I booked this trip through JourneyWoman, a solo travel group for women over 50. It was one of a number of trips they put together to celebrate their 30th anniversary. A special Northern Lights Expedition cruise on Hurtigruten from Bergen to Kirkenes. A great deal with the single supplement being waived! My friend Peggy decided to join me for this adventure.

Everything in BLUE is a link to more information!

Dec 3 & 4 Tues and Wed.

Arrived at the airport (YVR) just after 11AM. Checked in, thru security, no issues. Was on Air Canada to Frankfurt then Lufthansa (code share) to Oslo. Flight left on time at 1:30PM. Seat config was 2-4-2. I had a window but on the wrong side of the plane! Had hoped to catch a glimpse of northern lights en route but oh well. Good flight. Managed to sleep for a few hours. Arrived in Frankfurt on time, through immigration and headed to the gate for my flight to Oslo. Only had a 2 hour window but all went smoothly and luggage had been checked thru so didn’t have to worry about that.

Peggy had messaged at some point during my flight to say her flight from Calgary (Westjet) had been delayed and she may miss her connection in Paris!! She was to arrive in Oslo a few hours after me. I went online and checked her flight arrival time at CDG and it looked like she could make it but would be a really tight connection…..my fingers were crossed for her.

The flight to Oslo was just short of two hours. Arrived just after 1PM. Grabbed my luggage, checked the arrival time of Peggy’s flight from Paris and was glad to see it had been delayed too by over an hour so was hoping she’d make it. Found the kiosk to buy the “Flytoget” tickets for the train into Oslo. Its the cheapest and quickest way to get there……$30CDN for a 20 min. train ride. It would take at least 40-50 min by taxi and cost well over $100. Was trying to figure out which stop was the National Theatre stop and a lady came along to help (?) but ended up with a ticket to Central Station instead, which was the stop before I should have gotten off. Ah well.

Bright sunny day so a great train ride into the city. Pretty fields dusted with snow, nice farmhouses and red barns……quite idyllic really!

Arrived at Central Station. I could have walked (26 min according to google maps) but it was a bit chilly and I was tired so tried to get an Uber….no luck but I did find a taxi right across from the station. Only a few minute drive to the apartment on a street a block or two over from the main road. Some very pretty pastel coloured buildings, cafes etc. The city is really bustling, saw the Christmas market, a number of pedestrian only streets. Taxi was 240NOK, around $35CDN, but was worth it. A bit of a maze around the apartment and the taxi took the wrong fork in the road. He stopped and checked his map and was sure it was right around the corner so I told him I could just walk. He said to wait…..he got out and walked around the corner to make sure it was there and then came back and walked me and my luggage to the door! How nice!

We’re here at the Maya Apartments for two nights. A one bedroom with a fold out couch in the living room, kitchen-ish (coffee/tea, sugar provided) and a big bathroom with a heated floor! Top floor with a little balcony and a bit of a view. Total is $170Cdn for the two nights, so the deal of the century for Oslo!

Peggy messaged to say she would make the flight and would be in around 5. I decided to have a look around the area and to find someplace to pick up a bottle of wine. The train station that I should have gone to is a 5 minute walk. Quite a big station with shops etc. Checked out where Peggy would come from when she arrived. A few restaurants near us. I went into one and asked where I could buy a bottle of wine……only from the government liquor stores called Vinmonopolet. I should have just had something to eat and ordered a bottle, which I could have taken with me…..ah well!

Was just after that when she called to say she’d arrived but her luggage didn’t. Checked her airtags and saw that they were still in Paris. They gave her numbers to call and get it sorted out later. Told her to buy and FTG ticket for the theatre station, not central station, and I’d meet her at the top of the escalator, which I did.

A quick stop back at the apartment for her to make a couple of phone calls. Good news was that her bag would be on the flight from Paris that comes in at 11:30 tonight. They told her they could deliver it tomorrow but we didn’t want to hang around waiting so she asked that they hold it and she’d go back in the morning to pick it up.

All that done we headed out to find dinner. Definitely needed a winter coat and gloves but wasn’t as cold as I expected. Had a quick little walk through the Christmas market but we’ll have a better look tomorrow. Busy place! The buildings around the market are all lit up for Christmas……very pretty and subtle with just lots of plain white lights, especially the Grand Hotel. A big lit up ferris wheel and a trellis covered walkway all lit up. Very festive! Restaurants around there were really busy with line ups. The Parliament building looks pretty impressive inside….hope we get a chance to go in an have a look at the beautiful ceiling.

Found a pub just around the corner. A glass of prosecco to celebrate our arrival to start. I had the “beef smorgbrod” which was an open-face sandwich on rye, Peggy had the salmon, both were quite tasty. A couple of glasses of wine to go with them. Mine came to around $40Cdn.

Wandered around a bit more after dinner then just back to the apartment around 10. Started to snow lightly so everything looked even prettier! Long, long day(s) for both of us…..and no wine to sip on! Good news….P’s luggage was en route to Oslo! Thank goodness for Airtags!!

I took the sofa bed, which is fine. Snowing more by then and sticking……very pretty!

Dec 5 Thurs

Slept pretty good! To bed just before 11 and didn’t wake up until after 5AM!

Found a place for coffee and breakfast around the corner. Peggy called to confirm her luggage was at the airport so she headed back there to pick it up.

