Hurtigruten day 4 (14/3)

Off to an early start this morning as I decided to get up at 6:15 to watch us cross the Arctic Circle. It seems very few people had this idea as I was pretty much alone as we sailed past the globe on a small island that marked our passage into the Arctic Circle. I also noticed the scenery had changed slightly- there was more snow and it went the whole way down the the water. It was very cool sitting there, at 7:15 and 25 seconds, crossing into waters that are practically as far from Australia as you can get. I lost the competition though, having guessed 7:07 and 23 seconds.

As there was little else planned for the morning, I went back to bed for a snooze and woke up again later for the ceremony which we had been advised would take place at 10:30. We knew very little about it, just that there was to be a ceremony to commerate our crossing of the Arctic Circle. On deck, near the pool, we found a wheelbarrow full of ice, a bench, a trolley with wine bottles and small glasses and a stereo playing 'the final countdown'. Soon the arrival of King Neptune was announced and the ceremony was ready to begin. I don't know how many of you have met King Neptune, but let's just say he wasn't quite how I imagined (see pic below and click on it to enlarge it).

Commemoration of crossing the Arctic Circle involves baptism with a ladle of ice and water poured down your back. Wow, what a refreshing experience! After the baptism, you receive a certificate and a shot glass of wine. It was hilarious standing back after my baptism and watching the various reactions, from the reluctant (who received 2 ladles full!) to those who posed for photos.

Later that day we arrived in Bodø, a military city further up the coast. We had a lot of time to spend in Bodø, and to be honest, there is not that much to do there. We checked out the views and the cathedral in the pouring rain and then went for a wander along the dock. Luckily, there were several Norwegian Naval vessels in town at the time, and one of them was open to visitors. So we got to go and have a look and meet some sailors (but I couldn't take pictures as I had to leave my camera in a crate before boarding). I did get a picture of the sailor who minds the cameras though!

After lunch and a stroll through the shops, we went back to the ship for a swim and spa and later that day watched a film about the Northern Lights (aurora borealis). Wow. The film was a series of pictures of the Northern Lights taken over a series of 2 years, and some of the pictures were amazing. The lights are usually green and they 'dance' in the sky, but they can a range of other colours.

Dinner that night was fantastic and was followed by bridge until a brief stop in Svolvær, in the Lofoten Islands, known for their wildlife and scenery. We didn't see much of this, being 9pm at night, but we did get to go to a nearby ice bar and ice sculpture place which was fantastic. There were sculptures of local Norwegian scenes, scultures involving real fish and seaweeds, sculptures of the Lofoten Island bird and animal life and other nautical themes. A quick drink in the ice bar and we were back on the ship, ready for another round of bridge.

Later that night I had probably one of the best experiences I have ever had. At 11pm we gathered on deck and were given Norwegian fish cakes (which were pretty gross, but were good for warming hands!). We looked up and in front of us was a snow covered cliff. The sound system was playing 'sail away' by Enya and as we continued we sailed away through a gap between two parts of the cliff. We were therefore surrounded on all sides by the thick dark night, a snowy fjord, and the lights of a small fishing boat in the distance. The ship's music changed to something classical and then cut out all together as a deck full of strangers took in the majesty of the sights in front of us. The beams from the ship swung around us to highlight certain areas of the fjord and then, music playing once again, we reversed out of the fjord again (we weren't allowed to go too far in because of the danger of avalanches).

I think one of the things that added to the experience was the good humour of the ships crew who served fish cakes, arranged the music and enjoyed themselves despite the cold and late hour. The picture below was an attempt to capture this on camera but the motion of the ship and darkness of the night made it an impossible aim.