AUGUST 19, 2012 I was so fixated on the sights outside my cabin window on the MS Nordlys— such as the most beautiful fjords in the world, set into mountains which are, as Norwegian Nobel Prize writer Knut Hamsun described, ” breathing from the granite vaults of their lungs” – that I failed to look [...]
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Our final day on board the MS Nordlys and a stopover in Oslo
August 16, 2012 DISEMBARKING THE MS NORDLYS – Hurtigruten calls their Norwegian cruise “the world’s most beautiful voyage.” They’ll get no argument from me. Whether or not true, it’s sad to leave our cozy little cabin on the fifth level of the ship and the lounge with its expansive views of mountains and fjords. Not [...]
It was a memorable day…I had gone to the end of the earth
August 15, 2012 ABOARD THE MS NORDLYS – I woke up this morning at 7:10, the grey light of dawn filling my cabin. At least that’s what time I thought it was as I looked at my watch. But when I looked again, I discovered I’d made a little mistake. Actually, it was 3 a.m. [...]
How often do you get to paddle in Arctic waters and live to tell about it?
August 14, 2012 ABOARD THE MS NORDLYS – King Neptune baptized me this morning. Dressed in a flowing black gown and carrying a gold trident, his long grey beard blowing in the wind, he appeared on the stern of the seventh deck after being summoned by the tour director three times. He was there to [...]
We cross the Arctic Circle, but the temps are still quite pleasant
August 13, 2012 ABOARD THE MS NORDLYS – I am no longer an Arctic Circle virgin. Just as ships in South America used to make you walk the plank when you first crossed the Equator, there is a ceremony up here given by Njord, the ruler of the Seven Seas, to mark our very first [...]
One of the oldest towns in the world, Trondheim has one of the youngest attitudes
August 12, 2012 ABOARD THE MS NORDLYS – Breakfast in Boston, for me, means a glass of orange juice and a slice of toast. That’s it. The day begins. On this Hurtigruten cruise ship in Norway, however, breakfast is a Vikings’ banquet. Norwegians take their breakfasts very seriously, and the buffet choices that greet us [...]
Words cannot describe the incredible beauty of sailing into a pristine and massive fjord…
August 11, 2012 ABOARD THE MS NORDLYS – It was like having my mother onboard. She was standing at the door as we came up the gangplank of the Hurtigruten ship last night at the start of our Norwegian cruise. We expected the usual safety lecture on how to put our life jackets on, but [...]
The many “F” words that describe Bergen, Norway
August 10, 2012 BERGEN, NORWAY – “There are three ‘F’ words that describe Bergen,* our guide, Jim Paton , told us this morning at the start of our tour. It turns out he was referring to “fish, fire and fijords.” Before the day was out he told us a lot about the first two. Tomorrow [...]
We fly to cooler temperatures in Norway and explore Bergen’s historic quarter
August 9, 2012 There’s one way to avoid Boston’s oppressive summer heat: Fly to Norway. We left Boston in sweltering, humid 90-degree weather and flew to Bergen. Five hours after taking off from Logan Airport, we de-planed on a beautiful dry 65-degree day and and found ourselves in a historic town in the center of [...]
Julie is heading to Norway aboard Hurtigruten’s MS Nordlys
Saturday, August 4, 2012 A cruise in Norway!? What a lovely idea; I’ve never been to Norway; have always wanted to go. I’m immersed now in reading about fjords, Vikings, Norse gods, gorgeous people, fresh fish and unfettered wildlife in preparation. But Norway is north of Boston. I live in Boston and try never to [...]
Julie Hatfield
Julie is a freelance travel writer/content provider and an active member of the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW). More...Featured Travel Writers
Marcia Levin is traveling to London with her grandson Jakob, 13, and then they sail home on the Queen Mary 2. Follow them here.
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Heidi Allison-Shane sailed across the Atlantic on the Cunard Queen Mary 2. Read her diary here.Cruise Ship Reviews
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