Sailing the Norwegian Fjords

Up so early that our bodies and brains took some while to function in sync, we were straight up and out to the prom deck to catch our first glimpse of Norway, and to witness our sail into Stavanger. Keen beans, we were pretty much first in for breakfast, and pretty much first to disembark when the ship docked.

Docked right below the Old Town, we decided to begin our exploring there before it got too busy. Roses, Hollyhocks, and Hydrangeas in bloom against white-washed wood-panelled houses from the 18th Century made for a very pretty scene as we wandered along cobbled streets. Was particularly happy to find a couple of friendly cats enjoying the sun which was starting to appear from behind the clouds.

Our first hour or two was mostly spent getting our bearings, and figuring out what was about. We did a little loop through the Old Town, around the harbour with its tourist boats, a fellow cruise ship, and jellyfish floating on the surface, past the cathedral, and along the edge of a lake in the City Park.

Coming out of the park, I got far too excited when I spied Søstrene Grene on the corner of a road a little way over. Took a leisurely browse; all the while enjoying a bit of Mozart. As is always the way, I wanted to take everything home, but my self-control (and Steven's. In fact, mostly Steven's) kicked in, so all we left with were some placemats... as you do! Had a proud Norfolk moment at the till when we discovered that they were selling Gnaw chocolate!

From Søstrene Grene, we continued along the edge of the lake then took some steps uphill again towards more old looking buildings which stood alongside contrasting big, beautiful brutalist buildings. Sat a while on a bench at the top of the steps to admire the view, and the change we'd received from our shopping; coins with holes are far too exciting!

Back in the Old Town, the sun now shone brightly, so I made Steven re-trace some of our steps (not all of them) in the hope of sunny photo opportunities. Downhill again, we were soon back at the harbour. Following further along the front this time, we found lots of fantastic street art and a skate / play area created from old buoys and other bits of nautical paraphernalia. 

Before our trip, seasoned cruisers Ma and Pa had provided us with a map of each port of call with a few bits circled and highlighted. Having been so lucky with the weather, we didn't entirely feel the need for museum visits, but decided to take a walk out into a suburb-y bit of the city to investigate a couple of buildings further afield.

By Ledaal, once residence of the King of Norway, Steven spotted a cemetery where we wandered to find some Commonwealth War Graves. Wending our way back towards the centre, we were met by a view of mountains in the distance with a long modern bridge at their base which cars were crossing to reach the city. Found a café for lunch which seemed popular with locals and had a playlist of which we both approved. Splashed out on a pizza to share (very Norwegian), and two local beers which at about £9 each (not even a pint), we savoured!

Fearing that we might be left behind, we allowed plenty of time to embark the ship once more where we grabbed a seat on the prom to enjoy our sail away.

6am on the prom for our sail in to Flåm through fjords. Totally worth it! Stayed to watch us dock before disappearing back inside for showers and breakfast.

Thanks to Ma & Pa's map, we had a few different walks lined up, we decided to first make a visit to Flåm Church, a 3km walk from Flåm itself. Followed along a road with the river to our right, and trainline to our left. Upon reaching the church, we sat a while outside on a bench. Sun shining by this point, we were fairly warm.

Our walk back to the port took a slight detour via a walk (perhaps a hike, at this point) up to a waterfall. Were grateful for stone steps leading up most of the trail, and even more grateful for the view which made the climb so very worth it! Coming down was made a little more challenging by the step-free slippery bits. We were both suffering from serious jelly legs at the bottom.

Now on the other side of the river, we passed a field of Norwegian Highland Cows with their calves, who proved very popular with fellow tourists as we stood to watch them. 

All of this achieved before midday, we decided that we deserved some refreshment. Had passed a brewery on our first walk of the morning, so when we found a 'Viking Pub' serving a taster selection of their beers, our stop was chosen. Sat upstairs to enjoy our beers with lunch; I had the biggest salad of my life with strawberries, blueberries, nuts, seeds, beetroot, tomatoes, and an entire goats cheese all dressed with a 'beer syrup', while Steven chose 'Loki's Lunch', an open sandwich named after the infamous God of Mischief, topped with sausage and a lot of cheese.

Full of food and beer, we went for our final (and thankfully shortest) walk of the day, up to another viewing point, lower this time, across the fjord. Next stop, Olden, we sat again on the prom, mesmerised by passing landscape, eventually torn away by the need to get ready for dinner.

