Around the Top of Norway

 

The photographer is in the hallway that leads from our cabin to the stairs to the dining area. The young woman clutching the hall walls has turned the wrong way out of our cabin and is heading towards the bow of the ship. Linda’s capacity to go in the wrong direction is the stuff legends are made of. Me, being a genuine nice fellow, it means I have not made an issue of the many times she has gone the wrong way during her travels around the ship. Considerate Bob.

We were in some rough seas this morning with the ship rocking and rolling some. It made it nice at the breakfast buffet as there was hardly anyone in the dining area when we got there, Linda eventually getting herself pointed in the right direction.

It looks like a mirror image of our ship and should be as it is a sister ship heading south.

I realize we have posted very few photos what we see from the ship. Before most of what we saw was covered with trees, Now what we see is mostly covered with low growing plants. The route the ship takes weaves between the numerous islands that dot Norway’s west coast. It is fun to go out on deck at times during the day and watch the scenery slowly roll past. But just as with anything that is repetitious, after a while it all begins to look the same, then something like the above pops up and it gets you to wondering who is that would have a place out here in the absolute middle of nowhere.

This far north it is cold, but this passenger is well dressed to brave the elements with insulated jacket, toboggan, and gloves.

Walking from the ship, we arrived in town just in time to see the start of the second stage of the Arctic Race of Norway.

Linda said it best, “The peloton, we actually got to see the peloton!” All the different colors the cyclists wear and how quickly they go by made for a memory we will have for a long tome.

After the cyclists came a long line of team cars with spare bikes mounted on top.

Considering it was a Friday afternoon in a small town far above the Arctic Circle, it was amazing the number of people who lined the street.

No, this is not a racer who got a little off course. It just shows the lengths fans will go to get a good viewing spot. This was on the cliff above the town’s main street.

I can’t blame this John picture on Linda.

Linda took ten pictures of the crew lowering and raising a lifeboat outside our window during their late afternoon safety drill. With that many photos I know I’ll hear about if I don’t post one of them. I did notice there was handsome looking deckhand in a number of them. Wonder if she is trying to tell me something. Super Husband Bob.

With this being our last full day on the ship I guess I had better post a few of the scenery photos I took. Nice rock in the distance, great looking woman in the foreground.

A huge rock that looks like a church.

From the other direction it doesn’t look much like a church.

Okay, I’ve done my landscape photo duty. None of them comes close to showing the actual beauty we saw.

The sun certainly does come up early in this part of the world.

Seafood buffet tonight, time for some serious eating.

It was so good even Linda was taking additional plates of the crab. Though I can see the family tomato worm couldn’t resist also having a few tomato slices.

Linda thought she was going to be able to sneak her dessert plate by me but I was too fast with the camera for her. It was a fitting end to another great day.