17/11 HAMMERFEST 

 

 

Skies are grey but may clear. We are here in Hammerfest in lieu of Honningsvag due to weather. We have learned the roads to Honningsvag have also been closed. We are here in port till 0500 tomorrow. This could be good for some stationary Northern Lights photos. 

After breakfast we caught up on some projects and Lynn did a load of laundry. The winds outside are reported to be blowing at about 20 MPH, so we may take a shuttle bus into town rather than walking.

We took the shuttle bus as the wind was ever-present and had a chill off the ocean. 

 

We located City Hall and got direction to the Polar Bear Institute. I am now a member of The Roya and Ancient Polar Bear Institute.  Here is nice little museum highlighting the roll Hammerfest played in Polar Exploration. Adolph Lindstrom was from Hammerfest, There is a statute of him on the waterfront.  He was best known as a cook on many Arctic expeditions. There was a cookbook of his recipes at the Institute, but alas it was only available in Norwegian. 


 

 
After my initiation ceremony we made our way to one of the local churches. 

 

This Lutheran Church is built in the style of the Arctic church in Tromso. 

It was about 1230 and the light was fading. Hours of daytime are rather limited with the sunrise at 0943 and sunset 1239. 

Back to the ship and a nice reindeer soup and beer for lunch, Lynn had the Klipfish. I had Waffles for dessert and Lynn had a celebration cake.

It is almost 1400 and darkness is falling, we will most likely spend the afternoon working on laundry, catching up on email, and preparing for a wonderful 5 course meal this evening.    

 

A heavy snow has started to fall.  

Squalls Ahead and Northern Lights

 11/16 INTERRUPTED BY THE LIGHTS: 

 



As we have started to sail North at about 1800 hours the Green Lady was dancing. We bundled up and got some images. 

Off to another spectacular 5 course meal and before dessert she danced again. More images were created. Tonight we had great dinner companions from the UK and Canada.  Then we returned and had dessert.

Tonight we crossed the Arctic Circle. There is a contest to see who can guess the time we make the crossing. They say there is a prize, I think one really would not want to win, we shall see.

We were up and out for breakfast as the horizon was just starting to get some daylight. We are still sailing North to Lodingen.

The prize was a Hurtigruten Flag. I was off by about 30 min. The winner was also the first to get ice water down their back, to mark their passage across the Arctic Circle. 



We were informed the weather in Honningvag is an Arctic Gale and thus we are canceling that port and going to Hammerfest. We will be there almost 24 hours. 

 



Our weather has turned to Troll Weather, overcast skies and snow is falling. A perfect day for reindeer stew and a crab cake for lunch. 

In Lodingen we were greeted by the local school children.

We bundled up and went for a walk towards town. Snow was falling and the temperature was about 0 degrees C. 

We had made a reservation to have tea today in Rost so we just made it by a few shops. We did stop to take a few cell phone photos.

Tea was GREAT!!!  I had an earl grey blended with Norwegian Sea weed, special for Hurtigruten. Tea started with the Ocean aged sparkling wine. 

We were briefed about our new upcoming port of Hammerfest, sounds interesting.

Then another amazing dinner. 

Leaving Rost we noticed the staff stowing various items. The restaurant manager said we were expecting. 20-30 ft seas and to take items off tables etc, as it will be rough. 



We did a lap about the boar and the secured our cabin and went to bed. About 0230 it got rough and lasted for 2-3 hours.  

Smooth sailing now.   



11/15 Port of Rorvik

 11/15 Rorvik  

Last night we had our first sighting of the Northern Lights. The ships announcement was made at 0015. We sprang into action and made our way to Deck 9. Some images were grabbed.

Back in bed at 0200. Then awake at about 0800. Breakfast in Rost. Then we prepared for our walkabout of Rorvik. 

Rorvik is a small fishing community and a hub of salmon fishing and aquaculture. 

There was a nice wooden church in the community but sadly it burned down a few years back. It had since been rebuilt with a more modern structure. While for me the outer structure is a tad too modern for me, the interior, while modern, is beautiful. The inspiration for the new church is that of the Phoenix rising from the ashes. 

