We’re off on our first ever cruise, a little trepidatious but keen to discover what cruising is all about and whether it really is for us.

We’re all at sea, today. All day, in fact, as we left Southampton on Friday afternoon and we’re not due in our first port of call until Sunday morning we’ve a whole day to find out what our ship, the Ventura, has to offer.

Fantastic weather on our first day at sea

Well there’s plenty to do. There are several swimming pools on board and the weather is fantastic today so the children are enjoying both sun cream and ice cream.

There’s a film showing in the theatre or dance lessons in one of the night clubs. Live music, lectures and demonstrations, art exhibitions from the Tate Modern, take in some exercise on the sports deck or just relax in one of the many restaurants and bars on board.

Sunday morning dawns overcast as we sail slowly up the fjord to our first stop, the city of Bergen. We watch as the tenders take the ropes and we edge toward the dock and it soon becomes apparent and not a little embarrassing that we’ve just pulled up in what is clearly the biggest building in town! From our balcony, we look down on a 6-story car park across the harbour as Ventura definitely makes its presence felt.

The old wharf buildings are a world heritage site

On the old quayside our first stop is the brightly-painted wooden warehouses which have watched the coming and goings of life for almost five hundred years. They are still in use today as shops, boutiques and restaurants and they all seem to have no-smoking signs on prominent display!

The stave church - rebuilt after a visit from the arsonists

On the subject of careless fire… One sight we really wanted to see in Bergen was a small wooden church, a few miles out of town. We took a bus and were guided by an elderly gentleman through the woods on the edge of town to a fabulous church in a forest glade. He was out for his “daily exercise” since his bypass operation 10 years ago. It seems to be doing the trick.

The church had originally been built in the 12th century in the village of Fortun but in the 1880s it was threatened with demolition. It was privately bought and reconstructed at Fantoft where it stood for over a hundred years. Then in 1992 it was destroyed by arson.

However, there still existed the plans and drawings from the re-construction a hundred years earlier and so over the following five years the building was re-created to the original design. Let’s see if this version can last as long.

Back to town and a trip up the funicular railway gives a spectacular view. This is the top of Mount Fløyen which looks down on Bergen and the fjord. It’s an area of forest and lakes with walking and cycling paths which is well-used by the locals. There is also a walking route back down to the town but is really only recommended for those with spectacular calf muscles!

View from the hinterland

On our way back to the ship but just time to visit the Hanseatic museum. The Hanseatic League grew out of an alliance of German merchants who set up trading quarters in cities throughout the Baltic and the North Sea.

Just waiting for one of those barrels to arrive

They were a group of mainly male traders and apprentices and had their own rules and regulations and were largely self-governing. However in a bunch of young lads away from home there are always a few rebels. If one was found to get a local girl pregnant the fine was two barrels of ale for the general consumption of the merchants. Sounds more like a celebration. I’m not sure what happened to the girls.

Back onboard and we slip our moorings and bid farewell to Bergen. We head out of the fjord and set a course for our next port-of-call.

If you’re interested in a Norwegian cruise, here are a few to get you started.

7 Nights Norway Cruise on P&O Arcadia Departing May 2010

7 Nights Norway Cruise on P&O Oriana Departing July 2010

Alan Ramsey

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