A splash of Arctic ice down my back and a hug from a hairy Norse sea god confirmed my initiation into the Arctic Explorer’s Club after my Havila Voyages cruise ship crossed the Arctic Circle. For seasoned sailors, the crossing is a milestone. For my fellow passengers aboard the Havila Pollux off Norway’s northern coast, it was a lively deck party. We celebrated our crossing with a sailor’s rum drink known as black magic, a concoction that warms the soul and energizes the spirit....
Our Norwegian great-grandmother inspired my sister and me to take a “Sisters Cruise” along the fjord-punctuated coast of Norway. Learning more about Sina Nielsen’s journey to the U.S. more than 175 years ago sparked our desire to explore Norway’s stunning scenery, get to know its resilient people and celebrate our heritage. Our seven-day cruise with Havila Voyages took us from Bergen in the south to Kirkenes, near the Russian border. Along the way, we wove through deep fjords, crossed the Arctic Circle and...
As a journalist, I’ve written about crime for newspapers, business deals for magazines, cruise ship ports for online travel publications and industry trends for websites. My focus now is exclusively on travel.