Hello, Goodbye, Longyearbyen

Arrival: Longyearbyen Svalbard

Meeting the Group

We moved from the Thon Rosenkrantz to the HUB to meet the group. I'm no longer special. My room is adequate but tiny

 No welcome gifts.

At our opening session I learned there will be 41 in our group. That's a lot. I know some, but not as many as expected. There will be 120 passengers on board. That's smaller than expected.

Small dinner with a few of us. Marilyn, me, Hanke, Susan, Sarah and Nicola.

We fly to Svalbard this afternoon, then board MS Spitsbergen tomorrow.

Rainy Day in Oslo

Off to a good start.

Right before the downpour.

After the downpour in the hotel lounge.

The best cinnamon bun in Oslo.

A Night at the Opera

My friend, Hanke, from the Netherlands, arrived today. How fun to get reacquainted. The highlight of our day was going to the Oslo Opera House to see a modern Norwegian opera called Fram.

Going to the opera.

When we came out of the Opera House, we saw the library looking different from in the daylight.

Welcome to Oslo

What a wonderful start to a new adventure.

While waiting at Baggage Claim I Also, I heard someone say my name. It was two sisters from Calgary who I met last year. Lisa and Lila had just arrived on the same plane! It was perfect timing, because in addition to meeting familiar faces, we were able to share a taxi to town.

At the hotel I found  a surprise welcome gift in my room!

I met my cousin Dagfinn for a lovely dinner at a Napali restaurant.

Dagfinn's daughter and family joined us. The restaurant is one of Lloyd, Ingre and Tage's favorites, and the food was delicious.

Judging from today's events, I think the upcoming weeks are filled with promise.

Now to get over jet lag.

2023 Knitting on Top of the World - the beginning

 

Here I go again!  Back to Norway, and on to a few other destinations.  

Monday, September 18, I fly to Oslo.  There I will relax a few days and catch up with the Dutch friend I made on last year's knitting adventure.  Johanna/Hanke and I will explore Oslo together, then meet our Arne & Carlos knitting group on Friday September 22.  On Saturday morning we fly to Longyearbyen which is the largest town in the Svalbard Archipelago (population 2,368).  After a night at the Funken Lodge, we board the Hurtigruten ship MS Spitzbergen and travel south.  14 day afloat, followed by a week in Bergen.

See you on the other side of the world!