I went off to explore and find the Vinmonopolet. Was about a 10 minute walk. It’s huge! They sell wine and all other spirits where the alcohol content is over 4.75%. Tons of wine from all over and a great variety of other liquors. Got a bottle of Sauv Blanc from NZ. The store is in a great area called Aker Brygge at the marina. Lots of restaurants, shops, a mall, plazas and where the ferries come in, big and small. Great view across the bay of the Akershus Fortress. Was just about 11 so headed back to the apartment to wait for Peggy who arrived a few minutes later with her bag in tow!

Off to the Christmas Market via the waterfront so a bit of a long way around but such a nice area to explore. The Oslo Museum and the Nobel Peace Centre. The market has lots of stands selling Christmas ornaments (not made in Norway!), a few artisan/craft places, lots of sausage and cheese places….all the same company just with lots of stands. Stopped for a glogg (wine only) to warm up…..was quite chilly. Bought a nice hat but nothing else. Was a bit underwhelmed by it really. Was hoping for more local crafts and foods etc. but most stands seemed to be commercial type places, like the sausage and cheese ones. Food stands selling waffles, churro type things, other pastries, hotdogs etc. But it was a fun place. Lots going on and very busy. A ferris wheel, skating rink, a bar or two and along the pedestrian only street they have warming areas, sort of a fire pit with benches around it, all along the market.

Time for lunch before our walking tour but every place was busy so worked our way to Central Station, our meeting point, and stopped at TGIF Fridays for a quick lunch and then went in search of a bank machine so we could pay our tour guide. None to be found. Did find a FOREX exchange place but way too expensive to convert US or Cdn. Met Anders, the guide, and the other 6 people in our group. He assured us that we would pass an ATM in our travels later. Was an OK tour……mostly centered around the Christmas market area. He’s a chef so chatted about the local and traditional foods, along with all the points of interest on the way from the station to the market, history (good and bad), politics (democratic socialist govt). On to the Christmas market. Had samples of a number of the different foods, talked about Christmas foods and traditions. Sampled sausage, cheese that was mostly from the Netherlands….kind of disappointed we didn’t see any “brown” cheese…..jams and various other preserves (commercial).

At the end of the tour he told us about the“Grunerlokka” district that was kind of the up and coming eating/drinking area in Oslo. He showed us the direction to go and that it was maybe just over a 1km walk. So off we went……was definitely more than a kilometer! And we never did really find the trendy foodie area. It had started to snow and was getting a lot colder. We did find a bar called Bortenfor, I think. Was dark by then and sort of hard to figure out where we were exactly but it was along a creek or small river, kind of a funky warehouse type area. Asked our server and she said it was just over the little bridge. Warmed up enough after our wine to head back in search of a spot for dinner but we wandered around and around and just didn’t see anything exciting or any place to eat! We kind of gave up and decided to head back towards home because it was snowing pretty good at that point. Maybe we just didn’t walk far enough…..I don’t know.

Took us half the time to get back! Found a place just down the street from the apartment called Wine and Hummus, Lebanese food…..a meze place. We ordered a few dishes to share, kefte, falafel, eggplant something etc….and of course a couple glasses of wine! Was good.

Almost 10 by the time we came out. Was still snowing. Only a few minute walk back thank goodness. Pretty sure we’d already topped 20km today. A couple games of cards (Spite and Malice), finished off the wine I’d bought earlier.

Good day! The city is so pretty, especially at night. Most buildings are decorated for Christmas. The Grand Hotel was really nice, decorated and lit up at night to look like a big advent calendar.

Dec 6 Fri

Up very early for our flight to Bergen. Left at 6:30. After all that snow last night there was none on the ground and it was spitting. Only a five minute walk to the Theatre train station. Flytogo too about 20 min. to the airport.

Got to the airport and there was almost a blizzard happening….at least 6 inches of snow on the ground and really coming down. Norwegian Airlines, got checked in and used the lounge pass for coffee and breakfast. A bit of a schmozzle at the gate….no plane! After a half hour they announced a gate change. Still waited a bit for the plane to arrive but we finally boarded. No one in the seat between Peggy and me! Already at least an hour behind schedule and then had to go for de-icing. Interesting watching that process!

Good flight, 55 minutes. Cloudy most of the way until just outside of Bergen. Lots of fjords and islands. Arrived in Bergen….6C and pouring rain!! Bergen is the rainiest city in Europe apparently!! Caught the Flybussen (170NOK) each. Just over a half hour into the city and the stop was right across from our hotel, the Scandic Byparken.

Could check in right away, dropped off the luggage and away we went….in the rain! Was just about noon so found a spot for lunch called Haven Bar & Restaurant. Kind of a funky place….. furniture looks like it came from at least one or two old restaurants/diners. Cute, fun waiter. Had a glass of wine and their special fish soup that was like a seafood chowder…..all was excellent.

Decided to leave the Christmas Market until tomorrow when the weather is supposed to be better. Just wandered around the city, in and out of shops. Bought two different kinds of “brown cheese”. Down to the waterfront…..great view across to Bryggen district, which is the old port and it’s on the UNESCO world heritage list!

