Nordic Travels
We're on our way to the top of the world and the land of Santa Claus. Whoever thought I would actually SEE the North Pole? It's been kind of blasé though because of the weather we've been having. Oslo was the only really decent day we've had so far. It was kind of chilly, but I guess that's expected for being so far north. It was sunny though so that was nice. I strolled around town and enjoyed the Nordic atmosphere. I grabbed an ice cream and just enjoyed the walk. I've been there several times, so I didn't feel like sightseeing today with anyone. After we left Oslo, the ports started getting dreary. We had a few rocky nights heading up the western side of Norway and into some fjords. The sightseeing along the fjords was amazing. The cliffs are so smoothed out from glaciers past. 
The cliffs are also very steep and the water there is deep enough to get right along side of them providing stunning views from the ship. Since it was raining there were many waterfalls just trickling down the sides of the cliffs. It was so serene. It was a full day of scenic cruising before we left the channel and headed out to the ocean again to make our way into Bergen (what used to be the medieval empire of Norway). Now in Bergen we docked alongside. I went ashore with one of my friends and we started out going the wrong way at first. No worries. We did get some scenery viewing in and saw some of the residential places since we were so far off course. We made our way to Bergenhus Castle and grounds on our way back to the wharf area. The grounds had some beautiful views of the port from the lush mesas on top of the cliffs. It was fabulous. We strolled long the castle grounds and finally made it to the wharf area where there was definitely some civilization. 
We passed a church called Håkonshallon and a tower called Rosenkrantztårnet, which were on the castle grounds and very much in the style of the old world with stonework walls. These structures were originally built around the 10th century. Down the street was one of UNESCO's World Heritage sights of the old medieval village of Bryggen. These old houses built side by side were once the old trading headquarters for the Hanseatic League (an association of towns for the protection of trading interests). These houses were built after the great fire of 1702. Most of them now are art studios or boutiques. It is so interesting to walk through this area. First of all most of the buildings are leaning into one another. It looks almost structurally unsound, but UNESCO keeps them well preserved. You definitely get the rustic feeling as you walk down the narrow streets. 
The unique features of the houses are the old-fashioned pulley system that you can find on the top floor of each house and jutting out over the street. I assume these were used to pull furniture or even large crates for storage up to each floor. We stayed around here for a while and took it all in. I've never seen anything like this before and this seemed truly Nordic. Bergen is said to be one of the rainiest places and boy was that one pegged. It was raining when we got off the ship and then it stopped for a bit while we were in the old medieval quarter. We decided to walk to the funicular station to take us to the tope of Mt. Fløien. We found another friend and got in the cue to go to the top. I was told there were interesting troll carvings at the top and life-size troll statues along with the incredible views of the harbor below. The ride up was definitely amazing. It was so angled; sitting inside was like sitting in rows at the theatre. The ride up was fast. It only took about 7 minutes to travel up about 400 feet. As soon as we got of the funicular it started to pour and the wind was incredibly strong up there. We walked around for a bit trying to grab some pictures in between the slow rain and the hard rain. We were up there about 20 minutes before we decided to head down. I was slightly annoyed because I really wanted to go hiking today and the rain was just too strong along with the wind. Besides I don't hike while carrying an umbrella. I just didn't want to damage my camera by getting it wet. We took the funicular down meeting up with everyone else that came off the ship and went to the top. They ended up taking a rest at the Irish pub at the bottom. I stayed for a bit to see if the rain would let up, but I had no such luck and decided to take the rain and go for a walk. I had an umbrella so I thought I'd be fine.
I walked through the fish market at the end of the wharf. It was definitely aromatic, but there were all sorts of fresh berries and vegetables as well, and it was definitely a popular spot for the locals. The town is pretty progressive with all your high-end stores along with various art shops and cafés. It was nice to walk through for a while and then the hard rain came again. My feet got wet and then the bottom of my pants and pretty soon my entire back (because of the wind). I took this as a sign to go back and started heading in. I just wish it were a nicer day because there was so much potential for exploring this port extensively. I don't see myself coming back here independently since Norway is expensive AND so far north. Cold weather isn't really my forte.
