The experience of a Hurtigruten voyage is of course best understood by coming on board yourself. And that’s exactly what Patch Clapp did when he joined our guest blogger and several others on board our Astronomy Voyage in November. Patch photographed and filmed his experience on board, and has kindly shared his footage with us. So take a look at what really happens on a Hurtigruten voyage, from the perspective of one of our passengers!
Footage courtesy of Patch Clapp
On Saturday, 8 November, the MS Midnatsol saw the clearest night it’s seen in a few days. Auroral activity was quite weak but the lights did show up after the ship left Tromsø on its way to Finnsnes and even briefly lined up rather well with the smoke from the ship’s funnel! Take a look at a few photos, all taken by Dr. John Mason, on board as part of the Astronomy Voyage.
A faint red and green appearing…
The Northern Lights shining above the decks of the MS Midnatsol
Lining up perfectly with the ship’s smoke!
Covering the sky
Rising above the coastline
Lighting up
Hurtigruten offers many different options for voyages. One of those options is the Astronomy Voyage. Run during the winter months, these themed voyages give guests the chance to learn a bit more about the Arctic Sky above you.
The on board lecture series is held in the ship’s amphitheatre
With presentations on most days during the voyage, a trip to the Tromsø Planetarium, and an expert on deck each night helping you search for the Northern Lights, it’s a great way to enrich your voyage experience even more.
At the Tromsø Planetarium, we experience a great show of the night sky and the Northern Lights over Norway, before briefly channeling our inner child in the hands on Science Centre (it’s hard to resist!).
The Tromsø Planetarium
The lecture series are run by either Dr. John Mason, MBE – an Applied Physicist and Principal Lecturer at the South Downs Planetarium; or Ian Ridpath, a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society and Editor of the Oxford Dictionary of Astronomy and Norton’s Star Atlas.
The early November voyage was hosted by John Mason. We’ve learnt that the Northern Lights aren’t just green all the time, but can be slightly purple or red, and even lilac (a once in a lifetime experience for John). We also learnt that it’s not just one shape. What you can see from one minute to the next could appear drastically different. Or it could not… Our own experience has shown all of that to be true!
Channeling our inner child at the Planetarium Science Centre
But this voyage isn’t just about the Northern Lights, even though it’s a big focus. John is an expert in the stars too, and knows the constellations like the back of his hand. After showing us images of the constellations we’ll see, he takes his down coat and laser pointer out on deck and shows us the real thing. Thanks to being far enough away from artificial light, we can even spot a section of the Milky Way, cutting right through the Cygnus (Swan) constellation.
If seeing the Northern Lights and experiencing the Winter Arctic to its full extent is top of your list, having someone there to help guide you and explain it is a great opportunity.
On Wednesday night (6 November), the Northbound voyage saw the best display of the Northern Lights yet. Just goes to show that patience always pays off! After five nights of a very slow start and lots of cloud cover, it looks like things are finally looking up!
On Wednesday, after leaving Kjøllefjord, peeking through the clouds, it appeared. Whilst the colours are hard to spot with the naked eye sometimes, the colours on the camera showed up brightly – green and purple streaking through the sky.
Multi-coloured Aurora on our way to Mehamn. Photo by Patch Clapp
Northern Lights on the starboard side of MS Midnatsol. Photo by Patch Clapp
Then, on Thursday night, things got even better as the Aurora covered almost the entire sky. Another successful winter voyage! Let’s hope the sky continues to give all the ships such beautiful displays.
A blanket of colour over the Arctic sky! Photo by John Mason
Covering the sky on the first night Southbound. Photo by John Mason
Even through the clouds, the Aurora Borealis was kind enough to shine brightly enough for us to see last night. Here’s a quick shot of what we were spotted. There has already been more displays tonight!
The Northern Lights from the front of MS Midnatsol. Photo by Patch Clapp
Part of the charm of Hurtigruten is that these are small ships. The MS Midnatsol, one of the two largest ships in the fleet, has a maximum passenger capacity of 1000. To put that in perspective, it’s only just over one third the size of some of the other cruise ships that can be found along this coastline, and just one sixth the size of the truly huge vessels.
That benefit became very clear last night, as we squeezed through the tightest of spaces and snaked away around the utterly beautiful Lofoten Islands, stopping at a handful of ports including the small town of Svolvær.
The experience of going through the Trollfjord whilst standing up on deck is a jaw dropping experience. Unfortunately the darkness made it incredibly difficult to photograph, so I shall attempt to paint a picture with words!
