Geographically speaking, Norway appears
more formidable than most countries on a travelers wish list.
Just look at the
terrain: Forbidding, snow-capped mountains; magnificent glaciers
stubbornly standing up to global warming; isolated villages linked
by wind-whipped, tight-squeeze fjords; and a crenellated,
1,250-mile-long coastline, nearly a third of which lies
unforgivingly north of the Arctic Circle.
Sound like a
tough place to get around? Turns out its not, as my wife and I
discovered while enjoying Norwegian Coastal Voyages new Fabulous
Fjords program, one of NCVs air-inclusive packages designed to
attract independent vacationers to the Land of the Midnight
Sun.
Just the thing
for the been-there, done-that cruise crowd and the
what-else-but-Paris-in-the-spring contingent, Fab Fjords combines a
European-grand-tour-type experience with a few days of leisure at
sea -- well, if not at sea, then darned close to it.
The surf-and-turf
mix proved just right for us, as we took in the sights of city and
town and the terra-all-but-incognita in between, cruised on a
brand-new vessel, rode a cliff-clinging railway, got our sea legs
on ferries plying glacial fjords and hung on for dear life
motorcoaching around hairpin turns on a precarious mountain
road.
Getting there can
be half the fun, it turns out, even with your eyes
closed.
The Fab Fjords
itinerary is a slice of life cut from the traditional hurtigruten
coastal steamer operation, which sails year-round between Bergen in
Norways south and Kirkenes in the far north, with numerous stops in
between.
But instead of
focusing on the shipboard experience -- NCV has 11 vessels sailing
the route roundtrip -- Fab Fjords provides participants the
opportunity to spend ample time in the cosmopolitan capital of
Oslo, the picture-postcard town of Bergen, 1,000-year-old Trondheim
(Norways first capital) and the off-the-beaten-path Balestrand
while experiencing the spectacular, natural scenery of this rugged
country. (See related story, Norways city scenes are a must-see.)
Some reflections
on our journey follow:
Riding
the rails
The rail portion
of the Fab Fjords program starts in Oslos Central Station, where we
boarded the Bergen train for a comfortable four-hours-plus journey
to the tiny town of Myrdal, where at 2,850 feet in altitude we
started our grand descent to sea level 12 miles away on the unique
Flam Railway.
No level playing
field here. The adhesion-type railway, whose first tracks were laid
in 1936 and which was completed in 1940, negotiates a 55-degree
slope -- the steepest standard-gauge gradient in northern Europe --
on 80% of its unlikely route through hand-hewn mountain tunnels and
past magnificent scenic lookouts.
The train makes
eight stops, great opportunities for snapping photos or just taking
in the sights, with perhaps the most memorable out-of-car
experience being the 10 minutes or so we spent 2,250 feet up
catching a distant glimpse of Huldra, the wood nymph, playing
hide-and-seek in the mist of the magnificent Kjofossen
waterfalls.
In Norse
mythology, Huldra is one of the little people -- in this
incarnation an otherwise enticing young women with a cosmetic flaw
even botox cant remedy, a cows tail. Tall tale or not, suitors of
myth are said to be entranced by her beauty, but as one passenger
noted, Men must get awfully lonely up in these
mountains.
At the railroads
terminus in Flam, which consists of a modest train station,
souvenir shops, artisan outlets and a ferry dock on the
Aurlandsfjord, take time out for a brief tour of the Flam Railway
Museum. Through artifacts, documents and photos, the museum stands
as a testament to the resourceful people who envisioned and
constructed the railway.
On the
water
As much fun as
riding the rails is, navigating the fjords and coastline is what
puts the fabulous in the Fab Fjords itinerary.
From the moment
we stepped aboard the ferry that transported us from Myrdal to
Balestrand on the waters of the Sognefjord, my wife and I were
treated to spectacular, close-up views of snow-coated mountaintops,
rugged cliffs, cascading waterfalls and the occasional homestead
set precariously on a mountain slope where only the hardiest of
souls would choose to stake a claim.
And again, on a
ferry from Balestrand to Bergen we were reminded that there are few
more exhilarating travel experiences than standing on an open deck,
bracing yourself against the wind-whipped spray of an icy
fjord.
Of course,
taxiing by ferry from here to there was a mere prelude to our
experience aboard the big ship, the 674-berth Midnatsol, the newest
vessel in the 11-cruiser NCV fleet.
We boarded the
Midnatsol in Bergen and were quickly settled into our comfortable
cabin on Deck 6, which featured two beds, one of which folded away
as a space saver; a writing desk; a large widow (which,
unfortunately, looked out on a public deck); and a compact bathroom
with shower.
The 15-ton
Midnatsol, like the other vessels in the NCV fleet, is a working
ship in that it transports local passengers and cargo as it stops,
sometimes quite briefly, at 34 ports from north to south and
back.
At the same time,
the Midnatsol, its public spaces adorned with paintings and
sculptures, is a cruise ship, all done up eight decks high in
spit-polished Norwegian wood, soaring glass exposures, native
textiles and the bright colors of an eponymous midnight
sun.
Although no one
would confuse any of the NCV fleet with the upcoming Freedom of the
Seas monster mega, the Midnatsol -- like other NCV Millennium-class
vessels -- is no plain-Jane cargo-hauler either. From its aft
two-deck-high panoramic lounge to its main dining room, the ship
offers an array of amenities and services that include an Internet
lounge, a 24-hour cafe, a gym, several bars, saunas, a TV/smoking
room, a library, a childrens playroom and a conference
center.
And like any
cruise ship worth its stripe, the Midnatsol offers a variety of
land excursions. We opted to leave the ship at the port stop of
Geiranger to travel by motorcoach along the challenging
Trollstigen, or road of the trolls, a switchback, cliff-clinging
excursion through 11 hairpin turns. The adventure, which cost $130
per person, included dinner in a modest village restaurant before
we rejoined the Midnatsol when it arrived in Molde.
As for the meals
aboard ship, think seafood. Whether it is breakfast, lunch or
dinner, buffet tables are laden with sardines, herring, shrimp,
local fish, salmon (smoked, poached and cured), crayfish and
lobster.
There are, of
course, meat dishes (moose and reindeer, included) as well as ample
fare for vegetarians.
Worth noting: The
crew is multilingual, and English is virtually a second language in
Norway. NCV has a no-tipping policy aboard its ships; alcoholic
beverages are expensive in Norway, and the coastal steamers are no
exception.
To contact
Executive Editor Joe Rosen, send e-mail to [email protected].