Nicole schreibt...

Norway 2017

I know I keep saying that I'm done with cruises but then return to a ship anyway. In this case it was partly the wish to compromise with my cruise-loving mother and partly the realization that a ship is after all the best medium to explore Norway's incredible coast line and fjords. Something I had been keen on after surprising myself by loving Iceland so much. So here we were on another AIDA ship again after all for a week's cruise in Southern Norway. By sheer coincidence we had booked the cruise that would depart on the weekend of Hamburg's "Hafengeburtstag" which always takes place in early May to commemorate the 7th May 1189 when Emperor Barbarossa first gave Hamburg permission for toll-free trading along the river Elbe. The festivies always end on a big departure parade late on Sunday when hundreds of ships sail past the harbour - including ours. Which was a splendid spectacle enabling me to see tons of different vessels of all shapes and sizes and enjoy the view of Hamburg from the water, including the incredible (budget-busting) Elbphilharmonie:

In order to get to the Norwegian coast, the first day would be spent entirely at sea as we crossed a fairly stormy North Sea, causing widespread seasickness. I already noticed the drawbacks of a Northern cruise in that we were pretty much cooped up indoors, with only 1-2 hours spent outside in a windless corner under a blanket. I also noticed once more that my tolerance for rude selfish "Germans on holiday" attitude is absolutely zero, whether it's the ludicrous stampede for tables at the restaurants where people start queueing 15-20 minutes before the restaurant even opens, chattering grannies in the sauna meant for quiet relaxation or other little things like not moving your chair in the restaurant to let you pass. And sadly this ship seemed particularly popular with elderly folks, who, I'm sad to say, are by far the worst culprits. Anyway, I also realized that I didn't really take pix of the AIDA ships so far, so here's a peek into one of the restaurants (before the storming by the horde) and the "theatrium" where the evening shows take place and which I really like:

First port of call was Bergen, Norway's first medieval capital and an important trading post for the German Hanseatic League. Their little merchant quarter Bryggen is now a world heritage site and was one of the places I was most keen on seeing in Norway. I wasn't disappointed, even though what's on show today is basically fake since the complex of wooden houses burnt down several times, most recently in WW2 and keeps being rebuilt. Our first mission wasn't Bryggen though but to catch the Fløibana, the funicular that goes up Bergen's 320 metre tall Mount Fløyen, before the cruise sheeple would flood the place and while the weather was dry and offered a good view. And good thing we did, because it started raining later, wrapping the hills into clouds:

We then wandered around the small alleys of Bryggen, which house offices, galleries and little shops these days and do give a great idea of what life must have been like there during the heydays of trading:

For some odd reason the Hanseatic Museum only sold combination tickets during the morning that included a shuttle bus to some fishing museum outside the city and started selling single-entry ticket for their own place from the afternoon only. So we went on a longer wander around the lovely city centre of Bergen and found proper Norwegian lunch in a nice little restaurant. Here's the central pond/park of Bergen and the medieval castle consisting of Håkonshallen, which King Håkon Håkonsson had built in 13th century and the Rosenkrantztårnet in the background, built in 16th century on the foundations of an earlier watchtower.

Finally it was time to visit the museum and it proved worth the wait. It's housed in one of the oldest timber buildings (from 1702) in Bryggen and showcases how people lived there back then. The actual living quarters were on top of the fish press and storage, where fish was dried and stored for export - the smell must have been unimaginable. The living room and dining room look quite comfy here, the "apprentices' quarters" (with two guys sharing one bed) less so. A short walk up the street leat to the Schøtstuene, the assembly halls of the merchants, where they'd meet to discuss business, drink and get fed from the large kitchen. I am a sucker for this kind of museum/exhibition that allows you to really get a good glimpse of the past, so this was certainly one of the highlights of the trip.

