KARASJOK - ENGHOLM HUSKY DESIGN LODGE

Readers:  
To read the adventure in the order of the Day by Day Trip Report click HERE. To see all the Husky photos click HERE.

Private Driver and Portage

Road trip -- need a car.
Road trip -- need a car for four women and luggage.
Inger and Hertz/Kirkenes have provided:  a VW Passat wagon.  

Great Thon hotel in Kirkenes, great room, great view

Road trip -- car delivered to Thon Hotel and we're off by 10:15 am.  Down the road and thru town to a gas station to buy a map, tho car rental man provided directions in Norwegian to Inger.  We drove thru Finland -- a short cut.  (More later.)

Go this far to a bridge but not over it.  Turn left.  Go to a K-name town and take the road to the right/north.  Go to the second K-name town and find tourist info.   So fun, Vikki insisted we stop at each shop opportunity in Finland to see if there is something for us to purchase. We ended up having a great picnic in Finnland beside a great lake.

Nothing until we found a grocery where we loaded up on snacks. Vikki got some of the great dark chocolate with pear and almond, Karl Fraser.

 Inger called our lodging place and after another couple of "go here's" and "turn there's" we are at 

Engholm Husky Lodge

Here's the link so you can learn more.  Here.

You will see that everything is natural -- floors, shelves, brackets, sink, even the shower mat is inlaid stone.  Furniture made from logs, sod on the roof, bear skin on the wall, mink hanging in the corner, fish eagle feather lamp.  This is how the northwest should look! Luscious, luscious, luscious. We are in awe of the talent and the design.  We met Sven Engholm who is an 11 times winner of Europe's longest sled dog race, the "Finnmarksløpet - 1000 km.-- and his husky dogs. Sven completed the Iditarod 4 times in 1996-1999, once finishing in the top ten!

The home of Willis/Bianco, and on the other side Jacobsen/Kingslien

Dinner here tonight.  Probably a walk to the Karasjok River if the elephant-sized mosquitos are forgiving. The folks here don't swim, they jump in the river for a dip!!! Usually mornings...tomorrow we shall join them! 

Our bedroom

Our Kitchen

Becky and Inger toasting the beautiful site

Wait until we tell you about the  dogs.

KING CRAB AND MORE KING CRAB

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To read the adventure in the order of the Day by Day Trip Report click HERE. To see all the photos for King Crab click HERE.

The King of Crabs

After saying good bye to the team of terrific's on the M/S Finnmarken, we entered Kirkenes, the border town with Russia and Finland and in the land of the Midnight Sun.

Checked quickly into our first Thon hotel.......VERY MODERN, LARGE ROOMS, GREAT WIFI, WHITE, CLEAN, LARGE. This is creating a large dose of happiness, relaxing happiness.  We had adjusted to our tiny cabin aboard ship but . . . now we find ourselves in a relative mansion.  Life is good.

We had just a bit of time to get registered, walk about town and have a cuppa. We head off to the adventure of the day.... thanks to Inger, we go
Crabbing for King Crabs!

We put these goofy suits on to keep us warm and we jump into this 20'-25' boat with 11 other folks, plus our crew of three. 

Now, today is cloudy, windy, damp and really northwest-like. As the boat sped through the water, spray would come up and coat the riders. We stopped in the harbor at two of the giant crab pots and with electric wenches the crew pulled up the pot and proceeded to toss back the biggest ones (including all females) we have ever seen and kept the giant mondo ones. They said we could eat about 3/4 king crab each. They cut off the legs and tossed the bodies back into the sea.

A wild boat ride down the fjord leads us to the Crab Camp which is on the border with Russia. We enjoy a fabulous dinner of King Crab sitting outdoors under shelter while being observed from a distance by Russian and Norwegian Border Guards. Our guide had many exciting stories to share.

The border between Russia and Norway (also Russia and Finnland) is very tightly controlled.  There is a formal crossing place where Norwegians go to Russia to buy cheap booze and buy back -- at a much cheaper price -- the gasoline they sold the Russians.  The new Russian middle class cross into Norway and Finnland to spend their newly acquired wealth on "stuff."

The shorn hillside between the posts (yellow for Norway and red/green for Russia) is jointly maintained by crews of border guards from each country.  We were advised not to encroach even a tiny centimeter into the Russian side.  Even extending our arms with camera to take a picture could be misconstrued as a violation.  Story:  one woman committed such a violation and, as a result, paid a very large fine and was detained several hours, missing her cruise ship connection.

Lots of Russian language in Kirkenes due to the residence of the Russian allies at the end of WWII.  Kirkenes was occupied by the Germans, bombed by the Russians, and then re-civilized by Norwegians, Finns, and Russians after the defeated Germans fled.

It was a great day and having King Crab again was loads of fun......

