Arctic Circle Cruise II

The is part II of our Arctic circle cruise - Part I appears here.



The reason why the cruise is called the 'Arctic Circle' cruise - rather than simply the 'Norway Fjords' cruise - is because we crossed the 'Arctic circle' on the second day of our cruise. The Arctic circle is a geographical landmark. Without going into a geography lecture, in very simple terms; crossing the Arctic circle means that you are now cruising in the Arctic ocean, and moving close to the North Pole. It is characterized by many a geographical phenomenon, e.g. the "Midnight Sun" - here the sun either does not set the whole day, or it will set e.g. at 2am in the night, and then come up again at 3am. This is what happened during most of our cruise, and we hardly saw any "night".

We were slightly disappointed in the cruise - as the keywords "Arctic circle", "North pole" - immediately conjured images of floating icebergs and glaciers. While we did see some glaciers (see 'Olden' below), there were no icebergs to be seen. We were told that this is because cruise ships are not equipped to detect and avoid icebergs at close range, as such they study satellite imagery and intentionally choose iceberg free regions to cruise. So while this does give you a feeling of safety, the adventerous part in you will end up feeling a tad disappointed.

Honningsvåg  

The first and only stop that we made - after crossing the Arctic circle - was in Honningsvåg. This place really gives you the "end of the world" kind of feeling. This is also the port from where you can drive to the North Cape - 71°10′21″N - which is also the 'Northern most point in Europe'. 



The drive from the port to the North Cape is equally stunning - where you get to enjoy natural beauty without the usual crowdedness of touristic spots. In fact, you can hardly see anyone around.

Olden  

Olden is another hidden gem - with plenty of lakes and mountains all around.



The unique aspect here (which differentiated it from our other stops) was the Briksdal glacier. The Briksdal galcier is an arm of the Jostedal Glacier, which is the largest glacier in Europe. You can also see parts of it on the drive to the Briksdal galcier.



While the Briksdal glacier is "easily" accessible, you still need to walk / hike for around 1.30 hrs over hilly areas from the bus stop to reach the glacier. The area is not too steep or narrow, so it is mainly stamina that you will need to reach the glacier - do not forget to have water / drinks with you. There are also (golf ground type) mini-cars available for people with walking difficulties. However, we would still recommend walking to the glacier as much as you can - as the path leading to the glacier is equally beautiful.



Of course, when you finally reach the glacier, the beautiful sight surrounding you makes you forget all the hard work that you put in to reach there.

Tromsø  

Tromsø is a much larger city, esp. as compared to some of our other stops on the tour. As our tour guide informed us, it is the home to everything "northern most", so e.g. it has world northernmost cathedral (below), the world's northernmost university, and we hope you get the picture :) It is also a place of extreme weather phenomenon, so while you have the 'Midnight sun' for around 3 months; the rest of the year is spent in "darkness". As can be expected, people here are very happy when the sun does come up - which almost seems like a holiday (reason to celebrate). In the winter, of course, it is a good place to view the Northern Lights - so it does see a lot of tourists in winter just to see the Northern Lights.

There is a cable car that you can take to the top of  Mount Storsteinen. 

Unfortunately, the day we visited Tromsø, it was rainy and very foggy - as such we could hardly see anything from the top: however we still managed to take a few panoramic shots of Tromsø from above.

Bergen  

Our final stop was in Bergen. Bergen is a relatively large city - in fact one of the largest in Norway. So there is much more to do here than just sightseeing - including shopping, visiting the local market, and enjoying the local cuisine. The local food, as can be expected, consists primarily of sea food. For instance, we saw some 4-5 different varieties of just Salmon at lunch buffet. For Indians, esp. the vegetarian ones, the options are limited - as unfortunately in most of Europe. So, be prepared for that. The good thing is that you can at least find the fast food options here, e.g. McDonald - of course, this might also be a challenge in the smaller cities, e.g. Honningsvåg.



For the picture enthusiasts, there is a cable car (funicular) that takes you to the top of Mount Fløyen. The view from the top is quite stunning. The cable car can get quite crowded, so be sure to queue up with sufficient time in hand. For the action / adventure enthusiasts, there are also plenty of options for adventure sports, e.g. kayaking, paragliding.

