Bergen and Beyond: Seattle Sister City Association Teams up with Hurtigruten Coastal Voyage to Discover Norway
Why do we travel?
In a hectic digital age with information at our fingertips, video travelogues, instant international messaging and the like, a transatlantic flight doesn’t always seem to have the same appeal it had even twenty years ago, with long lines at airports and crowded airplanes. A Google search instantly serves up thousands of pictures and links; there is almost too much information to digest right here at home. Yet we all know that surfing the World Wide Web or connecting in a Skype chat will never replace the smell of fresh sea air during a morning stroll, the scents of an outdoor market, the joy of holding a newly discovered treasure in your hand, talking face-to-face with a newfound friend, waving goodbye or receiving a warm embrace.
Sister Cities International has long supported travel exchanges with its core mission of citizen diplomacy, and since its inception in 1967, the Seattle-Bergen Sister City Association has been onboard with the program. Over the years, the association has sent numerous delegations of entrepreneurs, politicians, educators, students and ordinary citizens. Some had their roots in Norway, the social welfare state model intrigued others, some travelled in search of the dramatic scenery of the Norwegian landscape, and some may have gone along out of sheer curiosity alone. What is for sure is that all returned home enriched by their experience abroad. “My parents were Norwegian and I had heard about Norway all my life,” reports alumni delegate and current SBSCA VP Bernice Furdal Chouery, “but a new world opened up to me with Sister Cities, new places and new faces. I got to know an aspect of life in Bergen that I hadn’t known before.”
Through new eyes
When I came on as president of the association two years ago, I realized that a trip to Bergen was high on the list, and in 2016, I made my first official visit to rediscover Norway’s second largest city. While our own Pacific Northwest is home to some of the most spectacular scenery in the world, it is not always easy to be impressed by other landscapes, but Bergen was an immediate “wow.” I had remembered that it was beautiful from earlier visits, but after just a few hours, I was completely enchanted. Just as Seattle is situated amongst seven hills, Bergen is surrounded by seven mountains. The city is a photographer’s dream, and for the first few days, I took in as many of the sights as possible: the World Heritage Site Bryggen, the Old Wharf; the historic fish market; the funicular up to a panoramic view of the city and the surrounding mountains and fjords; the museums, the concert halls; and the many statues celebrating the history of Bergen and Norway. A music aficionado, I made my pilgrimage to Troldhaugen, the home of composer Edvard Grieg, where I met with museum administrators. Also a must was a stop at Nordnes Park to see the totem pole gifted to the people of Bergen by the City of Seattle in 1970 to celebrate the their sister city’s 900th birthday. Finally, my stay in Bergen culminated in a visit to City Hall to meet with municipal officials. Everywhere I went, officially and unofficially, the welcome was warm and friendly. In one week’s time, I had found new home in our sister city.
Returning home to Seattle with hundreds of photographs, a travel journal, an armful of books, and too many indelible memories that I would ever have time to share, I knew it was inevitable that I would have to organize another trip to Norway for our association and friends. As good fortune would have it, I learned that the Norwegian cruise and cargo line Hurtigruten would soon be opening their North American headquarters in Seattle. Hurtigruten, the “Express Route,” has been in operation for over a hundred years and operates voyages on Norway’s western and northern coast between Bergen, the gateway to the fjords, and Kirkenes in the northernmost part of the country. It has been called “The Most Beautiful Voyage in the World,” and there would be no better time to put together the trip than in 2017 for the fifty-year jubilee of the Seattle-Bergen Sister City Association.
Trip of a lifetime
The result has been a close collaboration with Deane Motis, a Seattle-based travel consultant who has worked with Hurtigruten for several years. Motis knows the itineraries he promotes firsthand, and he works with his clients to put together customized trips for the once-in-a-lifetime travel experience they are looking for. For the SBSCA, this meant extending the time in Bergen to both see the sights and to visit with friends who share in our sister city work. A visit to Grieg’s Troldhaugen for a concert was a must, as well as a reception at City Hall. The Scandic Ørnen Hotel with its sleek Scandinavian modern design was selected for both convenience and comfort. Early September worked as the ideal departure time, with summer vacations over and mild weather conditions (with a little in rain in Bergen, where the climate in similar to ours in Seattle).
Before seeing Norway by sea, a trip inland has much to offer, and fortunately, the Norwegian National Railways make this very convenient with the ever-popular Norway in a Nutshell tour. Departing from the Central Station in Bergen, the journey takes you on the famous Flåm Railway to the Sognefjord, Norway’s largest and deepest fjord. Along the way, one experiences some of the world’s most breathtaking scenery — all in one day.
Onboard the MS Polarlys, life promises to take a relaxing turn as the ship embarks for its first port of call, Ålesund, sister city of Seattle’s neighboring Tacoma. Often called, “Norway’s Venice,” Ålesund is the country’s crown jewel of Art Nouveau architecture, with a unique ambience of its own.
North of Ålesund is the royal city of Trondheim, the capital for Norway during the Viking Age. A focal point is Nidaros Cathedral, a masterpiece of Gothic architecture, where many of Norway’s early Christian kings for Norway lie in their burial vaults. Located on the Nid River, Trondheim was the center of Norwegian spiritual life throughout the Middle Ages and is a city rich in history and tradition, remaining an important cultural hub today.
Going north from Trondheim, more dramatic landscapes unfold, as the ship route crosses the Arctic Circle, reaching the town of Bodø and the Lofoten Islands. Known for a distinctive scenery with dramatic mountains and peaks, open sea and sheltered bays, beaches and untouched lands, the Lofoten archipelago is a uniquely Norwegian natural wonder. For over 1,000 years, it has been the center of the great cod fisheries, with Viking settlements dating all the way back to the Bronze Age.
The six-day voyage continues on to make stops in Tromsø, Hammerfest, and Honnigsvåg and the North Cape, with its final stop in Kirkenes, concluding with a flight to Oslo. “As you go further north you go, the coastline gets more and more dramatic,” Motis shares. He reports that although he taken the trip many times, “There always seems to be something new to see.”
Seeing and sharing
As president of the SBSCA, it is an enormous privilege to share my own experience and knowledge of Bergen with others, beyond that, I look forward to embarking on this amazing voyage of discovery with the Hurtigruten. That said, I understand that traveling in a group can present challenges. It’s been our goal to put together a trip that will provide enough structure and support, while at the same time allowing everyone enough privacy and free time. The Hurtigruten vessels, while equipped with all amenities, are not luxury cruise ships with full programs of entertainment onboard. While we will enjoy gourmet Norwegian cuisine, a bar, a library, a fitness room, jacuzzi and sauna, I look forward to quiet moments at sea and the time to get to know one another and share in our discovery.
Marcel Proust once made the observation, “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.” I believe our 2017 trip to Norway will not only bring us to extraordinarily beautiful landscapes but will open our eyes to a new world of experience.
Seattle-Bergen Sister City Association president Lori Ann Reinhall invites you to join her on the “The Most Beautiful Voyage in the World,” starting in Bergen on September 5 and concluding in Oslo on September 15. Prices begin at $3,157 per person, double occupancy, including hotel, transfers, Bergen and Norway in a Nutshell excursions, and passage on the Hurtigruten, including all meals. Airfare is additional. For more information, please email “seattlebergensistercities@gmail.com”.
