Cruising

It is around noon on the third day on the ship Midnatsol in the Hurtigruten line. We are in the harbor at Trondheim and departing shortly. I am loving this ship, except the internet access is really really bad, so I'm afraid I have gotten behind in my blogging. I've now rescued the iPad keyboard from my stowed suitcase, so I can at least compose offline to upload to Blogspot when we hit a good place. Photos are on the phone and the computer however, so I may have to add media later. I have been doing some videos on Facebook, so for the five or six of you following my adventures via the blog, you might want to check FB as well.

Our cabin on the ship is much bigger than I expected. I'm not saying it is roomy, but at least we don't have to climb over each other to get in and out, and the shelves were adequate for our stuff. Only two electrical outlets in the room, though, and Ann and I both are electronics queens. Since the electric in the room is off when there is no room key in the slot, we have to trade off recharging of phones and iPads at bedtime. Fortunately I got an iGo adapter, which pretty quickly charges two USB devices at once. I just realized this is interesting to no one but me. Oops. Anyway, cabin good, gadget preparation great, onboard gadget support not so good.

We left Bergen at night, and it was just beautiful. I was too exhausted and chilly to stay on the top deck all the way out of the harbor, and I haven't got the settings down for night shots on my camera, but it really was fun slipping out into the night. I did make the mistake of looking over the side of the boat once, and Stan will understand what I mean if I say I have not made that mistake again. Because we are following the Norwegian coast, we are in sheltered waters for most of the trip, and when we do turn to open sea, we get a warning, but all we've had is what I would call a gentle rocking at those times. For the most part, I can't even tell we are moving.

The food is great, but it is a crazed feeding frenzy when it is an open seating buffet. I'm not keen on the forced congeniality of the assigned seating meals, but I must confess they go more smoothly. Last night I had my first taste of clipfisk--I loved it--and I didn't even know I was eating fish. Our table companions seem very nice, so I look forward to more enjoyable dinners. That Ann bought a bottle of yummy wine for us isn't so bad either.  

Our first full day, Sunday 2 October, I got up early to see the sunrise on the deck. We were moored at Ålesund, where we had planned an architectural excursion. I was so taken with the sky and the sea and the views from the deck that I skipped the walk into town and stayed on the boat writing and looking out to sea. And snapping several dozen photos. Most of the passengers were in town, so it was great to be on the top deck with only a couple of other people. The weather was warm and bright--very unusual for Norway at this time of year, and that sunny warmth has continued today, Monday. Sunset was equally spectacular, so the Canon got a lot of use then too. I'm going to try to make sunrise and sunset on the top deck most mornings. Sunrise is not too early, and as we move north it will get later. I realize I can't depend on this extraordinary weather lasting, but I will enjoy it as much as possible while I can.

This is a very different part of my trip. It is still Norway, but it is Norway at a distance. Norway as a travelogue, as a set of pretty pictures. Jumping off the ship to walk around a town for a couple of hours is not appealing to me, though we did it today in Trondheim (I'll write about Trondheim at length later, as I am spending three days there at the end of the cruise). We could be walking anywhere, in any cute village along any pretty street. We are surrounded by tourists from our ship, and there is never more than a couple of hours before loading up for the next thing. But the ride itself is extraordinary. Norway's coastal beauty is unbelievably exciting. I know people come here to chase the midnight sun in summer, but the changing leaves and the sea and sky of fall--realizing we have exceptional weather right now--is another kind of fabulous I am glad to experience. We have passed hundreds of islands already, from ones that are merely rocks to small fishing villages. Sadly, we are too late in the season for the small boat tour to the Lofoten Islands up north; I really wanted to do that.

I have this overwhelming feeling sometimes as I look at the coast from the upper deck that I want to run to shore and hug a mountain. Literally, I have a desire to hug the land--to put my arms around it and squeeze.


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Location:Trondheim, Norway