Hurtigruten Dining

As I write this we're about three hours away from Bergen, the end of our Hurtigruten voyage aboard the MS Trollfjord. The sun has even decided to shine, just a little, on our last few hours at sea. Yesterday was sunny much of the day, giving me a chance to indulge in the jacuzzi one more time.

Once ashore we'll take the bus to our hotel, the Strand, stash our bags, freshen up then call Jean Sue's cousin Leslie and his wife Gry for a ride out to Radøy for the family reunion.

A few words (or more) about the food board the Trollfjord. Good and plentiful.

Although I'm sure it doesn't compare to the huge cruise ships plying the Caribbean and Alaskan waters, I enjoyed all our meals aboard the MS Trollfjord.

Breakfast was a typical Norwegian hotel buffet, with many different herrings (and a few other fish, like mackerel and sardines thrown in), eggs (usually scrambled, another hot egg dish which varied, hard and soft boiled eggs), breads and cheeses, cold cuts, breakfast sausages (which are more akin to cocktail franks), meatballs, fruit, yogurts, cereals, etc. Today's variation were some crepes with blueberry preserves.

The lunch buffert is even more plentious, with at least two hot entrees (one is always fish, the other usually some sort of meat -- I had delicious roast lamb one day) with vegetable and potato sides, cold meats and cold cuts, cheeses, salads, more herrings, soup, breads, etc. And the desserts. Sweet, but not cloying, almost always light in texture if not in calories. There would always be a couple mousse-like puddings, a couple of different cakes, various berry sauces, tea cookies, fruits.

Unlike the other meals dinners were served at assigned tables (we had a two-top so didn't have to make conversation with strangers). Fish was served three of five nights: arctic char, cod loin, and a triple whammy of halibut resting atop salmon with an accent of gravlax on top. Always served with delicious steamed potatoes and interesting vegetables. Reindeer steak greeted us the first night, and breaking up the fish nights was one dinner of a roast sirloin. First courses ranged from soups (potato leek once, fish soup another time), marinted reindeer, gravlax, etc. Desserts could be cheesecake, fruit soup,  panna cotta, ice cream cake.

If, for some reason, the dinner menu did not appeal (you can consult the week's dinner menu soon after boarding) you can request an alternate, though I highly recommend going with the flow.

Other than water, you'll pay extra, of course, for beverages, whether it be soda, wine or beer. And at normally high Norwegian prices, though not any more so than you'd pay at a land-based restaurant: $10 for beer no matter where you go, unless you buy at the supermarket. A glass of wine was abut the same price. Half-bottles of wine started at about $40, full bottles at $60 and up.

You won't go hungry, and what was even more astounding was the quality. Even if you don't like fish, you've got to eat it here. Norwegians depend upon and thrive on fish and, after a couple of milleenia, they've learned how to cook it. Firstly, it's fresh. Secondly, they cook it through but never too much. Even the fish on the buffet wasn't overcooked. Yesterday for lunch had a piece of saithe cordon bleu, saithe being a cod-family member (also known as coalfish). It was crisply fried, and maintained the crispness on the buffet; the interior was meltingly tender, juicy and tasty.

Of course, I immediately go for the herrings at breakfast and lunch. At breakfast they offer a plain pickled herring, another in mustard sauce, another in tomato sauce. At lunch the herring is served in three different sauces: matjes (sweetish wine sauce), curry, and sour cream.

Summary: When you travel the Hurtigruten, don't fear the fish.

Hurtigrutas Dag

Fireboat and fireworks from small craft greet the arrival in Rørvik of the MS Polarys for Hurtigruten Day. Taken from the stern of the MS Trollfjord as we pull into berth.

Munchkin Mayor (right) in ceremonial attire reads proclamation welcoming the two boats for Rørvik's celebration.

Below, crowd greeted the two boats' arrival on the quay. I estimated about 350-400 came out for the celebration, which included a pretty good band (the singer, to the right of the mayor, did a lively Joe Cocker take).

