later!
Oh, ps...here is the link to the position report! http://www.semesteratsea.org/voyages/current-voyage/summer-2008-position-report.php
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
"Through travel I first became aware of the outside world." -Eudora Welty
I am now writing from the MV Explorer, straight from the bumpy bunk bed of my cabin! The past few days have been filled with introductions and orientations, greetings and meetings, and unfortunately, an undesirable amount of fog. But all is well, despite the occasional queasiness (which I’m determined to believe is a result of my own mind thinking I should feel sick rather than the sea actually causing it). With that said, I still wear my sea wrist bands proudly and I am actually thinking of seeking out some ginger. I suppose I should start from the start, when I first embarked on Sunday. Upon entering the ship, I was a tad taken off guard by everything…it seemed like a maze getting to my room! I must confess, when I opened the door to the cabin, I was shocked by the small size of the super economy triple I had signed up for. Compared to the normal rooms, our cabin is pretty tiny (and also much closer to the front of the ship…not good for seasickness). However, now that we’ve been settled for a couple of days, the room has taken on somewhat of a cozy feel…and personally, I think it’s kind of romantic in a sense to have a smaller room. There’s something wonderful about living in a bit austere and plain quarters when most everyone else has nicer rooms. More than that, it feels more adventurous and exciting to be in a setting that is not very luxurious, like staying in a hostel versus a hotel. More liberating, I think.
So after I got settled in, my lovely mother came on the ship for visiting hours and we walked around, observing as much as we could. After she left (and made her long journey back to Addison, Maine…thank you again for coming ! J ) we had a lifeboat drill which was kind of dull….as most drills tend to be. What else did we do? It’s kind of hard to remember…so many things have happened. Oh yes, my roommate Helena reminds me (isn’t that funny…we basically have the same name) that when we finally departed everyone went outside on the decks to wave to, well…random people in Halifax I suppose…actually, it was probably some parents who stayed behind for an extra two hours (we departed late). But by the time I got out, there was only some sailboats to wave to. Afterwards we all had an orientation in the union, which is the main auditorium in the ship (also where the mandatory Global studies course takes place) and then a “seas”orientation…I’m in the “yellow seas.”To my understanding, this will be important when we have sea olympics, basically a big competition between all the seas. The first night was pretty difficult to get to sleep…there was a lot of vibrations and I had trouble getting used to that. Yesterday the entire day was filled with more orientations, whether it was about the field office, safety on the ship, or our global studies course, among other things. All in all, a pretty monotonous day, but necessary. Today was the day I had been looking forward to…the first day of classes! I had global studies this morning as well as ritual and belief, and then women in cross cultural perspectives in the afternoon. My professor for both anthropology courses did her fieldwork in India which is perfect! Overall, I enjoyed the classes…there is a lot of reading, but it gives me something to do (there isn’t much on the ship). The food is good…but I’ve taken on some new eating habits…similar to being a vegan…so I’m in a way limiting myself to what’s available. We just found out that we’re allowed to go to Sweden and Serbia as well (and we had found out earlier that we’ll be allowed to go to the Netherlands and Luxembourg) so that pretty much made my day yesterday. So nice! I can’t wait until we cross this Atlantic…we’ll be in Norway in a week. We’ve already moved two hours ahead of Eastern time, and tonight we’re moving ahead a third. I bet now that classes have started things will go quickly. And we have Saturday off…so happy about that!!! I hope the sun comes out soon, we haven’t been seeing her for the past couple days. Well, that’s it for now, I’m off to dinner soon. Talk soon!
