Celebrity Apex - May 15, 2024

Southampton is the gateway to the immensely civilized city of London. There are museums to visit, pubs to try, and shops to browse, ranging from Harrods to open-air markets. There are more parks and green belts here than in any other city in the world. There are also caches of stately squares and noble monuments, holdovers from a time when the island ruled a significant portion of the globe.

Located along the North Sea, Zeebrugge is located ten miles north of Brugge (Bruges) and serves as its port. The Brugge-Zeebrugge Canal connects the seaside resort with the cultural mecca that is its sister city. Visitors to Brugge will see stunning representations of gothic and roman architecture and collections of Dutch and Belgian art.

Tucked at the end of a fjord, tiny Flam huddles between steep peaks and deep, still water. From its gingerbread rail station, an electric train zigzags through mountaintops and tunnel after tunnel, emerging on the "Roof of Norway." It's an amazing experience. Return by the same route, or take one of the world's most scenic drives through the Romsdal Alps.

You will never forget sailing into the grandest fjord in all Scandinavia. The waters are glassy and lacy waterfalls dance down from dizzying heights on either side. Tiny farms cling impossibly to sheer mountainsides. And at the end is a friendly town and a roadway to the crest of the mountain called Eagle's Nest, for a bird's eye view of the waterway seen from the sky.

Southampton is the gateway to the immensely civilized city of London. There are museums to visit, pubs to try, and shops to browse, ranging from Harrods to open-air markets. There are more parks and green belts here than in any other city in the world. There are also caches of stately squares and noble monuments, holdovers from a time when the island ruled a significant portion of the globe.