We went inside and sat in the pews while a beautiful rendition of “How Great Tho Art” was played. It was a very moving and inspirational moment for me.  I later learned the interior of the church was designed for the acoustics. 

 

 



We then made our way to the Salmon/Maritime/Fishing Industry Museum, Krystmuseet Norveg. This is a first class museum with some excellent interpretation of the community’s ties to the sea and fishing. Here the lives of the first settlers is examined in large dioramas. The the early days of the herring fishing, from the catch to the drying process to the storage. Then modern aquaculture is explored, from the standpoint of environmental sustainability. 

By chance we met the curator and developer of this museum. We learned many additional facts about the salmon industry. For example, the salmon harvested from Norway is flown to Dubai and then distributed across the globe. 50% of the sushi salmon is Norwegian. Should one visit Rorvik this is a must. To support this gem, I purchased a sweater in the gift shop and Lynn got a headband. 

Next we were off to a local grocery store where we procured some local jams to enjoy when back home.

We then walked to a local grocery storer some local jams, then through a local shopping mall, where we found store called Nille. It is sort of a kitchen supply store of nicknacks and chocolate. We had a most wonderful conversation with the clerk, learning that gnomes are named by their color of their hats. Green, red, and grey precede the word gnome.

  

Back to the ship for lunch of crab cakes, again amazing. These were complimented with a nice ale from the Mack brewery of Tromso.  The culinary skills on this ship are beyond words.  

When we leave port today, we will pass the Statue of Sjo Sara. She was a young lady who was fascinated by the sea and working as a seaman. She started her seamanship at the age of 8 and worked her way up through the ranks. A true Norwegian pioneer of woman. 

 

It is 1537 and it is almost DARK. 

Our menu for tonight will be posted tomorrow on FB. Taking advantage of good internet. 
 .

 11/14 Molde. 

SLEEP SLEEP SLEEP. Did I ever. It all caught up and I slept a good 9 hours. Woke to darkness and we are still underway.

Nespresso coffee is on. 

A nice breakfast was had in Rost. Back to the room to prepare for the day. I think we will do a walkabout to see what we might find. 



We hiked to a lookout point to get view of the city and the fjord. 


From there we walked into the city center. The city seemed sleepy as we walked past churches on the way to the center of town. Here there were all kinds of shops. We did find a grocery store named Bunn Pris. We enjoy going to local groceries to get a view of local life. We did find some cloudberry jam to take home. 

Back to the ship where a load of laundry was in order.

Lunch was in Arran, where Lynn had reindeer souvas and I reindeer stew. For dessert we had Norwegian doughnuts with chocolate sauce and berry dip. 

On Hurtigruten they strive to use local ingredients, from coffee to dessert. Their coffee is a Norwegian roast in a local coast town. The same holds true for most ingredients.

After lunch we went and spent some time in the 1893 lounge enjoying the views. Here the bartenders wear white dinner jackets and one has a pencil thin mustache. Harkens one back to the classic sailing days.

1550 the sun had set as we went to the walking deck of deck six.

Dinner tonight will be amazing and I will post the menu tomorrow after we receive it. 

 It is a surprise for us each night if we choose. We have faith in the chef's choices.   





Ferry Bus Boat Day Here we go!!

 11/13 Sail Away Day from Bergen:

Breakfast started at 0700 and I must say the breakfast here is rather good. The Bacon is crispy. 

After breakfast we made our way to the ferry dock for an early morning ferry ride. The route from Bergen Center to Kleppesto is a commuter ferry that runs every 30 mins. The route is across the fjord and is the only ferry included with our Bergen card. 

It was an enjoyable ride and yes it was still dark. We did not even disembark and just stayed onboard for the return. We think we may have spotted our next ship the MS Trollfjord, a Hurtigruten vessel.

After we got off the ferry, we went to the Rema 1000 (a grocery store) picking up some items for the trip. I  forgot to pack a pad of paper for note taking during the lectures, so a quest was at hand.

