In Tromsø, we were taken to the Arctic Cathedral at midnight for a concert. The performers were a soprano, cellist and organ/piano player. The music was mostly folk songs from Scandinavia and it was delightful.  After being up to almost 2 o’clock because of the concert, we had to be on the bus the… Read More Tromsø and a tour of Lofoten Islands

We stopped at the port of Hammerfest and were given an opportunity to go ashore on our own. Our first stop was this delightful little church which was consecrated in 1961 and was inspired by the racks used for drying fish in the salty sea air all across northern Norway. Here are pictures taken as… Read More Hammerfest

Not the best of shots because all I have is my iPhone. It’s still was pretty exciting.

And Kirkenes, we got a bus tour up to the Russian border. We stopped for some wonderful borscht and bread, and we made some vista stops. I was surprised at the Russian border because we really basically didn’t see any soldiers. It’s a fairly open border where residents living within a certain distance of the… Read More Kirkenes, where we turn around and head back to Bergen

Before I talk about some of the places I’ve been visiting, I want to talk about trolls. They are generally depicted as large, dumb, brutish creatures akin to a large Neanderthal. In Norse mythology they are not generally friendly to humans. They use their connections with nature to baffle and deceive humans. there are rumors… Read More Top of Norway

I attended a lecture on the oil and gas industry in Norway which is the biggest industry in the country. We are talking about off shore drilling. Also Norway manufactures oil platforms. In the 1950s, Norway passed a law saying that all gas and oil belong to the state. They give licenses to companies to… Read More Info about Norway

Last night we were in the Lofoten islands where we got off the boat in Stamsund, took a bus to a Viking feast and return to the boat in the town of Svolver. Learned a little bit about the Viking history and religion but I hope to learn more as the trip goes on. I… Read More Evening activities

They have both English and German lectures on the boat. Today’s lecture in English was about Norway. The guy that gave it was Swiss and a real comedian. So here are some interesting facts about Norwegians. 76% own their own home or apartment. There is only two seasons in Norway, white winter and green winter.… Read More Lecture on Norway

So I have a question for you folks. If I keep eating all that smoked fish until the end of the trip, will I never want to eat lox again? So the ship makes many stops along the way. Some are only for 15 minutes, others longer. Our first long stop was at Alesund. Unfortunately… Read More Heading north on MS Finnmarken