TOPPING OFF NORWAY - NORTH CAPE

Readers:  
To read the adventure in the order of the Day by Day Trip Report click HERE. To see all the photos for the day click HERE.

AS FAR NORTH IN EUROPE AS YOU CAN GO

Oh my, but this excursion was magnificent.  The North Cape is the furthest distance north you can go and still be in Europe (71 degrees 10 minutes north of the Equator). It has been said, "You are standing at the edge of the world. This is where the world ends."

At the gift shop (even the Top of the World has a gift shop!) we were able to post cards which will bear the postmark of Nordkapp (North Cape.)  We watched a brief film, beautifully done, which showed the promontory area thru all four seasons.  We are here during the Midnight Sun season which begins in May. The film -- almost an IMAX -- had fabulous shots of the Northern Lights, reindeer, flowers, snow, mountains, and snow plows.

We had a great lunch/picnic looking toward Russia/Finnland and out into the Barents Sea.

It has been so very warm...we cannot believe that we have to keep taking off layers of clothing...we are all getting a little tan. Our message from Birger is that Norway experienced 32 heat records today. Aelsund was 93 degrees today which was a record. 

5000 Reindeer dotted the barren landscape on the way to North Cape. We stopped and viewed a SAMI family with a closeup of their reindeer.

This was a most exciting day, the sun shining and clear blue skies, the fact that we are as far as we can go and that we have been here. 

TROTTING AROUND TRONSØ, THE PARIS OF THE NORTH

Inger suggested we do two things, and both ideas were excellent.  First we did some tromping around Tromso.  We got off the ship for a few hours to enjoy Tronsø which is the largest town in the High North and third largest in Norway. Lovely little fishing village with a beautiful white very modern church called The Arctic Church. We walked the village, made plans, did a little bit of shopping, more plans, had a coffee, enjoyed the sun, made more plans.

(Shopping inventory:  Becky bot yarn!  Inger got a great shirt!)

We end our trip on the Hurtigruten as we enter the Harbor toward Kirkenes in the High North Country. It was a terrific trip with special moments that we hope you could share with us. 
We stayed up until midnight to share the "Midnight Sun". 
Wait until the "rest of the story"!

THE TROLLS OF TROLLFJORD

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To read the adventure in the order of the Day by Day Trip Report click HERE. To see all the photos for Trollfjord click HERE.

Midnight Sun

A day of days. We cross the Arctic Circle, have all kinds of celebrations and historical infomercials for the fantastic arctic explorations by the Norwegians.

Loads of geographical photos that show the change in the topography of the landscapes. NO MORE TREES, MORE JAGGED MOUNTAINS, barren except for bits of green that looks a lot like our NW moss.

It is 11:00 pm and still daylight as we head for the Trollfjord. The skinny skinny skinny inlet that makes Princess Louisa Inlet look like  Commencement Bay.

We could not touch the sides but it was mighty close. It is midnight, clear, calm and stunningly beautiful. The water is light green, clear, and you can see down into it for miles(sorta). The waterfall was a true topper.

Inger was busy taking photos left and right. Hi Birger!

Even if you haven't looked at other pix, don't miss these.  

Here for Trollfjord pix.

FACTOID: Trolls sleep for 1,000 years after their midday nap and before they start throwing stones at the ship!

THE CIRCLE.....THE ARCTIC CIRCLE THAT IS.....

Readers:  
To read the adventure in the order of the Day by Day Trip Report click HERE. To see all the photos for the day click HERE.

And What do My Wandering Eyes Perceive?

"The weather is having difficulty deciding whether to go all for proper winter or just to stick to being antisocially cold." said Anita in  the book, MEET ME IN MALMO.

After a beautiful day in Trondheim yesterday in the mid 70's...today dawns (barely at 5:00am) foggy, gray, dank, rainy, typical marine morning. We just left Nesna, Norway and are heading for the "CROSSING"! 

We hear some announcement on the speaker but can't understand it so we rush to the "camp" in anticipation. We realize that we have an hour or so more before we hit the "CROSSING"! This photo is our "Northern Lights" or as close as we can get.....

As we get closer, the fog begins to lift and the sun filters into our view.....at 7.11.40 the MS Finnmarken hits the mark!!! How do we know???? As we look out the window, we see a "globe" built on a small island, Vikingen. 
66DEG 33MIM. From now on we will belong to the same family as 400,000 of Norway's citizen who are members of the world's northernmost civilization. 

CLICK FOR ADDITIONAL PHOTOS OF THE ARCTIC CIRCLE

We hit Bodo right at noon, the sun is shinning and shirt sleeves are  shortening. We stood by the railing as we entered Bodo looking for Inger and Vikki. There they were standing with their suitcases waiting and waving.

