The Resolution entered the fjords of Norway on May 8th, stopping in several small towns for hikes, pictures and history. Then on May 11th we left the ship in Bergen, spending the day walking the city, taking a funicular to the top of Foyen mountain above the city, and visiting museums. Next day, it was an all-day train ride to Oslo. During our 3 days in Oslo we had perfect, sunny weather for strolling the city and enjoying this clean, beautiful capital.
We left Ireland on April 30 and headed for Scotland. After a couple of days in Edinburgh and an excursion to Vindolanda along Hadrian’s Wall in Northern England we boarded the National Geographic ship, Resolution, and headed for the Orkney and Shetland Islands.
We planned for a year, then traveled for a month (mid April to mid May 2023) to Ireland, Scotland and Norway. Beauty, history, culture, food - not a vacation, but a life experience.
With Ashland temperatures in in the 90’s and upwards, we decided to hike up to Siskiyou Peak on Mt. Ashland. There were lots of wildflowers and clear, blue skies. Our intrepid friend/hikers, Ross and Taffy, joined us for a lovely day.
With spring, the vetch on the Ashland hills across the valley from our house, is in full color. Our friends, the Swanson’s, live on that side of the valley and invited us to hike up into the glory with their trusty companion, Ollie, a delightful Australian labradoodle. And yes, he did run free . . . and became so loaded with stickers and burrs he had to be carried. (Note: snow on Mt. Ashland).
While we were in Palm Desert we went to the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens, once during the day and another time at night. The zoo has animals that thrive in desert climates. It was interesting but kinda weird to see zebras and giraffes in Palm Desert. At night the gardens are open (by ticket) to see the “lanterns” which are huge lite-up structures, many of them with moving parts. The Living Desert Museum never had many visitors until they added the the zoo and “lanterns.” Now it has become quite the popular attraction. I think we’ll pass on going the next time we’re in PD - once was enough for us.