Very pretty city even in the pouring rain…..and wind! A real mix of old and new and being right on the water (part of the North Sea) and the mountains makes it better. Checked out a big shopping mall, partly to get some reprieve from the rain and dry out a bit. Its on a big plaza surrounded by lots of shops and cafes. The Galleria, six floors, is very deceiving from outside….looks like an older building but incredibly modern and very pretty inside. Very nicely decorated for Christmas. Back out into the elements to find a Vinmonopolet to grab a couple bottles of wine and worked our way back to the hotel for a bit of a rest. Hope the weather is better tomorrow. Its such a pretty city, even in the rain.

Our room is adequate……has everything one needs but is really small. Barely room between the two beds and the only plug seems to be at the desk which is at the foot of the bed…..not good for a CPAP machine hook-up. The lights by the bed are in the headboard so no plugs visible. It works for one night!

Around 6:30-7 we asked the desk about restaurants for dinner close by because it was still pouring. Suggested an Latin American place a couple blocks away but it was full and booked up for the rest of the evening. Ended up at a Japanese place next door called Sumo. I think it’s sort of a chain restaurant. Food was really good. We ordered a few dished to share. Scallop gyoza, what we thought we tempura prawns but was tempura prawn rolls and delicious fried rice. Quite different from our local Japanese restaurants, menu wise, but all was very good.

Rain had stopped-ish by the time we were finished so took a walk to the Christmas Market. Market was closing at 9 and still quite busy at 8:30. Will have a better look tomorrow.

Back to the hotel. Down to the breakfast area, with our wine in coffee cups, to play a couple games of cards and plan our day for tomorrow. We don’t have to head to the ship until 4:30-5 so lots of time to explore.

Dec 7 Sat

Slept OK. No hurry this morning since the market doesn’t open until 10. Good hotel breakfast, lots of variety and good coffee. Packed up and checked out. They stored our luggage so that was great since we don’t have to be at the ship until 4 or 5. Weather was a little iffy…..took umbrellas just in case.

Five minute walk to the market at Festplassen. Great market!! Lots of local artisans, crafts and specialty products along with all the various Christmas type stuff. Chocolate, pastries, salami, cheese, jams etc. Food stands, a ferris wheel overlooking the lake….just a fun market atmosphere. Bought some “forest herb mixes”. Peggy bought a scarf. Beautiful stuff!

Headed to Bryggen and explored around there before taking the funicular called the “Floibanen” up to the top of Mount Floyen. Very pretty part of town….a bit touristy with horsedrawn carriages etc. Great views going up and spectacular views from the top. Was a bit sprinkley but still good. Nice restaurant and bar, so we stopped for a glass of wine. Great gift hop. Walked around the “Trollskogen“, a troll forest and playground for kids. A bunch of wood carvings of trolls and animals, good ones and some rather scary looking ones! Managed to catch our ship arriving down in the port before heading back down.

Bergen is a very pretty city…..a real mix of old, new modern buildings. Some brightly coloured. Walked through the outdoor fish market, “Mathallen”, on the way to find a place for lunch. More than fish really, sausages, veg. etc. Ended up at the indoor market foodhall. We both ordered the mussels which were really good! Came with bread too……we probably could have shared an order, so much food.

Back to the hotel to pick up our bags. Grabbed a taxi to the port. Big line up to check in. They do it in smaller groups. You check in at the counter and get your cabin number and card, then you go up to the “holding” area with coffee and pastry to wait your turn for the safety briefing. All the usual cruise muster type info but this one includes how to put on a “warm suit”!!

Inside cabin, deck 4, just as described. Has a TV which I’ll use as a “dashcam”! The bathroom, a bit smaller than the usual cruise ones, but it has a heated floor which heats up the whole room. Two beds to choose from…..one goes front to back and the other side to side…..chose the side to side so hopefully get rocked to sleep!

The JourneyWoman group gathered in the lounge for a little talk by Carolyn and then we all introduced ourselves. Went to dinner around 6:30-7ish. They have assigned us tables but all over the dining room….Carolyn is getting that sorted out for us for Monday. Tonight was buffet as is tomorrow night because of being an all day stop in Alesund tomorrow. There are approximately 30 people that signed up for this 30th anniversary trip! Other than dinner and a couple of group specific lectures we’re all own for organizing excursions or other activities.

Peggy and I found our assigned table for dinner. Sat with Carla from South Africa. She has a conservation group that does tours. Told her about my Africa trip a few years ago and she knows Leslie from Mama Tembo Tours in Zambia that organized our Uganda gorilla treks and Zambian safaris for us!! Small world! Her conservation work sounds really interesting. Another lady from Chicago, who’s name I can’t recall. Food was good, regular buffet type items……meat, fish, pasta, salads etc. Wine by the glass is around $15Cdn.

Sat around after in the lounge chatting with a few people. Bramani (sp?) and Ursula from Australia are a riot! We found a spot in the game room to play a couple hands of cards and that was it for the evening.

Dec 8 Sun

Slept pretty good. Woke up at some point during the night to some banging……I think my cabin is right above the loading area!

Alesund until 8PM today. Met Peggy for breakfast around 7:30. Good buffet with lots of variety. A quick stop in Torvik and arrived in Alesund at 9:45. Pretty sailing in to port. Big yellow building (school) up on the hill, lots of white buildings along the water. Hurtigruten has it’s own pier on the other side of town from the cruise terminal. It’s in a bit more of an industrial area but easy walking distance to the main part of the city. Off on our Art Nouveau Walking Tour (booked thru Hurtigruten $100US). Kind of a dull, grey day but its very pretty along the inner harbour with all the coloured buildings…..great reflection on the water. Not cold at all….around 8 or 9C.

