 |
Denmark–Norway
Fall Spectacular
September,
2007
Day
1 • Depart USA
A delicious dinner and breakfast will be served during your trans-Atlantic
flight.
Day
2 • Arrival Copenhagen, City Tour
This morning, you will be met and assisted by your tour director. As you
drive down Hans Christian Andersen Boulevard, which runs past Tivoli, the
famous amusement park. See Kongens Nytorv with its Royal Theater, the home
of the Royal Danish Ballet, and continue to Nyhavn, a street well known
for the variety of its nightlife. Your tour will then drive along the
Langeline Promenade with a photo stop at the Little Mermaid of Hans
Christian Andersen's famous fairytale. Cross the picturesque canal and
arrive at Christiansborg Palace, the seat of the Danish Parliament. Pass
by the beautiful old Stock Exchange and the Naval Church where many grand
Royal events take place. Pass Amalienborg Palace, the Queens residence and
we'll make a visit to Vor Frues Kirke (the Church of Our Lady. This
afternoon is free to explore Copenhagen's busy shopping district, which
rivals the shops and boutiques of London and Paris.
Day
3 • Copenhagen, Castles, Museums & Overnight Cruise to Oslo
After a wonderful breakfast at your hotel, you will depart for an
excursion to North Zealand. Your tour takes you first through the Danish
countryside, where you will pass by the famous "Dyrehaven" Royal
Deer Park with its hundreds of deer and 300 year old Beech forest. You
will then proceed to Helsingoer (Elsinore), one of the oldest towns in
Denmark with many medieval houses and commercial buildings dating from the
14th and 15th century. After lunch on your own at a local Danish Inn,
continue to one of the world's most famous castles, the Kronborg Castle.
Set on the cliffs of Elsinore above the Baltic shore, Kronborg is the
legendary home of Hamlet, Shakespeare's Prince of Denmark. Your next stop
is Frederiksberg Castle. This remarkable building, with its image
reflected in the lake on which it stands, was built by King Christian IV
in the early 17th century. It contains the National History Museum with
its many treasures of paintings, tapestries, porcelain, silver and
furniture. The tour will end at the pier where you will board the
overnight ship to Oslo. This modern ship has everything to make your
journey a special one. Enjoy a sumptuous buffet dinner before retiring to
your cabin.
Day
4 • Arrive in Oslo, City Tour
Enjoy breakfast on board the ship as you sail up the Oslo Fjord past
charming towns and small islands. A local guide will include a stop at
beautiful Frogner Park with its world-renowned Vigeland Sculptures and the
famous Holmenkollen Ski Jump. From the ski jump you have a unique view
over Oslo and it's surroundings. Also visit the impressive Viking Ships
Museum. The 1000-year-old Viking Ships make history come alive. The
afternoon is free in Oslo. Perhaps take a harbor cruise, experience the
Resistance Museum where history comes alive or visit Munch Museum housing
the collection of Norway's most famous artist. Take a stroll along the
main street, and enjoy the beauty of the "Studenterlunden" in
the center of town, nestled between the National Theater and the "Storting,"
Norway's Parliament or walk to the Royal Palace.
Day
5 • Lillehammer, Stave Church & Geiranger Fjord
Traveling northward through the lovely countryside, we will stop for a
visit to the Winter Olympic village of Lillehammer. The stadium, ski jumps
and charming pedestrian walk with shops and restaurants allow for a good
break in our travels. Next we visit the beautiful Stave Church in Lom, an
excellent example of combinations from the 12th and the 15th Centuries. We
continue along the mountain road to the popular little resort of Geiranger,
where we will disembark and check-in at the traditional Hotel
Union for the next two
nights. This family-run establishment began in 1897, at a time when
several of the guests were European royalty. The remainder of the day is
free to visit Geiranger on our own or enjoy the amenities at the hotel,
such as its magnificent garden, swimming pool or mini-golf. Others may
wish to take a dip in the pool or relax in the saunas, Turkish steam baths
or solarium.
Day
6 • Mountain Farm, Eagles Road
We leave Geiranger after breakfast and ascend the spectacular Geiranger
Mountain Road. The road ascends some 3,300 feet with 20 hairpin turns and
several bridges - making for an exciting journey. We'll stop to admire the
magnificent view at Oevre Blaafjello. On one side is Flydalhorn Mountain
and on the other are the Saathorn and Grindalshorn. Straight ahead we will
see the "Eagle's Road," which winds it way up from Geiranger to
Eidsdal. The highlight today will be a visit to a working mountain farm.
