Anthony Bourdain encouraged us to visit new places, meet new people and try new foods. I did this with Japan earlier this year, loved the place, loved the people, but found the food to be a bit of a challenge.

It’s not that I don’t like fish. Freshly caught poached Scottish salmon with dill and a whisky cream sauce, has to be one of the wonders of the western world. And who could complain about Baja fish tacos, or traditional fish and chips on the Liverpool docks.

However, some fish definitely is an issue. I encountered very nasty raw fish in Tonga last year, and had more of my fill of the over rated delicacy in Japan earlier this year. However, I am determined not to let my squeamish nature get the better of me – despite the experiences in Japan, I felt it was time to explore a new country, and new cuisine.

The question was, where to go next. The answer was easy – my friend Ruth had the brilliant idea that we should celebrate our milestone birthdays this year by visiting a new country. After much discussion we finally settled on the Norwegian fjords on Queen Mary2. I had visions of hiking up steep mountain slopes, and kayaking past waterfalls in serene fjords, all under clear blue skies and endless clear, sunlit days. Sounds perfect ☺

Then of course there will be Norwegian cuisine to explore as well. As it turned out the reviews I found of Norwegian cuisine were less than stellar. One review stated that “Norwegian cuisine is one of the most bizarre in the world”. It was also described as interesting, tantalizing, weird and preposterous. No one said it was boring. Bring on the lutefisk!

“Travel isn’t always pretty. It isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts. It even breaks your heart. But that’s okay. The journey changes you. It should change you”.
Anthony Bourdain
.