This winter we went on a dream trip to Norway! It was absolutely beautiful: the snowy mountain vistas, the breathtaking fjords, the enchanting little villages and cities … and we saw the magical Northern Lights on several occasions!
We traveled for this adventure with Hurtigruten, a Norwegian company that we chose because of their commitment to sustainability (although of course all travel has a carbon footprint) and to knowledge- and science-focused programming. The ship left from Dover, England, and traveled up the west coast of Norway, stopping for day visits along the way.
Our ship, the MS Maud, was perfectly suited for this mission with a science center, a theater/lecture hall and large lounges perfect for reading books and staring out at the sea while sipping a glass of wine. The food on board was amazing and there was no loud entertainment programming, which for me was a huge plus. While we didn’t sign up for the most physical activities such as the long hikes, we did lots of interesting excursions, learning about Norway, its history and its culture.
Ironically, this whole trip was a bucket list item for Vikki and I was a bit unsure how I would feel about being on a ship for two weeks, but I ended up loving everything about the experience. The trip was so wonderful that we convinced ourselves that we wouldn’t be disappointed if we didn’t see the Northern Lights but the view of them from the ship was absolutely mystical.
Diane Carmony 