Natasha here.  We are at sea today going through the English Channel.  Believe it or not, this is where we have the roughest water.  Bill and I have the little seasick patches behind our ears so all we have to do is make sure we don’t fall down when walking.  We gave away one patch to Susan, our British dinner partner because she got very sick coming through here on the way up.  I am thinking about selling the other three we have to pay off our bar bill.

Besides Brugges, Oslo was our second favorite place.  Having only until 3:30 to get back on the ship, I am glad that we had preplanned our day.  The Hop on and Off bus is the best way to get around and see what you want.  However, you do have to pre-research what you want to do or you will run out of time.  Coming into Oslo, you go through a very beautiful part of the country – the fjords.  We really wanted to see this and planned to get up very early.  The sun comes up around 3:30 in the morning.  We finally roused ourselves around 6:00 by which time we were already docked.  We did get to sit on our balcony on the way out and relax while watching the view.

As I looked out from our ship that morning, we were docked right outside a beautiful fortress.  For all of you Amazing Race fans, it was a pit stop on the Oslo leg.  It was imperative that I see the actual pit stop hoping Phil would be there to greet me, but it was quite a climb to get to the top.  Boris made it up halfway and sat on a bench and said for me to get him on the way down.  For some reason, he didn’t want to see the pit stop.

One of the most amazing things to see in Oslo is the Vigeland Sculpture Park.  It is full of naked statues depicting a complete human life from birth to death; therefore, I named it the Naked Park.  Almost every sculpture had a man in it so there were a lot of willies to see.  I wanted to put boxers on some of them because the lower regions were quite distracting. The most popular statue was called “The Angry Child” (see picture).  The park grounds of 84 hectares (don’t know how much that is but it was big) are well manicured and beautiful.  If not for seeing all of the naked men, it would have been very relaxing.

Since we are in Viking country, we went to the Viking Ship museum where we saw actually Viking ships that were excavated and put back together.  I can’t imagine having to ride in one of those, but they were probably quite beautiful in there time. The ships date back to 800 to 900 A.D.
Princess Cruise lines is not know for its food. We spotted a Hard Rock Café and got a huge hamburger and onion rings.  Boris was very happy at this stop.  Another place that I remembered from Oslo that was on the Amazing Race was the Ice Bar.  You put on a heavy poncho and gloves and walk into a room that is -5 degrees.  They serve you champagne out of an ice cup.  Boris couldn’t take sitting on the ice chair for very long so we didn’t stay our allotted 45 minutes.

I’ll bet your wonder what there is to do when you are stuck on the ship while sailing.  Our favorite activity has been sleeping.  Here are some different activities offered:
Musical shows – we went to one of these that was quite good.  Since this ship is full or Brits, they started off the show where everyone stood up and sang “God Save the Queen.”  This was one of the many songs that I don’t know the words.  
Pilates and Body Conditioning – I am sure that you are not surprised that Boris and I did not participate in either of these.
Trivia contests – I would have liked to have done this but it was geared toward the British passengers so I would not know any answers.
Ballroom Dancing – I couldn’t persuade Boris to do the rumba with me
Wine tasting – As some of you know, Boris is a self-proclaimed wine expert. We paid $25 a piece for the privilege of hearing a pompous bloke talk about how to drink wine.  I am use to gulping it down but now I know there is a protocol.  Once you get the wine in your mouth, you push it to the front of your teeth with your lips slightly open and make a funny little sound to help it oxygenate.  I took the sound making seriously which made a really weird noise.  I think the lady next to me thought I broke manners.
Karaoke – Boris did not allow me to participate in this one.  They have it set up like American Island and are hoping to select the champion tonight.  From what I have heard, I could have easily won with my rendition of “House of the Rising Sun.”
Golf Putting – this is on the top of the ship where it is the windiest and coldest.
Afternoon Tea – that would be Coke Zero for me.
Casino – Sorry Princess Cruise Lines, I have given you enough of my money.
Marriage Match Game show – Now this is something I wanted to sign up for Boris and I, but he refused.  After watching it, I realized we would never get a matching answer.

In the morning we will leave the ship at 7:00 and catch a plane to Edinburgh.  We have sailed a total of 2142 miles and been to 5 countries so far. Boris and I may revert to our original Christian names at this point; however, we may rename ourselves again.

Thanks for your continued readership,
Natasha