An Agent Abroad: Experience Norway
Simon Thomas O’Neill set off to experience the Northern Lights and sample some of what Norway has to off er
A wee weekend in Norway - as you do! I
HAD the pleasure of travelling with the fabulous Hurtigruten to Norway with a night in Bergen before joining one of their Norwegian Coastal Voyages. Since never having been to Norway I was delighted to get the opportunity. I fl ew to Bergen with SAS and must say they were excellent. SAS off er the most departures and has an attractive
off ering for people who travel frequently to, from and within Scandinavia. SAS are a Star Alliance Member which opens up access to a far reaching global network and smooth connections.
I stayed over at The Scandic Neptun Hotel in Bergen. The Scandic Neptun Hotel contains several popular restaurants including Lucullus banquet facilities, Pascal Mat & Vin, Entre and Ludvig Vin & Champagne bar. They are also home to one fo the biggest art collections in Bergen. If you enjoy show and theatre, the hotel has some great package deals including an overnight stay. Centrally located, only two minutes from Torgallmenningen Square, the hotel is within walking distance of popular attractions such as Bryggen and the Hanseatic ares, which is on the UNESCO list of World Cultural Heritage sites. You can meet penguins, seals and fi sh in the Aquarium or take a popular Floibanen funicular, which is located only a few minutes from the hotel. The Ole Bull Scene, Den Nationale Scene and Hordaland theatres are also within walking distance. The hotel itself is absolutely lovely, very nice and central. Breakfast was delicious. Bergen is a city on Norway’s southwestern coast surrounded by mountains and fjords, including Sognefjord, the country’s longest and deepest. The Bryggen district consists of the Old Wharf and its surrounding commercial buildings and features vibrantly coloured wooden houses. The Bergen Aquarium off ers a shark tunnel and panoramic views of the port. The next day we were taken on a walking tour of Bergen, its an amazing city! As a European City of Culture and World Heritage City, Bergen off ers world-class experiences and culture. Being the Gateway to the Fjords of Norway, Bergen has the ideal combination of nature, culture and interesting urban attractions. The very fi rst buildings in Bergen were built alongside the wharf called Bryggen, which has been a lively and important area of the city for many centuries. At Bryggen you will fi nd plenty of things to do, and you can literally travel back to the Hanseatic times when Bergen dominated trade for about 400 years. Stroll through the narrow alleyways and experience life back in the 1300’s, a sense of drudgery, feast and celebration. An important part of Bergen’s history can be experienced in this area, where a lot of the arcitecture is preserved or rebuilt as it was in the Middle Ages.
Bergen has many museums, some with unique art treasures and others that show the breadth of the city’s historical heritage. The Hanseatic Museum or Bryggens Museum presents a unique historical insight to the history of Bergen.
Bergen is a great starting point for fjord tours and
it’s where I boarded my Hurtigruten ship for my costal adventure. The ship was beautiful and has a luxury Nordic feel onboard. The food is amazing with lots of fresh produce on off er, including the freshest seafood and fi sh I have ever tasted, caught on route around the coastline. What could be better? Full board is included. Excursions and drinks are extra but can be pre-booked. It is especially important to pre-book excursions as these become quite full.
The cabins are bijoux but ample and have everything you need.
Some of the group I was travelling with were up late enough to see the Northern Lights. I was one of the lucky ones. Seeing the Northern Lights was the highlight of the trip for me and one of the reasons why a lot of people come to Norway. Hurtigruten off er a ‘sleep under the stars’ night where you sleep outdoors on deck star gazing and looking for a glimpse of the Northern Lights. They make up a bed for you with cosy blankets, hot water bottle and hot chocolate. Pure delight! What a memory. The next day we arrived in Skolden and it was very scenic, we took a tour of the mountains and the valleys and got some terrifi c pictures of the Fjords. I cannot recommend this trips highly enough - it was a fantastic was to see Norway.
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