Aboard Kong Harald

Tuesday 12 December

Woke up about 7.40 to see that we were leaving a port. It was still dark but there was a glow in the sky and as we breakfasted it got lighter and brighter.

One of many passing boats

We are sailing with the coast on our starboard side, past mountains reaching right down to the water, and tiny villages on the water’s edge. The sea is very calm because we are sheltered by the string of islands on our port side. Apparently we will only be in the open sea on a few occasions.

The landscape is incredibly rugged and it is hard to imagine how people survive here.

We attended a morning lecture on “Friliftsliv”, the Norwegian obsession with living an outdoor life. They must be a tough nation!

While Rob and I were typing our blogs, Judy kept going outside to look at the world passing by. It is a constant wonder and distraction. There are ships and fishing boats passing by, and some dangerous looking rocks just poking above the water. The mountains are huge. They dwarf everything and seem endless.

Ålesund

A bit after midday we docked at Ålesund, donned our boot chains and went ashore to explore the town. The boot chains make a huge difference on the icy paths but it’s still a bit scary walking. Ålesund is known for its art nouveau architecture, the style in which the town was rebuilt after a fire in 1904. Fine weather and no wind mean that walking outside, even though it’s very cold, is not too bad once you’re rugged up in coats etc.

Ålesund

Back to the boat for lunch but we couldn’t go aboard for a while because they were testing the gangway. In the end they let us go in through the car deck and we just made it to lunch before they closed.

Testing the gangplank

After lunch there was a sampling of cured lamb and a talk and tasting of the local alcohol, aquavit.

Cured lamb

It was dark by the time we got moving again. I forgot to mention that as we docked in Ålesund we saw a number of people with luggage waiting to board. We think they might be the ones who missed the boat yesterday.

About 7.30 there was an announcement that the northern lights could be seen from the bow of the ship. You’ve never seen a crowd of people move so fast. We all dashed back to our cabins for coats, hats and gloves and then squashed up on the front deck. The lights were there for a little while, but it was not a great display. Couldn’t have got a decent photo, but at least we’ve seen them