This year a Norwegian cruise line is stopping in Petersburg for the first time, with a state-of-the-art hybrid ship. And it’s excited to connect with Petersburg’s Norwegian roots.
It’s visitor season again in Petersburg, and cruise ship passengers are already wandering the streets in brightly colored jackets. This year a Norwegian cruise line is stopping here for the first time, with a state-of-the-art hybrid ship. And it’s excited to connect with Petersburg’s Norwegian roots.
“Roald Amundsen was — is — the national hero of Norway,” said Steffen Biersack, an expedition leader with the cruise line. “He’s thewho actually flew over the North Pole with a with an airship, which then landed close to Nome. So that’s why in Nome, and on the other side, where they started in Svalbard, they have the identical bust of Roald Amundsen in bronze. And he was the very first man sailing through the Northwest Passage. So he’s quite the explorer.
And if that sounds familiar, the feeling is mutual. Biersack said of Southeast Alaska, “It’s such a stunning country. It’s like Norway on steroids, you know? It’s so much wilder. The peaks are higher. The trees are taller. It’s great.”