14-Day England, Ireland, & Norway: European Jewels

Amsterdam: A good time! That’s what you’ll have in this beautiful capital of the Netherlands, which feels at once like a 17-century city and a bustling modern metropolis. Famous for its canals and extraordinary museums, Amsterdam is also an intimate city with strangely alluring streets and squares.

Located in eastern Northern Ireland on Belfast Lough, an inlet of the north channel of the Irish Sea, Belfast is the captial and largest city in the country.n Population is around 320,000.

Joyce, Yeats, Shaw, Beckett– no, it’s not an English test, it’s your vacation, and if literature is of interest to you, there’s no better place to be: No other city has produced so many Nobel Prize Winners (including 1995’s recipient, the poet Seamus Heany).

Ireland’s capital is a thriving, modern city, yet it’s also strikingly elegant, with many beautifully restored Georgian buildings. And with friendly natives and cheery pubs–well, what more could a visitor want?

Little Flam is the terminus of what must be one of the most exciting railway journeys in the world. Climbing almost 900 meters in the space of only 20 km, this is the only railroad track that is actually 4 levels deep in some places. As the little train switches back and forth ever higher into the stratosphere, one breathtaking view after the next is revealed. The giant Rjoande Waterfall, tumbles into the waiting waters of the fjord, while on the cliff face, you may see mountain climbers testing their skills (and their nerve!).

Enclosed on both sides by towering walls of craggy rock, Geirangerfjord is one of the most majestic sight in all of Norway. Take an excursion to spectacular Djupvatn Lake and ascend Mt. Dalsnibba for breathtaking views of mountains, lakes and waterfalls.

This beautiful spot is an excellent starting point for excursions through fjord country. Explore a land where mountains soar to dizzying heights above you, waterfalls spread their lacework across the cliffs, and orchards are strung together like a garland of blossoms.

Le Havre is France’s major port city on the Atlantic coast. Hit with over 170 bombing runs during WWII, it was nearly destroyed, however has been rebuilt and now the second largest port in France and a very important commercial and industrial center.