Placeholder Content Image

Norway praised for “best tourism commercial” ever

<p dir="ltr">A Norwegian tourism company has been praised after their no nonsense tourism ad for capital city Oslo went viral. </p> <p dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.visitoslo.com/en/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Visit Oslo</a> shared their new ad campaign that features local 31-year-old Halfdan, who shares all the noteworthy things about his home city. </p> <p dir="ltr">Opening the video, Halfdan bluntly says, “I wouldn’t come here, to be honest.”</p> <p dir="ltr">He goes on to touch on how easy Oslo is to navigate, the uniqueness of the city, how easy it is to explore and how delicious the food is, with a unique style of delivery. </p> <p dir="ltr">“You can just walk from one side of town to the other in like 30 minutes – try that in New York or Paris,” he says.</p> <p dir="ltr">He visits a museum and adds, “If you don’t have to stand in line for a couple of hours is it even worth seeing?”</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C8eYik2q09F/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C8eYik2q09F/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Visit OSLO (@visitoslo)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">Addressing the camera in front of Norwegian artist Edvard Munch’s famous ‘The Scream’, Halfdan deadpanned, saying it is “not exactly the Mona Lisa”.</p> <p dir="ltr">When discussing Oslo’s dining culture, Halfdan complains, “Sometimes I just walk right in off the street and get a table, and I’m not even famous. I mean what does that tell you?”</p> <p dir="ltr">The new ad, which launched in June, was led by director August Jorfald, who believes more tourists want authenticity rather than just taking pictures at iconic landmarks.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I don’t want Disney World. I want to be at someone’s kitchen table and drink wine from a milk glass,” he told <em>BBC</em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">The video, which has racked up hundreds of thousands of views across social media channels, has been praised by many with one person saying the video “Might’ve been the best tourism ad I’ve ever seen.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Another comment described the video as “a masterpiece in reverse psychology”, while others said they had booked their flights to the city after seeing the ad. </p> <p dir="ltr">“I think this is the best tourism commercial I’ve ever seen. And yes, it makes me want to visit Oslo,” read one top comment attracting thousands of likes in support.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Norwegian humour is on another level,” said another.</p> <p dir="ltr">“By far the best bit of marketing I’ve seen in a long while. Give them a raise! Oh wait it’s Norway, they’re already paid properly,” quipped someone else.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Visit Oslo</em></p> <p> </p>

International Travel

Placeholder Content Image

"If we stop communicating, Putin wins. Propaganda wins": how a Norwegian organisation is supporting Russian protest art

<p>As an international student at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy in Moscow in 2012, I remember studying <em>Rekviem</em> (requiem) by Russian poet <a href="https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/anna-akhmatova">Anna Ahkmatova</a>, an elegy she penned in secret as a tribute to the countless victims of Stalin’s murderous purges. </p> <p>Akhmatova’s writing revived the atrocities, delivering their darkness into the light.</p> <p>Her words spoke of constant fear permeating lives; of distrust, anxiety and betrayal; of the secret police arriving to drag you or your family away. </p> <p>To avoid detection and retribution, Ahkmatova whispered the poem to her friends who committed it to memory. She burned the incriminating scraps of paper.</p> <p>In the first four-and-a-half months following Putin’s attack against Ukraine, over 13,000 anti-war protesters <a href="https://ovdinfo.org/articles/2022/03/07/cracked-heads-and-tasers-results-march-6th-anti-war-protests">were detained</a> in Russia.</p> <p>Some estimates are that <a href="https://meduza.io/feature/2022/05/07/skolko-lyudey-uehalo-iz-rossii-iz-za-voyny-oni-uzhe-nikogda-ne-vernutsya-mozhno-li-eto-schitat-ocherednoy-volnoy-emigratsii">hundreds of thousands</a> fled Russia in early 2022, among them thousands of artists who no longer felt safe in the climate of increasing censorship.</p> <p>Some of these artists have found themselves in Kirkenes, a small Norwegian town 15 kilometres from the Russian border.</p> <h2>Russia’s protest art</h2> <p>Russian and Soviet artists have a long history of art as protest.</p> <p>The poem <em><a href="https://poets.org/poem/stalin-epigram">Stalin’s Epigram</a></em> (1933) authored by <a href="https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/osip-mandelstam">Osip Mandelstam</a> depicted Stalin as a gleeful killer. Authorities imprisoned and tortured Mandelstam, then deported the poet to a remote village near the Ural Mountains. </p> <p>After returning from exile, he persisted writing about Stalin until he was sent to a labour camp in Siberia, where he died in 1938 at the age of 47. </p> <p>Under the comparatively liberal rule of Stalin’s successor <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/131346?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents">Nikita Khrushchev</a> from 1953, the Soviet Union began to enjoy previously unimagined freedoms.</p> <p>Protest art reflected these newfound liberties, becoming increasingly provocative and experimental. </p> <p>Many famous art movements surfaced during this period, including <a href="https://www.moscowart.net/art.html?id=SotsArt">Sots Art</a> — a fusion between Soviet and Pop Art — as Russian artists tested the boundaries, exposing the grim realities and unhappiness of life under Stalin’s regime. </p> <p>In 1962, the legendary composer Shostakovich set his <a href="https://theconversation.com/decoding-the-music-masterpieces-shostakovichs-babi-yar-82819">13th symphony</a> to a series of poems by his contemporary, Yevgeny Yevtushenko. One of these poems was Babi Yar, which criticised the Soviet government for concealing the <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/babi-yar-ukraine-massacre-holocaust-180979687/">massacre of 33,371 Jews</a> in a mass grave outside Kyiv.</p> <p>In contemporary Russia, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/10/world/europe/pussy-riot-russia-escape.html">Pussy Riot</a> came to the attention of the world in 2012 when members stepped behind the altar in Moscow’s golden-domed Christ the Saviour Cathedral wearing neon-coloured balaclavas to deliver a “punk rock prayer”. </p> <p>Their voices echoed off the cavernous, hand-painted ceilings, raging against Putin’s affiliation with the Orthodox church and the homophobic, anti-feminist policies that followed. </p> <p>They were sentenced to two years imprisonment.</p> <p>Today, <a href="https://artreview.com/amidst-a-crackdown-russia-anti-war-artists-and-activists-try-to-reclaim-the-streets/">pictures from Russia</a> reveal anonymous anti-war graffiti on the sides of buildings, “no war” chiselled into a frozen river, and yellow and blue chrysanthemums and tulips left at the feet of Soviet war memorials.</p> <h2>Cross-border collaborations</h2> <p><a href="https://www.pikene.no/">Pikene på Broen</a> (girls on the bridge) is an arts collective based in Kirkenes.</p> <p>They have spent the past 25 years curating art projects to promote cross-cultural collaboration and tackle political problems in the borderland region. </p> <p>Pikene på Broen is host to the the annual art festival <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barents_Sea">Barents</a> Spektakel (spectacle), an international artist residency including Russian, Norwegian and Finnish creatives, the gallery and project space Terminal B in Kirkenes town, and the debate series Transborder Café.</p> <p>The venue has become a hub for open discussions relating to current political and cultural issues, drawing contributions from artists, musicians, writers, politicians and researchers.</p> <p>Evgeny Goman, an independent theatre director from Murmansk, Russia – about 200 kilometres from Kirkenes – has been collaborating with Pikene på Broen for over 10 years.</p> <p>After moving to Norway in early 2022, Pikene på Broen worked with Goman to organise Kvartirnik (from the word kvartira, meaning apartment), an online talk group for Russian and Norwegian artists to exchange ideas. </p> <p>Following Putin’s attack on Ukraine, Kvartirnik shifted to an underground movement for dissident artists. Ironically, the name Kvartirnik derives from the clandestine concerts arranged <a href="https://www.ciee.org/go-abroad/college-study-abroad/blog/ciee-kvartirnik-understanding-through-music">in people’s apartments</a> during the Soviet Era when musicians were banned from performing in public.</p> <p><a href="http://deadrevolution.tilda.ws/?fbclid=IwAR2PcaqY7VdLtS1zYUu4JCbD6F36KZ8JKv_FEIYsNeSTE4aKokhV7YpITas">Party of the Dead</a> is one of several Russian protest art groups who participated in Kvartirnik. </p> <p>Pictures from the snow-decked Piskaryovskoye Cemetery in Saint Petersburg reveal members dressed as skeletons, holding placards reading: “are there not enough corpses?”.</p> <p>I spoke with Goman about the art coming out of Kvartirnik today.</p> <p>“In peaceful times, art is more about entertaining,” he says. </p> <p>"But in war and conflict, art is more important because it’s the language we use to express our pain. And through metaphors and symbolism, it allows us to speak about things that are censored."</p> <h2>Countering propaganda</h2> <p>Kvartirnik collaborators in Murmansk have also produced and distributed <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samizdat">Samizdat</a> (self-publishing), an anonymous newsletter containing art suppressed by the state. </p> <p>“We have to be really smart now about how we do things in Russia,” Goman says. “Subtle.”</p> <p>Goman is pessimistic about Russia’s future. But he believes the key to moving forward is keeping communication open. He tells me the West’s decision to <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/03/right-way-cancel-russia/627115/">ban Russian culture</a> has backfired on their plan to pressure Putin into ending the war against Ukraine. </p> <p>Instead, he says, the divide is steadily increasing, leaving dissident artists isolated inside a country operating on fear and propaganda, furthering Putin’s agenda. </p> <p>“Putin wants us to not affect Russian minds. And that’s why we have to keep the dialogue going,” he says of the importance of cross-border collaborations like those he has undertaken in Kirkenes.</p> <p>"If we stop communicating, Putin wins. Propaganda wins."</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/if-we-stop-communicating-putin-wins-propaganda-wins-how-a-norwegian-organisation-is-supporting-russian-protest-art-186911" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. </em></p>

