Quick catch-up
An unfortunate minor road accident the day before sailing necessitated a one-way car hire to get to Newcastle to join Balmoral, then a succession of courtesy cars on return before little Papa Romeo* was returned.
*Papa Romeo? – Look at the number plate …
30th October 2024
Bon Voyage!
Cruising past the Seven Sisters.
Crossing the Arctic Circle ceremony.
Cut down the alcohol? Well, it was Sunday lunchtime …
Alta
This was funny! I got up from table (other folk had gone) to get myself some cheese from the buffet, leaving my napkin and wine to mark my place, but when I came back:
Those hyper-efficient waiters had cleared and partly re-set the table! Of course, they apologised profusely and brought me another glass of rosé:
The good thing was that that replacement glass had more wine in it than the one I’d left behind! And when a waitress saw me lining up a selfie, she offered to take the pic for me – and did well!
Tromso, the Arctic Cathedral.
A little nightcap?
Final Port of Call – Alesund, and it was the first fine day! But it clouded over at dusk. Northern Lights? – Not a glimmer!
Nice sunset, though!
Sail away!
At 9 am on Saturday, 9th November, it was good to be met by Rachel directly outside the cruise terminal in Newcastle, and so to be chauffeur driven home (chauffeuse driven?). Thanks for that. And later, there was a nice ‘welcome home’ from Smudge:
Stephen's space 
Of course, I’d seen / heard these before but nice to recap! Thank you! J:)x
The French might say ‘C’est moi!’ which is short for ‘C’est moi qui te remercie’ (It is I who thank you’). I suppose the nearest everyday English would be ‘It’s me’, but I’ve never heard anyone say that! We settle for ‘you’re welcome’, ‘don’t mention it’ or even ‘ ‘sallright’, but they’re not the same. There’s also ‘de rien’ (Fr) or ‘de nada’ (Sp) but if translated too literally, they sound rude in English!