Yesterday we were in Geiranger, Norway. I walked up to breakfast that morning and it was stunning. The sun was out and shining down the steep green slopes of the mountainside. We were sitting right in the middle of a fjord. Geirangerfjord to be exact. We dropped some passengers off real early this morning in Hellesylt so they could enjoy some tours. I didn't get up until we were already anchored and sitting in the bay. There were waterfalls trickling down the mountainside and one large one running through the center of town. I was so taken aback and sad that I was stuck on board today. The sail in was supposed to be quite amazing, but that was about 5:00am this morning. I thought I would just catch the sail away later that afternoon. There was a glacier hike planned for that day that I wish I got to take advantage of, but beside the IPM and the day being a show day that was not going to happen. I'm thankful I got to do that way back in 2000 in Alaska. I did manage to make it shore side in the afternoon. One of our girls decided she only needed a few hours out in port before she wanted to come back and rest for the afternoon.
I ventured out in her place and boy did I venture. The tender ride was interesting to say the least. It usually only takes 5 minutes, but we must have had a trainee driving since it took him about 3 times to finally park the boat at the dock. I got out and the first mission was to find this "soft-ijs" that I read about. It's supposedly the first ever soft serve custard and it has a reputation of being devilishly rich and good. It's something about the Norwegian milk. I got to taste this treat for a mere $5 (yes, quite expensive for a soft serve) doused with chocolate powder. It was so creamy rich I almost couldn't finish it. Wow!! I wanted to follow the riverbed as high as I could in the time that I had. I was able to get on land about 2:30pm and the last tender to the ship was at 4:00pm. I started my climb up the road following the riverbed. Needless to say there were MANY riverbeds and all the scenic waterfalls I was passing kept overwhelming me. 
These were not just any waterfalls where water falls a few inches over some rocks. These were substantial waterfalls tricking more than 20 feet at times over mossy rocks. Sometimes the riverbeds had a nest in them that looked pretty much like a beaver home. I wish I could have seen a few working on their homes. My curiosity got the best of me and I found myself at times running up the road the steep climb to get closer to the massive waterfalls I saw near the top of the mountain. Ultimately I would've loved to reach the top and see the source of all this water pouring over the Cliffside. As I got higher there were some astonishing views of the fjord below and our ship sitting anchored in it. The water was so clear coming down these riverbeds, you could drink it. In fact I ran into some friends on the way up and they DID drink the water. It was natural spring water after all. We're taking up a bunch in reserve for the ship's drinking water. They won't have to purify it much and it should be real good to clean in and drink. One of my stops was at this campsite I'd say about 8km inland. There was a HUGE waterfall running through it and I was able to get real close. It was amazing. I kept on climbing. By now it was 3:10pm and I knew I had quite a ways to get back, but still I pressed forward. I finally stopped at a turn around point. I wasn't happy about stopping, but I knew if I didn’t do it now I'd be in trouble. 
I followed a walking path into the mossy forest and right alongside another fascinating waterfall. I just couldn't believe what I was seeing. The air was so incredibly fresh. It wasn't too cold today either and no rain. I took loads of photos and headed on my way back to the port area. I didn't just walk either. By now it was 3:25pm when I came out of the path and it took me a good hour to get this far. That would make it too late if I just walked all the way down. So I ran. I got to the port area in about 10 minutes. I couldn't believe it. I was all sweaty and I'll probably have some soreness tomorrow from this aerobic adventure, but I got back and with some good photos. Now we begin our journey out of the fjord and into open water again before heading to Brønnøysund (a new port for Holland America). I hope to get some more pictures of our sail away through these fascinating fjords.
