An Arctic Baptism

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During the night we sailed through Bronnoysund, Sandnessjoen, and Nesna and at 7.45am this morning there is an announcement that we would be crossing the Arctic Circle. Not wanting to miss it, we head to Deck 7 and carefully make our way outside to get a glimpse of the famous globe shaped marker located on a small island which marks 66 degrees 33 minutes north, between Nesna and Ornes. This marks the southernmost point in the Northern Hemisphere where the sun stays above or below the horizon during the respective solstices.

As we pass, the ship's horn is sounded and we are now officially above the circle. There is so much ice on the deck, you have to really be careful not to slip over and with so many people all clamouring for photo's it was full on for the few minutes as we sailed past. Crossing this line is a festive occasion aboard the ship, with a competition held to guess the exact time we'll make the crossing and all passengers have the opportunity to enter.

Another tradition onboard is the Polar Circle Baptism, which involves passengers being welcomed into the elite group that has visited this latitude on Earth. One of the crew dresses up as King Neptune and along with the captain, passengers have the opportunity to be 'baptised' by having ice cubes poured over your head and down your back. Not wanting to miss this experience, we both partake in the baptism and because Trav doesn't react the first time, he gets a second ladle of ice poured down his back.

Plenty of photo's are taken and the expressions on our face are priceless. Luckily, to celebrate our baptism we are given a shot of cloudberry schnapps, which goes down a treat. Then, it's back to our cabin to get changed as we're both wet throughout. Peeling off our layers, there's ice coming out all over the place!!!

Our next port stop is the town of Bodo, and Trav is interested in going to the Aviation Museum so lines up a few of the guys to do their own excursion, catching a bus and visiting the museum. Not really my cup of tea, I head into town with fellow passenger Joanne who we befriended back on day 1. We wander around in the fresh air, exploring the harbour, the town centre and even find some street art (can't get over the amount of street art over here).
Popping into a shopping centre, I'm on a mission to find a bottle shop to buy some Jack Daniels. I've previously mentioned the price of alcohol on the ship and have no hesitation in paying AUS$68 for a 700ml bottle. Although we're not meant to bring alcohol onboard, there's no security or scanning so we figure what they don't know won't hurt and I'm sure plenty of other passengers are doing the same thing.

Arriving in Stamsund at 7.00pm, we have our second excursion - Meet and have dinner with the Vikings. We're met at port by a guy dressed as a viking (our guide) and during our 45minute bus trip he gives us loads of information about the history and traditions of the Vikings. The mood on the bus is light and everyone is excited and looking forward to our dinner.We arrive at the Chieftan's longhouse, and have a short walk before we're greeted by the Chieftan's wife. She welcomes us to the house and we all take a seat on wooden benches. Next, a priestess appears and there's a sacrificial ceremony to the gods (no animals or people were harmed, mind you) and then we meet the Chieftan, Olaf. He has a house maiden called Sigrid, who he asks to sing and she has such a haunting yet beautiful voice.

After all the ceremonies are over, we are served our dinner and what a feast it is. Roast lamb, carrots, parsnips, barley and freshly cooked bread, along with glasses of mead to wash it down. Can't say I liked the mead - a mixture of honey, blended with fruit, spices and grains. It was so sweet but Trav had no problem drinking three glasses. Throughout the meal, there are constant requests to raise our glasses and 'Skol'.

Once the meal is over, we're all invited to gather around the pit fire and join in a traditional Viking dance. You didn't have to ask me twice, I was down there like a flash whereas Trav was happy to hang back and just video me. It was so much fun, and everyone was in such high spirits (maybe it was the mead, or perhaps just the atmosphere). The night concluded with a quick tour of the Viking museum, which was actually just another section of the longhouse before we got a few photo's with our hosts.

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