Derek in search of the Northern Lights

Today's ports of call: Departed Molde 21.30, arrive Alesund 00.30 Depart Alesund 01.00, arrive Torvik 02.15 Depart Torvik  02.30, arrive Maloy 05.15 Depart Maloy 05.45, arrive Floro 07.45 Depart Floro 08.15, arrive Bergen 14.30 Weather at 11.00am, overcast skies, light breeze, temperature +3C Firstly, an apology for the lack of a concluding post, but I have been laid low by a rather heavy cold. Obviously the Arctic air was not quite freezing enough to kill off all the nasty little bugs!...but given the number of people on board who where coughing and sneezing throughout the trip, it's not surprising that I didn't succumb. Our bags were quickly packed and we sailed the last few miles back to Bergen. Unfortunately we had no time to see any of the city as we had to get straight to the airport for the flight back to the UK. An overnight stop before flying back to Jersey gave us the opportunity to have a day in London, not to do anything particularly special, but just to walk fr...

Today's ports of call: Departed Rorvik 21.30 arrive Trondheim  06.30 Depart Trondheim 10.00, arrive Kristainsund 16.30 Depart Kristainsund  17.30 arrive Molde 21.00 Depart Molde 21.30 Weather at 11.00am, partly cloudy skies, recent snow showers, wind calm, temperature +1C An early morning arrival into Trondheim and some light snow showers. Today is as much of a sea day as it is possible get on this trip as the next port of call was not until late afternoon and we had an excursion booked in Kristainsund. The first part of this was a drive through the second deepest road tunnel in the world. It goes nearly 1,000 feet belo sea level and although this might not sound very much there is something a little unnerving about traveling along a road tunnel that just seem to stop going downwards. Any moment you expected Old Nick himself to appear out of the shadows and hitch a ride. The next section of the route was along the famed Atlantic Highway, a road five miles or so long which twis...

It has been interesting to see how the locals use Hurtigruten as a kind of traveling hotel. At most ports, there always seems to be a few people, young and old waiting at the gate or terminal, suitcase in hand and ready to board whilst a few disembark into the arms of waiting friends or loved ones. Likewise, there are always boxes and containers being loaded into, or out of, the hold. The ship's carry mail too...indeed, one of the waiters told us that a few years ago when the north of the country was cut off from the road network by heavy snow, Hurtigruten carried absolutely everything to the coastal communities. During the stops, the locals are allowed to come on board and stop of a coffee and a sandwich. After all, it must be like having a new cafe open up in port every day. This being Norway, everything is expensive. I have already mentioned the cost of beer, but there are other examples. A children's souvenir tee shirt was £34, the ship's excursions are eye-wateringly e...

Today's ports of call: Departed Stamsund 22.30, arrive Bodo 02.30 Depart Bodo 04.15, arrive Ornes 07.00 Depart Ornes 07.15, arrive Nesna 11.00 Depart Nesna 11.15, arrive Sandnessjoen 12.30 Depart Sandnessjoen 13.00, arrive Bronnoysund 15.45 Depart Bronnoysund 17.00, arrive Rorvik 20.30 Depart Rorvik 21.30 Weather at 11.00am, clear skies with increasing clouds, moderate breeze, temperature +1C Our last port of call yesterday evening was Stamsund. As we approached the port in total darkness and with all kinds of obstructions and rocks both left and right it was a stark reminder of just how skilled the captains of the Hurtigruten fleet must be. Yes, these days there are all kinds of navigation aids and GPS, but the way the M/S Richard With was guided into the harbour, turned 180 degrees and docked effortlessly made an extremely difficult and precise operation look easy.  Shortly after breakfast we passed the globe shaped marker signifying the Arctic Circle on our starboard side and re...

