Viking don announce say dem don add new ship wey dem dey call Viking Eldir join dia fleet of river ships wey dey popular well-well. Chairman and CEO Torstein Hagen yarn say dem dey happy to welcome di new ship to dia growing river fleet. “With our exclusive docking locations, we proudly bring our guests closer to destinations along the great rivers of the world,” Hagen talk. “Now, with the addition of our newest Viking Longship, we look forward to inviting even more curious travelers to explore Europe in Viking comfort.”
Di new longship carry dat elegant Scandinavian design and industry-leading innovations wey Viking dey known for. All di staterooms get king-size bed with soft duvet and goose-down pillows. Oda amenities wey dey inside include complimentary programming for flat-screen LCD TV, generous closets, abundant USB ports and US/EU outlets, plus plush robes and slippers. All bathrooms get large glass-enclosed showers with easy-to-see controls, premium Freyja toiletries, anti-fog mirrors and heated floors.
Viking dey known as The Thinking Person’s Cruise and under Torstein Hagen award-winning oversight, di company still dey focus on well-defined, long-term growth plans. Dis current approach na part of successful plan wey don make Viking leader for experiential travel. Di company committed orderbook show say dem expect to collect 22 additional river ships by 2028, 10 additional ocean ships by 2031, and two additional expedition ships by 2031. When all di orders finish, Viking go get 112 river ships for 2028 and 25 ocean and expedition ships for 2031.
For oda news, independent news editor and Barwon Heads resident Justin Flynn recently travel go Norway for winter and talk say trip to di Scandinavian country during di coldest part of di year dey rewarding and breathtaking. Soaring snowcapped mountains, majestic fjords, ancient glaciers, pristine nature, Viking history and di northern lights – all na good reasons to visit Norway. “That’s exactly what I did recently and although my expectations were high, I never realised just how much this Scandinavian country would leave me so enchanted,” Flynn yarn.
“Yes it’s expensive – a 500ml beer cost $27 at one bar in Tromso, and I baulked at a room-service burger with chips for $60 in Oslo, but once I stopped checking my bank transactions and just relaxed a little, a world of stunning beauty opened up.” Flynn 18-day journey begin for Melbourne on 24 January and e arrive Oslo, via Doha and Helsinki, 26 hours later. Radisson Blu hotel wey e stay for Oslo dey convenient and restful, before three-hour flight up to Svalbard, Norwegian archipelago for Arctic Ocean, located halfway between di mainland and di North Pole.
Svalbard get around 300 polar bears compared to 2500 humans. E dey illegal to leave di town limits of Longyearbyen without rifle or at least without somebody wey get one and sabi how to use am. Di threat dey real. From May to September, you fit do tour to spot dem, but like di aurora borealis, e require patience and no guarantee. Longyearbyen dey 1300km above di Arctic Circle and by 2pm e don dark outside. Polar night dey for final stages and officially end on 30 January, but because of surrounding mountains, e dey linger small.
“This was surreal. It was dark in the middle of the day and although I expected, and craved it, the vision still didn’t compute in my brain,” Flynn talk. Di town itself dey compact and get everything wey you need. Popular excursions include northern lights tours, husky sledding, snow mobiling, tour of di now closed coal mine and look at di global seed vault, wey dey house crates of seeds from all areas of di globe for safe and secure long-term storage for cold and dry rock vaults in case of catastrophic human disaster.
“What I really wanted to do was the ice cave tour, but that was cancelled due to the lack of snow for the snowcat vehicles to travel on. Svalbard is the fastest warming region on the planet,” Flynn add. Still, e dey around -12 at di ‘warmest’ time of day, but nothing wey thermals, good footwear and layers no fit combat. “The scenery here is beyond anything I have experienced. It’s difficult to believe I was on planet Earth.”
But dat na before e head down go Tromso, still above di Arctic Circle, but quick 90-minute flight away. “Tromso is, quite simply, stunning. Mountains, fjords and quaint shopping streets had me immediately excited,” Flynn yarn. For di best views, di cable car up to Fjellheisen na must. While e dey comparatively ‘mild’ -4 for Tromso itself, di wind chill up on di mountain make am solid -25, but di views worth am. “There’s nothing quite like freezing your butt off in glorious sunshine while being completely mesmerised by what your eyes are conveying to your brain.”