Art

Placeholder Content Image

Why Norway should be No.1 on your cruising bucket list

<p><strong><em><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">The borders are open. The Fjords are calling. From stunning Northern Lights to breathtaking landscapes, here are our Fab Four must-do experiences in the land of the Midnight Sun...</span></span></em></strong></p> <p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">International cruising is now back on the agenda and it’s time once again to start ticking off all those incredible destinations you’ve always dreamed of seeing one day.</span></p> <p><span lang="EN-GB">We’ve got some good news for you, cruise fans: Norway, the home of spectacular cruising experiences, is now open, safe and ready to welcome you back to experience all of its delights, from the fjords to the stunningly breathtaking Northern Lights and the Midnight Sun in summer.</span></p> <p><span lang="EN-GB">To sweeten the deal, Norway has now completely removed its entry restrictions, so it’s the perfect time to experience all of the majestic landscapes and beautiful opportunities this country has on offer.</span></p> <p><span lang="EN-GB">Hurtigruten's <em>Norwegian Coastal Express</em> has been cruising the coast since 1893 and will give you access to small fishing villages, locally sourced cuisine and off-the-beaten-track excursions, allowing you to really explore the country like a local. </span></p> <p><span lang="EN-GB">So, what are you waiting for? Book before April 30 on selected departures in 2022 and you may receive <a href="https://www.hurtigruten.com.au/au/share-the-most-beautiful-voyage/?_ccid=20927&_ccst=1000&_hrgb=2utm_source=Over60&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=APAC_COA_Awareness_Brand_B2C_W01_YR_2022_NO_22-23&utm_content=" target="_blank" rel="noopener">up to 50% OFF</a> the second guest.</span></p> <p><span lang="EN-GB">Here we’ve outlined just a few of the things you can expect on one of these must-do cruises.</span></p> <p><strong><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">1. Explore the majestic fjords</span></span></span></strong></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; line-height: 16.8667px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;"><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/04/FJORD_Geiranger-Norway-HGR-49268.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">Yes, <a href="https://www.hurtigruten.com.au/inspiration/experiences/where-to-find-norways-best-fjords/?utm_source=Over60&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=APAC_COA_Awareness_Brand_B2C_W01_YR_2022_NO_22-23&utm_content=" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Fjords are calling</a> – and if you’re still unsure of what that is after reading this, then here's a little explainer. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">A fjord is a long, deep, narrow body of water that reaches far inland, and is made when a glacier retreats, resulting in an incredible U-shaped valley with soaring cliffs on either side. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">Cruising in Norway will take you to the heart of these jaw-dropping natural creations which you can finally tick off your bucket list. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">Some of the best and most unmissable fjords in Norway are the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Geirangerfjord with its spectacular waterfalls, the epic 180km long Hardangerfjord, the pretty Trondheimsfjorden that’s home to the gorgeous port city of Trondheim, and the unspoilt surrounds of tiny Trollfjord – which, while only 3km in length and just 100 metres wide at its mouth, contains enough jaw-dropping scenery to leave you in awe.</span></span></p> <p><strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">2. Gaze up at the Northern Lights</span></span></strong></p> <p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;"><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/04/LIGHTS_Northern-lights-Norway-HGR-104675_1920-Photo_Photo_Competition.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">Yes, you are actually <em>guaranteed</em> to experience the <a href="https://www.hurtigruten.com.au/inspiration/experiences/northern-lights/?utm_source=Over60&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=APAC_COA_Awareness_Brand_B2C_W01_YR_2022_NO_22-23&utm_content" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Northern Lights</a> during their spectacular winter viewing season in either September or next year in March. If the lights don’t present on your cruise, you’ll be given a free 6 or 7 day voyage the following season with Hurtiguten's amazing ‘Northern Lights Guarantee’.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">Known as nature's own mesmerising light show, the <em>Aurora Borealis</em> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">lasts up to 15-30 minutes, and what we see from the ground is caused by electrically charged particles from space entering the Earth’s upper atmosphere at a very high speed.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">Interestingly, the famed Northern Lights also look substantially different to all who view them, with some people seeing different colours making their way across the sky, or rays of light going up into space. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">Another item to check off your bucket list? We think so!</span></span></p> <p><strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">3. Experience the land of the Midnight Sun</span></span></strong></p> <p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;"><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/04/SUN_Passenger-on-deck-Norway-HGR-12274_1920.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">What do you think of when you read the words “Midnight Sun”? We are betting it is <em>exactly</em> what you think it is. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">If the words of <a href="https://www.hurtigruten.com.au/destinations/norway/the-original-norwegian-coastal-express/sailing-under-the-midnight-sun/?utm_source=Over60&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=APAC_COA_Awareness_Brand_B2C_W01_YR_2022_NO_22-23&utm_content=" target="_blank" rel="noopener">past guest of Hurtigruten Bronwen Pyle</a> are anything to go by, experiencing this phenomenon from the deck of the <em>Norwegian Coastal Express</em> is something you will never forget. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">“The day kept on going and going, never getting dark, even all through the night. The non-stop day actually gave us even more time to admire the scenery on the route,” she says. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">Bronwen says that the crew and passengers were all lovely, saying it was definitely the almost never-ending sunlight that helped everyone’s mood.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">She suggests staying on the ship’s deck to secure a seat and enjoy the Midnight Sun as much as possible. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">A word of caution from Bronwen, though: Don’t get stuck behind the camera; enjoy what is actually there in front of you in the present moment, and create some memories that will last a lifetime.  </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">And one last tip: If you feel like you’re struggling to sleep because of the extra hours of sunlight, then the awesome onboard gym is the place for you before knocking off! </span></span></p> <p><strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">4. Dine on delicious locally sourced meals</span></span></strong></p> <p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;"><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/04/FOOD_MS-Polarlys-King-Crab-HGR-116417_1920-Photo_Carsten_Pedersen.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">Hopping on board the <em>Norwegian Coastal Express</em> will help you not only see the dramatic coast in all its splendour, but taste it too – thanks to the <a href="https://www.hurtigruten.com.au/norways-coastal-kitchen/?utm_source=Over60&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=APAC_COA_Awareness_Brand_B2C_W01_YR_2022_NO_22-23&utm_content=" target="_blank" rel="noopener">delicious onboard meals</a>.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">All food is locally sourced, with its provenance resting in very ports that the ship pauses at along the way, making it an even more special experience to appreciate the freshness and flavours.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">Other than the food, you can choose to get involved in endless excursions (there are more than 70 on offer!), learn about regional specialities, discover how food is at the heart of local life, and listen to the life stories of brewers, chefs, farmers and more. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">So, are you ready for the cruising experience of a lifetime and to fall in love with the beauty and people of Norway? If you are, don’t forget to share the adventure with a friend and get up to <a href="https://www.hurtigruten.com.au/au/share-the-most-beautiful-voyage/?_ccid=20927&_ccst=1000&_hrgb=2utm_source=Over60&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=APAC_COA_Awareness_Brand_B2C_W01_YR_2022_NO_22-23&utm_content=" target="_blank" rel="noopener">50 per cent off</a> for a second guest on summer voyages if you book before the end of April. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">Check out the gallery below for more stunning images of what to expect on a Hurtigren <em style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.8667px;">Norwegian Coastal Express</span></em> cruise. </span></span></p> <p><em><strong><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">This is a sponsored article produced in partnership with <a href="https://www.hurtigruten.com.au/destinations/norway/?utm_source=Over60&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=APAC_COA_Awareness_Brand_B2C_W01_YR_2022_NO_22-23&utm_content=" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hurtigruten</a>.</span></span></strong></em></p>

