At sea: Friday, July 27, 2012:

I got up about 8.30am and tried to be as quiet as possible, because Karen was trying to catch up on her sleep, and went to the Belvedere for breakfast.

It was a very grey day and quite cool at sea. I do feel like the holiday is almost over as there are only a few days left and one more port to visit.

There was a Russian Bazaar on board the ship, where we managed to get another small troll, and there was another photo lecture this morning on wildlife photography which, again, was quite interesting.

In the afternoon I was given a tour of the ship, Arcadia, and here are a few her stats:

• Country: Bermuda;
• Port: Hamilton;
• Entered P&O service: April 2005;
• Named by Dame Kelly Holmes;
• Gross tonnage: 83,700;
• Length: 285m (935ft);
• Breadth: 32.2m (105ft);
• Draught: 8m (26ft);
• Service speed: 24 knots;
• Crew: 880;
• Passenger capacity: 2016;
• Passenger decks: 11;
• Passenger cabins: 1009.

We have been sailing during the London Olympic Games and we could watch it as they were showing the coverage on the ship. It is a good job that the BBC presenters keep reminding us that their studio overlooks the Olympic Park because you would never guess.

The evening meal was in the Meridian where I had partridge for the first time.

At sea: Saturday, July 28, 2012:

Basically it was another lazy day today which started with leisurely breakfast in the cabin.

The 10 top tips from the photo talk:

• Change your point of view: crouch down, get close, find an unusual view;
• Get close: in macro fill the frame;
• Frame it: use doorways, arches, trees etc;
• Look up: handhold inside (breathe out, press button, keep pressed until pic finished);
• It’s all about the zoom;
• Tell a story: what the place is famous for, anticipate the shots;
• Use fill in flash on your subject;
• Go fast, go slow: use shutter speed to freeze or blur movement;
• Enhance in Photoshop;
• Take off the lens cap!

It was grey and overcast again today and I think we’ve passed Denmark again. I spent the afternoon reading on deck and I spotted a submarine off the starboard side in the distance.

Dinner in the Meridian again where the main course was goose.

Oslo in Norway: Sunday July 29, 2012:

There was a half day tour of three exploration museums: Fram – The Polar Exploration Museum; the Kon-Tiki Museum and The Viking Ship Museum.

It was quite interesting seeing the contribution Norway has made to exploring the globe. I remember hearing about the polar expeditions when I was a kid and I also heard about Thor Heyerdahl’s voyages during the 1970s so it was good to see the actual raft – or maybe it was a recreation of it. And, when I saw the Viking ships, I felt like I was going back to my roots as, because my dad’s side of the family is from Shetland, I like to think that I have Viking blood in my veins.

When we got back on the ship there was a very patriotic sailaway with lots of flag waving and rousing tunes.