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Norway Cruise

Norway Cruise

Norway Cruise

My quest to find the Northern Lights took me to book on a whim a Hurtigruten Cruise, a three day trip from Tromso, the gateway to the Arctic, sailing north and east to Kirkenes right on the border with Russia.

Norway Cruise

There was plenty I wanted to see and do, but a short time to pack it all in. Our flight took us to Oslo with a connection to Tromso and we arrived in the port area in time to see the arrival of our ship ‘Nordlys’. The Hurtigruten Cruise ships are working vessels, but that does’t mean that guests are expected to haul ropes or work in the galley!

Norway Cruise

First of all we had made it in time to book ourselves in for the dog sledding excursion, so having watched the ship dock, we boarded a coach and set off for our first adventure. The Siberian Huskies live outside in all weather, they are friendly and extremely excitable especially when a team of dogs returns; greeting each other with loud barks and howling. We warmed up with a hot drink and slice of chocolate cake before togging up with snow gear and setting off at dusk for our dog sled ride sitting on reindeer skins and covered with blankets. It was fast, exhilarating and great fun!

We boarded the ship at 18:30pm and after dropping the bags in our cabin, we headed straight for dinner. Food served is of a very high standard, buffet style breakfast and lunch with a three course dinner in the evening. It seems Norwegians eat fish 5 out of 7 days a week, which was fine with us! After dinner we headed out on deck and came across a talk on Norwegian cod and we had the opportunity to try cod ‘crisps’, dried slices of fish. Norwegians eat every part of the fish and we were told to look out for cod tongues on the menu the next day when we would also get to taste king crab. We set our cabin phone to receive the Aurora alerts, should they be visible during the night we would be woken up!

Norway Cruise

We woke early as the ship docked and were excited to discover where we were. The Norwegian scenery was stunning, stark and it was very cold – you will need to wrap up warm, especially out on deck as it can get very windy! Contrasting with the monochrome landscape the pretty fishing villages with colourful buildings and fishing boats are simply charming.

Norway Cruise

After an early stop in Hammerfest we docked in Honningsvag, Nordkapp which has a 7 kilometre sub-sea tunnel connecting to the mainland. Here we shopped for presents, knitted socks and mittens and found a bar to warm ourselves with a few drinks. Later we passed the illuminated rock formation Finnkirka that is sacred to the indigenous Sami people, before docking again to pick up the king crabs. That night we enjoyed a seafood feast including lobster, king crab, prawns, mussels and langoustines. We also tasted the cod tongues, which were slightly crispy on the outside, but soft and gelatinous on the inside and which I would probably not try again!

Norway cruise
Seafood Feast Nordlys

The sea that night was rolling and we went to bed early, arriving the next morning in Kirkenes right on the Russian border. There were several organised Arctic excursions including snowmobiling and dog sledding, but we had booked the Snow Hotel trip which included a tour of the hotel and the surrounding wooden cabins. We also met the huskies and reindeer.

Norway Cruise

Our guide on this trip was amusing and very informative, who knew that arctic summers were so warm with killer midges, that they had just come out of the Arctic winter when the sun doesn’t rise but a deep blue light is cast over the snow. We also discovered that trade relations are very friendly between Norway and Russia with the locals crossing the border into Russia to buy fuel and alcohol which is much cheaper there and the Russians crossing into Norway to buy fashion clothing.

Norway CruiseBack on the ship again and the ports visited by night sailing north we visited by day on the southbound voyage. More shopping, reindeer fur insoles and chocolates. That night we had reindeer pate followed by fresh cod. We disembarked late at 23:45pm and checked into our hotel for the night. The following morning after breakfast we enjoyed the outside jacuzzi on the roof top overlooking Tromso harbour and then checked out. We spent the day exploring the city, visiting the Arctic Cathedral and more shopping. Our flight home was at 21:20pm so we had time to eat and we chose Fiskekompaniet a fish restaurant in the harbour. Eating out in Norway is extremely expensive but the chefs recommendation was good value and absolutely delicious, a fitting end to our Norway Cruise holiday.

Norway Cruise
Arctic Cathedral Tromso

On the flight home we eventually saw a display of the elusive Northern Lights! For information on the cruise voyages operated by Hurtigruten contact us on 01932 866565

Top Tips:

Take Seabands and anti seasickness pills, the sea can get rough especially higher up in the Arctic Circle.

Ensure camera fully charged in case of Aurora alerts and fingerless gloves!

Take wind proof clothing, waterproof footwear, gloves and scarves.

 

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