In June 2017, my brother, mother, wife and I cruised from Southampton far up the Norwegian coast, spending a week above the Arctic Circle. Norway is one of may favorite places to travel. The scenery is shamelessly gorgeous, the people are lovely (and speak splendid English), and the coffee is strong, hot, and ubiquitous. Here’s a brief write-up and several pictures.
Stavanger, June 19. Today featured a misty early morning ferry crossing followed by a van to the trail head for a hike to Pulpit Rock. The hike was moderately difficult for my nearly 60-year old, somewhat in-shape body, but the views of the fjord were well worth the discomfort.
Flam, June 20. Today we took a train from Flam to a hotel roughly 800 meters above the fjord and then hiked 9 kilometers back down, which explains why my calves are incredibly sore right now. Flam and its surroundings are wondrously beautiful, with waterfalls in every direction, dramatic snow-patched mountains, violently boiling rivers, and a still, mirror-like fjord (and goats).
Alesund, June 21. This morning, Sandy and I wandered around Alesund, which is a centuries-old town that was almost completely rebuilt in the Jugendstihl (art nouveau) after a devastating fire in 1904. It’s filled with pale yellow, blue, mustard-colored, and white houses, many with ornate, scalloped roofs, and a multitude of high-end stores, all with gasp-inducing prices. A lookout point on Mt. Aksla, reached by climbing 418 steps (also gasp-inducing), commands views of the town and miles around.
Trondheim, June 22. A beautiful, sunny (!) day in Trondheim, which Sandy and I spent wandering through a street fair filled with ingenious and colorful crafts, cheeses, olives, and most importantly, delicious concoctions of dark chocolate, coffee, waffles, and merengue.
Honningsvag/Nordkapp, June 24. Honningsvag is a small town way up in Finnmark, which is the part of Norway that lies north of Finland and Sweden. Sandy and I wandered around town, stopped in a grocery store to buy a box of Tom and Jerry cookies (a revelation to us both), then took a tour to Nordkapp, which is the northernmost point in continental Europe. It’s crisp, clear, and barrenly, starkly beautiful.
Tromso, June 25. A drippy, gray, peaceful Sunday in Tromso, where we walked into town, checked out the closed shops, and walked back to the ship, around 7 miles in total.
Lofoten Islands, June 26. What a serene, spiritual, beautiful place! Gorgeous mountains, unspoiled fjords, open-air museums depicting Norwegian life for centuries on end, Mountain Ash blossoming at every turn. Simply outstanding.
Skjolden/Jutenheimen National Park, June 28. Another day, more drop-dead gorgeous scenery. Skjolden lies deep along the Sognefjord and is the gateway to Jutenheimen National Park, which includes several peaks of 6000 feet or higher. Sandy and I took a tour that brought us to a pass 5800 feet above sea level.
Bergen, June 29. Our final port today, Bergen, is a mix of modern and centuries-old commerce. Glitzy boutiques, troll-infested souvenir stores, and McDonalds abut wooden buildings erected by the Hanseatic League nearly 800 years ago (the old town of Bryggen), now repurposed as bars, hotels, and the aforementioned glitzy boutiques and troll-infested souvenir stores.
Stonehenge, July 1. On the way from our ship to the airport, we drove through the New Forest, Salisbury, and the Windsor castle area and then stopped at Stonehenge, which is as eerily impressive as you might imagine. A magical end to a magical trip!
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