First stop history, next stop nature: The next morning brought us through the Hardangerfjord and the Eidfjord to a little place called Ulvik, where people were let off the ship for a day trip (before the ship would continue to Eidfjord where it would be at anchor all day). Since the organized tour was really the only sensible way to get around, we joined the sheeple for the day and slugged around the amazing landscape of Hordaland in five coaches and later a train. While the weather could certainly have been better, it was all still fairly impressive with snow-capped mountains and waterfalls. Here are two of the most impressive waterfalls we've stopped at, the Skjervsfossen from below and above and on the right side, the lovely Tvindefossen:

Lunch was had at a hotel in Stalheim, which offered this incredible view from its back terrace. Whoever thought it would be a good idea to hack a serpentine road from there down several hairpin bends to the bottom of the fjord I do not know, but it was quite an experience in a full coach and the driver got himself a well-earned round of applause when we were finally down in the valley. Our next destination was the tiny town of Flåm at the end of the Aurlandsfjord. A few decades ago it was connected to Myrdal in the highlands (which lies on the Oslo-Bergen railway line) by the 20 kilometre long Flåmsbana, now famous for being one of the most scenic railway journeys in the world. Scenic it most definitely was, but what I had NOT bargained for was the snow - both on the ground and coming down from the sky.

From the valley... to the mountains 700 metres further up (!)

The next morning found us in Stavanger, which is now mostly known as Norway's "oil capital" and headquarters of the Norwegian oil industry, but also enjoyed a brief spot in the sun as Cultural Capital of Europe 2008. Among its nicest sights is the old town, Gamle Stavanger, consisting of small hilly cobblestone lanes lined by white-painted wooden houses. There's a small cannery museum tucked away in it as well as some art galleries, but I was perfectly happy to just enjoy the picturesque little streets before moving on to the no less pretty harbour of Stavanger and along a street towards Ledaal, once built for a local shipping magnate but now used as a summer residence by the Norwegian royal family when they happen to be in town.

With plenty of time left in town we decided to visit the Norwegian Oil Museum which the Lonely Planet had assured me would be more interesting than it sounded. And it actually was, showing large models of oil drilling platforms in the North Sea and the development of oil exploration. Incredibly, the deepest platforms now go down more than 400 metres into the seabottom. There's also a miniature "cockpit" of a platform where you can try the escape route people have to take in case of trouble and some talk about fossil fuels, environmental damage and so on. The Norwegians, not stupid, are getting filthy rich by selling their oil and gas elsewhere while they invest in green clean energy on a large scale. After the much more interesting visit than I had expected, we found a nice cafe to relax with hot chocolate (yes, it was -that- balmy up in Norway) before finally strolling back to the ship.

The next day would already be the last, taking us to the Norwegian capital Oslo after a long morning's sailing down Oslofjord to get there. I hadn't been sure what to even do there and my main ambition had been to go up to the Holmenkollen ski jumping arena, since I've always adored ski jumping and they have the Norwegian ski museum up there as well as a simulator(!). But since we only had half a day, it seemed too rushed to scoot up there and back and see nothing else of the city. And at least you can actually see the Holmenkollen from the harbour, even here in the small version of the picture (above the left of the twin towers of the Town Hall). With that ambition foiled, we visited Akershus Slott by the harbour instead, site of the first fortress that once guarded the tiny settlement of Oslo. (Danish) King Christian IV had it renovated and expanded into a proper castle in 17th century when Denmark lorded it over Norway and even today it is sometimes used for receptions and other festivities. While not very big or impressive, it was still nice enough to mosey round and see how the Scandinavian nobles lived.

The Town Hall by the harbour is not exactly a pretty building, but it somehow became Oslo's most famous landmark nonetheless. It is here the Nobel Peace Prize is handed out every year, by the way. There's a museum dedicated to that across the road, but we didn't go there. Instead we wandered on to take a peek at the Royal Palace, where people can basically stroll up right to the front door (but not enter) and from there down fancy Karl Johans Gate, Oslo's lovely boulevard that connects the castle and the parliament building. We poked around the shops for a while, but Norway is just too insanely expensive to contemplate shopping. The sun had finally come out on the last day of the trip, so we enjoyed that for a while by the new opera house at the harbour (not exactly Sydney, but hey) before it was time to return to the ship.

And so the visit to Norway ended on a nice and sunny note, sailing out of Oslofjord in the evening, before another final day at sea. We had wisely spent extra money for access to the sheltered "wellness oasis" with loungers and a large jacuzzi, which was a great way to chill and also be away from the hordes. While a cruise ship is definitely a great way to visit Norway with its incredible coast line and I certainly don't regret the trip, I know for sure now that I'll never travel on a German ship again. I just can't deal with the rudeness, the selfishness and the utter lack of decorum. It's a pity really because the AIDA ships remain as lovely as ever with lots to do, great restaurants and evening entertainment and lovely staff. As it is, I will think back of this trip as a wonderful chance to get a good first impression of Norway and its cities and fjords... and dream of Mediterranean Sun.