Hurtigruten - Norway’s Coastal Express
I can’t say enough about this cruise. It was the most relaxing experience I have had on a cruise. The scenery was breathtaking at every turn, even in the month of February. The service on board was top notch and the food was spectacular.
Breakfast and lunch were buffet style.
There were so many good, healthy choices with lots of vegan dishes as well. This was something new for me to try and it was all good!
Dinner was served with elegance with several choices to choose from.
This was REINDEER! Another new experience and it, too was very good!
I took the 12-day Bergen to Bergen round trip coastal adventure and sailed on the MS Richard With.
Shortly after boarding, I learned that Richard With was the founder of Hurtigruten.
When we were in port for several hours I either walked the town on my own or embarked on an excursion offered by the cruise line. Each night before arriving at a port, we received a map of the area. My portable Wi Fi and battery pack also allowed me to wander the streets without worrying about getting lost. (Click here to see the portable Wi Fi and battery pack I used on this trip.)
One of the stops where I explored on my own was the town of Bodo (pronounced BOO DAH).
I visited the Bodo Cathedral, walked the streets of Bodo taking in the sites, before heading back to the cruise ship where two scoops of my favorite ice cream were waiting for me.
In Tromso as I was navigating my way to the Arctic Cathedral, I found a small Catholic Church.
I was unable to locate the name of the church. It was open and I was happy to spend some time exploring its beauty.
The Arctic Cathedral in Tromso was an amazing structure both inside and out.
However, the main cathedral in Tromso is only open on Sunday. This was disappointing because the pictures on the inside of the cathedral on the website were beautiful.
My first Hurtigruten excursion was to the North Cape in Honningsvag, Norway. After crossing the 71st parallel, we embarked on the northernmost part of the continent.
The Globe Monument sculpture is the iconic symbol of the North Cape.
After walking the grounds of North Cape, I explored the inside of the museum and found St. John’s Chapel and a beautiful Thai Museum dedicated to the visit of King Chulalongkorn of Siam (now Thailand) in 1907.
My second excursion on this trip checked off a major item on my bucket list.
DOG SLEDDING!
This was such a beautiful, relaxing experience. The dogs took us across the frozen lake surrounded by fjords.
We then warmed up near a cozy fire and were offered a special hot fruit drink popular with the Sami people.
After this exciting adventure, we walked through the Snow Hotel – where people actually spend the night), and then headed to a special area to feed the reindeer.
My third excursion was a visit to a fishing village in Svolvaer.
It was very interesting to learn the drying process for cod used for hundreds of years. Stockfish is the result of this drying process with a storage life of several years.
These are the racks used in the drying process.
Although this was very interesting, this was the first evening we saw the stars since leaving Bergen. We were all anxious to see the Northern Lights and knew this was possible if the stars could be seen.
After a visit to one of the original fishing cabins from the 1840s, we existed the cabin and witnessed a beautiful light show in the sky.
This is one of the reasons I came to Norway.
God never disappoints!
Let me know in the comments below if you’ve ever seen the Northern Lights and if so where did you see them? If Norway is not on your bucket list, I highly recommend that you add it to your list. This was an amazing trip and hope you are inspired to starting planning!
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