Sherman's Travel

Far be it from me to decline hotel amenities. I enjoy an ocean view, complimentary chocolates, and plush robes as much as the next traveler, but even I’m baffled by some of the “upgrades” that hotels offer. A television in my hotel bathroom is one such vexing luxury. For all the grousing and moaning about how filthy hotel rooms can be, apparently people have no qualms about lingering in an allegedly clean tub and watching their stories until their fingers get pruney.

When it comes to bathing in hotels, all I ask for is good water pressure. If I can rinse myself off without having to pool water in my cupped hands and splashing it on my torso, I’ve hit the hotel hygiene jackpot. I don’t require a rain faucet directly above my head (it’s an inefficient attack angle for the water), heated bathroom floors, or a television by the tub.

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Norwegians oohed and aahed as Hurtigruten’s cruise ship, the MS NordNorge, completed its 1,500-mile voyage through the icy blue waters of northern Europe’s Norwegian Sea this Wednesday. The fjord trip, entitled “Hurtigruten – Minute by Minute,” was broadcast live from June 16 to June 22 by Norway’s NRK TV station for a straight 134 hours and watched by a whopping 2.54 million Norwegians (over half of the country’s population!). Rune Moeklebust, project leader for the program at NRK, said his team wanted to convey the six-night journey in a way that would make its viewers feel like they were onboard the ship, which departed from Bergen in southwest Norway and finished at Kirkenes near the Russian border. The cruise line has been sailing the Norwegian coast since 1983. Similar voyages will be held year-round; rates start from $914/person. www.hurtigruten.com