The Northern Lights by Ship

So, it was November and I had another amazing opportunity to head up to Norway in search of the elusive Aurorae once more. This time was different, this time I was taking part in a voyage with Hurtigruten, sailing from Tromsø north to Kirkenes, before heading back south to Tromsø.

I arrived in Tromsø and was taken on a short tour of the ‘Paris of the North’ before arriving at the port to board my ship – MS Midnatsol. I really was taken aback when I boarded. These ships, whilst much smaller than liners you may have seen elsewhere are very well-equipped. I was greeted with a small ‘pack’ to help me get around the ship with ease. I checked into my cabin, freshened up and headed off to the restaurant for dinner.

I made new friends immediately, whilst savouring some of the finest food, drinking a glass (or two) of exquisite wine in the à la carte restaurant. After my delicious dinner, I took myself up to the bar / lounge area for some a nice after-dinner coffee. What I noticed whilst sitting with my new friends, was, that it was so nice and warm. Whilst the outside temperature was around -15°C, inside was lovely and cosy!

After breakfast the next morning, it was time to head out on one of the optional excursions – visiting NordKapp (North Cape) – 71° North! There are loads of optional excursions available; however, this is one I really wanted to take part in. Standing at the northernmost point in continental Europe really was special. In front of me was nothing but water before reaching Svalbard, more than 1,100 kilometres away. After some time to explore the museum and different monuments, including the famous globe sculpture, it was time to begin our journey back to Honningsvåg to re-join the ship for another delicious evening meal.

I woke the following morning to beautiful winter sun beaming through my porthole. Shortly after breakfast, we arrived in Kirkenes, where we took the ten kilometre journey by coach to the border. Due to the geography of Norway, this small iron-mining town lies farther east than Istanbul, Turkey! Our time in Kirkenes, was unfortunately, somewhat short lived as we returned to the ship for the start of our southbound journey back to Tromsø.

After dinner this evening, my new found friends and I sat in the lounge chatting, before one of the “aurora announcements” was made and my entire group fled to the deck to see if we could spot the beautiful Northern Lights, and, tonight, I was in luck! I then noticed a couple from the group had taken advantage of one of the two outdoor hot tubs. Having decided to join them, the Aurorae put on an amazing show for a significant amount of time for the rest of the night. It really was absolutely spectacular.

Just as I was getting used to my floating home, we arrived in Tromsø just before midnight, where I checked into my hotel – just a stones throw away from the port – before having a beer in a local pub and calling it a night.

It was an early start the next morning, and I met the rest of my group at around 0830 for a whale watching activity. We boarded our mid-sized vessel and sailed out into the fjords where we were met with spectacular views and the amazing sight of a pod of Orcinus orca; orca whales to you and I. They’re quite inquisitive creatures, so they swam close to the boat, so close I felt like I could reach out and touch them.

Upon our return to Tromsø, we had a late lunch and transferred to the airport for our flight home.