Iceland and Baltic Cruise August 2017 Viking Homelands
Itinerary -Viking Homelands Cruise
Day 1 Wednesday, August 9, Reykjavik, Iceland
Day 2 Thursday, August 10, Reykjavik, Iceland
Day 3 Friday, August 11, Reykjavik, Iceland
Day 4 Saturday, August 12, Stockholm, Sweden
Day 5 Sunday, August 13, Stockholm, Sweden
Day 6 Monday, August 14, Helsinki, Finland
Day 7 Tuesday, August 15, St. Petersburg, Russia
Day 8 Wednesday, August 16, St. Petersburg, Russia
Day 9 Thursday, August 17, Tallinn, Estonia
Day 10 Friday, August 18, At Sea
Day 11 Saturday, August 19, Gdansk, Poland (cancelled)
Day 12 Sunday, August 20, Berlin, Germany
Day 13 Monday, August 21, Copenhagen, Denmark
Day 14 Tuesday, August 22, Alborg, Denmark
Day 15 Wednesday, August 23, Stavanger, Norway
Day 16 Thursday, August 24, Eidfjord, Norway
Day 17 Friday, August 25, Bergen, Norway
Day 18 Saturday, August 26, Bergen, Norway
Days 1
and 2 August 8-9 Travel Days to Reykjavik
We booked this trip as a Viking cruise called "Viking Homelands" and added the pre-trip extension called "Iceland and the Golden Circle." The extension includes three nights in Reykjavik, capital of Iceland, breakfast daily at the hotel and guided tours. In 2017, the trip cost is $22,914, including the pre-trip and airfare.
We left
the house at 6:45 via the Sun City Shuttle and arrived at Sky Harbor about
8:15. We are flying this entire trip with Iceland Air, but this first segment
is contracted through Alaskan Air. We tried to check in at the kiosk, but
because we are flying international, we had to go to the assistance desk. The
friendly clerk helped us check in and tagged our bags. Mine was two pounds
overweight, and to avoid paying a $50 fee, I took out a clothing cube with my
underwear and PJ’s and put it in my carry on. That worked fine and our bags
were on their way.
We have
prescreening clearance, so went through security quickly and headed to the
gate, where we read until boarding. Alaska Air boards from the back first,
which makes sense to me. I wonder why other airlines don’t do that? We are flying to Seattle to connect with our flight on Iceland Air to Reykjavik. Our flight
went smoothly. We got a tiny package of food, which had a fig bar, some gummy
fruits and almonds with sea salt. Because of low visibility at SeaTac, flights
were being slowly sequenced in but we still landed on time.
We read
the wall display to find our international gate and then looked at another chart to
learn how to take the two airport trains to the international S terminal gates.
A woman who rode with us asked for our help in sorting out her connections. We
found the S gate with still three hours to spare, so chose a table at a crab
house restaurant for lunch. Service was quick and the food tasty. The portion
was generous, and I asked for a box for carry-out.
The
international boarding areas were jam-packed with people because at least three
of the international flights had been significantly delayed. The place was
chaotic, with babies crying, families hunting for their small kids, folks
standing in line to use the charging stations, and bathrooms needing attention
and supplies. We searched around for quite a while before we could even find
seats. An airport survey-taker stopped to ask if I would complete her form, and
I agreed, but told her this would be negative because of the crowds. I settled
in to ready my book and David is reading his iPad.
We
watched the monitors closely, because gates kept changing. A pretty young woman
asked us if we knew about the flight to Iceland, and we could tell her there
were two, 30 minutes apart, one at 4:00 and the second at 4:30, but not certain
about the gates yet. A flight to Germany was the first to begin boarding,
eventually followed by Korea and China. As the area cleared out, the noise and
activity levels dropped substantially and I could feel myself relax.
We moved
to sit near the newly assigned gate as our boarding time approached.
Fortunately, this flight was not delayed. A PA announcement asked all
passengers who were transferring from other flights to Iceland Air to present
passports again at the check-in counter. David took ours up, but I wound up
needing to join him so the clerk could see that my face matched my passport.
When we
boarded, we discovered that our seats were across the aisle from each other, in
a row facing the entry where people entered the plane. There were no seats
immediately in front of us, so plenty of leg room. We settled in for the
seven-hour trip. I read and David watched a movie. We were served a small meal.
I tried to nap.
Day 2 Wednesday, Aug. 9, Reykjavík, Iceland
When we
landed in Reykjavik, it was 11:30 pm, August 8, Arizona time, but 6:30 am
August 9, Iceland time. So, by local standards, it was time to be awake for the
day, when our bodies thought it was still the middle of the night. We cleared
immigration and customs and were greeted by Viking representatives as we left
the arrival hall. There were many Viking passengers on our flight, and we were
directed to four waiting buses which were named for our respective ships,
Viking Star and Viking Sky.
It is
chilly, windy and the parking lot is damp, but it is not raining. Our guide
is Oscar. He helps us find our bus and get our bags stored underneath. We all
board and Oscar welcomes us. The Keflavik airport is about 45 minutes from
town, so on the drive in, Oscar gives us some history.
Naval Air Station Keflavik was built by the
US during WW II as a part of its mission to maintain the defense of Iceland and
secure northern Atlantic air routes. It served to ferry personnel,
equipment and supplies to Europe. Oscar says that the US and England wanted to
occupy Iceland to prevent Germany for taking possession. The base was intended
as a temporary wartime base under an agreement with Iceland and the British, US
forces withdrew by 1947, but returned in 1951 as the Iceland Defense Force, now
operating as a NATO base. Currency here is the Icelandic Krona.
Oscar
tells us that many movies have been set in Iceland and Naval Air Station
Keflavik is used as a setting for an important story line in Tom Clancy’s
novel, Red Storm Rising, where he describes the base, the geography, local
flora, and station equipment. Music videos have also been filmed here, and
Justin Bieber loves Iceland as a setting. Crown of Thorns has also used Iceland
for filming.
By now
it is 7:30 am, and we have reached the Hilton in Reykjavik. The good news is we
are to have a complimentary buffet breakfast. The bad news is that our rooms
will not be ready for us to check in until 2:00 pm. Seriously? We have flown
all night. Our bodies think it is 1:30 am and we will not be able to get into
our rooms for seven hours.
Oscar seems uninterested in helping, and in fact is
giving out maps and welcome letters and suggesting where we might want to visit
in Old Town Reykjavik while we wait. I recall reading in the advance
information that check in time at the Hilton would be 2:00. But that sounds
normal and was weeks before Viking booked our flights. Frankly, when the
flight itinerary arrived, it did not occur to me to compare the flight arrival
time with the hotel check-in time.
This
can’t be real. This can’t be Viking! But of course, we can’t call them because
it is the middle of the night in the US. To add insult to injury, there are
only two toilet stalls for women and two for men on the lobby level. I can’t
count our crowd, but there must be at least 100 of us.
The
hotel staff lock our luggage away. We troop into the Vox restaurant, which has lots
of delicious choices, plus coffee and tea and juices. We fill our plates and
find tables. When breakfast is finished, we roam around the lobby, locating
upholstered chairs and some sofa pillows to try to find a relatively
comfortable position to sleep until the room is ready. As we listen to fellow
travelers snoring, it makes me think of a hostel, not a Hilton! I took photos
of people sleeping in the lobby so I can send them to Viking as evidence when I
complain. (We did receive a response from Viking with apologies.)
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| Sleepers in Hilton Lobby |
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| Sleepers in Hilton Lobby |
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| Sleepers in Hilton Lobby |
We
somehow get through the time, despite two men in the room carrying on a loud
conversation. Where was their courtesy and thoughtfulness?
At about
1:50 pm, I get into a line forming at the check in counter and wait my turn to
be handed a room key. We head up to room 334. Our luggage is supposed to be
there, but it isn’t, so David goes to the luggage room to retrieve it. As soon
as it is safely in the room, David calls Viking and we report our complaint.
They say they will look into it, and to report it again when we get to the
ship. We pull the drapes and fall into the luxurious beds to crash.
We sleep
for about three hours, then decide to go to Old Town to explore and have
dinner. The front desk tells us that taxi service is $30 each way. Given that
they also say old town is a 15-minute walk, we decide that taxi service is too
expensive, we choose to take the local bus, which for seniors is $4.50 each way
and stops in front of the hotel. We buy bus tickets from the front desk and
walk to the bus shelter. The ride to the central bus station is short. We get
off to walk to the waterfront where we follow the walkway around the curving bay.
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| Walking from hotel into downtown |
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| Lake view |
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| Apparently, mom loves pink |
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| Cruise ship in harbor |
There
are two separate sidewalk lanes, one marked with a bicycle and the other with a
person. The outline of the person reminds me of a crime scene on TV where the
body is outlined on the floor.
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| Bike lane |
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| Pedestrian Lane |
The temperature is milder than I expected—maybe
60 degrees, but the wind is blowing, making it feel chilly. (And we come
to find this is the case for our entire stay—strong chilly winds.) Our
destination at this point is the music hall, called the Harpa. It is a concert
hall and conference center which opened in 2011. The tall dark structure
features a distinctive colored glass façade cut in honeycomb rectangles inspired by the
basalt landscape of Iceland.
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| Sun Voyager sculpture of Viking boat |
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| Sun Voyager |
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| The harbor near Harpa Concert Hall |
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| Harpa |
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| Harpa |
The
building is buzzing with activity and seems to be a local gathering place with
a large gift shop and bistro-looking restaurant. The lobby is filled with young
people who are demonstrating their talent with yo-yo toys called butterfly.
These kids were performing amazing string tricks and were entertaining a crowd
who had gathered to watch. We learned there had just been a yo-yo contest the
day prior.
We joined the crowd and watched for a while before checking out the
menu at the bistro. The meals looked expensive, with most items at least $25.
We thought maybe the prices were due to the venue and headed out to find
another restaurant. (Unfortunately, the prices continue to hold—cost of living
here is high.)
We
walked along a touristy pedestrian mall or main shopping street called Laugavegur, filled with all sorts of shops and
boutiques with souvenirs and sheep skin rugs, woolen sweaters, socks,
mittens and hats. We found the small country flags we always buy for the
great-granddaughters. We also bought two small books about Iceland Horses-a
unique breed. We have two great-nieces who love horses.
We kept
looking at menus as we passed restaurants and finally selected the Iceland Bar.
I had a chicken salad, David had a burger. We had an Iceland dessert called
pancakes, which were crepes filled with cheese and topped with whipped
cream. I had tea and David had a beer. The bill was $81. Food was good.
We
wandered on down the mall, window shopping and people watching. By now it is
after 8:00 pm, but still quite light—there are only 4 hours of darkness here
during the summer, with sunset about 11:00 pm. We headed in the direction of
the bus station where we waited for bus #s 2, 5, 15, or 17, any of which stop
in front of our hotel, and get back to our room around 9.
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| Bus shelter |
We are
still suffering jet lag and despite our earlier nap, are ready to climb back
into bed.