Interesting tidbits from the tour. The city burnt to the ground in 1904 and was rebuilt as quickly as possible because it was winter. Architects and designers were brought in from around Europe to help. Everything had to be rebuilt with brick or cement so it could not be devastated by fire again. Art Nouveau was the “in” style of the time so they used it for a lot of the buildings. And because architects came from all over the design motifs on many of the buildings represent where they came from…..for example grapes and vines (Italy), sunflowers (France and Spain) etc. none of which grow in Norway! Art Nouveau (1890-1910) more detailed, colourful, floral and organic designs whereas Art Deco (1920-1930) rigid, geometrical, muted colours.

Visited the Jugenstilsenteret/Art Nouveau Centre and Museum. It was a pharmacy and private home that was very interesting. Much of the old apothecary furniture is still intact, now a gift shop. The home part had some beautiful glassware, ceramics and china. We then went to visit a local painter where we each got to pick one of his prints. That was pretty much the end of the tour…..lots of interesting info but definitely not worth the $100!! In all fairness to the guide I think part of the problem was mobility issues with a few people on the tour. The guide was very gracious with everyone but I think it slowed us down a lot so we may have missed a number of things normally included.

Decided to head back to the ship for lunch and then went back out to explore on our own. Went off in a different direction. A quick walk thru the Mall of Norway shopping centre. Fun place all decorated for Christmas. Some nice shops. Found St. Olavs Plass…..nice square with lots of nice shops and very nicely decorated for Christmas with lights, trees etc. Bought a pretty tea towel! Alesund isn’t very big so we pretty much covered most of what there was to see other than going up to the Fjellstua/Aksla Lookout…..418 steps apparently! Was almost 3, just about dark and had started to rain again so we just headed back to the ship.

Peggy went for a nap and I grabbed my journal and a glass of wine and up to lounge to update it. Chatted with a couple of the gals that were up there. Interesting bunch of ladies…..a few friends together, some on their own, two ladies with their husbands! Chatted with Karen G for a bit, she’s going to do a talk about journaling tomorrow I think.

Met Peggy for dinner around 7. Buffet again. Tomorrow night we have tables 9 – 27 or something like that on the port side of the ship. Carolyn suggested that we try to sit with different people each night to get to know everyone.

We left port at 8PM. Just after leaving there was nice samples of reindeer proscuitto being served out in the seating area on the Observation Deck. They were shaving it off the leg……served with a little dollop of cream. Very tasty! They also have a specialty drink of the day, that goes with the reindeer, that you can buy.

Peggy and I found the Library/Card room so had a game of spite and malice. A lady came over and asked if we played whist and would we like to join her and her husband. We did…..they had to remind us how to play but was fun. Steve and Frankie (she) from the Lake District, England. Nice couple and fun to chat with.

A night cap and to bed around 11. Have the phone set to a call if there are Northern Lights but doesn’t look like that’s going to happen.

Dec 9 Mon

Slept really good again! Not sure if it’s the rocking seas or the fact that it’s pitch black. Quick shower and decided that I must get heated floors for my bathroom when I get home! Although I had to leave the door open because not only the floors heated up but that tiny space warmed up a lot in a matter of minutes and turned into not just a shower but a steam bath too!

Grabbed a coffee and chatted the with Aussie ladies for a bit and met Peggy for breakfast at 8. Nice sail into Trondheim this morning thru the fjords. Starting to see a bit more snow on the mountains. Very pretty pink/red sky…..sailors take warning??? Arrived at 9:45 just as scheduled.

Trondheim is the 3rd largest city in Norway. Off the ship just before 10. Supposedly a 15 minute walk but seemed like we were only half way so we grabbed a taxi to the cathedral, that we shared with a lady that had been walking with us, to maximize our time to explore since we’d only be in port until 12:30. Once away from the commercial port…..that is where Hurtigruten ties up as opposed to cruiseship terminals, if there is one…….it’s very pretty city with bright coloured buildings along the waterfront.

The Nidaros Cathedral is the biggest northern medieval one in the world…..and it is massive and quite lovely. Built over King Olav’s burial site from the 10th century. It’s also mile 0 for a 400 mile pilgrimage route called St Olav’s Way. Beautiful, but rather stark too, inside. Huge organ, pretty stained glass, including a rose window, and marble floors with what look like zodiac signs.

A short walk to the Gamle Bybro. Originally built in the late 1600’s and was a city gate, also known as the Happiness Gate…..lots of good and bad history. Very pretty area with brightly coloured buildings on either side of the Nidelva River.

Off to the Christmas market in the main square/plaza. Really nice market! Lots of stalls with crafts and food, there’s the Trondheim Eye ferris wheel and music too. Bought a waffle cone that was very tasty but also very messy!

Nice walk back to the ship up and down a few of the streets which were really nicely decorated for Christmas….subtle but very pretty. A real mix of architecture here. New, old and everything in between including art deco and art nouveau. Stopped for coffee along the way. Came to a fantastic building along the river, the Powerhouse Brattorkaia. A really interesting building. The worlds northern most “energy positive building” creating more energy than it uses!

