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00:17The toughest thing about planning any holiday is narrowing down the
00:21destinations. The world is a mighty big place and if you only get one holiday
00:26every couple of years well you want to make it count. So I've gone with the
00:31philosophy that more is more and I've signed up to explore several cultures
00:38and countries in one luxurious and relaxing journey from the fjords of
00:45Norway all the way down south to the shores of Portugal. Over the next two
00:53weeks our scenic cruise will glide us into no less than seven countries beginning
01:01in the polar climes of Scandinavia down Europe's west coast through the English
01:07Channel and south to the warmth of the Iberian Peninsula.
01:16But before we set sail south on scenic eclipse we're exploring our departure
01:22point of beautiful Bergen in Norway.
01:28I can see Raphael that this is a very popular thing to do in Bergen.
01:32Definitely, this is the main attraction in the city.
01:35So it's great to be in a city and look at it but to be above it and to see
01:41everything that happens in that city, that's incredible.
01:45Opened in 1918, the city's funicular takes visitors from the heart of Bergen up to the top of Mount Floyen,
01:54over 300 metres above sea level.
02:01This is really beautiful.
02:03Yes, we have the whole city in front of us.
02:06We can see the fjord of Bergen, the B-Fjordnen.
02:10B in Norwegian means city, so this is known as the city fjord.
02:16Bergen also used to be the capital of Norway up until the year 1299.
02:21So the king and queen of Norway would leave the fortress and the fortress of Bergen was built in 1261.
02:31To really feel Bergen's history, you only need to wander along the waterfront that was once the trading hub for
02:38fish, timber and furs.
02:41So this area is called Brygen?
02:44Yes.
02:44Brygen in Norwegian means the wharf, so it's not an old name for Bergen, it's just how these houses were
02:50known as, the wharf.
02:51Which makes sense.
02:52The line-up of colourful wooden buildings were once warehouses for storing fish, grain and goods from around Europe.
03:00I noticed that they're a little bit wonky.
03:03Yes, they are, definitely.
03:05So the houses that we have in front of us are dating back from 1702 to 1705.
03:12They were built after the last fire that affected Brygen.
03:15But Brygen was affected by nine different fires throughout the history.
03:21Every time Brygen burned down, they just flattened a bit the area and built on top with wood all over
03:27again.
03:27So these houses are standing on nine different layers of very old wood.
03:35From centuries of trading to its influence on the local cuisine, the sea has shaped Norwegian's way of life.
03:44So it's little wonder the Bergen fish market remains one of the city's top attractions.
03:53I read that Norway is made up of almost 240,000 islands, which is incredible, but no wonder then that
04:01the fishing industry is so big here.
04:03Yeah, fishing in Norway has always been very important.
04:06Bergen fish market is one of the oldest and most iconic in the country.
04:12And while it's popular with travellers, it's still a favourite for locals.
04:16So this is a Bergen delicacy?
04:18Yes, this is a Bergen fish soup.
04:21Bergen fish soup.
04:22It's cream, some herbs, salmon, rainbow trout and scallops.
04:26And I'm tipping everything in front of us was caught about a kilometre that way in the North Sea.
04:32Yeah, over here.
04:32Absolutely.
04:32The fjords are perfect environments for growing salmon because in a fjord we have a mixture of fresh water and
04:40salted water.
04:42So it's perfect for salmon that can live in both.
04:45This is delicious, by the way.
04:46Yeah, I'm happy.
04:47And I can see why you have such a great lifestyle here.
04:50Everyone seems really happy.
04:51Yes, yes.
04:52Norway, it's one of the happiest countries.
04:58Nature is a big part of everyday life for Norwegians.
05:02And just a couple of minutes out of the city, you will find yourself surrounded by it.
05:08This is what I think of when I think of Norway.
05:10Yes.
05:11Bergen, it's also known as the city of the seven mountains.
05:14The city centre, it's surrounded by beautiful mountains.
05:17Nature, it's a big part of its daily life.
05:21This path leads to a beautiful wooden church built in 1180, rescued and relocated here to preserve it.
05:34This is so pretty.
05:37Yes.
05:38This is a stave church.
05:40Stave, it's a word used for the planks of wood, used to build these churches.
05:46These planks of woods are placed in an interlocking mechanism, so you don't need any nails.
05:53So there's not one nail in this entire church?
05:55No.
05:56Wow.
05:56Like a Lego house.
06:03After the break, we're in Stavanger, cruising through Norway's signature fjords.
06:09This is so dramatic.
06:11Isn't it?
06:12It's so beautiful.
06:12It's so beautiful.
06:15That looks nice.
06:20Thanks mate.
