Norway Wednesday 2 December 2015 Fabulous sleep last night - cabin bed super comfy and the rolling waves rocked me into a sound sleep
So here we are at the top of the world! Well of Europe anyway - and just 7 short miles from the Russian border having ventured into the Barents Sea. This is Kirkenes and off we go on the slippery slope to explore . . .
under a sky leaden with snow
and loads of prettily lit houses all decorated for Christmas
on we trudge towards the Sentrum of town
and loving the local transport
We enjoy a walk about the local streets
finally huddled for warmth in the churchyard
but no chance to see inside, all locked up
although this was a welcome sign
and we only hit on THE most fabulous bakery, the Amundsen Cafe with amazingly good coffee
but it was soon back to the snow and ice
to reach the boat before sailing time
safely aboard
while we were all wrapped up we took a turn around the open air swimming pool - steamy from the hot air from the heated water hitting the freezing air from the sea
no way are we venturing in though
beautifully elegant
so it's farewell to Kirkenes
It had been getting darker as we walked back to the boat and by the time we sailed at 12.45pm it was dark
And it was snowing softly and the sky was still heavy with snow so not expecting any lights tonight . . .
a soft hoot from the funnel and off we go. . .
Our next port of call (ha ha, literally) was Vardo - a small town with a perfectly in tact star shaped fort
Vardohus Festning and as we have an hour here, we wrapped up again and walked out to see it. Someone's done a great blog post on the history of the fort, which is far better than any Wiki summary: The World's Northernmost Fortress - Vardøhus Festning
a fabulously hairy grass roof
Back on the boat we had some tasty soup and watched an interesting film on the Pomor trade in northern Norway (Russian settlers in Finnmark). But no sooner had we started to relax then we had another call to arms - 5pm and the aurora was visible again. So it was a quick tog up again into warm clothes and out on deck, amid much excitement. All the stars were visible right down to the horizon and the milky way was incredible. Mike even saw a huge shooting star - appearing right between the Northern lights and the Milky Way!
So I kept my coat and warm stuff with me at the dinner table, in case it returned. Dinner tonight was Russian themed and I'm afraid to say the reindeer steaks were amazing!! Sorry Rudolf!
Then bang on 9pm, as we were finishing off - it was an aurora alert again and out we shot into the night for another hour and a half - marvelling at all we saw. Not as distinctive as Monday night, but still incredible. And again, those bright stars in the blackness of the sky.
Very windy and cold tonight - but what a night - blackness, stars, aurora and snow capped mountains on all sides. Totally amazing and beautiful. If you want to read on to our return along the coast to Hammerfest and Tromsø - click here Or if you've missed the start of our sea adventure - then just click here to go back to Monday
When I took a look at today's photos from the ship I realised I'd hit the blue hour when the low light and the surrounding snow reflect off eachother with breathtaking effect. And Joe Cocker's Out of the Blue, which I've always loved, comes to mind - have a listen
So here we go . . .
During the night we stopped at Hammerfest but I drifted back to sleep and by morning there was this wonderful vista from our porthole
Had a stroll around the deck after breakfast, which was a veritable feast of porridge, fishes, meats, cheeses, fruits, boiled eggs (of course) and all you could name.
and next we swing into an icy Honningsvåg, the most northerly city in Norway. Tiny as cities go - but magical all lit up against the darkening day
Then a walk round to our coaches for the trip to Nordkapp. Loved the look of Cafe Corner, but sadly no time to sample it's delights which, according to this lovely blog, are many - Cafes to Contemplate
quick peek back at our mighty Finnmarken, towering above the fishing vessels and lying in wait until our return.
and so we were whisked off on the half hour or so coach trip through snow covered mountain passes - this is probably the last day they won't need to be preceded by the snow plough they said!
And here we are at land's end - the northernmost tip of Europe with next stop, across that cold dark sea, the Svalbard archipelago and then the North Pole itself. An awesome sense of place. Freezing and windy and incredible.
My first snow this year - wahoooooo
Mike just about visible what with the thermal layers and the pitch dark and it's only 2pm!
When we got back to the boat they were serving up hot chocolate and freshly-baked warm apple cake - extremely welcome and exceedingly tasty.
Had a few more ventures on the outside decks to see hauls of king crabs being delivered (which were later served up at dinner!) and our arrival at Kjøllefjord.
It was really exciting being up on deck in the freezing cold with the ship ploughing on through the dark seas and the wind whipping about our hooded figures.
Rain tonight so no clear skies for the aurora but last night was so spectacular we weren't expecting another display (but how wrong we were . . . .)
Spotted a poster of all the Hurtigruten ships and this was the MS Narvik that we caught for a couple of stops one summer all those years ago from the Lofoten Islands to Honningsvåg - happy memories . . .
