This is a remarkably beautiful country whose snow-crested peaks and glacier-born fjords create the majestic scenery that have inspired the symphonies of Grieg, the plays of Ibsen, and the paintings of Munch.

Norway means "the way of the north", a term the Vikings used more than 1000 years ago to describe the shipping route along the west coast of Norway - where we cruised.

That coast is 1100 miles long, as far as New York to Miami. Riddled with fjords, narrows, and straits, it is a land of contrast - soaring mountains, panoramic fjords, ice-blue glaciers, deep-green forests, fertile valleys, and rich pastures.

We were well above the Arctic Circle, at Europe's most northern point, and the Midnight Sun was in full force; there was sunlight throughout the nights.

Going ashore in some of the towns nestled among the fjords, we headed for those vantage points that offered the most dramatic panoramas: sweeping mountain ranges and incredibly beautiful fjords.