I've been on a cruise

 I've been on a cruise but it was a different type of cruise than I usually take.

This time I headed toward cool weather...with a cruise departing England, stopping in Brussels, continuing on to Norway and into the Arctic Circle, then a stop in Rotterdam before arriving back to port in England.

Little Puss knew something was up when I was packing to leave. She had to try out my suitcase to see if she could fit in as a stowaway.

I flew from Louisville in the afternoon and the flight into Heathrow was an overnighter.

With very little sleep and a time change, I was staggering around like a zombie.

I had a bus ride to Southampton and boarded the Celebrity Apex.

Celebrity is a step up from the cruise lines I usually use. Everything was really nice.

After a stop at the buffet, I found my cabin. I was so happy to see this bed. I was ready for a nap!

Plenty of space in the cabin and a nice big bathroom too. Roomy shower!

This ship has "infinite verandahs". Instead of an outside balcony, it's like a little sun porch. The large window can slide open so it's a bit like sitting on a balcony.

But, see how the floor above extends farther out and over my window? I realized this would limit my upward view when sailing through the fjords.

I had a short nap then woke up for sail away.  It just happened to be the day of an annual yacht race around the Isle of Wight.  More than a thousand boats streaming by...all with colorful sails.

I found a quiet spot at the rear of the ship to sit and enjoy a margarita. 

Then it was a meal at the buffet, then back to cabin to unpack and go to bed early.

Early the next morning we were headed into port at Brussels, Belgium.

It is an industrial port. There's the harbor pilot!

I'd ordered a room service breakfast and enjoyed it while sitting by the huge window in my cabin.

Then it was time to meet for my tour. Celebrity keeps things very organized with tours and disembarking/embarking. Everything is ready and on time. They run a tight ship!

I had chosen to take a bus ride to nearby Ghent...for a canal boat tour. 

Here is the boat and our driver.

Nice wide canals and very scenic.

A restored Dominican convent, built in the 1300's.

A medieval castle - Gravensteen.

We passed under lots of bridges. Some with low clearance!

The Rabot Gate, built in the 1400's.

We stopped and got off the boat for some free time to walk around. I found a chocolate shop and bought some Belgian chocolate to take home to the Sasquatch.

One reason I had chosen the canal boat tour was to avoid tours where I'd walking on cobblestones.  But, here they were. I guess there's just no avoiding it in Europe.

The tour guide had talked a lot about the Belgian people's love of French fries with mayonnaise...so I had to give them a try.

They were good, but maybe I should have tried a Belgian waffle instead.

Back on the bus, back to the port.  Belgium is lovely...clean and serene.

Lots of canals natural and man-made.

Lots of farms with big fat cows and cornfields.

Back at the ship, crew members greeted us with cups of water and juice, and cool damp towels to mop our sweaty brows.

I had a short snooze during sail away and woke up to see the ship passing by dozens and dozens of wind turbines. Sort of hard to see in this photo.

I've zoomed in here.  Belgium and The Netherlands are world leaders in off shore wind energy.  I had to read more about it when I came home.

I had a buffet dinner. I'll just tell you now...I only had meals from the buffet during the whole cruise. I never tried going to the dining room.

The buffet was huge. There were lots of choices. Everything from simple dishes to Asian, Indian, Mexican, and Italian food areas. Hot foods and cold foods, lots of breads and desserts, ice cream, pizza, fruits, cheeses, shrimp cocktails. 

So much it was hard to choose each time.

I skipped evening activities and went to bed early. Still trying to catch up on sleep!

This is getting long. I will continue in another post.