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Northern Norway July 2013

Helen Rose Hill Diary
This summer I went on a cruise to the High Arctic and this will be the first of three blogs on this unusual and exciting trip. I like cruises as everyday you wake up somewhere new without the hassle of packing and unpacking! The cabin is home for two weeks. Fortunately I am not prone to seasickness as the sea can be rough in these high northern latitudes.
The cruise left Leith in Scotland and a few days later, we arrived in Andalsnes which is in the Norwegian fiords but below the Arctic Circle. Although I have been to Greenland and Iceland I have never been above the Arctic Circle. Norway is the most expensive country in the world and has a very high standard of living. Therefore, we booked on the organised trips from the ship and avoided actually buying anything in Norway. The first trip was to the Troll Road outside Andalsnes. Andalsnes is backed by steep mountains and situated in the Romsdalfjord on the banks of the Raume River. The route passed the Trollviggen (Troll Wall), known as a popular rock climbing area but was shrouded in mist on our visit. It is the highest overhang in Europe. The bus climbed the steep and precipitous road of the Trollstigen around eleven hairpin bends to 3000 feet above the Isterdal Valley. At the top there were stupendous views down the valley and the Stigfossen Waterfall.
The ship sailed on crossing the Arctic Circle to Tromso and the most northern cathedral in the world. Tromso is known as the Gateway to the Arctic. It also has the world’s most northern university and brewery! By now we had reached so far north it was light all the time for four months. Conversely, it is dark for four months in the winter! In summer, people have BBQs at two o’clock in the morning. We had blackout curtains in the cabin so we managed to have a normal sleeping pattern. Although at a high latitude, it is mild weather due to the Gulf Stream.
In Tromso the folk museum was fascinating on the insight to the lives of the Sami people (Laplanders). The Sami life was based on reindeer using the fur for clothing. They were Nomadic but as an Ethnic minority they are well integrated to Norwegian life now. We took the cable car to the summit of Storsteinen to take in the views over the islands of Tromso including the Tromsobrua (bridge).
The following day we arrived in Honningsvag, a large village on the north coast and the largest fishing port in Norway. From there, we travelled by bus to Northkapp which claims to be the most northernmost land in the world although this is disputed by other northern countries. The weather was glorious and I met Chloe from Annecy in the French Alps and her dog Feline. She had cycled all the way from France on her own with the dog in a trailer to the bike. A sort of portable dog kennel! She was returning via the Lofoten Islands. This achievement makes my Munro completion pale into insignificance! The cliffs fall away dramatically at North Cape and we later saw the famous Globe on the top when we were at sea. On the way back to the ship, we passed a herd of reindeer.
This cruise was fantastic and there is yet more to come! There is so much more I could have written about Norway but go and see for yourself.
Coming attractions; Svalbard and the Faeroes.
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