Reservations 877·97·CRAFT  (877·972·7238)

14-Day ~ Midnight Sun (July 2017)

Holland America Line


Start Date:

   

July 9, 2017

   

End Date:

   

July 23, 2017

Midnight Sun (July 2017) ~ Knitting Cruises Description

14-Day Voyage of the Midnight Sun Knitting Cruise w/ Chris Bylsma

 

Join Craft Cruises on a northerly journey up the rugged Norwegian coast when the days are long and temperatures are pleasant. The long number of daylight hours makes this one of the most scenic cruises in the world. The midnight sun is a phenomenon that happens every summer north of the Arctic Circle allowing the gorgeous coastal-scenery to be enjoyed every waking moment.

 

Explore steep-sided fjords, stunning mountains and sweeping valleys while being pampered onboard Holland America's newest ship, the ms Koningsdam. Along the way you'll learn new knitting techniques while calling on quaint ports, frozen-in-time, where Norwegian tradition reigns strong. Visit yarn and sweater mills, learn about traditional Norwegian costumes and textiles, visit quaint churches and see farming systems dating back to simpler times when families peacefully sowed barley, rye and oats while raising cattle, sheep and goats yielding just enough food to support their families.

 

Onboard, Chris Bylsma will be offering a range of her most popular classes including everything from  "Norwegian Traditions, Mittens, Sweaters and Nalebinding, Oh My!", "Shape up your Knitting", "The Joy of Finishing", and "From the Beginning, Beyond the Ordinary."

 

2017 Voyage of the Midnight Sun Knitting Cruise Highlights

  • Visit Weldraad, Amsterdam's leading yarn shop for natural fibers produced using environmentally-friendly processing methods.

  • Attend a presentation about traditional Dutch Ganseys and learn the stories behind these Dutch fisherman sweaters. Like their British counterparts, Dutch Ganseys gave fisherman the warmth and protection needed to survive the harsh conditions of the North Atlantic. Learn how the patterns, unique to each fishing village, were used as tools to identify fishermen when they drowned.

  • Shop at Stephen West's yarn shop in Amsterdam 'Stephen & Penelope's Fine Yarns.'

  • In Stavanger visit one of the most advanced spinning mills in Europe, Sandnes Garn, the leading producer of hand knitting yarns in Norway.

  • Photograph famous Pulpit Rock, nearby Lysefjord in Stavanger, a lookout towering 1,980 feet over the sea making it the most spectacular view in all of Norway.

  • In Eidfjord, see the most spectacular waterfall in Norway, Vøringsfossen while enjoying alpine plateaus offering spectacular views.

  • Learn about this dramatic landscape, climate and Norwegian culture on a less adventurous scale at the Hardangervidda Nature Centre in Eidfjord.

  • Explore Alesund, a picturesque fishing port at the mouth of Stor Fjord spanning two islands where visitors will be enchanted by its cobbled streets, art nouveau architecture, stone towers, spires and medieval facades.

  • Learn about the rebuilding that took place after the fire that destroyed Alesund, making it Norway's most beautiful city today.

  • Take a walk through Trondheim, Norway's oldest and third largest city, founded in AD 997 as a Viking seat of power, and the home of Norway's crown jewels.

  • Take one of the steepest narrow-gauge railways in the world winding through sharp curves along the shores of Trondheimsfjord, the third longest fjord in Norway, before walking into a steep, yet colorful 300-year old copper mine inside the fjord.

  • In Geiranger shop for fine Norwegian knitted garments from Oleana, Tinde and Devold Skjæveland among others, as well as for shawls in wool and silk.

  • Take a tour of the Oleana Sweater factory, located on a scenic fjord near Bergen, and shop in its outlet.

  • Visit the Dale of Norway sweater store in Bergen.

  • Shop for yarn at Husfliden, Norway's hand-craft guild store while admiring their selection of fine traditional Norwegian costumes.

  • Cruise into the Flåm, the innermost part of the 127-mile Sognefjord, the longest and narrowest, in Norway, alongside of Aurlandsfjord, Norway's most spectacular fjord, with its glassy waters and snow-frosted peaks towering more than 3,000 over the water.

  • In Flåm, where there is no place to look but up, take the steep Flam Railway, a masterpiece of engineering, climbing from sea level to 2,800 feet, to the overwhelming Kjosfossen Waterfall where you'll take the most stunning photographs of your life.



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