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North to Norway

My husband is NOT a traveler. A bit ironic considering he married me, a spontaneous traveler who can not seem to sit still. The one way to convince him to get on a plane and travel across the Arctic ocean with me was to promise a trip to the legendary and mystical lands of Norway; His one bucket list destination! Continue reading and come enjoy this 10 day adventure with us. I am excited to share our experience and awaken your inner Viking!
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Land HO!

Dec 31, 2023
Mandal's highest point
Mandal's highest point (Tilly Cantor)
We officially began our cruise in the Netherlands, but the fun truly began at our first stop in Mandal, Norway (day 3 of the planned itinerary). Our first leg of the journey was a long 24 hour ocean crossing from Amsterdam to Mandal. We were supposed to have a nice pit stop at a small island off the coast of Denmark on day 2, but due to poor weather and rough seas, we hoofed it to mainland Norway. It was a nice reprieve to finally board the tender boats and make our way to dry, unmoving, land! A local tour company met us at the dock and whisked us away on a lovely 3 hour walking tour of the town. Mandal is a quiet town with a history in the salmon trade. It is still a large part of their culture which we found to be true for most of the country as well. Our walk led us through winding cobblestone streets, up to the tallest point in the town to a lookout tower, to a local shopping district, and to the original church. We also took a few stops along the way to say hello to a number of friendly neighbor cats. After our tour we had a few hours to self explore. Tadd and I found a nice restaurant along the marina and enjoyed the local atmosphere. That evening as the ship left port we made our way to the rooftop deck, sat in the hot tub and watched as the town slipped into the distance. Day “one” was an absolute success!

 
Photo by Tilly Cantor
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Photo by Tilly Cantor

Cherrys and Tunnels

Dec 31, 2023
 
Photo by Tilly Cantor

To this day, I cannot get over the underground tunnel road system! It BLEW my mind. The whole time I was thinking “there is no way this is real, we are definitely in Moria, the dwarven kingdom of Middle Earth” (shout out to my fellow nerds). These tunnels are so big they have roundabouts and traffic whizzing by! I’ve never seen anything like it. Ah okay, talking about the road system of Norway is not why we are here; back to the good stuff. Day two was just as lovely. The sun was out, the temperature comfortable, breakfast and coffee were unlimited. It was a good start to the day. Our included excursion today was taking a bus tour around the small town of Ulvik; know for its cherry production. If you stood in one spot and did a 360 turn, you could see acres and acres of cherry trees lining the hillside. We began our morning heading up to the first environmental school founded in Norway. Although no longer in operation there was still a lovely caretaker living there with his sheep, apple trees and a small museum. The rest of our day was spent on a bus doing a larger loop through the mountains and over the mountains. The homes are all done in traditional style; shale roofs, red paint, narrow streets, it feels like you stepped back in time. It is a very quiet way of life in a beautiful place at the end of the Hardanger Fjord. 
cherry trees in Ulvik
cherry trees in Ulvik (Tilly Cantor)
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Photo by Tilly Cantor

Hiking and Biking and Sheep, Oh My!

Dec 31, 2023
 
Photo by Tilly Cantor

Welcome to Skjolden, a stop great for those adventure seekers. This stop offered us the opportunity to kayak or take a bike and hike tour; we opted for the later. One thing I observed is that Norwegians are very fit. There are not too many cars in these smaller towns and people seem to get around by walking or biking. One thing I wished we considered when we signed up for the hike and bike tour. It was a great activity, but man did it tire us and the group out. Of course it didn’t seem to phase our local guide! All in all we biked about 4 miles round trip and gained 1,000ft in elevation on a one mile hike to a magnificent waterfall. Our guide, thankfully, surprised us with snacks at the top of the hike. In Norway fashion it was an assortment of meat, cheese, and crackers. 

Oh, by they way, one thing to remember is the weather in Norway is very unpredictable. You may start your day with sunshine, but it can very quickly turn to rain! Always have a backpack with you that contains extra layers and a rain coat. On our way back to the ship we ran into an unexpected rain storm. Thankfully, I am married to a planner and a prepper who packed warm weather gear for this exact scenario. It seems most places shut down on Sundays, so there wasn't much to see in town, other than say hello to a few friendly alpacas by a roadside fence. As an animal lover, I stop almost every chance I get to make a furry friend. My daily ritual as become do an excursion, sit in the hot tub, eat dinner, sleep. Today was no different especially with the chill from our surprise rain shower. 
 
