Skip to main content

Bergen's Tall Ship Races 2014

2014 Tall Ship Race Festival - Bergen

What a surprise for us when we arrived in Norway to find out the Tall Ships Races 2014 were in Bergen and the festival was in full swing at the wharf!

There were so many unique sailing ships from all over the world.  It was not only breathtaking but spectacular.  We loved it!

The historic wharf was such a beautiful back drop to the festival.  The colors and smells of the open market with mouthwatering seafood only added to the senses.

Viking Ship
We weren't expecting the festival since we were mainly in Norway to visit relatives of my husband that he had not seen since he was a young child.  Our cousins were our tour guides and we pretty much left it up to them on the sights that we would see.  I have to say they were the best ever and for that we are truly grateful.

Day one off the plane was probably the longest day of my life.  No, literally!  We stayed awake except for a quick nap that I took when my eyes would no longer stay open from the jet lag.  I had no experience in jet lag since I had never been abroad before.  It was my first time.  Daylight seemed to last forever especially being in Norway at the end of July and first week of August!

We also stopped at an Irish Pub that was in full swing in the heart of the historic area later in the afternoon.  I have to admit though I was especially elated earlier in the day to find my Starbucks among the historic buildings at the festival.  The triple caramel macchiato really helped keep me awake.  When I calculated the cost from kroners to dollars I realized my $5 cup of joe at home was not too unreasonable in comparison! We also bought many collector cups to take home with us for gifts. When people found out we were going to Norway the first thing asked was, "Can you pick up a few collector coffee cups from Starbucks and a few troll magnets!"  Well, I never.......

Anyway, back to the Festival.  I recommend it to everyone.  You don't want to miss it!  They go to different ports every year so when you visit Europe look it up and see if they will be near you!  I have attached some of the sailing ship pictures to this post.  We took so many pictures and will cherish them for years to come.

Here is the link for the  Tall Ship Races 2015

Happy Travels to you all!


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

In Search of the Killough Massacre

Killough Monument The winding black top country road shaded with huge east Texas pine trees protected us from the hot July sun as it pried its way through the branches.  As descendants of the Killough Klan living in a distant state, my husband and children had never seen the family monument dedicated to one of the greatest tragedies in East Texas history.  A massacre and tales of conspiracy are still keeping us guessing to this day of what really took place that set this tragedy into motion.  This was how legends are started so we wanted to uncover the truth.  Is it fact or fiction or could it be both? Our directions and GPS seemed to fail us as we drove deeper into the countryside on Farm to Market (FM) roads that didn’t seem to end.  Farm after farm and roads that appeared to shrink in size as the large oak and pine trees overshadowed them with their huge century old branches.  As we parked along the side of the road a couple who lived close by stopped and asked

Norway's Midnight Sun

Holding the Midnight Sun Norway was our destination.   My husband and I spent two weeks exploring the cities of Bergen and Trondheim as well as the Islands along the western fjords.   Our Norwegian relative tour guides told us we could not leave Norway without experiencing their midnight sun. We searched for the best place on one of the Islands and found it! The midnight sun was glowing across the horizon off the coast of Norway deep into the summer night.   There was a thrill just for being on top of ancient rocks that lined the coast of the Atlantic as the light was starting to fade in the distant horizon.   Our words and laughter seemed to echo across the rocks as the waves crashed high into the air.   We were not only enjoying the view but the sounds and smell of the open air of the salty ocean.    The glowing sun became a light in our hands as we stood and faced the camera.   As a couple we “held” the sun gently surrounded by our linked hands.

Rocky Ridge Safari in East Texas

Under the clear blue skies of East Texas is a gem of a drive-through wildlife and safari center called Rocky Ridge Safari that hosts over 25 different species of animals amongst the 200 acres of native trees and smooth red clay winding roads.  A friend asked me to go with her while visiting family in Texas, and I didn't hesitate to say yes! I couldn't believe my luck in the backwoods of Eustace, very close to Canton, was an incredible drive through wildlife center. The trip was a perfect opportunity to do an animal photoshoot and hopefully shoot some great pictures right from the front seat of my friend Linda's car.  We headed out early to be the first car in line when it opened at 10 a.m. since we knew the animals would be hungry and eager to make their way to our car. When you buy your ticket, it also comes with a good size food bag for feeding with each one. The animals were very eager to see us or rather the food we were handing out. I'm not sure I have a favorite f