Why Norway is One of My Favorite Places That I've Visited so Far

This is what I learned by visiting Norway

While working on cruise ships, I have been lucky in at least one way: the itineraries I’ve had on the boats I’ve worked. I’m not so fortunate with the managers I’ve had, but with the itinerary and the friends I’ve met, I’ve been lucky.

I’ve been on a world cruise, a south American cruise, the Caribbean, Europe, and Alaskan season the Norwegian fjords, and the northern lights cruises.

People I meet always ask me, “So, where has been your favorite place?”

That is a tricky question to answer. That’s like comparing apples and pears. Everywhere is impressive in its own way.

Writing about gender equality is something that I am passionate about, and the cruise ship environment did inspire the feminist in me. However, I’ve been getting too angry about issues recently, so I want to talk about something positive.

So, I will write about Norway.

The Norwegian FJords

Bergen

Bergen was the second largest town in Norway. Its front is unique. The faces of the houses in Bergen have varying bright colors. There’s still a Starbucks on every corner, like in nearly every town worldwide. After walking around the town, I found something exciting to do, a cable car ride.

I took a sharp rise in a cable car to read the top of the Ulrikan mountain, which is six hundred and forty-three feet above sea level, located on the outsides of town.

There was a cafe and restaurant at the top where you could have food and drink while looking at the stunning views.

Up on this mountain, I had a few surprises. The place is all about environmental activation. It encourages people to buy baby trees plant there in the forest that is there at the top.

A herd of wild goats were surrounding the cafe and looking for food. If you are like me, they will likely attack you. I don’t know what it is about me, but I have that effect on the animals I meet on walks. For example, this weekend, I went for a walk and bumped into a turkey that had escaped. It approached, tried to attack, and chased me across a field. These goats had the same mindset as the turkey, so I ran to escape them.

About a five-minute walk from the cafe, there’s a school in the middle of nowhere. The school was unlike any I had seen before. The children were being taught outside in the fresh air. I was impressed at how much healthier the lifestyle of the Norwegians is.

I then decided to hike down the mountain back to the ship, which was a mistake because I got lost.

When you get lost and have to be back on the ship at a specific time, it is terrifying to say the least, especially when you are alone.

I had followed a man with whom I worked, but he went ahead when distracted by a cat that walked past me.

There were houses down the mountain, and the roads were long and winding.

I hitched-hiked my way back, but the car drove slower than I walked. The driver showed me how to get to the port, and I returned to the ship in time.

Flam

I’m strolling through my old Instagram photos to remember the Norwegian ports’ names. They were villages in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by stunning scenery.

In Flam, I took a trip on a little mini train around the area. Beautiful waterfalls surround the village of Flam. You can catch a long train journey into the mountains, but I had no time because I was working.

I had a hot chocolate and how making my way back to the ship when I saw my “boyfriend” in a cafe on a date. It was a horrible day, even though it was one of the most beautiful places I’ve visited.

Oslo

On my next contract, we went to Olso as part of the “Christmas Cruise.” The city was so expensive, clean, and had a healthy feel about it. Unlike the cities in the UK, the cities in Norway didn’t feel populated or as deadly to the planet.

We visited the Christmas markets and went ice skating. Giant fire bowls are everywhere, so you can sit around and warm up.

The only worry was everything was expensive. I needed help understanding the Norwegian dollar currency. Check that before you go. On the way back, I went for Bailey's hot chocolate with some new friends from the ship in a cafe on the dock.

There were saunas all around the dock, and people would jump into the port and go for a swim afterward. Only locals did this; I have to add. I didn’t recall seeing any crew members jumping into a cold dock.

Northern Light Cruises

Now, seeing the Northern lights is on most people’s to-do lists. However, visiting a country or taking a cruise to see them won’t guarantee that you will see them. I have known people who take three vacations to Iceland and Norway to witness the northern lights but don’t see them.

For the northern lights cruise, we cruised up to the highest peak of Norway, a place that only small cruise ships can reach. The ship I was on was even called “The Aurora.”

