London, England
We took this vacation and flew into London early, to spend a couple of days sightseeing.
First we walked to Buckingham Palace, where Patty and Danielle posed below the statue in front of the palace.
Then there was Big Ben and Trafalgar Square
Stopping at the Hard Rock Cafe in London was required.
As we were leaving we saw the London Bridge.
After boarding the Royal Princess on 9 July we took this shot of the castle above the harbor in Dover.
Norwegian Fjord Cruise
Oslo, Norway
After a day at sea, we arrived in Oslo and took this shot of the Regal Princess.
European cities are quite different in look and feel from their American counterparts. This picture gives the picture of dense, old buildings and open squares that make personal interaction much easier.
The primary day trip was to Frogner Park. This is where the city of Oslo commissioned Gustav Vigeland (Norwegian sculptor) to build what became 212 bronze and granite sculptures and fountains over 20 years. Vigeland, who designed the Nobel Prize medal, died in 1943, while still working in the park.
The park is both extensive and exhaustive, as can be seen by Patty and Danielle above.
Before returning to the ship, we visited a museum holding Viking ships and other older seagoing vessels. Here we see Danielle and Patty next to a ship that sailed around the world. It is really amazing how small this ship feels, when compared to oceangoing ships of today.
Hellesylt/Geiranger
Starting up our first Norwegian Fjord, we got this classic sight of fjord beauty. Just a bit farther in, we passed riverside homes and work areas and another photo opportunity presented itself.
Three hours after entering the fjord, we arrived at Hellesylt, where we anchored and lowered our tenders for shore excursions.
Notice this fjord ferry...and the view of it parked just behind Patty & Craig. The bow totally tilts up to allow trucks and cars onboard.
We hiked for a while and got to an area of snow. Of course a snow fight broke out
Before we returned to the ship, we passed this idyllic view of a 'high valley' community.
Leaving Hellesylt in late morning, we reached Geiranger in early afternoon and repeated the tender operation.
From the ship we have a view of Mount Dalsnibba and a tour took us to the top of this mountain. This fantastic view from the top shows the village of Geiranger and the Geirangerfjord nestled between the mountains.
Taking a tender, we got this shot of our ship on the fjord.
The last picture below is of the Seven Sisters waterfalls - seven waterfalls from the same high shelf on the fjord between the two cities.
Trondheim
Nidaros was the original name of Trondheim and is not only Norway's third city, but the Gateway to the North.
The Nidaros Cathedral was begun soon after the city was founded in 997 AD and remains a central visiting place. here we see Patty outside one of the entrances.
Trondheim's history follows the spiritual and cultural development of the nation and is considered the 'cradle of national patriotism'.
After leaving Trondheim we crossed the Artic Circle and the days were truly 24 hours long. We got this certificate, indicating we were no longer 'newbies' to the Lands of the Midnight Sun.
Of course we had to stay up in the wee hours and take these pictures to prove we did it - doesn't everyone???
Honningsvag & Nordkapp
We sailed to the northernmost city in Europe - Honningsvag - then bussed to the northernmost point in Europe - Nordkapp.
Yes, it's really a tourist trap, but, in this case, we are just part of the herd.
Of course we ran into - almost literally - a herd of reindeer. These are some of the scroungest looking beasts we have ever seen, but they were actual free-range reindeer.
Here is a view of Nordkapp from the ship. It looks a lot more desolate in this picture
Tromso
In Tromso we crossed this bridge connecting the city and made our way to the Artic Cathedral.
Taking a circuit around the city we saw insulated outdoor paths between buildings and sky jump practice areas - in the summer.
Dancing classes are free for all. However hard he tried, Craig didn't look much different from this picture - perhaps a different hobby.
Danielle found her rhythm.
Vikeyn & Flaam
This day we were sailing up the Sognefjord - the deepest and longest fjord in Norway.
On reaching Vikeyn, we tendered ashore and climbed aboard a bus headed for the town of Voss. Along the way we stopped at the Tvinde Waterfall and Danielle got this pretty spectacular view.
At Voss we met the Bergen/Flaam train. The ship, meanwhile, was transiting to Flaam to meet us.
There are many long tunnels in Norway, quite a few under the ocean, but this one took us to the village of Myrdal - 2700 feet above Flaam. We had to switch trains here and you can see where the special train starts its steep climb down the mountain to Flaam.
Before we boarded the train we walked to the Kjosfossen Waterfall and you can see Danielle & Patty posing below the falls. We then turned around and took this picture of the Flaam Valley.
Getting on the train we were able to take this picture - the outskirts of the village of Flam - as the train wound its way down the mountain.
This is a view of the Flaam train station.
As we traversed out of the Sognefjord, Craig & Patty said goodbye to the beautiful fjords and waterfalls of Norway.
Bergen
Bergen, a seaport, is surrounded by fjords and mountains. Arrival is a matter of passing many small islands and seaside villages.
Gradually the buildings get bigger and more dense, until you can see where the ships dock.
One of the main streets illustrates the colorful nature of Scandinavian buildings. Most likely it is because, with up to 24-hour long winter nights, the bright colors help to keep depression away.
Saying goodbye to Bergen, we head toward Dover and a flight to New York.
This
is our last formal night and everyone dresses up.
New York, New York
Of course Central Park was our first stop. Here we see Danielle & Patty in the area of the Alice In Wonderland Statue - well, sitting on it then.
Our next item on our NYC 'to do bucket list' was the Empire State Building. Here is our ticket to the top.
Once atop the historic landmark, of course we had to look down...mistake!
Here is the universal picture of Patty & Danielle, with the Twin Towers in the background.
The last picture from here had to be of the Statue of Liberty. It wasn't the greatest day, but we were able to see it.
As we wandered the city we came across the famous Flatiron building and, as the evening drew on, we stopped in Times Square.
Just north of Times Square is the Roseland Ballroom. This is where Patty's parents met in 1940 - it's still here, and operating
The last stop on our trip was to attend Patty's friend Lisa's wedding. Patty & Lisa worked together at the L.A. Zoo, but she grew up on Long Island and wanted to be married there.
It was now time to fly home. This cruise certainly did pack a lot of different places together.