Today's ports of call: Departed Tromso 01.30, arrive Finnsnes 04.15 Depart Finnsnes 04.45, arrive Harstad 07.45 Depart Harstad 08.30, arrive Risoyhamn 10.45 Depart Risoyhamn  10.45, arrive Sortland 12.30 Depart Sortland 13.00, arrive Stokmarknes 14.15 Depart Stokmarknes 15.15, arrive Svolvaer 18.30 Depart Svolvaer 20.30, arrive Stamsund 22.00 Depart Stamsund 22.30 Weather at 11.00am, clear skies, light wind, temperature -3C Yesterday's aurora lasted all evening, on and off, but we're not particularly bright, more of a waving pale cloud with just a tinge of green. When not watching them we took part in the evening's entertainment, a music quiz, scoring a creditable 34 out of 44 points. The winner scored 42, but what made it memorable was that one of the waitresses from the restaurant sang a couple of the songs...and a very good voice she had too. It was a busy day in terms of ports of call. Each one varies in size and most have a minor claim to fame, although it's im...

Today's ports of call: Departed Berlevag  22.00 arrive Mehamn 00.45 Depart Mehamn  01.00, arrive Kjollefjord 02.45 Depart Kjollefjord 03.00, arrive Honningsvag 05.30 Depart Honningsvag 05.45, arrive Havoysund 07.45 Depart Havoysund 08.00, arrive Hammerfest 10.45 Depart Hammerfest 12.45, arrive Oksfjord 15.30 Depart Oksfjord 15.45, arrive  Skjervoy 19.45 Depart Skjervoy 20.15, arrive Tromso 23.45 Weather at 11.00am, broken clouds which are clearing, calm wind, temperature -4C Early yesterday evening the northern lights put in another appearance although nothing like as spectacular as the previous sightings. Long pale bands of milky white stretched across the sky and they remained fairly static. We just count ourselves fortunate to have seen them as there were many heavy snow showers around. Today's first daylight port was Havoysund and just outside the port gate a snowplough was busy clearing the overnight accumulation.  During the course of the northbound service, th...

Today's ports of call: Departed Berlevag 22.45 arrive Batsfjord 23.45 Depart Batsfjord 00.15, arrive Vardo 03.15 Depart Vardo  03.30, arrive Vadso 06.15 Depart Vasdo  06.45, arrive Kirkenes 09.00 Depart Kirkenes 12.30, arrive Vardo 16.00 Depart Vardo 16.45, arrive Batsfjord 19.45 Depart Batsfjord 20.15, arrive  Berlevag 21.45 Depart Berlevag 22.00, arrive Mehamn 00.45 Weather at 11.00am, cloudy skies, calm wind, temperature -8C Kirkenes is the turnaround point for the Hurtigruten ship's and we will now be on the southbound route. But first, a few little pieces of Kirkenes trivia: 1. Kirkenes is further east than Istanbul (due to the idiosyncrasies of longitude). 2. The mother of US actor René Zellweger was born and grew up in Kirkenes. Her parents met at the Hurtigruten ferry. 3. It is only 6km from the Russian border. We docked at 9am and had booked ourselves onto an excursion to the local Ice Hotel.   Here we were able to look through all the rooms (which are kept ...

Today's ports of call: Departed Skjervoy 22.45 arrive Oksfjord 02.00 Depart Oksfjord 02.15, arrive Hammerfest 05.15 Depart Hammerfest  06.00, arrive Havoysund 08.45 Depart Havoysund  09.15, arrive Honningsvag 11.15 Depart Honningsvag 14.45, arrive Kjollefjord 17.00 Depart Kjollefjord 17.15, arrive Mehamn 19.00 Depart Mehamn 19.15, arrive  Berlevag 22.00 Depart Berlevag 22.15 Weather at 11.00am, clear skies with scattered clouds which are thickening, calm wind, temperature -4C The ship arrived in Havoysund as we were having breakfast. Like many of these small ports high above the Arctic Circle it's difficult to understand how and why a settlement has grown up in the middle of nowhere, when the only scenery is snow, rock and ice, and there is no sign of greenery. Somehow, I can't imagine that centuries ago some Viking explorer pulled into a coastal inlet in his longboat and said "Right lads, let's set up shop here, it's got nothing at all going for it, we can...