 
Photo by Tilly Cantor
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Don't worry, our guide brought snacks
Don't worry, our guide brought snacks (Tilly Cantor)

A Day With Vikings

Dec 30, 2023
 
Today's theme was treat yourself. Of all our stops, this was the most touristy town we came across. So of course we had to make the rounds and do our souvenir shopping. We came to port around the same time that a GIANT princess cruise ship docked as well. It was quite a site seeing the comparison to our little 98 passenger vessel next to this behemoth. The town was hustling and bustling to say the least. We walked the mall, found a cute coffee shop to relax in, and popped in and out of local boutique stores. The highlight here was the Sagastad museum, home to the largest intact viking ship found in Norway. Turns out if you were ranked highly in Viking society, upon your death, a ship was built in your honor and buried with you. Now, most ships are not to this scale, meaning the person who was laid to rest with this vessel was of extremely importance. In the gift shop we found a number of authentic furs for sale. One of which was made of caribou and so so soft. My husband is pretty convinced he has some Scandinavian ancestors, so of course when he saw this fur, we had to buy it. This was our gift to us! To be totally honest, I think this may have been the highlight of the trip for Tadd. I mean, look how happy he is all suited up for battle.

We ended our day with a reservation at the spa. Full body massages and time in the sauna was exactly what we needed after a few days of non stop action! 
Photo by Tilly Cantor
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Photo by Tilly Cantor
 

Here Fishy Fishy

Dec 31, 2023
After back to back days of active excursions the Fjoya Island bus tour was a nice change of pace. This island has a lot of history and is a very significant piece to the Norwegians fishing industry and wind energy production. History buffs, this island is for you!
 
SalMar is not only the largest salmon process plant in Norway, but one of the largest in the world.  Teh company owns 51% of the salmon in the Atlantic and produces 250,000 tons of processed fish annually.  They also have a sister biochemical company that uses the fish waste from the plant to create fish oils and supplements. We made a quick pit stop at the plant and were given a tour of the processing facilities. It was fascinating to say the least, but not for the faint of heart. There is nothing left to the imagination as you see the fish brought in from the outside holding tanks, processed, and packaged within 25 minutes. This fish is FRESH!

 
On their way to your dinner table
On their way to your dinner table (Tilly Cantor)


After our fishy adventure we hopped back on the pus and continued to the very tip of the island to a town called Titran. A prominent point during WWII and home to a Nazi bunker fortress. Norway was invaded during the war and occupied by German soldiers for a number of years. Although it is a darker time in history it has shaped much of their history and culture in many of these coastal towns. This particular coastal fortress was occupied from 1941- 1944.
 
WWII German Bunker
WWII German Bunker (Tilly Cantor)
 

Life On Board

Dec 31, 2023
Photo by Tilly Cantor

 
You may be wondering what life on board a small ship cruise is like. Well I can’t speak for all our partnered cruise ships, but I can share my experience with Swan Hellenic. The ship holds 192 passengers and has 9 decks. The 8th deck is where you will find the spa and outdoor hot tub, my personal favorite. The 7th deck has the breakfast and lunch buffet area and across the hall is a large lounge, equip with a bar, board games and puzzles to choose from, and a large screen where guest speakers present every day about the area you are sailing in. Decks 6-4 is where you will find all passenger cabins. The lowest deck passengers have access to is deck 3. This is considered the excursion deck and where you load onto the tender boats which then take you to shore for your daily adventure. 

I will say, these guys get it when it comes to food and coffee! It is always available. If you sleep in or miss a meal, don’t worry as the snack bar is always open and room service is available 24/7. I also want to clarify that the snack bar is not a boring snack bar, it is filled with delicious fruits, pastries, sandwiches, and much more. So do not worry about going hungry here!
 
If you are into food just as much as I am, you will not be disappointed by the dinners served on this cruise! The Michelin 5 star chefs seemed to outdo themselves with every meal. Dinner was a 4 course experience with wine and beer constantly flowing. The staff were always extremely accommodating and friendly. Everyone had the opportunity to participate in a special captain's dinner as well. I can comfortably say we got spoiled with our food options.

Other services we were thankful to have were free laundry, free wifi, and free mini bar service. Life on board was very relaxed. There was a lot of opportunity to get to know the other guests on board and we enjoyed the quite nature of it all. 
 
