People ask me all the time what was your favorite destination, or best cruise, and it’s not an easy answer. One of our most favorites was our seven weeks in Northern Europe last summer covering eleven Countries, what an adventure! For those that didn’t read our Facebook accounts of each port or if you are going and want ideas let’s start with Norway, one of my favorite places, the land of the trolls! I don’t think there are many places that can top it for beauty. There is nothing better than sitting on your balcony at midnight when it’s still light out and watch the glaciers and waterfalls go by, just unbelievable scenery that doesn’t end. Spending eighteen nights cruising thru this Country was remarkable and I can’t wait to go back. Norway, it’s impossible in words to accurately describe the awe inspiring beauty, it’s exactly as I imagined it would be and so much more, If you ever get a chance to visit do it, it’s truly spectacular. You need to always be prepared for rain with a windbreaker or rain jacket and it was a little cool even in June.
OLDEN
We had quite the experience at the Briksdal Glacier at Jostedalsbreen National Park located outside of Olden, Briksdal Glacier Shuttle Bus can be picked up right at the cruise port. We had decided to go all the way up and made it to the top! I was totally exhausted, and my bad knee was screaming in pain, but I was determined to accomplish this feat and see a glacier close up along with this incredible lake.
We came we, saw, and we conquered it! Thanks for the troll car’s help for the first part before the remainder of the walk to the glacier. A lot of people tried to walk both ways and some were regretting it on the way down, if you do this make sure you are in fairly decent shape. They tell you that you can make it up to the glacier in 15 minutes without stopping to look at the gorgeous views but that’s not what we were told by the people we met who tried it. We were glad we did the troll car, it is well worth the small fee they charge. It is first come first serve as there are limited cars so reservations are recommended.
The town of Olden itself is very pretty, the winding, peaceful valleys meet these huge glaciers and crashing waterfalls, all set against the beautiful backdrop of moumntains right at the Nordfjorden fjord. After every city I experienced in Norway it became my new favorite.
STAVENGER, A little rain in the morning we were told is normal but then the sun came out for our catamaran ride past Pulpit Rock and a stop for stroopwafels with sour cream and raspberry preserves. Delish! If you have never tried these waffles when in Norway they are a must! Who knew Norway had such excellent bakeries, we had the best cinnamon rolls ever. We were happy to look up to see Pulpit Rock from the boat which is as close as we wanted to get, but it can be hiked during your cruise day visit. The hike to Pulpit Rock is classified as a moderate hike, round trip, this hike is 4.7 miles that takes an average of 4 to 5 hours. Kids can do this hike if they are old enough but remember there are no barriers around the edge and we were told back in 1982 there was a baby pretty close to the edge, I was able to find a picture, the baby is all the way on the right in the front at the edge crawling while someone is taking a picture, they were saved in time!
BERGEN, The second largest city in Norway, surrounded by seven mountains. We took a cool funicular up to Mount Fløyen, where there is a restaurant, gift shops more troll statuettes along with the most fabulous views at the top. We were pretty high above the city center with breathtaking views below which didn’t make Ayr real happy, he is not a fan of anything on a cable and it was a little noisy. We saw the fjords and the entire town as well as our cruise ship below.
This picturesque city is one of the prettiest and best cities to visit in Norway and is peppered with medieval buildings, Norwegian churches, and timber houses in all colors. It’s a place with lots of good museums, quirky independent stores but its biggest draw is it being the gateway to the famous fjords, the city is called “Gateway to the Fjords”. There is Sognefjord, Hardangerfjorden and Osterfjorden.
ALESUND, This entire town burned down in January 1904 and 12,000 people lost their homes. Alesund was re-built in 3.5 years. And it was a complete makeover for the city. It was re-built in a german Jugend-style the reason for it’s charm and beauty. Ålesund has been rated Norway’s most beautiful city and we can see why. Ålesund is the city where mountains and fjords meet the sea.
MOLDE, Outside of Molde Norway we went by a bus tour to the Atlantic Road, a stretch of road that zigzags across low bridges that jut out over the sea, linking the islands in the western fjords. It’s a 5 mile scenic drive through the very amazing west side of the island, and the incredible coastline with 8 bridges, some portions of this breathtaking road have been described as a roller coaster road and we saw why. Here you can experience both nature and architecture in a significant interaction. It’s truly a remarkable engineering feat and was in the James Bond movie No Time To Die as well as numerous car commercials. Pictures taken while you are on it especially on a big bus can’t quite capture this highways beauty as well as a drone can looking down on it. At vista stops along the drive there were walking path you can go out over the sea and able to take some close up pics of a couple of the bridges and the beautiful fjord, it was rainy and windy but still another great day spent in Norway, it seems each city is even prettier than the one before if that’s possible, this is one incredible Country, we have loved all our time here.
SOGNEFJORD, is the largest and best known fjord in Norway. It extends from the coast, just north of Bergen, to the mountains and the blue ice of the Jostedalsbreen National Park. We didn’t hike but were told the mountains along the fjord are a popular hiking destination and you will see some of the most breath-taking scenery in the world. We stayed out on our balcony for hours as we went thru the fjord, it was so picturesque to watch the valleys and quaint farms along with gleaming glaciers, waterfalls and towering snow-capped mountains and it never got old. For June it was cool but comfortable.
Norway is a bucket list destination for many, and the essence of its appeal is remarkably simple: this is one of the most beautiful countries on earth. It’s home to more natural wonders than we can imagine. It has stunning cities, happy people, and spectacular light shows that I hope to go back to see one year. It is one of the best places to see the Northern Lights in the winter.
One of the main reasons why Norway is unique is due to its heavenly beautiful fjords. Fjord Norway earned its name from the many beautiful fjords. Fjord means (where one fares through) fjord is one of the few Norwegian words that has become international. Norway was voted the second happiest country in the world and I can see why, we met some of the nicest people there so welcoming and happy to share their gorgeous Country with us.
