One reason I took this cruise was to see - at long last - the Northern Lights. I've spent other times above the Arctic Circle, in Alaska and in Iceland, without lucking out on seeing the lights. I guess the umpteenth time's the charm!
On day 5 of the trip, after returning from the Viking excursion, a shipboard announcement said there were weak northern lights seen, get on deck! There followed a stampede up to the 7th floor deck!
That first night's viewing was in fact weak, but hell, it was a start!
A few nights later the lights were back and were much stronger
The white specks are stars
Unlike what is normally shown in videos of the lights, they did not dance or bounce about. Mind, they moved, and you could see them move, but the moves were slow, rather like watching smoke. Getting shots with my 'good' camera was a crap effort. I soon depended entirely on my Galaxy S22 for shots. For one thing, the cellphone has a 'Night Shot' setting and that was how I got shots worth keeping. My phone - as always - was hand held so sometimes the results were a bit blurry, but I got pretty good at holding still fairly quickly.
The Aurora Borealis can come in different colors. Mostly what I saw over many nights were green, but I did manage one night to catch a glimpse of pinkish light.
Band of pinkish lights
After the first couple of nights photographing and staring stupidly at the lights, it became rather routine. The announcement would tell everyone the lights were up, and everyone would calmly gather on their heaviest gear - it was freezing arse cold - and race up to gaze at the wonder that is the Aurora Borealis.
Loved the lights shining over mountains, looking like a volcano spurting green steam
Teensy bit of Pink in the middle band
Unbelievable how good cell phone cameras have become
The lights were just wonderous. One of the nights after everyone on deck was an icicle, the game ship crew brought out the hot boozy chocolate. What heaven to hold a hot tin mug in your stone, cold, hands.
They also gave out hot potato dumplings. Yum!
Hot Potato Dumplings for all
Getting prepared to dish out the hot drinks
I wish I could have videotaped the Northern Lights but as I said, it wasn't as if they were bouncing around. They just wafted overhead, bringing feelings of wonder to everyone's heart.
If you aren't the lead dog, this is the best view you're going to get
Ever since a visit to northern Minnesota in 2007, I promised myself to one day ride a dog sled. You know, shades of 'Call of the Wild' and 'White Fang'. For this trip, initially I signed up for 2 individual dog sled rides, scheduled in 2 different cities for the cruise. The first sled ride was canceled due to the lack of snow. So sad! The second dog sled ride was at the farthest northern stop off, in Kirkenes (pronounced 'Shirk-ee-nez') and there was snow so dog sledding was a 'go'!
The site with the dog sled rides was also the venue for the Ice Hotel. I could have visited the famed hotel, but I wasn't about to waste my energy getting there over a slippery surface of iced snow.
Pretty much as close as I got to the ice hotel
The ice hotel's interior is entirely just that - ice. Including the bar and the hotel rooms.
Also included in the Kirkenes excursion was a close up view of reindeer. Everyone carefully walked up icy stair steps to a wooden walkway poised over the reindeer pen. From there, several of Santa's best walked over to stare at us in return.
You can see all the tourists on the right on the walkway
I am always surprised to see that reindeer are much smaller than moose I suppose that has something to do with 8 of them to pull one massive, toy filled sleigh
Reindeer have the best hooves, all toe holds for not slipping on snow & ice
Balaclava
Done playing with reindeer games, we headed over to a shed where we could take advantage of cold weather gear, free to use for anyone hoping to not freeze to death on the sled ride. Available, were heavy duty gloves, full body snow suits and balaclavas (woolen face masks). In my excitement I asked a clerk for a 'baklava' (a dessert), then in a further flurry I spurted, "I meant balalaika", (a string instrument). I was joking of course (that's my story and I'm sticking to it).
Great Tit (told ya!)
Geared up in all the equipment listed above, I resembled a massive toddler in a snow suit. I stumped outside for a look around prior to our sled ride. Next to the gear shed was a pen full of playful Husky puppies. After a brief look at the pups, I waddled to a nearby group of pens where the local birdlife were gathered around some feeders. I took only crap photos, which I will blame on the gear I was wearing, not the photographer. There were the usual Hooded Crows, some Great Tits (get your mind out of the gutter, they are a type of tiny bird), European Magpies and the usual House Sparrows - I know you don't care but it's important to 'moi'.
