Charlotte’s Norwegian Adventure
I was one of 12 lucky agents chosen to take a 5-day adventure from Tromsø to Bergen on board the MS Kong Harald with Hurtigruten.
My journey started at Manchester Airport with half the lucky winners, meeting the others in Oslo, before our final leg to Tromsø. This is where things got exciting as the forecast that night was a GO, GO, GO for Northern Lights! As we ate a delicious dinner late that evening before the MS Kong Harald arrived into port, the call came that the ‘lights’ were dancing outside.
We all grabbed our cameras and headed out into the cold to view this stunning phenomenon! Although faint they were definitely there and showed up even more in the photos.
What a start to our Hurtigruten voyage!
Life onboard MS Kong Harald was just as I imagined, with a modern, Arctic-inspired flare. Out on deck, you could soak in the scenery from the sun deck or one of two Jacuzzis or even snuggle up in the cosy bar on the top deck with full floor to ceiling panoramic windows to take in the fabulous vistas in the Panorama Lounge.
Cabins may be small, but perfectly formed and the beds extremely comfortable as we settled in for our first night on board, still on a high from our earlier encounter!
We were sure not to oversleep, as with morning came stunning vistas as we headed south. Even from the dining room at breakfast your eye was drawn to the fabulous views through the many windows. This working ship, as with all of Hurtigruten’s Norwegian fleet, the MS Kong Harald skipped in and out of quaint picturesque ports enabling you to hop on and off if the whim took you or merely photograph the spectacular scenery as you soaked up the ambience from onboard.
As we continued to sail south through Vesterålen, the weather was slightly against us and rather than enter the narrow and bewitching Trollfjord, the captain manoeuvred us to see the opening between the vast mountain walls. From here with waterproofs pulled tight and cameras in gloved hands we embraced the inclement weather then stared in awe at the magnificent towering entrance to the fjord complete with cascading waterfalll, snapping a few pics before hop-footing it back inside to the warmth. Even in bad weather the scenery was magical.
By the next day it was time to cross the Arctic Circle and take part in the southward initiation of a spoonful of cod liver oil. Today albeit cold we were able to line up on deck in the sunshine and enjoy the fabulous scenery before gulping down our cod liver oil … sadly, not to everyone’s taste!
With many excursions along our journey, our time was jam packed with interesting facts & mini adventures. With sightseeing in beautiful communities and exploring the hidden rooms at Trondheim’s Nidaros Cathedral, to leaning about iconic stockfish racks with a guided walk around the thriving fishing community of Svolvaer, or visiting the magnificent marble mine in Bergtatt.
One of the highlights, excluding the Northern Lights was definitely the excursion along the Atlantic Road. Taking us from Kristiansund to Molde the road zig-zags and leaps across small islands on low bridges built directly above & along the edge of the North Atlantic Ocean. Voted Norway’s ‘Engineering Feat of the Century’ it is also known to be one of the World’s most beautiful drives and even on a wet blustery day it’s beauty still shone through.
All too soon we arrived into a wet Bergen and it was time to head to the airport for our journey home.
This adventure certainly opened my eyes to the stunning beauty of the Norwegian Fjords and the amazing voyage on board our fabulous Hurtigruten ship MS Kong Harald was perfect for my first foray into the area.
Get in touch with our expert Charlotte to book your adventure!! 🙂