06:28From our starting point in beautiful Bergen, we're now underway on scenic eclipse, as we
06:35cruise south from norway all the way to portugal
06:42checking in and checking out and packing and unpacking it's definitely the downside of travel
06:49but here there's no hotel hopping no endless unpacking just one check-in
06:56one lovely suite and you can relax kick back and let the world come to you
07:05soaking up the six-star comfort once you're settled in on board is as delightful as the ports we visit
07:19from bergen we've cruised a couple of hundred k's to stavunga home to the spectacular lisa fjord
07:32this catamaran cruise exclusive for us scenic guests is just one of several included daily free
07:40choice excursions
07:45these fjords are breathtaking aren't they the fjords are just so synonymous with norway oh
07:54absolutely i think immediately you think of norway you think of the fjords just the whole
07:58sort of potential sort of drama the beauty stunning
08:06it looks uninhabitable here but if you look really closely there are a lot of homes dotted
08:12well you know traditionally lisa fjord would have a lot of farming going on
08:17but now a lot of people have sort of vacation cabins out here and these are potentially cabins
08:23that have been passed down the family from original farmland and it's a part of norwegian culture
08:30the whole thing of getting away
08:38that's a part of norway is known for its epic landscapes and in lisa fjord you're completely
09:00surrounded by them
09:01just along the coast is one of stavunga's most iconic sites marking the spot where norway's history began
09:11so katherine i've read that this is a real source of nordic pride oh absolutely because we had a
09:18famous battle here in 872 it was said the hundred ships sailed into hasfield that the waters ran red
09:27with the battle and one chieftain was the successful victor in the battle he came ashore he plunged his sword
09:36into the ground to say enough fighting let's talk that gentleman was harold fairhead and the year 872
09:45the unification of norway and he was crowned the very first king of norway
09:56back in stavunga's old town area these rows of wooden houses are part of the city's more recent history
10:04a neighborhood that looks frozen in time
10:09these are real homes people live here absolutely in fact we've got the largest collection of wooden
10:15houses from the 1800s anywhere in europe they're gorgeous they are and you know why they're here
10:20no because of a fish what do you mean fish the herring fish the herring fish came to town in
10:26the
10:26early 1800s and that's why so many people moved into stavanger then and became quite a wealthy city at
10:32that point all down to a fish that's why we've ended up with these beautiful homes
10:37discover northern europe on a scenic discovery yacht cruise in ultra luxury experience the journey
10:44of a lifetime with unrivalled inclusions in 2026 or 2027 all meals drinks scenic free choice options and
10:53scenic enrich events included getaway viewers can save one thousand dollars per couple to request your
10:59voucher visit scenic.com.au forward slash getaway call 138 128 or speak to your nearest travel advisor
11:11after the break we're in the danish town of skein where two seas collide it's not windy today it's not
11:19windy no you don't think this is windy no you are hilarious it's denmark it's game
11:40after stops in the norwegian towns of bergen and stavanger scenic eclipse has taken us further south
11:47to skein sitting at the very top of denmark where the baltic meets the north sea
11:56we're heading out to the most northern part of denmark you are quite right we are going to what we
12:02call
12:04the outer most part of denmark to reach the tip of the peninsula we're on a sand dormant
12:11a specially designed tractor bus that carries us across the shifting sands going back to world war
12:19ii yeah this area was a very strategic point that a lot of people wanted to patrol really it was
12:26closed
12:27for the public because the germans didn't want people out here so in total they actually built
12:34seven thousand bunkers in denmark but 700 of them are up here really yes so still to this day there
12:43are german bunkers yes dotted around it's too expensive to uh to the let them go
12:55oh this is beautiful and windy so i can see where you see where the baltic is smashing yes into
13:05the
13:05north sea yeah today they are not shaking hands they're angry aren't they a little bit today
13:11oh i can see where the two seas are meeting you can so you could actually put one foot in
13:21the north
13:21sea one put in the baltic sea you can and just end up with two wet feet yeah
13:28damn it damn it you should have warned me now i've got the two wet feet
13:34one with seas as wild as these it's little wonder skein is dotted with lighthouses but the treacherous
13:45seas aren't the only reason the country's landmass is ever so slowly growing how much is denmark
13:53growing every year oh about 10 to 12 meters a year 10 to 12 meters a year yeah so how's
14:01it growing
14:02it's growing it's growing with sand coming from the west coast up here because the waves are so
14:09tumultuous the wind is so wild skein's original lighthouse dates back to the 1600s this is a very
14:19unusual looking lighthouse you must say so but it's one of the first so was there some poor sod that
14:25had
14:25to spend every night every year going yes pushing it up and down yes and the light would go up
14:30and down
14:30all night all night oh my gosh that is the worst job in the world
14:38from skein we're headed to the danish capital of copenhagen
14:47but there's plenty of downtime on board to enjoy all that our six-star luxury discovery yacht has to
14:53offer when we're sniffing we're getting all the flavors in our nose and everything i've signed up
14:59for a premium wine tasting i'm getting wooden tones i think i'm failing at wine tasting even for a novice
15:08like
