Our arrival in South Queensferry, Scotland placed us right in front of the magnificent Forth Bridge, which spans the estuary Firth of the Forth River. It was the earliest multi-span cantilever bridge used for train traffic to connect Fife with Edinburgh. There are also two more modern road bridges that cross in the same location. All three make an impressive sight.We tendered here to the small town of South Queensferry, which is the easy gateway into Edinburgh, about 10 miles away. The Number X99 bus will get you to the big city quickly for a modest cost.

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Street in South Queensferry

Rapeseed field in South Queensferry

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If you stay in South Queensferry, you can enjoy the small shops, the inviting cafes, and gorgeous scenery provided by the bridges.

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Cruise Specialists tour group at the Edinburgh Castle

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Today we took a small group of Cruise Specialists Guests for a panoramic drive through Edinburgh and a visit to the iconic Edinburgh Castle. Our Scottish Guide, dressed in his authentic kilt, took us past all the important sights along the Royal Mile in the City, starting with Holyrood Palace, before escorting us on foot from the bus drop off up to the Castle.

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Edinburgh Castle

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It’s a climb to get to the top, which we all did.  Once there, we could see the Crown Jewels, St Margaret’s Chapel, the Great Hall, and the one o’clock cannon firing. We had lots of free time in and around the Castle and could have visited the Scotch Whisky Experience, purchased our own custom kilts, or some elegant tartan plaid products.

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Bagpiper outside the Castle

Classic British Phone Booths

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We saw bagpipers in the street, pubs galore, and tons of tourists, even though the season has not yet started. We’re looking forward to returning here this summer to see the Edinburgh Tattoo held at the Castle. They are currently building the massive grandstands they will need to accommodate all the Visitors. It is built and then disassembled every year - Amazing!

Returning to the port, we were reluctant to return to the ship, as the weather was beautiful and the outdoor seating along the water too inviting to pass by. There was no lunch today, so the gelato we bought in Edinburgh and the local beer we drank at The Thirty Knots Pub filled in nicely. All too quickly our visit to the British Isles was over and we were off to Norway.

Eidfjord, Norway

We’ve lost track of how many times we have been to Eidfjord, the beautiful little town at the very end of the Hardangerfjord. We were here with our family in the summer of 2023, with somewhere between 6-8 additional visits over the last dozen years. We’ve hiked, rented a car, strolled, and taken a scenic fjord cruise from this village. It’s all wonderful.

The ship offers a variety of excursions, many going to the famous Voringsfossen Waterfall, kayaking in the fjord, visiting the Nature Center, riding the little trolley around town, or trying some local food specialties.

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Ancient burial grounds

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As many times as we’ve been here, we still managed to find several different things to do. We made our way to a favorite spot along a level hiking trail that runs next to the Eio River. The level part ends at a hidden beach and lake discovered by only a few people from the ship. It is beautiful and tranquil and a great place to pause and breathe in the very fresh air. We had never taken the trail that turned left and went uphill but some fellow hikers had come that way and assured us it was worth the climb. They were right. The path serpentines up the hill, past farms and ancient burial grounds to the wonderful Hodna overlook of the entire town, and the beautiful fjord, including our ship. Breathtaking!

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Hodna overlook in Eidfjord, Norway

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It was downhill from there, back to the center of town. A fellow guest, who had done some research, told us about the best place to eat. So, we had a delicious lunch from a busy little food truck with the name Anchalee’s Thai Food. Several of the ship's crew were eating there when we arrived, a sure sign that it was reasonably priced, plentiful, and authentic. Our 8-mile walk must have made us very hungry as we just about licked our plates clean.

We continued a little further around the end of the water to a small boat marina, before retracing our steps and reluctantly returning to the ship. This place never gets old or boring. For those who are curious, there were no new geocaches for us to find here, but we still love this village.

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Small boat marina

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The sail away was awesome. We joined a few friends who were trying to use up some of the many bottles of champagne, wine, and specialty drinks they had amassed over the last 100 plus days. Despite the brisk conditions out on the back deck, we had a pleasant few hours enjoying the drinks and snacks and admiring the views.

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View from the ship as we left Eidfjord

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Another day at sea before we reach our next Norwegian port of Trondheim. We were last here in 2023 and were pleasantly surprised at how much we enjoyed this relatively big city.

It is pedestrian-friendly, and our plan was to walk it, since we did have an excursion here last time we visited. The ship is offering several excursions for the athletes among us - kayaking, biking, and hiking - to interesting places around the city. There are walking tours and traditional sightseeing coach rides, with the highlight being a visit to the impressive Gothic structure that is Nidaros Cathedral. Dating back to the 12^th century, it has fabulous stained-glass windows and is the burial place of St Olaf.

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Trondheim street sculpture

Dora II German submarine base

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We left early in spectacular sunshine and moderate temperatures. 11 miles later, we had made a fun circle through and around the outer perimeter of the city, following the promenades that hug the water. Since it was Sunday, most stores were closed and traffic was light, making it a pleasure to walk. We didn’t visit any tourist attractions, just meandered past historic buildings and Churches, window shopped, toured the old wharfs, and admired some unique modern buildings and bridges.  We also passed by the massive but incomplete Dora II German submarine base, a relic from World War II.

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We stopped for a break at a waterside café, called Lille Standen, where there were no other ship passengers in sight.

We loved the traditional Norwegian open shrimp salad sandwich, waffles with brown cheese, and the popular local beer called Dahl’s - which we enjoyed while admiring the view of a small-boat marina.

It was a delightful day in a very inviting city.

Our perfect ending was a video chat with our kids for Mother’s Day.

More stops in Norway to come.

Brown Cheese on waffles

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Fondly,

Wendy and Steve 

Continue Reading:

A Bon Voyage! | Costa Rica & Panama |  Ecuador and Northern Peru  | Wendy's Adventures in Peru | Steve's Adventure in Machu Picchu | Arica and San Antonio, Chile | Robinson Crusoe & Southern Chile | More Chile & Argentina | Antarctica | Falkland Islands | Montevideo & Punta del Este | Brazil | The Amazon | Salvation Islands | Arriving in Africa | Canary Islands & Morocco | Gibraltar and Barcelona | Spain & Portugal | France, Belgium and The Netherlands | Scotland and Norway | More Norway | Iceland | Greenland | Canada & New England | Voyage Summary 

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