Tag Archives: visit Norway

The Northernmost Town in The World, Hammerfest, Norway

Hammerfest

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Our Bus to North Cape, Norway

Hammerfest is the northern most town in Europe.  It is doubtfully the northern most town in the world. I wouldn’t argue with a local over this.  Does it really matter? Perhaps to a Hammerfestian!

We took a tour past the 71st parallel mid-day to the northern most point in Europe.  Briefly Ellen was the most northern inhabitant of Europe!   We had a hotdog wrapped in a Norwegian Waffle with crispy fried onion and mustard.  Hungrily we gobbled them up, then wished we hadn’t.

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Trolls are Big in Norway

At this latitude in winter, daylight is scarce.  It felt like twilight or the eerie light of a full solar eclipse as we boarded the bus north. It was 11:15 AM! We started back from the globe at 1:45 PM.  The sun was gone; darkness had set in.  It was not total darkness.  Through breaks in the clouds we could see blue skies above.

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The North Cape Visitors Center, Norway

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Ellen Gingerly takes Icy Steps

While we were out at the Globe marking the northern most spot, the weather changed a number of times: cold and windy became cold and windy with sleet, then snow, then rain, then less wind and more fog.  We were dressed for the weather and felt fine but for our faces which took the brunt of the wind and sleet.

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What an amazing view of the countryside we had from the bus as it wound through Hammerfest, up to and across the plateau, along fjords, then down to the point.  The dusting of snow over the sheer glacial faces gives the land a magically iridescence in the low light.  It feels less desolate than it must be in reality.

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The Northernmost Point in Europe

Hammerfest is a small town.  There are four fishing villages nearby and a single school in one of the fishing villages.  Our tour guide said the school has three children enrolled and the village is trying to convince people to move to keep the school open.  With just three students it will close.

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Woman With Child Statue, North Cape Norway

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The Miracle of Flash (not on my camera tho’)

 

Life Aboard Ship (photos later if ever)

I love sailboats, They are quiet and slip through the water effortlessly or so it seems.  You hard the creaking of the mast and rigging under the pull of the sails. The splash of the bow dropping into the next trough, and the salt spray over the bow.  It is has a slow peaceful rhythm about it. I love sailing,

I love being on the water.   Even if your journey takes you on a short ferry, the sense of adventure and the feeling that the seas could take you anywhere imaginable.  It is so romantic.

For decades bobbing around small sounds or the San Francisco Bay in my small boat was heaven.  I wouldn’t consider taking a “cruise” on a large ship an adventure or even “sailing”.  It just felt too tame for the younger version of myself.  How time has changed that rigid opinion.

Taking a cruise ship in a foreign country to cities and towns you may never visit otherwise is an adventure.  And I still get that wanderlust being on the seas.  Being on the water is less an adventure.  It is a considerable responsibility to sail in foreign seas chart and compass in hand and to brave local weather conditions.  As challenging and perhaps romantic as that ideal sounds, it is far more rational to leave the risk to a professional captain and simply walk aboard a cruise ship.

Just this afternoon Ellen turned to me and said, “I really enjoy taking cruises.  This has been fun.”  That’s good to hear as we have signed up for a four month around the world cruise in 2020!  I won’t reminder her of this for another few months.

What makes taking a cruise so enjoyable is not having to move your suitcase around.  During our two months in Italy, we took two weeks driving or taking ferries around southern Italy.  We were constantly packing and unpacking or stuffing bags into or out of the car, or driving. I enjoy driving, but seeing the country you are driving through is more fun and not really open to the driver.  On a cruise all your belongings are packed away in your cabin.  You take what you need when you go ashore.  It is that simple.

Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner are provided.  You show up at “the appointed time” (typically a range of a few hours), and lunch is waiting.  The breakfast and lunch buffer aboard ship on a moderate cruise can become mundane or even boring. Some high end cruise lines vary the buffet nearly daily, though at a price.  Dinner is unique and something to look forward to.

A typical day aboard ship begins with breakfast between 7 and 10;  a presentation of some sort in the morning (sometimes a choice between two) or a shore excursion, lunch between 12 and 2PM, a presentation or a shore excursion, dinner between 6 PM and 8 PM, possibly a presentation in the evening possibly an evening shore excursion.  Each day is packed full of activities and goes by in a blink.  All of this running about is optional.  There are those who are content to sit on the observation deck and watch the world go by.  Some days that is all I want to do.