Day 3 Thursday, Aug. 10, Reykjavík, Iceland and the Golden Circle tour
I woke a couple of times
during the night but did not stay awake. We had set the alarm for 7:00, but
were awake well before it went off. David read and I journaled until we went
downstairs for another excellent breakfast. We met in the lobby for our 9:00 am
tour bus to begin our day-long excursion of “The Golden Circle”, which is a
popular tourist route in southern Iceland, covering about 150 miles looping
from Reykjavik into the southern uplands of Iceland and back. It is the route
that contains most tours and travel-related activities in Iceland. We started
by visiting beautiful Thingvellir National Park, a UNESCO World heritage site
and one of Iceland’s most outstanding landscapes. The area is surrounded by
mountains and encompasses a vast lava plain of green moss and wildflowers.
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| Lava fields |
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| Lava fields |
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| Lava fields remind me of the big island in Hawaii |
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| Start of the rift valley |
On our way there, Oscar
fills us in on the geology and history of Iceland, which includes the ancient
Icelandic Parliament called “Althing”. Thingvellir is the national shrine of
Iceland. It is a sacred place of extraordinary beauty and is a historic site, national park and UNESCO World Heritage Site. This was
where Althing Icelandic Parliament met from the 10th to 18th centuries,
and why the area came to be called Thingvellir Park.
On the site are the
Thingvellir Church and the ruins of old stone shelters. The park sits in
a rift valley caused by the separation of two tectonic plates, American and
Eurasian, with rocky cliffs and fissures. The geology is in your face. You can
actually see and walk the divide between the two plates. Huge fields of lava
have been broken apart by earthquakes and the resulting crevices leave pathways
for us to walk between towering lava cliffs.
Melting glaciers create huge
icy waterfalls and roiling streams. Thingvellir was the center of Icelandic law
for hundreds of years. Oscar shows us an area called a drowning pool, where
ancient sinners received capital punishment. Near the visitors’ center there is
an elevated viewing platform which overlooks the rest of the national park.
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| Lava fields |
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| Tectonic rift |
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| Walking between two tectonic plates |
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| Lava fields |
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| More lava |
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| Path between tectonic plates |
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| A clear distinction between two tectonic plates |
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| Downstream from the waterfall |
We stopped for lunch at Hotel Geysir at the edge of Thingvellir Park.
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| Hotel Geysir |
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| Buffet lunch at hotel |
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| I have to try the touristy hat |
Leaving Thingvellir, and only a half-hour away, we
continued to the Geysir Geothermal area and hot springs, where hissing springs and other
geothermal phenomena surrounded us. We watched a geyser erupt-not on a schedule
like Old Faithful, and not half as high-but a geyser none-the-less. From bubbling mud pots to water-shooting hot springs, this incredible site is a true manifestation of Earth's underground power. The Strokkur Geysir blasts water up to130 feet every 4 to 10 minutes.
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| Strokkur Geysir |
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| Geothermal hot springs |
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| Steam rising from geothermal area |
As we walked to the geyser, I spotted a wallet along the path and picked it up. It turned out to be a cell phone in a case that also held credit cards for someone named Jessica. She was surely missing this! This is a very busy tourist site, with many tour groups. I do not know the names of folks in my group or whether Jessica belongs to a different group. Surely, she passed here not long ago, or someone else would have sported her phone. We thought perhaps she was just ahead of us and David began calling out her name, but we could not locate her. I turned the things over to Oscar who turned them in at the reception desk. I kept asking around for her over lunch, but we left the area without ever knowing whether Jessica found her credit cards.After lunch, we drove to Gullfoss Waterfall. Called “The Golden Waterfall”, it is the most famous of the country’s many waterfalls where the river Hvita drops 96 feet into two levels of falls, creating a spectacle of mist and spray and rainbows. It is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Iceland. We walked down the path, avoiding puddles and trying to keep the camera dry. We scrambled up some rocks to a platform to get better views, taking photos and enjoying the water and thinking of a much more amazing waterfall called Iguazu in Brazil.
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| Map of the Gullfoss area |
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| Level one falls |
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| Both levels of falls |
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| Spillway below falls |
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| Spillway |
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| Level one falls closeup |
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| Second falls side view |
In this land created by volcanoes, the Icelandic landscape is dotted with craters, and our tour takes us next to dramatic Kerid Crater, which was created by an explosion followed by an implosion of its cone and now has a lake at the bottom. The lake is deep below us. There are several paths, some around the top of the crater and one around the edge of the lake. It is one of the more dramatic of the numerous craters that dot Iceland’s landscape.
The crater was probably formed by a small magma chamber beneath the crater being emptied towards the end of the eruption, resulting in a collapse. Beneath a certain level, cavities and fissures in the rock are filled with groundwater, the surface of which is called the water table. The water in Kerio does not drain out but rises and falls according to changes in the water table. Thus, the crater is like a window on the groundwater.
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| Kerid Crater |
When the tour ended, we returned to Reykjavik for dinner on our own.
Day 4 Friday, Aug. 11, Reykjavík, Iceland City Tour and Blue Lagoon
We rode a short distance to the Blue Lagoon, a popular geothermal spa destination featuring a huge outdoor lagoon with mineral-rich geothermal waters in a lava field. The pool temperatures are like a hot bath, 98-102 degrees. The blue color and high lava wall surrounding the lagoon create a unique atmosphere.
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| Bonnie at the entrance |
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| Blue Lagoon bathers |
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| Blue Lagoon |
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| Blue Lagoon non-bathers |
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| Building at Blue Lagoon |
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| Watching the swimmers |
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| The Blue Lagoon is as large as a large lake |
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| David at the Lagoon |
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| Bonnie at the Lagoon |
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| Buildings at Lagoon |
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| Tourists at Lagoon |
Oscar tells us that
Iceland population is 344,000, it is about the size of Kentucky and that it has
limited infrastructure. Most of the roads were built by the Brits and the
US during WW II. There are no trains in Iceland.
Next, we visited a huge Lutheran church in Reykjavik named Hallgrimskikja. It is the largest church in Iceland and took 41 years to build. It is named for an Icelandic poet and cleric Hallgrimur Petursson. Situated on a hilltop near the center of town, the church is one of the city's best-known landmarks and is visible from throughout the city.
The statue of explorer Lief Erikson was a gift from the US and sits in front of the church. The church houses two large pipe organs. There is a carillon of 29 bells in the tower.
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| Church Bell Tower |
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| Front of church |
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| Inside the church |
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| Pipe organ |
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| Pipe organ |
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| Erikson Statue |
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| Erikson statue |
The striking bronze statue is Leifur Eiríksson, also known as Leif the Lucky—the legendary Norse explorer believed to be the first European to set foot in North America, centuries before Columbus.
From here, we visited the top attraction in Reykjavik, the Perlan Natural History Museum with its futuristic glass-domed fine dining restaurant. The round tanks house a planetarium, a man-made ice cave, a lava show, an interactive glacier exhibit and much more.
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| Perlan Natural History Museum |
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| Perlan sign |
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| View from outside museum |
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| View from outside museum |
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| View of city from outside museum |
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| Part of the aquarium |
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| Statues outside museum |
We continued with a visit to Arbaejarsafn, an open-air historical museum depicting the life in early Iceland. It shows furnished houses, a church, old equipment, general store, and pictures haymaking and other agricultural tasks, including a live resident cow.
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| Hay fields |
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| Thatched building |
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| Vintage church |
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| Bonnie touring the site |
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| Vintage kitchen |
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| Vintage barn and stalls |
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| Vintage kitchen |
Our last stop on the way
home was at a bakery/coffee shop for a snack and a drink. It was fun to watch
the efficiency of the clerks in this place. People take a number when they
enter, and this crew goes through numbers almost as fast as you can count. Yummy
pastries, fancy teas, coffees and sodas all come to the register in seconds. We
enjoyed our snack and boarded the bus for the hotel.
We decide we aren’t
hungry for dinner because of our snack, so we went to the hotel kiosk
to buy a yogurt for me and a sandwich for David, which we ate in the room while
we watched a movie.
Day 5, Saturday, August 12,
Transfer to Stockholm
Neither of us slept well
and kept checking the time. We finally gave up and got up at 2:30 am to dress
and finish final packing. After double-checking the room, we took our bags to
the lobby and picked up the travel food left for us by the hotel. There was quite an
array: first, paper bags with handles to put the food in, bottles of water, assorted
fresh fruit, and a variety of packaged sandwiches. There were also carafes of
coffee but not tea. I went to the hotel lobby coffee area and used the machine
there to get hot water and a tea bag. David got coffee.
We sat sipping and
watching the lobby fill up with our travel companions. The buses pulled up
outside, so we put on our coats to brace for the wind, took our bags out and
watched to be sure they were loaded. We climbed aboard for the 45-minute ride
to the airport. Even though it is dark, it is not completely dark, like
full-moon light, so we could notice the moss-covered lava landscape appearing
as we left the edge of town. I noticed that the sky was gradually getting
lighter as time approached 5:00 am, and we could see the faint line of pink on
the eastern horizon.
We try unsuccessfully to
use the self-serve check-in kiosk at the airport and ask an attendant to help.
She too struggles a bit, as the machine doesn’t read our passports, so she
manually enters our names and our trip number to reach a confirmation. She
prints out our boarding passes and baggage tags before pointing us to the place
to drop off checked luggage. The electronic equipment here measures the size
and weight of the bags and asks us to use a hand-held scanner to read the bar
code confirming the bags match a person with a boarding pass, then the belt
automatically moves the bag onto the loading belt.
Relieved to be checked
in, we walk through the rows of shops to find our gate. As we near it, we spot
a couple from our group sitting having coffee. They say the gate is blocked and
invite us to join them, so David orders coffee and tea and we sit down. I pull
a plum and a banana along with two chocolate muffins out of the take-away bag
from the hotel, and we enjoy this breakfast while chatting. The airport is a
busy place, but curiously, there are neither check-in desks nor departure
announcements. We just rely on the electronic information boards. We watch the
doorway which leads downstairs to the gate.
The departure time is
approaching, and folks are lining up, but the line is not moving, so we sit and
watch, commenting to each other that the plane will never leave on time. We
were correct. Finally, the line does begin to move, but just by a busload at a
time, inching forward. The bus takes us across the tarmac to the plane, which we can enter
through both doors. We choose the rear, since our row is 33. The plane is
nearly an hour late taking off, about 8:15 instead of 7:35. I am glad we aren’t
making a connection.
Not much to see outside as we fly,
as we are VFR (Visual Flight Rules) on top of the clouds. We try to nap. The airline does not
serve a meal, so we eat our sandwiches from the hotel lunch bag. The flight is
three hours, arriving Stockholm at 1:30, instead of 12:30. We are surprised
that Sweden doesn’t check our passports but learn later that there is some
sort of agreement among the Scandinavian countries to honor each other’s
passport clearance, and since Iceland checked us, Sweden does not.
There are several Viking
representatives in the arrival hall. We begin to follow a man with a Viking
sign, but he is moving so quickly through the crowd that we lose him after he
turns a corner. We approach a woman holding a Viking sign who asks our name and
says we are with another group, pointing outside to the man we were following
first who is now walking across the parking lot. We follow him to our bus,
where our bags are loaded and we board for the drive to the ship. We are docked in Stockholm tonight and leave tomorrow afternoon.
