Reset search
Norwegian FjordsNorwegian Fjords
SatelliteEdit route

Norwegian Fjords

August 2023
A 13-day adventure by S Read more
  • 20footprints
  • 2countries
  • 13days
  • 170photos
  • 3videos
  • 4.7kkilometers
Follow Calendar Share Bucket list
Date ascending
  • TravelerNorwegian Fjords
    Day 6

    Kristiansund

    August 20, 2023 in Norway ⋅ 🌧 16 °C

    As we ported in Kristiansund, the heavens opened. We managed to swim a km before the rain but we breakfasted on the back deck watching quite heavy rain. A lazy breakfast, we retreated to the cabin to read and watch the Lionesses play Spain in the hopes the rain would clear. Also, little is open on Norway on a Sunday, so there wasn't lots to see. The afternoon could not have been more different - not only did the rain clear, but the sun came out and made the air humid and sticky! We walked up the harbour front and stopped at the Nordmore open air museum which showed shipbuilding and development through the ages before head west into one of the parks, climbing a beautiful tower for city views, before carrying on back to the ship. Leaving Kristiansund, a town of four distinct islands, meant reversing in the centre of the four, and the leaving by the only area not connected by a bridge. We watch the scenery pass by over dinner, before returning to our books en route to Andalsnes.Read more

  • TravelerNorwegian Fjords
    Day 7

    Andalsnes

    August 21, 2023 in Norway ⋅ 🌧 14 °C

    No swim this morning. The weather forecast for Andalsnes wasn't great, and in the morning at least it lived up to expectations. We planned to take the gondola up to the top of Mt Nesaksla before visiting the Mountaineering Centre museum. As the weather eased slightly and the gondola didn't go til midday, we took the decision to walk up the mountain...all 708m of it 😱. Kitted up against the weather, we walked through the town and began to climb, gradually at first but getting steeper. Over tree roots and stone stairs, we climbed as the mist closer in around us - despite the weather, and the challenge, it was a fabulous hike. At the viewpoints, we could see little other than whiteouts as mist blew threw the fjord. We finally made it to the restaurant at the top as the heavens truly opened, so we holed up for a beer or four overlooking Andalsnes. The restaurant and gondola were used in the TV show Succession, but it took a good while for the mist clear enough for us to get the same views as the show! We took the decision to gondola down rather than risk the slippy, sheer stairs, heading back to the boat for another beautiful sailaway.Read more

  • TravelerNorwegian Fjords
    Day 8

    Alesund Fjellskua

    August 22, 2023 in Norway ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    Up with the Captain's announcement this morning - an inside cabin means we've mostly been relying on phones and the TV alarm. We swam a km and breakfasted watching an MSC ship join us in port. We had planned to ape a ship excursion by ourselves today and climb Sukkertoppen. However, the views appeared to offer less spectacular scenery and less challenge than yesterday, so instead we climbed the 418 steps up Fjellstua in the centre of town for beautiful views over the town, albeit walking with a huge number of the 2000 Aurura passengers and of the 5000 MSC Preziosa passengers that has joined us in port!Read more

  • TravelerNorwegian Fjords
    Day 8

    Alesund Aquarium and Molo!

    August 22, 2023 in Norway ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Alesund is the only stop on this cruise that we'd been to before...and having been to the aquarium last time, we hadn't planned to visit again. Nonetheless, having walked up the big hill in town, we decided again to visit the aquarium, having seen no marine mammals on our travels! The walk was nearly an hour from where we were in town but was very pleasant, and the aquarium was superb. The octopus was wonderfully visible, as were the stingrays, and the penguins, seals and otters were playing in the glorious sunshine! The walk back was slightly shorter along the seafront, where we stopped at Molo Brewery to try a dozen of their 25-own-brewed beers, including a sour, IPA, porter, white beer and plenty of others! Leaving slightly earlier than other ports at 16.30, we departed the bay of Alesund for Haugesand, greeted with rain and a rainbow as we sailed out of the sound.Read more

  • TravelerNorwegian Fjords
    Day 9

    Haugesand

    August 23, 2023 in Norway ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    Another 1km swim this morning! We swam as we came into port on a grey morning but through narrow channels surrounded by land. After a leisurely breakfast on the back deck, we headed into town, which itself was a full kilometre walk from the dock. Wandering through the shops, we then set pace for Haraldshaugen along the mercifully flat coastline...with legs in full rebellion after the swimming and hiking! Haraldhaugen is the national monument in Norway, where tradition holds it's the burial site of King Harald Fairhair, the first king of Norway. The sun tried to burn through as we walked back to town where we stopped for an absolutely outstanding piece of cake, before meandering back towards the ship. Black tie tonight as we sail for Kristiansand, where we have whitewater rafting booked!Read more

