I recently did a short cruise to Norway on the Boudicca, a nice 28,388 ton cruise ship of the old style, meaning that it looks like a ship and not a block of flats! Unlike the choppy seas shown in the painting (above) from the KODE Art Museum in Bergen, we had excellent weather and the water was like the proverbial mill-pond on most days (below in Flåm).

The Boudicca is smaller than many cruise ships so it is able to enter some of the smaller fjords, such as the 42-km long Lysefjord (Light Fjord) in SW Norway (below).

The captain took a very hands-on approach to maneuvering his ship in this narrow fjord (below).

The spectacular granite walls of Lysefjord have created some remarkable features, like the famous Preikestolen, or Pulpit Rock (below) which is a near-perfect square, flat-topped rock with sheer drops (600m down) on three sides.

The ‘Pulpit’ is easier to see in this photograph (below). I must say that I was much happier looking up at it than I would have been standing on the edge of the precipice (no fences!).

What is so impressive about these landscapes is their scale. The sheer size of the fjord walls is simply breathtaking and has clearly inspired many artists over the centuries, as a visit to the art galleries of Bergen revealed (below).

Cruises of this sort are a mix of sightseeing and on-board activities, such as song and dance shows. The standard of the shows put on by the singers, dancers and musicians was impressive; there were two shows a night of the action-packed, in this case, rather British (below) programme numbers!

The next fjord we visited was Jøsenfjorden, another small fjord rarely visited by cruise ships. It was necessary to spin the ship round on its axis to turn it around at the end of the fjord.

There’s lots to do on the ship, from deck quoits to sun bathing, although sometimes there’s competition for the best places!

Our first port of call was the small town of Rosendal. There were lots of tours on offer from this location, but I opted for a hike around the countryside. I was first off the ship in the early morning, on a perfectly still day (below).

There were lots of boats and yachts in the harbour; Norway is a rich country with a GDP per capita above US$70,000, thanks to the oil they own and the capital they have wisely invested.

One of the best things about a cruise on a Fred Olsen ship such as this, is the food! There are lots of healthy (and sugar-free) options, and the vegetarian dishes were also very good. The problem is that it is hard to say no! And you very quickly get used to luxuries like fresh cherries in your salad!

The sea food was also good (even though I don’t eat it!).

For the first two ports of call we went ashore on tenders. It’s quite fun going ashore on these spacious crafts, although they are not easy to launch and recover.

There were many additional tours which could be booked on board (below), but for those who like walking, just mooching around for a few hours ashore, is a much cheaper option!

The geography of the Norwegian fjords is incredibly complex, with a myriad islands, rocks and shoals, so a local pilot is taken on board (below).

There were at least two ship’s photographers on board (both from Bali!) and they did a very good job of photographing everybody, such as when we got on (below) and off the ship and at all the special events such the Captain’s cocktail night.

If you want to go to some events, like the Captain’s cocktail night and formal dinner, it is necessary to dress up a bit (below). This was the first time I had worn a bow-tie for at least 30 years!

The second port of call was Flåm, at the head of Aurlandsfjorden (below), with a large cruise ship (the 115,055 ton Azura) berthed at the small dock.

It is said that nearly 500,000 visitors arrive at this tiny little village of Flåm, which is a gateway to many places and offers a variety of tours, including the famous Flåmsbana railway (£55 return!).

Once again, I opted for a long walk and enjoyed the local scenery, including these rather handsome Highland cattle!

We saw lots of local ferries moving up and down the fjords (below), and if I went back this would be the way I would try to see more of the country.

One of the last fjords we visited on this cruise was the spectacular Nærøyfjord (below). This 17 km fjord was appropriately narrow (Naeroy!) in some sections, the thinnest being only 250m wide.

Entrance to Nærøyfjord, if I remember correctly!

The scenery was very dramatic at dusk as we sailed up the Sognefjord on the way out to sea and on to the final port of call, Bergen.

This brief glimpse of the fjords of Southwest Norway stimulated my imagination and it was easy to see how people imagined the landscape to be full of trolls! It is however, a wild landscape with all sorts of living animals, including reindeer (below), elks, wolves, bears and last but not least lemmings! Lots to explore in the future if I get a chance.

Finally, a word about the crew, who were fantastic. They were from many nationalities, although predominantly Philippino, Indonesian and Thai and they all did a great job, cheerfully and efficiently.