Arctic Circle
We recieved our certificates for crossing the Arctic Circle last night. It was quite an event. Though an imaginary man made line it is really felt. The temp seem colder and the sights sharper and stark. There are some hearty souls living in places like Hammerfest and Tromso. Tromso is a very pretty city and is called the Paris of the North. The university there is large and active and bars and pubs abound. Best stop though was the Arctic Visitor Center.
Today I will be at the very top of Europe at Nordkapp only 2053 kilometers from the pole. The cliff is said to be huge at the Cape and should be an experience. After that we are headed to Kirkenes and the border with Russia. Fun fact, the city lies as far east as Istanbul because of the Earths curve.
Today I will be at the very top of Europe at Nordkapp only 2053 kilometers from the pole. The cliff is said to be huge at the Cape and should be an experience. After that we are headed to Kirkenes and the border with Russia. Fun fact, the city lies as far east as Istanbul because of the Earths curve.
posted by Kent E St. John at 1:17 AM
1 Comments:
Hi! came across your blog by accident, fun to see you are enjoying the trip. I live in Bergen and have sailed on Hurtigruten a couple of times, as a musician. I expect you are in the Barent Sea, southbound again, as I write this. Hope the weather isn't too awful, it can be terrible up there at this time of year. The staff on board Hurtigruten sometimes call the bridge they sail under in Tromsø "the gate of Hell". From there and northwards one has to brace oneself... I once had 9m waves outside Finnmark, broken plates and glasses all over the ship etc.etc. No sight of land either. As I held on tight to my bed so as to not be thrown out of it, I thought to my self that when it comes to experiencing what a trip to the moon might feel like, I'm not gonna get any closer than this...so it was interesting in a way, but all the same: not to be recommended! Be sure to check out "Tromsø railway station" (Tromsø jernbanestasjon) on your way down, it's not a train station, but a bar, seeing that no train lines are being built that far north...but the interior is all train-inspired. 2 minutes walk from the dock. Very nice local Mack-beer at (by norwegian standards..) reasonable prices. Happy sailing! (and good look on spotting the aurora, it can be elusive...)
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