Cruising

Placeholder Content Image

Would you climb a 47-metre tower for a free car lease? In Norway, you can

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">At 47 metres high, the tallest free-standing climbing tower in the world has opened in Norway, and car company Ford’s new campaign has brought it additional attention.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">After opening in June this year, professional climbers were invited to try and reach the top of the tower, with the fastest climber taking home a free two-year lease on a Ford Explorer PHEV.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The company even crane-lifted their newest model onto the top of the tower, sitting on top of a special platform that supports the weight of the plug-in hybrid car.</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CR8cy0XgSIy/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CR8cy0XgSIy/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Ford Norge (@fordnorge)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ford’s Explore New Heights challenge saw 14 climbers compete after successfully completing a qualifying test.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sharing the footage to their Instagram page, Ford eventually found a winner.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In the clip, many of the climbers can be seen losing their grip and combating the jumps and obstacles designed by champion climber Martin Mobråten.</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CSG0pIUAPUZ/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CSG0pIUAPUZ/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Ford Norge (@fordnorge)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Eventually, Leo Ketil B</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">ø</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">e, 21, managed to score the free lease with a time of three minutes and 33 seconds.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Any who made it to the top alongside Leo were rewarded with breathtaking views across the Skagerrak, a strait running between Norway, Sweden, and Denmark.</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: Visit Norway</span></em></p>

International Travel

Placeholder Content Image

“I’m in shock”: Olympian stuns the world with “impossible” run

<p><span>Norway’s Karsten Warholm has had an incredible run by smashing his own “impossible” world record, taking the gold in the men's 400m hurdles.</span><br /><br /><span>Warholm clocked in at a remarkable 45.94 seconds.</span><br /><br /><span>He beat his previous world best of 46.70sec.</span></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7842812/norway-world-record-2.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/4a6da1c59057416f9b46990d2d57993b" /></p> <p><em>Image: Supplied</em></p> <p><span>He went head to head with American Rai Benjamin, who came under the previous world record mark and won silver.</span><br /><br /><span>Brazil’s Alison Dos Santos claimed bronze in 46.72.</span><br /><br /><span>Warholm’s feat is something never-before-seen, as only four runners in history have ever clocked sub-47sec times, let alone sub-46.</span><br /><br /><span>Seven of the eight runners also recorded their personal best times.</span><br /><br /><span>The race was one that came down to the final 20m.</span><br /><br /><span>As Warholm’s world record time flashed on the big screen, he roared and ripped open his shirt.</span></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7842813/norway-world-record.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/60445dd9738a4b799bc26111795783a6" /></p> <p><em>Image: Getty</em><br /><br /><span>Aussie icon and commentator Bruce McAvaney, described the win as one of the most iconic performances ever seen at the Olympics.</span><br /><br /><span>He said it competed with Usain Bolt's 9.63sec 100m run at the London Olympics.</span><br /><br /><span>"It will go down as the greatest 400m hurdles ever run and arguably the greatest race we have seen at an Olympic Games. What a contest," McAvaney said.</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Karsten Warholm's 45.95 in the 400-meter hurdles took .75 of a second off of the world record.<br /><br />To take that much off of the WR in an event human beings have been running for 120+ years should not be possible. It should not be possible!</p> — Jonathan Gault (@jgault13) <a href="https://twitter.com/jgault13/status/1422399636698923010?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 3, 2021</a></blockquote> <p><br /><span>Former Aussie athletics star Tamsyn Manou said the shock of the race left her speechless.</span><br /><br /><span>"I'm in shock. Bruce, I'm in shock. I cannot believe for the men's 400m hurdles there is a 45 second run," she said.</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Ppl, I don’t think you realize what you just watched. A man just ran Sub 46 in the 400M Hurdles. That’s Beamon’s jump in Mexico City, Bolt’s sub 9.6 in 100 meters. I saw Kevin Young run 46.78 in Barcelona, still can’t believe Warholm ran that fast. Geeeeezzz</p> — shannon sharpe (@ShannonSharpe) <a href="https://twitter.com/ShannonSharpe/status/1422400410812252165?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 3, 2021</a></blockquote> <p><br /><span>"We've taken this event to a place where I don't think anybody (expected).</span><br /><br /><span>"Everybody was talking about a world record, but I don't think anybody would have said it will be won in sub-46 seconds."</span><br /><br /><span>American sports commentator Tom Harrington said: "That 400 meters hurdles was the greatest in history".</span></p> <p><em>Image: Getty</em></p>