The sail out of the Geirangerfjord was amazing. There were waterfalls literally at every turn. We sailed away kind of late due to a coiling problem with the anchor and being a show night I like to eat dinner real early so that my food isn't bouncing around in my stomach while I'm dancing. Dinner started at 5:30pm and that's just about the time we were ready to go. We started pulling out in the midst of my dinner so I was back and forth snapping photos as we passed these magnificent sights. I've never seen anything like it. It was water just pouring off these cliffs all over the place like the top of the fjord was just full and overflowing. There were farms perched in the midst of some of these places and you have to wonder what life is like there. They can only get to their homes via boat and some look like there's a steep climb from their docks. So you have to wonder if they use other forms of transportation to get in and out of such high places. What if you forgot the milk at the grocery store, but then again they probably make their own. Nevertheless errands would be a pain if you forgot to do one. It was about an hour of solid scenic cruising through these steep fjords cut away by former glaciers. Wow is all that need be said. Pictures cannot capture the beauty you see here.
Today was Brønnøysund and it was pretty much a secluded little residential area. There was beauty and nature all around. We pulled in about 1:00pm and I didn't plan for the day. My friends were all taking bikes off and the office for rental on board was now closed. I was out of luck and somewhat saddened. I went out and strolled into town. After about an hour of walking around I figured today was definitely a biking day and that I needed to get one if I wanted to see some interesting scenery. I could get my workout in as well.
I got one for 2 hours although I found out later I didn't need the full 2 hours. I went biking along the paths made before they completely ran out. I was on a stretch of highway heading towards a large mountain. I really wanted to hike today, but the mountains seemed so far away and we were on a stretch of flat lands each separated by water. I got to the base of the mountain and it took about 20 minutes to get there from town. This also meant a 20-minute ride back. I was hoping to maybe get some height, but to my dismay there was a large goat farm at the base and it looked like there weren't any suitable paths to start climbing. I'm not trained in face climbing, so I wouldn't even dare trying that in my tennies and by myself. I turned around at this point after snapping some scenic shots and headed back into town. There were some interesting trails and a large bridge that went up about a mile high over the channel I wanted to check out. I went down that way and took the steep climb up the bridge on a narrow strip of trail. It was kind of nerve-wracking since there wasn't really any protection to keep you from falling over if you lost your balance. 
I got to the top accomplished and took some more shots. After this I was pretty done with today's port. I returned the bike and headed back to the ship. Tonight we cross the Arctic Circle and there's word that the Aurora Borealis is a 6/10 for viewing tonight. FABULOUS!! I've always wanted to see this phenomenon and I never got to see it in Alaska because of the cloud cover, time of year, or light pollution. I hope to see it sometime tonight or over the next few days as we head to the North Pole.
The cliffs are also very steep and the water there is deep enough to get right along side of them providing stunning views from the ship. Since it was raining there were many waterfalls just trickling down the sides of the cliffs. It was so serene. It was a full day of scenic cruising before we left the channel and headed out to the ocean again to make our way into Bergen (what used to be the medieval empire of Norway). Now in Bergen we docked alongside. I went ashore with one of my friends and we started out going the wrong way at first. No worries. We did get some scenery viewing in and saw some of the residential places since we were so far off course. We made our way to Bergenhus Castle and grounds on our way back to the wharf area. The grounds had some beautiful views of the port from the lush mesas on top of the cliffs. It was fabulous. We strolled long the castle grounds and finally made it to the wharf area where there was definitely some civilization. 
We passed a church called Håkonshallon and a tower called Rosenkrantztårnet, which were on the castle grounds and very much in the style of the old world with stonework walls. These structures were originally built around the 10th century. Down the street was one of UNESCO's World Heritage sights of the old medieval village of Bryggen. These old houses built side by side were once the old trading headquarters for the Hanseatic League (an association of towns for the protection of trading interests). These houses were built after the great fire of 1702. Most of them now are art studios or boutiques. It is so interesting to walk through this area. First of all most of the buildings are leaning into one another. It looks almost structurally unsound, but UNESCO keeps them well preserved. You definitely get the rustic feeling as you walk down the narrow streets. 
