Higher Education

A Baltic cruise provides in-depth lessons on art, nature and history in a culturally vibrant region of Europe

By Sharon McDonnell

Sitting on the outdoor terrace of the Leim mountain goat farm, 400 metres above western Norway’s gorgeous Aurlandsfjord, I’m thinking that this “restaurant” should win the prize for best scenery.

SHEEP IN AURLANDSFJORD

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Here, I sample goat milk 13 different ways – pancakes topped with cherry jam and brunost, the country’s beloved nutty-tasting, brownish-orange cheese, creamy goat cheese flavoured with herbs and garlic, and feta-like cheese. It’s an apt reward for an almost two-hour hike uphill after our boat ride from Flåm to Skjerdal.

BRUNOST, NORWAY'S BELOVED NUTTY-TASTING CHEESE

About 70 goats, the source of such bounty, graze near us on the steep hillside dotted with grass-roofed houses. The owner of the property shows us how she makes cheese the old-fashioned way. All of these moments make my lunch one there to remember.

The experience is just one of the highlights of my Baltic cruise – something I’ve always wanted to do since my mother’s family hails from the Baltic States. Taking this cruise appealed to me because the itinerary included Norway (though it’s actually on the North Sea). Having visited it before, my soul yearned to see Norway’s pure nature again.

COLOURFUL HOUSES IN BERGEN, NORWAY

After strolling Bergen’s Bryggen wharf district past wooden buildings dressed in bold primary colours, I hear a live concert of music by Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg, right next to his country home in Troldhaugen. I admire scenic views of the lake through floor-to-ceiling windows behind the piano in the concert hall, a serene backdrop for hearing selections from his most famous composition, Peer Gynt Suite.

HOME OF COMPOSER EDVARD GRIEG

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I’m someone who wants to learn something new every day. By God, was I ever in the right place. I’m riveted by the ship’s lectures. I listen intently as I hear about the history and legends around amber, called the “gold of the north,” mankind’s first precious gem. The fossilized resin millions of years old was prized by the ancient Egyptians (and found in King Tut’s tomb), Vikings, who saw it as a sacred stone, Slavs (to whom it represented the sun), Greeks, Romans and Etruscans. Not to mention author Michael Crichton, whose Jurassic Park novel featured marauding dinosaurs that grew from embryos preserved in amber.

The Baltic is the only place in the world where amber is found in the sea; elsewhere, it’s mined. The lecture provided a great background as I browse amber jewelry shops spotted from Stockholm to Gdańsk, Poland, which has its own Amber Museum and a street lined with amber stores. Formerly called Danzig, Gdańsk was one of the surprises of my trip. It was one of the wealthiest cities in the Hanseatic League, a network of merchant ports that dominated trade in northern Europe for centuries (so rich, in fact, a liqueur flecked with gold, Goldwasser, was invented here in the 16th century). The city is packed with majestic Renaissance, Gothic and Baroque façades, meticulously reconstructed after the Second World War. Its shipyards are where the Solidarity movement was born in 1980.

STREET LINED WITH AMBER STORES IN GDAŃSK, POLAND

But more surprises abound. In Aalborg, Denmark, I find “singing trees” on my stroll around the city: push a button and hear a song from a musician who performed here and planted a tree, from Tom Jones to Sting, in its Park of Music. In Stavanger, Norway, it’s a street of houses painted in unexpected shades of hot pink, lavender and lime green in an area called Ovre Holmegate.

The city approved the colour scheme proposed by artist Craig Flannagan, who said he was inspired by the 1980s cop show, Miami Vice. Stavanger’s contrasts are startling. On one hand, its old town has the biggest collection of old wooden houses in Northern Europe, white houses with dark blue accents and potted plants in front. On the other, it has the most electrifying street artwork I’ve ever seen, like a giant deer head composed of junk like metal pipes, rubber and radios, designed for Nuart, a major 10-day street art festival where artists worldwide come to decorate the walls of buildings. I’m discovering these things on my own, thanks to maps we get on arrival.

FL.M, NORWAY

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Back onboard the ship each day, I love hearing from other passengers about their excursions, like food lover’s tours of Stockholm and Copenhagen, touring castles and riding Norway’s famous Flåm mountain railway, considered one of Europe’s most scenic train rides. I’m sorry I missed them. No matter. There’s always next time. I still have so much more to learn about this intriguing region.

HIKING IN AURLANDSDALEN, NORWAY

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