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Published: June 26th 2017
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Geo: 69.6489, 18.9551
Our Sunday started at midnight with a concert in the Arctic Cathedral in Tromso. We were given a wonderful hour of music from three talented musicians. The soprano Anne-Berit Buvik had a soaring voice which did justice to a beautiful rendition of Ave Maria and several haunting Norwegian folk songs including Solveig's song from Peer Gynt. The flautist, Hanne-Sofie Akselsen played both flute and spring flute and the pianist, Robert Frantzen added wonderful depth to both traditional Norse music as well his own arrangements. Truly a night to remember.
The day's sailing along the fjords proved to be magnificent. We had wonderful sunshine and the sea was like glass. We sailed from Harstad between two islands,Andoya and Hinnoya. We stopped briefly in Risoyhamn to see the stone which has been signed by three different kings of Norway, the first in 1922 and the latest in 2012. There were several bridges here spanning between the islands and we passed under a couple .As we came into Sortland the two buses bringing some of the passengers back from an excursion passed over the bridge just as we were going under and all of us on board waved balloons etc to greet them.
The
next stop was at Stokmarnes where there is a Museum about the Hurtigruten or Coastal Express which was established in 1881. There we saw relics of the early ships and went on board the Finnmark decked out as it was in the 50s. After this the beauty of the fjords awaited us. We sailed through Raftsundset, a 20km long strait where either side 1,000m peaks tower above and it is quite narrow. The best section was when we turned into Trollfjord which is 2km long and only 100m wide at the entrance which is hidden. Spectacular soaring peaks and waterfalls awaited us. It is supposedly where the Trolls live though we didn't manage to see any!! This was truly beautiful especially with the sun shining and the peaks glimmering.
Our final stop for the day was at Svolvaer, the capital of Lofoten. This is a main centre for the fishing industry as well as being a base for skiers during the winter. Here we were told were two attractions within walking distance of the ship. The first we went into was the World War 2 Museum. Norway was occupied by the Germans from 1941-44 and this collection is outstanding. I haven't
seen such a gathering of uniforms and artefacts in a small place like this. Relics of the Tirpitz which was sunk near Tromso, Nazi uniforms, Allied uniforms, Norwegian snow outfits abounded. One room is set up as a Gestapo office. I found the Christmas tree with its swastika baubles very ironic!
The second place was unique. This was Magic Ice, an ice bar where even the glasses are made of ice. Inside there are fantastic ice sculptures all kept at a stable minus 6 degrees We were given fur lined cloaks and gloves to enter. What a magic world. We sat on our reindeer skin covered seats and drank our G & Ts while blowing steam from our mouths and marvelled at the wonderful shapes around us. A lot of fun!!
The day finished with a lovely meal. This trip is providing us with experiences we will long treasure.
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Jo Armour
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Magnificent!!!