For anoda day, e walk over di 1036-metre Tromso bridge to di Arctic Cathedral. Di aurora forecast poor while e dey dia because of cloud and snow, but Tromso na one of di best places for world to see dem. E don see northern lights before for Yellowknife, Fairbanks and spectacularly so for Iceland, so e no too disappointed to miss out dis time.
Next na two-hour flight down go Bergen, Norway second-largest city. “Picturesque and steeped in history, Bergen is a quaint, walkable and interesting place that deserves at least a few days,” Flynn talk. Towering cliffs and frozen waterfalls greet am and out on deck, e feel 10 times colder than di mountain for Tromso. Dem turn back once dem reach part of di fjord wey don frozen over, and although di ice no look deep, e still amazing sight.
E listen to guide from Sheffield, UK, wey dey learn about di fires wey don destroy di city on 10 occasions, including di devastating 1702 disaster, and di story behind di picturesque Bryggen area. Dis na di ‘warmest’ day of di trip with temperatures hovering perhaps even slightly above freezing. Bergen na di warmest city for Norway, but also di wettest for Europe, however e dey go through relatively cold, but very dry, winter.
Fløibanen na must for di views across di city and e sample reindeer hotdog from di local institution Trekroneren. E next stop na Oslo, but e take di long way dia, riding di scenic train, di Bergensbanen. “My tip is to do the Flåm railway detour instead, which involves getting the Bergen-Oslo train to Myrdal, about two hours out of Bergen, and although I missed my opportunity this time, others have said it is far more spectacular,” Flynn advise.
“Maybe I was just spoiled by the absolutely stunning Alaska Railroad journey I did from Anchorage to Fairbanks a few years ago, but the train ride from Bergen to Oslo was a slight letdown. If you have never done anything like this before, you will love it though.” Di left-hand side of di carriage na di place to be for di first hour for di fjords and di right-hand side na prime position while going through, and over, di mountains. Di last few hours relatively uneventful as you approach Oslo and its satellite cities.
“It was still amazing, and many times I was spellbound by the colossal majesty of the Norwegian mountains and how remotely people choose to live.” E arrive Oslo late afternoon to -7 degrees and go get two full days dia. Again, e tip say if you dey pushed for time, two days enough. You fit easily find plenty to do to fill in longer, but two to three days sufficient to get feel of di place.
Dem push on and see di opera house, di fortress briefly, Christiania torv, Aker Brygge, City Hall and some waterfront saunas where few hardy souls dey jump into di icy waters straight after dem come out of dia own personal hot-houses. “Madness,” Flynn talk. For afternoon e do short boat cruise around di city and di inner fjord, wey allow amazing views without having to leave di warmth and comfort of di cabin thanks to di huge, and clean, windows.
For di second day e walk to Akershus festning di fortress to explore in more detail wey don snow overnight, blanketing di city with white covering wey make all di sights wey e see di previous day completely different. As solo traveller, e save money by no eating for restaurants and opting for cheap supermarket meals or just overindulging on di magnificent custard-filled cinnamon buns, but if you dey with companion or enjoy eating out, prepare for shock.
“Main meals at even a semi-decent place will set you back at least $50 without factoring in an entree, wine or even dessert. With 500ml glasses of beer ranging from $18 to $27, I allowed myself two most nights, although I realise it’s not exactly cheap here in Australia either.” After dat na time to come home, but e get eight-hour layover for Doha at midnight and book three-hour city tour with private driver for $350. “The less said about that the better. It was horrendously foggy and my guide was totally uninterested in searching for alternatives, such as walking around to see some mosques or the souq market.”
“If you are thinking Norway in winter is not your thing, then so be it. But if you do go, be prepared for a trip that will leave you yearning for a speedy return,” Flynn conclude.
Do you have a news tip for NNN? Please email us at editor @ nnn.ng
