Day 10 (3rd march)
we woke up as we docked at ornes and hoped we hadn't missed 'the lights call' but talking later to a fellow passenger he said there had been none. during breakfast we were meant to be passed by ms trollfjord but she didn't make it until much later and then on the starboard side breaking all the conventions at sea of passing port to port. someone must have been having a bad day!
it was a lovely day and I was determined to take a better photo of the orb/globe that marks the crossing of the arctic circle and i think i did!
i wrote to mum and sent her another envelope with the special stamp and frank. northbound i had posted off about 20 cards to family and friends and hope i didn't miss anyone out! :)
another lazy morning of gazing at the scenery and discovering the very good cappucino served in the café.
we had opted to buy into the coffee package which gave us an insulated mug each and the possibility of helping ourselves to tea and a coffee at all hours.
lou has found the coffee not particularly good and the hot water for the tea is a bit scummy but the access to an endless supply of aforementioned teabags, sugar and milk pots has been very useful.
at midday we stopped at sandnessjoen and had a hour to explore. it being sunday we were told everywhere would be shut but right by the dock was a shop with the now very familiar sign so in i went for apple juice supplies. then we wandered up the very snowy street admiring national dress in one window and some wonderful glass candlesticks in another. there were several statues scattered about and i suggested to lou that maybe a sculptor lived in town!
a large stuffed reindeer sat outside one place with a sign welcoming ms nordkapp. sheila and I laughed to think of the shop owner dashing out twice a day to change the name of the ship!
walking back along the quay i cheekily asked a young mum who was pushing one of the odd sledges that lou and i had nicknamed zimmer frames if i could take a photo. she agreed and we chatted about the snow which arrives in october and lasts until april. 'we like it for christmas', she said, 'but now we are waiting for summer!'
back on board for lunch where we shared a table with sheila and john and were joined by a couple from former east germany. they were very cheerful and said they loved to travel. i pondered that one reason may have been the difficulty of travelling beyond their borders they must have had put up with for most of their lives. john dredged up his schoolboy german to act as translator for all of us!
the afternoon was spent packing the cases and then i retired to the café to write up the blog and watch the weather getting worse. at bronnoysund we laughed to hear 'fred' announce to the vantage group 'we WILL do a walk'. the snow was coming down thickly by then and a walk seemed most unappealing remembering the gentle morning one undertaken in the sunshine.
as we left bronnoysund we were told we would be passing an island and the famous hole in the rock upon it. a group of us went out on the starboard deck and waited for this island to arrive. all the surrounding land was flat but, finally, an island appeared with an odd lumpy rock on it. by now the mood was getting quite hysterical helped along by a tall american with a good line in banter. we slowly passed the rock but no hole was seen. eventually a tiny spot of white appeared inside a black cleft and we all laughed to think we had stood so long in the cold wind to snap away at this, frankly, pathetic sight after the glory of all we had seen to date! :)
dinner was advertised on our daily sheet as a 'farewell' one. 'alan', or johan as i ought to refer to him, came over the intercom to tell us that it was a captain's dinner and if we wished to dress up for the occasion we could.....if we didn't have anything to dress up in then that was fine too. 'what a shame i put the tiara in hock to pay for this', i said to lou! we were met with an offered apero and the crew and waiting staff lined up in welcome. a short witty speech from johan and a communal 'skol' set the happy tone for the evening.
at 8.30 we docked at rorvik. the helpful girl in the tour office told me it had pretty wooden houses but the snow was still falling so I contented myself to a soggy stroll around deck 5 and a few photos of the ms kong harold that was docked next to us and which we had been told we could visit if we wished.
we didn't wish, too snug below decks! the lowered skies and snow meant it was highly unlikely we would see the lights so we went to bed rocked by heavier seas than we had had all day. tomorrow the penultimate day.......
i wrote to mum and sent her another envelope with the special stamp and frank. northbound i had posted off about 20 cards to family and friends and hope i didn't miss anyone out! :)
another lazy morning of gazing at the scenery and discovering the very good cappucino served in the café.
we had opted to buy into the coffee package which gave us an insulated mug each and the possibility of helping ourselves to tea and a coffee at all hours.
lou has found the coffee not particularly good and the hot water for the tea is a bit scummy but the access to an endless supply of aforementioned teabags, sugar and milk pots has been very useful.
at midday we stopped at sandnessjoen and had a hour to explore. it being sunday we were told everywhere would be shut but right by the dock was a shop with the now very familiar sign so in i went for apple juice supplies. then we wandered up the very snowy street admiring national dress in one window and some wonderful glass candlesticks in another. there were several statues scattered about and i suggested to lou that maybe a sculptor lived in town!
a large stuffed reindeer sat outside one place with a sign welcoming ms nordkapp. sheila and I laughed to think of the shop owner dashing out twice a day to change the name of the ship!
walking back along the quay i cheekily asked a young mum who was pushing one of the odd sledges that lou and i had nicknamed zimmer frames if i could take a photo. she agreed and we chatted about the snow which arrives in october and lasts until april. 'we like it for christmas', she said, 'but now we are waiting for summer!'
back on board for lunch where we shared a table with sheila and john and were joined by a couple from former east germany. they were very cheerful and said they loved to travel. i pondered that one reason may have been the difficulty of travelling beyond their borders they must have had put up with for most of their lives. john dredged up his schoolboy german to act as translator for all of us!
the afternoon was spent packing the cases and then i retired to the café to write up the blog and watch the weather getting worse. at bronnoysund we laughed to hear 'fred' announce to the vantage group 'we WILL do a walk'. the snow was coming down thickly by then and a walk seemed most unappealing remembering the gentle morning one undertaken in the sunshine.
as we left bronnoysund we were told we would be passing an island and the famous hole in the rock upon it. a group of us went out on the starboard deck and waited for this island to arrive. all the surrounding land was flat but, finally, an island appeared with an odd lumpy rock on it. by now the mood was getting quite hysterical helped along by a tall american with a good line in banter. we slowly passed the rock but no hole was seen. eventually a tiny spot of white appeared inside a black cleft and we all laughed to think we had stood so long in the cold wind to snap away at this, frankly, pathetic sight after the glory of all we had seen to date! :)
dinner was advertised on our daily sheet as a 'farewell' one. 'alan', or johan as i ought to refer to him, came over the intercom to tell us that it was a captain's dinner and if we wished to dress up for the occasion we could.....if we didn't have anything to dress up in then that was fine too. 'what a shame i put the tiara in hock to pay for this', i said to lou! we were met with an offered apero and the crew and waiting staff lined up in welcome. a short witty speech from johan and a communal 'skol' set the happy tone for the evening.
at 8.30 we docked at rorvik. the helpful girl in the tour office told me it had pretty wooden houses but the snow was still falling so I contented myself to a soggy stroll around deck 5 and a few photos of the ms kong harold that was docked next to us and which we had been told we could visit if we wished.
we didn't wish, too snug below decks! the lowered skies and snow meant it was highly unlikely we would see the lights so we went to bed rocked by heavier seas than we had had all day. tomorrow the penultimate day.......
1 comment:
Lynne, I have so enjoyed reading your missive about the cruise, and of all the wonderful, interesting and amusing things you and Lou have experienced. I must say that I admire you both..I simply could not stay on a ship the length of time you have for this trip! By the way, the sledge you saw is similar to the ones that Bjorn and Ingvill showed me when Alan and I visited them last year! Good job posting the blog and the photos, given you are "at sea"...by the way, loved your comment about selling your tiara to pay for the trip! Love, Viv
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