Silver Explorer, Voyage 7220 ex Tromso to Dublin

14 Night Cruise sailing from Tromso to Dublin aboard Silver Explorer.

Silversea's purpose-built Silver Explorer expedition ship (formerly the Prince Albert II) has been designed specifically for navigating waters in some of the world's most remote destinations, including both of earth's polar regions. A strengthened hull with a Lloyd's Register ice-class notation (1A) for passenger vessels enables Silver Explorer to safely push through ice floes with ease. A fleet of Zodiac boats allows Silversea Expedition guests to visit even the most off-the-beaten path locations and an expert ExpeditionTeam provides insight and understanding to each unforgettable Silver Explorer cruise adventure.

Onboard, savour a convivial cosmopolitan ambience and many special amenities usually found only on larger ships, including a spacious Library with an Internet Café, boutique shopping, a full-service spa, beauty salon, fitness centre, sauna and two top-deck whirlpools. Prince Albert II even features live evening entertainment and The Humidor, where connoisseurs can enjoy the finest cigars and cognacs — diversions offered by no other expedition ship.

Tromso
Tromsø surprised visitors in the 1800s: they thought it very sophisticated and cultured for being so close to the North Pole. It looks the way a polar town should—with ice-capped mountain ridges and jagged architecture that is an echo of the peaks. The midnight sun shines from May 21 to July 21, and it is said that the northern lights decorate the night skies over Tromsø more than over any other city in Norway. Tromsø is about the same size as Luxembourg, but home to only 58,000 people. The city's total area—2,558 square km (987 square mi)—is actually the most expansive in Norway. The downtown area is on a small, hilly island connected to the mainland by a slender bridge. The 13,000 students at the world's northernmost university are one reason the nightlife here is uncommonly lively for a northern city.

Alesund
The coastal town of Ålesund is the commercial capital of the Møre og Romsdal district. But more importantly, it is noted for its characteristic Jugendstil (Art Nouveau) buildings, which some claim make Ålesund one of the most beautiful towns in Norway. This Art Nouveau style emerged when the town was completely rebuilt after a devastating fire in 1904 destroyed nearly 800 buildings and left 10,000 residents homeless. It is said that the fire started by a tipped oil lamp. Rebuilding was carried out with the help of many young, foreign architects who added their own flourishes to the architectural blend of German Jugendstil and Viking roots.

Today, narrow streets are crammed with buildings topped with turrets, spires and gables that bear decorations of dragonheads and curlicues. As one of the few remaining Art Nouveau towns in the world, in 1998 Ålesund was awarded the coveted Houens National Memorial Prize for the preservation of its unique architecture. The town centre is crowded onto a narrow fishhook-shaped peninsula. Without space to expand farther, most of the approximate 38,000 residents live scattered across surrounding islands and peninsulas. In addition to a picturesque fishing port along the old harbour "Brosundet," Ålesund boasts one of the largest facilities in Norway for the export of dried and fresh fish.

Come ashore and enjoy this delightful place with its whimsically decorated buildings that give Ålesund its unique ambiance and distinctive character valued by residents and visitors alike.

Bergen
A place of enchantment, Bergen's epithets include "Trebyen" (Wooden City), for its many wooden houses, "Fjordbyen" (Gateway to the Fjords), for obvious reasons, and "Regnbyen" (Rainy City), for its 200 days of rain a year. Most visitors quickly learn the necessity of rain jackets and umbrellas, and Bergen has even handily provided the world's first umbrella vending machine. Norway's second-largest city was founded in 1070 by Olav Kyrre as a commercial center. The surviving Hanseatic wooden buildings on Bryggen (the quay) are topped with triangular gingerbread roofs and painted in red, blue, yellow, and green. Monuments in themselves (they are on the UNESCO World Heritage List), the buildings tempt travelers and locals to the shops, restaurants, and museums inside. Evenings, when Bryggen is illuminated, these modest buildings, together with the stocky Rosenkrantz Tower, the Fløyen, and the yachts lining the pier, are reflected in the water and combine to create one of the loveliest cityscapes in northern Europe.

