Rizwan Sajan: When do I stop being Indian UAE's Masala King ...

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Travel
and an appreciation of how nature can create
such a marvelous land.
What were once working warehouses are now colorful shops, artists’ works
spaces and boutiques that welcome visitors, including cruisers, from around
the world to one of Bergen’s most photographed sections, historic Bryggen.
(Photo by: Kathy M. Newbern)
Because of the length of sunlight and
severity of the weather, there’s a cruising
season for the Norwegian coast, and our
journey fell on the last week for this year. Still,
in each port other cruise lines were calling, and
the popularity of this area is growing. More
ships are scheduled here next year.
The MS Rotterdam comfortably carries
1,400 passengers offering plenty to see and do
amid her 10 decks, from shows to fine dining
to onboard classes to daily tea service, where
we met one Canadian couple on their sixth
Holland America cruise. Passengers this cruise
were mostly from Europe (though most spoke
English), but one common characteristic was
the high number of repeaters.
We loved that this MS Rotterdam sailing
was roundtrip from the port of Rotterdam
where our departure day happened to coincide
with the Annual World Port Festival. Rotterdam,
as the busiest port in Europe, has celebrated
this event 35 years, and we cruisers had a
front row seat at one of the best water shows
imaginable. If it could float, we saw it, from a
fireboat to jet skis to military vessels to rowing
teams and even several fly-overs by helicopters,
one demonstrating a sea rescue.
A start like that is hard to top, but we were
not disappointed with our stops in Bergen,
Geirangerfjord at Geiranger, Alesund, and
Hardangerfjord at Eidfjord, all in Norway.
Two sea days gave us time to explore the
ship’s Greenhouse Spa, watch free cooking
demonstrations, try our luck in the casino, use
the amply equipped exercise center, plus sample
the two-story, main dining room, La Fontaine,
and the superb, intimate Pinnacle Grill.
There, one night of the cruise, a special
Le Cirque menu was featured (offered in
conjunction with the world-class restaurant
of the same name with locations in New
York City and Las Vegas). The restaurant’s
famous crème brulee is on the menu and
was even featured in the on-board cooking
demo. Yes, we got the recipe but fear it
won’t taste the same outside the elegant
dining venue with excellent wait staff at our
beckon call. (Tip: This special menu is only
offered once per cruise, so be sure and book
early, even before leaving home if possible.
It’s definitely worth the small extra charge,
as is the regular Pinnacle Grill menu, too.)
Today’s visitors to Norway generally cite the
fjords at the top of their list of sites to see, and
cruising is an efficient and fabulous way to see
these marvels of nature. Roads are scarce (and
often shut down in the winter) along much of
the rugged coastline, so ships historically have
supplied towns and transported people. Now,
cruise ships bring visitors to see the fjords and
the accompanying mountains and waterfalls.
Lobsters, crabs and other fresh fish for sale in
Bergen’s Fish Market in the heart of the city. There’s also a
flower market nearby. (Photo by: J.S. Fletcher)
‘‘ Norway
is also
known for
its fjords,
for its
majestic
and steep
mountains
and for the
Vikings
who
inhabited
the
area for
centuries
and have
been
credited
with
finding
North
America
before
Columbus
did.
‘‘
The International Indian