TRULY – THE WORLD'S MOST BEAUTIFUL VOYAGE as experienced by Alene Liske


Come with me for a few moments and truly imagine yourself on the most beautiful voyage and train journey in the world. Myriads of breathtaking fjords,waves tumbling against craggy rocks and mountains so high, lofty clouds are dancing around their summits. Small crystal clear lakes shimmering so clearly that you can not tell where the shore begins except the reflection is reversed. Picture a train journey on one of the world's most amazing engineering masterpieces (over 20-km) commencing with mountainsides blanketed with fall foliage of gold, bright yellow and red mixed together with the abundance of evergreens,exquisite waterfalls plummeting to earth below, passing through 20 tunnels taking you to almost 2,900 feet above sea level and spectacular glaciers. Your journey continues down the mountain where the rail journey ends on a magnificent plateau in the little resort town of Flam Norway on the shore of beautiful Aurlandsfjord. The air is so fresh, the water so clear and with a sense of peace surrounding the entire valley one wishes you could linger forever. Not so, transferring to a ferry and train with your destination being Bergen a world heritage site and cosmopolitan city with its historic wharf, fish market, museums and Stave churches(an amazing feat of Norwegian architecture) and meeting with its warm friendly people are all part of a fabulous day.

Bergen is acclaimed as the “Gateway to the Fjords of Norway” for nine hundred years and the famous route to the North Sea. One of God's miracles “the gulf stream” presses warm water from the Caribbean across the Atlantic ocean along the entire coast of Norway past the North Cape, Kirkenes harbor and Murmansk,Russia. The harbors remain ice free allowing year round fishing supplying local needs and exports of over 40,000 tons of fish a year.

Departing Bergen aboard the MS Polarlys, just one of twelve famous Hurtigruten ships is an experience of a lifetime. Six fabulous days and nights on board a working ship, dropping off cargo, delivering and picking up mail and picking up local passengers as they travel up and down the coast while everyone is enjoying comfortable state of the art accommodation,culinary delights and excellent service. The breathtaking scenery is endless. Farmers fields, fishing villages, and ports of call at flourishing cities like Trondheim, Norway's first capital city with a present population of 160,000 inhabitants and boasts of a history dating back to 872 AD. It was from here that Viking ships set sail to explore the world and also from here Norway was unified. Trondheim became Norway's religious center and has remained one of the worlds important places of pilgrimage. The oldest part of the magnificent Nidaros cathedal dates back to 1320. Many fires threatened to destroy it but restoration started in 1869 and was completed in 1969. There are two organs with 9000 pipes and the main tower is 321 ft high. The bravery, perseverance and endurance of the Norwegian people and their independent spirit has carried these people throughout the ages and with the gift of ' God's Gulf Stream' supporting life for both man, animals, birds and sea life they will continue to prosper.

Crossing the Arctic Circle and in summer it is daylight 24 hours a day and a port of call at Tromso known as 'Paris of the North', population of 63,000 people now boasts of a beautiful new university. Havoysund, population of 2,800 people and is known as the capital of North Cape. This is the departure point for a bus journey of 34km to Cape Point, stopping enroute to meet a Sami family. They have their own language,into which a portion of the Bible has recently been translated. Many keep reindeer for a living and we were told the reindeer population in summer in this area is approximately 6000. The animals migrate in the fall(they must swim to get off the island) to mountain plains in the south where they live off moss which they find under the snow. As we cross North Cape plateau we reach Europe's northernmost point on the continent(71 11' 8”) 2,080 km from the North Pole. We stood on this massive rock jutting up out of the sea 307meters below. Here we were,seemingly at the edge of the world. Sue Bihun, tour guest and I will treasure these moments forever.

Continuing to sail over the top of the world, heading south of the Arctic timberline to Kirkenes, population 9,000, a boarder town to Russia is a destination all of its own. All the tourism reps thrilled us with their enthusiasm and love for their part of the world. Even though Norway declared itself neutral in World War 11 their whole town had to take refuge in bomb shelters because they were caught in the crossfire. We went below to see where they lived to survive. Amazing. A visit to the massive iron ore mine outside town where we saw the entrance of another huge underground tunnel used also for a shelter during the war, saving thousands of lives. In the evening we were treated to a wonderful dinner at the site of the world famous Kirkenes Ice Palace.

Returning by air to the capital city “Oslo” located between the fjords and forested hills, with its 1000 year old history, population of 550,000 and yet we felt its unique Nordic 'country charm' captivating as we strolled through their famous parks and visiting as much as possible in our few remaining hours guided proficiently by a lady who loved her city. Oslo, known as the 'peace city' offers 50 museums and many art galleries and their latest achievement, the opening of their Den Norske Opera and Ballet center, a massive construction of white marble resembling a hugh iceburg, erected right on the seaside at the gateway to Oslo.

Embedded in our souls are the memories of all the wonderful people we had the privilege of meeting. How tremendously proud they were to share their unique beautiful country with our group from Canada and we say “Thank you” to everyone – tour guides from each port of call, the hospitality they extended to each of us and the congeniality and service of staff and crew aboard the MS Polarlys was remarkable. A hugh thank you to our hosts GLP Worldwide Expedition Travel and Tours, Hurtigruten – Canada (formerly known as Norwegian Coastal Voyage) and Icelandair. Thank you also to Julian Wong (tour coordinator) for our expedition and if you are looking for a one-of-a-kind opportunity to explore the Earth, longitude and latitude, by land and sea –nooks and crannies- both majestic and intimate, look no further. These suppliers do it the best.
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