As you will have noted I have not posted on the Splendor June 21,2022. When Ken and I tested to board the Splendor to our surprise we were both positive for covid. We have been isolating in the hotel in Copenhagen. Neither one of us had much in the way of symptoms I have a little bit of a dry cough initially which cleared up fast and Ken just had a runny nose that he often has anyway. We felt 100% okay hard to believe we had covid. Of course we are double boostered.

Funny how things work but in one way this ended up helping business wise. Not client wise as we really missed spending time with all the people on the Splendor. Taylor got covid and was out of the office, Jennifer was on the Explorer and Clay was playing in a golf tournament somehow connected with Regent. Everyone in the office was super busy and no one knew anything about the two trips I am organizing. The Polar Bear tour had a ton of activity including the final payment and insurance, along with the flights coming through for the safari following the Voyager cruise from Lisbon to Cape Town. I had super fast speed internet in the hotel and could work on VPN. On the ship you cannot VPN. So I was able to handle everything and this kept me busy in our isolation.

The hotel room was nice we were upgraded and it was a large room with a great view of the canal which is a hive of activity. The food was good. We both spend nearly the entire time on our computers. Yesterday it was over 5 days in isolation and in Denmark you can go out of isolation at 5 days if you wear your mask. So yesterday we to Rosenborg Palace and Nyhavn. The palace had very few visitors which surprised me and it was well worth the visit. It was a stunning day about 80 degrees and bright sunshine. The kids here celebrate graduating high school for a full month. They wear their graduation hats, have army vehicles driving them around town. They are cheering and blowing whistles.

Today I tested negative, Ken is still positive but probably tomorrow he will test negative as well. We ordered a new product we found out about in checking everything covid. Under different brands names and just approved for world wide distribution. This was developed in India. Supposedly kills the corona virus. We order ENOVID from Israel and they started sending it out on June 23 and our order was filled and shipped that day. We just received notification from DHL it will be delivered to us at the hotel today. Clay ordered it for the office as well. It can be sent to USA from Israel. It said you can use this as a deterrent to catching covid and it kills the virus before it takes hold. Hopefully this product will live up to expectations. Clay is going to use it when he goes on his cruise in July. Something that I hope is successful and stop people from getting covid.

We need to get a "fit to travel" certificate and have an appointment to get that and another test on the 29th and then fly to the Splendor on the 30th when it arrives in Reykjavik. Really looking forward to stepping on that Splendor and seeing everyone.

I was told once you have a positive PCR test and then you recover you are exempt from future testing for 3 months. Got a lot of trips in the next 3 months love not having to take that test!

Not been a terrible thing getting covid. At least we have some natural immunity as well now. Life throws us all curve balls but in reality all these things do pass and you have to expect a few bumps in the road. Like the song - I beg your pardon, I never promised you a rose garden. Along with the sunshine there's gotta be a little rain sometime

Ngaire, I am glad you and Ken had mild cases, it really is no worse than a cold when the case is mild. I am really glad that Regent has started accepting “fit to travel “ certificate in lieu of pre-cruise testing; that is something I hoped for prior to our joining Navigator. By the way, significant outbreak amongst passengers on Navigator; hopefully less of an issue on Splendor.

Wasn't even a cold. Pretty much a non issue for us. I think new variant is spreading pretty easily - soon herd immunity? We were on the Explorer five times and there were not many cases. But I think an uptick here recently. Not just on ships but everywhere. Just going to have to learn to live with this and not let it take over our lives. I actually felt pretty immune, never had the flu and last cold probably 20+ years ago. Some of the ports were very crowded Ken and I think it may have been Mykonos we caught it, wall to wall people in that port.

Sounds like it was a blessing in many ways, I.e. light case, fit to travel, being able to get work done, etc. so very glad you had light cases. I do think everyone will end up getting it at some point. Amazing to think back over the entire spread from the beginning. Quite a phenomenon. Have a wonderful cruise, once on the ship!

