34-Day Fire, Ice & The Arctic Circle Grand Adventure

Andalsnes is your starting point for a ride on the Trollstigvein (troll’s path), a zig-zag drive up mountains and over waterfalls
that’s out of this world! Trollstigven’s often cloud-shrouded summit is the ultimate challenge for mountain climbers.

Don’t worry how to pronounce Cobh, you’re really here to see Cork, Ireland, the main district of which sits on an island formed by the diverging channels of the River Lee. The city is filled with picturesque quays and bridges.

Whether you’ve come to kiss the Blarney stone, to outfit yourself in Irish tweeds or to hear “The Bells of Shandon” ringing, Cork and its surrounding countryside will charm you from glen to glen.

Fort Lauderdale, (lô´der-dâl´) city (1990 pop. 148,377), seat of Broward Co., SE Fla., on the Atlantic coast; settled around a fort built (c.1837) in the Seminole War, inc. 1911. The city has more than 270 mi (435 km) of natural and artificial waterways and one of the largest marinas in the world. A major beach resort, it has a performing arts center and art and science museums. Products include electronic devices, boats and yachts, and various light manufactures.

The largest city in Canada’s Maritime Province, Halifax has strong ties to its past. The star-shaped Citadel fortress, built by Cornwallis in 1749, overlooks the city and much of the area’s maritime history is displayed in the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic.

This is the town where north was invented. That’s right no village in the entire world is further north than Honningsvag, Norway. How far north is it? It is so far north the sun doesn’t even think of setting from mid-May until the end of July-which seems like an awful lot of work, and that could explain its need to set and stay set from late November to late January. (This period is especially difficult if you have a night job.) Honningsvag is the gateway to the North Cape, but hey, if you want to head that direction, you’re on your own.

On the shores of the Nordfjord, little Olden is a gateway to a spectacular ice wilderness of stunning dimensions. Climb an amazing zig-zag road past towering cliffs and tumbling waterfalls to the giant Jostedal Glacier- the largest icefield in Europe, where summer skiers zip over ice moguls! Guests of Olden can also take a horse-drawn carriage to a beautiful lake watershed by the blue ice massif of Briksdal Glacier.

Reykjavik, is the capital of Iceland. It is the country’s chief port and center of its cod fishing industry.

Founded in 874 A.D., it is the home of the Althing, or Icelandic parliament, the oldest in Europe. The city’s heating system uses nearby hot springs. Reykjavik was the site of 1986 disarmament talks between the U.S. and USSR.

Shetland Islands, archipelago, 552 sq mi (1,427 sq km), off N Scotland. They consist of c.100 islands c.70 mi (110 km) long, about a fourth of which are inhabited. The largest are Mainland (where Lerwick, the main town, is located), Yell, Unst, Fetlar, Whalsey, and Bressay. Oil, produced offshore in the North Sea since the 1970s, supplements income
from traditional sheep, cattle, and knitware industries. Tourism is also important. The hardy Shetland pony and the Shetland sheepdog originated there. Occupied by Norsemen by the 9th cent., the islands were annexed to Scotland in 1472.

The world’s northernmost university – only one institute of higher learning may boast of that distinction, and at the moment anyway, that institution is the University of Norway at Tromso. Situated about 250 miles north of the Arctic Circle, Tromso has continuous sunshine from late May to mid-July. Nearby is the city of Narvik, known for mysterious lightning that occurs every August.

Located 245 miles north of Oslo, Trondheim was originally called Nidaros. Venture to Nidaros Cathedral, considered one of the most beautiful Gothic buildings in Northern Europe. Visit Ringve Museum of Musical History for a lively experience, with a collection of over 2000 instuments.