The unique features of the houses are the old-fashioned pulley system that you can find on the top floor of each house and jutting out over the street. I assume these were used to pull furniture or even large crates for storage up to each floor. We stayed around here for a while and took it all in. I've never seen anything like this before and this seemed truly Nordic. Bergen is said to be one of the rainiest places and boy was that one pegged. It was raining when we got off the ship and then it stopped for a bit while we were in the old medieval quarter. We decided to walk to the funicular station to take us to the tope of Mt. Fløien. We found another friend and got in the cue to go to the top. I was told there were interesting troll carvings at the top and life-size troll statues along with the incredible views of the harbor below. The ride up was definitely amazing. It was so angled; sitting inside was like sitting in rows at the theatre. The ride up was fast. It only took about 7 minutes to travel up about 400 feet. As soon as we got of the funicular it started to pour and the wind was incredibly strong up there. We walked around for a bit trying to grab some pictures in between the slow rain and the hard rain. We were up there about 20 minutes before we decided to head down. I was slightly annoyed because I really wanted to go hiking today and the rain was just too strong along with the wind. Besides I don't hike while carrying an umbrella. I just didn't want to damage my camera by getting it wet. We took the funicular down meeting up with everyone else that came off the ship and went to the top. They ended up taking a rest at the Irish pub at the bottom. I stayed for a bit to see if the rain would let up, but I had no such luck and decided to take the rain and go for a walk. I had an umbrella so I thought I'd be fine.
I walked through the fish market at the end of the wharf. It was definitely aromatic, but there were all sorts of fresh berries and vegetables as well, and it was definitely a popular spot for the locals. The town is pretty progressive with all your high-end stores along with various art shops and cafés. It was nice to walk through for a while and then the hard rain came again. My feet got wet and then the bottom of my pants and pretty soon my entire back (because of the wind). I took this as a sign to go back and started heading in. I just wish it were a nicer day because there was so much potential for exploring this port extensively. I don't see myself coming back here independently since Norway is expensive AND so far north. Cold weather isn't really my forte.Yesterday we were in Geiranger, Norway. I walked up to breakfast that morning and it was stunning. The sun was out and shining down the steep green slopes of the mountainside. We were sitting right in the middle of a fjord. Geirangerfjord to be exact. We dropped some passengers off real early this morning in Hellesylt so they could enjoy some tours. I didn't get up until we were already anchored and sitting in the bay. There were waterfalls trickling down the mountainside and one large one running through the center of town. I was so taken aback and sad that I was stuck on board today. The sail in was supposed to be quite amazing, but that was about 5:00am this morning. I thought I would just catch the sail away later that afternoon. There was a glacier hike planned for that day that I wish I got to take advantage of, but beside the IPM and the day being a show day that was not going to happen. I'm thankful I got to do that way back in 2000 in Alaska. I did manage to make it shore side in the afternoon. One of our girls decided she only needed a few hours out in port before she wanted to come back and rest for the afternoon.
I ventured out in her place and boy did I venture. The tender ride was interesting to say the least. It usually only takes 5 minutes, but we must have had a trainee driving since it took him about 3 times to finally park the boat at the dock. I got out and the first mission was to find this "soft-ijs" that I read about. It's supposedly the first ever soft serve custard and it has a reputation of being devilishly rich and good. It's something about the Norwegian milk. I got to taste this treat for a mere $5 (yes, quite expensive for a soft serve) doused with chocolate powder. It was so creamy rich I almost couldn't finish it. Wow!! I wanted to follow the riverbed as high as I could in the time that I had. I was able to get on land about 2:30pm and the last tender to the ship was at 4:00pm. I started my climb up the road following the riverbed. Needless to say there were MANY riverbeds and all the scenic waterfalls I was passing kept overwhelming me. 
These were not just any waterfalls where water falls a few inches over some rocks. These were substantial waterfalls tricking more than 20 feet at times over mossy rocks. Sometimes the riverbeds had a nest in them that looked pretty much like a beaver home. I wish I could have seen a few working on their homes. My curiosity got the best of me and I found myself at times running up the road the steep climb to get closer to the massive waterfalls I saw near the top of the mountain. Ultimately I would've loved to reach the top and see the source of all this water pouring over the Cliffside. As I got higher there were some astonishing views of the fjord below and our ship sitting anchored in it. The water was so clear coming down these riverbeds, you could drink it. In fact I ran into some friends on the way up and they DID drink the water. It was natural spring water after all. We're taking up a bunch in reserve for the ship's drinking water. They won't have to purify it much and it should be real good to clean in and drink. One of my stops was at this campsite I'd say about 8km inland. There was a HUGE waterfall running through it and I was able to get real close. It was amazing. I kept on climbing. By now it was 3:10pm and I knew I had quite a ways to get back, but still I pressed forward. I finally stopped at a turn around point. I wasn't happy about stopping, but I knew if I didn’t do it now I'd be in trouble. 