Jet lag on arrival may render the first day or two a blur.  Getting into the rhythm of breakfast, rest/outing/presentation, lunch, rest/outing/presentation, dinner takes a few days.  Once over that continuous sense of being tired, the daily pattern feels reassuring.

What makes visiting Norway in winter special is the difference in the length of a day and the degree to which I take cues from my environment.  Today for example our excursion ended at 2PM.  No problem except that the sun had set; the day was ending and I was getting ready (mentally) to shut down for the evening.  But it was only two o’clock in the early afternoon!  I enjoy discovering similarities and differences in people and things as I travel.  The extent to which I cue on daylight came as a surprise.

“How much longer do we have?  I don’t want this to end!”, Ellen had said earlier.  She is now taking a nap in the hopes John (our astronomy tour leader) rousts us from sleep to announce an aurora sighting.  I will join her shortly.  First to add a photo or two then off for a nap.

Bergen, Alesund Norway and New Years Eve

Bergen

As promised here are some photos we took while walking the town of Bergen, the 2nd largest town in Norway.

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These old buildings stand at odd angles

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A view inside a shop, all were closed on Sunday

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1702, and not a street number!

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Open and tempting, though we did not.

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Radisson Blu, extremely busy for a wonderful breakfast

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Radisson Blu Bar and Social Club, empty early morning

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Live King Crab, chose your meal!

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The classic view of Ellen, Bryggen, Bergen, Norway

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Boarding the Hurtigruten Ship, Trollfjord

Alesund

I would love to regale you with tales of Alesund, the Art Nouveau capital of Norway, but I cannot.   After a late buffet breakfast aboard ship, we slept through lunch, through shore time at Alesund, and to the announcement for 1st dinner.  Jet lag and our colds had us “down for the count”.   

New Years Eve

There are regular announcements about upcoming events aboard the Trollfjord. One mentioned pre-booking champagne for tonight’s new years eve party by visiting the head waiter at dinner.

We are assigned first dinner seating at table 61.   There we met Dave and Kristen.  Dave is from Battle Creek Michigan.  His daughter, Kristen, is from Chicago.  It was fun for us getting to know them.  Dave is a retired high school science teacher who also coached football.  In his mid 70’s he is healthy and in good physical condition.  Kristen is a management consultant for a Chicago firm.  She is observant and sharp minded, though socially easy going.  The four of us are booked on the “most northern tram ride in the world” tomorrow.  Dave mentioned he’d enjoyed the sauna that has three windows opening onto the sea, and the open air Jacuzzi. The wind-driven rain, mist, and foam was quite cold beating in his face. Once we’re feeling better, we’ll hit the Jacuzzi.

After dinner, which included an abbreviated crab salad, lobster bisque, reindeer with potato, and a wonderful chocolate fudge with a dollop of ice cream.  Serving size was perfect (small). Dehydrated from our flights and colds, we drank a number of carafes of water.  Beer and wine is extra and not included in the cruise.  Wine and beer packages are available, but are only a “good deal” for those who drink a bottle of wine or two beers a day.  Until I’m feeling better, it’ll be water for me.  After dinner I did speak with the head waitress about pre-ordering champagne and it turns out that a complementary glass of prosecco will be available and that pre-ordering is for a full bottle for the evening.  We didn’t pre-order.

Sometime later in our cabin, we awoke to an announcement: “festivities beginning in the piano bar”.  It was now 11PM, we had slept for a few hours.  We found the piano bar and not a hint of a glass of prosecco.  The party started with a pianist and guitarist playing two Norwegian songs followed by our expedition leader singing Summertime.  The pianist and guitarist were accomplished musicians.  Our tour leader butchered Summertime, in an intentionally light hearted way.  Her performance was so startling and unexpected, there was a moment of stunned silence following her performance.  I immediately began clapping, others joined in, and an awkward moment was averted.  Her “singing” broke the ice.  Others were now free to sing along with abandon however they wanted.  In our search for bubbly we missed the sing-along lyrics sheets and “winged it”.  Strangely, my cold deepened my voice and gave it an unexpected timbre.  We had a fun time.

The party moved to the observation deck to watch the fireworks that literally encircled the ship and to have that glass of bubbly.

Happy New Year!

Tomorrow we have our first excursion: a trip on Trondheim’s historic tram, “The northern most tram in the world”.  We tucked into bed with an alarm set for 7 AM to be sure we have breakfast and time to change to catch the excursion bus at 8:30.

More pictures and some video will show up tomorrow, goodnight!