A beautiful city with many churches and cathedrals to visit, good shopping and eating places too. We stopped the day before and could have spent a great deal more time here, will certainly be coming back.

Stavanger, founded in 1125, main attraction is the Cathedral. Docked in the heart of the city, we walked around town, the weather was wonderful and to be honest, unless you were adventuring away from the town, two hours would have been plenty.

Alesund was fully rebuilt in 1904 after a fire, our visit being the 17th May which was also a National Holiday in Norway as they celebrate their independence from Sweden. We were docked within easy walking distance of the town. We were able to watch a parade by the Norwegians of all ages with the majority wearing their national costume, the students passing out wear red dungarees. All shops were of course closed, barring a few convenience stores. We walked up the 418 steps beyond the national park for spectacular views of the surrounding area. Coffee and cake at the top as a reward. The weather was perfect.

Bergen, which dates back to 1070, the weather was light rain. We were docked very close to the city centre, about a ten minute walk maximum. We went up the funicular for wonderful views over the port, which was not marked on the Royal Caribbean map provided? We went to the fish market and had lunch in Fish Me, fresh to say the least. Walking around the town could take hours or minutes, depending on what you were looking for.

The weather was misty with a hint of light rain. With the sunrise at 4:28, those that did get up early got the wonderful views of the Fjord, but we all got the views on the departure, especially of the Seven Sisters Waterfall. We walked up the 305 steps along the fast flowing river/waterfall and to the Norwegian Fjord Centre, a UNESCO World Heritage site. This showed how the people had lived and do live in the area. We were docked along the floating but sturdy pontoon, another ship was in but the passengers had to get to shore via their life boats