It is about 2:30 pm when we
reach the Viking Star. We have previously attached to our bags a temporary Viking tag
which lists our stateroom number, so ship staff can unload bags from the bus
and deliver directly to our cabin. The ship has set up a very efficient check-in
process which scans passports and takes a photo of each of us. We are issued a
plastic credit-card-sized card which has our name and contact info for the
ship. We will use these as room keys, and to get off and on the ship so they
can fully account for all passengers.
We
will do this each time we board the ship. We stop at a desk where they have a
questionnaire asking health related questions for a general health screening.
Next, we are handed moist towels to wipe our hands, another process that occurs
each time we board. The ship has health in mind and has a crew member at the
entrance to each restaurant to be sure that each person uses the hand sanitizer
before entering.
We move to the elevator
and head to deck 5, as our stateroom is 5057. The cabin is fresh and clean and
very welcome after our early wake-up and long travel day. But we do not lie
down yet, as lunch is served only until 3:30, and that deadline is fast approaching,
so we head there first for a quick snack and something to drink.
By now, we are truly
ready for a nap, so head to the cabin, and finding our bags delivered, unpack
before crashing. The bed feels delicious. We are asleep within seconds.
Partially restored after
a couple of hours, we try to get oriented to the ship to find the Star Theater,
where at 6:45, there will be a Port Talk presentation on the history, culture
and heritage of Stockholm, where we will be touring tomorrow. The cruise
director is an enthusiastic guy whose presentation style reminds me of a
game-show host, full of energy and expansive phrases. We can use our credit
card for onshore purchases, so do not need to exchange money for the Swedish
Krona.
We follow the crowd to
find one of the ship's the restaurant for dinner. There are several choices, and we choose to
order off the menu and be served a three-course dinner. The food is great and
servers friendly. There are many activities to choose from this evening, but we
are ready to call it a night.
Day 6, August 13, Sunday, Stockholm
Elegant Stockholm is nestled where Lake Malaren's cobalt waters meet the Baltic. This stunning cultural capital extends over 14 islands linked by 54 graceful bridges. Hailed as one of the world's cleanest cities, it boasts numerous green parks. The incredibly preserved 13th-century Gamla Stan, or Old Town, features gabled houses and an array of architectural styles that spans Stockholm's history, from the enormous baroque Stockholm Palace to the Art Nouveau Royal Dramatic Theater. In 1897, the city hosted the World's Fair, leading to a revitalization boom designed to show off its beautiful setting. A legacy of that period is the Strandvagen, one of Europe's loveliest waterfront esplanades and the ideal place to sample some traditional smoked salmon.
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| Opera House |
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| Opera House |
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| Opera Costumes |
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| Bonnie with opera costumes and harpsichord |
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| Palace walls |
Our glimpse of royal opulence and theatrical history came to a close on board a historic ship that took us on a beautiful cruise back to Central Stockholm. Upon arrival at Stadshusbron, a motor coach transported us back to our awaiting ship.
The cruise takes us past the city’s waterfront, with the striking spire of Riddarholmen Church standing tall among historic buildings. The mix of domed roofs and colorful facades is classic Stockholm.
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| Bonnie on cruise |
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| Bonnie on the cruise |
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| Riddarholmen Church |
Back at the ship, and since the ship sails this afternoon, it is required to have the emergency drill before we sail. The alarm sounds and we gather at our muster stations. The drill is over in a matter of minutes, but we must complete the training by watching a video in our cabin.
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| Enjoying the party |
Day 7 Monday, August 14, Helsinki, Finland
For a European capital, Helsinki is small, but its history and Finnish spirit are larger than life. The elegant capital is known as the "White City of the North" for its neoclassical beauty and Art Nouveau grace. Arts, politics and education converge in Senate Square, a wide-open space surrounded by the University of Helsinki and the Government Palace. But the square's--and perhaps the city's--centerpiece is the magnificent Helsinki Cathedral. Its colonnaded entrances echo ancient Greece and its green domes recall grand old Russia. Nearby, locals and visitors gather at Market Square, buzzing with open air stalls, crafts, souvenirs and news of the day as the sweet scent of korvapuustis--Finnish cinnamon buns --fills the clean Baltic air.
We docked about 8:30, had breakfast and departed the ship to meet our three-hour included tour, Helsinki Highlights. Viking features the use of QuietVox audio sets which allow us to hear the guide clearly.
We learned history from our guide as we drove to Market Square, where we had time to mingle with locals and the vendors at the shops.
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| Open air market |
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| Jewelry at the market |
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| Helsinki Cathedral |
We viewed the magnificent Eastern Orthodox Uspenski Cathedral with its breathtaking interior of gilded icons and vaulted ceilings, following centuries of traditions.
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| Upenski Cathedral |
We passed by the docked icebreaker fleet that keeps wintertime harbor traffic flowing. In Senate Square, we admired the massive cathedral, the parliament buildings and the national Museum of Finland, with its romantic bell tower. We drove by the 1952 Olympic Stadium, still an active sporting venue, and the Opera House, with its scenic setting on Toolo Bay. We stopped for photos at the Sibelius monument, a striking sculpture of over 600 steel pipes dedicated to the composer. We took time to explore the unique Temppeliaukio Kirkko (Rock Church), carved into a block of underground granite beneath a domed copper roof.
In the heart of Helsinki stands the statue of Alexander, the second Russian emperor who played a key role in increasing Finland‘s autonomy during the 19th century. It stands proudly in Senate Square right in front of the Helsinki Cathedral, the grand white building with the green dome in the background
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| Alexander II and Helsinki Cathedral |
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| Street scene Helsinki |
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| Shopping district |
The old market hall is located in Helsinki by the harbor and has been operating since 1889. It is known for finish delicacies like reindeer meat, salmon, soup, and artisan cheeses. Elegant architecture in a cozy atmosphere make it a favorite for both locals and tourists.
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| Old Market Hall |
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| Our cruise ship in the harbor |
We returned to the ship for a quick lunch and on to our second tour of the day: Porvoo and Scenic Cruise to Haikko Manor. We boarded the coach for our tour and drove past many of the landmarks we saw this morning. We are headed to Porvoo, Finland's second oldest city, and intriguing, historic Haikko Manor.
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| Sign to Porvoo |
We passed by the bustling open air market and several grand works of architecture, including Parliament house, the national Museum, the Olympic Stadium, and the new Opera House. In just over an hour, we arrived at Porvoo, one of six medieval towns in Finland, for a leisurely walking tour. The town still has a busy old town quarters with numerous shops, cafes and restaurants.
Porvoo received its charter in the 1400's and soon became an important trading center. The town developed around the church and the river. Today, the old town is also a home for many museums and art galleries. We saw the medieval cathedral, strolled through the cobblestone streets and stopped at the old bridge of Porvoo for a magnificent view of Old Town. We enjoyed some free time, admiring impressive gardens, and browsing through the handicraft shops and antique stores.
The final part of this tour was to enjoy a short river cruise to Haikko Manor. We learned about its fascinating past and links to both finish and Russian royalty. The history dates back to 1362 when a Dominican monastery owned the site. The manner is now a stunning country hotel and spa with a seafront location where we enjoyed time to explore the property and beautiful grounds before having lunch, where we met and dined with fellow travelers, Judy and Jeff.
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| Cruise to Haikko Manor |
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| Cruise to Haikko Manor |
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Sign for the Manor
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We dock at 7:00 and have breakfast. We signed up for the 3-hour included "St. Petersburg Panoramic Tour" which meets at 9:15. The tour is designed to orient us to this magnificent city in just hours, from palaces to cathedrals, with photos stops along the way. We had time for photos at Saint Isaac Square and the gold dome of Saint Isaac's Cathedral.
We passed the sprawling Palace Square and marveled at its grand Winter Palace, now called the Hermitage Museum, an opulent repository of priceless art. Crossing the Neva River, we admired the magnificent views of the Peter and Paul Fortress, the city's first defensive edifice. Within its walls, we viewed the gold-hued Peter and Paul cathedral and its soaring spire.
After passing the Museum of Artillery, we stopped for photos at the church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood. This onion-domed decorative memorial to the assassinated emperor Alexander II is the personification of splendid Russian ecclesiastical architecture. The Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood in Saint Petersburg Russia is a masterpiece of Russian revival architecture, and one of the city's most iconic landmarks. It was constructed on the spot where emperor Alexander II was fatally wounded in 1881, hence the name “spilled blood.“
The church contains over 7500 meters of mosaics, one of the largest collections in Europe. These murals are part of the dazzling interior, with religious scenes, framed in gold and surrounded by heraldic symbols. While most of Saint Petersburg architecture is baroque or neoclassical, this church stands out with its medieval Russian style, inspired by Saint Basil's cathedral in Moscow.We passed by Mariinsky Palace built in a neoclassical style with grand columns and ornate detailing. The building is now the seat of the legislative assembly of Saint Petersburg. The code of arms and flags at top of the building reflect its governmental role and national significance.
We also saw Russia’s famous shop-lined street, Nevsky Prospect. Lastly, we drove past Senate Square, known also as Decembrist Square with its Bronze Horseman statue of Peter the Great. The Bronze Horseman is one of the most iconic monuments in St. Petersburg. It represents Peter the Great by honoring the founder who transformed Russia into a major European power. The rearing horse and forward motion symbolize Russia’s advancement under Peter‘s leadership. It is a symbol of power and progress. The horse rears dramatically, supported only by its hind legs and the tail, which is a great feat of engineering. The pedestal is a single massive piece of granite called the Thunder stone, reportedly the largest stone ever moved by humans. The statue is a symbol of St. Petersburg itself, bold, visionary, and steeped in imperial grandeur.
Of course, we stopped along the way for souvenir shopping. My favorite was a music box with the famous Moscow church, St Basil, on top, which plays a Russian folk dance.
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| Rostral Column, symbol of Russia's naval power |
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| Souvenir tee shirt |
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| President Putin tee shirts |
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| Matryoshka dolls on sale on Nevsky Prospect St. |
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| Pay to have your photo with people in costume. |
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| Bonnie and David with the Hermitage Museum |
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| Ornate mosaics on the church |
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| Mosaics |
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| Bonnie outside the church |
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| Orthodox cross at top of church |
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| Mariinsky Palace |
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| Bronze Horseman |
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| Bronze Horseman |
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| Inscription says to Peter from Catherine |
After the movie, we went to dinner early as we have tickets to a 6:00 on-board cabaret performance.
We have signed up to
spend 9 hours today on a tour called “The Hermitage Behind Closed Doors”,
leaving the ship at 8:15 am. We visited the Hermitage once before when we were
on a Russian river cruise from Moscow to St. Petersburg. We had a guided tour
then and returned on our own a second day as there is far more to see than can
be viewed in years. In fact, they say that if you spent only 30 seconds at each
painting or object, and never stopped to eat or sleep, it would still take
seven years to view the entire collection.
Our tour today begins
with a morning guided tour at the Hermitage, where we are granted early entrance ahead
of the general public to view one of the world’s greatest art collections. And this tour also takes us behind the scenes in the afternoon.
