Silver Spirit Norway, Day 14 - The end is nigh

With thanks to Silversea for this Norway cruise

More photos to follow when the wifi is faster

Today we should have been taking a helicopter flight over the spectacular fjords and mountains surrounding the pretty town of Olden - but instead we're ploughing steadily through an increasingly calm sea under finally a blue sky, towards the cruise's scheduled end for us back at Copenhagen. There's no leeway to stop off anywhere as we have to make up for the time lost to our enforced extra nights in Tromsø. Though of course weather is both a law unto itself, and randomly unseasonal these days; and there's nothing Silversea could have done about the rough conditions back up north, it's still really disappointing to have missed out on even some of the ports and scenery that everyone signed up for.

The staff are doing their best to keep us entertained with special talks and events, the main one today being a British Pub session in the Dolce Vita lounge, with a buffet of pub food laid on - butter chicken, Welsh rarebit, fish and chips, cottage pie, rice pudding - and trays of beer and Pimms. There was also a singalong, done as a competition between the two sides of the lounge: Roll Out the Barrel, When the Saints, Yellow Submarine and many more. Reader, I skipped out and went downstairs to the peace and quiet of Japanese restaurant Seishin, to have delicious sushi and slightly confronting sashimi of scallops, tuna and salmon.

The distractions continued through the afternoon, with - honestly, the last thing you would ever think of on a ship like this, with a passenger demographic like this - a balloon sculpture demonstration by one of the crew. Truly: elephants, penguins, Sylvester the Cat. Extraordinary. Then there was a Would I Lie to You game, followed by bingo, followed of course by TP (third place, since you ask, with 18/25, our lowest score). You wouldn't believe how vehemently, though of course in whispers, the birthplace of Mother Teresa was discussed. It's complicated, people.

We're getting near the end of the cruise now - just one full day left. So the luggage labels have been dished out already, and forms to fill in about onward travel arrangements; plus, tonight was the Captain's Farewell followed by the parade of staff across the stage in the  Venetian Lounge, to the accompaniment of an enthusiastic (partial) standing ovation and even some tears. The day ended, as usual, with bright light outside still, and Angela and Alex playing soothingly familiar songs.

Highlight today? Um, maybe counting up all our Silversea Trivial Pursuit and Bingo prize points from this and the last couple of cruises and finding we have 140. That might be enough for a Tshirt even! Tomorrow's cash-up will tell...