We walked about waiting for a bookstore to open and I found a nice note pad to fill the need. 

We are now back in our room awaiting our appointed departure time of 1100. We are to be in the lobby at 1045 with bags etc. From here we go to the Hurtigruten Terminal to check in and board the ship. Interesting thing is we have been told we watch a video for our safety muster drill. 

We are ready to go and get this sailing underway.

Interestingly, the mandatory safety drill was a video shown in the terminal. After which we boarded the ship. This was a rather smooth process that flowed rather well.

At reception we learned an upgrade to a mini suite was available for us. We were escorted to the mini suite on Deck 6 aft and when the door was opened we said YES THANK YOU!!!

Here we have a good bit more room to spread out. We also get an endless mini bar, speciality drinks at the lounge, upgraded dining, and a clothing package. 


We were able to drop our carry on bags in the room and return to reception to get new keys. Then off to one of the lounges to get our clothing package. Upon arrival we were offered a glass of sparkling wine, Lynn had a ginger beer. 

The clothing package includes a wool sweater from Dales of Norway, a parka and a wool hat. In pricing these items in the ships store I figured the value to be a bit over $600 for each of us. The quality of the wool is very nice as Lynn says it does not make her itch. 



We the had lunch at Rost, the upscale restaurant where we can take all our meals. 

Lunch was three courses. The first course was a Steak Tartar; with sunflower seeds , a fennel mayonnaise topped with thin strands of potato. This was paired with a Havets Bobler Cuve’e. This was beyond excellent. This wine is aged at the bottom of the Arctic Ocean. The main course was a baked salmon on a bed of peas, topped with fennel and a white wine bubble sauce. I am not a fish fan, but when in Norway one must eat the Norwegian way. Beyond excellent as it was paired with a nice white wine. Dessert was a chocolate mouse topped with a white chocolate crumble and edible flowers pared with a nice red dessert wine. 

 It was an amazing dining experience. 

Back at the room we started unpacking and then went to Deck 9 for sail away meeting other passengers. 

Next was a welcome presentation, here we learned how to set the ship’s intercom system to receive announcements in our room. The will announce when the Aurora is visible. Info about guest laundry, dining options, ports o call, and an overview of the ships features and deck plan. 



We stopped by reception to let them know our room safe had been left locked by the previous guests. This may not be remedied as early as we think. We also had our room keys punched so they will fit  the lanyards we brought. 



Off to Deck 5 where we checked out the other restaurants and the ships gift shop. This is where I got our clothing package prices. The shop is well appointed and has necessary incidentals and other items. 

Back to the room, Lynn is off to start a couple loads of laundry and I am here typing away. 

Dinner tonight is at 1900. I will simply say fantastic. Servers are exceptionally knowledgable and rather engaging. If I continued to write about the meals I would be forever. Yet the pork belly with carrots cooked three ways was AMAZING. I was fading fast and ready to sleep. 

 

A 3 Hour Tour

 11/12 Bergen and a 3 hour tour: 



Up and at um we were and ready for breakfast. I must say the breakfast here is rather good. A nice selection to meet all palates. 

Today we will take a Three Hour Bus tour of Bergen. 

                                                             Some local street art

Well that was the Plan. The bus showed up, but the Tour Guide did not show up. The driver wanted to make sure we had a good experience and he filled in for the guide. 

He drove us around showing us many points of interest as he shared his knowledge of Norway. Many of this was a repeat from our self guided tour yesterday. 

He did make a stop at Bryggen where we got off the bus and walked about the area.

The driver then took us outside of the city to a Stave Church. Some folks were dropped off at the Edvard Gregg museum.

 

 

We then meandered our way back to the hotel arriving at about 1400. 

All in all the situation was saved by the Bus Drive Salvio. 

 yep the hot dog was so good we forgot to get a picture



We then made our way for a hot dog and a walk about the down town area. 

Tonight we will pack up and get ready to board the ship tomorrow. 

Our Morning plan is to have breakfast and take a commuter ferry ride to an Island and return before being bussed to the Hurtigruten Terminal.