Happy Fourth of July everyone. Internet access has been somewhat spotty due to the mountains and fjords - there are just limited windows when it's up and I generally seem to be doing something else during those times.
You buy the internet access and charge it to your suite. You could share the access code and password among several people. It's been very slow when it has been up.
This is a WONDERFUL cruise. The midnight sun is something to behold - we haven't been getting much sleep at all as the sun at midnight looks like 4PM at home in Boston. We were blessed with absolutely amazing weather in the arctic. Mostly clear skies with high clouds and no fog for most of our time there with occasional clouds and drizzle. The weather can change rapidly - alternate from beautiful to wind and rain in a matter of minutes.
We had dinner with the hotel director Lars Ollson along with Ray and Penny and two other couples who are also friends of Ngaire. He has his family on board with him. Captain Dag's children are also on board. Lars told us all about provisioning ships and how they place orders and store perishable goods. He also arranged a galley tour - really fascinating if you have not been on one yet.
The Lofoten Islands were beautiful. Jim and I did the hike (Ray and Penny were also on it). This turned out to be a 7.5km trek up the side of a very large hill. The scenery reminded us of Wales - steep green hills with sheep everywhere. Also lots of goats. There were beautiful views to fjord and the ocean and some of the little fishing villages. The weather alternated between warm and extremely windy with some spits of rain. The walk down was on a narrow track through a farm. We finished up with homemade waffles with cream and cloudberry jam. If you are doing the outdoor walks I highly recommend good walking shoes and a Goretex (or some other wind and water proof material) jacket. These islands are mainly populated by fishing villages - there are huge drying racks for the arctic cod everywhere - they call them fish cathedrals. In early spring they are filled with hundreds of thousands of drying fish. Apparently this is the source of bacalao for most of Spain, Portugal, and Italy.
Bard Kolltveit is one of the enrichment lectures and a former director of the Norwegian Maritime Museum in Oslo and a personal friend of Captain Dag's. He is giving a series of lectures on the history and topography and traditions of Norway. He also has been creating beautiful line drawings of the sites we have visited. They are being distributed to the suites with the Chocolates and Passages each evening.
The next day was for all purposes a sea day - we sailed to the North Cape in the most glorious sun. We had the opportunity to take pictures of the Cape and the surrounding headlands from the sea. The North Cape itself is the world's northern most tourist trap - but you have to go since you are already all the way here. The drive from Honningsvag to the Nordkapp Centre takes about 40 minutes through an absolutely barren landscape. After you climb the hills out of the port there are no trees just the windswept, lichen and moss covered arctic plateau. The Sami tend their reideer here in the summer and we did see numerous deer dotting the landscape. The Centre has a short film on the North Cape through the seasons and there are viewing points outside overlooking the Barents Sea. There is also a bar/restaurant, ice cream concessions and a big tourist shop and post office. We spent most of our time outside as the midnight sun was shining brightly. The ship had a party on the pool deck with the band and hot chocolage and glugg when we returned. We all stayed up until 2AM dancing under the midnight sun.
Tromso is a compact university city. We wandered around on our own and took in the sights in town. We did not take the Cable Car but everyone who did said the view was wonderful. They also have the world's northernmost botanical garden which was not too far from the port. The plants were surprisingly lush - lilacs and tulips were still in bloom as were the peonies. The Gulf Stream keeps everything ice free so the variety of flowers and plants is much greater than what you see in Alaska.
Today is a sea day and the weather has been foggy with occasional rain. We crossed the artic circle today so no more midnight sun. Sandra Bowern gave an excellent talk on the history of Scandinavia - her talks are not to be missed. They had a traditional American barbecue for lunch. Tonight is the Seven Seas Society party and also the second formal night so it's time to go get ready!