News

Placeholder Content Image

Aussie beach nabs #2 spot in world ranking

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The world’s top-50 beaches for 2021 have been announced, with an Australian beach taking the runner-up spot.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In their annual </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://bigseventravel.com/the-50-best-beaches-in-the-world/" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">‘Best Beaches in the World’ list</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, global travel authority Big 7 Travel included Queensland’s Whitehaven Beach in their scoring of stunning beaches from around the world.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When citing why they decided on Whitehaven as the second-best, the judges cited the famed beach’s soft sand and named it “among the purest in the world”.</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CRS0mbBja_e/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CRS0mbBja_e/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Whitehaven Beach Day tour (@whitehavenxpress)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Found on the Whitsunday Islands, the beach boasts 7km of white silica sand and is “one of the world’s most unspoiled and beautiful beaches”, according to Big 7 Travel.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Because of the silica, the sand doesn’t retain heat, so it’s a fantastic place to walk on barefoot, even on a hot day.”</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CNQVw1RspWZ/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CNQVw1RspWZ/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Norge 🇳🇴 Norway (@nortrip)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The top spot was taken out by Vaeroy beach in Norway, which offers amazing coastline views from its clifftops and surprisingly warm waters.</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: The Whitsundays Queensland / Instagram</span></em></p>

Domestic Travel

Placeholder Content Image

“Completely ridiculous” fine issued to Norwegian beach handball team

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Norway’s beach handball team has been fined 1500 euros (approximately $2400 AUD) over a violation of the sport’s uniform rules during the European Championships match.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In the bronze medal match against Spain, the Norwegian women’s team wore bike shorts instead of bikini bottoms.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The European Handball Federation (EHF) said in a statement that the shorts were “not according to the Athlete Uniform Regulations defined in the IHF Beach Handball Rules of the game”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The team was fined 150 euro per player.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Abid Raja, Norway’s sports minister, said it was “completely ridiculous” and that attitudes needed to change.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Norwegian Handball Federation (NHF) criticised the fine and took to Twitter to say it was proud of the women for saying enough was enough.</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Norway's women's beach handball team was fined €1,500 for refusing to wear bikini bottoms at a European championship game.<br /><br />Men wear shorts but IHF rules say women "must" use bikini bottoms, despite players saying that bikini bottoms are restrictive and uncomfortable to play in. <a href="https://t.co/VwP2cxAE1H">pic.twitter.com/VwP2cxAE1H</a></p> — AJ+ (@ajplus) <a href="https://twitter.com/ajplus/status/1417545591005974529?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 20, 2021</a></blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“We at NHF stand behind you and support you. Together we will continue to fight to change the rules for clothing so players can play in the clothes they are comfortable with,” it said in the post.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">According to Beach Handball rules, female players must wear tops and bikini bottoms while men must wear tank tops and shorts.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Athletes’ uniforms and accessories contribute to helping athletes increase their performance as well as remain coherent with the sportive and attractive image of the sport,” the uniform regulations said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Female athletes must wear bikini bottoms … with a close fit and cut out on an upward angle towards the top of the leg.”</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">I knew there was a double standard for uniforms worn by male and female athletes... but this picture of Norway's beach handball team says a lot. <a href="https://t.co/qdZBKU7pTK">https://t.co/qdZBKU7pTK</a> <a href="https://t.co/KoWdOvecmr">pic.twitter.com/KoWdOvecmr</a></p> — Dr. Ji Son (@cogscimom) <a href="https://twitter.com/cogscimom/status/1417582965110894594?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 20, 2021</a></blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The decision has been widely criticised on social media, with some calling the differing rules for the mens’ and womens’ uniforms a “double standard”.</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: Norwegian Handball Federation / Twitter</span></em></p>

Travel Trouble

Placeholder Content Image

The woman who lived in the Arctic circle

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While many have been forced into isolation since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, others have sought out the solitude that can come from being alone.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Valentina Miozzo is one of those few, deciding to move to the Arctic Circle both during the pandemic and as the 24-hour polar nights were just about to begin.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“December and January were two months of just darkness,” she said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Traveling from the northern Italian region of Emilia Romagna she usually calls home, Ms Miozzo made the decision after the pandemic turned her life upside down.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Working as a nature and walking guide who accompanied Italians on trips abroad, she was just as affected by the pandemic as so many others in the travel and tourism industries.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Once Italy came out of a harsh lockdown and had the virus seemingly under control in the summer of 2020, she jumped on an opportunity sent to her via Instagram to run a guesthouse in the Arctic Circle.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Was I scared? No, I saw it as a beautiful opportunity to visit places I would maybe have never chosen off my own bat,” she said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Since I couldn’t do my travelling work anymore, this was a way to travel and to live another reality - in a more static way, of course, but in a part of the world I didn’t know and was fascinated by.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Two days later, she accepted the offer. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Within a month, she was touching down in Kongsfjord, about 3,826km from her former home.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Moving from Modena, with its population of 185,00 people, to Kongsfjord, with just 28 residents, was one the many differences Ms Miozzo contended with.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“In winter, there were 120 km/h winds and ice everywhere, so it’s hard to get around,” she said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I didn’t have any expectations - I purposefully didn’t create them as I was curious to discover.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But she did have some sort of an idea of what to expect.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I knew I was going to a very, very isolated place - they’d wanted me. I knew it was extreme, and I knew it was in the arctic tundra, but I had never been to Norway.”</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CNpa-J0hJTa/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CNpa-J0hJTa/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Valentina Miozzo (@viaggiarelibera)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Shortly after my arrival, the polar nights arrived.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“It was an incredible experience, living two months entirely in the dark. It wasn’t disturbing - in fact, it’s harder to live with the light.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Isolated and facing the extreme weather, Ms Miozzo learnt something extremely important during her stay.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“When I went to hot countries, you take energy from outside, from others, from the climate, the atmosphere. You’re interacting with other people, and there’s the sun,” she said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“When you find yourself in a place like this, completely isolated, what you learn to do is to find energy in yourself. And it’s an amazing discovery - especially when there’s no light for two months and you need to wake yourself up.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ms Miozzo has found the Arctic Circle to be a place unlike anywhere else in the world.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The climate, light, the dark - it’s all different. Here, it’s real tundra. Trees don’t grow - it’s really a wild landscape. We have red and arctic foxes, and there are reindeer everywhere,” she said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“There are whales, dolphins, orcas, and lots of seabirds - it’s known for its birdwatching. And there are seals, which are lovely.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I haven’t lived in Norway. I’ve lived in the Arctic tundra.”</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Images: Valentina Miozzo / Instagram</span></em></p>

