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.

A day at sea

All thoughts have drifted, floated away onto the sea –

As becomes the nature of a cruise holiday, you get caught up in this confusing state of relaxation vs. trying to fit in as much of everything as possible. This means setting alarms of a morning to ensure that no day is wasted (in theory, although of course an early start inevitably means a nap later in the day to compensate). Our first day of holiday was spent sailing the seas between Spain and Portugal, as we headed to our first port of call, Lisbon. Realistically, therefore, there was very little point in setting an alarm, but nevertheless the keen-cruiser in me took control and I was up bright and early for breakfast on deck. Or so I thought. I am a firm believer in holidays being the ultimate opportunity for escapism, so I refuse to use my phone when abroad. However, this time I had taken it to act as our morning alarm, although of course as it did not automatically update due to being set to flight mode, I had then forgotten to change the time, so was up an hour later than expected; whoops!

Sat on deck with a croissant and a cup of tea (my first breakfast of the day) wrapped up in my scarf and maxi, trying not to get blown away. Had been sitting for a while when I suddenly realised my mind was literally empty. Blank. Really how often does that happen? It is the most AMAZING experience, like your brain has finally decided it’s allowed to switch off and so has extremely successfully gone into hibernation mode; luxury. Instead of concerning myself with ridiculous thoughts as make a habit of usually passing through my head, I was able to observe with fascination the microclimate that seems to surround a ship. As I said, it was windy as might be expected, but it was also caught between sunshine and cloud, and at one point there was even a single raincloud which showered us all for a matter of seconds before swiftly moving on. Around we all sat, looking at each other in complete disbelief!

I was eventually joined on deck by the woman who knows how to holiday (as in, she sleeps, as opposed to getting up unnecessarily early) and we ventured to find brunch. Stomachs lined with a Full English, we headed back to where I’d been sat under the microclimate to enjoy the sunshine/bracing wind. We made half an attempt to find a ‘sheltered’ spot, although quickly came to the realisation that unless it was inside, there was very little chance of sheltering from a sea breeze when one is at sea (nevertheless, it later transpired that, as ever, my parents had found a jammy spot down on the promenade deck... if only we had allowed our legs to take us that little bit further)!

Lorna goes on a mission to see if around the corner is more sheltered..

... it really isn't!

As I write this, I am beginning to realise how cat-like one becomes on a cruise holiday. So far the pattern has been: sleep-eat-sit-eat-sit-, and now we follow with another eat, as then it was time for lunch! After lunch, we braved making our way into the Jubilee Show Lounge for what was really a Michael Bublé tribute, although he lured us in being described as a swing-singer in general. Armed with afternoon tea to keep us going, we actually found ourselves quite pleasantly surprised, if a little too close to the speaker for mother’s liking (and we would have been dazzled by his outfit from any angle; says Lorna ‘he appears to be wearing my dress as a jacket’). Now I may not be a self-confessed Bublé fan, let alone the fan of a take-off, but while we sat enjoying his performance, I got to thinking about crowds/us Brits, and how bizarre we are! There we all sit in formal rows, arms folded, blank expressions. I may have recently discovered I am not Latino enough for Salsa, but I do like to think I may still be a little more European than British when it comes to the effect of music on my body. I find myself looking like an over-excited child, going way beyond a subtle foot-tap with a full-on body bob (if that’s not already a thing, I make it one) mixed in with a lot of side to side swaying (enhanced this time by the ‘gentle pitching’ of the ship, which it seems leaves a head in a permanent state of feeling inebriated; a life on the waves would be LUSH)! I hope that whatever I do gives a little hope to a performer if they happen to catch sight of me (and hopefully that’s not for all the wrong reasons), otherwise us Brits really are a tough crowd (good at applause though, I can’t deny)!

Perhaps subconsciously in order to calm me down, we went back out to be blustered around and drink Tom Collins’. Whilst outside I found myself tuning in to inane conversation between two couples who had obviously met onboard. I’m sure if I ever happen to have my own children, I too will enter into the obligatory bettering that seems to go on between parents;

‘oh no, my boys never argue. I mean, they don’t really socialise, but if they’re out in the same bar and one of them gets into trouble I think they’d look out for each other’ - ‘oh your boys don’t have girlfriends? Well mine is only 12 years old and he does. Only the other day I heard him say that when she goes to university he’ll stay behind and keep house’

... seriously (I must admit there’s something strangely empowering to know that I sat there writing this on the table right next to them – or is it perhaps a little creepy?)?!

Blustery winds do not bode well with straws in cocktails, or indeed with pages of notebooks (certainly not with loose pages of typed print), so we retreated inside where we came across a bar with window seats, which we would go on to become all too fond of! Snuggled comfortably in what was really just a large, less round, more square, port-hole, I gazed down over the waves caused by the motion of the ship. The break is hands down the best form of hypnosis I know.

Now anyone that has ever played table tennis with me will know that my claim to fame is my ability to play efficiently in formal attire (heels included) a-top a ship on the North Sea in gale force winds. Having made this boast to Lorna, it was only right that she would want to witness these ‘skills’. Fortunately (or perhaps unfortunately) for her, there was an opportunity to play table tennis in a lounge at the front of the ship (it was definitely the movement that kept taking me off balance, not the Tom Collins (plural)), so we finally broke the sleep-eat-sit-eat pattern and went to do some form of exercise! The serious-types were already in full swing when we got there, and for some reason, no one seemed to realise that we were hoping to participate. I wonder whether floor-length skirts, flip-flops and our distinct lack of own bats with heated handles were not enough to convince everyone? We were quite disappointed to find that there was only one table, so not only was everyone taking turns, which meant that we had to wait for one, having taken quite enough time to pluck up the courage to even go, they were also watching each other – mortifying! Once ‘everyone’ had had their turn, the entertainment host began to call some people back up, to which I cried ‘can’t we have a go?’, throwing up my hand, again like an over-eager child. With some surprise, he agreed, and we took to the floor, where we were apparently pretty impressive, causing further surprise. 

Take that, owners of ping pong bats with heated handles!

So as to avoid embarrassing the pros, we disappeared into a shroud of mystery after our one match, and began prepping for Captain’s Cocktail night. Captain’s Cocktail, as always, consisted of endless photos in front of various cheesy cruise ship backgrounds, shaking hands with the captain among other ‘key’ staff, amazing food:

Starter - [green] mussels

Soup – mushroom with truffle oil

Main – steak

Dessert – chocolate charlotte and something with champagne in it

, performing waiters, questionable entertainment (this time it was Moulin Rouge – a selection of ‘numbers’ from the Parisian streets), blowing around the top deck in black tie, and finding ourselves thoroughly depressed in a bar at the end of the night with other stragglers by the sounds of the Boros Duo (one performance piece of choice was the theme from Schindler’s List, it was a struggle). 

In an attempt to cheer ourselves up, we finally rose from our depressive slump and went in pursuit of perkier climbs/sounds. As a result, we became embroiled in a cynical (and probably not as subtle as we would have liked to think) discussion about the effect of accents on how intelligent a person seems, and I embarrassed myself attempting impressions of the dear character Mr Porky found on the front of a packet of pork scratchings. 

A day and night very well spent I reckon.