To Tromsø

Friday 15 December

We are now well above the Arctic Circle and the daylight doesn’t last long. The sun never climbs above the horizon but despite that there is a surprising amount of light ... for a while. It was dark by the time I went on the afternoon excursion at 2.30.

Arctic blue light

This morning we attended a film about Sami history in Norway. The Sami are the indigenous people of Scandinavia.

PWe sailed through a narrow opening in the fjord at Rystraumen and stopped briefly at Finnsnes to deal with cargo.

Finnsnes

As usual the scenery is stunning. There are always snow clad mountains and I really love the pretty villages on the edge of the water.

One of the villages we passed.

After lunch we arrived in Tromsø. Rob and Judy did a polar history walk and I went dog sledding. I put on as many layers as I could, including a balaclava with a beanie on top, and I needed them all. They have 300 dogs at the sledding place. Teams of eight dogs pulled 2 passengers and a driver through the snow for a half hour ride in the dark. The driver wears a head torch which shows the way and there is a track worn into the snow to a depth of about 50cm. It was a magic experience! The snow was sparkling in the torchlight and a couple of times we even saw ice crystals sparkling in the air in front of us.

After the ride

Tonight we had a great display of northern lights. I’ve learned that what the naked eye sees is nothing Iike the amazing photos we have all seen. We can see the shapes moving in the sky but they don’t really appear green and bright as they do in the time lapse photos. Some of the people on the boat have tripods and big cameras which record bright green lights but my camera, clever though it is, could not see anything but blackness. Not to worry, as we are happy to have had the opportunity and good fortune to see them at all.

Last stop before bed was Skjervøy, all lit up and looking Christmasy.

Skjervøy