From the mountain top
well above the snow line
This is what OGF should see on his day trips out
Youāre welcome Donkeyman! 
This is after all Foxyās holiday thread
Bet he is have a great time.Wonder if he will pick up a toy Gnome a a momento
Thanks for all the messages everyone, and thanks Realspeed for the wonderful photos, it seems you managed to get to far more places than we did although we only went for a week and I think you said that you did a fortnight. We also went with friends and seemed to always be doing stuff (everyone made me the organiser of the dayās events) Hence the lack of reports on this oneā¦Sorry!..
No problem with the breakfast Pyxell even though that was probably the best thing at that hotel (rooms could do with a refurb) Thank God the ships cabins were perfect, as usualā¦ Iām a good sailor and the North sea was like a millpond for the most part. The only rough weather we had was as we sailed through the Straights of Dover on the way home and I slept through most of itā¦
No running Mags Iām afraidā¦
It wasnāt until we were sailing home that Mrs Fox and I got up early and did a couple of laps of the deck, walking I hasten to add and It wasnāt possible to go all the way round as the front bit (The Bows for the sailors reading this) were closed off, so we just went back and forth for twenty minutes, still very enjoyable in the brisk sea air and the good weatherā¦
We did manage three trips ashore and photos and reports will follow so donāt despairā¦
Donāt expect Realspeed standards on the photos thoughā¦
So itās back home now and the gentle hum of the washing machine and a quick tour of Tesco for suppliesā¦
PS:- Trolls Realspeed, Mrs Fox fell in love with the Trolls, not the gnomesā¦:roll: I think she married oneā¦
What a shame itās all over Foxy. Nice to have you back though. Enjoy Tescoās, Iām not sure they sell whale blubber though. 
OGF
Our ship was smaller as well so could go further up the Fjords.
Did you do the Flam Railway? the museum of old stuff was worth a visit.
just one of the exhibits
or go to the Viking Heritage site to see the original houses and boats.
The history was so interesting. You must have/should have seen those at least
old type sledge
Anyway isnāt it a beautiful country? bet you want to go back again same as me.
Train at Flam station
I was talking to a bloke off the ship who had been to the fishmarket in Bergen Longdogs, and he told me he had sampled some Whale Meat, he reckoned it tasted just like Beefā¦So I bought a Beef steak from Tesco to see what it was likeā¦
No snow while we were there except on the mountain tops, and we thought the captain was having a laugh when he reported that the temperature in Bergen would reach 25*C, but after the thunderstorm while queueing up for the Vernicular railway (and getting soaked) it turned out he was rightā¦:shock:
I bet it would have looked amazing in November with the snow thoughā¦
Iād hoped to see the northern lights and Killer Whales while we were there but ended up seeing neither, apparently it was the wrong time of the yearā¦
It was so calm all the way Ruthio, the only rough weather we had was the return journey through the Straights of Dover.
I would never fly out nowadays, weāve done it before and although I like flying, itās nice to enjoy the ship from start to finish. Itās been my experience that you donāt get very long on shore and although you do get a taster of the destination, the real experience is on the ship and sailing.
If I really wanted to get to know a place I would fly both ways and stay a few days at least.
That is a shame. It would have been great to see it. Still on my bucket list.
That was a fine report and a great photo, OGF, however, for the life of me, I canāt see a fjord over your shoulder 
. Are you sure you were in Norway? .
Seriously, though I have heard, and can concur from Realspeedās spectacular photos that the trip is stunning and hard to beat for natural beauty. I canāt wait to see your pics!
Though easily missed, the tip about the advantage of sailing a smaller ship was a good one, Realspeed. I have heard likewise from friends.
Norway is on itās way Surfermomā¦
But Firstā¦
After boarding the Azura around 2:00pm we found our way to the cafeā for lunch while the captain studied his charts and decided which way to sail to find Norway and the Fjords.
We cast off on Saturday evening and after a brief visit to the sail away party and a glass of bubbly, I staggered back to the cabin to get changed for an early dinner. Champagne always goes straight to my headā¦
Turning left the ship proceeded down the English Channel passing Brighton, Eastbourne and Hastings (and by the time I was tucked up like a baby) the Straights of Dover and into the North sea.
We were cabined on the Starboard side of the ship, facing east, and were surprised to wake up in the early morning to bright warm sunshine streaming in through the balcony window. I wasted no time absorbing the UVB rays before breakfastā¦
We sailed through the day and into the next night unpacking, eating and exploring the shipā¦
Nothing else to do but chill out and relax while the captain figures out which way the Fjords areā¦
Ah, yes, that first photo at the top was what I was looking for. Itās just as Realspeed described, exceptional verdant peaks framed by a cool body of water, butā¦
Hold on!
Why are those mountains denuded of foliage? Where are the trees? Am I the only one who think that looks more like and open ocean than a fjord? 
Some trickery is definitely afoot.
Looks thoroughly relaxing, OGF! I really like the idea of the pool being located on the stern. The problem is that once I settled into one of those deck chairs, I am not sure Iād ever get up.
Above the tree line ???
Good photo of you on deck Bob! I notice you made sure you were near a lifebelt ā¦ just in case?
so jealous
OGF is that photo of you on the ship from thirty years ago?
Glad you enjoyed the ship OGF. Iāve sailed with Azura a few times and she is a fine vessel and a better experience than her sister ship Ventura imho.
