Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1534783
I t was with more excitement than I can articulate that I boarded the flight for the long journey from Sydney to Bergen. My absence from international travel for the past two years made that seem insignificant compared to what lay ahead of me. On a crisp evening in early May, I arrived in Bergen breathing in the fresh Norwegian air. If there's one thing everyone that's been to Bergen will tell you, is that it rains. 239 days of the year in fact. But as they say, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Or, when Bergen gives you rain, buy yourself a beautiful raincoat from a country that knows how to make a functional one. I was ready to board my home for the next 15 days, Viking Venus. Being part of the Viking family for four years means I have had the opportunity to be on different river and ocean ships at different times, and when we say we create our ships so that our guests feel like they are coming home, it is exactly that. After a long hiatus, I felt like I was home. There were multiple Viking staff members previously stationed on other ships who remembered me, and even remembered what I drank. After a two-year absence, they all welcomed me back with their infectious smiles and incredible memory of my wine preferences. I knew it was going to be one amazing welcome back to the world of international travel. The first four ports of my journey were in Norway, and what I was looking forward to the most. After pouring over countless images at work of the majestic Norwegian fjords, dotted with little red houses under the backdrop of snow-capped mountains, I was finally here to see it for myself. DESTINATION HIGHLIGHTS • Scenic sailing through the Norwegian Fjords • Touching snow-capped mountains on the Flåm Railway • The Kitchen Table experience in Stavanger • Exploring history and architecture in Berlin • Meandering through the cobblestone streets in Stockholm's Gamla Stan Opposite page: Iconic red houses along the Norwegian fjords, Flåm, Norway This page, from top left: historic homes in Bergen, Norway; Erin in Nyhavn, Copenhagen, Demark; Erin and her mother in Bergen, Norway viking.com 21