The museum boasts over three million works of art and historic artifacts precious to Russia’s heritage. Only a fraction is on public display; the rest are locked away in a carefully monitored facility, which was closed to visitors until now. Our local guide, Alexander, spends five and a half hours from 9:00 until 1:30 taking us through the artistic masterpieces as well as pointing out the grand spaces of the building itself, such as the magnificent Jordan Staircase and chandeliers weighing over 2 tons. We make a brief stop to use the toilet and have a drink, then head to the motor coach to drive to the city suburbs for lunch and the remainder of the tour at the Hermitage Restoration Center.
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| Bonnie at the Hermitage |
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| Vintage gowns |
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Coat of arms
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| Opulent decor and 2-ton chandeliers |
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| Priceless art |
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| Opulent interior |
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| Magnificent lighting |
The Hermitage Department of Scientific Restoration and Conservation has chosen to establish its restoration building away from the hectic downtown area. The total collection numbers 2,700,000 items. All of them require conservation and since all are subject to aging, they need restoration to bring forward their original qualities. After the revolution of 1917, restoration started to emerge and develop as a rigorous science.
The current list of laboratories includes Restoration of: Furniture, Timepieces and Musical Mechanisms, Applied Art Objects, Chandeliers, Precious Metals, Graphic Works, Photos, Objects Made of Organic Materials, Textiles and Water-soluble Paintings, Easel Painting, Mural Painting, Tempera Painting, Oriental Painting, Sculpture and Semi-Precious Stones.
The large building has a special exterior design with a large gray structure shaped as a bracket straddling the building. On this structure are designs of petroglyphs. We walk through the entrance and upstairs to use the restroom, where I have a nearly “out of body” experience. While I am in the restroom, I hear a woman’s voice calling my name. No one here knows me. Am I hearing things? Yes, I hear my name again, louder this time, and I finally realize it must be coming from my phone in my pocket. I pull out my phone and say hello, and my sister Janet is on the line. For her, back in Colorado, it is 3 am. She heard her phone ring, and by caller ID, knew it was from me, but she heard only noise, not my voice. At first, she was frightened by a middle of the night call, but she figured it must have been a pocket dial and hung up, but her phone rang again, so she began calling my name, more loudly each time until I responded. We have a brief conversation to assure her I am OK, and both wind up laughing.
I join our group at lunch in the staff dining room before we step behind the closed doors with our guide for privileged access to the restoration and exhibit center. We are joined by an employee of the museum as our local tour guide. He does not speak English, so Alexander serves as interpreter. We walk through multiple floors, sometimes using stairs and sometimes elevators. We see how the Hermitage stores their growing collection of exhibits and examine some of the priceless objects d’art gifted to Russian Royalty by countries around the world. We learn how some of the paintings are restored and how items are stored under glass and in climate-controlled areas. Many paintings are hung on swinging panels which are connected by hinges on the sides and arms along the top and bottom to swing, like how you might shop for carpeting, with multiple panels lined up next to each other, preserving the paintings under glass while hanging protected and suspended flat. We walk through rooms of furniture, some restored and some awaiting the hands of craftsmen. We also see dishware, toiletry items such as brushes and combs, and many other types of objects being preserved.
Our tour ends with a walk through a huge carriage house filled with dozens of imperial carriages and sleighs, some more modest and some grand such as coronation carriages. Our guide gives us details about when and where some of these carriages were designed and crafted and mentions how expensive it was to purchase the matched teams of up to three pair of horses to pull them.
We have time after the guided tour to roam the grounds on our own admiring the spectacular gardens, buildings and statuary.
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| Stored furniture |
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| Stored furniture |
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| Stored Fabric walls |
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| Stored coaches |
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| Bonnie admiring coaches |
We visited the Graduate School of Management at Saint Petersburg State University, one of Russia’s premier business schools. The building's stand-out feature is the glass pyramid above the entrance, a striking modern touch that contrasts with the more classical architecture often found in Saint Petersburg. The school is known for its international programs and partnerships with top global institutions. Its location in St. Petersburg adds a layer of prestige, given the city's rich intellectual and cultural heritage.
We also drove by the Krestovsky stadium. It is a striking example of modern stadium architecture, with a retractable roof and spire-like supports that give it a futuristic-inspired silhouette. The stadium has hosted major international events, including matches during the 2018 FIFA World Cup. It was designed by the winner of an architectural competition. (And has since been destroyed.)
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| David at the Graduate School of Management, St. Petersburg State University |
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| Krestovsky Stadium |
We return to the ship at
the 5:30 deadline because we sail at 6:00pm. I head directly to guest services
and am delighted that my jacket which I left on the bus yesterday, has been
turned in. Hallelujah! Thanks to Katrina at guest services for finding it for
me. I later took her a box of marzipan as a thank you gift.
We head to the Port Talk
at 6:45 about Tallinn, Estonia, where we will be tomorrow.
We head to dinner after
calling Jeff and Judy, a couple from Durango, CO whom we met over lunch at
Haikko Manor.
Day 10 Thursday, August 17, Tallinn, Estonia
We dock this morning at
8:00 am. Tallinn ranks as one of Northern Europe’s finest medieval Old Towns.
It is easy to feel like you have stepped back in time as you stroll its cobbled
streets and weave past splendid red-roofed buildings. In its regal walled Upper
Town on Toompea, or Dome Hill, church and state constructed beautiful
government edifices and colossal cathedrals. The Lower Town is a charming maze
of squares, gabled houses and churches.
Estonia’s most pivotal moment unfolded
at the nearby Song Festival Grounds where 300,000 citizens rose up and sang
against Soviet rule. This Singing Revolution was waged—and won in 1988—without
a drop of blood. There’s more to sing about at the local confectioners’ shops,
offering all manner of delicious marzipan. The currency here is the Euro, but
we plan to get by with a credit card, so will not use the ATM for cash.
We have signed up today
for a 3-hour guided walk through this charming town. We did not know that there
will be five cruise ships docked here today and throngs of tourists to crowd
the streets and shops. We leave the ship to walk a short way down the pier to
board our coach to drive across the town and up the cobbled streets to the top
of the hill.
We expect to get to know one of the finest medieval Old Towns of
Northern Europe on a two-mile walking tour with a local guide. Her name is
Miley—she says, “like Miley Cyrus”. Her English is excellent. Miley takes
us on a scenic drive past the medieval town wall, the National Opera and
Freedom Square. We get off at Dome Hill, named such for the huge church, to
enjoy a very crowded stroll along cobblestone lanes past the Estonian
Parliament, Alexander Nevsky Cathedral and St. Mary’s Cathedral.
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| Cruise ships |
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| Nevsky Cathedral |
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| St. Mary's Cathedral |
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| Crowded street |
We try to watch our
footing, as the cobblestones are an uneven surface, and the cruise ship
director has reminded us that most falls occur when people try to take photos
while walking or trying to look at the photo they just took. Along the way, we
pause at lovely vantage points that overlook a magnificent canvas of red
rooftops, slender steeples and the sea. However, the streets are jammed with
tourists, literally elbowing their way through the crowd, trying to work their
way to the front of the overlook to snap a quick photo.
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| Red roofs of Tallinn |
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| Bonnie, red roofs, and cruise ships |
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| Bonnie in front of a cafe |
There is also traffic to
watch for, as the upper town is the business and political section, with
delivery trucks and cars trying to move through the crowds. We again board our
bus to take us to the Lower Old Town, which is pedestrian-only and much easier to
navigate. With our guide, we explore a web of narrow 13-century streets. The
guide says the town was very poor for hundreds of years, so did not have the
funds to improve or update buildings, but are now pleased that did not happen,
as these medieval sites are the bread and butter for the local economy.
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| City Archives, Old Town |
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| Town Hall, Old Town |
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| Town square |
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| Cobblestone street |
She leads us past the
Great Guild House, the House of the Brotherhood of the Blackheads (who were
single local male merchants), Church of the Holy Spirit, and two 15th-century
gems: the Town Council Apothecary and the Town Hall, the yellow building with steep gables and spires. The apothecary has
been in continuous operation since the 15th century.
We walk along Katariina
Passage and Muurivahe Lane to browse handicraft workshops and a street market
lined with wool and linen products. We have some free time in the town square,
so I shop for marzipan as a gift for our cabin boy. David locates the small
Estonian flags we want for our great-granddaughters. We stop for a cool drink.
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| Shopping in town square |
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| Server at cafe |
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| Statue "The Kiss" by Estonian artist Kangro |
We are at the appointed
meeting place a few minutes early and David asks the guide whether female
guides are paid less than males. She says she is uncertain, but thinks they are
the same. She tells of the testing to become licensed as a guide.
As we drive back to the
ship for lunch, the guide says most cruise ships will leave by 5 or 6 pm, and
since Viking is not leaving until 9, if we return to town this evening, we will
find it less crowded. We think we may do that, since we were disappointed to
find the place so crowded, but as the afternoon progresses, a big lightning and
thunderstorm develops with heavy rain, and we choose not to venture out.
When we returned to the ship, I did not have my Quietvox hearing device used by the guide. I must have left it on the bus. Drat!
I go at 4:00
for afternoon tea, and enjoy a relaxing time with a pot of tea and delicacies
such as cucumber sandwiches, scone with clotted cream and chocolate mousse
parfait. The resident pianist plays beautiful melodies, and a friendly staff member
offers to take my photo. I feel spoiled!
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| Tea on deck |
I am so full after the
tea that I do not want to eat more at dinner, but I accompany David as he eats
his meal. We watch the rain and lightning while at dinner and are glad we do
not have to be out in the storm.
We watch one of our
favorite movies, “Out of Africa” before falling asleep.
We will leave the dock
at 9:00 and have a full day of sailing tomorrow.
Day 11 Friday, August 18 At Sea
We spend a leisurely day
on the ship and attended two enrichment lectures.
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| A day at sea |
At 9:30 we heard Russian
Expert Elena speak on “Amber, Gold of the North.” She has a Russian accent, but
her presentation is very interesting as she explains what amber is, and why it
is expensive. She explains that amber is the resin of the pine tree. It is the
substance between the tree and the bark and has antiseptic properties. When the
tree bark is damaged, the resin oozes out to protect the tree from invading
insects. It hardens in the air and eventually falls to the ground.
Amber is also referred
to as the “Gold of the Baltic Sea”. She gives us background with lots of
history-very interesting. She speaks of ancient trade routes as well as the
uses of amber in medicine. She says, for example, that finding a whole insect
inside an amber bead is rare. When you see an amber bead with lots of insects,
it is probably fake. Amber can be easily simulated with plastic. But true amber
retains heat, so even if placed in the refrigerator, it will not pick up the
cold. We learned a lot and the primary message was “Buyer beware”.
After returning to our
room, I was delighted to receive a call from guest services telling me that the
QuietVox had been found by the bus vendor, so our account will not be charged.
Hallelujah!
At 4:00 the lecture was
on the Hanseatic league by Jeremy Paterson. This man is a history professor and
great speaker. He told us about the dynamic maritime network of Baltic-area
traders between the 13th and 15th centuries.
This was a great guild of merchants who established trade routes and protocols
between nations, greatly improving the economy and diets of countries involved.