Back on board around 12:30, sail away at 12:45. The ship is very punctual with its arrival and departure times! Very pretty sailing back out to sea through a fjord, more snow and a number of little villages along the way. This afternoon on deck we had Norwegian mussels! Tiny but very tasty. Passed the Kjeungskjaer Lighthouse (built in 1880) which is the point where the Trondheim fjord meets the North Sea.

Was a great day temp wise as long as we stayed in the sun! By sunset, which was around 2:30 it had gotten quite windy and a lot chillier.

A great lecture this afternoon about the Norther Lights. He told us to ignore all the “aurora apps” that everyone had on their phones. Way more complex trying to predict them than checking an app. Explained all the electromagnetic fields, solar winds, charged particles, coronal mass explosions etc. all really interesting!

Before dinner we did a beer tasting……can’t remember the different kinds but a couple were pretty good.

Dinner was good tonight. Had the halibut, delicious!

By the time we’d finished dinner we were well out to sea so it had gotten really choppy and a mix of rain/sleet/snow on and off.

Played cards with Steve and Frankie. A night cap and to bed around 11…….after checking for the aurora but not a chance of seeing them. Very, very rough and stormy

Dec 10 Tues

Slept great again!! Was definitely rocked to sleep last night……heaven help anyone that gets seasick!! Much calmer this morning but a lot of people missing at breakfast!!

We crossed the Arctic Circle this morning around 8AM……there’s a marker that shows it. We got post cards showing the date and time.

Arrived in pretty Ornes for a quick stop. They are so efficient at loading and loading people, cars, supplies etc. and today they brought in the huge Christmas tree for the reception area. Ten minutes and we were back out to sea! Most of the stops are 10 to 30 minutes only other than the bigger places.

Up on deck we had the “crossing the Arctic Circle” celebration which included a visit from Njord the sea god and for those willing, ice poured down your neck! They had big buckets filled with ice and a lot of willing victims who were rewarded with a glass of Isplomme after…..it’s like an ice wine/cider drink. It felt really chilly but it said the temp was 7C! It was actually warmer here than at home…..go figure!

The wind had really picked up and so had the sea!! We had a 2 hour stop in Bodo and thought we might get off and go for a bit of a walk but too windy and rainy. At this point we are further north than Iceland so the furthest north I’ve ever been!

After lunch we had a lecture about the Sami people. Very interesting and informative. Lots of similarities to our First Nations people. Also had to deal with many of the same issues as our FN people with government trying to assimilate them and change their cultural heritage. The Sami people are from northern Norway, Sweden, Finland and part of Russia.

Fun watching them try to get the tree up! It’s huge and pretty much goes up the entire 6 decks…..lots of guidelines to keep it stable. All a bit tricky too when it’s rough.

Almost completely dark by 3PM today. After today we will experience “Polar Night” for the rest of our time on the ship.

Very rough this afternoon! Very cold and windy too. We were supposed to sail up a scenic fjord that is lit up but that didn’t happen. I think we just had to get a move on because of the weather. Incredible that it can change so fast!

Another great dinner tonight! Had the smoked halibut appie and the leg of lamb for dinner and tried the blackcurrent mouse with brown cheese ice cream and caramel sauce…..was very good! One of the table mates tonight was Nancy from Alberta!

Really rocking and rolling during and after dinner tonight. Lots of cloud but the moon pops out every now and again……there is hope that we may get a glimpse of the aurora!

Cards with F and S, nightcaps in the bar and to bed around 11.

Dec 11 Wed

Wow!! Pretty sure I actually lifted off the bed a few times last night…..incredibly rough but I still slept pretty good. Didn’t get up until 8…..I never sleep that late! Not busy at breakfast!

Snow…..lots of it this morning and much bigger mountains covered in it. Very pretty sailing in a fjord to Finnsness…and much calmer. Was supposed to be a 30 minute stop but they extended it by another 30 min. Was cloudy but not snowing when we arrived and with the extra half hour thought we’d take a little walk around but within 5 minutes it had gone from cloudy to blizzard and very cold…..just crazy! Apparently we missed a couple ports last night because of the weather!

The blizzard let up so great scenic cruising for a couple hours thru the fjords on our way to Tromso. Very narrow in some places and the prettiest Christmas card villages dotting the coast. The mountains here are completely covered in snow and much, much bigger than we’ve seen so far. It would be amazing to do this trip in February or March when there is still lots of snow and more daylight!

Arrived in Tromso just after 2:30 so a bit behind schedule. Luckily the snow had stopped and the wind had died down so off we went with our ice cleats* on and an extra layer of clothing! The ship ties up right in town so a five minute walk. What a pretty town this is! Everything lit up, because it’s dark at 3, very pretty decorations up and down the streets. The city is divided in two by the inlet. We’re in the “downtown area” and then across the inlet and over the bridge is the Arctic Cathedral, which looks beautiful….very modern… and the cable car that you can take up the mountain.

*I highly recommend ice cleats if going this time of year. About $15-20 on Amazon or at a sporting goods store.

First stop was the ice bar called Magic Ice…..we didn’t end up going in as there was like a $35 cover charge that got you one drink!! And we only had 4 hours in Tromso so headed to the Nordnorsk Kunstmuseum to see the Sami displays. Very informative and interesting…..much of the art is similar to our FN. No totems though…..they use singing instead to tell their stories that can be about a person, people, animals or places. The songs are passed on to keep the history going.