Not quite such an early start, we were up on the prom this time around 7:45am for our sail into Olden. Lots of little houses dotted the hillside, and farmland sat between pine forest. More low-lying cloud added to the atmosphere as we sat and enjoyed our morning cup of tea.

Off the ship a little after 9, again in the hope of beating the crowds, we were in for another day of walking. Chose to start off with another old church, and a 'new old church', too. Half an eye on the surrounding scenery, half an eye on lorries and coaches thundering past (anyone would think that these roads weren't designed for walkers..), we admired farm buildings set against mountains and blue sky peeping out through cloud.

Popped into the first church which was entirely wooden with antler-style hat stands at the end of each pew on the men's side of the church, family names engraved on pew doors, and a rather odd photo of a group of men dressed like gnomes (transpired that they were the church choir). We'd just beaten the 'crowd', and an influx of people arrived as we left in search of the next church.

Got slightly side-tracked by the appearance below the road of a fast-flowing river with salmon fishing bridges accessible to walk over. Obviously we had to investigate, and spent ages walking along and over the river, then eventually back the way we'd come when we felt threatened by over-grown nettles blocking our path to the next bridge.

Headed back up to the road to continue our walk, and soon came across the new old church. Were slightly concerned when we spied a tour bus in the carpark, but fortunately had arrived just as the tour were leaving, so soon had peace and quite, and clear shots for photos.

On we walked along the road, following the path of the river until we came to more tour buses parked up by a more substantial bridge crossing the river at a particularly fast-flowing point. Hoards were on the bridge, but we hoped that they'd soon be moving on to their next stop, so we waited it out on a bench nearby. Everyone loaded back onto their buses, it was just us left. Stayed a while admiring the rush of water below.

As we crossed the bridge, we were then led by a path into fields where it got a bit muddy as we made our way past cows (not Highland, this time), more farm buildings, the occasional end of a waterfall, and another bridge which we didn't cross this time, but stood on for a while for another view along the river. Our circular walk led us back to the ship, so we decided to embark for lunch to fuel us for a second, shorter walk (so we thought) in the afternoon.

Heading in the opposite direction to where we'd been in the morning as we disembarked, we walked again along the road, this time passing more residential buildings. The road soon split, and we took the one leading uphill. With more roads to choose from, our map reading was tested further this time, and it wasn't until we bumped into a couple who we'd met walking up to the waterfall the previous day, that we were satisfied that we were going the 'right way'. 

Walked and talked our way up, up, and up some more where the road became dirt track, and led us through some forest. Of course we were thrilled by the stunning views across the fjord from such a height, and made plenty of stops for photos before wending our way back down again, and to the ship which we had seen from the top. Signposts led us a slightly zig-zagged route back, but having relaxed in the knowledge that we weren't lost, we also weren't in a rush by this point, and enjoyed our walking.

Opting this time to make for the sun deck where we were greeted by a view across the village and into the mountains beyond, we were treated to our first musical farewell from the shore. Four speakers packed a punch as they sang out 'we are sailing', and 'time to say goodbye', all the while accompanied by a couple of older ladies waving the Norwegian flag, and even one person right at the top of the mountain brandishing the St George's Flag in our honour. It was quite the spectacle, and had us laughing, smiling, and singing along as we sailed away.

Our final day on land was spent in the city of Bergen, where, like Flåm, I had visited as a young teenager. Unfortunately due to bad weather forecast back home, we only had until midday to explore, so it was rather a fleeting visit.

Docked at 7am, we were off the ship by 20 past (we're like different people when we're abroad), and headed straight to the Funicular Railway for a ride up to Mount Fløyen. Was such a peaceful spot for looking over the city as it was waking up. Wandered a little at the top where there were goats, sheep, and a small lake. With more time, there were bikes to hire and hiking trails, and we might have even walked back down to the bottom, but instead we took the train once more and walked back into the city.

Our whistle-stop tour took us around some of the harbour, through the fish market, past lots more street art, and to a little café called Sweet Rain where we enjoyed drinks and lots of little pastries and biscuits to nibble. 

 Even more paranoid about missing the ship here than we had been at other ports, we were back on board about an hour before we were due to sail, and took once more to the sun deck to enjoy the rays that were now appearing, and to look back over the city. 

Definitely made the most of the sail out of Bergen, with lots more time before we'd need to head in or miss food. Highlights included sailing under a suspension bridge, and lots of small islands with beach-hut style buildings right on the water's edge each with their own jetty and little boat. Sunshine made for a pleasant sit outside, and we stayed as long as we could taking it all in.

