Me and our Catherine thought we’d spend a little time close up with the artists today and squeezed our way onto a glorious trip around some of this city’s most interesting and perhaps eccentric museums.
We boarded a boat by the Town Hall Square, along with a gaggle of excitable delegations, and headed off to see the many great vessels in Norwegian history. Oh yes, they’re very proud of their flotilla. Serbia’s Milan and his mates rushed straight to the back of the ferry, like naughty school kids, and one has to remark that close up he still has that youthful glow of a schoolie. Actually, that’s hidden beneath a skimming of make-up that acts as a kind of real-time airbrushing across his already baby face. Also very excitable were the Albanian backing singers – a trio of grown up American misses who shrieked and wooed at any cool bit of history that passed their eyes. Their front gal, however, kept more of a low profile, and close up looks more like that nice girl who works down the cake shop than any kind of pop star.
The Portuguese lass is as tiny as a flea, and many people thought she was one of the tour guide’s daughters along for the ride. Indeed, she was lighter than the sample piece of balsa wood the mad old gal at the Kon Tiki museum kept chuckling at anyone who passed by. (And for any history spotters out there, the thing is about the size of a double bed with a crate on it – they spent 101 days nipping across the Atlantic on that – them boys must have been bonkers!) She also won over the tour party by being happy to talk to anyone, and helpful and kind to the organisers – which is more can be said for the Latvian chanteuse, whose face was set in a default scowl and had the look of someone who looked like she was forced to be there.
Much more up for it was Malta’s Thea. She bounced about and had a chuckle with her delegation and anyone who passed. Indeed, in the food queue at the Sonjia Henie we cracked up a deep discretion of what exactly that red stuff in those tiny glasses were (it turned out to be a kind of cold tomato soup, which was surprisingly tasty!)
After another drinks reception at the Viking long boat museum (lots of old wooden boats in a stunning, cathedral-like building) we spent the bus journey home serenaded by one of the Belorussian boys. He started absent mindedly muttering a few lines of Petr Elfimov‘s sadly overlooked tune from last year and our Catherine started heartily singing along with him (it was her fave last year!). We then got treated to a medley of their tunes of the past, between broken conversations telling us he was Koldun‘s brother (did we know that?), and finally crooning out a lovely version of Butterflies. (Yes, it can be done!) Our C began to swoon, so it was lucky the bus pulled into the hotel for the end of the journey or who knows what might have happened!
A proper nice day in some nice spring sunshine among the art, history and stunning scenery of this fabulous looking city. And the company was pretty good too. They seem like a nice bunch, in the main, so whatever they sound like I think that we’re in good company here!
More travel fun tomorrow I fancy!