Norwegian Fjords cruise 2007

Travellers: Tano and Caterina

Destination: Norwegian Fjords from 15 July to 22 July 2007

Before leaving: research on the internet

Bookings made: through the travel agency we booked a cabin with a balcony on the Costa Magica

15 July 2007

The Milan Malpensa – Copenhagen flight and boarding on the Costa Magica ship. The ship is immense and looked after down to the smallest detail. The cabin booked is number 8392 with a balcony so we could peacefully enjoy the beauty of the fjords. In the evening, after dinner, we wandered around the ship (at the risk of getting lost).

16 July 2007

The day is a sailing day so we devoted ourselves to exploring the ship, relaxing and using the gym. The temperatures did not allow use of the large outdoor pool, so all the ship's other attractions (sauna, Turkish bath, etc.) required very long waits. While sailing, the little shops stay open. Considering that, as often happens, travel agencies recommend places they only know from the catalogue, we found ourselves unprepared for the temperature. We bought fleeces and jackets, paying dearly for them. The day passes eating continuously (poor stomach).

17 July 2007

We arrive at Flam (pronounced Flom), the first stop. At night the ship travels the whole fjord, and when we wake up, opening the curtains, we find ourselves among the mountains. Flam is a tiny village of 450 inhabitants. The fog, the scent of moss and the sound of the waterfalls make the landscape full of green even more characteristic. Even the quay is covered in green. We decide to take an excursion organised by Costa (of about €110.00 per person). Thinking we had paid an outrageous sum and not even had an excursion included in the price irritated us a bit (after the water not included with meals and the hotel services charged at €6.00 per person a day). We choose the excursion that includes the return on the characteristic Flamsbana train.

The places visited are very characteristic and the lunch included in the excursion treats us to a tasting of their typical products: salmon cooked in about 5 ways and of various qualities (river, fjord and farmed), reindeer sausages and some very good Norwegian strawberries. A pity about the rain, which never left us. Spectacular was the ship leaving the fjord with all the people of Flam gathering to admire the event of the week. In the evening, after dinner and the show, we realise that the ship's entertainment excludes the 25-35 target. The dances with tango, waltz, etc. lead us to the usual Casino (where, having duly lost the set amount, we enjoy watching the hardened gamblers lose).

18 July 2007

Wake-up at 6.30, breakfast in the cabin and at 8 we board the tenders to go ashore at Hellesylt. The ship will continue the route to Geiranger, at the end of perhaps the most beautiful fjord in all of Norway. This time the guide is very well prepared and friendly and during the coach journey tells us about Norway's economy and the places we will visit. We see the deepest lake in Europe, the village of Stryn, wonderful waterfalls (for us Sicilians all this water seems like a mirage). For lunch a stop at a typical restaurant and then in the afternoon we climb up to Mount Dalsnibba (1500 metres) where we cannot see anything because of the thick fog (it is about 5°C). The hairpin bends leading to Geiranger are nothing short of scary. We see reindeer. On the way down we stop at a viewpoint that lets us admire the ship, small compared to the size of the fjord.

Souvenir photos like in the catalogue. Before boarding the ship we visit the little shops of Geiranger, where we notice the awful colours of the Norwegian sweaters and the usual trolls.

19 July 2007

After the usual breakfast in the room we go ashore at Bergen, the second city of Norway and in the past also its capital. This time we prefer not to take the organised excursion (for cities it is better to wander on your own). We visit the district with the colourful wooden houses, one of the main attractions of the tour. Not to be missed is the funicular that takes you up to a peak to admire the view. Afterwards we visited the fish market where, after tasting abundantly, we buy wild salmon. We notice that there are many Italian traders at the market. At the market we also buy fresh strawberries and cherries (excellent!) and taste the crab. Wandering freely made us feel masters of our own time, without the pressure of how many minutes we had for the various stops. Back on the ship we eat in quantity.

20 July 2007

In the morning we arrive at Kristiansand. Fortunately we do not take the organised excursion (many came back quite angry), so we wander the little town aimlessly. This stop seemed to us to have few attractions and perhaps was simply useful for getting closer to Oslo.

21 July 2007

This time, under pressure from other tourists, we take the Super Oslo excursion (about €110.00 per person) which allows you to see a bit of everything. The excursion begins with a tour of about 30 min in the city (a bit too little to see the beauties of the place and take a few photos). Another stop at the Viking Ship Museum where you can admire three examples of ships in perfect condition. Don't do like a tourist who dared to touch them, risking a beating. After the lunch break we stopped for about 30 min at the winter games ski jump (which turned out to be a useless stop since, with no snow, there was very little to see) and about 40 min at Vigeland Park for a walk. The little time available to complete the route did not allow us to take advantage of the green park for a bit of relaxation. Inside the park there are many statues representing the stages of life.

Inexplicable is the one-hour visit to the museum of the polar ship Fram (not included in our excursion and therefore at a charge). A pity, if useless visits like the ski jump had been removed, the museum visit could have been recovered with about 1h and 30' to devote to the centre of Oslo and the park.

22 July 2007

During the cruise no money circulates on board and everything is paid with the Costa card, so you often lose your reason, and before arriving in Copenhagen we will have our return to the sad reality.

Final considerations: The Norwegian fjords cruise lets you visit very beautiful and unspoilt places. I think that if we ever return to Norway we will hire a car in Oslo and drive around freely, spending much less and coming into contact with local customs and traditions. Tano & Caterina tanocognata@libero.it

Cost of the trip: Return flight, cabin with balcony €5,600.00 Excursions €680.00 Hotel services €84.00 Costa card expenses (little shops, coffee, water, etc.) €380.00 Souvenirs €80.00 Total €6824.00