Norway and Svalbard - Part I
That was the itinerary of the cruise that took 14 days.
DAY 1
In chilly North Sea, having sailed out of Edinburgh.
When not eating 5 buffet meals a day in company of fellow passengers (average age is 70!!) and very underpaid Philippino staff enthusiastically fussing over T , that's where we spent.
T roaming the ship. Really glad he wasn't a 2-5 years old who'd think it'd be fun to climb over the edges into.... They were really that LOW.
One of those endless oil rigs in the North Sea.
DAY 2
on Day 2 Norway finally in sight! Passing through Trollfjords.
Cragginess after craginess for hours.
Oooh, Norwegian village!
*allround sound of click click click cameras*
hills after hills, taking millions of photos, none of which came out particularly 'wow'
Yet more Norwegian cute villages behind the hills.
The captain announcement boomed into our cabin at 10pm - the entire crowd dashed outside to see this globe, marking the monentous (!!!) occasion of passing the Arctic circle at 67 degrees latitude - above which the sun does not set during the summer.
1am - the landscape has changed already - more and more permanent ice peaks. Feeling polar here already!
DAY 3
Finally arrived in Narvik on Day 3.
Stting from bog-standard cafe in Norwegian shopping centre having Daim ice cream,
just to admire the view.
Getting T new wellies has drained our wallet quite a bit.
Local supermarket showed terrifying numbers like 39 Kr (£4) for a packet of bread flour.
Freia and Nigar brands nominated chocolate - hardly international ones like Lindt or so to be seen in sight. Only one example of Norwegian insularity.
Despite tower block behind, hardly social deprivation to be seen.
And non-whites too.
T preferred 3 hrs nap to sightseeing.
Norway's equivalent of Hull city - as passenger noted.
But wooden houses! With probably unlocked doors everywhere.
Then we got on top of a hill.
With a view of the fjord where the Germans of WWII blasted the hell out of Narvik and UK warships.
Some obligatory shot, because...a misty mountain!
Us grinning when told 'Give us BIGGEST CHEESE!'
and T in his new oversized Norwegian wellies which were kicked off too easily.
Posing with T when on the way back down on cable car...one for Facebook or what?
Sad methodist church.
Back to ship for 5-course dinner, Western themed.
DAY 5
Day 5 - sailing towards Honnigsvag - top of Norway.
Passing Tromso airport. On which Svalbard depends.
Not exactly Heathrow, needless to say.
DAY 6
Finally arrived in Honnigsvag, on Mageroy Island on top of Norway. Drying fish racks blotted out by rain water on lens!
As our friend and guest lecturer for the cruise said, all would be in ice age if not warm Gulf Stream. Yikes.
Main ones yet to come but it's half past midnight.