International Travel

Placeholder Content Image

This new tourist attraction will make you dizzy

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A newly opened tourist attraction makes you feel like you’re floating on air, all while catching panoramic views of mountains and a valley that disappears beneath you.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Vøringsfossen waterfall offers views of the landscape near Eifjord in Hardanger, western Norway.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The project, designed by architect Carl-Viggo Hølmebakk, has been over a decade in the making and is now ready for visitors brave enough to traverse the 99 steps that connect the two sides of the Måbødalen valley.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The bridge is part of a series of developments in the area that aim to make the spot even more attractive to visitors, including new viewpoint platforms and footpaths.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The bridge is, of course, the heart of the project that connects two sides of the river and the waterfall together,” Hølmebakk told CNN Travel.</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CF4dRB8MJji/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CF4dRB8MJji/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Carl-Viggo Hølmebakk (@carlviggoholmebakk)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The bridge has been designed to fuse the natural and man-made seamlessly - with Hølmebakk and his team closely studying the local landscape and scanning the terrain with digital equipment to ensure they didn’t damage the environment.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Though those with a fear of heights may want to steer clear, the bridge will become another reason to visit one of Norway’s top destinations.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The floating-on-air design is inspired by Norwegian folklore and its Romantic tradition, Hølmebakk said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But turning this concept into reality wasn’t a small task, as the team had to combine conventional building methods with helicopters and mountaineers.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Construction began back in 2015, but Vøringsfossen’s mountainous location meant that work could only be done during the short summer season.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The bridge is suitable for both older people and children, but won’t be wheelchair-friendly until the accessible footpath currently in development is completed.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">By 2022, a cafe will also be on site, giving visitors a perfect spot to catch their breath after walking on the bridge.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hølmebakk saw the bridge at each stage of construction but said he still marvelled the first time he saw it finished and was able to step onto the walkway.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He said the scale is pretty incredible and crossing it was “fantastic”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Even so, Hølmebakk stresses the bridge will always come second to the landscape.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The architecture is not the main part, but the beautiful nature, and the waterfall.”</span></p>

International Travel

Placeholder Content Image

Popular tourist destination to be closed in 2020

<p>Faroe Islands are a beautiful and popular string of islands that are home to a colony of puffins.</p> <p>However, the islands are going to be closed for a portion of 2020 so that the ecosystem can be preserved from the droves of tourists that descend on the shores of the islands.</p> <p>Faroe Islands are located between Iceland and Norway, but if you’re still itching to see the puffin colony that calls the islands home, you can still go to the islands.</p> <p>You just have to volunteer your time to step foot on the islands.</p> <p>14 tourist sites will be closed for a portion of 2020, but volunteers that help rejuvenate the island are able to stay on the island for free during the maintenance period, which is during the weekend of April 16 – 17 2020.</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B37xx4cHMp3/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B37xx4cHMp3/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Faroe Islands (@faroeislands)</a> on Oct 22, 2019 at 1:33pm PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Guðrið Højgaard, Director at Visit Faroe Islands, said successful applicants will need to apply quickly as the 2019 program saw thousands reach out to offer their assistance.</p> <p>"For us, tourism is not all about numbers," Højgaard told <em><a href="https://www.cnn.com/travel">CNN Travel</a></em> earlier this year.</p> <p>"We welcome visitors to the islands each year, but we also have a responsibility to our community and to our beautiful environment, and our aim is to preserve and protect the islands, ensuring sustainable and responsible growth."</p> <p>The first batch of volunteers included travellers from Mexico, Australia, China and the United States.</p> <p>The Faroe Islands’ capital of Tórshavn has a population of about 13,000 and visits to the islands have increased by 10 per cent over the last few years.</p>

