The birthday present

It was a birthday present. Roger turned 60 last year, and by then, he had already been talking about the “post ship tour" (the route of the mail boat) in the Norwegian fjords for a few years.

“It was on his bucket list, so our children joined the splicing team, and then we made all the preparations for the trip”.

Lisa Otto (56) smiles at her husband from the other side of the table in Restaurant Stuene in the 139-year-old hotel, Scandic Alexandra in Molde.

I met the Otto’s when Lisa invited me to join them for dinner in the town of Molde at the end of the second day of their trip.

“Yes, come on, just sit, the more the merrier,” Lisa said, as she beckoned me to their table.

I was grateful for the invitation. We had just spent the day on a bus excursion along the majestic Geirangerfjord and then up into the mountains on the famous scenic road to Trollstigen before arriving in Molde. It is just one of the many off-ship excursions Havila Voyages offers to passengers.

For some reason, we shared few phrases out of politeness. Within a few minutes, we were talking personally about both family affairs, working life and cultural differences between the three countries we represent; Germany, USA and Norway.

Lisa is originally from St. Charles, Illinois, an hour's drive from Chicago, but she moved to Germany many years ago and married Roger. The two of them have five children. Now, that they are all grown, the couple finally has the opportunity to focus more on themselves. Or…

“Right now, we have a full house. Our eldest son has just completed his medical studies in Serbia and needs to meet the criteria to work in Germany. While he’s waiting to get all the paperwork in order, he and his wife are staying with us. In addition, we have rebuilt the house and made an apartment on the second floor. Our daughter, son-in-law, and their 18-month-old son live there. They visit us often. Also, our two youngest children still live at home”, says Lisa.

As if that wasn't enough, they have an Afghan refugee living with them. He wants to move out as soon as he finds an apartment.

“It gets busy back home, so when we go on holiday, we try to do calm and relaxing activities”, says Lisa.

They have come to the right place.

Roger always said that he wanted to travel on a small ship.

“I would not want to board one of those high-rise cruise ships. You know the ones with several thousand passengers on board, where you must stand in line and have people around you at all times. It's not my thing. I wanted to travel with a small ship, with a maximum of 600 passengers on board. I don't know if this boat is fully booked...”

The German lady on the other side of the table interjects a comment:

“Yes, it’s full.”

Roger continues:

“But it doesn't feel uncomfortable as it is now, even though the ship is full. And we have a great room. It really is big, much more spacious than I expected. It was a pleasant surprise because I had not liked staying in a small cabin”.

“Yes, we are at the very front of the boat, on deck seven, so we have a great view through two large windows. There is also a full-covering curtain that we can pull in front of them, so the room is completely dark when we go to sleep”, Lisa chimes in.

Fortunately, there are plenty of places beyond their cabin to enjoy this tranquility and scenic beauty. The Havila Capella’s decks are designed to offer panoramic views of the rugged cliffs, sea birds, harbors, and small villages and farms that dot the entire coastline to Kirkenes. And no matter what season, the northern sun and sea offer ever-changing scenes of the natural world that never fail to astonish even the most seasoned of passengers. Large parts of decks six, eight and nine are even extra well equipped with comfortable chairs and seating areas along the many large windows so that guests can enjoy the view – and the tranquility – no matter what kind of cabin they have.

Lisa read a lot about Havila Voyages in advance of their journey.

“And I saw a video on YouTube about the engines in the boat, the advantages of the way the ship is built, and the use of other more eco-friendly energy sources. I didn't know that the shipping company was so innovative. I didn't even know that such technology existed, but now that I do, I feel that it’s important to me”, she says.

This is the video Lisa refers to:

Lisa and Roger checked into the ship's hotel in Bergen yesterday, but it already feels like several days have passed. The reason for that is that they have been on an excursion today, by bus from Geiranger to Trollstigen, and on to Molde.

“Just being able to get on a bus, and then get to see everything we have seen in just one day, is quite impressive. We got to experience a lot in a short period of time, which we would never have been able to do if we had organized this on our own. It would have been too much work”, says Lisa.

“To see this beautiful country, it’s just fantastic”, Roger exclaims.

“What do you think of the guide Dominic,” I ask.

Lisa answers:

“He was very sweet and personal. I liked that he seemed to enjoy being himself and that he wasn't so formal. More like a friend”.

Roger first mentions the cleanliness.

“For instance, I like that there are wash basins at the entrance to the restaurant, so you can wash your hands before the meal. And then I appreciate that I am served at the table, and that I have great freedom of choice in the menu. But you don't see pictures of the dishes, or how big they are, so the first time you order it can be a bit difficult to choose. It works like this; you order 3-4 dishes, and then that’s your meal”, he explains.

So far, the couple has eaten a total of three meals on board, and according to them, every single meal has been top class. They know what they are talking about. Through business, they often eat at hotels, and they have come across many kinds of restaurants and atmospheres.

“I read somewhere that the food concept is an important part of the cruise experience you get with Havila Voyages, and food means a lot to me”, says Lisa.

“I particularly like that the menus follow the four regions of Norway that we sail through, so we get to try local dishes from the places we visit or sail by. The food experience – or "Havila Food Stories", as it says on the staff's clothes – has its own signature in a way that makes it appear important and different from the restaurant we might visit back home.”

Something else Lisa values ​​highly is that Havila Voyages, as far as possible, strives to use locally produced, sustainable food.

“That's how I try to live at home too. I buy food from the local, organic farm where I get locally produced eggs and vegetables that grow in the area”.

It is worth mentioning that Havila Voyages has an ambitious goal of reducing food waste to incredible 75 grams on average per guest. The company is not very far from reaching that goal.

“I read a list of all the different beverages that were available, and there’s quite a wide range. Therefore, it made sense for us to add that advantage to our package", says Lisa.

They also have free access to coffee and tea.

By now, we have been talking for so long that the dessert buffet has been cleared away. One of the employees offers us cake slices. We can't really handle more than one each, but we need to get going anyway.  it's getting late, so we start walking towards the quay – where the Havila Capella will soon arrive to welcome us back on board after our long day and to prepare for our next destination: Trondheim.  

To be continued...