Today's ports of call: Departed Svolvaer 22.00, arrive Stokmarknes 01.00 Depart Stokmarknes  01.15, arrive Sortland 02.45 Depart Sortland 03.00, arrive Risoyhamn 04.15 Depart Risoyhamn  04.30, arrive Harstad 06.45 Depart Harstad  07.45, arrive Finnsnes 11.00 Depart Finnsnes  11.30, arrive Tromso 14.15 Depart Tromso 18.30, arrive Skjervoy 22.30 Depart Skjervoy  22.45 Weather at 11.00am, clear skies with a few cirrus clouds, calm wind, temperature -1C Our first daylight stop today was Finnsnes and which was granted city status in 2000.  In goes without saying that the sail in was as pretty as a picture although a small bank of sea fog in the near distance provided a bit of a talking point. We stepped ashore during the half hour stop to stretch legs and take a couple of pictures. During the afternoon was the main port of call, Tromso and we had over three hours to explore. A short distance from the pier was the Polar Museum, so that is where we headed. It was ...

Today's ports of call: Departed Rorvik 22.30, arrive Bronnoysund 00.45 Depart Bronnoysund 01.00, arrive Sandnessjoen 03.45 Depart Sandnessjoen 04.15, arrive Nesna 05.25 Depart Nesna 05.30, arrive Ornes 09.30 Depart Ornes 09.45, arrive Bodo 12.30 Depart Bodo 15.00, arrive Stamsund 19.00 Depart Stamsund 19.30, arrive Svolvaer 21.00 Depart Svolvaer 22.00 Weather at 11.00am, clear skies with scattered clouds, light wind, temperature +1C After the excitement of the Northern Lights, and crossing the Arctic Circle the next port of call after sunrise was Ornes. This was just a 15 minute stop but we set foot on dry land for a few moments before the ship's whistle blew and we were under way again. Still, the scenery was spectacular and by all accounts is generally considered to be one of the most beautiful sailaways of the entire trip. A few hours later we were in Bodo, the second largest town in northern Norway. My earlier research advised that this was not the prettiest of places, but ...

During the evening of Valentines Day I checked a website which claims to accurately predict the appearance of the aurora. Evidently there had been a peak of solar activity and the numbers and forecasts were looking hopeful. The skies were clear and there was no moon, so we crossed our fingers and retired to bed. Around 12.30am we were woken by an announcement that the Lights were visible and so we hastily threw on some clothes and went out on deck. And there they were! There was nothing too bright, but there were various shades of green changing in intensity and in view for about 15 minutes. The signs are good that we may see them again tonight as clear skies are forecast again. Fingers crossed. Despite the excitement we fell asleep again easily and before we knew it, it was 7.16am and the ship's whistle was sounding as we crossed the Arctic Circle. We could have gone up on deck again to see the commemorative marker on the coast, but because this was not our first crossing, decided...

Today's ports of call: Departed Kristainsund 23.00, arrive Trondheim  06.00 Depart Trondheim 12.00, arrive Rorvik 20.45 Depart Rorvik 21.15 Weather at 11.00am, high white cloud, light to moderate wind, temperature +2C We were already docked in Trondheim when we woke and as nothing was happening in the city until 9am at least, it gave us time to have a leisurely breakfast before taking the short walk into the centre of town. We have visited Trondheim twice before, both times in the height of summer so it was  good to see it in winter too. We didn't exert ourselves too much, just crossing the Old bridge, taking a few pictures of the waterfront, stopping at the cathedral and doing a little bit of shopping.  Although there is a lot of snow and ice on the ground evidencing the kind of snowfall that would cause everything to grind to a complete halt at home, the roads are clear and the pavements are either clear or extremely well gritted. Getting around is not a problem.  ...