-your maritime maiden Elena
So after I got settled in, my lovely mother came on the ship for visiting hours and we walked around, observing as much as we could. After she left (and made her long journey back to Addison, Maine…thank you again for coming ! J ) we had a lifeboat drill which was kind of dull….as most drills tend to be. What else did we do? It’s kind of hard to remember…so many things have happened. Oh yes, my roommate Helena reminds me (isn’t that funny…we basically have the same name) that when we finally departed everyone went outside on the decks to wave to, well…random people in Halifax I suppose…actually, it was probably some parents who stayed behind for an extra two hours (we departed late). But by the time I got out, there was only some sailboats to wave to. Afterwards we all had an orientation in the union, which is the main auditorium in the ship (also where the mandatory Global studies course takes place) and then a “seas”orientation…I’m in the “yellow seas.”To my understanding, this will be important when we have sea olympics, basically a big competition between all the seas. The first night was pretty difficult to get to sleep…there was a lot of vibrations and I had trouble getting used to that. Yesterday the entire day was filled with more orientations, whether it was about the field office, safety on the ship, or our global studies course, among other things. All in all, a pretty monotonous day, but necessary. Today was the day I had been looking forward to…the first day of classes! I had global studies this morning as well as ritual and belief, and then women in cross cultural perspectives in the afternoon. My professor for both anthropology courses did her fieldwork in India which is perfect! Overall, I enjoyed the classes…there is a lot of reading, but it gives me something to do (there isn’t much on the ship). The food is good…but I’ve taken on some new eating habits…similar to being a vegan…so I’m in a way limiting myself to what’s available. We just found out that we’re allowed to go to Sweden and Serbia as well (and we had found out earlier that we’ll be allowed to go to the Netherlands and Luxembourg) so that pretty much made my day yesterday. So nice! I can’t wait until we cross this Atlantic…we’ll be in Norway in a week. We’ve already moved two hours ahead of Eastern time, and tonight we’re moving ahead a third. I bet now that classes have started things will go quickly. And we have Saturday off…so happy about that!!! I hope the sun comes out soon, we haven’t been seeing her for the past couple days. Well, that’s it for now, I’m off to dinner soon. Talk soon!
-your maritime maiden Elena
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Halifax
Instead of leaving Maine today, my mum and I left early yesterday morning, catching the ferry from St. John, New Brunswick to Digby, Nova Scotia. After a couple hours of driving as well as a couple of hours on the ferry, we arrived to Nova Scotia in the mid afternoon. Then, we drove from Digby to Halifax and checked into our first hotel (since our plans had changed, and we were arriving Friday, we needed to get another room because the Westin was already completely booked). We were exhuasted from a day of traveling but decided to go to a wonderful restaurant called Il Mercato...slightly upscale, but great food (northern italian cuisine). This morning we got an early start and decided to explore downtown Halifax. Walking along Lower and Upper Water Street, we looked through several shops and visited the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. It was a tad disappointing and in my opinion, not worth the $9. It was basically filled with ship models and random remnants from shipwrecks. On the other hand, if you are a Titanic buff like myself (and who isn't after the film??), you will appreciate the section of the museum dedicated to the ship (for example, they have a rescued panel of the grand staircase...the one everyone knows from the movie). After the museum, we found some greek food near the Historic Properties and then proceeded to check in at the Westin. Once we got there, we found that we couldn't check in for another hour, so we parked the car and went to do some further exploring. We found an American Apparel on Queen Street and because of me, spent quite some time buying clothes (I barely brought any with me for the trip). Then we walked up the very cute Clyde Street, filled with fun shops and restaurants and continued on to the Public Gardens. Definitely visit the Halifax Citadel National Historic Site..it's beautiful!
After exploring for about an hour and a half, we walked back to check into the Westin, where I currently am now. My mom just returned from the parents' reception on the ship...so jealous she got to see it before me! Well, the next time I update it will be aboard the MV Explorer...can't wait!
After exploring for about an hour and a half, we walked back to check into the Westin, where I currently am now. My mom just returned from the parents' reception on the ship...so jealous she got to see it before me! Well, the next time I update it will be aboard the MV Explorer...can't wait!
Thursday, June 12, 2008
I'm in disbelief...I leave in only a few days! It doesn't seem real that I'll finally be departing...I imagine it won't truly hit me until I have boarded the ship...Ah! I'm currently in Addison, Maine and will take the ferry from St. John's, New Brunswick to Derby, Nova Scotia early saturday morning. From there I'll drive to Halifax and check in to the Downtown Westin...(I have this odd love affair with hotels so I'm quite excited) and then explore downtown Halifax for awhile. I believe there are some ship activities later on (?) so that should be interesting/fun. These past few weeks have been crazy..I've just found out I will be spending the next year in Bangalore, India and are leaving eleven days after I return from this trip. So I've been running ragged trying to get everything in order...
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