Sweden? OK! 7/4/24

 

Maybe we don't have common sense and don't know when to quit, or perhaps we can pin it on wanderlust.  To us, it simply makes good sense:  Since we were already nine time zones from home, why not add another destination?  And so we did (without it adding significantly to the overall cost of the trip).  We flew from Kirkenes (top o' the world!) to Oslo (terrible airport), and then another one-hour flight to Stockholm, Sweden.  Still nine time zones away.

We hopped on the Arlanda Express train from the airport to Stockholm's central station, which was a pretty neat ride, with its top speed of 187km/h, almost 120 mph!  Woohoo.  I knew our hotel was centrally located and not far, so we dragged those danged suitcases over cobblestones again (at least some of the way) and eventually found our digs.

Hi Jimmy (red x)!  In front of the huge Riddarholmen Church (taken the next day).  But our hotel is directly behind this church.  We were impressed with the city; Stockholm is clean and beautiful.

When Stockholm was firmly in the works, I mentioned it to our Swedish friend, Annika.  She told us of a yacht in the heart of the city, now a hotel: Mälarrottningen.  Long story short, we booked a room here for three nights, enough time, we thought, to explore the city.  Built in 1924, it was later purchased by Woolworth millionaire Frank W. Hutton, who gave the ship to his daughter Barbara as a present on her 18th birthday. (nice present!) "A movie star, Barbara lived an extravagant life among princes and movie stars and in the '40s she was married to Cary Grant."  So we called it Barbara Hutton's boat.  (Weronika's photo.)

Tiny cabin with bunk beds!  But it was doable and everything we needed, including a window.  Guess who slept on top?

What would Barbara Hutton say?  Get a room, you people!  This yacht is so big it has 61 cabins!

Small, serviceable, and the shower was great.

So, this is our third boat of the summer trip.  First we were on the Magnifique III for the boat/bike tour,  and we just finished up our Nordkapp cruise, and now we're "camping" on a moored boat right slap in the middle of Stockholm's Old Town.  Its only movement is when another boat's wake hits and then it'll gently rock a bit.  Neat-o!

We took this pic the next day, also, but I wanted to show you where we are, red checkmark.  We're parked on Lake Mälaren next to Riddarholmen, (that block of big buildings), which is actually a small islet that forms part of Gamla Stan, (Old Town).  See the giant black steeple of the church?  Using that as a guide, we always knew where we were.  Perfect location for us!

Top o' the World! 7/3-7/4, 2024

Our ship paused in Havøysund at 8:30am for 15 minutes, no doubt to pick up or drop off someone or something. This is a tiny fishing village, population 915, located on a small island and connected by bridge to the mainland. All along the water these post-WWII houses had the same boxy design (below). This is our up-close look at the dinky villages we've only seen from afar (aboard ship).

Next was our three-plus-hour stop in Honningsvåg, which is on the southeastern side of the large island of Magerøya, while the famous North Cape (aka Nordkapp) and its visitor center are on the northern side.  Today we'd climb aboard a bus that looked way too big for the itty-bitty road, and visit said cape at the Top of the World!

Maybe this map will help.  Our ship has called in at most of the cities listed, starting in Bergen, as well as many that are not.  Today we'll be at the top!

Riding a bike from Honningsvag up to Nordkapp?  In this weather?  On this narrow road?  More power to him/her!  The bus drove in and out of fog/clouds.  Sometime you couldn't see but a few yards in front of you.  Bus windows were fogged or peppered with raindrops.

Situated at 71°10′21′′, we are much further north than our Nevada City latitude of 39.2616°.  Standing in the fog, Jimmy and I huddled beneath the globe that marks the end point of the European continent.  So cool!  Behind us, was a 1007 ft drop to the Arctic Ocean ... probably just as well we couldn't see that!  Good thing I wore a pink parka, and glad we had the umbrella.

Even with long john bottoms and layers on top, we could stay outside only for the photo op; the cold was bone-chilling.

So we came in to explore the fantastic visitor center.  Built mainly of stone in 1959, large parts of the building were placed inside the mountain plateau, "to protect the visual experience."  We watched their film (always do) to learn more about who/what/where.  A bird wall featured a number of feathered friends, above are puffins and gannets.

We checked out the Cave of Lights.

Ooooh, photo op!

We saw quite a few grazing reindeer, owned by the Sami people, both on the way up to the cape and on the return to the ship.  They're on the island for the summer.

Back in Honningsvag, we spied huge racks of drying cod, known as stockfish.

A photo op with the big-eared kid!

Nice toenail polish 😁

On the ship, we passed a "point of interest" known as Finnkirka rock formation.  You could read a couple of paragraphs more by clicking here.  Again and again:  the Norwegian scenery, its fjords and islands, is magnificent.

Back to food.  This was our "last supper," and it was delicious.

