Sarah and I decided to treat ourselves after we had to bail out of our holiday to Cornwall earlier in the year. We decided to go on cruise, thinking that this would suit us in terms of ease of getting around. A friend’s mother recommended that we look at Fred. Olsen as she’d had good experiences with them. We decided on a cruise to Norway and the fjords as it’s somewhere that neither of us had been to before, and the cruise had a UK departure port which made things even easier.
On Friday the 3rd of August, we drove down to Southampton, where we left the car (a man took it away, and another man disappeared with our luggage). We checked in to what turned out to be a fruit unloading terminal (this didn’t go down very well with some of the obviously seasoned ‘cruisers’, but it seemed fine to us – much less stressful than checking in at an airport, for example). Since we’d registered for wheelchair assistance, we were pretty much first on board (after navigating a perilously steep gangplank with the help of about 6 crew members). We were then shown to our cabin, where our luggage had miraculously reappeared. The cabin was really nice – quite big and airy because of the windows onto the balcony.
The first day was spent at sea and we spent a little bit of time in the morning exploring the ship and trying to work out where everything was. In the afternoon, rather against expectations, the sun came out, so we were able to spend some time sitting round the aft swimming pool reading and having the occasional swim! When evening came, we were able to see the North Sea oil field rigs lit up and were treated to an amazing sunset.
On Sunday, we got our first glimpse of Norway and we docked in the port of Stavanger, where we were able to get off the ship and go for a look round. The old town was very pretty, with white-painted wooden houses and cobbled streets. We visited the cathedral, which had the most amazing carved and painted wooden pulpit.
On Monday, we arrived in Flåm, where we went ashore via the ship’s tenders and went on an excursion called ‘a taste of Norway’. The first part was by train (on the Flåmsbana), past some really spectacular scenery, including a stop at a spectacular waterfall. At the waterfall, students of the Norway ballet school act the part of a ‘Huldra‘ for the tourists. After lunch at a lakeside hotel, we transferred to a coach for the rest of the day. Another stop at a waterfall and then to the Stalheim hotel for afternoon coffee and the most amazing view.
The Tuesday saw us at Olden. There wasn’t a great deal to do there (and we’d already decided to have a lazy day), but I did go ashore and walk into town and have a look round the ‘new’ church, which was in the classic Norwegian style of white painted wood. Apart from the church, there wasn’t really anything to see – so I took a few photos of the ship at anchor, and headed back aboard.
On Wednesday, we arrived into Bergen. As the ship was alongside, it was easy to get into town on foot (though the cobbles that seem to be a feature of Norwegian towns made steering Sarah’s wheelchair a bit tricky). We had a very quick look at the fish market, which is one of the main tourist attractions in Bergen, and then we decided to try and have a bit of ‘culture’ and headed for the art museum. We started in in the Rasmus Meyer collection, which is made up of Norwegian art. There were several works by Evard Munch (but no ‘scream’), and whilst they were pretty varied in style, we thought they were all quite odd, and some downright disturbing. We then headed for the modern art section, and finished with an exhibition of gifts given to King Haakon and Queen Maud in 1905, which was fascinating!
We then headed to the Fløibanen – a funicular railway that took us up to the top of a hill overlooking the city, which gave some fantastic panoramic views.
The final day in Norway was spent in Farsund, which was a really charming town, again with cobbled streets and white painted wooden houses. The highlight was a tour of the town hall by the mayor of Farsund, who was a really interesting guy – happy and proud to show us round and passionate about the town and community he serves. At the end of the day, the ship set sail and guided by a pilot boat and assisted by a tug, we picked our way through the islands and out to sea. The evening’s entertainment was provided by the crew show – a brilliant mix of traditional dances from crew members home countries, but the highlight was most definitely provided by the engine-room crew dance!
The final day of the cruise was spent at sea, and gave us the opportunity to relax and enjoy the ship’s facilities once more. On the final Saturday morning we woke up as we were docking in Southampton. We had a really fantastic time – the crew and staff were so friendly and helpful and were always cheerful. The food was great (and dangerously plentiful, seemingly available 24 hours a day!) and the facilities were very good too. The ladies in the spa did wonders massaging Sarah’s sore knee!
All in all, a fantastic experience and one which we’ll look to repeat, when our waistlines have recovered!
Wonderful pictures – what a treat to see them. Can’t wait to show them to Dad! (still having his rest).
There are some very beautiful shots – all very interesting. Super ones of the two of you.
MumD
Sounds and looks like a great trip, very envious!