These otherworldly ancient Viking highways are a delight

Detailed summary

Almost 40 per cent of Norway’s population lives within a 45-minute drive of Oslofjord. It’s not difficult to see why.

More than 1000 fjords – from the gentle to the gargantuan – gouge the coast of Norway. After a day sailing on the North Sea, we have entered the busiest of these alluring inlets. The Oslofjord stretches 100 kilometres from the sea to the shores and cultural treasures of Oslo, Norway’s capital. Pleasure vessels, commuter ferries, cargo and cruise ships ply these deep blue waters. Right now, however, it seems we have the fjord to ourselves.

Granted, it is 5am. I’m rarely up this early by choice. But it’s the Norwegian summer, the sun rose an hour ago, and yesterday was hardly taxing (think: a leisurely brunch, coffee and cake, book and cocktails by the pool). We decided it would be a shame to sleep through our approach to Oslo, the first port on our seven-night return cruise to Norway from the Netherlands. I’m still in a daze when I stumble onto our stateroom balcony, but it’s amazing what a big gulp of fresh Nordic air – and a reel of postcard-pretty views – does for a fuzzy head.

The scenery, in truth, is more serene than scintillating. This is not a classic fjord in the geological sense; the cliffs far lower and less sheer than the ones that will dwarf us later in the week. Our itinerary stars the Sognefjord – the “King of the Fjords”, Norway’s longest, deepest and arguably most spectacular glacier-carved inlet. Yet, the Oslofjord has a soothing beauty, laced with wooded banks and idyllic, sparsely inhabited isles (Norway has about 240,000 islands and islets; only neighbouring Sweden has more).

This morning’s tranquillity is only faintly pierced by the droning engine of MS Rotterdam, this 2668-passenger Holland America flagship, launched in 2020 and recently refreshed at a Dutch dry dock. While we’re glad that we set our alarm, it wasn’t essential, as we’ll cruise in the opposite direction this evening, when there’ll be Oslofjord commentary at the Crow’s Nest, a panoramic lounge that’s geared for the ship’s scenic sailing sessions.

For now, we’ll make do with our own…

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