Norwegian Coastline

I had trouble with the internet on the ship. Prepared this and spent my money for an hour's worth but nothing would load. Am now back in Oslo but will post as originally prepared.

It is my last day on the SS Richard With. The Hurtiguten Cruise is billed as the world’s most beautiful voyage and they are not exaggerating very much.  It is hard to find time to write this without being called out on deck for another view and I am too tired at night when it finally gets dark about 9pm.  We have just crossed the Arctic Circle, again moving south towards Trondheim where I will disembark tomorrow morning for the train journey to Oslo.
Although the end of Summer, the temperatures have been about 10’C so like Dunedin in Winter but most days have been sunny.  Two days ago we had rain and fog but it was  probably the best day for it and we actually got up a bit of rock and roll for a few hours which most of us thought was good as the rest of the journey has been like a millpond.

At the moment there is a bright blue sky and the first photo was taken a short while ago as we passed an old trading post.
Tromso is a beautiful city and on the way up I visited the Arctic Cathedral (photo 2) and then took a cable car ride up to overlook the city (photos 3 &4) We went back to the Arctic cathedral on the way back for a concert at midnight - organ, piano, flute, soprano with Norwegian folk songs and some Grieg. It was beautiful although I was feeling very tired and would have preferred it a few hours earlier. we went to bed as the ship departed at 1.30am.

We passed the most northerly point 71 deg 8’ north before travelling down to Kirkenes where I took a bus ride to the Russian border. Here we were further north than anywhere in Siberia and further east than Istanbul.

Yesterday was memorable with first a bus ride across Norway’s largest island and then appeared to head for solid ground (photo 5)  but entered a narrow channel and sailed  the  back into the Trollfjord (photo 6) but this time in daylight so we could the photos as the ship manoeuvred in the narrow conditions. I have been lucky to team up with a couple from Wales and another from near London and will be sorry to farewell them. Like everyone we talk of returning for at least part of the voyage but it will be much easier for them  Most passengers are Norwegian or German. About 7 or 8 Australians left the ship at Kirkenes and there have only been two others on the journey south. I have dinner with them and they are in the next cabin to me.