Here's the second episode of Trish's "Northern Lights and White Nights" cruise on the Regent Seven Seas Voyager. This was such a port-rich itinerary that I could only cover the first half in our previous post. If you haven't seen it, click here and catch up on the first half of the cruise with ports in England, Wales, Dublin and Liverpool.
Here we continue in Ireland with a visit to Belfast, then on to Glasgow Scotland, Kristiansand and Oslo in Norway, and Skagen and Copenhagen in Denmark. Now that's a lot to see I know, but therein is the beauty of cruising. You get to leave the driving to the captain while you enjoy the voyage on the Voyager.
 |
| Conservatory in Belfast |
Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland, has the biggest and most productive shipyard in the world and it is also the site of the city's "Titanic Quarter". Its visitor center opened in 2012 and is a monument to Belfast's maritime heritage, paying tribute to its most famous build: the RMS Titanic. Trish said the exhibits tell the entire Titanic story from the laying of its keel to the fateful maiden voyage and the discovery of the wreckage. Also learned that since 1995, the city has been twinned with Nashville in the United States.
 |
| Alexandria, Scotland |
Greenock, aka Glasgow, Scotland - was a special stop for Ron as he was able to explore his Scottish ancestry. Their bus traveled by ferry to Alexandria and Dunoon with excellent views of five lochs along the way. And then a super relaxing day crossing the North Sea. Think Canyon Ranch Spa, enrichment lectures and an evening performance by the Regent Signature Orchestra providing the end of a perfect day on the way to...
Kristiansand, Norway where they arrived in the early afternoon. Kristiansand was founded by King Christian IV in 1641 and grew into a major port due to its expanding ship building industry and its trade fleet. Trish and Ron's tour for the afternoon was the Vest-Agder County Open Air Museum, which is about 4 miles northeast of the cruise pier. This is a very unique museum, composed of 40 houses with grass-thatched roofs (to provide warmth), and other buildings that were relocated to the grounds and arranged to represent farmyards and the streets of the city as it appeared in the 17th century. Nice to see how folks lived in the olden days. Then it was back on board in time to enjoy the Chocoholic Teatime while waiting for Trivia to begin.
 |
| Nobel Peace Center |
Their next port was Oslo, the fastest growing major city in Europe, which has a plethora of museums, cathedrals and palaces. Trish and Ron opted for the Nobel Peace Center located in a former railway terminal built in 1872. The Center presents the Nobel Peace Prize laureates and their work, and tells the story of Alfred Nobel. The presentations combine an impressive use of multimedia, interactive technology and guided tours. They shared a memorable moment observing the photo of Malala Yousafzai who at the age of 17 became the 47th woman to win the Nobel Prize in December, 2014. And then they sailed to Skagen.
Skagen is Denmark's main fishing port. In the Middle Ages it was just a fishing village known for its herring industry and now it welcomed Trish and Ron with open arms, aka rain. No matter, they had the perfect excuse to enjoy more of the Voyager's onboard offerings. Although they did feel a tinge of disappointment that they missed a visit to the Skagen Teddy Bear Museum but Trish said the rainy day gave them more time to pack so they could enjoy their last evening on the Voyager before debarking in Copenhagen.
I'm so sorry to leave you in Copenhagen, where there is so much to see and many marvelous places to stay, but I have to change the ribbon on my typewriter now. So why not call Trish and let her tell you all about it. She's so much better at it than I am.
800.248.8404 ~ www.reidtravel.com ~ mail@reidtravel.com
No comments:
Post a Comment