Aramco Expats

Norwegian Splendor

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Author: Aramco ExPats Travel Club
Released 2 November 2007

Join Anneliese Tedeschi and the Aramco ExPats Travel Club with the world's most beautiful voyage.

Experience Norwegian Splendor from Bergen to Kirkenes by cruising its majestic coastline of narrow fjords, soaring cliffs with lacy waterfalls and idyllic islands with charming fishing villages. Cross the Arctic Circle, step on Europe's most Northern point - North Cape and return via Lapland to Helsinki.

Date: May 15 - 31, 2008
Cost: $ 3995 (inside cabin)

Due to small group size only limited space available (Sign up now)

Contact Odysseys Unlimited: www.odysseys-unlimited.com
Click to register online: Reservations
Telephone Reservations: 888-370-6765

Discount Code: TEDESCHI GROUP for discount ($200 - 250, $90 for over 67)

For additional information and to CONFIRM your reservation with Anneliese, please contact her:
email anneliese.tedeschi@aramcoexpats.com
Telephone: 727-544-8233

Norwegian Splendor
Bergen & the Fjords

Day 1

Depart U.S. for Oslo, Norway

Day 2

Arrive Oslo After a brief flight from Helsinki, we arrive in the Norwegian capital mid-day and transfer to our hotel, where tonight we gather for a briefing and welcome dinner.

Day 3

Oslo This morning we embark on a tour of Oslo, one of the world's largest capital cities in area – and certainly among the prettiest, sitting at the north end of Oslofjord and surrounded by gentle forest-covered hills. Highlights include the Viking Ship Museum and the Vigeland sculptures at Frogner Park. This afternoon is free for independent exploration.

Day 4

Oslo/Geilo Leaving Oslo by coach this morning we drive through rural countryside along the shores of Tyrifjord en route to Hadeland, where we visit Norway's oldest glassworks. We continue on to the fertile Halling Valley dotted with small farms, then stop in Torpo to see the old stave church. Late today we reach the ski resort of Geilo, where we spend the night.

Day 5

Geilo/Flaam Railway/Bergen This morning we board a train for Myrdal, where we board the Flaam Railway to encounter "Norway in a Nutshell:" a thrilling hour-long excursion through 2,000-foot deep Flaam Valley, amid some of Norway's most magnificent mountain scenery. A marvel of engineering, the train hurtles through 20 tunnels that spiral in and out of mountains and past the mighty Kjosfossen Waterfall on its way to Flaam, where we board a local ferry for a two-hour cruise on the Aurland and Naeroy fjords. We disembark in Gudvangen and travel by coach to Bergen, arriving in time for dinner on our own.

Day 6

Bergen This morning's tour of Norway's second largest city includes the home of composer Edvard Grieg, the lively fish market, and the colorful Hanseatic merchants' quarter of Bryggen, now a UNESCO World Heritage site. This afternoon is free for independent exploration.

Day 7

Bergen/Embark Coastal Voyage After a morning and early afternoon at leisure, late afternoon we board our Coastal Ship, both a first-class passenger vessel and a working ship, and set sail after dinner on the 1,250-mile voyage from Bergen to above the North Cape.

Day 8

Coastal Voyage – Torvik/Alesund/ Geiranger/Molde During the voyage our ship makes many stops, some for just a few minutes to unload cargo and passengers; others with time for us to disembark and explore on our own or on an optional shore excursion. Today's brief stops include the art nouveau town of Alesund; and Molde, site of an annual jazz festival. Through early September, we also call on Geiranger in the Geirangerfjord, said to be Norway's most beautiful.

Day 9

Coastal Voyage – Trondheim We spend this morning in Norway's third largest city and first capital, known especially for 11th-century Nidaros Cathedral, coronation site of kings and queens. An optional excursion features the acclaimed Ringve Museum of Musical History boasting historical instruments and a magnificent botanical garden.

Day 10

Coastal Voyage – Ornes/Bodo/ Stamsund/Svolvaer Having crossed the Arctic Circle early this morning, we now enter the Land of the Midnight Sun, the region in which the summer sun never dips below the horizon. This afternoon we sail through Vestfjord toward the dramatic Lofoten Islands, where we make two brief stops this evening. Then we continue through narrow and beautiful Raftsund Strait, passing majestic Trollfjord. An optional excursion by Zodiac reveals more of this beautiful seascape up close.

Day 11

Coastal Voyage – Harstad/Finnsnes/ Tromso/Skjervoy After a morning of cruising we reach Tromso early afternoon. We have several hours to explore the delightful capital of Arctic Norway, affectionately known as the "Paris of the North."

Day 12

Coastal Voyage – Hammerfest/ Honnigsvag/Kirkenes Dramatic and constantly changing describes the North Cape scenery we see today: small fishing villages and large towns, lush fields and barren outcroppings, dense forests and resplendent fjords. An optional excursion travels from Honnigsvag through the reindeer-filled landscape to Europe's northernmost point.

Day 13

Kirkenes/Ivalo We disembark this morning in Kirkenes, on Norway's border with Russia, and travel through the unspoiled landscape of Finnish Lapland en route to Ivalo, homeland of Finland's native Sami (Lapp) people. Along the way we visit the open-air Siida Lapp Museum and stop for lunch on your own, reaching Ivalo late afternoon. Tonight we enjoy a small group highlight: dinner with a Sami family at their reindeer farm.

Day 14

Ivalo/Helsinki After a morning at leisure we fly to the Finnish capital of Helsinki. Upon arrival mid-afternoon we embark on a tour of the "White City of the North," a spacious urban center built in the early 19th century.

Day 15

Helsinki Today is free for independent exploration; tonight we gather for a farewell dinner at our hotel.

Day 16

Depart for U.S. Mid-morning we transfer to the airport for our flight to New York.