Returning to Norway after over a decade, it certainly didn't disappoint. We were spoilt by such beautiful weather for our visits to such beautiful places. We'll definitely be back, and hopefully before another decade is out.

Prague

Woken by the gentle clanging of pots and pans in the kitchen, we were lured out of bed by the smell of omelette wafting through the apartment, courtesy of Chef Stuart. Our day began with a highly civilised breakfast around the table before we headed out to join a free walking tour as an introduction to the city of Prague.

Slightly worryingly large numbers fortunately thinned out as we were split into smaller groups with different guides. Our tour guide, Nicolo, took us around the Old City, into some of the New, and through the Jewish Quarter; offering recommendations and lots of history along the way.

Our tour ended at the river, and just in time for lunch. Continued wandering along the tow path in search of a traditional Czech restaurant on Nicolo's list of recommendations. Having reached the restaurant, Kolkovna, we went for three pints of Pillsner, one of 'dark beer', and a selection of 'Meals to Accompany Beer' to share. Tastiest dishes were a turkey schnitzel fried in cornflakes and served with a potato salad, and smoked sausage baked in beer. We also mostly enjoyed pickled sausage slices, and a marinated Camembert-style cheese. Pickled cheese, however, is not something that would make it onto our recommendation lists!

Feeling that we'd had our fill of walking in the morning, we decided to head to a park, Vojanovy Sady, where we were promised peacocks. Slightly enamoured by pea-babies, we did a lot less sitting than expected, and a lot more following / herding them around, taking full advantage of the many photo opportunities.

Eventually tore ourselves away, and continued our search for a way to cool down. Found a boat tour on a boat with a maximum of 12 passengers, which suited us very nicely. The journey up and down the river at a snail's pace was extremely pleasant, and we very much enjoyed the meditation-style guide over the tannoy accompanied by gentle classical music.

Obviously we were highly disappointed when 'the moment of parking [had] come'. More Pillsner, the lilting motion of a boat, and a pretty jam-packed day had us feeling utterly soporific as we alighted and began to wend out way 'home'.

Chose a slightly different route to the one we had taken earlier in the day, and found ourselves at one of the gate towers on the Charles Bridge. Thought we might as well climb up as we were passing. In the Entrance, we were met with a sleeping cashier. Much like the troll guarding the bridge in the Three Billy Goats Gruff, she was soon woken when Clair trod on a particularly squeaky step and ordered us to 'pay' (still with as much enthusiasm as her sleeping on the job had suggested she had).

Beautiful views over red rooves and the river gave us plenty to 'ooh' and 'aah' at, as well as providing a few ideas for plans the following day. Our legs and feet officially dead when we reached the bottom, we called it a day and made our way directly to the apartment for a freshen up and a rest before heading back out for dinner.

In an attempt to save our feet from further cobble-related trauma, we opted for another traditional Czech restaurant close by. More Pillsner and more dark beer was enjoyed. Wanting to try both beef goulash with bacon dumplings, and roast pork bits with potato dumplings and creamed spinach, we decided to order two of each and do a half-way swap. Opinion was divided on which was the better of the two, but we did all agree that everything was delicious.

Back at the apartment via Tesco for Magnums, we settled in for a night of Catan. Beginners luck, and a tiny bit of accidental foul play saw me win after a long battle lasting around two hours by which time we were very ready for bed. First impressions of Prague - pretty excellent!

Opted for brunch at a bookshop café to kick-start our day. Took our time over a Full English, and three servings of Eggs Benedict; two with a side of salmon, one with a side of sausages. Couldn't then resist a browse before we headed out on a walk found in a leaflet at our apartment offering walks 'off the beaten path to places known and unknown'.

Globe, where we'd had brunch, was only a short walk from 'the wizardy hat' church, as Sarah had fondly named it, formally known as Emmaus Monastery. So, despite this spot being number 15 of 16 on the map, we began here and walked the route in reverse.

The map took us up, down, up, and down hill again, through streets almost deserted on a Sunday; we certainly felt very much off the beaten track. We wandered a while through the Charles University Botanical Gardens, passed an English-style red-brick maternity hospital, and stopped at a pub where we were plagued by wasps, as well as many a viewpoint looking over the city from various angles. Perhaps our favourite view was looking over the river leading out of Prague from the ramparts by the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul. 