15:08myself it's a lovely way to spend an afternoon and a completely relaxing way to glide from one destination
15:16to the next morning delivers us to copenhagen known for its colorful harbor bike-friendly streets and of
15:28course its royal palaces it's also home to one of australia's most famous exports queen mary the former tassie
15:39girl who now resides here at a million board palace
15:46this is a city where bikes outnumber humans and outdoor living is a big part of daily life
15:54i love that as soon as the sun pops out there's people everywhere
16:06aside from its iconic little mermaid and the current royal residence another copenhagen highlight is
16:14christiansborg palace
16:17in the center of the city christiansborg is where danish democracy and royal tradition meet
16:25this is so beautiful it's the seat of the danish parliament the office of the prime minister and
16:33it's the supreme court of denmark this is most definitely the power building
16:47after the break we're in a small dutch town with a big reputation
16:52eden became well known and very wealthy because all the ships had to go through
17:12after already ticking off stops in norway and denmark scenic eclipse is cruising us towards the netherlands
17:20as she glides us further south we are free to kick back and soak up life on board
17:27as a mom any chance i get to not cook is very welcome look at this the buffets are delicious
17:35i don't know why i'm whispering as well as a la carte options each day the yacht club serves up
17:42a variety of
17:43freshers and freshly made dishes fueling us up for the next destination
17:51the dutch capital of amsterdam blends canals culture and centuries of history and at its heart is one
18:00of the world's great art museums the rites museum
18:07the building itself is a work of art it's a work of art have you noticed that the design of
18:13this
18:14building it looks a little bit like a catholic church it does it's got all the names these gothic
18:19ceilings and if you come from this way you come in this gallery of honor that's the name of this
18:24hall
18:25and all the way down in the end there is the night watch that's the huge draw card for the
18:31rugs
18:31museum isn't it and that's saying a lot because you've got 1.2 kilometers of art
18:37rembrandt's masterpiece is a sight to behold why does the night watch take such pride of place
18:43oh of course because it's a huge painting and if you think 1642
18:48uh the way rembrandt already was able to paint you know the colors the three-dimensional way of
18:55painting you see it's very different from the other paintings if you see people were posing for
19:00paintings here is like action that was revolutionary exactly yeah and also he puts the light on certain
19:07persons he wants to tell you a story you see it's obviously undergoing restoration works what are
19:13they doing to it they're analyzing what is the original color of the paint they're analyzing are
19:18the drawings beneath they try to make the painting exactly the way it used to be the same colors the
19:26same light effects how long will that all take seven years at least hidden just beyond the galleries
19:40is a different kind of masterpiece the museum's 19th century library so this is the largest and oldest
19:49collection of art history books in the netherlands exactly all from 1885
19:57what is inspiring for you about coming into a room like this surrounded by all of this knowledge
20:05not only the knowledge look at the architecture carpets was an amazing architecture look at the
20:11staircase here for example all iron you see
20:28as well as canal cruises and bike tours scenic offers a tour a little further north to smaller
20:35villages like edam to experience a more traditional side of dutch life
20:43beyond edam's charming streets is a history shaped by trade and a canal that put this little town on
20:51the map especially because of this canal uh eden became well known and very wealthy because all the
20:57ships had to go through and they had to make a dam between the former sea and the canal and
21:04the ships had
21:05to stop so slowly young people started to live around the dam that's why it's called e them and
21:11them in the river e how old are some of the houses here 1618 1620 so beginning 17th century mostly
21:21while the canal originally put edam on the map it's the cheese that has made it a household name
21:27how did the dutch get into cheese production because you're so famous for it oh that's a good question
21:32you know we live below sea level here so first they pumped all the water out and then still the
21:38soul is too wet and the only thing what you can produce is cheese because you can put cows on
21:43the
21:43country side and this city was famous because it made a connection between the the countryside with
21:49all the windmills and the former southern sea and here they had all the ships so we exported all these
21:56cheeses all over the world discover northern europe on a scenic discovery yacht cruise in ultra luxury
22:10experience the journey of a lifetime with unrivalled inclusions in 2026 or 2027. all meals drinks scenic
22:19free choice options and scenic enriched events included getaway viewers can save one thousand dollars per
22:26couple to request your voucher visit scenic.com.au forward slash getaway call 138 128 or speak to your nearest
22:35travel advisor
22:48from fjords to fish markets bike lanes to royal residences scandinavia has been quite the ride but
22:57the best part there is still plenty to come as we immerse ourselves in more countries and cultures of europe
23:11next week we continue south and steam into france the sunshine is so lovely the bells are ringing
23:20but the light here you know is really special isn't it it is calling to guernsey's st peterport before
23:28cruising the iberian coast warm sunshine beautiful breezes and that is exactly what spain and portugal
23:37are famous for see you then good night
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