Travel Trouble

Placeholder Content Image

Sights unseen: Top 10 must-see European destinations

<p>Bursting with beauty, history and culture are a multitude of intimate and lesser-travelled European destinations that every keen traveller must see in their lifetime.</p> <p>From Greece’s colonnaded Parthenon to a finger-like peninsula whose highest peaks are home to Orthodox Christian monasteries, your next epic and equally dreamy summer holiday escape to Europe is right at your fingertips.</p> <p>Here are 10 magical destinations you must experience for yourself and add to your bucket list.</p> <p><strong>1. Tallin, Estonia</strong></p> <p><strong><img style="width: 0px; height: 0px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7828630/viking-cruise-do-not-use-10.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/07d804167a394c32a8856beea18163aa" /></strong></p> <p>Estonia may be one of the smallest countries in Europe yet it boasts a culture and history as vibrant and insightful as any other. In Tallin, the charming capital of Estonia located on the coast of the Baltic Sea, you can immerse yourself in a number of experiences – everything from a brush with old civilisation and the meticulously-kept medieval streets of the Old Town to suppers and heavenly homemade cuisines. This includes cinnamon roasted almonds, which are a must-try from an Old Town street store or treat yourself to the special sweet taste of marzipan that holds an immensely fascinating and meaningful history.</p> <p>Once under the rule of Russia, the newly independent country is the perfect place to journey through for a touch of the old and the new. Those who admire fine art must add the Kadriorg Art Museum at the Baroque Kadriorg Palace to their to-do list, which was once a summer home for Catherine I of Russia.</p> <p>The perfect blend of modern culture and ancient history, stop in during an immersive <a href="https://www.vikingcruises.com.au/oceans/cruise-destinations/baltic/viking-homelands/index.html?utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=oversixty&amp;utm_campaign=sights-unseen-editorial-tallin">15-day Baltic Sea journey</a> which will see you exploring northern  Europe with Viking Cruises.</p> <p><strong>2. Puglia, Italy</strong></p> <p>Roaming around Puglia, better known as the “boot” of Italy, might be the most beautiful view to cast your eyes upon. The white-washed towns of Ostuni and Alberobello are two cities visitors may never want to leave as the tree-lined, sunny streets are just one part of what makes <a href="https://www.vikingcruises.com.au/oceans/cruise-destinations/western-mediterranean/italian-sojourn/index.html?utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=oversixty&amp;utm_campaign=sights-unseen-editorial-puglia">Puglia a sight to behold.</a></p> <p>The beloved city, which is responsible for over 60 per cent of Italy’s olive oil production, is home to centuries-old olive trees. The history built from beneath the soil of the pristine city should be more than enough to entice any traveller to feast on the Pugliese cuisine.</p> <p>The Romanesque Basilica of St Nicholas is a must see for all culture-hungry travellers. Built late in the 11<sup>th</sup> century, the stunning church took nearly 100 years to complete. With clean, simple lines and cream coloured stone, this cathedral is well worth exploring for yourself. </p> <p><strong>3. Troy, Turkey</strong></p> <p> <img style="width: 0px; height: 0px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7828628/viking-cruise-do-not-use-12.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/eb2f7be66ef148b88c7e6accce30cdaf" /></p> <p>An archaeological wonder, the story of Troy is one that has amazed and astounded for generations.  Located in Western Turkey, the ancient ruins of Troy are a marvel that date back to <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.vikingcruises.com.au/oceans/cruise-destinations/western-mediterranean/ancient-adriatic-treasures/index.html?utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=oversixty&amp;utm_campaign=sights-unseen-editorial-troy" target="_blank">approximately </a>3000 BC and have been preserved so remarkably well, visitors will be able to experience a genuine glimpse of what the region’s former glory was once like.</p> <p>The legendary ancient city was made famous by <em>The Iliad – </em>an epic poem written by Greek author Homer, who in this particular body of work detailed specific events of the final weeks of the Trojan War. The incredible prose has become an iconic piece of work and is considered the earliest writings in the whole of the Western literary tradition.</p> <p>Culture-hungry travellers should not pass up the privilege to witness the ancient ruins of Troy for themselves. They offer an immersive insight into a world that once was but no longer exists and are surrounded by legends and myths all pointing to the fascinating and meaningful history readily available.</p> <p>Along with visiting the glorious ruins of Troy, travellers will be able to visit the tranquil memorial site from World War I, the battlefields of Gallipoli.</p> <p>The long-fought campaign was one of the deadliest and extensive battles fought during the war and has a sombre history, which you can retrace with a ferry ride across the Dardanelles straight to Eceabat on the Gallipoli Peninsula.</p> <p>This historically enriching experience is part of an <a href="https://www.vikingcruises.com.au/oceans/cruise-destinations/western-mediterranean/ancient-adriatic-treasures/index.html?utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=oversixty&amp;utm_campaign=sights-unseen-editorial-troy">eight-day journey</a> starting from romantic Venice to the intriguing Istanbul with <a href="https://www.vikingcruises.com.au/oceans/cruise-destinations/western-mediterranean/ancient-adriatic-treasures/index.html?utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=oversixty&amp;utm_campaign=sights-unseen-editorial-troy">Viking Cruises.</a></p> <p><strong>4. Mostar, Bosnia</strong></p> <p>The scenic city of Mostar is a sight any traveller may not ever want to leave. Best known for their landmark <a href="https://www.vikingcruises.com.au/oceans/cruise-destinations/eastern-mediterranean/empires-mediterranean/index.html?itineraryday=4#modal/173899999&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=oversixty&amp;utm_campaign=sights-unseen-editorial-mostar-oldbridge">‘Old Bridge,’</a> the small town is a true symbol of peace and unity in a region once absolved in conflict. Stari Most is a 16<sup>th</sup> century, ottoman-style bridge and is by far Mostar’s most beloved and iconic architectural landmark. Stretching just 28 metres across Neretva River, Stari Most has become a symbolic reminder of harmony and multiculturalism. </p> <p>Along with the abundance of street art, abandoned buildings and ancient mosques and churches, there is a mystique quite unlike any other destination you will travel to.</p> <p>While Bosnia might not be located on a coastline, you can explore this destination from Croatia during the <a href="https://www.vikingcruises.com.au/oceans/cruise-destinations/eastern-mediterranean/empires-mediterranean/index.html?utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=oversixty&amp;utm_campaign=sights-unseen-editorial-mostar">Empires of the Mediterranean</a> itinerary with Viking Cruises. The intimate locations are just simple reminders that journeys like these are hard to come by.</p> <p><strong>5. Rethymno, Greece</strong></p> <p>One of the best-preserved medieval cities in Greece, Rethymno is the third biggest city of Crete in the Greek Islands, and is a lively, animated town you won’t want to miss a second of. The dreamy seaside town is the perfect balance between the old and the new – stroll along the 16<sup>th</sup> century cobblestone streets while taking in the arched doorways, stone staircases and ancient remains of what once was.</p> <p>The cosy old town and its tavernas will be a breath of fresh air on your 25-day journey through the cities of antiquity and the holy land where travellers will get the opportunity to explore the <a href="https://www.vikingcruises.com.au/oceans/cruise-destinations/eastern-mediterranean/cities-of-antiquity/index.html#itineraryday/5?utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=oversixty&amp;utm_campaign=sights-unseen-editorial-rethymno">wonders of the Mediterranean</a> with Viking Cruises.