June 16 - Sea Day

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We need to begin today by correcting an error in yesterday's blog. Nordfjord is NOT the longest fjord in Norway. It is very long but is only the 6th longest in Norway. The Sognefjord is the longest fjord in Norway and more than twice as long as Nordfjord. We wanted to correct this mistake. Our guide must have said something like "one of the longest", and we don't know about other long fjords elsewhere in Europe. Sorry for the mistake.

Today we were sailing northeast along the coast of Norway, in the North Sea and heading toward the Norwegian Sea. We were told that the name Norway was derived from the original Norse language meaning "way to the north", as they sailed up the coast. It then began to refer to the land mass itself, and eventually became the name of the country Norway.

A few days back the night actually got dark again, mostly around England. Sailing north again we have pretty much given up darkness and there was light around the cabin curtain last night past midnight and back again by 3:00 AM. The captain announced today that we crossed the Arctic Circle about 3:00 PM and we will be in store for 24-hour sunlight with no sunsets for several days. Apparently, the Arctic Circle moves according to the tilt of the earth's axis and the moon's position, but it is currently just above 66 degrees north latitude.

A couple of items to add from yesterday. We included a picture of a house with a turf roof. This was the traditional way of insulating houses. Several layers of Birch bark sandwiched together in crisscross pattern keeps rainwater from penetrating and then about 6 inches of dirt results in a barrier to keep the heat in and the cold out during the winters. The grass just holds the dirt in place. This picture was an example of a fairly modern house using the old technique.

There was also a picture of rocks stacked along the road. Many Norwegians still believe in Trolls, who traditionally live in the rocks. Our guides have told us stories about the Trolls and how they impacted people who did not pay them enough respect. These rocks were stacked up to vaguely resemble the Trolls near a tunnel which had been dug through the mountain. We might scoff at this, but they seem to take it more seriously. There was a big sign clearly saying that the rocks should not be touched!

We included those pictures yesterday because the satellite internet connection is expected to become unstable the further north we go. Hopefully we can still send the text but waiting to transmit pictures could take a long time. So don't count on pictures for the next couple of days. Also, today the "live TV" channels on the television got real spotty reception - no current news channels or sports channels for a few days.

We got up this morning and went to the dining room. Today Janet just had bacon and eggs but David an open-faced omelet. Her choice actually was better. Then it was time for a couple of hours of knitting in the Crooner's Bar while David finished a book and started another one. We finished the morning by watching the Crew vs Passengers doing a Trivia Contest where the teams took turns answering questions. If they got it correct then the other team had to pull a block out of a giant Jenga tower, else the incorrect team had to pull one. It was fun to watch but obviously the tower eventually fell.

Back in the cabin we settled in for a restful afternoon. Yesterday's weather was really great but today it was pretty chilly out on the deck. It was only about 46 degrees and quite windy. People walking around outside were bundled up in their heavy sweaters or parkas. Anyway, David brought down some sandwiches and chips for lunch, along with drinks and desserts. He took a little rest while Janet watched a movie and then she had a nap later in the afternoon. So we are building up our supply of energy in preparation for "moderate" excursions both of the next 2 days.

Tonight we went to dinner. Janet had the Spaghetti & Giant Meatball, which certainly was large. David had Chicken Kiev. They were both good but very filling. After dinner was the Captain's Circle Cocktail Party for frequent cruisers. Since it would be essentially the same as on the Iceland leg of the cruise, Janet went back to the cabin instead. David went to the party, just to get the numbers for this cruise. The same 3 people won for "top cruisers" as on the previous part in Iceland - Shock! There are 395 first time cruisers, 277 Gold (1 previous cruise), 137 Ruby (at least 3 cruises), 544 Platinum (5 or more), and 667 people were Elite (15 or more cruises or att least 151 days).

We got some sad news by reading the St Louis newspaper. One of our friends back at Mason Pointe passed away recently. Joy's funeral will be held before we get back to town. We will miss her.

That's all for tonight. Hope we can get some sleep with the sun shining all night long.

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