Night Falls: Bedtime Story, Sleep Story, Sleep Podcast · Sleepiest: Bedtime Story, Sleep Story, Sleep Podcast

Love On A Norweigan River Cruise | Romantic Bedtime Story | Rewind

·49 min·1 clip

Helena and Lisa have been dreaming of Norway for years. They want the fjords, the kayak water, and the snow-capped hikes they first imagined back in college, and at last they have made it there after all that waiting. The boat carries them onward. Helena has booked a riverboat cruise that stops in several ports of call through winding fjords, giving them the kind of slow travel that lets the country open up in front of them. Then Lars appears. He is the handsome stranger Helena meets on the top deck, and from the moment they speak she starts to feel something she has not felt in a long time. Dinner brings them together. At the table Lars tells them about Karl, the best friend he grew up with, a man he still lives only two streets away from, and the story gives the evening a settled, companionable feel. They trade travel stories. Lisa learns that Lars has been well travelled but has never been to the United States, so she promptly offers Helena's home in Wisconsin as a place to stay if he ever makes the journey. Helena nearly hides her face. Lisa's confidence is hard for her to match, and she can only cringe a little at how eager they may seem, even as Lars keeps looking at her with blue eyes full of obvious fondness. He seems easy to trust. His presence at the table is calm and generous, and Helena finds herself enjoying his company so much that she has to look down at her plate to keep from melting into embarrassment. Then comes a hike. Lisa asks whether Lars has plans for tomorrow and, when he says he is free to explore the port, she invites him to join them on the Fossa Rossa National Hiking Trail, where the views are meant to be gorgeous. Helena hesitates. She worries that the invitation sounds desperate, but Lars responds politely and says he would be delighted to come along if they do not mind him tagging along, and he looks to Helena for the answer. Lisa grins. Afterward, she reminds Helena that life is too short to return on the plane and go back to the ordinary routine without taking a chance, and that nudge finally sends Helena running after Lars in the street, calling for him to wait while her Norwegian adventure opens wider.

As heard by us

A fjord-cruise romance with warmth, scenery, and a soft, bedtime-friendly pace.

This episode follows Helena and Lisa on a river cruise through the Norwegian fjords, where a long-awaited holiday opens up when Helena meets Lars on the top deck.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

You want a quiet fjord cruise where a meeting on the top deck starts to feel like the beginning of something real.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from Night Falls: Bedtime Story, Sleep Story, Sleep Podcast