At 5:15, we attended an
on-board reception for all travelers who have previously sailed with Viking.
There was champaign, canapes and entertainment, along with a plug for future
cruises.
At 6:30, we met Jeff and
Judy Miller from Durango, and had dinner with them. We enjoyed the time
together and went to the bar afterward to continue our conversation. As we are
to leave the ship tomorrow at 7:15, despite the nightly shipboard entertainment,
we concluded our evening together around 8:00.
Day 12, Saturday, August 19 Gdansk, Poland (or not)
We set our alarm for
6:00 to be ready for the 7:15 tour, and I even woke up at 5:30 worrying about
missing the alarm, but at 6:00, just as our alarm is buzzing, the captain came
on over the intercom to say that because of a storm last night, we were forced
to slow our progress, and thus will not be making the scheduled port stop at
Gdansk, Poland. We will spend the day at sea, continuing our way to Warnemunde,
the port for our visit to Berlin.
We rolled over in bed
for a later wake up time, followed by a leisurely breakfast. The cruise
director has arranged a morning schedule aboard the ship, and we go at 9:30 to
hear the Port Talk about Berlin. We will travel by train three hours each way
from the port to reach Berlin. Given there is not much else to do on the ship,
the presentation was to a jam-packed audience, with our cruise director trying
to help stragglers to find a seat.
The weather from the storm has the seas
a bit more active and I decide it is best to take a motion sickness pill.
After the Port Talk, I
work on my journal and we listen to MSNBC with the latest political news of
Steve Bannon being ousted from the White House. David has downloaded a new book
from our local library—isn’t technology amazing? —and is eagerly reading.
We decide to get some
exercise and spend an hour walking the deck, using the outdoor exercise
equipment and playing shuffleboard. David won.
About 12:30, we had
pizza for lunch and decide to skip the trivia contest, spending some time in
the cabin before listening to a 2:15 lecture called “The Shock of other
Cultures, Including Your Own”, reminding us of the importance of remembering
that different people may see the same thing differently.
At 3:00 is a history
lesson about The Teutonic Knights, a famed medieval military order during the
crusades. We have missed an opportunity to visit Malbork Castle in Gdansk, a
UNESCO World Heritage site which was when constructed, and is now, the world’s
largest brick castle.
At 6:45 is another Port
Talk, this time about Copenhagen, the next port to follow Berlin. We have
elected to see Berlin on our own, so when we get off the train, we will have an
hour by coach as orientation, our escort will give us city maps, a brief
orientation, and send us off with a specific time and place to meet the train
for the return ride to the ship.
We head to dinner and
run into Jeff and Judy already sitting at a table. We chat with them while we
eat. Judy is distressed because of some serious health issues for their
granddaughter.
We need to leave the
ship at 7 in the morning to catch the train.
Day 13 Berlin (Port of Warnemunde) Germany
Once an infamous border city between the former East and West Germanys, Berlin today is one of Europe’s most cosmopolitan and forward-thinking cultural capitals. When the Berlin wall fell in 1989, a sweeping architectural and cultural transformation took hold. This is most powerfully symbolized in the Reichstag, Germany’s parliament building. Its glass cupola symbolizes a new era of transparency and openness. Monuments of wartime are everywhere here, from remnants of the wall to checkpoint Charlie. Pre-war treasures include the baroque Charlottenburg Palace and the 13th century Saint Nicholas Church. Straddling the Spree River and peppered with grand theatres, and more than 170 museums, many of them on museum island, today’s Berlin is a major cultural center.
After a decades-long postwar rift both between Berlin and the world and within the city itself, Germany's capital has been reunified and undergone a remarkable rebirth as a center of art, culture and great architecture. It is still riding the wave of newfound energy, and exploring its streets feels akin to browsing a newly opened museum. Risen from the ashes of war, many of its buildings that once stood for division now embrace unity.
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| Entering Warnemunde Harbor |
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| The Warnemunde Port |
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| One of the docks |
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| The ship's captain smoothly guides us into our berth |
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| Boarding the 7:15 AM train |
We have elected the included 11-hour tour, "Berlin Your Way", which allows us to follow our own interests in Berlin. We first board the train at the Warnemunde Station, then transfer to a coach where we receive an orientation and some tips on the one-hour trip into downtown Berlin. There is a Viking Information Point at famous Gendarmenmarkt Square where local Berlin ground staff are available during the day for questions. We are given a map and sent on our way.
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| KaDaWe Department Store |
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| KaDaWe Department Store |
The Kaufhaus des Westens, commonly known as KaDeWe—short for Department Store of the West. It’s one of Berlin’s most iconic shopping destinations and the largest department store in continental Europe.
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Brandenburg Gate
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We visited the Brandenburg gate, a symbol of resilience and peace. The crowning feature is called the Quadriga, a chariot drawn by four horses, driven by Victoria, the Roman goddess of victory. Originally this was a city gate marking the road from Berlin to Brandenburg. Napoleon seized the Quadriga in 1806 and took it to Paris. It was returned in 1814. After the fall of the wall in 1889, the gate became a symbol of German reunification. Today it anchors Pariser Platz, surrounded by embassies and historic buildings, and remains a gathering place for celebrations, protests, and reflection. |
Quadriga
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One block north of the gate, the Reichstag building is a powerhouse of German history and politics. It is home to Germany’s federal parliament and has been a symbol of democracy, resilience, and transformation. The glass dome by Norman Foster was added during a 1990s renovation. It is a stunning symbol of transparency in government. Visitors can walk inside and look down into the parliamentary chamber, literally and metaphorically keeping an eye on democracy. The building's transformation mirrors Germany’s own journey, from empire to division, and finally to reunification. The phrase, "To the German People", is inscribed above the entrance, anchoring it’s democratic purpose. |
| Reichstag |
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| Reichstag |
We walked through beautiful parks and gardens before stopping for lunch.
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| Trees along the street |
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| David ordered Authentic Wiener Schnitzel |
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| I had hot potato salad |
Checkpoint Charlie was the most famous border crossing in the divided city of Berlin during the Cold War, a symbolic point of tension between the Soviet-controlled East and the Western Allies. Although it is now a tourist site with a replica guardhouse and museum, it was once the location of a dramatic tank standoff in 1961and gained a reputation for both the dangers of the Berlin Wall and the bold escapes by those trying to cross it.
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| Playing tourist at Checkpoint Charlie |
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| Hamming it up at the checkpoint |
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The sign at the checkpoint
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The Berlin Wall was a physical barrier erected by East Germany on August 13, 1961, to prevent East Germans from fleeing to West Berlin and the West. This concrete structure, part of the "death strip" that surrounded West Berlin, became a powerful symbol of the Cold War and division until its fall on November 9, 1989, leading to the reunification of Germany and the end of the Soviet-backed regime.
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| The sign at the Berlin Wall |
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| Remnants of The Berlin Wall |
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| Kunsthalle Hamburg |
The grand Corinthian columns, lion statues, and dramatic banners are signature features of Kunsthalle Hamburg, a temporary art venue that once stood near the Liepziger Platz area. This venue hosted exhibitions and was a major cultural hotspot during its operation. It was part of a broader initiative to showcase contemporary art in a rotating exhibition space.
We walked through the business district and Potsdamer Platz, a public square in the center of Berlin, known for its modern architecture, shopping, dining, and entertainment. We found a place for a cold drink. |
| Potsdamer Platz |
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| Kolhoff Tower, Bahntower on Potsdamer Platz |
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| Amrit Cafe |
We walked through one of Berlin’s most hauntingly powerful landmarks: the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, also known as the Holocaust Memorial. Designed by architect Peter Eisenman and engineer Buro Happold, this field of 2,711 concrete slabs—or stelae—was inaugurated in 2005 as a tribute to the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust.
• The slabs vary in height and are arranged in a grid on a sloping field, creating a disorienting, maze-like experience.
• There’s no signage or names on the stelae, which invites personal reflection and interpretation.
• As you walk deeper into the memorial, the ground dips and the slabs grow taller, evoking feelings of isolation, confusion, and solemnity.
• It’s located near the Brandenburg Gate in central Berlin, surrounded by a mix of modern and historic architecture.
• Beneath the field is an Information Centre, which provides historical context, personal stories, and documentation of the Holocaust.
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| Holocaust Memorial |
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| Holocaust Memorial |
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| Holocaust Memorial |
We walked and walked all around Berlin to see more architecture and public areas.
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| Berlin chamber of Commerce and Industry |
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| Berlin Facade Mural on the House of the Teacher |
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| Facade |
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| Oberbaum Bridge |
The Französischer Dom, or French Cathedral, is located on the elegant Gendarmenmarkt square in Berlin. Despite its name, it’s not technically a cathedral in the ecclesiastical sense—it’s more of a symbolic and architectural gem.
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| French Cathedral |
We spotted a whimsical bear, called a Buddy Bear, part of Berlin’s beloved public art initiative that promotes peace, tolerance, and international friendship.
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| Buddy Bear |
We pass the Konzerthaus Berlin, a neoclassical masterpiece located on the historic Gendarmenmarkt square.
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| Konzerthaus |
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| Konzerthaus |
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| New Synagogue |
Our 4-hour touring time is over, and we used the escalator to get to the platform to board the train. Viking warned us that the arrival train station is Ostbahnhof, but the departure station is Gesundbrunnen.
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| Escalator |
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| Train |
Day 14, Monday, August 21 Copenhagen
Copenhagen claims to be the happiest city on earth. It charms visitors like a Danish fairy tale.
One of the most beautiful cities on the Baltic, it began as a fishing village
and boasts more than 150 years of history. It has been an important Scandinavian
port since the age of the Vikings and remains one of Europe’s most enchanting
places, thanks to Tivoli Gardens, the world’s oldest amusement park, and the
Little Mermaid statue sitting in the harbor at Langelinie. Grand palaces also
grace the cityscape, including Amalienborh, the royal winter residence, and
Rosenborg Castle, home to the Danish Crown Jewels. The landmark city icon, brightly
hued houses and wooden ships of the “New Harbor” are a delight to explore. They
are my favorite Copenhagen experience.
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| Brightly-hued New Harbor Houses |
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| Brightly-hued New Harbor houses |
We cross the street from
the ship to board our "Copenhagen Panorama" city tour coach and drive only a short distance to see
the Little Mermaid serenely sitting in the harbor.
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| The Little Mermaid |
The guide tells us she
has repeatedly been defaced by painting and even decapitated but stands as one
if the primary landmark of the city. Visitors have crowded around her this
morning so that it is tough to even snap a photo. Our guide is so very
knowledgeable and informative. He really educates and informs us, pointing out
unusual things like a building across the harbor which has a steep roof that is
literally used as a ski slope.We walked by the Gefion Fountain on the harbor front. It features a large group of animals being driven by the legendary Norse goddess, Gefjun.
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| Gefion Fountain |
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| David at Giafion Fountain |
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| We both got in the act |
We get off the bus to
enter the courtyard to the winter royal palace. The guide tells us there is
trouble between the royal couple as the 83-year-old prince has declared he does
not want to be buried next to the queen. Denmark monarchy is like that of
England. The queen does not actually have much power, but is the figurehead of
state. There are four identical buildings around the palace courtyard, one for
the queen, one for visiting heads of state, one for the son of the queen and
the last for the sisters of the queen.