Delightful!

Yesterday was sunny and (relatively) warm, so Bob took to the sundeck's jacuzzi. After briefly returning to the cabin to change he spent most of the rest of the day and evening on deck, taking in the sun and balmy (low 60s) weather. Jean Sue took the photo after lunch while we were docked in Sortland in the Vesterålene islands.

Tromsø Concert at Arctic Cathedral

Our second excursion on Tuesday (after recuperating from the North Cape early rise) was to a midnight concert at Tromsø's Arctic Cathedral.

Six buses whisked us through the center of Tromsø across the bridge to the cathedral's site on a rise overlooking the port and into the midnight sun. A magnificent presence!

The 45-minute concert ranged from Bach to traditional Norwegian music (particularly Hardanger fiddle), a bit of Bach -- and of course Edvar Grieg -- and some church music. One setting in particular, the Te Deum (Laudamus te) by contemporary Norwegian composer Henning Sommerro was deeply moving as sung by the soprano, Bodil Onsøien, with a rich, dramatic delivery in which even her whisper carried through the cathedral's interior.

Alas, a couple of the other musicians weren't up to her standards, the trumpeter in particular, who couldn't carry out an entry attack to save his life. That took nothing away from my enjoyment of the entire program, however, and I reflected over the music, and a busy, enjoyable day, over an aquavit upon retun to the Trollfjord.

Scenes at Sea

The sun arrived, the boat's internet connection is just about at dial-up speed, so some photos from yesterday after we returned from the excursion. The photos of the town are of the burg of Oksfjord; the others were taken between there are Tromsø. The one of the other Hurtigruten (MS Midnatsol) when we passed and the crew tried to excite passengers to take towels and wave at the other ship. No other captions necessary. As always, click on pic to enlarge.

One last photo, from Monday, our first day aboard and our first port-of-call after boarding, the town of Vardø.

On Top of Europe

After our first night on the MS Trollfjord (a rough one in open sea, the Barents Sea) we arose at 5 a.m. yesterday in order to make the 6 a.m. land excursion to Nordkapp, Europe's most northerly point.

Although we missed lunch at the restaurant at the end of the universe in Å, we made it for breakfast at another restaurant at the end of the universe, in a branch of the Rica Hotel chain. (Breakfast included many different herrings).

The weather was reasonably cooperative, i.e., it didn't rain and fog did not obscure the view from Nordkapp. Frequently, you can't even see the far point, according to our guide. Temperatures were moderate, though I still needed my new wool sweater and my rain jacket as a windbreaker. In addition to the view and the hotel Nord Kapp featured this monument dedicated to the children of the world; the large medallions were designed by children, which Jean Sue admires in this photo.

(As always, click on a photo to enlarge it.)

Four buses set out on the excursion from our stop at Honningsvag: one where the guide spoke in Norse, two where the guides delivered their spiels in both German and Norse, and ours, for Francophones and English speakers. We would rejoin the ship in Hammerfest.

After about an hour and a half at Nord Kapp we headed down the peninsula for a brief stop at souvenir shop operated by a Sami family. The patriarch posed in full indigenous regalia, along with one of his reindeer. Here are a couple photos.

With one stop, it was nearly a three-hour bus ride to meet the MS Trollfjord in Hammerfest, which boasts it's the most northerly city in the world (Honningsvag, one-third its size, disputes the point). Today, Hammerfest is enjoying an energy boom as a a center for liquefying and shipping the natural gas found offshore.

After a quick stop at the Mega Coop to pick up some soda (at half the price they charge on board) we rejoined the Trollfjord and set sale, heading south to Tromsø.

Bon Voyage

Jean Sue toasts the start of our Hurtigruten journey after we leave the dock in Kirkenes. Because we booked a mini-suite, we found Italian bubbly, fruit and chocolates greeting us in the spacious cabin.

I seem to have a nearly usable internet connection, so with luck I'll be posting more photos and text soon.