WACRA 2001 Post Tour Highlights By
Ann Hoover, Lanna and Bob Andrews Lanna and Ann had experienced two previous amazing WACRA post tours and the WACRA 2001 post tour met their usual high expectations. This was Bob's first, and he agrees wholeheartedly! Our
great Norway Adventure began in Copenhagen, Denmark, where we boarded a
fabulous Viking cruise ship bound for Oslo, Norway. We traveled overnight
on the North Sea, viewing a wide vista displaying the gorgeous waterway
and adjoining Alps. Our dinner was a lavish buffet with a breathtaking
table setting facing the sea. Hans and Lanna used their "charm" and perseverance
to make sure we had our well-deserved window seats! We laughingly describe
our accommodations as for the "haves and the have nots," as cruise ships
always are. Lanna and Bob's room was unbelievably luxurious and the envy
of Ann, who had very modest accommodations. :-) We had an early breakfast
buffet, where we tasted the infamous Danish and enjoyed dramatic views
of the fjords and nearby Alps. We docked in Oslo Harbor where the bus waited
to take us to our hotel. As usual with WACRA, we felt very "taken care
of."
The unique day trip, affectionately called "Norway in a Nutshell," took us through some of Norway's most beautiful scenery. Again, we experienced multiple modes of transportation, bus, trains and a ferryboat. We took the train up the awesome snow covered Alps. Then we boarded a cog-train, which descended through the Flam Valley-breathtaking! We saw the thundering Kjosfossen Waterfalls and heard a mysterious female voice singing from beneath the falls. So haunting! We then took a bus to the fjord, where we ate lunch before embarking on our boat ride along the famous Songefjiord.
On our last night of the tour in Bergen, we took a bus up to a private restaurant that overlooked the whole town and harbor. The bus trip, another adventure on a narrow hillside road, was equivalent to a good amusement park ride! When we got to the restaurant, they told us that the number in our party was more than they expected. Well, the old WACRA spirit took over. We remained undaunted and negotiated. A few of us, including Hans, Lanna, Bob, and Ann, volunteered to eat in an adjoining room and eat something besides the planned fare. Of course, we had a delectable menu, we think the best; in fact, we soon became the envy of the whole group! It was a wonderful time. In the end, we ALL had an unforgettable dinner and found it hard to say goodnight because another grand post tour was over. Thank you Hans. You outdid yourself! |