Cruising in Scandinavia was a Great Experience
I guess, I did not really slept that night. I would say, I only had around an hour nap because the adventure was abut to begin. 30 minutes before midnight, I already had to drive to the pick-up area because the bus was waiting for us during that travel. It was quite a long trip from Regensburg, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Bavaria to Warnemünde in Rostock.
The AIDAbella ship
I was so thankful because we arrived safe in the port where we were going to board a ship during that Scandinavian cruise. I was getting more excited because it will be so far my first experience to a quite luxury cruise trip. When we arrived at the check-in counter, the receptionist told us that in that ship of around 1200 crews, over a half of them are Filipinos. I am already a European passport holder and probably the receptionist took a deep look at my passport seeing my birth country Philippines. Wow, I was very proud knowing that I will be feeling at home because of the many “kababayans” or fellowmen working in that cruise ship. It was a 5-day cruise in Scandinavia visiting some capital cities like Oslo and Copenhagen.
Staying at the beautiful swimming hotel AIDAbella
I have been to some cruise trips but so far that experience with AIDAbella and its crew was the best. I feel like at home especially meeting in most corners of the ship Filipino workers. The ship has a passenger capacity of over 2,050. The name AIDAbella was chosen after a competition to name the new ship. The name was meant to signify how beautiful the ship is and yes, it is indeed a beauty. Everything was almost perfect with that ship including the service, the many restaurants and the sumptuous foods, the every day and every night entertainment and waht else?…Aaaahhh, it was indeed an awesome experience.
A day in Oslo, Norway’s Capital
We arrived at around 9:00 in the evening. We were done that time with our dinner. I and my friend decided to have a night walk in Oslo. The port where the AIDAbella docked was only around 15 minutes walk. It was quite a cold spring evening. I still had my winter jacket on. It was a nice sightseeing as you can see the light effects in most corners of the city. At around midnight, we decided to go back to the ship to have a beauty rest for the next day.
The next day after taking breakfast, we immediately went out of the ship to go out for the day’s sightseeing plan. We decided to take the hop on hop off bus going to our first destination, the Viking Ship Museum. In addition to two 1100 year old Viking-ships (apparently the best preserved in the world), it also contains various other Viking artifacts and a Viking burial chamber, complete with ancient skeletons.
After the visit in Viking Ship Museum, we took the chance to go around the city seeing some of its sights including the Oslo Cathedral, the City Hall, the Royal Palace, Stortinget (the parliament) and a walk around the city.
It was quite a short visit in Oslo and there are still a lot of things to experience there. Hopefully in my next visit, I can have more time and visit the Oslo Vigeland Sculpture Park, the Frognerpark and other sights that I missed during my first visit.
Don’t Forget Copenhagen, Denmark’s Capital City
It was the fourth day of our cruise and I can’t wait to see our next destination. My friend and I were really very excited to visit Denmark’s capital. Oslo is a wonderful city with everything to to offer to its guests and visitors. The city is big enough to be a metropolis with shopping, culture and nightlife par excellence, yet still small enough to be intimate, safe and easy to navigate.
The Mermaid near the Port.
It was quite a chilly morning when we started walking around the city but later on during noon time, the weather got friendlier with sunshine. Seeing some of its sights like the Nyhavn, the National Theater, Amalienborg palace (witnessing the parade of the royal guards), the 1.1 kilometre Strøget with its pedestrianised side streets, the City Hall and other sights in the city. I would say, it was a lovely day gallivanting Denmark’s capital.
Visiting Copenhagen is like experiencing old fairy tales blend with flashy new architecture and world-class design; where warm jazz mixes with cold electronica from Copenhagen’s basements. You’ll feel you’ve seen it all in a day, but could keep on discovering more for months.
I guess, I will be visiting this city in the future and experience more of it.. Who knows?
Lastly, I can say that I had an awesome and memorable moments during that cruise in Scandinavia, gathering priceless travel experiences.
