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Norwegian Fjords

August 2023
A 13-day adventure by S Read more
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  • TravelerNorwegian Fjords
    Day 1

    Southampton

    August 15, 2023 in England ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    We travelled to Southampton to stay the night before departure. After a meander through the seafront and the marina, we had a lovely dinner at the Maritimo Lounge overlooking the marina.

    After breakfast the following morning, and with a taxi booked mid-afternoon to take us to the ship, we had to find something to do in Southampton...and actually had a lovely day! We visited the Southampton City Art Gallery which had a fabulous painting of Napoleon and a lovely Gainsborough amongst other bits and pieces. It also had a fascinating throwback to COVID with benches still bearing the message of 'one person or one household' to sit on them! We walked back through the parks of Southampton's cultural quarter, past Palmerston's statue, Jane Austen's house, the Tudor House and the Southampton Castle ruins, finishing at the Dancing Man Brewery where we enjoyed some lovely beer flights of their many, many beers!Read more

  • TravelerNorwegian Fjords
    Day 1

    Out of Southampton

    August 15, 2023 in England ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    Boarding the ship was fairly painless. Throwing our kit into the inside cabin, we went on an explore of the ship, which is amongst the smallest we've been on...and it is lovely - much nicer than the Britannia. We jumped into the back Terrace Pool for the sail away out of Southampton before grabbing a drink in the Crow's Nest before dinner.

    A slight disappointment was finding our allocated dinner seating was on a table of 8...usually no problem as we'd just go to walk-in dining, but apparently that doesn't exist here. So we went instead to the Glass House for a dinner of tapas and a wine flight, which was delightful. And thankfully, they have managed to change our allocation to a table of 2 for the rest of the cruise.

    We don't usually get involved much in the entertainment but there was a 'classical crossover' singer (Georgi Mottram) who sang some beautiful arias and jazz numbers in the main theatre which was very enjoyable.    Read more

  • TravelerNorwegian Fjords
    Day 2

    At Sea

    August 16, 2023, North Sea ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    A low key day at sea! After a lovely breakfast in the sunshine, and trying to be somewhat healthy, we swam 120 lengths in the terrace pool, figuring it to be about a kilometre. One of the guest speakers on board is running a series of talks about flight safety so we went to an interesting lecture on black box recorders before lunch. Much of the afternoon was spent doing bits of work in the cabin before getting ready for the black tie gala night. We found a bar on board that does a gin tasting flight - 3 x 20ml gins and a tonic...a lovely pre-dinner stop! We went to the Captain's Party and indulged in some free bubbly before the gala dinner. A quick game of crib in the Crow's Nest rounded off the day!Read more

  • TravelerNorwegian Fjords
    Day 3

    At Sea Again

    August 17, 2023, North Sea ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    Second day at sea, and we took a more sensible approach...swim first, then breakfast! The air was a bit colder this morning but the swim was lovely and we still managed a kilometre. We actually had a late breakfast, doing some work after the swim before we ate. We saw the second talk about flight safety, and today's talk was about the Boeing 737 Max crashes and was really fascinating. After an afternoon pint, we put on some stout walking legs and did 7 laps (2 miles) of the beautiful promenade deck...albeit a closure at one side meant walking back and forth around the loop! Some reading, a lovely dinner, and a relaxing evening before Skjolden tomorrow.Read more

  • TravelerNorwegian Fjords
    Day 3

    Entering the Fjords

    August 17, 2023 in Norway ⋅ 🌙 15 °C

    We ended up spending the evening doing another 8 laps of the promenade deck whilst being treated to the most glorious sunset as we approached the Sognefjord, before rounding the top deck a few times watching the pilot board and an Aida and MSC ship pass us out of the fjord.Read more

