Haugesund, Norway 2019

 

 

Today was exhilarating!!
 

It’s caviar Sunday on the Regent Seven Seas Explorer. Usually this means waking up leisurely for champagne, caviar and other yummy treats on this gorgeous ship.  However, eight adventurous souls woke up about 7:00 AM to venture out in the morning chill in Haugesund, Norway for an early RIB tour knowing full well that we would get soaked! 

 

 

 

A RIB (Rigid Inflatable Boat) is a lightweight, high-performance and high-capacity unsinkable small boat designed to speed upon the sea but small enough to get in places unreachable by a big boat.  I immediately befriended Robin, sitting next to me. We promised to save one another’s life if need be.

 

 

 

 

 

The freezing water splashing all over, the flowers growing on rocks, the lighthouse built in 1892, and the Island only accessible by boat, were only a few of the delights that added to our excitement!

 

 

The cold crisp water of the Norwegian fjords provides perfect conditions for fish farming. That combined with strict Norwegian aquaculture law makes for a safer fish environment all the way around. This salmon farm is only filled to 10% capacity leaving plenty of room for the fish to swim.  Salmon is exported from Norway to 140 countries.

 

 

After our RIB adventure, I was happy to learn it was Haugesund Harbor Day, a yearly tradition since 1990 with a focus on the local traditions of the Haugesund harbor.

 

 

This kind gentleman, Thor Jansen, gave me a lovely handmade keychain.

 

 

 

In the stalls on the quayside, participating exhibitors displayed their wares including local food (best waffles in the world!), local crafts, knot tying lessons and unusual fish displays. The boats along the harbor were all decorated making this another fabulous travel day.

 

 

The girls wore their feline attire tonight to commence birthday celebrations for Yana. (Note from Barry: I have no clue what the correlation is, but they had a blast.)