Denmark has conscription
for males, and part of the duties are as guards at the royal palace. Our guide
has planned our visit to coincide with the 10:00 am changing of the guard. We
watch as they march in, with black uniforms and tall furry hats making them all
look the same height. The guide says this is accomplished because hats are
different heights, so shorter guards get taller hats.
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| Royal Palace |
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| Royal Palace |
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| Changing of the guard |
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| Changing of the guard |
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| Changing of the guard |
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| Frederiksberg Gardens |
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Frederiksberg Palace
|
Our driving tour
continues all around Copenhagen including Rosenborg Castle, Gerfion Fountain,
and the Opera House. This opera house and many of the fountains and landmarks
have been donated by the city’s great businessman and philanthropist, Peter
Maersk Moller. Maybe you have seen his name on shipping containers, as Maersk
Shipping, headquartered in Copenhagen, has been the largest container ship and
supply vessel operator in the world since 1996.
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| Christiansborg Palace-home of Danish Parliament |
We decide not to take
the bus back to the ship, but stay in the city to explore, walking through the
shopping district, taking photos and browsing, buying a few souvenirs and
people-watching. We walked to the royal gardens and Rosenborg Palace where I took
a photo of the palace and the lion in front for Madison, our
great-granddaughter who loves lions.
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| Royal gardens |
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| Royal gardens |
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| Rosenborg Castle |
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| Rosenborg Castle Lion |
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| Rosenborg Castle |
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| Royal Gardens |
We watched a parade of the marching soldiers.
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| Parade |
A minstrel group come to entertain on the street, playing a stringed instrument and a rattle for percussion. They both sang. They were not good, but silly and fun to watch. We dropped a coin in their hat.
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| Minstrels |
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| Minstrels |
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| Tents at the Harbor Area |
We walked several blocks
to Nyhavn, the New Harbor area, and through the open-air market tents. It is
crowded and a woman pushing a wheelchair hits David’s ankle from behind,
nearly knocking him down. Fortunately, he isn’t bleeding. We decide to stop for
lunch about 2:00, searching among the dozens of canal-side restaurants for an
empty table. David spots one and we claim it.
He chats with two women from
China who speak English, but not well enough to get his jokes.
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| Nyhavn Canal |
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| Tour boat on canal |
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| Canal boat loading |
The waitress offers us a
chance to taste aquavit, a strong aperitif, which she says Danes often have
before lunch. I declined, but David tried it. It was a clear liquid, high in
alcohol content, like ouzo. David ordered a Carlsberg beer and a burger. I have
a quinoa salad. We are enjoying the atmosphere beside the canal.
A family came to sit
beside us, a couple with two sons 6 and 8. We struck up a conversation and
chatted with them for some time. They are from Holland and on a summer camping
vacation. The kids go back to school next week. She works in health care and he
is a product engineer. We wound up exchanging contact information and inviting
them to visit us. She reciprocated with an invitation for us to visit them.
What a pleasant lunch!
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| Active son of Holland family |
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A Holland family shared our table
|
We wander casually along
the streets to the waterfront, stopping to rest a couple of times, passing many
of the landmarks we saw on the tour as we return to the ship. We walked over
five miles today.
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| Shopping |
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| Woman Cyclist |
That golden sculpture of a woman riding a bicycle is one of Copenhagen’s more whimsical and lesser-known public artworks, “The Cyclist” by artist Hans Peder Pedersen-Dan. It’s perched dramatically on the facade of a building on Vesterbrogade, the main shopping street.
The sculpture celebrates the rise of cycling culture in Denmark, especially among women, during a time when bicycles represented freedom and modernity. The woman’s flowing dress and elevated front wheel give the piece a sense of motion and elegance, while the niche and green architectural element add theatrical flair.
It’s a delightful fusion of classical sculpture and urban storytelling—exactly the kind of detail that makes Copenhagen’s streets feel like a curated art exhibit.
Back on the ship, we head to the port talk about Alborg, Denmark, our destination for tomorrow, where
we learn more about Danish history of this local area.
It is beginning to be
time for the eclipse, so we watch TV coverage until time for dinner. The ship
is streaming eclipse coverage by NASA on a huge screen by the swimming pool, but not coming into the cabins, so after dinner, we decide to go there and take our
electronics along so I can work on my journal and David can read his iPad. He
downloads books from our home library which he can then read off-line.
We hang out watching the
eclipse coverage until the evening entertainment comes on. Today is a Beatles
tribute by the band and male singers from the cruise ship entertainment team.
It is loud, fun and we enjoy remembering all the Beatles songs. I clap and sing
along and have a great time!
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| Beatles tribute Band |
Day 15, Tuesday, August 22, 2017, Alborg, Denmark
As we approach Alborg, there are folks on the dock serving
as the reception committee, waving small Danish flags. David and I watch them
over our balcony railing, and I remember we have Danish flags we bought in
Copenhagen for the great-granddaughters, so I quickly pull them out and we
delight the reception committee by waving Danish flags back at them.
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| Arriving Alborg |
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| Arriving Alborg |
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| Arriving Alborg |
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Docking at Alborg
|
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| Reception committee |
Founded by the Vikings in the late 900s, Alborg enjoys a
gorgeous setting nearly 20 miles up the Limfjord at its narrowest point. This
is the first time David and I have ever been on a fjord! The best-preserved
Renaissance architecture in all of Denmark is here, most famously at the Jens
Bang’s House, built in 1624 for a wealthy merchant in lofty Renaissance style.
Its clean symmetry and proportion helped lay the foundation for today’s
Scandinavian design. There are also many buildings with Dutch-Renaissance
design, with two or three narrow pointed roofs on each housetop, resulting in a
very quaint village, and the guide is full of local lore, including ghost
stories, to enhance our walk.
Alborg, the nation’s 4th largest city, was founded as a
trading post. The wealth that poured into merchants’ accounts helped build many
half-timbered mansions that still stand today. Alborg Castle, the seat of the
modern-day governors of Northern Jutland (the continental portion of Denmark),
is perhaps the finest example. It was here the guide showed us the dungeon, and
we crouched down to enter the tiny round space. She told us of citizens' fear
of witches who were considered the most serious criminals, and after being
convicted, were imprisoned here briefly until they were burned or buried alive.
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| Alborg Castle |
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| Alborg Castle |
Lovers of fine spirits idolize Alborg as the city of
aquavit, the strong aperitif infused with herbs or spices, which David tried at
lunch yesterday. Alborg currency is the Danish Krone.
We continue to be blessed by warm, sunny weather. Emma, our
guide, took us up the cobblestone streets past the baroque Town Hall built in
1762 and the charming 14th-century Cathedral of St. Budolf to reach the
Monastery of the Holy Ghost, one of the oldest and best-preserved medieval buildings in Jutland.
After being used as a monastery, it became a hospital and now is a highly
sought-after independent living retirement community with a waiting list. Emma
says she wants to live here someday. She says weather here is more rain than
snow, not as cold as you might think.
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| Royal customs House |
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| Jens Bang's House |
The best-preserved Renaissance architecture in all of Denmark is here, most famously at the Jens Bang's House, built in 1624. Its clean symmetry and proportion helped lay the foundation for today's Scandinavian design.
 |
| Monastery of the Holy Ghost |
We stop at the Lutheran church with a high steeple. The
congregation serves coffee and tea and cookies to all the cruise visitors who
come to town. They are delighted to have visitors who contribute to the local
economy. This church was once a Catholic church. It is the most ornate church we have seen on this trip.
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| Budolfi Lutheran Church |
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| Budolfi church |
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| Budolfi church |
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| Budolfi church |
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| Budolfi church |
We walk through residential streets and the shopping district, where shop keepers are just opening. Emma points out the bakery and other shops.
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| Residence |
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| Residence |
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| Residence |
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| Residential street |
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| Student Housing |
We walk past student housing and the university. Denmark has
five universities, and one is located here. We finish our tour near some
fountains not far from the ship. Emma gives us each a small card with the
Rune alphabet, so we can learn how to write our name with Viking letters.
Back on the ship, we take our electronics up on the sun deck
to enjoy the lovely sunny day and look down over the town, where we can
people-watch and see other tour groups returning to the ship. We have lunch at
this same outside table and watch as our ship departs, with an incoming cruise
ship literally right behind us, easing into the parking spot we just left.
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| Our ship |
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| The next ship docking |
We watch the coastline, passing a cement plant and oil
storage tanks, piles of coal and other commercial locations.
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| Coastline |
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| Shorebird |
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Coastline
|
At 3:00, we attend an enrichment lecture by Jeremy
Patterson, an expert historian and university professor. The title of his topic
is “The Last Great Viking-Harald Hardrada’s Saga.” The room is packed as so
many of us are interested in learning more about the Vikings. Jeremy is an
excellent speaker. David mentioned to me that if Jeremy had been a professor
when he was in college, he would have taken classes from him. Jeremy does a
great job of setting context of how and why Vikings began to leave Scandinavia
looking for new homes. He covers nearly 500 years, from 600 through 1066. He
also told us about his sources so we know how he knows what he is telling us.
At 4:00, I attend another enrichment lecture, this one by
Dr. Adrian Cooper, who speaks on “Natural Wonders of Norway”. He shows color
slides of the geology, glaciers, vegetation and wildlife of the country. It was
very interesting and the slides were beautiful, but I found myself nodding in
the darkened theater.
At 6:45, we heard a Port Talk about Stavanger, Norway, to
learn more about the heritage, history and culture of the city.
After the Port Talk, we went to dinner and waved to Jeff and
Judy, already seated. They stopped by our table when they finished. We talked
about plans for tomorrow. They are taking the tour of Lysefjord. We have not
signed up for it, but will see if space is available. We also agreed to have
dinner together tomorrow evening.
Day 16, Wednesday, August 23, Stavanger, Norway
We can sleep in this morning as the ship does not dock until
around 10 am, but David wants to hear the President speak in AZ. David
tried to calculate the time change, and woke us up about 6 am, but the speech
was over, although of course, there were talking heads rehashing it. We
listened for a few minutes, then shut it off and went back to sleep.
The shore excursions desk opens at 8:30, so I took our
tickets for the walking tour down to see if I could cancel them and take the
fjord cruise. God is good! There are two spaces left on the 10:10 departure!
This tour is traveling one of Norway's most stunning fjords to a breathtaking natural wonder: Pulpit Rock. Our tour boat will first will go through the Stavanger archipelago to admire vacation homes on these small islets, then enter the Lysefjord.
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| Our tour will take us to Lysefjord |
We had breakfast and waited at the meeting point to leave
the ship. They count us off as the first group of 90, and we are so pleased to be
with Jeff and Judy. Other groups will go on separate boats. The boat is next to
our ship, just a few feet down the harbor. We find seats on the boat while the
guide tests out the Quietvoxes. There is some static today, so she decides to
just use the PA system on the boat. She says it is not always reliable but
today seems a better choice than the Quietvox.
