TRAVEL: The magnificent beauty of the Norwegian fjords

I WAS awakened at dawn by a sixth sense that we had reached land. And from the French window of our balcony cabin I spied an inquisitive seal breaking the surface of the emerald green sea and quickly diving again. Small low lying islands, dotted with a dozen or so white red-roofed houses, came gradually into view.

We had boarded Britannia, the newest luxury liner from P&O Cruises, at Southampton, and in what seemed like the blink of an eye, were now sailing into the spectacular Norwegian fjords.

Though by now we’d been at sea for a full day and two nights, from the moment our feet hit the deck, we had been feverishly occupied in investigating every nook and cranny of this whale of a ship.

This, the largest ever cruise-ship built for British holidaymakers, boasting 13 bars and restaurants, four pools, a cinema, pub, casino, two top-deck jacuzzis, a spa with hydrotherapy pool, dry sauna and steam room, a retreat, gym, a 936-seat theatre, shopping mall and library, all stunningly decorated with £1million worth of specially commissioned artwork.

Once aboard, we gawped in awe at the crystal centrepiece in the ship’s three-tier atrium and then settled into our spacious 15th floor cabin (with Queen bed, sitting room, two flat-screen TVs and balcony) popped open the bottle of chilled champagne and gorged on the Belgian chocolates waiting for us.

It wasn’t without trepidation that we booked on this, our first cruise. How on earth would we manage being cooped up with 3,600 other holidaymakers, when usually we’re tucked up in a remote field somewhere in a caravan made for two?

Bergen, Norway’s second largest city, was our first port of call. Footloose and with map in hand, we set off to explore the harbour, fish market and UNESCO World Heritage site, Bryggen; the historic old town and remnant of hundreds of years of trade between Norway and Europe. Today the brightly painted wooden merchant houses are a mix of bars, restaurants and craft shops.

The cafés with al fresco dining were filled with tourists eking out their £5 cappuccinos, soaking up the sun, with stunning views of the harbour and luxury motor yachts. To get an even better birds-eye view, we took a cable car up to the highest of Bergen’s seven mountains for fabulous vistas of the city, sea and islands beyond.

Back onboard, I dusted down my borrowed velvet gown for the first of two of Britannia’s Black Tie Dinners. The menu left us spoilt for choice and afterwards we hit the dance floor in the Live Lounge where the brilliant resident ship’s band, Pulse, led by a younger version of Olly Murs, was bringing the house – or should I say ship – down. Not literally of course.

At six the next morning, I was on our cabin balcony, binoculars already in hand, proud as punch that I’d spotted a herd of wild goats grazing at the water’s edge, as we approached our next harbour. After a dip in the on-deck serenity pool and a delicious breakfast we disembarked at Flåm, a tiny hamlet of just 350 inhabitants. Though famous for its historic railway, we opted for an organised excursion; a RIB-Ride on an inflatable dinghy.

Kitted out in survival suits (it was comforting to be advised we’d last for at least an hour if we fell in) we sped across the Sognefjord, the largest fjord in Norway and the second longest in the world. Surrounded by glistening snow-capped mountains, thundering waterfalls and wild flower meadows in the valleys, our guide Jorgen advised to look out for white tailed-eagles above.

I imagined, how, long before engine power, the Vikings would have set off from here in their longboats, arriving back home again with the spoils of their travels. Though tiny, Flåm has a handful of shops, selling knitted sweaters, deer skin rugs and an abundance of Norwegian trolls.

Later, after consulting our daily newspaper and entertainment guide, we opted for cocktails in the Crow’s Nest, a piano bar and cocktail lounge with sweeping 180 degree panoramic views of the fjord on our voyage onwards. Later, we enjoyed a live show and dinner in the Limelight Club; a re-invention of an old time supper club.

Next stop was Olden, set in the innermost arm of the Nordfjord, a 65-mile long inlet, cut deep into the coastline and surrounded by towering peaks. Our coach tour to the mint-coloured Kjenndal glacier ended with a stop for waffles with strawberry jam and sour cream before a pleasure boat trip back to base. They say the average person puts on seven pounds at the end of a week-long cruise and I too was beginning to feel my waistband pinch.

After a breakfast of fresh fruit, our next stop was Stavanger, where once again we went native and explored the city on foot. In the old town of white painted wooden houses, with overflowing window boxes, bursting with fuchsia pink petunias, we pottered around in the art and craft shops.

The gentile feel of the place is a far cry from the days when most of the population worked in the fishing industry. We got a taste of just how hard life used to be at the Norwegian Canning Museum – a fascinating glimpse into the city’s sardine canning past.