Second episode of the story of our summer, discovering new accessible tourism destinations in Northern Europe. After the days in Copenhagen, we embarked on a cruise on the MSC Euribia which took us to the Norwegian ports of Maloy, Nordfjordeid and Flam, before stopping in Kiel, Germany, and returning to Copenhagen. The MSC Euribia is a brand new ship, at the forefront of technological solutions in all fields, from energy efficiency to waste and wastewater treatment. It is a real floating city, with over five thousand passengers and fifteen hundred crew members, who keep the ship at maximum cleanliness and efficiency. Euribia offers a series of entertainment (shows, games, casinos, swimming pools, etc.) which our boys, Andrea and Genny, took full advantage of, while we dedicated ourselves to listening to a wide choice of good music and attend excellent shows, as well as enjoy the splendid views of the fjords. The quality of the catering is also excellent, both the buffet and the themed restaurants, and the numerous bars. The accommodation in the cabin for disabled people is excellent, large and comfortable, with an easily accessible and enjoyable balcony, and the ship's accessibility for people in wheelchairs is also excellent, with numerous lifts. Some images of Euribia:
But was there something wrong? The answer is yes, the not positive aspect of this cruise were the shore excursions. Many were indicated as not suitable for people with reduced mobility, and so far nothing to say; many others were described as accessible for disabled people as long as they were able, aided by their companions, to climb the steps of the buses, because the vehicles are not equipped with lifts or ramps. All excursions were therefore inaccessible for people in wheelchairs who were unable to move a step and in any case they were all very expensive. The only MSC excursion we were able to take advantage of was that of the Flam Panoramic Railway (Flamsbana), for which we still had to take action personally to obtain accessibility to the train via a ramp. But more on that later... How did we solve the excursion problem? Simply by booking taxis, both in Maloy and Nordfjordeid, which allowed us to take two beautiful panoramic tours similar to those planned by MSC. And then we begin to see some images of our excursions, starting from Maloy, the most important town on the island of Vagsoy, connected to the mainland by a large bridge. Here we took a tour in search of his famous murals:
In the afternoon we got into a taxi and went around the island of Vagsoy, starting from the Krakenes lighthouse, in a beautiful position on a windswept promontory:
After the lighthouse we headed to the Kannesteinen rock, shaped by the sea over thousands of years into a spectacular mushroom shape:
The next day, having entered the Nordfjord fjord, the ship reached the port of Nordfjordeid; after having disembarked (and re-embarked on the return) with a launch, with another taxi we went around the surroundings:
The first destination was Vestkapp (Western Cape), the westernmost panoramic point in Norway, reached with a beautiful walk full of lake landscapes:
After the West Cape we took a short tour of the coast with its beautiful beaches:
Selja and its beach:
The ship then headed south, taking the Sognenfjorden until reaching the Flam fjord. Here we disembarked and reached the Flam railway station, from which the panoramic train to Myrdal, the Flamsbana, leaves. The railway is a remarkable feat of engineering, offering wonderful views of the mountains and waterfalls that characterize this beautiful part of Norway:
The only stop on the train where passengers can get off is at the Kjosfossen waterfalls, which are truly spectacular:
After a night of sailing on the open sea we arrived in Kiel, Germany, where our boys went off for an excursion to Lübeck, while we remained on board to enjoy the semi-deserted ship. Another night of sailing back to Copenhagen, where we disembarked to return to Naples. So the best way to close this post is to show you some really special images captured while navigating, complete with rainbows which, as you may have already noticed, often appear in the rainy and beautiful Norway; this time too we want to underline the contribution of our Genny to the photo book of the post:
At the end of these two posts, what can we say? Copenhagen and the Fjords were a remarkable experience and we would like to suggest it to our "carried" friends. UNTIL NEXT TIME !!!