Longyearbyen Svalbard

We set sail from Honningstag and headed for Svalbard Thursday evening.  Friday morning we passed Bear Island.  It was a pretty site as we approached and the captain slowed the ship so we could get pictures and enjoy the view.  It was a very sunny day for a change and many people enjoyed sitting outside or walking the deck six track.

We arrived in Longyearbyen around noon after cruising up and down several fjords.  The clouds and fog had moved back in so the views were not great.  Longyearbyen was settled by Jon Longyear early in 1900’s as a coal mining town and there is still some mining today, although that may end soon.  The population of the town is around 2,500 with about 500 others spread out on the island along with 3,000 polar bears on the whole island and probably more snowmobiles than people.

After a walk through the museum, we learned a bit about dog sledding and got to pet the dogs before enjoying a cup of hot coffee and learning about polar bears.  We are not allowed to wonder just anywhere without a polar bear guard who totes flares and a rifle just in case one shows up.  No sightings today.

Polar bears are the largest predator mammal on earth and are only found at or above the Arctic Circle.  They can weigh up to 900 lbs, with paws 12 cm across.  Females mate in March but will not implant the egg until she’s has enough fat to support her and the cub(s) usually in November with the cubs born late December.  They will exit the den in March and the cubs will stay with mom for 2.5 years.

King Crabs at 71 Degrees North

Honningsvag is on the most north point of the European continent - or so they claim. Most of the area is connected by three tunnels and two bridges. We traveled through a 4.6 km tunnel to reach an area called Sarnas where King Crab harvesting and cod fishing is important.  

As the rain fell we stood on the dock to learn all about king crabs, all their body parts and how they are caught and how they reproduce.  The presenter then stabbed the crab and opened it up for us as well as cutting it all apart.

As the rain eased up, we entered a large teepee with a wood fire heating the room.  We were served fish soup then they brought us a platter full of king crab, cracked and ready to eat the Norwegian way on a roll with mayonnaise and lemon juice.  So good and so much!!  

To top off the day we traveled to the tourist area called Nordkapp or North Cape.  A large globe structure invited us to take a picture then we walked along the cliff”s edge to admire to coastline and viewed a short video of the area.

Tromso

Tuesday was a fairly uneventful day except for the very rough seas.

We skipped a planned port and docked in Harstad where we walked around town and did a small bit of shopping.

Today the ocean is much calmer but there is still the threat of rain and low clouds.  We got a nice view of the city of Tromso by riding a gondola atop a mountain on the mainland.  Tromso is partly on the mainland, mostly on an island , which is what the name means, and partly on another island.  A 3.5 km tunnel and a bridge connects the city.  

An iconic feature of the city is The Arctic Cathedral, a Protestant church built to symbolize the North and the Light.  We are far enough north that they experience two months of no sunlight in the winter and endless daylight in the summer.

A university and hospital is the largest employer with 10% of the population of 77,000 working there and Tromso claims the most northern cathedral and the most northern McDonalds.

Wind and Rain Everywhere

Due to high winds, fog and rain we have skipped two planned ports and landed at the small village of Rorvik.  We wondered around the harbor area, stopped at a small museum of the history of fishing in North Norway, mostly for cod or as they call it here, stock fish.

A hike up the hill to a modern church was disappointing since we couldn’t go inside.  A church has stood in this spot since the 1600’s but after it burned down it was replaced by this modern structure.

As we cruised onward, we passed by the mountain with a hole in its middle, called Torghatten.  We will hike up there on the return sailing. A view of the 7 Sisters Mountain was obscured by clouds so no good pictures..

At 9:35 this evening we crossed the Arctic Circle at 66 degrees north and 30 seconds. A surprise visit from the Troll of the Sea initiated some people to the Arctic with a dipper of ice water down the back of your neck.  We declined that invitation!

Andalsnes

We boarded our ship on Saturday morning and set sail around 2:30 that afternoon.  The weather is not coopering well with periods of rain and lots of clouds.  It rather obscures the view but it is still pretty.

John and I have a suite on the top deck with a sitting area and bay windows.  We shared our welcome bucket of bubbly and wine with John and Susanna.  Supper is at our private dinning room and was excellent.  I think we are going to really enjoy this trip!

Today we made port in Andalsnes, a small town of 2,500 residents located in the Romsdalen Valley.  The valley is named after two farms, the Romsa and the Dalen.  Train travel was important to this town but it took 12 years to run a 45 km line along the coast and tunnel through the mountains.  An abandoned train car has been converted into a cute little Episcopal chapel. 

The Golden Train sitting on the rails was used during WWII to move Norway’s gold supply away from the German army.  The 50 tons of gold was originally in Oslo, it was shipped to Lillehammer and then to Andalsnes where it was loaded onto the train.  Just in time, the train moved into a tunnel before it could be discovered by the Germans who bombed the town.  The gold eventually made it to Canada and the US where it was held until after the war.  They never lost a single gold bar.

The Gondola ride took us up to the top of a mountain where we had spectacular views of the valley and enjoyed a nice hike around the top.  It was cold and windy but we missed most of the rain that began after we got back on the ship.  You may also recognize this area from a Mission Impossible movie.

Bergen

We left Prague yesterday and flew to Oslo then to Bergen, Norway where it was raining cats and dogs! We have an attic room in the Admiral Hotel, no A/C but none needed. We quickly walked to a nearby restaurant and had a lovely seafood dinner.

Today we walked the downtown while shopping for base layers as we may not have prepared well for this leg of our adventure.

We then explored the UNESCO Heritage area of the harbor. The old town is called Bryggen with some of the buildings built in 1702. The old buildings are connected by large overhangs and roofs and they are filled with arts, crafts, and touristy stuff.  A few restaurants or cafes are nestled in as well.  We had a delightful lunch in one of them.

The harbor was guarded at one time by the Rosenkrantz Tower and fortress.  The oldest part of the building was built in 1270.  The way it looks today was built around 1563.  It was during this time that Denmark ruled over Norway.  In 1944 a cargo ship carrying explosives exploded next to the tower and collapsed the upper floors.  When reconstruction was started in 1960 they discovered the original construction of the tower.  This was what we saw on our walk through very narrow passages and cramped stairways.

A large festival is being held in the area around the tower called “Feelings Festival”.  We heard some of their music late into the night.

With the owner of Pinocchio’s 

Our friends, John and Susanna, met us for drinks after dinner at a delightful Bar and Restaurant called Pinoccio’s owned by an American chef and his Norwegian wife.  Highly recommend it!