North of the Arctic Circle—Norway, Part Two

Near Ømes, well north of the Arctic Circle.

 This is Part Two of our Norway blog. 
Part One,  The Trip that Almost Didn't Happen, can be found here.

        The Arctic Circle

OK, what exactly is the Arctic Circle? Like the equator, it’s an imaginary line running around the earth; this one marks the northernmost limit of the sun on the summer solstice. Above (north of) the line there will be at least one day in the year (the Summer Solstice, around 21 June) when the sun never sets, and one (a different one!—the Winter Solstice, around 21 December) when the sun never rises. North of the Arctic Circle is the Land of the Midnight Sun (well, in the summertime!).

We crossed this imaginary line on the morning of our third full day of cruising. We knew when we did because we passed an islet with a globe monument on it (the “Polar Circle Globe” on Vikingen Island, latitude 66°33’). (Also—for those who weren't paying attention-—the ship blasted it's very loud horn!)

This was a moment for celebration; not quite as momentous as crossing the equator, but of a similar nature: many had never been this far north! (Although we had; we’d both been in Alaska. But passing the monument on a ship was soooo much more satisfying than flying over it at 35.000 feet!)

Vikingen Island and the Polar Circle Globe.

There was considerable excitement among the passengers, everyone crowding the rail to photograph the monument. The ship’s crew had set up a game: we each submitted our estimate of when we’d cross the line—to the nearest second. It turns out the winner was one of our meal companions; he won a flag from the cruise line… and ice cubes down his back! 

The Polar Circle Globe: everyone wanted a photo!

Shortly after crossing the Arctic Circle we met our sister ship, the Havila Polaris, returning south.
(Like looking in a mirror!)

Of course, as we made our slow way further and further north the landscape changed. Near Bergen the islands were brown, the vegetation still months away from greening up. Snow was seen only on the higher slopes. By the time we crossed the Circle there was little brown, mostly white, as snow covered everything.

View from the deck during a short stop in Finnsnes.

        Tromsø

By the fourth day I was feeling somewhat better. The ship stopped at Tromsø for a couple of hours, and I joined Paula in exploring the town. Whatever thoughts we might have had of “the frozen north,” land of snow and ice, were stripped away by this lively Saturday afternoon walk! People were out and about, shopping and visiting. Just like anywhere. 

Setting off on our exploration of Tromsø!
(Note our ship is the Havila Pollux.)

Saturday afternoon shoppers in Tromsø.

Verdens Theater, built in 1915, still showing movies today!

Løkkekiosken,  a sales kiosk from 1911, is a cultural monument.
And a popular hot dog stand!

Real Arctic shopping! (whatever that means...)

Another shopping street in Tromsø.

Tromsø Cathedral.
The only wooden cathedral in Norway!

Roald Amundsen, Norwegian explorer and adventurer. He was the first to sail the Northwest Passage;
also first to reach the South Pole. Oh, and also first to reach the North Pole...

The Arctic Cathedral.
Reminiscent of the fish drying racks common in the area, the 11 roof panels also celebrate the remaining apostles.

        Honningsvåg

The next day we had an extended stop in the town of Honningsvåg, another surprising community in the far north. Although, since today was Sunday, there were fewer people out...

Paula staying warm on the streets of Honningsvåg.

Downtown Honnignsvåg

I still can't understand how snow got on this car!
(Maybe it's not always sunny? Sometimes the wind blows...?)

Man with Fish. In the snow.

For this walk we had another opportunity to put on all the clothes we'd brought with us from the warmth of France. We were not out very long—an hour or so—but it gave us an chance to walk a bit and have a different weather experience. I was glad I had my studs (rubber slip-ons with metal studs for my boots… snow tires for shoes!). Like on all of our explorations, there was a lot of ice on the ground.

Looking back on the town.

We made it back to the ship!

So far on the trip north we had seen no Aurora activity. There are apps to check the likelihood, and intensity, of displays (based on solar emissions, state and strength of the earth's magnetic field, and other criteria). We studied these carefully, but really, there's a huge bit of randomness involved. The numbers looked good, there should be some powerful displays. But on the way north we saw nothing. That would change on the way south...

This is Part Two of our Norway blog.

If you missed Part One, The Trip that Almost Didn't Happen, click here.

Part Three, The Turn-Around: Kirkenes and the Northern Lights, will be along soon!

Leaving Honningsvåg we passed this rock outcropping, Finnkirka (Finn Church),
a sacred sea cliff for the Sami (the indigenous people of northern Scandinavia).