Natural Wonders of Norway

I was so excited to go to Norway this summer! It has always seemed like a faraway magical place I would never get the chance to experience but I keep being reminded that nothing is impossible.

Stavanger
A lot of sights are within walking distance of the port including the Stavanger Cathedral, the Valberg Tower & Guards Museum, Stavanger Old Town, the wharf warehouses and Breiavatnet lake. There are also plenty of shops, restaurants and cafes around the port area.

Colourful buildings in Stavanger

Stavanger's Old Town

Olden (tendered port)
There are a couple of shops and grocery stores within walking distance after you get off the tender but to really see the natural beauty of this port you would need to go on a tour or rent a bike.
We took the open top hop-on-hop-off bus tour to see the waterfalls and the glacier.

Geiranger (tendered port)
The only tour I knew I needed to do in Norway was to visit Mt. Dalsnibba & Flydalsjuvet in Geiranger. It did not disappoint. The views of Geirangerfjord are absolutely stunning.

View of Geirangerfjord from Flydalsjuvet

The top of Mt. Dalsnibba (4,757 feet above sea level)

Bergen
A free 5 minute shuttle is mandatory to take you from the ship to just outside the cruise terminal. Bergen is a modern city with plenty of shops to check out just by walking around on foot.

World Heritage Site of Bryggen

In a lot of ways Norway reminded me of both Alaska and New Zealand. You get the best of natural beauty and modern metropolitan cities when you go to Norway.

Making My Way Back to the Mediterranean

This summer I was back in Europe with the Sapphire Princess to explore the Mediterranean again. Although I have been to almost every port on this itinerary (except for Rome and Livorno) last summer I was able to experience something different this time around.

Barcelona, Spain

The beach with free WiFi

Park Guell

Civitavecchia, Italy
A couple coworkers and I took the train from the port in Civitavecchia into Rome. As it was my first time in Rome I wanted to see as many of the tourist spots as I could. In particular the Colosseum, the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps were on my radar and I was able to see all that and more on my own. Success!

Colosseum

Trevi Fountain. Yes, I did throw a coin over my shoulder into the fountain.

Spanish Steps. Conveniently the metro is located a couple steps from here so we were able to make our way back into Civitavecchia after our last sightseeing stop here.

Livorno, Italy

Genoa, Italy

Gibraltar
Last summer I wanted to see the barbary apes that resided at the top of the Rock but I didn't get a chance to. This summer we took the cable car up to the top of the Rock to see the apes. We ended up being super afraid of the apes' aggressive behaviour but it was an adrenaline pumped adventure nonetheless.

 

Asia Getaway on the Sun Princess

Nha Trang, Vietnam
I went on the Princess Cruise's shore excursion "Ponagar Cham Tower, Long Son Pagoda & Embroidery".

Hong Kong 
My first day in Hong Kong the ship was on the Hong Kong island side of Hong Kong and I did a hop-on-hop-off bus tour.
My second day in Hong Kong the ship was on the Kowloon side of Hong Kong. We went to the Mong Kok district for some street food and shopping and then explored the Nan Lian Gardens. The Gardens had free admission and was immaculate. Everything was so well kept and peaceful here. I can easily declare it as one of the best gardens I have ever visited in Asia.

Skyline of Hong Kong from the ship

Nan Lian Garden

Nan Lian Garden