Sailing to Kiehl

This past week I undertook what seems to be a great Norwegian pastime. Well, maybe not pastime, but the great Norwegian adventure. I went on a 'cruise' to Kiehl, Germany. Now, you may be like me, thinking, Kiehl Germany? Where is that? Why would one go there?

These are the same questions I asked when people first told me about going to Kiehl. I was told that Norwegians go there to shop since the prices are cheaper and the tax is less. Plus, in Norway, if you drink any alcohol at all, it is illegal to drive. So, on the cruise, you can eat, drink, and be merry and just go to your cabin at night, instead of paying for a taxi ride home.

I was invited my a congregation member to join her on the cruise. She had received some tickets as a Christmas present. So, we boarded the boat at 1:00pm on New Year's Day and sailed for Kiehl.

There is good reason this is called a 'cruise' because you don't arrive in Kiehl until about 10:00am the next morning. So, while on board, you can lounge in your cabin, sit in a cafe (I had some yummy passion fruit gelatto), go to a show (did this on the way back to Oslo), or watch the water go by from the observation bar / cafe / restaurant thing. BUT, there is no where to sit without people asking you what you would like to drink / order except in your cabin. You can get away with not ordering a drink, but they don't 'appreciate' it. Guess everyone wants to make more money!

Well, we arrived in Kiehl the next morning and set out for some shopping and a bit of site-seeing. Sadly, the Christmas market had closed down before Christmas. But, I did purchase some knitting needles, some tights, and some candy and chocolate (heavily taxed in Norway). I also got a yummy bratwurst - oh the joy of spicey food again!!, and a crepe with nutella and banana, my favorite! You only get about 4 hours in Kiehl, so the only site we saw was St. Nikolai church, which had a massive crucifix cross hanging just before the altar area. Talk about living in the shadow of the cross!


We hopped back on the boat at 1:45, spent the night on the boat, and then arrived back in Oslo at 10am on Thursday morning. It was funny, when we left Oslo, the ground was bare, everything looked so brown. When we sailed back into Oslo, it had snowed, so everything was white! Pretty!

The trip was a fun, but strange trip. I still don't completely understand why people take this trip, but its a fun time! And a sort-of vacation on the cruise boat! I have to say, my Iowa roots came out though, because I felt a bit claustrophobic being stuck in a contained area, without the option to roam wherever I want, or I would end up in the ocean.

Well, I'm back home and back to work now. No more vacations for me. On the plus side, its getting a bit lighter here in Oslo and we have snow! Yippee!!