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Day 9 – Stokmarknes

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This morning we got up early to have a quick look at Harstad from the ship; it looks a beautiful place so gutted we couldn’t get off. Only there enough time to collect the fishy treats for the evening meals šŸ 

This afternoon we were treated to gorgeous blue skies and sunshine again, I even had to wear the Oakleys! We stopped at Stokmarknes; the birthplace of Hurtigruten and where you’re able to see the old ship MSĀ Finnmarken. It was a lovely little town full of the traditional red Norwegian buildings.

Later we sailed past the Trollfjord. The last time we were here we were watching Aurora dancing over the mountains so it was lovely to see it in the day as well. It’s a beautiful but narrow stretch of water below jagged peaks and mountain walls. We were lucky enough to be here during sunset this time; so Trollfjord is now always going to be a special place for me.

This evening more memories were made as we saddled up and rode Icelandic horses across a moonlit beach underneath the twinkling stars and Aurora. What an incredible experience it was and one I will never forget.

Aurora has been very well behaved again tonight making it the third time we’ve seen her on the trip.

Day 8 – Hammerfest

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We’ve reached the world’s northernmost town! A town completely destroyed in WW2 with the graveyard chapel the only building left standing. We opted for a bus tour to enable us to see as much of the town as possible. We were taken up high for the best views of the town which is blanketed with snow (much like back at home!) Back on lower ground and we were taken to the ‘Struve Geodetic Arc’, a UNESCO World Heritage Site forĀ astronomer Friedrich Georg Wilhelm Struve who determined the arc of the global meridian (all very sciencey!)

Other than that today has mostly been about sailing (and playing Scrabble) but we have stopped by some pretty fishing villages to pick up the fishy treats.

To brighten up our evening, we’ve just had a visit from two Norwegians to fix our rather stiff door šŸ˜‰

 

Day 7 – Kirkenes

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Today we came within sniffing distance of Russia with a visit to the border and a World War II bomb shelter. Kirkenes is steeped in history with only 13 of its houses surviving the war.

Whilst at the border we came across the most fabulous dog; an Alaskan Malamute. He was gorgeous and I think we were all more interested in him than the border itself!

We also stopped off in VardĆø in the extreme northeastern part of Norway. As with everything in this part of Norway, everything is the northernmost, so today it was the northernmost ‘star fort’ in the world, although I’m not sure if there are many others to compete with?? This photo was taken in the ‘blue hour’ which is literally what it says on the tin.

It’s been another very rough day on the ship and the travel sickness tablets have certainly come in handy. So much so that our whole room is currently vibrating and incredibly noisy.

Day 6 – HonningsvĆ„g

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Even though it was actually warmer here than back at home (we managed the reach 2 degrees!) the wind and the rain made sure it was one miserable day. This unfortunately meant out trip to the North Cape was cancelled šŸ˜„ on a positive note, this means we are going to have to return! Probably for the midnight sun next time.

Crampons were needed for this town as it was icy, however mine will only fit over my trainers which meant I spent half the time with freezing cold water sloshing around in my shoes.

As with most things in the north of Norway, they claim to be the northernmost; so we decided to pay a visit to the northernmost bakery in Europe. We had a lovely little pastry with creme pat and berries.

We got back on Richard quite early as we were cold, wet and tired (poor sleep last night due to the rough waters) so carried on our match of scrabble. Fortunately I won all three games!

Were both struggling with sickness tonight as it’s particularly rough. It was also a challenge at dinner because it was a fish buffet šŸ¤¢ but I soon sniffed out the cheese and meat section.

Here’s hoping for better weather and a better night sleep!

Day 5 – TromsĆø

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We arrived into TromsĆø in the early afternoon so had the whole morning to potter around the ship. As much as I was desperate for a lie in after the 2am bedtime, I was still up at 8:30 šŸ˜£

There was beautiful scenery this morning so spent a fair bit of time out on deck. The sun was shining, the sky was blue and the air was crisp. We even had time for a game of Scrabble whilst watching the world go by.

TromsĆø is unfortunately another city that is undergoing transformation and therefore has lots of diggers, cranes and rubble about. We headed for theĀ Fjellheisen cable car to get the best view of the city. The advice was to take the bus so obviously we decided to walk. I cannot describe the cold and the wind to you whilst walking over the bridge; it was beyond anything I have ever felt. The top of the mountain however was a light breeze so we were able to enjoy the views without being at risk of hypothermia. It was incredible and something I would 100% recommend if ever you come here. We even saw an Eagle in flight! The Arctic Cathedral is also very striking as the sun is going down.

It’s very cloudy tonight so I’m not holding out much help for another Aurora display like last night, but just in case the Nikon is all set up and ready to go.

Day 4 – BodĆø

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I’ll keep this short and sweet, like me šŸ˜‰It’s 02:00 and I’ve been outside over 2 hours watching the greatest light show on Earth. I feel incredibly lucky.