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| Our tour boat |
The guide is originally from England and is here because
her husband was transferred by his oil company employer. We set off into the
Stavanger archipelago and admire the many vacation homes and suburban
developments on the small islets. The guide tells us about housing costs and
says many families choose to live on the islands and commute by ferry into
town, as homes on the islands are less expensive. She also talks about the
vacation homes where many folks go for weekends. Many of these properties have been
passed down through generations. The land is quite valuable.
Leaving the archipelago, we turn left to travel today on one
of Norway’s most stunning fjords, called Lysefjord, because Lyse means light
for the light-colored granite cliffs that line the fjord. We will be going to
see a breathtaking natural wonder: Preikestolen, or Pulpit Rock. The landscape
changes quickly and dramatically, as the small wooded hills become taller and
steeper, emerging as sheer granite walls. The guide says the depth of the
fjords is much greater that the height of the towering cliffs above us.
The wind is brisk and I am glad to have my jacket, but it is
not cold. They guide tells us we are fortunate because there has been so much
heavy rain this summer and today is bright and warm. The crowd is busy taking
photos of landscape and each other as we move deeper into the fjord. I am so
happy that we decided to book this trip and that space was available at the
last minute.
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| Entering the fjord |
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| Houses along the fjord |
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| Steep fjord canyon granite walls |
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| Jeff and Judy, friends we met on the cruise |
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| Judy admiring high granite walls |
The guide tells us that there are wild goats alongside the
fjord—not mountain goats, but domestic goats that have gone wild. They often
can be seen at water’s edge because sometimes the boats leave feed for them.
Sure enough, we come upon them grazing in a tiny grassy patch at the base of
the cliff. This is surely goat country, as the cliffs rise sharply from the
edge of the water with a few little ledges and crevices.
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| Goats |
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| Goats |
The boat takes us close to see Pulpit Rock, rising over
2,000 feet above us. It is a popular destination for hikers, and we are told it
takes 9 hours to hike there. The guide says people who stand and look out over
the edge are very brave. For herself, she laid down on her stomach and eased
herself along until she could see over the edge. The incredible rock formation
juts out above the fjord. The rock is rectangular shaped with a flat top, so
does look like a pulpit hanging from the wall of a church. It is difficult to
see people up there, but camera photos, enlarged on the screen, reveal they are
there. Our boat takes us directly under the rock, and not far away, close to
some towering waterfalls, with rainbows reflecting in the sun. Gorgeous!
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| Spectacular Pulpit Rock |
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| Pulpit Rock |
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| David and Bonnie enjoying the trip |
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| Photographer self-portrait |
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| One of many waterfalls |
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| Waterfall and rainbow |
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| Waterfall |
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| Jeff and Judy leaving waterfall |
On our return trip, we stop to disembark on an idyllic
beach, where Helleren restaurant is waiting for us with tea and coffee,
waffles, jam and sour cream. Yum! Sour cream is often used here because it
developed as a way to preserve milk.
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| Helleren Restaurant with Jeff and Judy |
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| Waffles, jam and sour cream |
After our brief indulgence, we re-board
the ship and return along the magnificent fjord waterway to town. I just keep
marveling at the natural wonder and beauty of this area and am so glad we did
not miss it. It feels like to have missed this fjord would be to miss the essence
of Norway!
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| Reboarding the tour boat |
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| Exiting the fjord |
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| Homes along the fjord |
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| Stavanger City Bridge |
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| The end of the fjord granite rocks |
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| Vacation homes outside the fjord |
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| Ready to leave the boat |
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Wake as we approach the dock
|
The guide distinguishes between fjords and lakes. The fjords
were created by glacial erosion. They are found in locations where current or
past glaciation extended below current sea level. When the glacier retreats
after carving its typical U-shaped valley, the sea fills the resulting valley
floor. Fjords are very deep, narrow and elongated bodies of salt water with
steep land on three sides. The opening toward the sea is called the mouth of
the fjord and is often shallow. The fjord’s inner part is called the sea
bottom.
There are more than 1000 fjords in Norway, all along the
coast. But most of the iconic ones like those you have seen on postcards are
located on the west coast. Norway puts the name of the fjord together with the
word fjord. (So, instead of saying Lake Louise, for example, they would say
Louiselake). The most famous ones are Naeroyfjord, Sognefjord, Lysefjord and
Geirangerfjord. Many of these are
designated as UNESCO World Heritage sites. And one of them, Lysefjord, is the
one we are cruising today.
Also, the steep mountains of fjords usually go directly into
the water, with little room at the shoreline for development or agriculture.
The guide says the limited land space is the reason for so much migration to
the US. There are more people of Norwegian descent in the US than in Norway!
We finish the tour and get off the boat next to town and near the Viking ship, whose berth is in the heart of town. I take
our day pack up to the room, then David and I head into town for sightseeing,
shopping and people watching.
A southern port of Norway, Stavanger is home to one of
Europe’s most interesting Old Towns. The cobbled streets of Gamle Stavanger, as Old Town is called, are lined with the continent’s highest concentration of wooden
buildings that date to the 17th and 18th centuries. Close to 250 are clustered
here, protected by a conservancy formed in the 1950s after developers
threatened to destroy these cultural riches. They are painted white. The guide
tells us they used to often be painted red with ox blood, literally! White
paint was too expensive! Sometimes people painted only the front of the house
white, as that is all they could afford. But today they are all dazzling white
and have the most incredible blooming gardens! Stunning colors against the
white houses. We could hardly avoid taking photos at every home.
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| Gardens next to white homes |
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| Gardens |
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| Gardens |
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| Gardens |
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| Garden wall |
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| Garden steps |
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| White house and garden |
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| Garden |
Many of Stavanger’s other riches come from the petroleum
industry. After searching unsuccessfully for years, Phillips Petroleum struck "pay dirt" in 1989. The city’s rapid population growth in the late 20th century
was primarily a result of Norway’s booming offshore oil industry. Offshore
drilling feeds the economy here, making the city one of the most expensive in
the world. Today the oil industry is a key industry in the Stavanger region, and
the city is widely referred to as the Oil Capital of Norway. The Norwegian oil
industry suffered greatly during the drop in oil prices. Over 40,000 Norwegians
in western Norway lost their jobs and it is slow in recovering.
The coastal city’s seafood is also bountiful. Fresh prawns
and white wine enhance any visit. Fish farms flourish and the owners struggle
to keep seals at bay and need to put down nets very deep to keep the seals
away. Salmon and cod are very popular and the salmon is such high quality, most
is exported to be used in sushi. Norway is also known internationally for IT.
We wander leisurely along the small cobblestone streets
admiring the white houses and spectacular gardens, climbing uphill away from
the pier. We leave the residential area to find the town center. David wants to
buy a new toothbrush, so we are not looking for a tourist kiosk. We enter a
building which has five different shops like a small shopping center for shoes,
jewelry and a small grocery. One shop has many assorted items including some
personal care products and I spot toothbrushes. We do not have any Norwegian
Krone. David asks if the clerk will take US currency, she says no. “How about
Euros?” “No”. Sometimes stores will accept other currency, but give you change
in local currency, but not here. So, David hands her a credit card to complete
the purchase.
We leave the shopping center to walk to the tourist area and
are quickly able to find flags. We browse the kiosks and are surprised to find many items we think were made in
Peru because they are designed with llamas. There are even some wooden pipe
musical instruments that clearly are Peruvian. Peru exports many woolen items
and Scandinavian countries also make clothing from wool, so we suppose
importing items from Peru makes sense, but we smile because it is like finding
things in the US that are made in China.
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| Shopping area |
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| Buying Norwegian flags |
We stop at an outdoor restaurant. We had a waffle on the
fjord cruise, but have not had lunch, so we are ready for a snack.
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| Outdoor Restaurant |
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| Our snack |
David asks
one of the two men at the next table to recommend a beer, and we strike up a
conversation with them. We learn they both work on our Viking ship, one as a
waiter and one an engineer. They are from Bosnia and Serbia. We continue to
chat with them while we eat. One is Tommy and the other is Barco. Barco is the
waiter and I recognize him as having served us before. Tommy is an engineer and
works below to help to guide the boat, so we never see him.
We talk about countries being at war, and the two men say
war is for politicians. Bosnia and Serbia have been at war with each other, but
these two men are friends. People on the individual level get along, it is
governments who make war. They also talk about their work with Viking. They
consider this a good living, even though they are on the ship 10 months a year.
They get two months annual vacation. Viking pays their travel to and from home
and furnishes their uniforms.
We finish our snack and board the ship. We find in our cabin
a letter apologizing for our poor experience in Iceland, and a lovely coffee
table book of Viking Ocean Cruises photos as a gift. The letter says Viking
will follow up with us again after we return home.
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| Ship cabin |
We plan to meet Jeff and Judy for dinner, so change and head
down to meet them. We enjoy their company and getting to know them better. They
run the Durango Lodge in Durango, CO, and are thinking about retirement so we
have lots in common to talk about.
Day 17, Thursday, August 24, Eidfjord, Norway
We cruise down a larger fjord to reach
a smaller one.
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Cruising the larger Hardangerfjord
|
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| The smaller Eidfjorden |
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| Eidfjord |
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| Eidfjord guesthouse (hotel) |
The quaint village of Eidfjord has the same name as the fjord,
has only 1000 inhabitants, and is nestled in the heart of one of Norway’s most
scenic regions. (Our ship docked here doubles the population of the town.) From
the Norwegian Sea, the waters of the expansive Hardangerfjord lead to the
smaller Eidfjord and to this charming mountain hamlet.
Eidfjord embodies the
Norway of every traveler’s dream, the gateway to Hardangervidda, Europe’s
largest mountain plateau of soaring beauty, and the highest point on the
plateau is at the top of one of Norway’s largest glaciers, Hardangerjokulen.
(The guide says Norwegians are not very creative, as they name many things by
the same name, such as the fjord, glacier, plateau and park, all called
Hardanger.) This is Norway’s largest national park and has a year-round alpine
climate. It is a haven for mountain hikers and bikers and a natural domain of wild reindeer. A biking rental company
rents bikes to folks who ride up on the train and then bike all the way back
down the mountain.
We begin by coach and cross over
Norway’s longest suspension bridge, the Hardanger Bridge, and the
Hardangerfjord. The bridge is 4297.9 feet long, about 60 feet longer than the
Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. The towers of the bridge must stand on shore
due to the depth of the fjord. The scenery reminds us of Colorado mountains,
except there is a lot more water everywhere, and birch trees instead of aspen.
The highways have sharp switchback curves, so that as we climb, oncoming
traffic knows to pull over somewhere other than on the curve, because the coach
takes the entire curve to make the turn.
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| Hardanger Bridge |
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| Hardanger Bridge |
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| Mountain switchbacks |
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| Mountain switchbacks |
Our guide, Blanca, gives us history
that before the bridge, traffic was often delayed for hours because the only
road was often blocked by snow or rockslides which took hours to clear. That
road is still in use, but the bridge provides a second road and an alternative
when the first is closed. There was also a ferry crossing that the bridge
replaced. We marvel at the engineering of this bridge. Blanca says it was
prefabricated in China and assembled here yet still took four and a half
years to complete because of the harsh conditions and winds the workers faced.