Shortly before the ride began
In my imagination leading up to dog sledding, I was going to video the entire ride, however there is the matter of my massive snow suit. I'd put my cell phone -which frankly takes better pix and videos than my actual camera - into my jeans pocket and through two layers of outer clothing I could not access my jeans pocket to save my life. Ended up with sparse photos of the ride itself. Maybe next time, right?
My only photo of the actual ride, over Ila's shoulder
Enough complaining... the ride was so fun! The dogs were amazing, easily pulling passengers and their lady musher. The lady driver was wonderous. She told us her life story, having recently emigrated from Hungary to Norway to improve her chances of making a decent living. So here she was now, at her dream job, working with happy Huskies for more cash than she could earn as a teacher in Hungary.
I wasn't sure how far or how long the ride would last. I had imagined a route over hill and dale with us arriving in a different town. Nope. There is a route, a large loop that traverses perhaps a mile total, and we traveled over the trail, not once, but twice. The air was frigid and at one point we rode past a frozen lake where Hooded Crows hopped around the shoreline. The ride was fun, and now I'm doubly disappointed the first dogsled ride in Trombo had to be canceled.
The video below was quickly and expertly filmed by our lady dog musher. That's Ila in the front of the sled, and the giant tot in a snowsuit & Balaclava behind her is guess who? Scål!
The chieftain's wife greets all at the Viking longhouse
A small view of the v. massive longhouse
I so looked forward to this excursion. Being addicted to cosplay, I even considered attending this event in full Viking maiden costume. Thankfully I decided no one really needs that spectacle. The excursion bus was boarded at Stamsund. Throughout the drive to the Lofotr Viking Museum, a rather somber Viking told a bit of Viking history. Inside of an hour, we departed the bus at the site of a massive recreation of a Viking longhouse, based on an original one dated to 900 AD.
Plenty of atmosphere in the longhouse
The ship's passengers including me, were the honored guests to the Viking Cheftain's household. The feast began with the chieftain's wife beating a hand drum to open the required ceremony of sacrifices to the Norse gods. The sacrifices would hold the end of the world, aka Ragnaorok at arm's length.
Next, the resident witch entered the room and spoke the words that would keep us all safe.
The Viking cheftain next made his plea and vows to the gods (sadly, it's a rear view of the chef, draped in bearskins).
The ceremony complete, din-din was served. Here below is mine. Roast lamb with loganberry sauce, barley, carrot and turnips. There was a plentiful serving of sour cream and very old style triangles of grainy bread. All of it was delish and it was a delightful recreation of a genuine Viking meal.
The drinking glasses contain water on the left, and mead (honey wine) on the right
As the meal began, everyone's glasses, containing mead were hoisted up, everyone shouting SKÅL! along with our hosts. Scål,(which in English is 'Skol' which means Cheers or some such). Anyway, Scål was shouted with vigor at any and all excuses. Scål! See what I mean?
While the guests dug into their hearty meal, the hosts entertained all, with flute music and song. Scål!
Guests were also invited to take part in a dance around the room. Shockingly, I for once didn't partake - I wanted to film it instead, and the dance video is at the end of this post.
Stockfisk, split down the middle, then hung to dry
The meal was finished - Scål! - at leisure and we were told we could then visit the Viking Museum in the next room over. Entering the room you cross under 'stock fish' which are a type of cod, hung on long rods. The stock fish remain a valued export of modern Norway. Scål!
Fishing spears and other 'old school' tools
A separate room held a Viking asleep in his bed and sundries - Scål!
A huge ceramic Sea Serpent traversed the room - symbolically anyway...
Another Sea Serpent devouring a hapless eel
After a brief tour of the museum, I nervously left the longhouse, to traipse downhill along the well lit path, to the Museum store. No photos there because I was too busy gawking at the AWESOME goods for sale, the most tempting being the tankards identical to the ones from which I quaffed my mead and water. The metal bits were hand crafted by blacksmiths, and the glass, no doubt, hand blown. Sooo tempting! Scål!
How worried I was about missing the bus is that even though the bus only had 2 of the many passengers on it as yet, I didn't want to risk going back into the museum store and somehow miss catching the bus.
When the bus was finally full of happily stuffed folk, the bus headed north. The cool thing was although we disembarked the ship in Stamsund, we were to catch up with and get back on board in the town of Svolvaer. Here is the short vid of the evening of wining and dining with the Vikings, without any worry of the delightful calories consumed at the meal. Scål!
