Europe Blog # 16: Bergen, Norway, Paris and Home

                   Europe Blog # 16: Bergen, Norway, Paris and Home

                                        Last day of touring

     Brand new bus - has that "new car" smell. Many safety features  including extra cameras such as the one next to the driver.

We've been to Bergen on previous trips. This is the first time we toured parts of the inner city and the first time the weather was not warm and sunny! The concert hall in the background survived WWII although both the left and right side were destroyed during a bombing raid.

Chill factor: 40's! It's good to have a seat when listening to the guide.

    Bergen started a newspaper in the 1860's in this building. Still in business!

Jerry loves his manholes. When other passengers were watching what Jerry was doing, they started taking photos of the manholes.

Bergen has a great city light rail system. It even has an inexpensive tram route that goes directly to the airport. 

Edvard Grieg statue in background: famous Norwegian composer - well known for    Peter Gynt!

                One of the central meeting places in Bergen

                        Pretty architecture in all directions

    A wealthy mansion years ago now converted over to apartments

               Although chilly, still fun to tour and be together

It turns out Bergen is the rainiest city in Europe. Flowers throughout the town cheer up the gloomy atmosphere.

  The older, harbor area is always an  interesting place to walk around...

However, the ambiance is very different when it's cold and the usual hoards of people are not sitting in front drinking pints of beer.

By looking carefully, visitors will be able to see figures like this high up on top of the historical buildings. 

                      Old castle is one of Bergen's landmarks    

Bergen at night is very quiet!

                        Unique walkway artwork at the Bergen airport 

The cruise is over; we're off to Paris for one night. Similar to other European airlines and unlike American carriers, British Air served a complete (and delicious) lunch in one hour which included champagne and wine.

Jerry LOVES staying at the Paris Sheraton Airport Hotel -- watching airplanes from the room is -- the best!  

We knew this plane was in trouble when the engine cover was removed around 4:00 PM. Well into the night, people with flashlights were trying to fix something. Using an App, we knew the 10 PM departure had been pushed off to 2 AM. The Dubai flight was eventually cancelled - the airline had to find accommodations for hundreds of people. we met some of the passengers the following day - "not happy campers!"

The Charles de Gaulle airport is a major hub for international airlines.

                        Paris airport purchase: Our favorite cheese

While watching airplanes from our hotel room, we had dinner from one of our favorite "grab and run" places. Wine from the plane complemented our meal.

We've been to the CDG airport many times. There is also a major train hub at the airport. After years of wear, the facility is beginning to go through a renovation process. This is the result of a recent passenger survey.  We agree with the results!

The next leg of trip home was flying to London and connecting to LAX. Delicious vegetable concoction!

           Overall, lounge ambience and food was quite good

    "When in London": Jerry had a (sort off) "Fish n' Chips" meal.

                            The "Good, Bad and the Ugly!"

The London Airport wheelchair assistance operation was awful not only for us but for other travelers. One wheelchair would arrive when two were needed for a couple; or none would arrive for us. (This happened on our last trip to London). Tram service from one terminal to another was bad. Staff seemed to be standing around, almost unwilling to do their job. One manager was helpful; another (after we got angry) threatened to call security on us! It looked like many passengers needing assistance would miss their flight. Even with a three hour layover, we barely made our flight! Grrrr...

"Poop" facility: London airport is more sensitive to a pet's needs than assisting the handicap!

                            British roast beef salad - the best!

As we flew over the River Thames and headed toward home, it was fun to reminisce about staff we met on the cruise. Everyone has a story:

• Martin (bar tending) uses his last name on the name tag. It's "Zulu." From Zimbabwe, he's actually from another tribe; the Zulu's are closer to South Africa. He is the type of person that enjoys engaging and using "Zulu" does just that. People ask questions.
• A woman (server) from Johannesburg is trying to start an online cosmetic business with her sister.
• A restaurant manager offered to take us around Delhi.
•  Once staff knew about our experiences in India, Philippines and China, they were happy to share experiences with us.
• One server's home was in "District Nine" (Saigon). Jerry worked very near the server's home - a high-tech district i.e. Intel has a large facility in that district. He was so excited that I knew "District Nine!"
• A young woman had a exotic name. She comes from India but looks Asian. She speaks "Tangkhul" -- her background is Mongolian/China - She would be considered a very small "minority" living in India.
• Many staff wear braces. They emphasize braces could only be afforded by working the long months they do on a cruise.
• Most staff willing to sacrifice family and personal growth so one day they can afford a better place to live, their children (rarely seen) will get a better education and medical care can be afforded.
• I's not uncommon for staff to work six months straight, non-stop.

So, our trip ends. It was a good one. We learned a lot. Thanks for all your comments. Happily, we continue looking forward to "Our bags are packed...leaving on a jet plane..."