Breathtaking Fjords

My wonderful cruise on the Celebrity Silhouette took us to the Fjords in Norway. Saying the Fjords, we actually only went to one fjord Geiranger, and the rest of the time we visited Alesund, Bergen and Stavanger.  I have been to the Fjords before and yes, I know that there are an awful lot more fantastic places to see then these ports of call but we do have to bear in mind that the Silhouette is quite a big lady and physically can not get to the smaller destinations such as Flam (for example). If you want to do these ports you do need to be on a smaller ship like Fred Olsen or Cruise & Maritime.

I thought you would however like my opinion on these ports of call, just in case the next time you come to visit.  Our first port of call was Bergen. No doubt about it Bergen is very well positioned right in the heart of the Fjord country region. She is also a UNESCO world heritage city . The main attraction I think is the funicular railway which takes you right up the mountain to some fantastic views of the city and beyond. Then there is the famous old timber wharf area which is really lovely. i can imagine in the summer it would be busy with people just eating and drinking around there.  There are some really great old buildings in the area if you like that sort of thing plus the famous fish market,  worth a look. Now for the negative part! We paid for a excursion with Celebrity called Bergen on your own which basically is a ticket to go up the funicular railway along with a voucher for a sandwich in the fish market. Quite honestly, if you go there, just make your own way to the funicular. Do it first as it does get very busy.  I did like Bergen however I honestly felt it was like a ghost town – not many people around and no atmosphere.

Our 2nd part of call was Alesund.  This was a destination I was looking forward to because of all the Art Nouveau buildings.  This time we just walked around on our own, up and down streets, again it was so quiet!  Buildings are interesting but that is about it. It was also the coldest day, so maybe I was seeing it in a bad light, however I was a bit disappointed really!

Our 3rd part of call was Geiranger. It was breathtaking. Cruising down the fjord to get there you could see so many waterfalls and snow capped mountains, wonderful.  The village itself is really small with only a handful of shops. There is one hotel there though and a campsite which I can guess would be full in the summer months.  This was the place we did the rib rider trip  on the fjord. It was fantastic, a really great excursion organised by Celebrity. The guide was smashing telling us all about the farms at the top of the mountains and how they used to bring the animals up there by rope from the fjord.  You could actually see the old paths weaving their way up to the mountain top.  We also saw the seven sister falls, which at the time was only 4 sisters – equally beautiful though!

Our next and final destination was Stavanger. Strangely this was the place I liked better then Bergen. There was much more of a buzz around the place, plenty of people walking around, coffee shops packed, that kind of thing.  This time we did the hop on hop off bus which cost a fortune!!! I don’t really think it was worth it though. Stavanger is of course huge in the oil industry so there is a lot of business like industries there but there is also very much the old history part.  The main church in the centre of the town is worth taking a look, founded by a British priest way back in the 9th century.

This trip has certainly given me the push to go further up to the smaller fjords as the country really is breathtaking, however, I would say you do get the most wonderful cruise on the fantastic Silhouette so if you have not been before, please try this ship and this itinerary out – you really would not be disappointed – just do not do the hop on hop off bus and buy your own funicular ticket!!!

Till next time x