Hi Ngaire. Glad you and Ken are OK. I still have my fit-to-travel letter from last month in Australia and we are still well within the 90 days. I will bring it along to Copenhagen just in case. I took a PCR test as soon as we got home from Australia and I was negative. We are really looking forward to Trolls II and seeing you all on Splendor!

Ngaire - could me message me where you bought the ENOVID?

https://buyenov.com/

Took about five days to get it. Came from Israel.

Ngaire thanks for the info. We have some on the way to Texas.

Carolyn

So sorry to hear you and Ken got COVID, but at least you had mild cases. This new variant is strange, suddenly we know several people who are vaccinated and double boosted getting positive tests, Frank got it while we were on vacation at Lake Norman NC last month and we had to come home early. He's fine now and I never did get it.
Looking forward to your posts .

We are both negative now with the home tests. Off to the clinic now to get our "fit to travel" certificate and be retested. Hopefully we will be flying to the ship tomorrow.

So we are flying to the ship tomorrow afternoon will be SO HAPPY to step onboard.

So glad you are well. George is also now recovered. He is still coughing a little but not bad, and his test is negative. Does this mean he won’t have to test again for the Sept cruise? I am unclear about that.

If you have proof of a positive covid test (official lab document showing covid infection) along with a negative test (official lab document showing negative -no covid infection) then I was told that for 3 months you do not have to take tests. Is that absolute, I do not know. May depend on who you are doing the test for at the time. I will ask Franck about Regent when I get there so I know for sure.

I did not know this before and have retained all my tests. Also heard about a "Recovery Document" but that states that a person has had and has recovered from covid. This may just be a EU thing and I have not researched this yet. Just a good idea to keep any official lab test documents.

On the remaining cough now Ken and I are negative we have a cough we did not have when we were positive for covid.Reading on this subject I found it is just the body reacting to some irritation that covid left behind. I am sure this too will pass soon.

We are onboard and it feels SO GOOD. Arrived at the ship around 5.00 pm, quickly unpacked and went to Prime 7 for dinner. Such a wonderful meal after the food we had been eating in Copenhagen. My "cough" was really bad last night but much better tonight so hopefully it will be gone very soon.

We have not been on the Splendor since the Christening in February 2020. I have yet to walk over the whole ship. Ken went on a whale watching cruise today but I decided to stay onboard. A lot of organization today, finishing unpacking and setting up things for the last 6 days of the trip. We are really settled in now and looking forward to the days left on this trip and then the following July 8, cruise.

Lots of new staff but some we knew as well from prior cruises. Had lamb tonight and asked for a second order. I am a very happy camper!!

So glad you are finally onboard and pretty much well

Yea, I'm happy to hear you're onboard and feeling better. Wishing you smooth sailing and happy times.

So glad you and Ken were able to embark! Looking forward to seeing you on the 8th!

I'm glad I logged in today, to catch up with things, and so glad you are better and on Splendor! Thank you for the information about the product; I have ordered some for my family and office staff. I hope your cough goes away soon.

Sorry not posted yet. Been a busy person trying to spend time with old friends and trying to meet all the new people we have not met before in a very short time frame. Have Felice Paturno as Captain and Franck Galzy as GM really nice to see them both along with other staff members.

The fact SAS announced bankruptcy has certainly been an issue for a lot of guests. Many guests flying SAS from the USA to CPH and those flying SAS from CPH back to the USA on the July 8 sailing may be affected. However, as of this morning the flights involved are still flying so hopefully that will be the case and everyone will be okay. Clay and the office certainly have a lot to handle right now.

Going on my first excursion this morning in Oslo. Stunning sunshine when we sailed in yesterday and again today. Such a beautiful place. Woke up this morning to see two swans on the water from my balcony.

Really nice group on this cruise, I knew everyone except for the children of our clients and a couple from Hawaii. So happy to see everyone.

We had a group lunch on the first day that was a sea day in Pacific Rim and drew the preliminary winners for the pre-cruise. Have my sister June onboard so she helped me with the drawing.

