9. Day Five

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 okay... if your thing is pictures of Roald Amundsen and Fridtjof Nansen, taxidermied polar bears and stories of seals being clubbed.

We wandered down the main drag, doing our best to avoid the icy stretches until we came to the Mack Brewery and pub which proudly proclaims itself the most northerly brewery in the world. It would have been a shame to pass up such a claim to fame so we popped in for a pint and a packet of crisps and exited a half hour later having been relieved of £24 for our refreshments. Being an alcoholic in Norway is an expensive business!

We headed for bed as the ship departed Skjervoy and then a couple of hours later were woken by a call saying that the aurora was visible once again. Dressing quickly we got out onto the open deck to see almost half the sky glowing in a pale green light. As the minutes passed, the colours, brightness and shapes ebbed and flowed until they began to dissipate. I'm not sure how often such spectacular displays are seen (given the recent solar storm, probably not too often), but we have now had three fantastic sightings in three consecutive nights.