This morning we crossed the Arctic Circle and we decided to join in with the ceremony to mark the occasion. This involves sitting patiently in front of everyone waiting for the captain or the troll to ladle freezing cold water and ice down your back!

In the afternoon we visitedĀ Saltsraumen; one of the strongest tidal currents in the world. Unfortunately this was an incredibly rushed experience, but one I won’t forget!

After an incredible sunset and tasty beefy dinner we enjoyed a hot Norwegian drink (no idea what it was but it was definitely alcoholic) and fresh fish cakes (and I must say it was delicious) out on deck. And this is when the show began!

I’m off to sleep now after the most fabulous day. Luckily I can have a lie in as we don’t arrive in TromsĆø until 15:00

Day 3 – Trondheim

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Woke up this morning to the white stuff, and lots of it! Luckily we packed our salopettes so were well prepared for today’s adventure. Hopefully lost at least a stone today, it’s hard work wading through snow that is at some points up to your knees!

Trondheim was extremely quiet, considering its meant to be a student town. I think they all looked at the window and thought sod that. That for us however meant we had the place to ourselves. We visited Gamble Bybro (old town bridge) which had plenty of pretty Norwegian buildings creating reflections in the water below. The Nidaros Cathedral, the largest medieval building in Scandinavia, was also specular against the falling snow. I decided to pretend to mess around with my camera so I could earwig on a nearby tour… Cheeky!

On our way back to Richard the sun decided to come out so we were able to capture the same photos, however this time with much better lighting.

On deck today was the tasting of local blue mussels. Anyone who knows me knows how much I hate fish, but decided to give it a go. I’ve had worse things my mouth (skipsĀ  šŸ˜‚) but it wasn’t as bad as I was expecting. I wouldn’t rush to have another anytime soon though.

Dinner tonight was Rudolph, sorry Santa šŸŽ…

Day 2 – ƅlesund

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I survived my first night at sea! The beauty of being tight and having an inside cabin is there is no light whatsoever so I had a perfect sleep.

This morning we sailed to ƅlesund which is (apparently) well known for its Art Nouveau architecture. We took the 418 steps to the Fjellstua viewpoint and although it was an absolute bitch of a climb, we were rewarded with some beautiful views across the city and the mountains.

Back down to ground level and we continued our walk and came across one of probably hundreds of churches we will see of this trip. We decided to check out another viewpoint, however when we got there it was being refurbished… Standard!

Back on board our floating home we were treated to more snow capped mountains as we left port for Molde.

Dinner tonight was of course fish šŸ  however we were able to change at least, so I was treated to a lovely bit of pork šŸ·

Currently on our way to Trondheim which is one of the places I’m most looking forward to!

Goodnight… From my fold out bed!

The Norwegian adventure begins… Via the National Trust ā›“

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What do you do when youā€™re 4 hours early for a flight? Find the local trust and have a mooch. Luckily for us there is one just round the corner from Manchester Airport! Quarry bank site is huge so one we will definitely return to, but probably in the summer as it was a little bit dead and crispy today.

So Iā€™m currently sat in out little cabin, or ā€˜cellā€™ as I like to call it on my fold out bed and weā€™ve not long set sail. Luckily dinner tonight was a buffet so I managed to avoid the array of fishy fish. Tomorrow however is when the set menu starts, therefore operation loose a stone also begins.

Berlin – Day 3 šŸ‡©šŸ‡Ŗ

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This morning we had a posh breakfast in the KƤfer restaurant next to the Reischtag dome. A gorgeous 3 egg cheesy omelette to start the day, what could be better! The dome itself is a spectacular glass construction giving you fantastic views across the city.

Whilst in the area we also visited the slightly puzzling Holocaust Memorial, the suspiciously similar Homosexual memorial and the rather dead and crispy Tiergarten. We tried to hire one of the ‘Nextbikes’ however the app was slightly confusing, so to avoid another huge fine we locked it back and eventually worked out how to let the app know we had done this.

Ater warming up with a coffee (and sharing the back room with a huge tour group) we headed out to try and ride on the ‘Hi Flyer’. Unfortunately it was too windy but is definitely something we will try to so if we return.

As I wasn’t able to visit Spreepark (I have a weird love for abandoned things) we decided to visit the abandoned airport; Tempelhof Feld. For someone who spends rather a lot of time at airports, it was so exciting to be out on a runway, and something I definitely recommend doing whilst you are here as it’s so easy to get to.

This evening we had a look around the Topography of Terror. This museum is free and you could easily spend a whole day here reading everything, so make sure you put aside enough time. It is also opposite parts of the Berlin Wall.

As we have eaten food from every other cuisine we finally had some proper German food, and it was so so so good. An early night tonight (with a bottle of white) as we leave this wonderful city tomorrow.