</p> <p><strong>6. Shetland and Orkney Islands, Scotland</strong></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.18101545253865px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7828639/viking-cruise-do-not-use-1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/b09769a69b484d10ba187c276381c90c" /></p> <p>Travelling to Shetland, Scotland is sure to be the remarkable experience you wish you’d had sooner while immersing yourself in a <a href="https://www.vikingcruises.com.au/oceans/cruise-destinations/baltic/british-isles-explorer/index.html?utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=oversixty&amp;utm_campaign=sights-unseen-editorial-shetland">15-day cruise from Bergen, Norway</a> to London, England.</p> <p>Along the way, as you wind your way around the British Isles, travellers will have the opportunity to witness the famous Shetland ponies grazing along the roadside, on the beaches and along the dappled hillsides of the Shetland Islands.</p> <p>During the <a href="https://www.vikingcruises.com.au/oceans/cruise-destinations/baltic/british-isles-explorer/index.html?utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=oversixty&amp;utm_campaign=sights-unseen-editorial-shetland">British Isles Explorer</a> cruise with Viking Cruises, travellers are given the opportunity to learn about the meaningful history surrounding Orkney Islands – from the 5,000-year-old circle of stones to the remarkably preserved Stone Age settlement of Skara Brae that is estimated to have been built between 3000BCE and 2500BCE, and is one of Scotland’s most fascinating villages.</p> <p>This enriching experience is one you won’t want to pass up.</p> <p><strong>7. Trømso, Norway</strong></p> <p>Deemed the “Gateway to the Arctic,” Tromsø is the second largest city in Norway which offers both natural wonders, vibrant cultural elements and unique structures specific to the famous city.</p> <p>Whether you seek adventure, natural beauty or romance, you will find a mingling of activities to suit your needs – from an exploration through the stunning and “daring” Arctic Cathedral created in 1965, to learning about exciting arctic expeditions and dog sledding.</p> <p>Embark on an epic <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.vikingcruises.com.au/oceans/cruise-destinations/baltic/into-the-midnight-sun/index.html?utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=oversixty&amp;utm_campaign=sights-unseen-editorial-tromso-midnightsun" target="_blank">15-day voyage Into the Midnight Sun </a>through the UK and Scandinavia and visit Trømso, where travellers will have the opportunity to witness 24 hours of daylight, and the magical ‘Midnight Sun’, during the Scandinavian summer.</p> <p>Alternatively, those wanting to explore the pristine natural beauty of the world’s northernmost city during winter in search of the northern lights can choose a 13-day <a href="https://www.vikingcruises.com.au/oceans/cruise-destinations/baltic/in-search-of-the-northern-lights/index.html?utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=oversixty&amp;utm_campaign=sights-unseen-editorial-tromso-nlights">In Search of the Northern Lights </a>cruise.</p> <p><strong>8. Koper, Slovenia</strong></p> <p><strong><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7828635/viking-cruise-do-not-use-5.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/ebe524f9aafe4517a9f37fcb22b52c67" /></strong></p> <p>One of Slovenia’s largest coastal towns, Koper is the country’s best kept secret. A city with a bountiful history, it carries the legacy of the Venetian Republic where the large and abundant town became a force to be reckoned with in the 15<sup>th</sup> and 16<sup>th</sup> century.</p> <p>Those with the rare opportunity to wander through the rich architecture will not be left disappointed. In Tito Square, travellers can admire the uniquely built Venetian-Gothic Praetorian Palace. The beautifully ornate building once served as the municipal seat for many generations and has since become one of the city’s most popular landmarks to explore.</p> <p>The glorious town, which is Slovenia’s only port city, is visited during a 10-day voyage to nine magnificent locations throughout the<a href="https://www.vikingcruises.com.au/oceans/cruise-destinations/eastern-mediterranean/empires-mediterranean/index.html?utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=oversixty&amp;utm_campaign=sights-unseen-editorial-koper"> Eastern Mediterranean.</a></p> <p><strong>9. Lucca, Italy</strong></p> <p>Located in the Tuscany region of Italy, Lucca is a remarkably preserved city bubbling with a rich way of life that visitors will be entranced by. The charming fortified town is a peaceful rest away from the hustle and bustle of busy Italian life, with an old charm you just can’t beat and a step into a life much different to the world we live in now.</p> <p>A fortified wall encloses the entire town – a distinctive reminder of the city defence that existed many years ago.</p> <p>A place of divine interactions and real experiences with the locals of Tuscany, Lucca is a lovely reprieve filled with its own culture to digest – from unique Lucchese cuisine to a pedestrian promenade that has become one of the city’s most beloved features.</p> <p>During a call to Florence, travellers can choose to explore Lucca during your discovery of the <a href="https://www.vikingcruises.com.au/oceans/cruise-destinations/western-mediterranean/mediterranean-odyssey/index.html?utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=oversixty&amp;utm_campaign=sights-unseen-editorial-lucca">Mediterranean’s most historic ports</a>, from the fabled towns of Tuscany to the French Riviera’s seaside treasures in Marseille and Monte Carlo.</p> <p><strong>10. Montpellier (Sète), France</strong></p> <p>The seductive city of Montpellier is a vibrant and culturally diverse gem in the south of France and is the perfect destination to journey to.</p> <p>Cultivated by over 1000 of years of history, the charming, architecturally designed town is filled with a healthy mix of history, art, antiquities and ample amounts of sunshine.</p> <p>The thin strip of land boasts the perfect blend between modern and ancient with its medieval streets, waterfront homes and the buzzing canal linking the Mediterranean Sea to its enclosed saltwater lagoon of Ethang de Thau.</p> <p>Travellers looking to find serenity and belonging in the bustling city will enjoy Cimetière Marin – a monumental cemetery that is the resting place for generations of former inhabitants of Montpellier. Immortalised by local poet Paul Valéry, it offers brilliant views of the sea all the way to Sardinia.</p> <p>Later, voyagers can experience what makes Montpellier’s culinary scene a destination to completely immerse yourself in. See why their seafood delicacies are what they are known for as you watch local fisherman bring in their daily catch on France’s Mediterranean coast.</p> <p><a href="https://www.vikingcruises.com.au/oceans/cruise-destinations/western-mediterranean/iconic-western-mediterranean/index.html?utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=oversixty&amp;utm_campaign=sights-unseen-editorial-montpellier">Montpellier</a> is one stop on your <a href="https://www.vikingcruises.com.au/oceans/cruise-destinations/western-mediterranean/iconic-western-mediterranean/index.html?utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=oversixty&amp;utm_campaign=sights-unseen-editorial-montpellier">eight-day voyage</a> while journeying through the Western Mediterranean with <a href="https://www.vikingcruises.com.au/oceans/cruise-destinations/western-mediterranean/iconic-western-mediterranean/index.html?utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=oversixty&amp;utm_campaign=sights-unseen-editorial-montpellier">Viking Cruises.</a></p> <p>While there are plenty of destinations to choose from, it’s best you get packing now – for the best holiday is just around the corner in this chilly southern hemisphere weather.</p> <p>The perfect solution to keep the winter chill at bay is by jumping on the next sojourn to explore some of the most intriguing and diverse locations Europe has to offer, many of which are best accessed by water.</p> <p><em>This article is brought to you in conjunction with Viking Cruises. </em> </p>

