We are very excited to confirm the rumours, and announce that there will be a China Coast Ball program in 2015. And it will once again be a program of White Nights – this time whiter nights than ever before - in Norway from 29 June until 8 July. The standard image of Norway is of a cold and snowy place, but in the summer – and we will be there right in the middle of summer – the country sparkles i
n almost non-stop round-the clock sunshine – and we will be travelling from the elegant and charming capital Oslo across the mountains to Bergen and all the way up the coast to within 1300 miles of the North Pole. As befits a country with thousands of miles of coastline, and where life and livelihood has always been hugely involved with the sea, many of our events will be on or near the water. Some other general notes on the program:
• The program will be in two parts – part A, for everybody, running from Oslo to Bergen from the evening of Monday 29 June until the night of Thursday 2 July (the China Coast Ball), and part B, for those who wish to continue all the way up and around the west/north coast of Norway, running from Bergen to Kirkenes from the morning of Friday 3 July until the night of Wednesday 8 July.
• As is customary, most of our events will feature diverse and high quality entertainment, both local Norwegian and international.
• In response to longstanding demand, we are structuring the whole program so that there are almost none of the early starts that have been something of a hardship on occasion in the past.
• After we have opened bookings and have begun processing confirmations, we will be giving detailed advice as to how people should structure their travel arrangements. In the meantime, however, we can say that the likely most economical formula will be to get an “open jaw” ticket from your point of origin, flying in to Oslo, and flying out of Bergen or Kirkenes as the case may be. This means that your final flight sector from Bergen or Kirkenes to Oslo would not be an extra one-way flight, but is included in the price of your ticket from/to your point of origin.
• At the end of part B of the program, in Kirkenes (see below) our participants will have the option of departing by taking a Hurtigruten ship back down the coast, either all the way to Bergen or to an intermediate port such as Tromsø, and flying out from there. We will in due course give detailed information on this option to all those who are joining us in part B.
• Norway is an expensive country, and this program will be, per day, more expensive than some of our previous programs. It is for that reason, among others, that we have structured it in two parts, the first (“core”) part A being a little shorter than usual to keep it affordable.
• Also in response to widespread demand, we will be offering a discounted version of part A to young people, defined as those 30 or younger. We agree that it will be more fun if we can encourage a new generation to join the China Coast Ball family! and in any event before 30 September 2014), all those who intend to come should let us know, by sending an email to our dedicated email address [email protected]. Please tell us how many people will be in your party, and their names, and for each person whether they will be attending part A only, or part A and part B. And please let us have the age of anyone who is under 30. After we know how many people are intending to come, we will be able to calculate the costs and thus the likely price. Then we will set a deadline (probably 30 November 2014) by which all participants should confirm and pay a deposit (likely to be around 30% of the price. At that time we will also be informing everyone of the deadline for making full payment (probably the end of April 2015). Much of the detail remains to be confirmed, particularly as our final choice of venues and hotels will depend on the number of participants who book, as will the cost. But based on our well-informed expectations, here is a broad outline of the program:
Program Part A
Monday 29 June: Arrival in Oslo, and check in to our hotel (probably the Grand Hotel, right in the centre of town in sight of the Parliament and the Royal Palace). For those who arrive during the morning there will be optional sightseeing tours in Oslo during the afternoon. Following a welcome drinks reception at the hotel, we will walk down to the waterfront for dinner at the Akerhus Festning (the old fort on the hill overlooking Oslofjord and the city). Tuesday 30 June: There will be more optional tours during the morning, including a walking tour of Central Oslo. Late morning we will board a chartered boat for a cruise around Oslofjord, with lunch at a restaurant on a small island in the middle of the fjord. In the evening we will have a black tie dinner dance near the harbour front, in a very glamorous venue that, for the moment, we do not want to identify (!)
Wednesday 1 July: In the morning there will be further optional excursions, including a visit to the famous Vigeland sculpture installation at Frogner Park (colloquially known as the Vigelandsparken), the world’s largest sculpture park made by a single artist. Then, after checking out of the hotel, we will board the NSB train for one of the highest rail journeys in Europe – from sea to sea across the mountains from Oslo to Bergen – with lunch and drinks on board. Upon arrival in Bergen we will check in to our Bergen hotel, where we will have welcome drinks followed by dinner at one of the city’s outstanding old Hanseatic League buildings by the harbour. Thursday 2 July: Late morning we will take the Fløibanen funicular to Fløyen, high above Bergen, for pre-lunch drinks overlooking the city and its fjord. We will then descend to Bergen’s famous Fisketorget (fish market) where we will board a boat that will take us out around the fjords for a classic Norwegian lunch of fresh fish and other seafood. Returning to late afternoon, we will prepare for the China Coast Ball to be held that night at our hotel. Friday 3 July: Those who are doing only part A of the program will fly out of Bergen (or leave by train if they prefer). Those continuing for part B will be transferred late morning to Bergen’s airport, where we board a chartered aircraft for the 2 hour flight north to Bodø, above the Arctic Circle and the jumping off point for the fabled Lofoten Islands. After arrival at Bodø, we will go down to the port and board a chartered boat to take us across the Vestfjorden to Henningsvær (perhaps the classic Norwegian Arctic Circle town). During the approximately 3 hour crossing we will enjoy drinks and lunch onboard. At Henningsvær we will check in to our hotel and have a late supper by the harbour in the evening sun. Saturday 4 July: A big day all over the Lofoten Islands! We will be taken first to Hauklandstranda (the magical and remote Haukland Beach) for a lavish picnic lunch, and then continue through the islands to Reine, where we board a fleet of fishing boats for a cruise around the stunningly beautiful Reinefjord, including fishing for those who are keen. Then, in the evening we will go to the nearby village of Å (great name!) for a dockside dinner at the fishing port. Sunday 5 July: On our last day in the Lofoten Islands we will go to Storvågan, the oldest fishing village on the Norwegian coast, where we will have lunch at the village-museum. After lunch we will go for a special event at the glorious Vågan Church, otherwise known as the Lofoten Cathedral. We will arrive late afternoon in the port city of Svolvær, and settle in for drinks at the waterfront. Mid evening we will board the Hurtigruten ship MS Midnatsol (Midnight Sun) that will take us for the next three nights all the way up the Arctic coast of Norway, and around the top of the country to the Russian border. We will enjoy drinks on the deck as we sail out of Svolvær, and then a late supper as we continue up the coast under the light of the midnight sun. Monday 6 July: After a relaxed morning on the ship (including several port calls) we arrive at Tromsø, the “capital of the north”, where we will disembark and go for a late lunch. Then, after returning to the ship, we have evening drinks followed by a late supper. Tuesday 7 July: Late morning we arrive at Honningsvåg, one of the most northerly cities in the world, where we disembark for several hours and travel to Knivskjellodden, Nordkapp (North Cape), the northernmost point in Europe, for an extravagant picnic lunch in one of the most beautiful wilderness areas on the planet. In the evening, back on the ship, we will have our final black tie dinner. Wednesday 8 July: At 9 am we arrive at the remote northern town of Kirkenes, and disembark. Since most people will be flying out in the evening, we will have day rooms at a hotel on the waterfront, which will be our base for the day. At around 1 pm we will go about 20 km out of town for lunch on a beautiful lake in the woods, just 250 metres from the Russian border. After lunch we return to Kirkenes for a leisurely late afternoon in preparation for departure. As discussed elsewhere, most people will be taking a mid-evening flight to Oslo, but others will be leaving on the Hurtigruten ship heading back along the coast to the south.
