Fjord focus in Norway

Oct 29 2008 By Frank Corless

There's water, water everywhere in Norway, says Frank Corless.

When you have just braved a storm on land, and are about to head off across the tricky North Sea, it is comforting to hear the man in charge of the journey tell us that weather predictions for our crossing to Norway were good.

“Trust me, I’m your captain,” said Alan Leech, his voice echoing through the loudspeaker system on board Thomson’s Celebration cruise liner.

It was tongue-in-cheek, but it was just the tonic we landlubbers needed after a difficult road journey to Harwich had prompted melancholy thoughts that booking for the Med might have been a wiser option. Shame on us . . .

There was so much to enjoy as we cruised around the Norwegian fjords. Hardly a waking hour passed without hearing collective choruses of approval as the ancient land of Vikings and trolls rolled out a tableau of natural wonders.

Few would argue that the fjords are the quintessential essence of Norway. It was difficult to stay away from the ship’s rails as every view was hauntingly beautiful.

Simply watching the ship’s wake roll across incredibly serene water, like ripples billowing through finest silk, was worth staying on deck for, even as night closed in.

Water is everywhere in Norway. It roars down mountains in giant waterfalls, before tumbling into streams, rivers, lakes, and fjords. It is frozen into glaciers and snow. And the bottled stuff is the best I’ve ever tasted.

Bergen, the gateway to the fjords, was our first port of call. Birthplace of composer Edvard Grieg, it’s a city to strike the right note with anyone. It might be hard on the pocket, but it is certainly easy on the eye. And, apart from the majestic scenery, the city is stacked high with culture and history.

After coffee in the colourful fish market, we walked the narrow passages and alleyways of the ancient Bryggen wharf, before catching a road train for a tour of the city’s busy, and immaculately clean, streets.

A funicular railway then swept us to the top of 320 metre high Mount Floyen. The whole of the city, and its magnificent harbour, lay below us.

Three other stops on the cruise itinerary – Olden, Flam, and Eidfjord – were memorable for different reasons, and each without Bergen’s traffic.

Another road train tour took us to Olden Lake, where the water was like glass, and the mountains seemed to be teetering on the brink of toppling into it.

In Flam, we caught a ride on the famous Flamsbana railway, a masterpiece of Norwegian engineering.

It snakes through awesome valleys, dotted with tiny hamlets, and spirals through tunnels to the village of Myrdal.

The £30 return cost was money well spent, if only for when the train made a stop at the dramatic Kjosfoss waterfall.

As haunting music echoed from the mountainside, a mythical “forest creature”, dressed in a flowing medieval gown, emerged – maid-of-the-mist style – from a rocky outcrop alongside the waterfall.

It was a piece of pure, orchestrated theatre, but it cast its spell on us.

Our final big experience came during an excursion from the landing stage at picturesque Eisfjord.

The tour included a view of the awesome Hardanger glacier, and the Voringsfossen waterfall, which plunges 600 feet to the canyon below.

There’s no escaping the fact that, compared with some destinations, Norway is expensive. But, one of the bonuses of being on a Thomson cruise ship is that all meals, and tips, are included.

There are three restaurants and as a special treat, we booked into the ship’s Zilli restaurant (a £19 cover charge applies), where meals are prepared to recipes by Italian chef Aldo Zilli, the man behind a clutch of gourmet West End eateries.

Savouring the food and wine, while the fjord vistas slipped by our window, was a five-star experience. Enchanting.

* Fact Box

* Thomson is offering the Fjordland Wonders seven-night cruise on the Thomson Spirit on August 28, 2009, sailing from Harwich from £749 per person, based on two sharing a deck 1/2 inside cabin. Price includes full board, tips, port taxes and charges.

* To book, visit thomson.co.uk/cruise or call 0871 230 2800.