  • TravelerNorwegian Fjords
    Day 10

    White Water Rafting in Evje

    August 24, 2023 in Norway ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    Up for another 1km swim this morning before breakfast and tendering to shore. We sat opposite a lady on the tender whose husband was amongst the last called up for National Service (which ended in early 1960s!) but who went to LHS! Small world. We drove an hour up the Utra River from Kristiansand (not Kristiansund!) for a shore excursion to some white water rafting. The guides and centre were superb - excellent safety briefings and fantastic safety on the water. Our little group of seven with Aussie Charlotte as our guide kitted up, practiced on the flat above the dam before carrying the boat down to the start point. There were three big rapids of the section - Surprise, FuckaWakka (Fuck Walking!) and the Chicken Shoot (because the drop change the pressure in the inflatable raft and can kick the guides off the back straight down the centre of the boat!). 'HOLD ON' was a fairly simple command - put the handle of your paddle toward the centre of the boat and grab the rope...''GET DOWN' was more challenging. You had to get your backside on the bottom of the raft...fine getting down, a challenge getting back up! We ran the rapids twice, at times, getting a face- and boat- full of water more than once! At the end of the second run, we paddled up stream and surfed in the white water, before getting out on an island in the river and taking a high running jump into the river. As we paddled back to shore, we all abandoned ship for a bit of a swim. Back to the centre for coffee and waffles before following the road back down the Utra to Kristiansand. During the coach jouney out and back, we had a superb local guide who narrated with local history, industry, culture and more...and who even picked us blueberries to go with our waffles while we rafted. Not many photos, but we did take a disposal waterproof camera with us...so we'll await how successfully we used it!Read more

  • TravelerNorwegian Fjords
    Day 10

    Kristiansand

    August 24, 2023 in Norway ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    A brief stop in the main town on our way back from rafting. We walked along the main shopping street before, of course, finding a brewery and having a flight of beer and the best fried pickles EVER. We chose a pint each from the flight but as I was about to pay I spotted a beer fridge which had the best selection of sours in I've seen. Spoilt for choice, I chose the sourest-sounding sour - Lemon Sherbet Gose - alongside my pint. And it was s-o-u-r....! A brief walk back through the fish market (including lots of live) got us back to the tender port shortly before the final tender call. Now, for two days at sea (and a final black tie night tomorrow) before docking in Southampton.Read more

  • TravelerNorwegian Fjords
    Day 11

    At sea...going home

    August 25, 2023, North Sea ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    First of two days at sea heading back to Southampton. We swim another 1km although in the Riveria Pool at the front of the ship as the Terrace Pool at the back was closed due to chlorine levels. We breakfasted on the back terrace before walking 13 laps/4 miles around Deck 7. We listened to a very interesting talk about the disappearance of flight MH370 before lunch, and spent the afternoon reading - having finished Fourth Wing, I went onto What Lurks Between the Fates whilst Ben carried on with ACOWAR. We had a lovely black tie dinner, rounding off with a gin flight in Anderson's and then drinks at the Pennant Bar overlooking the back five decks of the ship and the mill pond of the North Sea.Read more

  • TravelerNorwegian Fjords
    Day 12

    At Sea...Last Day!

    August 26, 2023, North Sea ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    We swam again in the Riveria Pool this morning, the Terrace Pool now entirely drained. After breakfast, we found a quite spot with some sunloungers to read before going to the final guest speaker talk about the Boeing 777 crash at Heathrow in 2008. After lunch, we did just 2 miles around the Promenade today before returning to the sunloungers to read - Ben finished ACOWAR and I finished What Lurks Between the Fates. A quick drink and game of crib before dinner where it was nice to see the parade of the Galley Staff return. Finishing with a glass of wine at the Pennant Bar over looking the busy English Channel as we sailed the final stretch in to Southampton.Read more

  • 2024© FindPenguins
  • Home
  • About us
  • Blog
  • Group Tracking
  • Press
  • Terms
  • Privacy Policy & Cookies
  • Support
  • Legal notice
  • English