Richard With and the Hurtigruten Museum

This morning we were treated to a presentation on Richard With (pronounced Wit - I was pronouncing it as it reads which presented problems with some sentence construction...) the founder of Hurtigruten. The very, very abbreviated story is that when Norway was looking for a company to sail along the coast of Norway and provide a way to travel more easily from one town to another, he (having considerable sailing/sea experience) said yes. He was the only company out of three to agree, and the route was called Hurtigruten. Later as his company evolved, it also became known as Hurtigruten. Over many, many years  of changing and adapting, the success of the Hurtigruten company followed from there. Today it is owned by a British investment firm, but is still flourishing and growing.

We stopped in Stokmarkenes where they have a museum on Richard With and the history of Hurtigruten. The ship MS Finnmarken is under renovation in dry dock, and an expanded museum will open in the summer of 2020.

This passage is from a diary kept by Richard With’s daughter during a journey on one of the first Hurtigruten ships.

 MS Finnmarken in dry dock.

Some museum exhibits.

This has nothing to do with Hurtigruten or Richard With. Just pretty.

Sailing under the Sortland Bridge

There are lots of traditions on this cruise, maybe because Hurtigruten has daily sailings from Bergen.

For example, when the ship sails under the Sortland bridge, passengers wave flags to greet an excursion bus that is traveling across the bridge at the same time. Betty was on the bus, and I was on the ship. So I went up to the foreword part of deck 5 to get a Norwegian flag and position myself for the greeting.

It was extremely windy on that deck and viewing space, and we had to wait a bit for the coordination of the ship sailing under and the bus traveling over. Some passengers waved early at cement and other trucks (granted the bridge was quite far away), but it’s all good when you’re being friendly!

Finally, the bus came into view, and we sailed under the bridge to much fanfare. Betty was seated on the opposite side of the bus, so she missed the spectacle which I have attempted to duplicate with photographs.

And there is the bus!

Midnight Concert in the Arctic Cathedral in Tromsø

We gathered on Deck 3 to go to the buses to attend a midnight concert in the Arctic Cathedral. (Funny - when we signed up for this excursion, I pictured a cathedral made of snow!) The time of the ship’s arrival determined the time of the concert. (Since MS NordNorge is also a ferry, the times must be strictly adhered to.)

It was beautiful to see the A-frame cathedral and its dramatic stained glass windows. A soprano, a flutist and a pianist treated us to 12 musical selections. They were all in Norwegian which gave us an opportunity to concentrate on the music instead of the lyrics. I find the Norwegian music exceptional.

We were back on the ship at 1:30 AM where I had a snack of a pear and crackers before retiring.

PS - A word about the photos which often appear out of order. I have no control over this but hope to be able to learn how this might be done in the future.

The Arctic Cathedral viewed from the bus traveling on the bridge.

The bridge we crossed to get to the cathedral.

When the concert started, the three musicians performed up in this balcony. Then they came to the front of the sanctuary. We were not allowed to film or record during the concert.

Another bridge view.

Front of cathedral.

Outside view of one side of the cathedral.

Another front view.

Northern Lights - Again!

I had returned to my cabin to take a shower before dinner when over the intercom came the announcement that the Northern Lights were visible on the port side. I grabbed warm clothes and rushed upstairs grateful that I had heard the announcement. (Although Betty had texted me, in case I hadn’t heard.)

To say that the Northern Lights were visible is the most understated statement of the trip! We were treated to at least an hour of them dancing across the sky. We have been very fortunate that the weather has been clear and sunny during the day and while we were north and south of Tromso, a prime viewing area.

We had the opportunity to see the lights switch and change as they pranced all over the sky. We saw them curl and straighten. Interestingly, they are not green until viewed in a photograph. They appear to be white like a brighter Milky Way. I don’t know if they are always like this or if it is indeed possible to view them in colors with the naked eye.

So, I just kept pointing my phone at the sky and clicked away, hoping for some great shots. The app I’m using, NorthernLights, takes 5-8 pictures - snap, snap, snap - and then must compile them into one photograph. I think that’s why they are not as clear as a regular camera shot. But the colors are so dramatic that I’m thrilled.

Food and Dinner

Hurtigruten  gets fresh food at each port. There are always many choices for fruit, bread, cheese, salads, vegetables (including many vegetarian options), seafood, and meat (way less of this). Breakfast and lunch (and sometimes dinner) is a buffet with open seating. Dinner most often is served at the table we have been assigned. Our table happens to be at the foreword part of ship, so we have a panoramic view. But since you can sit wherever you want at breakfast and dinner, everyone gets to have a great seat.

An intriguing contraption is the egg warmer. There is one for soft boiled eggs and one for hard boiled. They keep them at the perfect temperature!

Each day, there is a brochure on the tables explaining the dinner menu and why it was chosen. We have had the opportunity to try all different kinds of food. The dinner meal is smaller than the buffet which is good because we have eaten well all day and a smaller meal is welcomed. Also, it’s less wasteful as we’re trying foods we may not be very keen on.

I may have mentioned that there is a program right before dinner each evening called, The Norwegian Way of Life where we are treated to a humorous presentation on Norway and Norwegians. At the end of this presentation, they always have some representative music and art. 

 Last night’s dessert - chocolate beet root cake (tasted like spice cake) with homemade Lofotpils ice cream. We think Lofotpils means beer... It was delicious!

The musician and artist for last night’s closing of The Norwegian Way of Life.

Reindeer! (And other photos...)

We were traveling along minding our own business in the bus when a small group of reindeer decided to jaywalk...

More fish drying racks.

Sami homes.

Another Sami home.

Still more fish drying racks.

On the road to Hammersfest

We stopped at some scenic/historical spots along the way. There were many tunnels on our route, including one that was underwater. Apparently this is not rare as there are 33 undersea tunnels in Norway.

Lots of history including some art honoring the Sami people.

Art honoring the Sami people.