Turns out we are sailing at the same time as I am on the return leg on another P&O ship as I write.
The Fjords are spectacular but somewhat āsameyā after a few days. Too many hills and waterfalls I guess. Itās a trip Iām very glad to have done. but wouldnāt rush back for a second helping for some time.
Things I fear will get worse there because P&O is now launching their new ship IONA with 5000 passengers and it will be stationed in the Fjords for most of its initial season.
I am very worried at the impact of so many passengers suddenly descending on small Norwegian towns and I am struggling to see how they will cope, especially if there are other ships in at the same time.
Azura is approx 3000 pax so you will have experienced some of the impending impacts I suspect. Thereās not a lot at the actual end of a Fjord as you are invariably at the bottom of a huge hunk of rock so an excursion of some sort becomes necessary. I figure that if a coach holds approx 50 people, then thatās 100 coaches needed to shift 5000 pax from Iona to various places. Can you imagine 100 coaches operating from any of the Fjords you visited? I imagine the locals, much like the Venetians, will start protesting as their idyllic world becomes a commercial landscape for marauding Brits who come to pillage for a day. Where will it all end?!
Anyway, youāll be glad to have experienced such a beautiful country. Doubtless many pennies lighter as a pint of the good stuff is a hefty price is it not?!
So where next? I hope you booked you next cruise whilst on board for that extra OBC and if you are cruising regularly with P&O I hope you have boguth 100 shares in Carnival for even more OBC on every cruise you take. (If not PM me for details)
Anyway, happy sailing. It is the best way to travel imho or as I often say . . .
āCruising is the only way to flyā !
Thanks Mags, Ah yes, the lifebelt, Iām a good strong swimmer but I wouldnāt survive very long in the North Sea, especially when I wouldnāt even know which way to swimā¦:shock:
No need to be jealous Summer, I reckon it wonāt be long before you are sailing somewhereā¦
Thanks for the compliment Annie, a bottle of champagne on itās wayā¦
I agree with much of what you say Realist, but we did like the Ventura better than Azura. I believe the Azura is due a refit any time soon and we did think she was looking a little bit tired below decks.
Perhaps we liked the Ventura best because it is more Art Deco than her sister and it was our first cruise with P&O, that made it more special. We visited the Caribbean last year on the Azura and she seems to have aged a little since then.
We flew out to Barbados to meet the ship and I wouldnāt mix flying with cruising again, Iād rather pay a bit more and join the ship in Southampton and stay on her for the whole voyage.
We like sailing with P&O and the fact that they deal in in sterling, the shares in Carnival sounds interestingā¦ I would have prefered to do the Fjords on a smaller ship and maybe for a fortnight, but when you book a cruise with friends you have to compromise.
So to this end Realist, our next cruise on the fifth of July this year for two weeks will be to Ireland and Iceland on the Oriana, with just Mrs Fox and me. It will probably be one of the last voyages of the Oriana as she is been taken out of service in August, but is a ship I have always wanted to sail onā¦
No Fjords yet as we sailed through the night and arrived at our first port of call, Stavanger. Apart from the snow covered peaks in the distance it could have been a port in the UK except it was very clean and tidyā¦
The weather was overcast but dry so we had a walk around the town finally settling down in a Starbucks and coppering up a fiver for a cup of coffee before making our way back to the ship for lunchā¦
There was some very nice architecture hidden away in the backstreets, and some shops for the ladies in the party to peruse. I ended up paying fifty quid for a coat on the way back to the ship, very good quality tooā¦
I hate to be a killjoy, but our ship was about the best thing to photograph in Stavanger!
Thatās Azura on the leftā¦
Apparently drilling for oil and gas in the North Sea is not profitable anymore since the arabs can sell it a lot cheaper, so a lot of the oil rigs are being recovered and dismantled. I managed to snap this one being sailed into portā¦
Still havenāt seen a Fjord yetā¦
We sailed through Monday night and I awoke early on Tuesday morning to the most amazing sceneryā¦I think we just found the Fjords.
There was an eerie silence as I stepped out onto the balcony and the ship seemed to glide over the mirror like surface of the Fjordā¦
It took perhaps an hour to navigate the 115,000 ton cruise ship down to the bottom of the Fjord and arrive at our destinationā¦Flam.
I stood on the balcony overseeing the securing of the shipā¦
We disembarked and made our way to the railway station for our first excursion.
Looking back at the Azura, she seemed strangely out of place tucked in among the hills and treesā¦
After about thirty minutes on the train we came to a halt just outside a tunnel, apparently we had to make way for another train in the opposite direction. We were allowed to leave the carriage and take our place on a viewing platform that was situated at the base of a mighty waterfall. I managed to arrive first and get a few shots before the contents of the rest of the carriages spilled out onto the platformā¦Just one of the benefits of being a runnerā¦
Quite an impressive sightā¦
After the two hour train ride we remained seated and were returned to Flam. The weather was quite inclement alternating between wet and dry spells, not very good for photography, especially out of rain soaked carriage windows. After a quick browse around Flam we returned to the ship for afternoon tea while the captain set a course for our next destination. A lot of eating gets done on a cruiseā¦
We returned down the Fjord and back to the North Seaā¦
Passing through some more spectacular sceneryā¦
The end to a perfect day, and my first sight of the Fjordsā¦
Goodnight everyoneā¦