Photo by Tilly Cantor



 

Torghatten Trolls

Dec 31, 2023
Photo by Tilly Cantor

Well until now things had gone smoothly on all our excursions, but what is a vacation without one small hiccup? On the agenda today was a hike up to Torghatten Mountain. There is a folklore that involves trolls, lovers and broken hearts to explain the giant hole in this rock formation. After you hear the riveting tale there is no other possible explanation for how a perfect circle ended up so high in the cliffs. 

As usual we began our morning with delicious pastries and a few cups of coffee. The plan was to hop on a bus and make our way to the trail head, but after waiting and waiting and waiting we all came to the conclusion that maybe our bus driver was not coming.  Our guide made a few phone calls and learned that the bus scheduled to take us to the starting point was in fact not coming, due to a flat tire. But we would not be deterred, so we started walking! No, not to the trail head, that would be quite a journey, but to a different bus in town. However, town was about 2 miles away from our port, so I guess you could say we had a nice warm up for our hike. 

In comparison to our hike in Skjolden this was a cake walk. It was a meandering trail, comfortable elevation gain, with a final scramble up a scree field towards the top. Once you got up to the cave the sheer size of it was breathtaking. A nice boardwalk and stair system had been built through the cave, so you could walk easily from one end to the other without hopping over boulders and loose rocks. At the end of our trek our guide layed out some hot chocolate, cider and Norwegian cake for us to nibble on. It was a delicious and a welcomed treat!
One of my favorite things about Norway are the small roads, picturesque hills, and what seems to be a relaxed and slower way of life. I would love to spend more time in these smaller communities if I ever make my way back.

A quick note about Bronnoysund, there is no hospital! So for all those daredevils out there, try and play it safe, would ya!
     
Photo by Tilly Cantor
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Photo by Tilly Cantor
 

All Aboard In Amsterdam

Dec 31, 2023
 
Photo by Tilly Cantor

 
We touched down in Amsterdam early in the morning and met our private transfer at the airport. This was Tadd's first steps on European soil; he was quite excited to say the least. After getting to our hotel we spent the first day sleeping. Traveling and time changes are hard on the body, so we took advantage of the quiet room and napped to our heart's content. The next day is when things really kicked off. This sailing was a bit atypical from what people can expect on any other sailing because it was the SH Diana’s inaugural sailing. Maybe there were some kinks that needed to be sorted out before sailings were opened to the public, but I was happy to be a guinea pig on this adventure. The majority of the passengers on board were other travel agents like myself, or employees of Swan Hellenic, the ship’s operator. Before boarding we partook in the traditions of a ship's maiden voyage. We met the owner of Swan Hellenic, watched as champagne was broken over the bow, and sipped on some cocktails while the press made their rounds and spoke to staff and company bigwigs. We left port while dinner was being served and watched the meandering countryside of the Netherlands pass us by as we made our way to the North Sea. The sun hadn’t quite set by the time we hit open water, so we made use of our private balcony as the sun slipped behind the horizon. It was a great send off to a once in a lifetime trip!
 

Until Next Time

Dec 31, 2023
Our first look at a Norwegian glacier
Our first peek at a Norwegian glacier (Tilly Cantor)

It is Mid-May in Norway and we found snow! Our second to last stop brought us to our first Norwegian glacier. Although we didn't have an opportunity to get close, or walk on it. We did have a nice view from our room. Todays excursion was a bus ride to the top of Norways highest altitude freshwater dam. The drive took us through a couple seasons in a short 45 minutes. We started in spring and end in winter. It was a little nerve racking being in a bus on those tiny, and this time icy, mountain roads.  Our driver handled it like a champ. I only had thoughts of jumping out the window and walking maybe twice. Thankfully we made it safe and sound down the mountain and to our ship.

Our last true day of sailing before we arrived in Tromso for our flight home was a bit different than the rest of our trip. We had to make quick time and only stoped in Svolvear and at Trollfjorden for about an 2 hours. It wasn't really enough time to get off the ship so we opted to relax and pack to prepare for disembarkation the following day. When we arrived at Trollfjorden the brave soles on board had the opportunity to partake in the polar plunge! It was a cold and rainy day, and although you can often talk me into doing crazy things, like jump into the Norwegian sea, I decided to opt out of this one. 

We arrived early morning in Tromso and disembarked at 8am. We took a bus to the airport and said our goodbyes to some new found friends. This was definitely one for the books and we hope to make our way back to Norway in the future for another adventure. 
 
Photo by Tilly Cantor
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Photo by Tilly Cantor

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