Away back in July 1967 I went on a school cruise to Norway - a two week cruise afloat on the Dunera to see the Midnight Sun. It was a fantastic cruise during an era of the greatest music ever so, when I saw that Saga were advertising a 1960s music themed week's cruise to Norway, I just had to go!! The cruise was leaving Dover and calling at Stavanger, Olden, Flam and Bergen aboard the newly refurbished Saga Sapphire. My husband and I religiously followed the refurbishment blog and then the Captain's blog afterwards until it was our turn to travel to Dover to embark on our cruising adventure!!
I bought the posh frocks and the high heels for me, and my husband splashed out on a new suit, and the bow tie and evening shirt were given as birthday presents! This was only March, but it was booked and the excitement began, even though we already had a holiday to look forward to in May when we travelled to Malta!!
We came back from our Malta holiday in May and a few weeks later we received a package advising us of the shore excursions. They were expensive, but we chose to do something in each port of call so that we could see as much as possible in the short time we had.
In Stavanger we chose to do the Lysefjord boat trip which would take us to see Pulpit Rock (from the bottom, of course!!) It towers 1,800 feet above the fjord. Also included was a stop for coffee and waffles at Helleren Beach.
In Olden we chose a full day tour to Geirangerfjord which also included a stop at Mount Dalsnibba which is 5,000 feet above sea level and has commanding views over the Geirangerfjord. After lunch, we would board a ferry for a sail on the fjord before heading back to the ship.
In Flam we saw that we could combine two tours and we chose to do the fjord village and Osterbo Mountain and then we would do a trip on the famous Flam Railway which includes a stop at the Kjosfossen Waterfall and coffee and waffles at the Vatnahalsen Hotel.
In our last port of call, Bergen, we chose another full day tour called the Traditions of Hardanger and it included a look a round a boat preservation centre and then to a fruit farm for lunch and a look around the farm before a small trip on the Perr Gynt boat along the Fykesund, which is part of the Hardangerfjord. The coach would then take us back via the old part of Bergen, Bryggen.
The time then soon passed quickly, and it was time to get packed to be ready to set off on our cruising adventure!! I was really looking forward to visiting this part of the world again and taking a trip down memory lane.
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