Very easy entry for them and quick check-in. Their room is just down the hall from ours and we will be sharing a table of 4 for dinner each night. We are so happy they have finally joined us and all our separate journeys have merged into the fairy tale Birger(Inger’s husband) has suggested.

L to R:  Vikki, Beth, Inger, Becky

 The weather has perked up, the sun is shinning, most of the Europeans are sitting in the sun taking naps....temperature low 70's. We have to rest up, for tonight we meet the trolls at midnight in the daylight!!

VIKING TRADERS OF TRONDHEIM

Readers:  Another post in our activity.  
To read the adventure in the order of the Day by Day Trip Report click HERE. To see all the photos for the day click HERE.

THE M/S FINNMARKEN

We have had the chance to review this ferry. We have found it lacking in nothing. The ship is quiet even no engine noise, clean and has not shown major issues in docking or departures. The food is excellent, the staff are responsive, the maps are accurate, the access to public facilities frequent AND where they should be. Our room was clean by the time breakfast was over, the decor up to date and appropriate, the views are dramatic, the lounge chairs comfortable and plentiful. Truly we have nothing to suggest for improvement. 

The calm seas have soothed us and lulled us into relaxing.

Trondheim

We arrived in Trondheim shortly after breakfast with the sun shining. 

YAY YAY the sun is shinning!! This, friends, is the birth home of our friend Andreas Udbye of University Place, WA fame. After being here we know he is descendent of Vikings and a trader from birth. Lovely, lovely town Andreas.

Our friends, Vikki, Inger and Birger will be waiting for us. YAY YAY!!! 

* * * 

They were waiting for us....We saw them waving and walking down the street towards us!!!!  After loads of hugs, Birger whisked us off to the Nidaros Cathedral giving us the history of the church and of Trondheim. The cathedral is marvelous and has a great history! 

(Another great positive about the ship/crew:  going ashore is simple and painless.  They capture our departure by reading the bar code on our ship card as we exit, and again as we re-board after being with friends.)

The following link has an excellent history and amazing photos of the cathedral and of Trondheim;

Trondheim Cathedral

Birger gave us a walking tour from the Cathedral across the Town Bridge to the OLD TOWN showing us the bicycle elevator....you set your bike to a groove in the road, push a button and the bike with you on it sails up the hill. WOWSER!

We stopped for coffee in a kaffehus called Dromedar (dromedary camel) for a relaxing visit until time for us to walk back to the car and back to the ferry.

We had to be back on the Hurley Gurley Ferry by 11:30am so Birger drove us directly to the ferry dock. Very limited security. They all got out and joined us at the ship...then after we got on we realized that folks can come on board for coffee or a visit. 

Birger, Vikki, Inger, Beth, Becky

FACTOID: The first ever export of American goods to Europe took place in Trondheim around 1000 AD.

The ship passed the oh, so famous Kjeungskjaer Lighthouse about 2 pm today. It was built in 1987 and protected in 2000.  No details on "protection."

Tomorrow about noon, Vikki and Inger will join us on the M/S Finnmarken.  More adventures await as we chat/laugh/share our way north.

Tomorrow morning we cross the ARCTIC CIRCLE!!!! Tomorrow we will also discover if either Beth or Becky entered the exact time at which the ship is expected to cross the Arctic Circle.  There will be activities all day to celebrate that we are "north" people.  Stay tuned.

GEIRANGER FJORD; PEARL OF THE WEST COUNTRY FJORDS

Readers:  Another post in our activity.  
To read the adventure in the order of the Day by Day Trip Report click HERE. To see all the photos for the day click HERE.

GEIRANGER FJORD

Sunday afternoon, July 6, 2014 

On a dark and dreary day, we entered the Geiranger Fjord early and had the chance to see the fog part on the calm water as we slowly traversed the fjord. The further in we went, the higher the waterfalls and the closer the hills. Finally snow on the mountain tops with explosions of quiet beauty.

The little villages are built on the lower edge of the fjord.

Some little farms are built far above on the mountain side. One little story was about the tax collector who had difficulties delivering his demands as the pathways were so steep that ladders had to be installed. When the farmers heard the tax collector was on his way, the ladders would suddenly disappear “for repairs” and the collector would not be able to visit the farmer.

As we head back to Alesund we are reminded that thanks to the Gulf Stream, 4.5 million people live in Norway. The fjords do not freeze in winter but continue to have the marine fog, cold, dank air year round as the temperature fluctuates with the seasons. The photos speak more than our words could possibly describe.

Tomorrow is Day 3 of the M/S Finnmarken cruise.  We have been told the day is Monday but we really have lost track of things like that.

Tomorrow is special because we will see Vikki, Inger and Birger in Trondheim.  The Jacobsens have lived in Trondheim and you know there's no better way to see a city that thru the eyes of one of its citizens.  Cannot wait.