First port was Geiranger.
We had a later departure and waitlisted for an early time. However, the waitlist did not clear Not a good day a bit overcast so we stayed onboard. It cleared up in the afternoon and it was quite lovely. Ken went ashore as he needed a strong internet to send something and purchased a tee shirt. It actually fit me better than him so I was the recipient of a Norwegian tee shirt.

Second port was Alesund
Love this port always delightful and we had a stunning day. Sun, no wind and about 60 degrees. We visited the Sunnmore Outdoor Museum. This was really quite fascinating, old original buildings with turf roofs on a hillside with massive trees and lots of vegetation. We were free to wander on our own and had a delightful time. They also have a large number of original boats and one Norwegian Long Boat. This was followed by a tour of the town that ended up at the famous lookout point that is a fantastic view of the town. The picture you always see on postcards of Alesund.

So we are off to a good start pictures will follow.

From Oslo on the SPL220621. VIGELAND SCULPTURE PARK.

GEIRANGER.







Look at this carefully. Green hair - His eyes and his nose - Green Beard. Ken just happened to see this.

Drawing for preliminary winners.




ALESUND.


The long boat was so long we could not get it all in the photo.


June, Ralph, Ngaire

STAVANGER, NORWAY
Raining today. We decided to cancel our tour which was mostly outside and go with the Panoramic tour. I guess many people had the same idea there was not a spare seat on the bus. It was good, we went all over the town which was far larger than we anticipated. A beautiful area, and the rain was light. On returning we visited the old town area that the tour bus guide suggested. It was a really nice area, but at one point it did rain quite hard. Strange day, rain, sun, cloudy, clear we had it all during the day.

KRISTANSAND, NORWAY
The weather forecast was for rain but we woke up to blue sky and sun. During the day it was really nice when the sun was shining but cool when it was cloudy. But overall a good day. We visited the Vest Adger Open Air Museum. Similar to what we have done before but we always find these very interesting. They are all a little different. Our museum guide was great. Super sense of humor and related the stories in a very interesting way. All people washed on Saturday, men, women, children naked in the same sauna type building. We went into a few homes that date as far as the 1600's. There were also homes up to the 1800's. There was a very inquisitive lamb who was getting as close to us as he could. I think he was fascinated by the camera. Then we went to very old and interesting church and a fishing village. The town is really pretty, lots of water, green hills and flowers.

So for the last few day our team has won trivia. We are on a roll. I always enjoy getting together in the afternoon to challenge our memories.

Pictures will follow.

Stavanger, Norway


Kristiansand, Norway










Very old Lutheran Church altar


KLT Cocktail party.

Gothenburg, Sweden

Today we did a tour to Tjoloholm Castle. One of the best castles we have ever visited. Extremely good condition, finished in the early 1900's it also had rooms that were built in the style of much earlier centuries. This was a British families home so felt like a British Castle. It had electricity and a modern toilet. But the shower was quite something for this time period. Jets above on the side and also a jet on the floor.
Stunning exterior and grounds we really enjoyed the visit.

Things are going well, yet another lovely day no wind and bright sunshine. Temperature in the sun upper 60's.

Pictures follow

Beautiful Photos Ngaire !

Quick Update

Liepaja, Latvia
We did the shuttle bus and it stopped in the same area as the walking tours. A really nice church and lots of gardens, flower and shopping. We enjoyed just wandering around on our town and stayed around just over on hour. Bought a pair of shoes, a necklace and of course had to taste the quality of the sorbet. Not up to standards we had in the med but will keep trying.

Tallin, Estonia
Been to Tallin many times so we decided to visit Kariorg Palace built by Peter the Great. The gardens were really beautiful and the palace exterior was so similar to those in St. Petersburg. However, the interior did disappoint. One stunning main room but the rest of the rooms were basically paintings.
A fantastic tour for an art lover with paintings dating way back one was dated in the 1500’s. When we returned, we immediately took the shuttle into Old Town Tallin. Such a stunning place. Still has all the charm that we have experienced before. Again, I took the sorbet challenge. Very close to the those I enjoyed in the Med. Got a little turned around with all the alleys and streets easy to get a bit lost but we made it back to the bus just as they closed the doors. Really hot in the 80’s, lots of sunshine!