Was a very good thing having our cleats….very icy and slippery in lots of places. On to the Troll Museum! What a funky, fun place that is. You follow the troll foot prints around. Tells all the stories and folklore about trolls, the people that wrote stories about them, places they “hang out”, landmarks, some interaction stuff for kids (an adults!) like turning you into a troll in a mirror! Was lots of fun.

A quick stop at the Sami store…..found my troll Christmas ornament! Lots of beautiful stuff! Almost all is made by the Sami people.

Off on a walk to explore a bit more and a mega storm blew in!! In a matter of seconds sleet or freezing snow was blowing and whirling around….could barely see 10ft in front of us. It was coming down so hard and so fast it was actually stinging the back of my legs through my jeans!! Five or six minutes and just like that it was over as fast as it started! Unbelievable!

Lots of nice shops, a couple pedestrian only streets decorated nicely. The Tromso Cathedral, painted yellow, is just lovely!

Found a nice little funky bar to pop into to warm up and have a cocktail. No Stress Bar…..I think they’re a chain because we saw one in Bergen too. Fun spot, cute lights made out of multiple lamp shades! Chatted with the lady at the next table from Canada who was traveling on her own and thoroughly enjoying it!

Nice but chilly walk back to the ship just before 6. Clear skies, even the moon was shining! Once on board discovered that they had delayed leaving due to bad weather…..obviously somewhere along our route but not right in Tromso.

Tonight was Norwegian Night for dinner. It was a seafood buffet! Lots of fish, prawns, more mussels and crab but not the king crab that we’d been told all about. It’s an invasive species in the North Sea because they spread rapidly and whatever it is they eat it messes up the local ecosystem. They do have it in the specialty restaurant but it’s really expensive. When I asked why so expensive it’s because eventhough they’re trying to get rid of it they still have to catch it/trap it so a lot of work. Sat with a couple ladies from New York so picked their brains about where to stay and what to see in my worldwind two days there in February. After dinner the waiters did a fun little dance and parade through the dining room.

I think it was after 8 by the time we left Tromso, so a couple hours behind schedule. Very pretty cruising along tonight, more pretty villages, and the snow covered mountains right into the water! Once out of the fjords it started to get really, really rough….like hard to walk around on the ship!

Popped out on the upper deck to get a better look but there was lots of snow on the deck and it was pretty windy and freezing cold so impossible to stay out there for too long…..and I was afraid to get too close to the railing because we were really rocking and rolling.

Played a game of whist with F and S, then Peggy and I played a couple games of spite and malice….somehow managed to get to our game table without spilling our drinks all over the place. Made our wobbley way to the bar for a nightcap but tonight instead of waiting at the bar for our drink like we usually do the bartender told us to go ahead and have a seat and he’d bring them to us…..good thing because pretty sure we would have lost half of it just walking the 15ft to our seats. It was really crazy but had faith in our Captain since he does this all the time, right??? We missed at least one or maybe two stops tonight because of the rough seas….not sure how often that happens.

The moon was still out when I went to bed so hoping for that aurora call!!

Dec 12 Thurs

Lots of bouncing around again last night…..but once I fell asleep that was it!

A lot more snow today. The top deck has at least six inches and was still coming down……or up!!! It never seems to land, just swirls around and around. Very cold and windy. Absolutely beautiful but very rough cruising thru the fjords. Missed more stops overnight and we seem to be late arriving at some this morning. A very quick stop in Havoysund and then out into the open sea. We were supposed to stop in Skarsvag to drop off the people doing the Nord Capp excursion but they had to cancel the stop. Not sure if it was the weather or just because they were already way behind schedule.

Had a real quick lunch before our stop in Honningsvag. Arrived around noon so at least an hour behind. Three hour stop so got bundled up and headed out quickly to do some exploring….thankfully it was just very cold and very windy, not really snowing though, a few flakes here and there.

Northern most town/city in Norway. Cute place, not very big but s few shops, a grocery store AND a Vinmonopolet and a couple of bars. You can climb up the mountain behind the town to a lookout point…..a couple of the gals did and said it was tough but worth it for the view. Stopped in the grocery store to do a little price comparing. Prices seemed pretty comparable to ours at home except for grapes and tomatoes that we a lot cheaper!! On to the vinmonopolet, which was very well stocked for such a small place! Picked up a couple of canned gin and tonics to sneak out later on the ship! Met up with a couple ladies that were on their way to get groceries with their foot sleds called “sparks”. I tried one out and can see how convenient they are especially on the slippery, snowy streets!

Was time to head back to the ship so we started walking along the marina but it was so windy it was unbelievable…….when a big gust comes along it literally takes your knees out!! Thought we could actually get blown into the water so moved up to the next street. Just crazy! A quick stop in the Sami market and back on board.

2:30PM and it was dark except for the moon peaking out now and then through the clouds so we got a good look at the mountains up behind the town……so pretty! Left town just after 3. Tons of snow on the top deck today.

Great talk this afternoon by Carla Geyser, one of the JourneyWoman group. She operates a conservation/tour company in South Africa called the Blue Sky Society Trust. She explained how she got involved in conservation, how the company started and what they’re doing now. All very interesting and if I didn’t already have a trip to Africa coming up in February I think I would have joined the group she’s put together for JW in the spring.