Arctic Circle Cruise - I

We took the Royal Caribbean (RC) 11-night Arctic Circle Cruise in June 2014. The ports of call included:
Copenhagen, Denmark; Alesund, Norway; The Arctic Circle (Cruise); Honningsvag, Norway; Tromso, Norway; Geiranger, Norway; Olden, Norway; Bergen, Norway; Copenhagen, Denmark

We have given a description of RC cruise ships and the facilities to expect on board in one of our previous posts. So rather than repeating them again, here is a link to the post for anyone interested: RC Cruise ship.

Similarly, only the Norwegian stops are described in this blog. For a description of Copenhagen, please refer to one of our previous blog posts: (link).

Visa and Transportation

As both Denmark and Norway are participants in the Schengen treaty, a Schengen Visa suffices; or if you already have a residence permit of one of the Schengen countries, then of course you do not need any other Visa.

Copenhagen is well connected with most major cities in the world, so getting a flight should not be a problem. It takes around 25-30 mins from the airport to the pier. A taxi is recommended. Or, when you land at Copenhagen airport, you can usually find RC staff arranging shuttle buses to the pier - it costs around $37 per person and you can pay on the spot. A word of caution: There are usually multiple cruise ships departing on the same day, so there might be people from other cruise lines as well - make sure that you contact the right cruise line staff, so you might end up at a different pier.

Alesund

Alesund was our first port of call. It is a medium sized city, but very beautiful and serene. The first thing that strikes you on visiting this part of Norway, is that there is so much "untouched" natural beauty here - and you automatically feel like doing your bit to preserve nature.

Alesund is closely associated with the "Troll" mythology. Trolls are imaginary (fairy tale like) mountainous creatures - who have supernatural strength to stay high up in the mountains. They also seem very popular with the children here - you can find many books on Troll-related tales for children in the shops. Leaving aside the discussion whether Trolls exist or not ? :), the "Path of the Trolls"




and the "Troll wall" consisting of some very steep, but wafer thin, mountains - make for an awe inspiring scenery.



Other places worth visiting in Alesund include the Stordal church. The church itself is quite modest, but as you can see from the pictures below ... the pristine church surrounding will probably motivate you to "meditate" :)



While there is no shortage of scenic places in Alesund, the final sight we visited was the Stigfoss waterfall. From the car / bus, you need to walk for 5-10 min till the waterfall. The waterfall, though not as impressive as say Niagara Falls, the picturesque surroundings more than make up for the lack of waterfall depth / breadth.

Geiranger

Geiranger is known as the fjord capital of Norway. The name is well justified as the views, as the ship glides among the gigantic fjords - before reaching the port - are simply stunning.




Entering Geiranger by ship is also the best way to view the 'Seven Sisters' waterfall. It is a series of 7 consecutive waterfalls - and you can only see all 7 together during certain times of the year.




Geiranger is basically a small city with a a population of around 300 people - which grows or shrinks to accommodate the tourist season. Our tour guide told us that tourism is growing at such an exponential rate here - that local farmers have given up farming - and almost everyone is now involved in the tourism / hospitality sector.

Other places to visit in Geiranger include the  Herdalssetra mountain farm. This remote farm, nestled among the mountains, is still untouched by modern civilization - there is even no electricity here (people use lanterns at night). Every year they have student volunteers from all over the world, who spend a wonderful time here learning the "basics" of life.

Istanbul - where history and shopping meet

We visited Istanbul as part of our Turkey trip during Easter 2014.

 

 Visas

The first thing that comes to mind - for us Indians - whenever we think of visiting a new place is "how difficult or time consuming it would be to get a Visa to that place?". Good news is that the Turkish government has recently introduced e-Visas, which are applicable for Indians as well, at least for those with a valid Schengen Permit / Visa, or Indians resident in the US, etc. In this scheme you can apply for a 30day Tourist Visa at e-Visa, pay $20, and have the Visa instantly in your inbox. So one hurdle removed for now - at least or some of us.

Transportation

Turkish Airlines is one of the largest airlines in the world, and as such there should be good connectivity from wherever you are flying in. Note that there are 2 airports in Istanbul, though most international flights arrive at the Ataturk international airport. However, keep this in mind if you are booking a hotel close to the airport, as the other airport - Sabiha Gökçen - is almost twice the distance (60km) from Istanbul city center.

