On our final day on board, we only got  off the boat for a short walk into a town. On the boat we got a lecture on how they salted cod. The process sure makes that card very hard but it is supposed to reconstitute by soaking in water for a few days. They… Read More Final day and disembarking

We have seen the Northern lights on two consecutive evenings. I previously posted pictures that I took using the iPhone. They were not very good pictures. One of the other gals, who has a very fancy camera, has been taking really incredible pictures of the lights. I got a copy of three of her pictures… Read More Northern lights

I had an interesting talk with one of the shipboard guides about standard of living in Norway. I have been noticing in some of the actual stores for locals, prices have been much higher than I expected. For example I have seen plain onesies for babies that have been $20 and $30. I was also… Read More Onboard MS Finnmarken

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