Our last dinner tonight! Was a great menu again. Had the Arctic Char which was delicious! We were treated to glasses of bubbly, Havets Bobler (bubbles from the sea!). Aged in the sea just above the Arctic circle! Was very tasty and wouldn’t have minded another glass…..or two!

The sea was beyond rough tonight!! Almost impossible to walk around…..pretty sure I was airborne a couple times. Played cards with F and S, managed to secretly drink our canned G & T’s. They were really good!

Went to check outside on deck 6…..just wild! Another couple of inches of snow, more coming down, super blustery, blizzarding AND really cold! Pretty sure we were well out to sea in unprotected water going over the northern tip of Norway.

To the bar for our nightcaps……the bar tender again delivered them to us. Chatted with a couple of the JW gals on their way through. Was a good “group tour” in that we met some lovely people and enjoyed visiting with them and their company at dinner but other than a couple little group things organized, everyone was pretty much on their own to do their own thing! Nothing organized that tied you down but still had people to visit and chat with if you chose to.

Back to my cabin to reorganize and pack up. We’re off the ship around 9AM tomorrow.

To bed around 11……..lots of rocking and rolling!

Dec 13 Fri (!!!)

Up early for breakfast! Finished packing up, got my account settled….around $400Cdn which was not too bad considering it included over $100US for that tour in Alesund.

A quick stop in Vadso…….freezing, blowing snow! Was clear for our arrival in Kirkenes around 9. Lots of ice in the port…..could hear it crunching as the ship was docking! Looks like it might be an interesting place to explore but no time for that unfortunately. On the bus to the airport (paid in advance on the ship so included in my account total). Nice drive through the city. We are only a few miles from the Russian border. At one time they offered an excursion to visit the border but it’s no longer being done.

Small but very busy airport…..at least two planes leaving around noon. We had a couple hours before our flight back to Oslo which was a good thing as it took forever going through security. Sat around chatting with some of our group that were heading back too. A number of people were staying in Kirkenes for a couple days, some staying at the Ice Hotel!

Our flight was at 12 (Norwegian) and an SAS one was at 11:50, both going to Oslo. Looked like half our group was on the other flight. Had to go through a de-icing before we took off. Was very dusk-ish leaving almost looked like sunrise or sunset….didn’t check but it could have been either! Quite pretty flying out over the fjords in the twilight. Had an Oslo Brewing Co beer…..tasty!

Arrived in Oslo just have 2. Used the FtoG train into the city. Such as great, efficient service. Was lots of snow around the airport but none in the city. Was a bit of a walk dragging luggage from Central Station to our hotel, the Thon Hotel Cecil. Should have used the Theatre stop again…a few blocks closer and NOT up hill! The hotel is across from the Christmas market so a great location…..which you pay for!! Couldn’t check-in so dropped our bags and off to explore.

A quick trip through the market to pick up a couple last minute gifts and then down a couple of the pedestrian only streets, in an out of the shops. Found an IKEA so checked it out….a much smaller “compact” city version. Checked at the parliament building and found out they are open tomorrow so will pop in then and have a look…..the ceiling looks amazing from outside. Found a Vinmomopolet near the market so picked up a couple bottles of wine and back to the hotel to checkin-in. Also put on some warmer clothes…..had gotten very chilly.

Italian for dinner at Olivia Eger….was a bit of a wait but very good. Walked dinner off going thru the market again. Very busy on a Friday night. Long day and quite cold so just headed back to the hotel.

Nice sitting area/lounge on the top floor so we poured our wine into coffee cups and up there to play a couple games of cards and plan our day tomorrow. Great views out over the market, the Grand Hotel and streets lit up and the parliament building.

Dec 14 Sat.

Slept good but kind of missed the rocking and rolling! Woke up to a light covering of snow this morning.

OK breakfast, all the usual buffet type goodies. No egg guy. The breakfast room is very small and was really busy.

Out early to check out the parliament building. Had to check our coats and go through security. They send you up to the balcony, or visitor gallery, so we got a good look at the ceiling. Very impressive! There was a session going on, all the speakers speaking Norwegian of course so we had no clue that was being discussed. Glad we got to see it but didn’t stay too long. We weren’t able to go anywhere else in the building.

Was nice and bright and sunny when we came out but bitingly cold! And the streets were very slippery in some places which surprised both of us….not salt or sand so a bit treacherous in some places especially where the sun hadn’t hit.

Next stop was the Salt Market. Nice walk along the waterfront with the Opera House across Oslo fjord. Not sure but I think that whole area is referred to as “Salt”. There are saunas all along the water. You have your sauna and then dunk in the freezing cold water!! The market is really fun! Very lively, lots of food places, some entertainment and crafts and herb/forager stalls. They have the best warming area…..wooden benches surrounding handing fire pots/bowls. You can reserve spots at the warmers. Peggy and I had coffees and shared a pink popcorn donut! A number of places to get hotdogs and a food truck that had pizza among other things. I enjoyed it much more than the Christmas Market! I think its only open on weekends but might be open every day now because of Christmas. Fun place and definitely work the slippery walk!

Even with the sun out a lot of the sidewalks were still like skating rinks…..even with the good tread on my boots is was scary walking in some areas.