A wander round the cemetery of the Basilica was a fascinating, and peaceful near end to our walk. We sighted the graves of Smetana and Dvorak among many scholars, architects, and physicians.

Down a steep path, we were led from the ramparts back to the riverside where we wandered back in the direction of where our journey had begun. A small bar on a boat caught our attention, and we stopped here for more beer and entertainment in the form of swan and people watching, over-looking the river.

With a table at a jazz bar booked for the evening, we decided to make our way straight from the bar to another of Nicolo's suggestions, a pizza restaurant considered delicious even by his Italian standards. Delicious it was, and we soon demolished a lasagne, and three pizzas with various toppings ranging from anchovies, to artichokes, to Tuscan sausage.

The restaurant was close to our apartment, so full of pizza we headed back to freshen up before making our way back out again to Jazz Republic. The venue, also, was not too far from the apartment, although dusk over the river slowed us down somewhat as we crossed a bridge to reach it.

The bar itself was below street level, and full of small tables with benches around the room, and chairs in the centre, all facing a small stage. We were shown to our table towards the back, then ordered drinks while we waited for the music to start.

Bopped (mostly) along to 45 minutes of Blues before calling it a night (the band hadn't even made it through a full 3 songs by this point. It was a little indulgent) and taking a scenic walk back across Charles Bridge and 'home' for another night.

Pastries for breakfast in the apartment, we headed out fairly early for a trip out of the city to the village of Karlstejn. Found our way to a train station nearby, no thanks to Google Maps, and after some confusion over platforms, eventually figured out where we were supposed to be and waited for our train.

Great excitement arose when the train that pulled in was a double decker. Straight to the top deck, we each found window seats and sat back to enjoy the journey. Alighting the train, Clair and I were transported back to Ayutthaya as we clambered across the tracks to leave the station. Followed a small crowd into the village, up-hill all the way.

Decided to stop for an early-ish lunch before continuing the climb up to the main attraction, the castle. Found ourselves in a traditional restaurant with a terrace from where we could watch people making their own journeys up to the castle; some by foot, others by horse and cart. Thoroughly enjoyed our helpings of roast boar served with sauerkraut, red cabbage, and potato dumplings. Were also quite grateful for the sprinkling of rain that came down while we sat under the protection of a large parasol.

Our strength regained, we braved a move and carried on the rest of the way to the castle. Just in time for the next English speaking tour, we headed to the meeting point and were soon being led to the first chamber. Enjoyed the perfect dose of historic fact, and were really impressed by the castle itself, with its stunning views of the village below, and surrounding forest.

The journey back into Prague was straightforward, and we slightly sneakily opted to go one stop further into the city than our tickets technically allowed, taking us closer to the Old Town. As we wandered back towards civilisation, we passed another of the gate towers, this time the Powder Tower, and decided to climb up for an alternative view over the city. It was interesting to observe the contrast between here and the view over the Lesser City, with fewer red rooves this time, and more modern buildings peeping through here and there.

Back at the bottom, the view had given us our bearings, so we carried on towards the Old Town Square, via a bar where we ordered 'mixed beer', a tasty combination of Pillsner and dark beer. We were slightly disappointed by its appearance when it arrived, having seen it in on or two bars previously sitting very much like balsamic and olive oil, but we were pleased with the taste nevertheless.

Tummies rumbling, we made our way to a Vietnamese restaurant that we'd spotted the previous evening hidden in a convenience store. Prague is renowned for its Vietnamese, and we were not at all disappointed here. Pho was delicious, although a little warm between the steam from our dishes, and the spice from Stuart's fried duck. Sweating, we decided to go in search of ice cream to cool us down.

Crème de la Crème had an amazing selection, and their 'medium' portions were incredibly generous. I was super excited to find lavender ice cream outside of Norfolk, and had a scoop mixed with one of chocolate. We all ended up a melty mess (some of us more than others) as we sat outside on the steps of Prague City Hall.

Defeated by our enormous ice creams, we walked back along the river once again, stopping a while to watch boats passing through a lock. One of the boats had a jazz band on board, so once we returned to the apartment we were inspired to have an evening of jazz ourselves as we played cards before bed.

Hoping to beat the crowds, we set off to Prague's own castle at a reasonable hour. Took the most direct route in the hope of saving our feet. Some confusion over to actually enter the castle (sign-posting in Prague is not the best), but we eventually found our way in and joined the queue for tickets.

