Today s visitors to Norway generally cite the fjords at the top of their list of sites to see, and c

NORWAY fox 11 news los angeles Norway has earned the moniker Land of the Midnight Sun because from May through July, the sun never completely sets north of the Arctic fox 11 news los angeles Circle, which comprises about half of the 16,000 miles of Norway s coastline. Southern Norway receives about 20 hours of sun. However, from November through January, the sun never rises above the horizon in the north, with daylight hours very short in the south.
Our mid-September visit gave us a glimpse of months to come as the days were shortening and the weather was growing colder we even experienced snow on one of the mountains. Guarded by the Gulf Steam ocean current, however, the coastline fox 11 news los angeles has higher temperatures and more precipitation than expected at such northern latitudes.
Norway is especially known for its fjords, for its majestic and steep mountains and for the Vikings who inhabited the area for centuries fox 11 news los angeles and have been credited with finding North America before Columbus did. What we found during our week s cruise about Holland America Line s MS Rotterdam were an admiration for the hearty souls who claimed this area, an understanding of how important sailing and navigation was to its development, and an appreciation of how nature can create fox 11 news los angeles such a marvelous land.
Because of the length fox 11 news los angeles of sunlight and severity of the weather, there s a cruising season for the Norwegian coast, and our journey fell on the last week for this year. Still, in each port other cruise lines were calling, and the popularity of this area is growing. More ships are scheduled here next year.
The MS Rotterdam comfortably carries 1,400 passengers offering plenty to see and do amid her 10 decks, from shows to fine dining to onboard fox 11 news los angeles classes to daily tea service, where we met one Canadian couple on their sixth Holland America cruise. Passengers this cruise were mostly from Europe (though most spoke English), fox 11 news los angeles but one common characteristic was the high number fox 11 news los angeles of repeaters.
We loved that this MS Rotterdam sailing was roundtrip from the port of Rotterdam where our departure day happened to coincide with the Annual World Port Festival. Rotterdam, as the busiest port in Europe, has celebrated this event 35 years, and we cruisers had a front row seat at one of the best water shows imaginable. If it could float, we saw it, from a fireboat to jet skis to military vessels to rowing teams and even several fly-overs by helicopters, one demonstrating a sea rescue.
A start like that is hard to top, but we were not disappointed with our stops in Bergen, Geirangerfjord at Geiranger, Alesund, and Hardangerfjord fox 11 news los angeles at Eidfjord, all in Norway. Two sea days gave us time to explore the ship s Greenhouse Spa, watch free cooking demonstrations, try our luck in the casino, use the amply equipped exercise center, plus sample the two-story, main dining room, La Fontaine, and the superb, intimate Pinnacle Grill.
There, one night of the cruise, a special Le Cirque menu was featured (offered in conjunction with the world-class restaurant of the same name with locations in New York City and Las Vegas). The restaurant s famous crème brulee is on the menu and was even featured in the on-board cooking demo. Yes, we got the recipe but fear it won t taste the same outside the elegant dining venue with excellent wait staff at our beckon call. (Tip: This special menu is only offered once per cruise, so be sure and book early, even before leaving home if possible. It s definitely worth the small extra charge, as is the regular Pinnacle Grill menu, too.)
Today s visitors to Norway generally cite the fjords at the top of their list of sites to see, and cruising is an efficient and fabulous way to see these marvels of nature. Roads are scarce (and often shut down in the winter) fox 11 news los angeles along much of the rugged coastline, so ships historically fox 11 news los angeles have supplied towns and transported people. Now, cruise ships bring visitors to see the fjords and the accompanying mountains and waterfalls.
Fjord, in its basic meaning is where one fares through. It has the same origin as the word fare (for travel) and the noun ferry. It derived, we learned, from a pre-historic word meaning pass, which became evident as we sailed these bodies of water with mountains and craggy terrain on both sides of our ship. The fjord s opening to the sea is called its mouth. What sets a fjord apart from other bodies of water is its shape and what surrounds it. A fjord, often a great natural harbor, is longer than it is wide; if the opposite occurs, it s then called a cove or a bay instead.
The fjords existence can be traced to a succession of ice ages that covered Northern Europe. Over thousands of years, massive sheets of ice carved out huge valleys, and subsequent wind, rain, and wave erosion combined with geological shifts in rock to further define the fjords. The sight of them instills awe and respect for what nature can do.
Norway has impressive fjord bragging rights: Two of the three longest fjords in the world are found here, Sognefjord at 126 miles and Hardangerfjord at 111 miles. The No. 1 spot, though, belongs to Greenland.
