Norway and Russia June 24 – July 15, 2016
Friday, June 24
KLM business class is pretty good. We had the upper deck of a 747-400 and had a good meal before I fell asleep waking up at 5:30 Amsterdam time in time for breakfast. We did not have to get our luggage but just to wait for the flight to Copenhagen in the KLM lounge. At Schiphol airport, they have many lounges and the airport is huge. We finally started walking to the gate printed on our boarding passes only to find the gate had been changed.
We hurried to the new gate and we last in line to get on the plane. Business class on KLM’s shorter routes looks nothing like the longer flights but the flight was under an hour so it was not a big deal. We arrived in Copenhagen where it was warm and sunny and were taken to the ship about 40 minutes away.
Saturday, June 25 – Copenhagen, Denmark
There were 7 cruise ships in port and I believe many of them were doing the route we were because of the time of year. A cruise into the Arctic Circle is best done in June so the weather can cooperate. As we sailed, we could see two ships ahead of us apparently on the same general course.
Monday, June 27, 2016 Alesund, Norway
The weather has been rainy in the low 60’s but the clouds seem to be breaking up as we sailed into Alesund this morning. It is still chilly, in the 50’s.
At 10:15 we set off on the walking tour of Alesund which involves a lot of hills, a lot of wind and some rain. The city is primarily supported by fishing and the maintenance of fishing boats. It was burned extensively in 1904 and rebuilt after that mostly in stone or brick.
We went up to the public park and then down to the harbor area. It started to rain as the tour ended so we hurried back to the ship for lunch and a little rest.
Tuesday, June 28, 2016 – Trondheim, Norway
We did a panoramic tour which means you see the city in a coach without getting out very often. That was fine with me because it was a little drizzly and about 53 degrees.
We saw the main site which is a cathedral built from 1170 to 1300. We did not get to go in but we got a few pictures. We also saw the city from the fort up on a hill and spent some time in the public park.
We spent the afternoon reading and I got in a little walking on the track before dinner. We had dinner with Carl and Olga from Eindhoven, Netherlands. We had a good time discussing Brexit and its causes.
Thursday, June 30, 2016 Hammerfest, Norway
It was still cloudy and chilly when we arrived at Hammerfest. After breakfast, we walked into town which took about 30 minutes and went to the Polar Bear Club. This is an international club that anyone can join. They had a nice exhibit about the bears and pictures from when Hammerfest was much younger.
The weather has been in the mid to low 50’s but the sun finally put in an appearance today in the afternoon. We are at 70 degrees north latitude and are therefore in the Arctic Circle which starts at 66 degrees or thereabouts.
For the next few days we will have the midnight sun and the sun will not set. Internet service has disappeared for the last couple of days.
Friday, July 1, 2016 Murmansk, Russia
We arrive at Murmansk at 1 PM today after sailing through a sun filled night. The weather has improved and although it is a little windy, the temperature is in the high 50’s. In Russia, you need a visa to go ashore unless you are signed up for an excursion sponsored by Oceania. That was the main reason I bought an excursion in Murmansk which I expected to be an industrial city with not much to recommend it.
My expectations were realized. The city is full of Soviet era apartment buildings each one uglier than the one before. Our guide did her best to describe an idyllic life in Murmansk but could not help but mention occasionally how the climate made here want to leave.
They have 220 days a year of snow and ice and darkness. They relish their short summer with its Polar Nights that never get dark but it does not seem to be enough to keep people there. They are losing population as the young people move south.
Sunday, July 3, 2016 – Solovetsky Islands, Russia
These islands are in the White Sea and contain several monasteries and churches. During Stalin’s day, they were used to house and execute “enemies of the people,” about a million of them.
We toured the botanical gardens with a young Russian guide who was very good. The gardens were not ready for prime time but there was a lot of history about the monks planting a lot of the trees and plants.
This place needs some work before they really are ready to host a lot of cruises but at least they tried.
Tuesday, July 5, 2016 – Archangel, Russia
We did not have an excursion for this port because I thought it was too industrial. The reports back from the people who did do an excursion confirms my choice. They had many complaints about the excursions.
Thursday, July 7, 2016 Honningsvag, Norway
This is the northernmost city in Norway if not the world although some larger cities also claim the title. The thing to do here is go up to North Cape where there is a monument to the fact that between you and the north pole is nothing but water.
Several excursions went there and they all reported it was so foggy they could not see anything. We just strolled around town which seemed pretty quiet.
Saturday, July 9, 2016 – Kristiansund, Norway
It is still grey and rainy although it is warmer. We walked around part of the town but it seemed that most stores were closed. We did better at the indoor golf today.
Dinner in the Grand Dining Room with Carl and Olga from the Netherlands. Earlier in the trip, they apparently had dinner with someone who wanted to tell them that Obama was a Muslim. Carl said “So?” That did not stop the person from going on to say that Obama was born in Kenya etc.
Sunday, July 10, 2016 – Geiranger, Norway
We arrived at Geiranger around 6 AM. Very little sun was in the fjords at that hour but they were still spectacular. As the sun filled the fjord, everything just got better.
We stayed on the ship and just enjoyed the scenery. Around 1:30 we sailed up the fjord to Hellesylt which really is not far away. There we picked up some people who had been on an excursion and then sailed for Bergen.
Monday, July 11, 2016 – Bergen, Norway
It stopped raining just before we docked in Bergen but it is still grey and wet but a little warmer than it has been.
It rained most of the time we were in town but Mary managed to find some woolens she wanted so we bought our first souvenir of the trip.
Wednesday, July 13, 2016 – Amsterdam, The Netherlands
We sailed into Amsterdam on the canal that runs from there to the North Sea. They have the most modern cruise terminal I have ever seen. We are docked behind the Celebrity Silhouette which is a very large ship.
At 10:15 we set off on a combined city tour and visit to the Anne Frank house. I had visited the house in 1970 but since then they have added a whole building to house the book store and the various rooms they have added for audio and video. It is well done. The tour takes you through the actual house and shows what went on in each room.
Thursday, July 14, 2016 – Bruges, Belgium
We walked into the town of Bruges with our guide. It was a nice way to understand how small the town really is. The town is surrounded by canals and there are boats that will take you around. We did a boat trip and also wandered around the city and had lunch.
Friday, July 15, 2016 – London, England
We always try to get to London if we are nearby and so when the cruise ended at Southampton, we had a driver take us to London. We like the Dukes Hotel in St. James because it is small, secluded and near Piccadilly. We spent the weekend doing some London Walks and dining nearby. We had a great time as usual and left on Sunday for the USA.
We really enjoyed the Norway Cruise but I’m not sure we would go back to the Russian parts.