Our new friend and tablemate, Elizabeth from Boulder, CO, was a delight.  We enjoyed sharing meals with her, plus we had such stellar seating.  Elizabeth, I hope your southbound cruise was as terrific as our northbound!

About the time I was getting ready for bed came the announcement of Whales!  Starboard.  Port bow. Now both sides!  We were sailing through a pod of pilot whales, who, in turn, attracted thousands of seabirds.  The birds were too far away and too small to identify.  "Whales" always causes excitement.

Well, we filled our suitcases again, as tomorrow our week-long cruise was over.  We had to have our luggage next to the elevators by Midnight, and be ready to leave the ship by 9 in the morning.  Boo hoo, wish we didn't have to go!

Coming into the Kirkenes channel.

Rocks, lichen, moss.

Here we are, Bernice, finally in Kirkenes, last stop in Norway.  Jimmy and I have loved cruising up Norway's coast.  This voyage was in the books for 2020, but COVID put the kibosh on it then.  2024 was the magic year for Hurtigruten and we recommend them highly.  As a working ship, not merely a cruise liner, they have a lot going for them, and for all ages, too.  You can go northbound or southbound or both, and I know they have trips going elsewhere.  If you get the chance, GO!

One last look at our Nordkapp, as we head for Kirkenes airport.  What a wonderful experience this has been!  Jimmy's already talking about going back!  First things first, please, let's finish this adventure before you leap ahead!  We boarded a SAS jet for Oslo, and then, and then ... it's on to the next chapter of our summer trip!

Ahhh, Norway! July 1-2, 2024

 

Lofoten is an Archipelago in Nordland we didn't want to miss, with its dramatic mountains, peaceful farms, open sea and sheltered bays. Lucky us, after dinner our Nordkapp docked in Stamsund where a tour bus picked us up for a two-hour ride to Svolvær, roughly 40 miles, including a stop at a museum. But, bus photos are usually not very good, and mine are no exception, so we'll skip my Lofoten pics, except the one below.  Jimmy and I have our memories.

Yet our long day was still not finished.  When an announcement was made after 11pm about something we "wouldn't want to miss, come up to Deck 7," I grabbed my camera and was rewarded by Trollfjord - one of the most spectacular sights in this country of unrestrained beauty!

Just out of Svolvær, the Nordkapp captain made a little detour, like giving his passengers a gift, so we could see this.  Mind you, it was close to 11:30pm.

And the sun was still up, though tucked behind a cloud, as you see.

Hurtigurten entering the fjord,

photo by Chris Shervey from the UK.

Trollfjord has a narrow entrance, with steep mountains on either side, so close, in fact, that I felt like I could reach out and touch the rock.  Only a little over a mile long, the fjord seems impossible for a ship like Nordkapp to enter and navigate and then turn around at the end (above). It's only accessible by boat.  That building at the waterline is a power station.

The Nordkapp dawdled before it turned around, giving everyone an eyeful.  Other than gasps of awe, the deck was hushed.

Look at this!  I stood on Deck 7 till Midnight, and yes, that is the Midnight Sun striking yonder mountain peaks!  Breathtaking. 💗  I finally hit the sack 12:30/ish, grateful that I lasted this long!

* * * * *

The Nordkapp sailed into Tromsø the next afternoon, July 2nd, and Jimmy and I would have four hours to explore the town, with a decent weather forecast.  Tromso is getting up there in latitude!

But first, here's a look at the restaurant entrance as we popped in for breakfast.  I didn't get a chance to snap a pic of the food areas, too bad, we always had a great selection for each meal.  Our table was all the way in the back, perfect for us.

Jimmy (wussy boy) was hiding from the wind as we made our way into Finnsnes.  It was a quick stop, but it's fun to look around as we come into a port.  The seabirds were flyin', below!

He and I were off, city map in hand, when we hit Tromso.  This polar bear is the only one we'd see in our travels.  Notice I broke out "big pink," and I was dressed just right for the day (for once).

Brilliant flower displays all over town, as you see.  That bird?  A Herring Gull as big as a turkey!  It was parked at the feet of a woman sitting on a bench eating a biscuit.  It didn't move or care that I stood next to it.  It had one mission:  Wait till she threw a scrap.  She did, and it flew off.

Fantastic mural.

We spied the famous Arctic Cathedral across the strait and wondered if we should hike across the bridge to see it up close (below).

Da bridge.

Harpoon man!

Norwegian hero:  explorer of both poles.

(looks kinda weather-beaten!)

There may be autos in front, but these old wooden structures have been in place for decades.

Well, of course, we hiked across the 4,000 ft bridge to see the cathedral.  When we neared, it appeared to be closed, so we turned around and returned to our ship.  There she is, above!  This was one of those many-thousand-steps day.

Quite stunning, more so from a distance, I think.

Dedicated in November, 1965.

Nah, we didn't go in.

Been quite busy the past two days.  Actually, the past two weeks have been great, full of activity and fun.  And it ain't over yet!