Sunday 21st September Today our 7 hour train journey took us from Bergen to Oslo. We left Bergen through a very long tunnel to reach the fjord and river system that would take us east to Voss. Climbing all the time through pine forests, close to Voss we reached the railways 800 metre summit beneath …
Saturday 20th September At 8:00 a.m. this morning at Floro on the western section of the Sogn Go Fjordane Province under black skies, torrential rain and poor visibility. We made slow progress to the mouth of the Sognefjorden, one of Norway’s longest. The whole journey was a difficult one for navigation with cloud down to …
Friday 19th September Overnight we travelled to Trondheim, arriving at breakfast time. This was quite a lengthy stop as cargo was unloaded and new cargo loaded as well as waste removed, fuel added and fresh foodstuffs and under our cabin window a super tanker transferring its load of beer to the ship. We departed at …
Thursday 18th September We negotiated more of the Lofoten Islands during the night to reach the Norwegian Sea and the crossing of the Arctic Circle marked by a globe on an island near the Horseman Mountain 568 metre high. There was a glass of champagne available as well as another ceremony to mark the crossing …
Wednesday 17th September Overnight we travelled across several fjords to reach Harstad. As we write we are weaving our way in between the islands that form the Lofoten Wall to the small port of Risoyhamn. Just before the port we sailed through the Risoyrenna, a 3 mile long, 100 metres wide and 7 metres deep, …
Tuesday 16th September This morning at 03:30 a.m. we left the ship for a coach journey of some 3 hours across the taiga and later the tundra to the North Cape. As dawn broke we saw the magnificent colours of the the tundra ground cover and the scattered lakes reflecting the night and early morning …
Monday 15th September While repairs are being made to the ship we have had an opportunity to explore the Rock Art of Alta, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This is the largest known collection of rock carvings in Northern Europe made by the indigenous hunter-gatherer people of around 6200 – 2000 years ago. These carvings …
Sunday 14th September During the night we entered open sea (Barents Sea) and experienced a ‘perfect storm’. The high pressure over Europe and the high pressure over the Arctic squeezed the approaching low pressure from the Atlantic creating strong winds, high seas and meteorological confusion that results in swirling water, and during the night 29 …
Saturday 13th September Overnight we travelled northwards in between the Lofoten Islands. This wall of volcanic rock has been cut by the ice and the sea into mountainous and rocky islands. Our ship called in several ports and threaded its way to the open sea at Harstad. Our last call in the Lofoten Islands will …
Friday 12th September Overnight we called in some smaller towns for just a few minutes collecting cargo. In the early morning we crossed the Arctic Circle (63.33 N) and continued to our first stop at Ãrnes having crossed another part of open sea. Our journey continued passed uninhabited islands and glaciers to arrive in Bodo …