So ... here we are at our first port, Oslo, Norway. Kirstyn and I are booked on the Viking Heritage. The tour was good, but not as much Viking as I expected. Before I get to the tour, let me state that the weather was chilly in the morning, warmed up a bit, so I finally took my jacket off and it started to sprinkle a little. Nothing bad though ... only lasted a few minutes. I hope the next few cruises are warmer. Okay, on with the day.

Our tour, was set to meet at 8:30, and of course, we were running late. Hurried up to Topsider’s for a doughnut, then hightailed it to the Walt Disney Theater. We got registered and were assigned to bus 6. Our driver was Bjorn, and our tour guide was either Sophie or Sonia ... can’t remember. The bus headed out and we got an audio tour of Oslo. We saw the new Opera House, Akerhaus, the town, the main shopping area, and a lesson on the economic state of Norway. It was interesting.

Our first stop was the Viking museum to see the Viking ships. Nice ... but expected more. The ships were bigger than I thought, and very ornate. We were there about a half hour. The guide told us some history about the Vikings and allowed us to roam and take pictures.

Back on the bus, we headed to the Open Air Museum. This is a replica of an old Norwegian town. We saw church, some farms from different time eras, the theatre, the bank ... you get the idea. Nice walk, but you definitely need comfortable shoes. We got a snack here too, some potato pancake thing, very yummy, and a bottle of water or juice box.

Once again, we got back on the bus and headed to the Vigeland Sculpture Park, our next stop. If you are doing Oslo on your own, I recommend this park. It is lovely and the statues are amazing, but if you have little kids, be aware, the statues are anatomically correct. They aren’t that bad, but they have all the right body parts. In the park there is a gorgeous fountain, but don’t stand down wind, as you may get sprayed. I speak from experience. One more site to see is the monolith and the zodiac sun clock. Time to get back on the bus!

Our next and final stop is the Holmenkollen Ski Museum and Ski Lift. First the drive up the mountain was an experience. I marvel at the bus drivers and how they can manoeuvre the buses around those tight corners. Now back to the Holmenkollen, the museum was small, the gift shop was expensive, the view was magnificent. That sums it up. There is a simulator ride, but you need 10 people, and we didn’t have time to wait.

We headed back to the ship. At the port there are some tourist shops where the prices are more reasonable. We then boarded the ship and grabbed something quick to eat. We watched a movie on the big screen, I made a dummy booking to hopefully be transferred to the Fantasy, and looked at the photos in Shutters. Supposedly, two people were late getting back, but not too late that they were left behind. We were warned later on that the all aboard time in Copenhagen is tight, so to be sure to get back!!!

Dinner tonight was at Lumiere’s. I had the Escargot, the shrimp and the Beef Tenderloin. I had the Creme Brulee for dessert. Very good! We got the Beauty and Beast dance as well. After dinner, Kirstyn and I did the Disney Tune Trivia and came in second by 1 point. I thought for sure Kirstyn would win this one. Next was Jay Lamont’s adult show, a very funny act. This brings me to now. I’m typing this report, posting it, then off to bed! Talk to you tomorrow with a report on Copenhagen.