Cruising

Placeholder Content Image

See the ice pack and a land of polar bears

<p>If it weren't for the red flags marking the tundra trail to the glacier, some of us — passengers on the Hurtigruten cruise ship MS Fram, sailing out of Spitsbergen — might have been tempted to leave the slowpokes behind and bushwhack across country.</p> <p>But as newcomers are relentlessly reminded here in Svalbard Archipelago, where white is the new black, that polar bears are the Big Dogs. More numerous than humans (3500 to 2750) and a protected species, the bears have the run of the islands, 24,209 square miles of wilderness, just 800 miles from the North Pole.</p> <p>Curious, stealthy and fast on their feet, they're not fussy about their food.</p> <p>"You may think polar bears are cute," warned the Fram's expedition leader Corinna Skrindo before our first shore excursion, fixing a stern eye on a couple wearing cuddly-bear shirts.</p> <p>"But they are lethal," she said, slinging her rifle over her shoulder. "We're all trained in the use of firearms, but killing a bear is the very last option. If we spot a bear sitting on the beach or even on the next ridge, we go to Plan B."</p> <p>Plan A, our first shore excursion, began when the 318-passenger Fram sailed into the Hornsund Inlet and the crew landed in Burgerbukta Bay to reconnoiter. Scanning the slopes with binoculars, they flagged the safest trails, chose a landing site on the beach and radioed the "all clear" to the bridge. Then with rifles slung on their backs, they stood guard while the ship's PolarCirkels (six-passenger inflatable landing craft) ferried everyone to shore.</p> <p>As for bushwhacking, who would want to rush surrounded by such scenery? Climbing uphill we stopped, started, looked and stopped again, taking in the enormous glacier flows, the raw, ice-capped peaks at the head of the valley and the Arctic's famously luminescent skies. Tiny pink, yellow and white flowers underfoot, the tundra's cleverest adaptation, testified to the north-flowing Gulf Stream, its temperate waters moderating Spitsbergen's west coast climate.</p> <p>A set of bear tracks pressed into the mud, shoe size 20, quickly attracted a coterie of admirers, raising everyone's hopes that the owner was in the vicinity. But polar bears weren't the only reason many of us had chosen this "circumnavigation" cruise around Spitsbergen. Themed "In the Realm of the Polar Bear," it would take us north to the 80th parallel and the polar ice pack in person.</p> <p>Melting ice is an abstraction, something you can't wrap your head around. But a sea of broken chunks viewed at eye level is real. With the planet at risk — global warming, species extinctions, extreme weather and rising sea levels — climate change was the subtext of the voyage. Struggling into our orange survival suits for a tour among the bergs, we were elated but a trifle sombre. When you're wearing a survival suit you'd rather not imagine why you'd need it.</p> <p>"Orange is the new black," quipped my husband, Steve, as we zipped up, tightened buckles, snapped snaps and shoved our feet into waterproof boots. "And to complete the outfit," he added, "your orange life vest."</p> <p>As the MS Fram passed the 79th latitude, the edge of the ice appeared, 26 shades of silver under the midnight sun. A shifting soup of floating bergs and icy slush, it froze, cracked and refroze as the crew brought the PolarCirkels around to the gangway to pick up the afternoon's first passengers.</p> <p>In a remote location such as Svalbard, where miles of tundra are uninhabited, it's easy to think you're on virgin territory. But people have anchored offshore since the late 16th century, explorers, whalers, miners and more recently, research vessels. But with interest in the polar regions currently at historic highs, cruise companies poring over maps have discovered Spitsbergen, adding it to their itineraries.</p> <p>The MS Fram, built in 2007, is Hurtigruten's newest ship, with eight decks, small but efficient cabins, an inviting restaurant, a snack bar, two lecture rooms, and adjacent lounges with big windows. When the outside decks are too cold, passengers retreat to the Qilak Observation Lounge on Deck 7, where upholstered chairs and panoramic windows bring outside in. Also on this deck the bar, fitness centre, hot tubs and the outdoor sun deck.</p> <p>Since the Spitsbergen cruise's port stops are limited, each day's activities depend more on chance than on the clock. Prowling the sea for sights might yield a bird rookery, a reindeer herd, arctic foxes, whales, scenic glaciers or unusual geologic formations. Meals are regular, but shore excursions are always flexible.</p> <p>Our first bear sightings were nothing more than white specks in the distance. But the trip's last two bears were on the ice pack, close to the ship. Still, as exciting as it was to watch them nap in the snow, stand up and stretch, lie down again and finally walk away, it took a long lens to take a good photo. In fact, the only passengers disappointed with the cruise were a half-dozen semi-professional photographers who'd expected to book a special photographers-only excursion.</p> <p>"It's my fault for not checking more carefully," said Keith Pointon, from England, an award-winning photographer. "I'm having a good time and it's a pleasant vacation. But it's billed as an expedition cruise when it's really a small-ship cruise. With 300 passengers onboard, seven PolarCirkels aren't half enough to take us on and off or to make one available to guests willing to pay."</p> <p>Since the cruise begins and ends in Longyearbyen, population 2100, the capital of Svalbard, the town deserves a second look. A postcard might say: One mighty mountain, two streets, red and green pre-fab buildings, countless new cars, 10 bars, eight restaurants, a bank, grocery story, lots of bikes, kids' toys, dead grass and the world's best Arctic museum.</p> <p>But we arrived a day early and discovered that as bare though it looks, Longyearbyen — and Svalbard — are more utopia than outlier. Administered by Norway, Svalbard is an international territory where citizens whose countries signed the 1920 Treaty of Versailles can live and work. Thus there is a global seed bank, numerous research stations, a concentration on the Arctic and related sciences — climate change, geology, astrophysics and biology.</p> <p>"This is a fantastic place to live," said Anika Paust, with Hurtigruten International Sales, who sat down with us for a cup of coffee. "We've got 42 nationalities represented, and people are interesting because they're doing science. Everyone's between 25 and 40 so businesses cater to a younger crowd. There are lots of great bars and restaurants and no retirees because there's no senior housing or low-cost services for the elderly. You can be out playing in nature all day, hiking or snowmobiling, and come back for a party night out with your friends."</p> <p>But there are rules, she explained. To stay here you have to be self-supporting. There's no welfare and no jail, so undesirables are simply deported. Since bears roam everywhere, you have to own a rifle and learn to use it. And if you're not an environmentalist at heart you won't fit in.</p> <p>Saying goodbye to Paust, we spent the rest of the day sampling the Spitsbergian dream. We hiked along the beach, walked to the museum and the cemetery, checked out the bars in town, changed money at the bank and had dinner at a restaurant. It was the perfect send-off for a trip to the ice.</p> <p>Have you ever cruised in cooler climates? If so, how did you find it?</p> <p>Let us know in the comments.</p> <p><em>Written by Steve Haggerty. First appeared on <a href="http://Stuff.co.nz" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Stuff.co.nz</span></strong></a>.</em></p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><a href="/travel/cruising/2016/07/how-to-see-the-northern-lights-on-your-arctic-cruise/"><strong><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;">How to make sure you see the Northern Lights on your Arctic cruise</span></em></strong></a></p> <p><a href="/travel/cruising/2016/05/10-best-pictures-of-northern-lights-from-cruises/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>10 best pictures of northern lights from cruises</strong></em></span></a></p> <p><a href="/news/news/2016/02/amazing-photos-of-aurora-borealis-resembling-a-phoenix/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>Amazing photos of Aurora Borealis resembling a phoenix</strong></em></span></a></p>

Cruising

Placeholder Content Image

7-year-old in Norway finds message in bottle from Scotland

<p>While an instant messages might garner a quicker response, one girl holidaying in Scotland has found old methods of communication can be just as an effective way of making friends around the world. Provided of course, you’re not in that much of a rush!</p> <p>A message in a bottle, thrown into the sea by 10-year-old Eva Sweenie, has been recovered on a small island on the west coast of Norway by a seven-year-old called Signe.</p> <p>The message, written on pink paper with plenty of glitter thrown in for good measure, read: “Hello those who have found this letter in a bottle, my name is Eva Sweenie and I am 10 years old. I am on my holidays in Cullen, who knows where you are. It’s 2015 October the 16th and this is a beautiful day. That’s all I have to say apart from safe travels. Bye bye xx”.</p> <p>With contact details vague at best you would think the chances of Eva getting in touch with her would-be pen pal slim, by Signe and her family are a determined bunch.</p> <p><img width="500" height="500" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/21589/message-in-a-bottle-in-text-_500x500.jpg" alt="Message In A Bottle In Text -"/></p> <p>The parents of Signe quickly contacted Cullen Bay Hotel in Scotland, who put the call out on Facebook asking if anyone knew Eva’s family.</p> <p>Someone who did eventually responded to the post and before too long Signe’s family were finally in touch with Eva’s family.</p> <p>The girls are reportedly thrilled to continue their long-distance correspondence (although perhaps they might consider a more-reliable means of communication).</p> <p>It’s been a busy couple of months for messages in a bottle, with a 108 year bottle washing up in Germany which had been thrown into the North Sea back in 1906. Apparently the bottle was one of about 1,000 which has be released in the name of marine research.</p> <p>We think the above is a lovely story and hopefully it will prompt a beautiful new friendship between Eva and Signe.</p> <p>Did you have a pen pal growing up? How did the two of you first get in touch, and are the two of you still friends now? Please let us know in the comments below.</p> <p><em>Image credit: Facebook / Cullen Bay Hotel</em></p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><a href="/news/news/2016/04/oldest-message-in-a-bottle-recovered/"><strong><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;">World’s oldest message in a bottle recovered</span></em></strong></a></p> <p><a href="/travel/international/2016/04/how-to-be-a-more-responsible-traveller/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>10 ways you can be a more responsible traveller</strong></em></span></a></p> <p><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/travel/international/2016/05/5-stunning-secret-european-islands/"><strong><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;">5 stunning European islands you haven’t heard of</span></em></strong></a></p>

International Travel

Our Partners