Invergordon
The port of Invergordon is your gateway to the Great Glen, an area of Scotland that includes Loch Ness and the city of Inverness—the capital of the Highlands, with the flavor of a Lowland town, its winds blowing in a sea-salt air from the Moray Firth. The Great Glen is also home to one of the world's most famous monster myths: in 1933, during a quiet news week, the editor of a local paper decided to run a story about a strange sighting of something splashing about in Loch Ness. But there's more to look for here besides Nessie, including inland lochs, craggy and steep-sided mountains, rugged promontories, deep inlets, brilliant purple and emerald moorland, and forests filled with astonishingly varied wildlife, including mountain hares, red deer, golden eagles, and ospreys.

Stornoway
The Hebrides, or Western Isles, are a group of more than 500 islands off Scotland's west coast in the Atlantic Ocean of which about one hundred are inhabited. They are divided into the Inner and Outer Hebrides. The Inner Hebrides are comprised of Skye, Mull, Islay, and Jura. The Outer Hebrides include Lewis and Harris, North and South Uist, Benbecula, Barra, Saint Kilda, and the Flannan Islands. The archipelago covers an area of 4,500 square miles (7,200 sq km). Most of its islands are covered by sparse vegetation and boast a fairly mild climate. Tourism, sheep and cattle raising, and the manufacture of textiles are the principal sources of income. The most famous export item is no doubt the excellent Harris tweed.

Originally inhabited by Celts, the islands were taken by Norsemen in the 8th century, followed by Scottish clan chiefs who ruled the Hebrides from the 13th century until 1748, when they were formally incorporated into Scotland. The population has declined rapidly during the 20th century due to extensive emigration.

Belfast
The ancient city of Belfast lies nestled into the rugged coast of Northern Ireland where the River Lagan meets the sea. The name itself reflects this position; it is a translation meaning "sandbank fjord". Offshore, the green water of the North Channel churns, separating the Irish coast from Scotland by less than 40 miles (64 km). Inland lie the forever-green lands of Ulster Province.

According to historians, the capital of Northern Ireland saw its earliest settlement around a substantial fortress before the Middle Ages. Many battles raged on the cobblestone streets of Belfast. When French Huguenots arrived in the 17th century, they brought weapons and the knowledge of "advanced" technology with them. They introduced the manufacture of fine linens that, along with shipbuilding, literally put Belfast on the world map. The Huguenots also brought with them a strong faith and great interest in the arts. They built churches and established institutions of higher learning, all of which helped the city gain importance.

Today, Belfast is a robust metropolis, popular with travellers who come to discover the city's physical beauty and renewed tranquillity. The country's politics are quite complicated and suggest an in-depth study for those with a keen interest. Nearly one third of Northern Ireland's population, about 400,000 lives in the city, drawn by its beautiful setting and employment opportunities. The city is prosperous, even though linen production and shipbuilding are no longer booming. Residents and tourists alike enjoy shopping along trendy Donegall Place and visiting the numerous pubs along The Golden Mile.

Dublin
In his inimitable, irresistible way, James Joyce immortalized the city of Dublin in works like Ulysses and Dubliners. He claimed to have chosen Dublin as the setting for his work because it was a "center of paralysis" where nothing much ever changed. What would he make of Temple Bar—the city's erstwhile down-at-the-heels neighborhood, now crammed with restaurants and hotels? Or of the city's newfound status as a bustling hub of the European economy? Yet despite all these advances, traditional Dublin is far from buried. The fundamentals—the Georgian elegance of Merrion Square, the Norman drama of Christ Church Cathedral, the foamy pint at an atmospheric pub—are still on hand to gratify. Most of all, there are the locals themselves: the nod and grin when you catch their eye on the street, the eagerness to share a tale or two, and their paradoxically dark but warm sense of humor.

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