Alesund

In Alesund, Norway, I was in an adventurous mood. I got off the ship with a few friends hoping to either bike or kayak. Since kayaking is less common, and there was a rental just two blocks away, we opted to do that.

Getting directions

Growing up in Texas, I didn’t participate in many water activities. This was actually my first kayaking experience! The woman adjusting my pedals decided that since I had long legs, I’d be more comfortable without them. I, not knowing what I was supposed to feel like in the kayak, didn’t see the problem with this decision until it was too late.

Let’s go!

We started rowing, and since I didn’t have a solid base from pushing against pedals, I felt quite unstable. However, I thought that was just because it was my first time. When we were directly behind our ship, within view of some friends sitting back deck, one of the guys in my group nudged me. That little push was enough for me to tip over! I was stuck, fully clothed, in the water with my kayak flipped over.

Site of the accident

I was able to turn the kayak back over, but needed both boys to help stabilize it while I climbed in. Since I was horribly embarrassed, I chose to row back to a dock we had passed so we could dump the water out of the kayak rather than pumping it all out. My friend also re-adjusted my pedals so I was more stable.

All good now!

Although I was soaked and cold, the day got much better after that! The views from the water were fantastic. It was a really neat way of seeing the town. We also so a few unidentified creatures while we were rowing around.

So fun

When we returned the kayaks, one of the other girls dropped her phone in the water. Without a moment of hesitation, one of the boys stripped down to his underwear and jumped in to get it. The phone, luckily, was in a waterproof case, so it was fine. The guy, however, was just as cold and wet as I was (if not more).   We decided to get back on-board, shower, change clothes, and then go back out for a walk and a beer.

Wandering

After a bit of souvenir shopping, we found a nice bar to sit in. I tried a house brewed amber ale that was pretty fantastic. We had a nice, relaxing afternoon out, before returning home. In spite of all the drama and accidents, it was a lovely day.

Final view