Travelling by ship allows travellers to appreciate the scale of the fjords while exploring historic ports and island communities. From Viking tales and centuries-old traditions to modern Scandinavian life, this voyage blends breathtaking scenery with rich cultural discoveries at every turn before crossing to Scotland’s ruggedly beautiful Shetland Islands.
We’re drifting past stunning fjords dripping in mist, mountainsides draped with snow and cascading waterfalls, all mirrored in cobalt-blue waters as far as the eye can see. It’s serene, peaceful, perfect.
So, the question begging to be asked is: why did the Viking farmers living here ever choose to leave such an idyll and spend their days rampaging through Europe, ravaging everything, and everyone, they encountered?
“Ah, that’s simple,” says Nick Hollevoet, Cruise Director of the Holland America Line whose ship, Rotterdam, we’re currently sailing on, for a seven-day ‘Norwegian Fjords and Shetland’ voyage: “Winter was coming.”
Apparently, those nautical Norsemen were perfectly content during the warm days of summer, tending their sheep and goats on the steep mountain slopes but, come the colder weather, life became too unbearable to stay.
“They’d have to scale these mountains, herd together their goats, and then carry them down on their shoulders to store them in warm barns lower down to make sure they’d survive,” Hollevoet says. “Their wives would light fires to keep their livestock warm, but the men would go off every winter to make a different kind of living.”
I try to picture what life might have been like here, along Norway’s longest and deepest fjord, Sognefjord, between the 8th and 11th centuries. It’s hard to imagine when you’re a cruise passenger, living in the lap of luxury, when the only fighting you might have to do is over the last piece of lime and pistachio cheesecake at the buffet. Even then, you know the next slice is only a few minutes away.
Rotterdam provides a front-row seat to Norway’s fjords.Exploring Norway’s Coastal Gems: Kristiansand to Sognefjord
Norway is indeed an astonishing place, with the most spectacular landscapes of mountains, glaciers and deep coastal fjords, allied with the most colourful of histories, and a political system and economy today the envy of much of the rest of the world. In fact, a new study from financial services platform HelloSafe rates it the richest country on earth, with its highest Gross National Income.
At the same time, it is expensive to visit, so taking a cruise to see some of the highlights is one of the best ways to explore the country and enjoy the ride. This cruise departs the Netherlands from Rotterdam, with stop-offs in Kristiansand, Leirvik and Skjolden before also calling in at Scotland’s Shetland Islands, the most northerly part of the UK, then returning to base.
Kristiansand, Norway’s southernmost city, proves to be fascinating. With lots of different options for the Norway shore excursions, I choose to visit the town’s open-air museum at Kongsgård, a scatter of houses, barns, stables and stores dating from the 1580s to the 1800s.
Back then, Norway was powered by agriculture, fishing and animal husbandry, and romance consisted of a man, when proposing marriage, to offer his intended a mangle board, an ancient type of ironing board. There’s also a miniature model of how Kristiansand looked when it was officially founded in 1641 by a king with 24 children by two wives and three lovers. Amazing he found the time.
Our next stop is Leirvik, nestled on Stord Island, with a tour of all its most beautiful stops, including the Kulleseid Canal – a narrow passage for local fishing boats – and the pretty village of Moster with its views over the other islands.
But now we’re powering down that 204km-long Sognefjord towards the small town of Skjolden, a picturesque starting point for kayak trips, hikes through the Jotunheimen National Park with views of the Nigardsbreen Glacier, and e-bike rides to the Åsafossen waterfall.
I opt for paddling a kayak, and marvel at the joy of gliding along the still waters, watching the reflections of the mountains on the surface and feeling the bracing breezes. I’m terrified I’m going to fall into the freezing water but, when someone else does, I’m reassured that he survives. I return to the ship, happily bone-dry, for hot chocolate.
Exploring Odderoya by kayak.A Rich History & Onboard Luxury
Our final stop is in the Shetlands, and the capital Lerwick, which is now known by millions of people throughout the world through the hit BBC TV drama, Shetland. The number of tourists to the islands has shot up by 53 per cent since the show began in 2013. It’s a fascinating place of ancient brochs (Iron Age circular stone towers), fortresses, beaches, dramatic cliffs, a rich Viking heritage and a lovely old town centre. For fans of the show, there’s a self-guided walk around many of the buildings that have been featured onscreen, and the locals are happy to chat about it.
As for downtime on the ship – what downtime? There’s constantly so much to do with a full timetable of activities on offer, including gym classes, art workshops, bridge games, cooking lessons, bingo, art auctions, wine-tasting, shuffleboard, afternoon teas, pickleball tournaments, trivia, live shows, movies by the pool, the spa … I actually have to schedule in some downtime.
With 1,340 cabins over eight decks, Rotterdam has six restaurants, two cafés, six bars and plenty of lounge rooms. There are pools and sundecks, music clubs, bars, and my favourite space, The Observatory Deck, with its full-height windows for watching the views slip past, along with a great coffee bar and cocktail bar to keep the mood mellow.
The cabins are well-designed to use every centimetre of space.The Holland America dining options in both the main dining room and the informal buffet-style Lido Market are excellent. There are an additional five specialty restaurants, including one for fish, Italian, a modern Asian, a Pan-Asian and a signature steakhouse. The friendliness of the crew and the company’s emphasis on relaxed travel and great service leads to an astonishing 50-60 per cent of the guests being enthusiastic repeat ‘mariners’. We all might enjoy leaving home and exploring as much as the Vikings once did but, these days, in a much gentler, and so much more enjoyable, fashion.
The Greenhouse Spa & Salon on Rotterdam features a thermal suite with hydrotherapy pool, heated ceramic loungers, rain showers, and steam and sauna rooms.
Photographs: Marek Slusarczyk; Michel Verdure; Stefan Mosert.
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