Alta

The town of Alta is at the top of Norway. It is the best place on the Northern lights cruise to see the Northern lights. I loved the atmosphere of this town, and there was plenty to do. There’s a shopping mall, I always seem to be obsessed with trying the hot chocolate in the cafes, and the hot chocolate was the best here.

Just outside the shopping mall, there was a unique-looking church. At night it lights up in different colors to symbolize the northern lights. There is the world’s first permanent northern lights observatory inside the cathedral too.

A group was making ice sculptures in the town center of Alta in preparation for a festival.

Another reason I love Norway so much is that I was in the company of great friends called Jasmine, Anna, Megan, and Lola. Interestingly, it was the only time during my cruise ship career when I didn’t have a boyfriend or a crush onboard, and it was the time when I was the happiest. We went to the restaurants and had drinks. They were so well-built and modern looking. The streets were so clean, and the air was so fresh.

The Northern Lights

Most ships do “crew excursions,” where the crew gets the opportunity to go on an excursion that is the same as a guest but for a discount. If, of course, we are not working at the time.

The northern lights observation camp is located an hour from the port and far away from the town, so there isn’t any distraction from the lights. It was in a field covered in tipis, and inside the tipis, there was a fire and the chance to get, yep, my favorite, hot chocolate.

It was a two-hour trip, excluding the bus journey there and back. We saw nothing in the first hour, so our doubts were high. However, then there was a broad white line that crossed the sky. It had a slight green tinge. What I find the most fascinating about the Northern lights is that they sometimes move very rapidly but this night, very slowly. They feel alive and have magical energy.

On the cruise back to Southampton, we could see the northern lights from the ship most nights. The captain would make an announcement, and everyone would run to the top of the deck to try and spot them. We would sit after work at having a hot chocolate in the evening, watching the northern lights at the back of the ship, and the buffet served hot chocolate for free.

Husky Dog Sledding

I was onboard for two northern light cruises, and the second time I was in Alta, I did dog sledding. I was lucky because I didn’t put my name down early enough for this, but my roommate did. My roommate had to work, so she gave me her place. I was a tour guide assistant and went on a passenger tour. It was again in the middle of nowhere, with a tipi and a fire inside. I was talking to a lady in the tipi, and she told me that she had gone on the northern lights trip the night before. She said it was the most expensive hot chocolate she had ever had because they didn’t see the northern lights, so she only paid for the hot chocolate. Some people would pay a lot for chocolate.

The dog sledders gave the group a talk, and said that they were world champions, their daughter was even born during one of their races, and their daughter went on to be a world champion herself.

I was about to get on a husky sled and was told, “you aren’t allowed to take part in the activity. Your job is the assistant. You can have a go at the end if we have time.”

I did have another time to have a go myself, only the dog went out for a lot longer than I expected, and the tour bus was angry because they had to wait for me.

The Rock Art Museum

I took the bus one day and ended up at a museum, and I was the only one in the building. It was very haunting. I felt like the only person in the world.

Learning about Norwegian history was fascinating. The ancestor who had created this rock art didn’t have gender roles. Both sexes would equally go out to do the hunting and gathering. The stories behind the rock art were beautiful and magical. The elk, the Norwegian’s sacred animal, symbolized the goddess who came from the sky. I remember the story from the top of my head, so please correct me if I need help finding it on google. Rock art paintings are 7,000 years old. I had a pancake in the cafe, and again, I was still the only one there and got a keyring from the gift shop. I still keep it on the altar in my bedroom. This building, like many others, was built with glass walls so that you could see and experience the breathtaking scenery. I did see one person, and they worked behind the till.

I could talk longer about Norway, and there are lots more things to do outside, like hiking and cliff diving, if you are more adventurous. Some ports are incredible that I did not mention, as I was working on that day, but I hope you get a general idea of what Norway offers. Alaska is very similar to Norway. I find myself questioning why I love Norway. It seems more natural. People weren’t gathered around the ports selling, as the country was prosperous enough.

It’s interesting to note that the countries I have loved visiting the most are also the ones with the most gender equality. They are the places that are thriving the most in every way.

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