Pictures Follow

Liepaja, Latvia


Flowers everywhere


Lots of shopping we liked this sign

Talllin, Estonia


Ngaire and Dave at Kadriorg Palace


Surprised to find this picture in the palace! Silly but fun


Little kids, having fun with bubbles!

What beautiful pictures...love seeing each one, but especially the cute kids with the bubbles. 💕

Today we took a tour to Porvoo, small town that we really liked. We broke off from the tour and went on our own. Quite a walk up to the Cathedral to find a service taking place and all doors closed. This is a quaint town. We had coffee and cake in an adorable tearoom. Pictures will tell the story. Not doing tours on the next two days. May do the shuttle bus tomorrow. Second day in Helsinki. We always stay onboard the last day unless it is a must see port.

Loving your pictures. And the weather sounds mostly good. Be happy you aren’t here. It is unrelentingly hot.

Dear KLTers:

Even though our TROLLS cruise is over, I haven't quite caught up with the daily blog posts about the trip. We had a FABULOUS time, and really enjoyed meeting other KLT fans. For those of you who want to read in more detail than the great posts from Ngaire, here are the posts so far:
https://vayacongringos.wordpress.com/2022/07/05/kicking-off-our-stay-in-copenhagen/
https://vayacongringos.wordpress.com/2022/07/06/castles-and-fairy-tales/
https://vayacongringos.wordpress.com/2022/07/07/a-closer-look-at-copenhagen/
https://vayacongringos.wordpress.com/2022/07/08/coming-aboard-in-copenhagen/
https://vayacongringos.wordpress.com/2022/07/10/going-to-great-heights-in-geiranger/
https://vayacongringos.wordpress.com/2022/07/11/all-around-alesund/
https://vayacongringos.wordpress.com/2022/07/12/a-little-bit-of-bergen/
https://vayacongringos.wordpress.com/2022/07/13/soupy-stavanger/
https://vayacongringos.wordpress.com/2022/07/14/kicking-back-in-kristiansand/
https://vayacongringos.wordpress.com/2022/07/15/oh-my-gosh-its-oslo/
https://vayacongringos.wordpress.com/2022/07/16/family-time-in-gothenburg/
https://vayacongringos.wordpress.com/2022/07/17/keeping-it-real-in-kiel/
https://vayacongringos.wordpress.com/2022/07/18/bike-ride-from-hell-on-bornholm/
https://vayacongringos.wordpress.com/2022/07/19/gday-to-gdansk/


I hope you all enjoy these posts as much as I enjoy writing them. I'll try to add the new ones in sequential order.

Wow Tracey amazing posts.

Must have taken you FOREVER to get all that done. I am impressed. The information is helpful as well as interesting I think the BIKE RIDE FROM HELL ON BORNHOLM will be incredibly helpful for future visitors when deciding what NOT to do in that port!

Best thing about this is that Stacey is on our next cruise as well - Silver Cloud Expedition from Reykjavik to Dublin on August 15, 2022. So more great posts with super picture in our future.

Thanks for sharing all of that.

Awww! thanks, Ngaire!

And here is the post for Klaipèda, Lithuania:https://vayacongringos.wordpress.com/2022/07/20/happy-cycling-in-klaipeda/

Here are the posts on Klaipeda, Lithuania and Tallinn, Estonia:

https://vayacongringos.wordpress.co...-art-and-architecture-of-liepaja-latvia/
https://vayacongringos.wordpress.com/2022/07/22/taking-in-tallinn/

Here is the post on Helsinki:https://vayacongringos.wordpress.com/2022/07/23/how-about-that-helsinki/