Now that we have been on board a couple of days the day to day routine is becoming more defined. Breakfast and lunch are both open seating whilst dinner is at a set time unless there are special circumstances and the rest of the day revolves around the time spent stopping in each port. As I have mentioned before, this is not a cruise in the conventional sense. We did a fair amount of research before booking and so nothing I will describe below is a surprise to us but anyone who comes on this trip expecting luxury, entertainment and non stop food is going to be very disappointed. The ship is carrying 380 passengers, the majority being British but with a fair number of Germans and a smattering of other nationalities. We are certainly amongst the younger ones on board but all those on the voyage appear to be experienced and seasoned travellers. There are 5 working decks, as follows.. Deck 3- has the reception and is the car deck. Deck 4- has the main restaurant, a cafeteria which is open ...

Today's ports of call: Departed Bergen 22.30, arrive Floro 04.30 Depart Floro 04.45, arrive Maloy 07.15 Depart Maloy 07.30, arrive Torvik 10.30 Depart Torvik 10.45, arrive Alesund 12.00 Depart Alesund 15.00, arrive Molde 18.00 Depart Molde 18.30, arrive Kristainsund 22.15 Depart Kristiansund 23.00 Weather at 11.00am, clear skies with scattered clouds, light wind, temperature +3C The beds in the cabin proved to be comfortable and very snug. Although we had one stop in the early hours, we didn't really notice it and the seas for the overnight passage were slight. For our short stop in Maloy it was still dark but once we had got up and showered there was light in the eastern sky. By the time we arrived in the restaurant for breakfast it was after 8am and the sun's rays were beginning to strike the majestic snow covered mountains which line the coast. As we continued northward, each change of course provided a stunning new vista. The colourful isolated settlements which dot the...

Although it's not the most imaginative title for this post, I think that if I keep to the ship's daily schedule it will be less confusing, especially for me given that we are stopping at over thirty ports and there are various activities and presentations going on each day. The trip up to Gatwick, the checkin process and the 90 minute flight to Bergen all ran extremely smoothly. The only slightly odd thing that happened was that my bag (along with a few others), appeared very quickly after arrival on the luggage carousel from the Copenhagen flight. Luckily we spotted it! The rest of the bags then appeared on the Gatwick flight carousel about 20 minutes later. But the important thing was that everything got he safely. A short coach ride later and we were checking in at the Hurtigruten terminal and boarding the MS Richard With. We found our cabin on deck 6 (deck 7 being the highest)....small but practical is probably the phrase, but I shall try to write more about the ship and it...

Before departing for Norway we had decided to spend the weekend in Brighton and had also arranged to meet up with my cousins whom we had not seen for a couple of years. As I should not mention names in a publicly available forum, I will just say that C&S were about to celebrate their golden wedding anniversary next weekend and their son and daughter in law, M&S had just bought their first house on the outskirts of the city so it was an ideal opportunity to catch up with them all and to celebrate accordingly. There was not mch time to explore after we had flown in and checked in to the hotel so we met C&S and headed out into The Lanes to find a restaurant for dinner. We settled upon a little establishment serving typical French cuisine (including an excellent cheese selection) and enjoyed a very pleasant evening catching up on all the latest family news. Unfortunately the Saturday morning dawned very grey and overcast and before long the heavy drizzle, which was to last all ...

We wanted to celebrate a recent significant birthday and our 37th wedding anniversary with something memorable and a sudden flash of inspiration gave us the idea to combine these two events along with Valentines Day. So, dear reader, it's bucket list time as we go in search of the aurora borealis, the famous yet extremely fickle, Northern Lights. There are several ways whereby viewing this spectacular natural phenomenon can be maximised, all of which involve traveling high above the Arctic Circle during winter. Thus, we have booked ourselves on a voyage with Norway's famed Hurtigruten Line which departs from Bergen, sails all the way up the western fjords, around the North Cape to the village of Kirkenes and then returns back southwards. There is one very important thing to point out. This is not a cruise in the conventional sense as the Hurtigruten ships are very much working vessels and the fleet provides a lifeline to the many remote towns and settlements that line...