Our Return to Norway - in search of reindeer and northern lights

Last year we traveled to Denmark, Sweden and Norway and agreed that all three countries are very beautiful, but Norway really called us back. In 2017, while waiting in the airport in Dublin, we talked to a couple who just finished their cruise along the coast of Norway, and they thought it was a lot of fun. They told us that they took a Hurtigruten Cruise, and it stopped at 35 cities, small towns, and villages along the coast. That sounded like fun to us, but there were so many places that we wanted to see and it got pushed to the back of our list.

Well, after our visit to Norway last year we decided that we wanted to see more of this beautiful country and maybe, if we were lucky, we’d see some reindeer and the northern lights, too!

Our ship, the Midnatsol, was just what we hoped for. It wasn’t too large, the food was excellent, and everyone on the ship was very friendly. It was fun to see the little villages along the coast and, if we docked long enough, walk through the towns and do a little shopping! When we boarded the ship we were given a list of our ports and the amount of time we’d spend there. Some of the stops were for only 10 minutes, but others for hours. There were many excursions to choose from, including hikes, bike rides, and bus tours. Unfortunately, a month before our cruise Bob started having Sciatic nerve problems which limited his walking, and also limited our excursion choices. Even so, we had a great time and we’re so happy we decided to give the Hurtigruten ships a try.

Before we boarded the ship we took the train from Oslo to Bergen, which is known as the most scenic train route in Norway. The scenery was pretty spectacular, particularly the high mountain meadows and snow capped mountains. Norwegians love to hike and climb and there are many cabins in places that seem very remote and inaccessible.

The mountains are getting lower and we’re close to the coast and tomorrow we board our ship.