I followed a walking path into the mossy forest and right alongside another fascinating waterfall. I just couldn't believe what I was seeing. The air was so incredibly fresh. It wasn't too cold today either and no rain. I took loads of photos and headed on my way back to the port area. I didn't just walk either. By now it was 3:25pm when I came out of the path and it took me a good hour to get this far. That would make it too late if I just walked all the way down. So I ran. I got to the port area in about 10 minutes. I couldn't believe it. I was all sweaty and I'll probably have some soreness tomorrow from this aerobic adventure, but I got back and with some good photos. Now we begin our journey out of the fjord and into open water again before heading to Brønnøysund (a new port for Holland America). I hope to get some more pictures of our sail away through these fascinating fjords.
The sail out of the Geirangerfjord was amazing. There were waterfalls literally at every turn. We sailed away kind of late due to a coiling problem with the anchor and being a show night I like to eat dinner real early so that my food isn't bouncing around in my stomach while I'm dancing. Dinner started at 5:30pm and that's just about the time we were ready to go. We started pulling out in the midst of my dinner so I was back and forth snapping photos as we passed these magnificent sights. I've never seen anything like it. It was water just pouring off these cliffs all over the place like the top of the fjord was just full and overflowing. There were farms perched in the midst of some of these places and you have to wonder what life is like there. They can only get to their homes via boat and some look like there's a steep climb from their docks. So you have to wonder if they use other forms of transportation to get in and out of such high places. What if you forgot the milk at the grocery store, but then again they probably make their own. Nevertheless errands would be a pain if you forgot to do one. It was about an hour of solid scenic cruising through these steep fjords cut away by former glaciers. Wow is all that need be said. Pictures cannot capture the beauty you see here.
Today was Brønnøysund and it was pretty much a secluded little residential area. There was beauty and nature all around. We pulled in about 1:00pm and I didn't plan for the day. My friends were all taking bikes off and the office for rental on board was now closed. I was out of luck and somewhat saddened. I went out and strolled into town. After about an hour of walking around I figured today was definitely a biking day and that I needed to get one if I wanted to see some interesting scenery. I could get my workout in as well.
I got one for 2 hours although I found out later I didn't need the full 2 hours. I went biking along the paths made before they completely ran out. I was on a stretch of highway heading towards a large mountain. I really wanted to hike today, but the mountains seemed so far away and we were on a stretch of flat lands each separated by water. I got to the base of the mountain and it took about 20 minutes to get there from town. This also meant a 20-minute ride back. I was hoping to maybe get some height, but to my dismay there was a large goat farm at the base and it looked like there weren't any suitable paths to start climbing. I'm not trained in face climbing, so I wouldn't even dare trying that in my tennies and by myself. I turned around at this point after snapping some scenic shots and headed back into town. There were some interesting trails and a large bridge that went up about a mile high over the channel I wanted to check out. I went down that way and took the steep climb up the bridge on a narrow strip of trail. It was kind of nerve-wracking since there wasn't really any protection to keep you from falling over if you lost your balance. 
I got to the top accomplished and took some more shots. After this I was pretty done with today's port. I returned the bike and headed back to the ship. Tonight we cross the Arctic Circle and there's word that the Aurora Borealis is a 6/10 for viewing tonight. FABULOUS!! I've always wanted to see this phenomenon and I never got to see it in Alaska because of the cloud cover, time of year, or light pollution. I hope to see it sometime tonight or over the next few days as we head to the North Pole.
posted by Chris | 3:00 PM
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