We will view the many facets of this rugged life as explained by the
workers themselves and enjoy tastes of the local cheeses produced on the
farm. We return to Geiranger by mid-afternoon for free time to shop along
the waterfront or simply appreciate the many qualities of our lodging.
Day
7 • Geiranger Fjord Cruise, Glacier, and Balestrand
Today we begin our cruise during colorful fall foliage along the world
famous Geiranger Fjord, with its sheer rock walls and numerous waterfalls.
We'll cruise past the Seven Sister falls, the "Suitor" and
"Breidal Veil". Higher up is the abandoned cliff-top farm of
Skagaflaa. We'll explore the Briksdal Glacier, an arm of the largest
glacier in northern Europe. Claimed to be the highlight of previous tours,
travel by horse and cart past powerful rivers, up the twisting road to the
glacier. Our motorcoach then drives through the tunnel constructed beneath
the Joestedalen Glacier to the tiny village of Fjaerland for a visit to
the Norwegian Glacier Center. Here we'll get a better understanding of
snow, ice and glaciers, and view the new multimedia show "The Blue
Ice". We sale across the Fjaerlands Fjord before arriving in the
lovely fjord village of Balestrand. Since the Viking days, it has served
as a stopover for Norsemen traveling between Bergen and Oslo. Many
well-known artists were the first to discover the beauty of Balestrand
over one hundred years ago. Wilhelmina, who later became Queen of the
Netherlands in 1890 when only 10 years old, was a renowned painter in her
own right and Balestrand became her source of inspiration during many
summers. Emperor Wilhelm II of Germany visited Balestrand every summer
before World War I in his royal yacht "Hohenzollen" and
sometimes he was accompanied by a flotilla of German warships. The Hotel
Kviknes here was established in 1756 and served royalty and many
other famous guests.
Day
8 • Sogne Fjord Cruise, Flaam Railway & Bergen
We depart Balestrand via modern high-speed boat for a ride on the Sogne
Fjord and the Aurlands Fjord, where we'll sail by cascading waterfalls,
steep mountainsides and isolated hamlets to the waterside village of Flaam.
After lunch, we depart Flaam by train on the world-famous Flaam Railway,
one of the most remarkable pieces of railway engineering in the world.
Although it is only 12.4 miles long, it ascends almost 3,000 feet in less
than one hour to Myrdal Station. Along the way, be sure to admire the
breathtaking view over the Flaam Valley and the thundering sound of the
waterfalls as we stop for photos. Our day ends in the old Hanseatic port
town of Bergen for free time this afternoon, dinner and overnight.
Day
9 • Bergen, Grieg Homestead
This morning we depart from our hotel via our private motorcoach for a
three-hour guided tour of Bergen. First we'll drive past the city's
colorful fish and flower market. Our next stop is at the monument to
medieval life and trade, the old warehouses of the Hanseatic period. These
old, wooden structures are long and narrow, and jammed so closely against
each other that air and daylight can enter only through tiny slits. We
then drive past the Haakonshallen, the medieval Viking Hall built in 1261
as a royal ceremony hall for the crowning of King Magnus. The hall is
still in use today for royal ceremonies and special occasions. We continue
past St. Mary's Church, the oldest building in Bergen, originally built in
the Romanesque style of the early twelfth century. Last on our tour is
Troldhaugen, the home of world known composer Edvard Grieg, which is now a
museum. Grieg composed many of his best-known works here. His piano, notes
and studios are still available for public viewing. We return to our
hotel, where we spend the rest of the afternoon at leisure. Take advantage
of this time for a nice quiet stroll through the old cobblestone streets
or shop for Norwegian sweaters or silverware. This evening, we leave the
center of Bergen for a trip on the funicular to Mt. Floyen, a unique
lookout point over 1,000 feet above the sea.
Day
10 • Departure for Home
Following breakfast, we are transferred to Flesland for the first leg of
our flight home.
Price
per Person:
from $2875
2
night Extension to Sweden:
Price Pending
Price
per person: includes airfare
from NYC, breakfast and dinner daily, sightseeing as listed in itinerary,
4 and 5 star hotels, all transportation and guides.
Not
included: Gratuities to guides and
drivers, air taxes, transportation in US, travel insurance.
|