  • TravelerNorwegian Fjords
    Day 4

    Eidsvatnet

    August 18, 2023 in Norway ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    Up early for a 1km swim in the Terrace Pool under the shadow of the amazing scenery of Skjolden. This small town at the end of the Sognefjord, the longest and deepest fjord, is surrounded by towering sheer cliffs, valleys and the beautiful blue water of the fjord. After breakfast, we headed off the ship and around to the Eidsvatnet lake that feeds the fjord. As the sun came over, we were treated to glorious views as we aimed for Wittgenstein's Hut on the far side of the lake. Before we crossed a bridge over to the path, we were able to splodge around in the shallows!Read more

  • TravelerNorwegian Fjords
    Day 4

    Wittgenstein's Hut, Skjolden

    August 18, 2023 in Norway ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    The Austrian philosopher Wittgenstein kept a hut perched on a cliffside overlooking Eidsvatnet. The meandering walk up to it through woodland took us over rocky slabs and muddy slopes, to an incredible view over the lake. Definitely glad we were walking boots! Our early start was rewarded by glorious sunshine and solitude as we sat and admired the view.Read more

  • TravelerNorwegian Fjords
    Day 4

    Asafossen Waterfall

    August 18, 2023 in Norway ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    Back down from Wittgenstein's Hut (somehow without slipping!), we followed the water further up to see the Asafossen Waterfall. Hopping a fence and following the stone path up, the climb was rather exhausting with ever present chance to slip on the mossy and damp, silvery rocks. We scrambled further up at each stop until we eventually reached the face of the waterfall and ventured under the cold water.

    We walked back - rather damp - to Skjolden town, but after four hours of hiking we were grateful just to get back to the ship. We spent the afternoon paddling about in the Terrace Pool, and after some afternoon snacks we headed to the Crow's Nest for a game of crib and Carcassone, and to watch the sailaway for an hour (albeit having to change midway through the hour to meet the evening dress code!).

    As we ate dinner, the gorgeous scenery of the fjord passed by the window, and we took in more of it as we walked two miles around the promenade (feeling very, very full) before retiring for the evening.    Read more

  • TravelerNorwegian Fjords
    Day 5

    Loen

    August 19, 2023 in Norway ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    We arrived into Nordfjordeid this morning, having sailed out of Sognefjord and back inland one fjord north overnight. After another morning swim of a kilometre and breakfast, we got off the ship and straight on to a bus for an excursion to Loen. The hour-long journey out took in the Horninsdalsvatnet lake, the deepest in Europe at 513m. The scenery on the journey was beautiful as we wound through tunnels, fjord-edge roads and glimpsed glaciers. At Loen, we got the skylift up nearly a kilometre in height to the top of Mt. Hoven, named for Odin's eight-legged horse Sleipner who supposed lost his footing a kicked loose a huge chunk of the mountain top leaving behind the scar in the mountain. The views from the top were stunning - views over lakes, fjords, glaciers, and small nestled towns under glorious sunshine. We took some pictures and meandered about the mountain top before grabbing a beer in the Hoven restaurant and enjoying the stunning views.

    The route back was different than the way out - a panoramic road along Innvikfjorden...and it was stunning. The guide on the bus was knowledgeable about viking history, wildlife and Nordic traditions and we traversed up and down hillsides and around hairpin bends. A short three-hour excursion booked with the ship, but absolutely superb.    Read more

  • TravelerNorwegian Fjords
    Day 5

    Nordfjordeid

    August 19, 2023 in Norway ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    Back in Nordfjordeid, we wandered through the small town and along the harbour front, before walking out of the town to the start of a hiking route up to a lake at the top of a hillside. On reaching the start under the blistering sun, and faced with a 500m climb that seemed almost vertical, we decided rather to head back to the boat! On the way back to the boat, the chao in front of us was wheelchaired along the dock...apparently having been swimming in the fjord and got a fishing hook complete with lure that was now strapped to his foot along with the fishing hook 😬 We spent the afternoon chilling before doing a few laps of the promenade deck to watch sailaway. We chose dinner in the buffet restaurant this evening so we would watch the fjord from the back deck. The rain set in as we journeyed towards the sea, so we enjoyed a few pints under the cover of the back deck as the scenery passed on by.Read more

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