Even today, when the wind speeds vary, the bridge is closed. A steady wind,
even a fast one, is safe, but the gusts are dangerous.
We drive through tunnel after tunnel,
and are amazed to find three-way roundabouts inside the tunnels! We take the
second right exit from the first roundabout directly onto the bridge. There are
wind speed indicators inside the tunnel to alert drivers to the possibility of
bridge closure. We look to the right and left as well as directly ahead to try
to capture the essence of this entire area, snapping photos while we crane our
necks.
We travel onward and upward through
the idyllic village of Ulvlik, known for its fruit cultivation and agricultural
school. The guide points out a barn roof which has written on it a statement
against joining the EU. She says that the agricultural community here is very
opposed to joining the European Union because it would be so expensive for
them. She talks about how labor intensive the work is here as opposed to other
parts of Europe.
There are wide fields of mountain
grass which has been harvested and packed into large round white plastic bags,
like bales of hay. These are where the grass is fermented to make silage for
winter feed. She says it is possible to buy pink bags, for which the extra
funds go to breast cancer research, or green bags, which help research prostate
cancer. The sheep are taken to higher pasture during the summer, so that leaves
these lower fields clear for mowing.
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| Mowing and baling mountain grass |
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| Mowing, baling and storing mountain grass |
We zig-zag through the mountainside
orchards, along the hairpin turns on the roads on a lakeside drive to Skjervet,
(or Skjervsfossen) Waterfalls. (Fossen means falls). These lovely falls consist
of two waterfalls in succession, dropping about 500 feet. The falls fan out a
bit over the rocks, creating a blast of spray and mist, resulting in multiple
rainbows. The guide says that Norway brought in path builders, Sherpas, from
Nepal, to construct a pathway of steps between the falls. The Sherpas were eager
to receive the extra income, plus Norway sent funds to the town from which the
Sherpas came. Quite an international trade agreement.
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| Approaching the falls |
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| Waterfalls map and explainer |
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| Skjervsfossen |
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| The people in the lower left give perspective |
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| Bonnie with falls in background |
We stop often for photo opportunities
and love the scenery, but it does get weary climbing on and off the bus.
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| Stream from the falls |
We descend into Voss, which is where we can board the famous Bergen Railway train for a two-hour scenic trip.
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| Voss |
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| Troll at Voss |
The whimsical figure in Voss is one of Norway’s beloved troll statues—a playful nod to the country’s rich folklore tradition. Trolls are iconic in Norwegian mythology, often depicted as mischievous, oversized creatures living in the mountains or forests. Statues like this one are popular photo ops in tourist towns, especially in places like Voss that celebrate local culture with a touch of humor.
This particular troll, with its exaggerated features and colorful knit hat, isn’t modeled after a specific mythological character but rather embodies the general spirit of Norwegian trolls: quirky, slightly wild, and full of personality. It’s placed near a souvenir shop to charm visitors and spark curiosity.
Riding the train is a terrific scenic
experience if you are sitting on the right-hand side. Unfortunately, we were on
the left. Much of the scenery we saw from our window was trees and the close-up
rock face of the mountain, or the darkness of the many tunnels we went through.
Across the car from us, the people in the right seats had great views of the
passing scenery, lakes and rivers, waterfalls, farms and tiny towns. We could
see out those windows but no chance to get photos, so we were disappointed. On my
evaluation form for Viking, I suggested either buying only tickets for right
hand seats or making plans to have passengers trade seats when the train
stopped at the midpoint.
We admired the views as we climbed the
mountain pass to Geilo, where we left the train at the elegant and famous
150-year-old, 19th century Fleischer’s Hotel, for a buffet
lunch. The hotel owner spoke to us briefly about being the 5th generation
owner, and introduced us to her son and granddaughter, generations 6 and 7,
before boarding our coach again.
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| Scenery on the way to hotel |
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Fleischer's Hotel
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| Fleischer's Hotel |
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| Enjoying lunch at Fleischer's |
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| Outside view Fleischer's |
Viewing scenery from the coach works
better for us, plus we get off from time to time for photos. We continue
through small towns on the the Hardangervidda Mountain Plateau and descend through the dramatic
Mabodalen Valley.
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| Lake near Ustaoset |
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| Ustaoset |
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| Mountainside home |
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| Ustaoset Troll |
The dam and lake near Fossli Hotel are part of the Sysendalen hydroelectric system, and the lake is called Sysenvatnet. This reservoir lies on the Hardangervidda plateau in Norway, just upstream from the dramatic Vøringsfossen waterfall, which plunges 550 feet into the Måbødalen valley.
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| Sysenvatnet Lake |
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| Sysenvatnet Dam |
We immerse ourselves on a journey past fjords, mountains and waterfalls, stopping for another spectacular waterfall, Vooringfossen, a 550-foot cascade plummeting into the cavernous Mabodalen Canyon, shaped by rivers and glaciers. For the first time on our travels, we have a bit of rain, not heavy, more like sprinkles, but enough for the driver to use the wipers and for we tourists to put on raincoats. This waterfall is beside the Fossli Hotel, where we have a rest stop and a waffle, strawberries and cream snack—these are addictive!
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| Fossli Hotel |
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| Fossli Hotel |
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| Coach wipers |
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| Glacier |
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| Bonnie in the rain with her sandals on |
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| Bonnie near the canyon |
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| Voooringfossen waterfalls |
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| Vooringfossen Falls |
We are headed downhill now, as dusk is approaching and the town lights are coming on, through
tunnels to Upper Eidfjord, past the blue-green lake and to the head of the
Hardangerfjord to our waiting ship, arriving about 6:00.
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| Lights reflecting on the water |
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| Lights on the water |
We freshen up, have dinner and decide
to go to the evening entertainment, “Music of Abba”, by the cruise ship
entertainment folks. They are a talented group, dressed in sparkling silver
costumes and backed by a great IT department which puts wonderful backgrounds
on the screen behind them. They put on a great show including my favorites,
“Fernando”, “Dancing Queen”, and “Take a Chance on Me”.
Day 18 Friday, Aug. 25, Bergen, Norway
We signed up for “Bergen by Land and Sea” as our shore
excursion today, leave the ship at 8:45 to walk along the waterfront to board a
chartered passenger boat to cruise the harbor and fjord with a return by coach.
We journeyed across the scenic archipelago’s waters, as well as visiting the
suburbs and historic harbor. The city sits in a picturesque setting, surrounded
by seven mountain peaks and the North Sea, sheltered by myriad islands. It is
nestled against the mountains with houses climbing up the side. There is an
aerial tramway up the slope.
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| Cityscape with houses climbing up the mountainside |
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| Bergen Railway Station |
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| Clarion Hotel on Waterfront |
Bergen is nestled between gargantuan snowcapped mountains,
magnificent fjords and one of Europe’s largest glaciers. It is an ancient city
with deep Viking roots. Founded in 1070 on what was a Viking settlement, Bergen
is the second-largest city in Norway. For many centuries, it was the country’s
capital and in the Hanseatic League, a merchant powerhouse with ports
throughout the Baltic. Perhaps its most iconic landmark is the gathering of
quaint, historic wooden buildings of the UNESCO-listed Bryggen wharf built after the great fire in 1702 on foundations dating back to the 12th century.
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| Bergen Wharf |
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| Bergen Waterfront |
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| Ship docked at waterfront |
The weather is again warm and clear, but with a tang of cool
wind which makes me glad for my jacket. David and I stay on top deck of the tour boat the entire time, but we have a seat which is protected from most of the
wind. Nearly everyone else sooner or later goes downstairs and inside where it
is warm, but we stick it out for views and photos. The boat has some engine
trouble which slows us down for a while, but all the better for seeing the
sights all around us.
The guide, Johanna, is quite good and tells us lots of local
lore such as about a violinist who built a strange-looking house with an onion
dome-looking like Russia.
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| House with Onion Dome |
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Onion Dome House near Waterfront
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She has lots of stories-another is about many people
escaping from Germans by going to the Shetland islands not far away. A spy gave
away the system and the Germans retaliated by killing all the village occupants
and livestock, sinking the boats and burning the village to the ground as an
example to others not to try to escape.
As we pass an idle oil tanker, she mentions how hard hit the
economy is here from the decline in oil prices. Fishing, including farmed
salmon, cod and prawns, local caviar and icy oysters, continues to be a strong
support to the economy, and she points out fish farms. There are two bridges
across the fjord, and discussions are going on locally about whether to build
another bridge or an underwater tunnel. Of course, length of a bridge has
limits, so a tunnel may be the answer.
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| Askoy Bridge |
Askøy Bridge (Askøybroen) — a striking suspension bridge that connects the city of Bergen to the island of Askøy across the Byfjorden. It’s one of Norway’s longest suspension bridges, stretching 1,057 meters with a main span of 850 meters, and its two concrete pylons rise to 152 meters.
Opened in 1992, the bridge replaced the Kleppestø–Nøstet ferry and dramatically improved access between Bergen and the island. It’s not just an engineering feat — it’s also a visual landmark, especially with the forested hills and fjord waters framing it so beautifully.
We continue our boat tour along the fjord, admiring scenery and homes in the forest.
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| Outbuildings along the fjord |
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| Home on the fjord |
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Home on the fjord
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| Communities along the fjord |
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| Onion dome along the fjord |
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| Someone is having a party |
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| Houses built near the water |
We have gone far enough out along the fjord to be able to
see the North Sea in the distance.
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| Looking toward the North Sea |
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| Looking toward the North Sea |
Johanna says it would be through there to
head to England. We turn toward land to dock and transfer to a coach. Johanna
continues to educate us about Bergen and its suburbs, pointing out the home of
Edvard Grieg, Norwegian composer and pianist. (I love his Peer Gynt Suites).
When we arrived at the wharf, Johanna pointed out the
medieval Bergenhus fortress at the entrance to Bergen’s harbor. She led us on a
walking tour among the colorful warehouses lining the waterfront that once
housed wealthy German merchants from the Hanseatic League. It was through these wooden warehouses that
much of the mercantile organization’s wealth passed. The buildings are being
repaired and as we walked past them, we could look at the foundations being
restored while the structures are being held up by hydraulic jacks. Bergen has
a history of multiple fires, but these commercial buildings were preserved.
UNESCO listed these buildings in 1979. The oldest and tallest of these
buildings is St. Mary’s church.
We returned to the ship for a late lunch. Our Viking cruise is ending tomorrow. I stood in line
for a half hour to get a refund on our VAT tax, but somehow it did not work.
David spent more than an hour on the ship’s computers to check in and print
boarding passes. Still, we do not think they are correct, as we paid for premium
seats, but the boarding passes would only show economy. We will straighten it
out at the airport.
We struggled to get our bags closed, but get it done and set
them outside the stateroom to be picked up tonight and taken to the terminal
for us to claim in the morning.
We will have breakfast in the morning and must be out of
our cabin by 8:00. We leave the ship at 9:30 to transfer to the airport for a
1:00 departure. We have four flights across nearly 24 hours before arriving home. What an amazing journey this has been!!
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