Norway, I’ve missed you.

Norway, I’ve missed you.

Back in Norway again after a year! The fjords, the serenity, and the views … they just couldn’t keep me away after the Norwegian trip last summer! This time, our cruise ship was docking in Geiranger, a port that wasn’t included in the itinerary last year. Geirangerfjorded is deemed the third best Norwegian fjord, so I couldn’t wait to marvel (and maybe cry) at its beauty. The mountains that surround the water running through, the fresh air, the sound of silence – it’s all so captivating. The fun had started at around 5 am that morning (The waking up part was not so fun). Our cruise ship was passing through Geirangerfjorden and the captain informed us that the best views were going to be waiting for us at around 6 to 7 am, with a look at the famous Seven Sisters waterfall at around 8:30 am, right before we dock.…

View Post

Escape to Norway 2016: Aalesund, Norway

Escape to Norway 2016: Aalesund, Norway

Ah, Aalesund. One of my favourite stops on this Norwegian journey and it wasn’t just for the unbelievably amazing weather. (Weather actually influences all of my opinions on the ports we stop at — it’s hard to fall in love with a place if you’re soaked to the bone and your jeans suddenly weigh 10 pounds.) Everything about Aalesund was actually perfect — the weather, the sights, the attractions. It was like one of those days you would read about in stories or one of the places that you would see in blockbuster movies. Even as the ship rolled into the port, I already knew it was going to be a good day. It was just something in the air. We had a friend that lived in Aalesund so instead of embarking on one of the ship’s excursions like we normally do, we met him at the pier and we…

View Post

Escape to Norway 2016: Gravdal and the Lofoten Islands

Escape to Norway 2016: Gravdal and the Lofoten Islands

And I’m officially back to continue and finish off the “Escape to Norway 2016” blog series. Yes, it’s been a while, but even during the frenzy of deadlines, work, never ending project tasks, and the start of the new year, I didn’t forget about where I had left off in picture-perfect Norway. The fjords were always on my mind. So now on to our next stop: Gravdal and the Lofoten Islands. Get ready for another day of wind and rain! (Or just another day in Norway, you could say.) I have to admit: Gravdal and the Lofoten Islands was not my favourite stop. Many of the views were great, but the rain kept coming down hard that day. Looking back, many of my memories of that port are just sheets of rain and soaking clothes. Many memories of great attractions were tarnished by the ongoing pouring of rain. Our first…

View Post

Escape to Norway 2016: Tromso, Norway

Escape to Norway 2016: Tromso, Norway

Now onto Tromso, our next port of call in this beautiful Norwegian voyage. Tromso, located within the Arctic circle, is a major cultural hub and is famous as a viewing point for the colourful Northern Lights. Tromso was one of the best days we had, in terms of weather. If I remember correctly, it was blue, sunny skies for the whole day. It was absolutely perfect; there wasn’t a drop of rain or dark, grey cloud to be seen. This was another port where we decided to explore on our own. Tromso is a little bit harder to explore in all its entirety by foot since everything is a little bit more spread out than the other ports. Some things are one side of the bridge; some are on the other side. However, if you’re looking for some exercise and only pick about 3 to 4 main attractions, touring on your…

View Post

Escape to Norway 2016 – Honningsvag (North Cape), Norway

Escape to Norway 2016 – Honningsvag (North Cape), Norway

Apparently, we just didn’t get enough of the cold so we decided to travel all the way up to Honningsvag, which is where North Cape, Europe’s most northern point, is located. (Please note this is completely sarcastic.) Once again, we chose to do another shore excursion with the cruise line. Because of the long drive, North Cape isn’t an extremely accessible place to visit if you don’t have pre-arranged transportation. However, I do know many of the other passengers who pre-booked a tour with a private company, and their plan was to meet with that tour at the pier. The good thing about that situation is that you do save lots of money. By “lots” of money, I mean that many of the passengers only paid about half of what we paid. The bad thing about pre-booking a tour with a private company is that if for some reason, the…

View Post