HENRY NOWICKI 27 JULY 1999
I had been on the Kristina Regina's lovely cruise to the Arctic (Ref 1) and I decided to stay on the ship from Bergen to Amsterdam by way of Scotland. The largely American contingent debarked in Bergen and an all Finnish group of passengers embarked for the Scotland cruise. That left me the sole non-Finnish passenger but no matter, the service staff all spoke excellent English and a surprising number of Finns spoke English which is offered in the schools. The Europeans are quite multilingual and suffice it to say, there was no language problem.
The Finnish owned and operated Kristina Regina (Ref 2) was built in Sweden in 1960 so it certainly is of classic design which is attractive to persons who love the sea. Its young owner and captain, Mikko Partanen, is as amiable and competent an officer as one could possibly find. All the ingredients for a pleasurable voyage are there: sturdy ship with reinforced hull capable of ice operations, friendly service staff, excellent food, great itinerary and smooth shipboard operations.
The itinerary of the Kristina Regina is as follows. Additional travel information may be obtained by clicking on any of the port references.
Jul 11 Bergen (Ref 3)
The second largest city in Norway, Bergen is considered the fjord capital since its location serves as a regional transportation gateway. The old architecture is preserved and its maritime connections, such as the world heritage Bryggen section, are readily displayed. The Floeybanen funicular ride from the center of the city is one of the prime attractions of which there are many. Some of the best art museums are located near a lovely lake, Lille Lungegardsvann, that warrants more than a few minutes of contemplation. Bergen is an excellent stop in every respect especially if the weather cooperates.
12 July Flam (Ref 4)
Overnight cruising of approximately 135 miles, of which 80 miles is through the Sognefjord, the longest fjord in the country, brings the ship to a southern branch of that fiord system and Flam, terminus of the steepest non-cog railway in the world. The hour-long ride up to Myrdal is a lovely journey that features a stop at a wild waterfall that has "Huldra" , a mythic siren, appearing in person and singing songs for the passengers who all offload for a 10-minute photo opportunity. Tickets for the rail trip can be obtained at the train station which is located dockside. The entrance and exit from Flam is very scenic and is well worth a lot of rail time for cruisers in this part of the world. The Kristina Regina proceeded into a western arm of the fiord system to reach Gudvagen, the tiniest of ports which serves as a visitor transfer point from ship to bus for the overland trip to Voss on the Oslo/Bergen rail line. A favorite excursion is to offload cruise passengers in Flam for a rail trip to Myrdal which also lies astride the Oslo/Bergen rail line. Thus the round trip by vessel, train and bus back to Gudvagen. Vagen means a wide spot and this is a good one. The fjord out of Gudvagen is even narrower than the one into Flam so it is a good show.
Heading almost directly west from the Sognefjord some 280 miles, the ship cruises overnight towards the Shetland Islands which have both a Scandinavian and Scottish cast to them.
13 July Lerwick, Shetland Islands (Ref 5)
Capital of the Shetland Islands but still a relatively small port town, Lerwick presented a pleasant appearance built along a hilly portion of an indented coast. Fishing, regional services and the ferry transport to outlying islands seem to be the important economic activities. Major attractions are few although a surprisingly fine museum covering the maritime heritage of the islands is to be found in the library building complex. Journeys outside of town and south to the lighthouse and wildlife refuge at Sumburgh follows the principal excursion route. The Shetland ponies are to be seen immediately outside of the urban area. Fortunately, the ship can moor right downtown which makes for easy back and forth traffic. Cooler overcast weather conditions can be expected as compared to Bergen and the Scandinavian shore almost directly to the east.
14 July 1999 (Ref 6)
An overnight voyage almost straight south of about 190 miles brings the ship to Invergordon, a commercial oil storage and transport port on the Moray Firth (firth is the equivalent to fiord in Scottish). At least nine huge oil rigs were anchored north of the fairway and they are there for maintenance and repair. Sometimes there are as many as eighteen at one time. There is a large installation about 10 miles north of the town that fabricates and repairs floating oil rigs.
The town of Invergordon is about 20 miles north of Inverness and easily accessed by regular express bus service for about $3 each way. Incidentally, it seems there is no comparison with expensive Norwegian prices, so much so that everything seems like a bargain...from wool garments to alcoholic beverages.
Inverness is a large electric city that has very much to offer the visitor. Not to mention the nearby Loch Ness, castles and distilleries,
the city serves as a regional service center set amid rather rich agricultural and sheep ranching operations. Fishing is still important and port operations, although having to contend with high tides and surges, is still of importance. Just before departure time, a group of folk entertainers boarded the ship for a series of Scottish dances, song favorites and the everpresent bagpipe. It was very touching. A band of about nine drum and bagpipe players gave their all at the dock as we were departing. Invergordon appreciates the cruise business and they will have a new terminal in the next few years.
15 July Edinburgh (Ref 7)
Leaving Invergordon the ship passed a large offshore rocky island that seemed to be completely covered with seabirds. Kittiwakes, gannets, razorbills and puffins which all seemed to meld in an aerial community. After an overnight journey of some 200 miles, the ship arrived at Leith, the outport for Edinburgh. Leith is now the homeport for the Britannia, the royal yacht that has been recently retired and is now open to the public. I am told that over 300,000 have visited since December and that makes it the prime visitor attraction in Edinburgh. And it is a winner with everything in perfect order including the slickest engine room one will ever see. It was well worth the visit, especially in my case, since it was berthed right next to the Kristina Regina. Another bonus was the express bus transportation that ran between the Britannia and the center of town.
Edinburgh has too many attractions to recount. I concentrated on visiting the brand new Dynamic Earth center, located near Holyrood Castle at the western end of the royal mile. It is a very modern exposition centered on the big bang start of the universe to the current physical condition of the earth. I enjoyed walking through the city center and got up to the door of the new Museum of Scotland before I ran out of time. There was just too much to do. Edinburgh was one of the few places I didn't want to leave when the ship was ready to depart.
16 July at Sea. Heading southeast on an almost straight course some 380 miles to IJmuiden and Amsterdam, the ship passed a huge oil rig here and there enroute through the North Sea oil producing areas.
17 July Amsterdam (Ref 8)
The early morning was spent passing one of the three locks that keeps the North Sea out of the North Sea Canal which is lower than the ocean. It is usually the other way around with locks meant to keep a higher and more navigable waterway above sea level. Well, you know about the Dutch lowlands and their reclamation efforts.
The North Sea Canal extends about 15 miles eastsoutheast to Amsterdam. Along the way one sees factory after factory and nary a windmill. There are road tunnels under the canal and quite a few container yards. Finally the city center comes into view and its mooring time. We were a few blocks from the central railroad station so you can see our excellent location...not like the Norway which was miles away in the boondocks.
Again, a huge metropolis like Amsterdam has too many major attractions to begin listing. I had spent much time there previously so I opted to leave early for Schipol Airport and a flight home. It had been a great three cruises back to back.
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