Trains are few (though cheap), and as far as we understood not well connected and never on time (mostly) - hence the availability of low cost domestic airlines. Again, keep the (2) airport(s) in mind if you are planning to take a domestic flight from Istanbul.

Taxis are cheap - esp. as compared to other European cities. However, they also have a bad reputation - like India taxi drivers - of trying to cheat you by taking a longer route, or not going by meter, etc. There is a lot of advice available on the net for this. In general, use your common sense, keep track of the meter,  negotiate a flat rate if the meter is not running, or simply change taxis if you do not feel comfortable after getting into one. Also, ask your hotel to call a taxi for you, whenever possible. Fortunately, we took 3 taxis, and we did not have a problem with any of them - they all went by meter and we do not think that they took a longer route - so hopefully the situation is improving.

The alternative to taxis is of course to use public transportation. Istanbul is well connected by a network of trams, metros, and buses. It is possible to reach all main attractions by public transport, and there is also a direct metro from / to the airport. The only problem is that they get pretty crowded - so might not be ideal if you have a lot of luggage with you.

Grand Bazaar

 

Grand Bazaar is like the quintessential flea market in a large city. Ambiance wise, it will remind us (Indians) of the New Market in Kolkata or Chandni Chowk in Delhi. There are narrow alleys full of small shops, everyone trying to sweet talk you into visiting their shops. We however did not find much variety in the stores as one would expect e.g. in New Market or Chandni Chowk. Most of the stores here sell jewellery, clothes, or carpets. Don't feel shy to bargain! We were successful in getting things at half the initial quoted price, so the actual price was probably even less than that.

It is easily reachable by public transport - just get down at the stop "Grand Bazaar". The bazaar itself is actually quite big and there are many entrances. Keeping track of the entrance gates is probably also a good way to orient yourself within the market.

Bosphorus Cruise

One of the most unique attractions of Istanbul is that it is the only city to spread across 2 continents. And, the best way to experience this is to take the Bosphorus Cruise. There are many private companies, as well as a public ferry, offering this cruise. As can be expected, the public ferry is cheaper, but can get quite crowded on weekdays. You can take the cruise from either the Asian or European side.  An option here is to take the ferry one way, and return by the recently inaugurated (impressive) underground metro that takes you across continents.

There are many dinner cruises offered by tour companies on the Bosphorus. Unfortunately, we did not get an opportunity to sample one of those, but the cruise is every impressive - scenically - during daytime as well.

 

Pierre Loti

 

A good vantage point for taking pictures, close to the cruise starting point, is the "Pierre Loti". You can take a cable car to Pierre Loti's cafe / tea house - which is named after the famous French novelist / naval officer of the same name - famous both his (romantic / dramatic) personal life and for writing many geo-political novels on Turkish life. Even if you are not interested in literature, the panoramic views itself are well worth the detour.

 

Monuments

The good thing about the famous monuments here - Basilica Cistern, Blue (Sultanahmet) Mosque, Hagia Sophia - is that they are all pretty close to each other. So you can basically get down at Sultanahmet square, and then walk around from there. The walkways around are lined with all types of stores from traditional restaurants, cafes / bars, to souvenir shops, to (0% commission) forex stores. So you can definitely spend the whole day there.

We won't dwell too much into the historical aspect of the monuments here - as like us - you are also probably more interested in marveling at their architecture than their historical details. Still, we do recommend taking a guide, or a guided tour, as these places can get very very crowded, esp. in summer. The tour guides seem to have reserved lanes at most of the monuments here which would allow you to save a lot of waiting time. We had taken the "Best of Istanbul" day tour with True Blue tours, and we can definitely recommend them.

Basilica Cistern

 

This used to be a huge underground water storage facility, which has now been opened for the public.

 

Hagia Sophia

View of the Blue Mosque - from inside the Hagia Sophia.

 

Blue Mosque

 

Gülhane Park 

 

Gülhane Park, close to the Blue Mosque, is a good place to relax and take a break, if you get tired of walking!

  

Before closing the post, enjoy the beautiful flowers of Turkey - which remind us very much of the warm, friendly, and colorful people we met during this trip!