Norway, land of Fjords. This country's natural beauty draws me to see it before several of the fjords are closed to conventionally powered cruise ships. Having cruised Alaska when I was younger, I know the value of seeing a land with much awe inspiring scenery. On this trip, RQS will be with me, and I will have someone special with whom I can share this experience and the memories that it brings long after the cruise is over.
Right now, RQS and I are finalizing key details for this cruise. We expect to be able to spend a day with my niece before our cruise. It will be the first time either of us has left North America (save for my trip to Hawaii), and I am a little bit nervous. Europe is foreign to me, and cruising provides enough hand holding for me to see the sights where we're going without limiting my choices to an excessive degree.
One port that I intend to visit is Flaam. The main attraction for me is the railroad. As I like to remind RQS, I've been interested in trains since I was a wee little child. I can't wait to go on this train and see the sights. But there is so much more to see. So our task is to determine which shore excursions we really want to go on, and purchase them well before the cruise.
We've budgeted approximately $7,000 each for this trip. Like many "Bucket List" journeys, it is expensive. We could have chosen a cruise that starts in Southampton, sails for several days in Norwegian waters, and then goes to Iceland for a few days before returning to Southampton. Instead, we've chosen a cruise that sails directly from its home port to Norway, and then oozes its way along the Norwegian coast and through its fjords before returning home.
Luckily, both of our passports have several years to go before renewal. However, we do not yet know whether we will need UK and/or EU entry permits. We asked our Travel Agent about this, and he has no answers yet for cruisers. I figure that I'll pay the small price for both entry permits and drop a $20 bill to be safe....