Collectively, we wouldn't recommend Prague Castle. St Vitus Cathedral was pretty, and the views from the castle were good, but otherwise we spent the day feeling like sheep being herded from one place to another, and found ourselves getting more than a little angry at groups of tourists in their swathes.

When we finally managed to escape, we decided to head straight to a monastery with a brewery where we enjoyed a stiff drink and our second beef goulash, served this time with two varieties of dumpling, and slices of bread for dipping in the gravy. Just what we needed!

From the brewery, we followed some of another route from our handy leaflet, which took us again off the beaten track and past another couple of beautiful churches, and along a stunning little street, Nový Svět, reminiscent of Norwich's Elm Hill. It was as we wandered along this street that clouds began to gather. Having been so lucky on the previous days of our trip, I had left my brolly behind, and Clair her poncho...

We had just reached the bottom of the castle steps when the heavens opened. Cobbles had proved tricky enough to navigate up to this point, but they became even more treacherous in the rain. So we slipped and slid our way to shelter sharing Stuart's umbrella and Sarah's rain jacket, and tried to figure out our next move.

Fortunately, rain drove us into an archway where we found a really lovely souvenir shop with lots of local art in the form of magnets, mugs, postcards and beer mats. Next door we stumbled across a craft beer café, so stayed a while as I made my way steadily through 750ml of passionfruit sour.

Rain clouds cleared, we were lured back outside by the reappearance of sunshine, and made our way via Charles Bridge back to the Old Town Square in the hope of climbing another tower and to embrace the Astronomical Clock experience. Got as far as the ticket office in the Old Town Hall, and discovered that entry to the tower was considerably more than we'd been paying for other towers, so chose to give it a miss.

Back outside, we were just in time to see the clock doing its thing. Experience over all too soon, we'd got a taste for Vietnamese the previous evening, so headed off to find Banh Mi at another restaurant recommendation. We found Banh Mi Makers tucked away in a little courtyard, so found a table where we enjoyed fresh mango rolls, fresh summer rolls, and Banh Mi filled with duck, and traditional pork.

Also similarly to the previous evening, we then returned to Crème de la Crème (for smaller portions this time); less for cooling properties this time, and more for a little something sweet. Chilled out at the apartment with prosecco and more games for our last night in the city.

A leisurely check-out meant that we managed a semi lie-in on our final morning. Headed back to Globe for another brunch, which turned rather dramatic when the heavens opened and we huddled together under an umbrella to eat.

Content that the rain had ceased at least for a moment once we'd finished our food, we made our way to a nearby tram stop and took the tram to the main station where we planned to leave our luggage and figure out how we'd make our way to the airport later in the day. Feeling highly productive after leaving our luggage in a locker, and purchasing four bus tickets to the airport, we braved the rain once more, and moved in the direction of the Jewish Quarter.

Wandered a while; hum-ing and ha-ing about whether to visit the Jewish Museum (we decided against it in the end, as it felt quite expensive after other attractions we'd enjoyed), and ooh-ing and aah-ing at pretty buildings. 

(rungs missing from the ladder to stop people climbing up to the roof in search of the Golem..)

It seems that no matter where you are in Prague, you always find yourself back at the river. On this occasion, we crossed over yet another new bridge, taking us back to the Lesser Town where we hoped we might find a drink stop. Crowds of tourists kept driving us on, and before we knew it we were crossing the Charles Bridge one last time, and headed back again to the Old Town.

As the rain got progressively heavier, we decided it was a good opportunity to find a drink, so when we stumbled upon a pub with self-serve beer taps at the tables, we were set. Stayed a while, enjoying our drinks and slightly unusual atmosphere before making a move to find food ('linner').

Mostly happy with our food selection on Day 1 (oh, the pickled cheese..), we returned to Kolkovna, this time to a branch nearer the station. Here I enjoyed my final schnitzel, Sarah had wild boar with gingerbread dumplings, Stuart had a leg of goose, and Clair went for one more helping of goulash. Great excitement then ensued when we realised that the restaurant was serving the mystical 'mixed beer' looking all Insta-worthy.

The walk back to the station was without a map, as by this point streets and landmarks had familiarity. Our bus journey to the airport was straightforward, and the airport process itself was so simple that we were able to sit in a pub enjoying yet more mixed beers, and playing a final game of Catan.

Prague, it was a great pleasure. I'll definitely be back one day (perhaps with sturdier shoes for excessive cobble action..)!