Boating Adventures

We’re in Amsterdam, heading home tomorrow.  Had another travel challenge when we found out last night that our tickets for the flight out of Bergen today had been cancelled due to our no show on the original flight.  And no seats were available that would get us here in time.

We recovered fairly gracefully.  Got off the boat at midnight in Alesund, stayed in a hotel there, and flew here today via Oslo and Stockholm.  Not unpleasant. 

The trip south was stormy much of the time.  Our outer deck was closed at times, but the top deck was open. 

Great trip.  I’m glad we were able to do it.

We’re nearing Tromso, heading back south.  It’s been an interesting few days. 

This ferry route has been serving the communities along the coast since 1893, and provided a vital connection between Finnmark and the south. 

I was struck by how far east we were in Kirkenes, at 30 degrees east longitude.  That line of longitude goes through Ukraine and Turkey.

I love to travel, take pics, and to tell stories. Although my health makes that difficult these days, I still manage to have the occasional adventure, like this Norwegian trip. 

I mention this because you’d think I’d be an adept blogger. Unfortunately not. I’m always playing catch-up and I truly admire those who stay current like my brother Jeff.

For the rest of this trip, in order to get and remain current, I’m just going to post pictures each day with minimal commentary. That will be my contribution to the blog.

Here are photos from Sunday March 15.

We’re stopped in Kjollefjord, above 72 degrees latitude near the northern cape.  This is as far north as we get.  Tomorrow morning we arrive in Kirkenes, then turn around.

I’m enjoying all of this. 

We crossed the Arctic Circle this morning.  Smooth sailing, with lots of scenery and small port stops.  As usual, I’ve enjoyed visiting local  marinas.  Small boat cruising opportunities here seem almost endless.

We are travelling a route called the Coastal Express. The ship makes 34 stops over 6 days heading north along the Norwegian coastline. The ship then repeats the same stops on the return voyage south.

Our fist night aboard, I didn’t sleep much. Here are a collection of my photos taken leaving Bergen, at the two subsequent stops: on Saturday night: Flora and Maloy, and early morning Sunday.