Tromso to Trondheim - in search of the Northern Lights!
Our outside cabin had two port holes and an L-shaped bed configuration which gave a good feeling of space. The ships have a full restaurant which offers buffet breakfast and lunch and a set, waiter service dinner, a café for sandwiches, snacks and drinks, a main bar with evening pianist and a further smaller one on the top deck. The food was excellent. There are several lounges offering panoramic views, a library, and an information area/tours desk, internet area and conference theatre. There is a small but well equipped gym, his and hers glass sided saunas and two deck-top Jacuzzis – I tried these both north and south of the Arctic Circle.
After our ship visit we were whisked off for a dog sledging excursion where we had the opportunity to be either a passenger or a musher – we were kitted out in thermal suits and boots which we needed as the temperature was low under the clear skies. It was a magical experience and we were given a talk all about the dogs in the dog yard and got to meet some new arrivals before heading in to a traditional Sami tent for a meal of reindeer stew and chocolate cake! We then headed back to the hotel for a quick drink in the bar as we waited for our ship to come in – quite a sight all lit up at night.
After a good night’s sleep we were soon off the ship again for a popular excursion,“a taste of Vesteralen” which took us from Harstad to Sortland and took in some dramatic and stunning scenery. There was a church service and museum visit as well as a ferry trip where we sampled some local delicacies. Because the excursion was so popular there was not enough room for us all on the same ferry so we had an added bonus of visiting a local garrison which is home to some famous big guns and had a tour of the bunker and the inside of one of the guns – quite fascinating.
During the afternoon we sailed through some more amazing scenery and entered the mouth of the famous Trollfjord – quite a highlight with its sheer sides. There was the opportunity to buy a mug to commemorate the occasion. The real highlight of the evening was our first sighting of the “Northern Lights”. There are messages put out over the PA as soon as there is a sighting so that everyone can enjoy them.
Our next day was a full ship visit including a visit to the car deck and a seminar with a quick trip out on deck to mark the crossing of the Arctic Circle. We has a spoonful of cod liver oil washed down with a tot of Cloudberry wine – you get to keep the spoon too! Later that day we also had the opportunity to visit the Hurtigruten museum in Stokmarknes which was very interesting. We also saw the Finnmarken that was taken out of service in the mid 1990’s. With further opportunities to hop off the boat at its various ports of call it was a great day. We saw the northern lights again that night which was incredibly lucky.
Our voyage ended in Trondheim where we said goodbye to Trollfjord and headed back to the airport for our flight back to Gatwick. A great trip!