We were especially delighted to see these fjords because our last attempt at fjord cruising was thwarted by gale force winds that prevented our Princess cruise ship from entering New Zealand s Milford Sound in Fiordland National Park (spelled fiord there v. fjord in Norway).
We were likewise happy to finally visit Bergen fox 11 news los angeles with its colorful rows of wooden fox 11 news los angeles structures, now popular shops for visitors, plus its fish and flower markets. Our most international city, said one Norwegian fox 11 news los angeles guide of this, Norway s second-largest city.
The don t-miss here is the funicular ride up to Mt. Floein for a great view of ships in the fjord a great view, that is, if it s not too rainy. Keep in mind that Bergen gets 240 days of rain each year, which has earned it the nickname fox 11 news los angeles The City of Rain.
Our next port, Geiranger with Geirangerfjord, a UNESCO World Heritage site, was easily our favorite stop. We took the ship s excursion of an unforgettable bus climb up the eagle road, with several switchbacks and a reported 11 hairpin bends. We stopped at several viewing points to see our ship at anchor in the fjord far below with the mountains rising alongside and an elevated view of the impressive Seven Sisters Waterfalls.
This highly photographed spot takes its name from the seven separate falls alongside one another that tumble to the fjord below; the highest begins about 820 feet up. Facing Seven Sisters, across the fjord is another fall, this one nicknamed fox 11 news los angeles The Suitor. According to local lore, he was unsuccessful in his attempt to woo any of the sisters. In the middle of The Suitor fall is one large rock, which the story says is the wine bottle where the gentleman drowned his sorrow over never getting one of the ladies to accept his advances.
Our bus tour at Geiranger, though, offered a big surprise during the final leg of our climb to the top of Mt. Dalsnibba. Thankfully, the bus drivers are very experienced at maneuvering the narrow toll road at the top.
Snow suddenly began to fall, which proved delightful though chilly. At the top, all along the rocky edges, were hundreds of small rock-and-pebble mounds or cairns. Our guide explained that while such rock creations often mark hiking trails, the ones surrounding us were built by visitors based on the notion that if you build one, you ll someday return to Norway.
Next came the art nouveau city of Alesund. Our guide noted that cruise ship visits here numbered 120 this year and will nearly double to 200 in 2013. Our outing was billed as Hjorundfjord Alesund: Jewels in the Crown, and the small boat cruise through the fjord gave us more of those memorable that s-what-we-came-here-for moments.
fox 11 news los angeles Our final port before our last sea day return to Rotterdam was Eidfjord where we chose an eight-hour bus and train ride. The most picturesque stop was the Voringsfossen Waterfall. One of Europe s highest, it cascades 600 feet down to the valley below and is easily accessible from the parking lot of the historic 1891 Fossli Hotel, located at the innermost end of the Hardangerfjord.
Well-known composer Edvard Grieg was a regular guest at Fossli Hotel and wrote his Opus 66 here. Many know his In the Hall of the Mountain King made famous by another Norwegian, dramatist Henrik Ibsen and his play Peer Gynt first published in 1867.
It s OK if you know the tune from a 20th-century source, fox 11 news los angeles The Sorcerer s Apprentice, one of the animated shorts in the 1940 Disney film Fantasia. It s the one where Mickey Mouse, outfitted in that big sorcerer s hat, uses magic to bring all the brooms to life to tote water from a well for him but to the point of nearly drowning the young apprentice.
Regardless of how you know it, once the tune is in your head, you ll be humming fox 11 news los angeles non-stop. In fact, what a great backdrop to view the majesty of the fjords. You might want to download it before you go.
If You re Going: Holland America Line s next sailing season for the fjords is May-September 2013. The MS Ryndam, with 1,260 passengers, sails there from London, while the 1,404-passenger MS Rotterdam sails from Rotterdam. The 7-Day Norse Legends cruise May 11-18 and Sept. 7-13, visits the ports mentioned here. For pricing fox 11 news los angeles and more details, visit hollandamerica.com or contact your travel agent. For more on Norway s fjords, check out VisitNorway.com .
ABOUT THE AUTHORS: fox 11 news los angeles Freelance writers Kathy M. Newbern and J.S. Fletcher report fox 11 news los angeles on luxury destinations, spas and cruising around the globe. fox 11 news los angeles They are award-winning members of the Society of American Travel Writers and created YourSpaReport.com and YourNovel.com, their personalized romance fox 11 news los angeles novel business.