21-day Iceland & Norwegian fjords

Your voyage begins in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Mention Holland and most people think of tulips, windmills, and wooden shoes. In reality, Amsterdam has been a vital European cultural center since the Middle Ages.The Dutch boast that God may have made the world, but they made the Netherlands. Dams, sea gates, and the 19-mile dyke walling out the Zuider Zee have allowed the Dutch to reclaim their low-lying country from the North Sea. The marsh that originally surrounded Amsterdam steadily disappeared beneath the expanding city. Vibrant, fascinating and always alive, Amsterdam is imbued with the quality the Dutch call "gezelligheid." Explore the city's 700-year-old streets and marvel at its stepped-gable houses. Cruise down its bustling canals and browse the colorful flower markets. Did we mention that you can shop for everything from cheese and chocolates to diamonds and Delftware?

A full day at sea - time to enjoy Zuiderdam's restaurants, pools and entertainment.

Just north of Scotland lay the Orkney Islands. Washed by the furthest reach of the Gulf Stream, this chain of over 70 islands offers dramatic landscapes that range from sea cliffs rearing 1,000 feet above the waves to sweeping white sand beaches. Bird watchers flock to the Orkney Islands, drawn by the multitudes of sea birds. Divers explore the wrecks lying in the clear waters of Scapa Flow, the Royal Navy's fleet anchorage in two world wars. And most fascinating of all, the Orkney Islands boast the greatest concentration of prehistoric sites in all Europe, including the mysterious Ring of Brodgar and 5,000-year-old Skara Brae.Vikings - Norsemen - ruled the Orkney Islands from the 9th to 13th centuries, leaving in their wake such monuments as St. Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall. This hint of Scandinavian influence can be heard in the lilting accent with which Orcadians speak.

Continue your voyage aboard Zuiderdam with a leisurely day at sea.

Your ship calls at Djupivogur, Iceland.

Your ship calls at Scenic cruising Berufjordur.

The town is your gateway to the famous "Land of Fire and Ice" - Iceland's dramatic landscape of volcanic craters, extinct lava lakes and majestic waterfalls.Visitors to Akureyri have a hard time grasping the fact that the town lies just below the Arctic Circle. The climate here is temperate: flower boxes fill the windows of houses, and trees line the neat, well-tended avenues. Thanks to that mild climate, Akureyri's Botanical Gardens provide a home for over 2,000 species of flora from around the world - all surviving without greenhouses. No wonder Icelanders refer to Akureyri as the most pleasant town on the entire island.Travel Tip - Akureyri rhymes with Tipperary.

Your ship calls at Scenic cruising Eyjafjordur.

The town of Ísafjördur is the municipal centre of the West Fjords peninsula. The West Fjords are Iceland's least populated region, with 9,600 inhabitants in the area of 9,520 km. Isafjördur (population 3,500) formerly one of Iceland's main trading posts, was granted municipal status in 1886. Some of Iceland's oldest and best-preserved buildings, dating from the 18th century, are located in Ísafjördur. The town is still predominantly a fishing centre. A vigorous and varied cultural and artistic scene flourishes in the town as well. Mountains surround Ísafjördur on the three sides and the sea on the other. The ancient settlement site of Eyri downtown is enclosed by the narrow Skutulsfjördur fjord, which shelters the harbour in all weathers.

Your ship calls at Scenic Cruising Isafjardurdjur.

Your ship calls at Grundarfjordur, Iceland.

Iceland is a land of volcanoes and glaciers, lava fields and green pastures, boiling thermal springs and ice-cold rivers teeming with salmon. This unspoiled demi-paradise is also home to a very old and sophisticated culture. The northernmost capital in the world, Reykjavik was founded in 874 when Ingolfur Arnarson threw wood pillars into the sea, vowing to settle where the pillars washed ashore. Today, Iceland is an international center of commerce and home to one of the most technologically sophisticated societies in the world.Reykjavik is the gateway to Iceland's natural wonders, which range from ice fields to thermal pools. The island is in a continual process of transformation much like its society, which blends Nordic tradition with sophisticated technology.

Your ship calls at Heimaey, Westman Islands, Iceland.

Another day at sea to explore the ship at your own pace.

Your ship calls at Runavik, Faroe Islands.

The Shetlands are the most northerly of the British Isles and consist of over one hundred islands, of which a mere 16 are inhabited. Lerwick is the capital of the archipelago. Located on the eastern shore of Mainland, the largest Shetland Island, the town was largely developed by Dutch herring fisherman in the 17th century. The islands are renowned for their superb crafts ranging from woolen and cashmere knitwear to intricate lace shawls and fine jewelry.Note: Lerwick is an anchorage port. Guests transfer to shore by ship's tender.

A full day at sea - time to enjoy Zuiderdam's restaurants, pools and entertainment.

Your ship returns to Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Continue your voyage aboard Zuiderdam with a leisurely day at sea.

Your ship calls at Eidfjord, Norway.

Your ship calls at Scenic cruising Hardangerfjord.

Your ship calls at Alesund, Norway.

By the mid-19th century, European travelers were cruising the waters of the Nordfjord and visiting the village of Olden. The Romantic Movement inspired this new taste for dramatic landscape - and Norway had plenty of dramatic landscape. Then as now, travelers were impressed, moved, and not frequently overwhelmed by the stark contrast between peaceful rural farmsteads and a towering wilderness of mountain peaks and glaciers.For many years Olden was home to American landscape artist William H. Singer (1868-1943). Scion of a Pittsburgh steel family, Singer provided Olden with a road and a regional hospital.

Your ship calls at Scenic Cruising Nordfjord.

Your ship calls at Sandnes (Stavanger), Norway.

Another day at sea to explore the ship at your own pace.

Your voyage concludes in Amsterdam, Netherlands.