night hike

HaPpY nEw YeAr everyone and welcome to 2016!

As you can see, our New Year's Day hike was mega spooky, seeing as we didn't set off til dusk and ventured onto Wharncliffe Chase in the near dark.  Mind you we're well used to exploring in the dusk after experiencing the Polar Night just a few weeks ago.

Kicked off Christmas with a visit to Showboat at the Crucible which was an amazing production, probably their best Christmas show ever, and they are always good.  Great reviews and still on til 23 January.

But back to our hike - there was plenty of ice about

 and wild barren winter moors

 treacherous ponds

 and for the final leg through Greno Woods, it was torches all the way

but soon home to a welcome hot cuppa and reminiscences of a wonderful Christmas.

Mum managed to get over the Pennines to share it with us and enjoyed a Christmas morning toast.

 but it was a waiting game to get to those pressies . . .

until finally we were all happily opening

 with fun surprises

thank you hugs

 impromptu recitals

 and a windy visit to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park on Boxing Day

 to see the amazing Bill Viola works

 then some emergency mince pie and jam tart replenishing

until it was home for Grandma and London for the rest of us.

Final dinner in Shoreditch after a great 24hrs London buzz, meeting up with friends and braving the sales

 Great overnight stay at Park Farm on the Shuckburgh Estate in deepest Warwickshire

 skull and crossbones on the little church

 and this is the 'big house' - all very 'private'

 first snowdrops

 Then an interesting visit to Napton on the Hill and the church of St Lawrence

 with its precarious graves

 and arrow sharpening grooves from days of yore

And after a tasty homemade lunch and warm welcome in the village post office, we visited a lovely old friend in Dudley then home and ready to welcome the New Year with our usual hike up the top of Grenoside to see all the fireworks. And glorious it was - a clear night, bright stars, half moon and the whole city shimmering at our feet.

HaPpY nEw YeAr

swaying

Norway Friday 4 December 2015

Up at 8.30am for a lovely buffet breakfast, but as we walked across the restaurant we all felt the 'deck' swaying and lurching!!!  Now we know the true meaning of sea legs and land legs!!
Really weird sensation and was even hard to balance our cups of tea across the room!

A peek from our room across a snowy Tromsø morning - love the way it's nestled between the mountains and the sea.  But, very sadly, this is our last day up here in the Arctic Circle . . .

 So it was time to explore the lovely Tromsø - all bedecked for Christmas

 spotted an old cinema

here on the right

 and a lovely contemporary library Bibliotek og byarkvic

 This great old bank building

 and Tromsø Domkirke (Cathedral) built in wood in 1961 on the site of earlier churches

loved these Nordic desgin bike racks

and that little alleyway conveniently led us to a lovely gourmet cafe and delicatessen, Mathellen, where we quaffed a welcome warming coffee

before going back onto the icy cold streets.  Time was closing in to catch our bus to the airport . . .

All the shops had little lanterns on the floor outside their doors - so welcoming

But dark was really setting in now as it was approaching 2.30pm

Time for a quick peek into a souvenir shop with all things Norway.

Loved how you get glimpses of mountains and sea between the streets - reminds me of Sheffield and Belfast - seeing glimpses of the hills between busy city centre roads.

And this eccentric little shop, Tromso bruktbokhandel, which we found down a side street, is said to have the best Lego and comic book collection in North Norway - but sadly no time to delve inside.

Anyway that was the end of our amazing adventure and we were whisked back to Manchester Airport through the dark skies.  We all just wished we could start all over again . . .

So THANK YOU sensational sixers - you are all amazing travel companions and it wouldn't have been the same without you all.

Here's a cheery song to herald our summer adventures now we understand a little more why those Norwegians so cherish the eternal summer nights up above the fjords in those magical wooden huts . . .

If you've missed the start - then just click here to go back to the beginning - we certainly wish the we were!!!

angels

Norway Thursday 3 December 2015

And this proves the date!  From the lovely little church in Hammerfest - but more later

Another fabulous breakfast spread - particularly loving the hearty Norwegian porridge to start the day.

I was out on deck early with all the other camera fiends this morning!

the sea was very choppy and the wind was phenomenal - not easy to walk right around the decks for fear of being swept overboard!

but with a bit of patience, I managed to get the flag in the right position, as it whipped back and forth in the wind, to read what it said - 'Post' - isn't that lovely!!

This morning we witnessed the beautiful sun (not) rising effect and the lovely red skies reflecting on the dark water

 Just look at those choppy waters and look at the moon up there in the sky

 And we sail towards Hammerfest

 closer

 and closer

Then we're let loose on shore for a couple of hours, Yaktrax firmly in place and first stop the quirky Royal and Ancient Polar Beat Society

 which was signposted all over the town by following these footprints

The whole of Hammerfest was destroyed in WW2 so everything is refreshingly modern. We loved Hammerfest Kirke built in 1961, on the same sight as the previous five churches, all destroyed by fire over the years since 1620.  The architect was Hans Magnus from Oslo.

 The interior was bright and welcoming

 complete with model donkey and lots of schoolchildren rehearsing their nativity play

and we spotted this book at the back of the church - very apt for our voyage on the mailboat

Next we had a little flurry in the local shops and, on finding a great shop selling all things Christmas - got these fab angels to remember our adventure by.  God Jul means Merry Christmas.

Loved the modern Arktisk Kultursenter - right on the waterfront . . .

 . . . and opposite is the world's most northerly Catholic church!!  St Michael's

Which was on the first floor, tiny and very beautiful

but by now it's 1pm, the light is fading and it's time to return to the ship (via a trendy take away coffee from a fab bakery near to the dock).  But we're hurrying as the one blast funnel hoot blares out reminding us they are leaving in 10 minutes and latecomers are left behind!!

These were the techy aurora borealis forecasts shown every day on the boat.  Apparently a level 6 is absolutely outstanding and most will never even see this - let alone a 7, 8 or 9.
On Monday we saw a level 2 which was incredible.  Tonight they were predicting a 3.  On Tuesday it was a 4 but in fact we saw nothing because of the stormy low cloud and rain.

Sadly it was case packing this afternoon, but followed by the best of dinners (steaks this time) in the best of company.  The week has flown by so fast but it's been amazing - exceeded all my expectations - exciting and fun - a real sixer adventure.
We had a late aurora call again and witnessed a very feint and brief showing of the Northern Lights but not strong enough for good photos (aren't we getting blase!)

This was the blurry view from our cabin porthole as we sailed under the bridge at Tromsø at 11.30pm for our final disembarking.  You can see the Arctic Cathedral majestically lit up on the opposite bank.

And we were whisked by coaches up there to the lovely midnight concert by a talented trio comprising a frugal horn player, a pianist and a soprano.  No microphones and the acoustics in the building were magnificent.

 Then it's outside into the beautiful cold and icy night

 final backwards glance at this lovely building

and so to bed finally on dry land - at the Radissson Blu in Tromsø.  Comfy beds and lovely squishy pillows, but missing the sea . . .

Want to read about our final day in Tromsø?  Just click here . . .

Or if you've missed the start of our adventure - then just click here to go back to Monday