2018 NORWAY WITH SCENIC COAST CRUISE

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2018 NORWAY & SCENIC FJORDS CRUISE
January 20-29, 2018
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JANUARY 20-29
NORWAY: OSLO, FJORDS CRUISE, BERGEN

NORWAY FLAG

January 20-21
MIAMI*AMSTERDAM*OSLO
Took the Tri-Rail from Delray Beach to Miami Intl Airport to fly KLM to Amsterdam and then to Oslo to start my Norway trip with scenic coast cruise: mountains, fjords, northern lights pursuit. Will hook up with my traveling partner and college friend Heidi at Schipol Airport (Amsterdam).

Flew to Oslo then checked in at the Scandic St Olavs Plass Hotel and after a nice nap we joined our tour manager and the rest of our fellow travelers for welcome drinks followed by a welcome dinner of baked salmon.

January 22
OSLO

Breakfast at the hotel, which included lox, herring, salmon, and even caviar besides the basic breakfast items, was pretty sumptuous.

We went on the city tour of Oslo which started at the Gustav Vigeland Park where there are more than 200 sculptures by the artist, including the Wheel of Life, the fountain, the monolith, the Clan, etc.

Next stop was at the Oslo City Hall which houses the city council, city administration, and art studios and galleries. Its characteristic architecture, artworks and the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony makes it one of Oslo's most famous buildings. It was designed by Arnstein Arneberg and Magnus Poulsson. The roof of the eastern tower has a 49-bell carillon which plays every hour. It is situated in Pipervikain central downtown Oslo.

Next was an optional tour to two museums. The first one was the Viking Ship Museum which is most famous for the completely whole Oseberg ship, excavated from the largest known ship burial in the world. Other main attractions are the Gokstad ship and Tune ship. Additionally, the Viking Age display includes sledges, beds, a horse cart, wood carving, tent components, buckets and other grave goods.

Last on today’s program was a visit to the Kon-Tiki Museum. Thor Heyerdahl is one of history’s most famous explorers. In 1947 he crossed the Pacific Ocean on the balsawood raft Kon-Tiki. This was his first expedition to be captured on film, and was later awarded Academy Award for best documentary in 1951. He later completed similar achievements with the reed boats Ra, Ra II and Tigris, through which he championed his deep involvement for both the environment and world peace. The Kon-Tiki Museum exhibits objects from Heyerdahl’s world famous expeditions, the original Kon-Tiki raft, and the papyrus boat Ra II.

January 23
OSLO*KIRKENES*NORDKAPP

Left Oslo and flew to Kirkenes in Lapland near the Russian border above the Arctic Circle to embark on the M/S Nordkapp for our 5-day trip along the Norwegian fjords stopping along the way in Hammerfest, Tromsö, Svolvaer, the Lofoten Islands, Trondheim and Bergen. Here’s hoping we’ll see the Aurora Borealis!

Arrived in Kirkenes, took a bus to the port and embarked on the M/S Nordkapp. Lunch was waiting. Then the safety drill and a presentation.

Docked in Vardø and our tour manager Köpi took us for a short walk in town to see the fort with King Haakon VII's statue.

Dinner that night on the ship started with lightly marinated salmon with lemon crème, salmon roe and cress; main course was baked reindeer from Finnmark with Brussels sprouts, baked turnip purée and stirred lingonberries; and dessert was Russian Sharlotka (Charlotte Russe) served with Skjenning ice cream from Gangstad Gårdsysteri.

January 24
HAMMERFEST

Our next docking was this morning at Hammerfest (the town claims to be the world's northernmost town) and our tour manager Köpi took us for a walk in town. We went to the Hammerfest Church, the Polar Bear Museum, and the City Hall. In 1891, Hammerfest became the first urban settlement in Northern Europe to get electrical street lights.

Dinner on board: Starter was Karbonade on whole wheat bread from Hardanger Bakery, with goat cheese from Hankell Dairy; main course was coalfish fillet with picked onion, crisp cured ham and sour cream; desssert was DUGA bygg crème with raspberries from Frigard Gård. There was a fashion show afterwards with the ship’s crew as models and also an auction for charity.

January 25
TROMSØ*STOKMARKNES*RAFTSUNDET STRAIT*SVOLVÆR

Ship docked at Tromsø and we went to attend the Midnight Concert at the Arctic Cathedral in town. They (baritone, flutist and pianist) performed classical music and some Norwegian folk music. The baritone Harald Bakkeby Moe has a wonderful voice. There was a short show in the sky of the Northern Lights just before the concert.

Early afternoon the Nordkapp docked at Stokmarknes and we went for a walk in town. This is where our ship's company Hurtigruten was started in 1893.

Back on board we had lunch then passed through the Strait of Raftsundet, an 18-mile long stretch with the Trollfjorden mountains on both sides reaching up to 3500-foot high.

After an early buffet dinner we docked at Svolvær, the capital of the Lofoten Islands, and went to see the town. Passed by the Krigsminnemuseum (War Memorial Museum). This town is known for the Svolværgeita, a 500-foot pinnacle which attracts climbers dragging their bicycles up to the top (see photo of poster below).

January 26
ARCTIC CIRCLE CROSSING*BRØNNØYSUND*HURTIGRUTEN ANNIVERSARY DINNER

Today we crossed the Arctic Circle and part of the celebration was a spoonful of cod liver oil in a special spoon that was a keepsake and a glass of champagne.

I went back to the dining room to watch the chef filet salmon and make marinated salmon. Then we docked at Brønnøysund and Köpi gave us a shot of Aquavit to celebrate as we walked around town.

Dinner was kind of special tonight since it's the 125th Anniversary of Hurtigruten, and for starter I had a taste of cured meat, followed by pea soup, then cod which I accompanied with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc, then a sampling of cheeses and ended with omelette Norvegienne (baked Alaska).

January 27
TRONDHEIM

This used to be the capital of Norway and it is a big university town. We got up early, had breakfast and then went to town while it was still very dark at 7:30.

If it wasn't so dark I would have taken a similar picture as the one below which I found on the internet.

Back on board we spent the day cruising on our way to our last stop, Bergen. Lazy day spent lounging around the boat and shopping at the ship's gift shop. Bought a Norwegian Christmas Gnome.

Final dinner on board the M/S Nordkapp: For starters I had the smoked Arctic Char from Sigerfjord with creamed dill potatoes and pea flatbread from Holmes Crisp; main course was Hampshire pork ribs from Trøndelag with caramelized Norwegian apples, cabbage, red wine sauce and potatoes from Frosta; wine was a Sancerre Franck Millet; dessert was Cheesecake of Nyr from Grøndalen Gård with homemade strawberry jam. One of our co-travelers had a birthday so a cake and a gift was given to Joy by Köpi.

January 28
M/S NORDKAPP*BERGEN

After breakfast we had to finish packing and leave our cabin by 10 am. Lounged around again at the Explorer Lounge until lunch and then disembarkation started at 2:30 pm and by 3:15 we were checking in at First Hotel Marin in Bergen. Goodbye, M/S Nordkapp! Hello, Bergen!

After checking in we took the Floibanen funicular for a panoramic view of the city.

Then I explored the city to take pictures. Stopped at Fjellskål Fisktorget and bought four jars of caviar and then sat at the bar and tried three different Aquavits.