Walked back along the waterfront, passed a big skating rink with a number of people enjoying it, to the Opera House. What an impressive building inside and out!! It does what it was meant to do….blending in with the landscape and the fjord. People were walking on the roof. The sculpture out in the water is called “She Lies”. It is an interpretation of a painting called The Sea of Ice and represents an iceberg. It too blends in with the landscape. The inside is very open and Scandinavian in design, simple, clean lines, lots of glass…..quite lovely! There was a childrens Christmas show just starting when we arrived……free!! Watched for a while, lots of fun and tons of families. Nice little coffee shop and gift shop. There is a huge big “cloak room” area, part of which was filled with buggies and strollers. What amazed both of us was the fact that almost every stroller had a bag or a backpack and tons of coats etc. Obviously a very safe environment!

You can only see the inside if you have tickets or book a tour, which we did for tomorrow. Could not book the tour there, had to go online and find one, which worked good timewise.

Off to lunch at Villa Paradiso near the Munch Museum which was our next stop. Excellent museum! He was also a photographer. “The Scream” has many versions….who knew! They have 3 on display in a special room. To keep the exposure to light limited only one version is on display at a time for a 1/2 hour. The whole museum was great and well laid out. They have a nice bar and restaurant on the top floor with great views overlooking the city. Decided we’d have a glass of wine and enjoy the view. A very expensive glass of sauv blanc at $35CDN!!

Took a different route back to the hotel and found another No Stress bar but didn’t stop in. Found another closer to the hotel hoping to get dinner too but it didn’t serve meals…..snack stuff only so just had a drink and moved on. Dinner at To-To Public House…..was more like a diner but had a great dinner.

Couldn’t believe where the day had gone…..was almost 10 by the time we got back to the hotel. No cards because the lounge and breakfast rooms were locked up tight. Finished off our wine, updated journals and that was it.

Tomorrow night we’re at an airport hotel because my flight leaves at 6:20AM Monday morning and the FtoG doesn’t start running until 4 and wasn’t sure I wanted to traipse around up to the station at that time of morning.

Great day!

Dec 15 Sun

Crazy busy again at breakfast so went a little later….not a lot on offer at that point though. Took our time before checking out. They kept our luggage which was great.

Opera House tour was at 1PM so headed off in a different direction to do a bit more exploring. It had snowed overnight so quite a bit of snow and very, very slippery sidewalks again. Walked along the Kontraskjaert historical area. Nice big park, a big plaza with shops and cafes. We were close to the Askershus Fortress but not enough time to visit. Came to a beautiful building, sort of colonial I guess that was the home to the Oslo stock exchange. A very pretty area.

Lots of ice in the harbour this morning…..and lots of seagulls walking on it! A couple kids sledding down the roof of the Opera house! On to our tour that was fun and excellent! The outside is all carrera marble. It was finished in 2007. The tour started in one of the smaller secondary theatres where he explained all the history and workings of the opera and all the types of performances put on. We went through the rehearsal hall, the area where are the scenery is stored and built, all the various types of equipment, lighting, sound, cameras that are required for productions. The dressing rooms were impressive!! Sadly we weren’t allowed any photos. There are over a 1000 rooms that are used by artists, directors, seminars, training etc. The main theatre holds approximately 1400. All the walls are oak designed and built to maximize the acoustics. Very stark really in that Scandinavian way. Beautiful but simplistic. The whole building is pretty spectacular inside and out.

After the tour we had a coffee and pastry at the cafe then took a walk around the outside. Hadn’t warmed up at all, eventhough the sun popped out every now and again, so still very slippery pretty well everywhere. Watched the people from the saunas across the way taking a dip in the frozen bay. Looks like they’d cleared some of the ice around them. Crazy!! Seagulls walking around on the ice pecking away at bits of stuff (food bags??) that were frozen.

Walked back past the Central Station and up a street with some nice shops and a couple small malls. Some Christmas street entertainment including a Salvation Army band. Fun!

Started down towards the palace but just too slippery and very crowded so just yet another quick walk through the market and back to the hotel to pick up our luggage around 4:30.

Only a few minute walk to the FtoG Theatre Station thankfully. Only a 1/2 hour trip to the airport. Found the Clarion Hotel Shuttle and got checked in. It is a HUGE hotel!! And I’m sure our room is at the end of the longest hall!!

Ran into Nancy (Alberta) from our JW group in the lobby so she joined us for dinner just at the hotel. Dinner was good and it was really nice chatting with her.

Played cards in the breakfast area and finished off our wine. Was almost 11 by then so packed up and sort of went to bed!

Dec 16 Mon

Got ready and just kind of napped until my alarm went off at 3:00AM!! Said bye to Peggy (her flight isn’t until 11AM). Way too early for the included breakfast of course but the hotel provided a “snack pack” which was great. Shuttle picked me up at 4.

Checked in for my 6:20AM flight. Found the gate and grabbed a coffee until it was time to board.

Approximately a 2 hour flight to Frankfurt, no issues finding the gate for my connection. 11 hour flight to Vancouver. Managed to doze a bit on and off. Good flight, arrived just after noon. I again used the ArriveCan app for the advance declaration at customs…..really quick getting through. Luggage came along quickly.

Grabbed an UBER to Craig’s (my son) office. Went for lunch and he dropped me off at home.

Great trip!! No northern lights but was a great experience and lots of fun. Would love to back and do it again……maybe mid March when there is still snow but more daylight to really enjoy the beautiful fjords and scenery!