Overview – The ship is comfortable and not ostentations. It is a working ferry and we stop frequently to pick up passengers and offload passengers and goods. The Hurtigruten line on the coastal route is an official mail carrier for the Norwegian post office, but so far I have not seen any sacks of mail going either off or on.
The coast is very rugged with lots of islands and skerries (have to look this one up – I think it means small islands which can be below water at high tide). Many small towns and villages were isolated except by boat, but most on the mainland now are connected by roads, bridges and an extensive ferry system. We have seen countless small farms which appear shuttered and abandoned, but nonetheless well kept up – roofs in good repair and paint not peeling. We were told that these are now used as summer homes. They were originally homes and farms, though lord knows what they could grow on the small pieces of land. One village required that when someone died and needed burial, the family had to supply enough dirt to do the job. In times past, the small farmers also fished to feed their families. Thus far, except for occasional gulls, we have seen a dearth of any kind of wildlife. We've passed several fish farms, but again did not notice much activity around them.
Daily routine is sooo taxing. Breakfast and lunch are served buffet style with plenty of food and good selection. They have 5-6 different kinds of fish, both pickled and cooked (the lox is to die for), 5-6 different kinds of cheese from mild to stinky, a wide selection of hot meat dishes, and veggies, fresh salad fixings and fresh fruit, flat breads and fresh baked slice-it-yourself bread both white and whole grain. They also have hot and cold cereals for breakfast, a rich dessert selection at lunch, and yogurt, though it is liquid and not “spoon-able”like the kind at home. Dinner is at assigned tables with a fixed menu, very nicely prepared.
For exercise, you can walk around the deck, or go up and down the stairs, or get off and walk around at one of the towns which has a longer stop. There is an exercise room and sauna on one of the lower decks, but I have yet to see them. I am reluctant to go below when there is such great scenery. A drawback of a walk on the deck is getting downwind of the smokers. At least they are relatively few, compared to former years.
There are 5 passenger decks, with an observation lounge above the prow on deck 7. The dining room is on deck 4, near our cabin, and there are 2 bars on that level with windows also. We are on deck 3 starboard side, with a window. It is quiet down there and no foot traffic past the window.
Each day we dock at 4-6 ports, both during the day and at night, although now that we are above the Arctic Circle, it is all day. Getting used to the amount of daylight at this latitude is difficult. The sun is at such a low angle in the sky that it can be quite intense, like a kleig light. If it is very cloudy, it is dim enough to sleep at night, but if there are gaps in the clouds, the light is almost blinding and shines through the gaps around the blackout curtains. Even with eye shades, you can sense the intense rays. One enchanting effect of this low angle is rainbows and snowbows whenever the sun is behind you and there is precipitation in front of you. They appear almost magically, are subtle in their intensity and sometimes double. Then in the blink of an eye they are gone, and you wonder if you imagined them.
Americans are few on this trip. There are two tour groups, a German and a French, as well as independent travelers from both countries. Of course, there are Norwegians, Brits, Canadians and also Italians. I met a lady from Belgium, and a gentleman from India. All of the announcements over the intercom are given in 5 languages. Most everyone knows how to speak some English. We have met 3 people of Norwegian heritage – a Canadian couple, and a lady who grew up in a Norwegian community in Brooklyn, NY. The lady from New York says that Brooklyn still hosts the largest Norwegian Independence Day parade outside of Norway, even though the neighborhood has changed to mostly Chinese and Puerto Rican.
I'll continue with a day by day account of the stops on our trip in another file.
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