The entrance to this fjord is just 100m wide and the sheer cliff walls feel so close you can almost reach out and touch them on both sides. Going through the fjord during the day would be an entirely different experience of course, but sliding by these walls at night was like entering a dark, mysterious cave where perhaps no one but trolls had ever been… (Perhaps our imaginations ran away with us a little…). We were completely surrounded by rock wall on both sides. As we entered the Trollfjord we were presented on deck with Norwegian fishcakes and commemorative Trollfjord mugs and drinks to mark the occasion.
The Hotel Manager and Chef preparing the fishcakes in the Trollfjord
Then the captain performed a perhaps even more impressive feat. Of course what goes in to the fjord must come out, and to do that, the MS Midnatsol completed a turn some would struggle to make in a car, never mind a 16,000 tonne ship. It was hard to believe we would make it, but make it we did!
The peaceful town of Svolvær
Then we spent the night sailing through the mirror still waters of the Lofoten Islands. The waterways were wider, but it somehow felt far less disruptive being on our small Hurtigruten ship than it would have felt had we been on one of the far bigger cruise lines. The peace and quiet was something beautiful to experience, even in the middle of the night.
Crossing the Arctic Circle is a milestone on many people’s lists of things to do on their travels. On Hurtigruten, they make sure to celebrate the occasion properly!
If you wish, you can take a guess the previous night as to exactly when the ship will cross into the Arctic Circle. Then, the following morning, the early risers can be found on deck waiting for the momentous occasion. Hurtigruten’s crew greeted us with a champagne breakfast for those who wanted it. And why not? We all love a reason for a celebration!
But the celebrations didn’t stop at that…
Glasses ready for the celebrations. It’s never too early…
Champagne Breakfast anyone?
Celebrating the crossing under the blue light of the Arctic Dawn.
Celebrating crossing the Arctic Circle in the blue light of dawn
One passenger celebrated with a dip into the on deck Jacuzzis!
Celebrating the crossing in true style – in a hot tub!
A few hours later, once the rest of the ship had woken up, another ‘treat’ was in store. On Deck, the Senior Crew including the Captain joined us, as did King Neptune himself! King Neptune welcomed us to his domain of the ocean, and told us that we were now under his protection. The same protection as the jellyfish, halibut and the drowned sailors. But to truly become a citizen of the sea, we had to go through our Arctic Baptism!
King Neptune, the Captain and Senior Crew welcome us to the Arctic Circle
Somehow I was picked as the first ‘volunteer’ after the two winners of the Arctic Circle Crossing time prediction were baptised. So I stepped forward for a chilling experience.
Getting ‘volunteered’ for an icy welcome!
The ship’s Captain and King Neptune give us true Arctic baptisms – a back full of Arctic ice cubes!
An icy welcome from King Neptune and our Captain
It’s a small comfort that a small taste of cloudberry wine was there to distract you from the numbness trickling down your back… If you weren’t awake by then, you certainly were afterwards!
A great way to wake up!
Exploring the city of Trondheim is a must if you are here, even if it is just a brief walk around the highlights, like we experienced (although more detailed tours are available!). The main reason is the fantastic and famous Nidaros Cathedral. It is the Northernmost medieval church in the world, and built over the burial ground of Saint Olaf, the Patron Saint of Norway.
Above the entrance to Trondheim Cathedral
We were lucky enough to catch the end of one of the Girls’ Choir practices as we walked in (as we were there on a Sunday, the church was open, preparing for morning service). The Cathedral is a beautiful building, so if you are lucky enough to be there when it is open, don’t miss the chance to have a look inside.
The famous Trondheim Cathedral
Another must see spot is the Old Town Bridge. A guarded city gate until the early 1800s, part of the old structure still stands, and the views down the Nidelva river from the middle are a fantastic example of Norwegian architecture.
The Old Town Bridge of Trondheim
The 18th century buildings on either side of the Nidelva River are full of colour. Not a boring grey street in sight…
The view down the Nidelva River of Trondheim
Our final stop in our wander around the city was just on the other side of the river – the Bike Lift! Designed so that cyclists don’t have to cycle up the rather steep hill ahead, it’s a unique little contraption – the only one in the world, in fact. Unfortunately closed for the winter, so we couldn’t test it out (even if we did have bikes), it’s a pretty interesting ‘gadget’ to see and one a few of us would love to have on the hills near our home…
Trondheim’s Bike Lift
Artwork in Trondheim
Once we were back on the ship, we were all on the look out for another of Norway’s famous sites – the Kjeungskjær Lighthouse. Until the 1980’s, the keeper and his family lived on the lower levels of the lighthouse. Now it’s automated, but still a beautiful lighthouse. There isn’t much outside space when the tide is high, so perhaps it’s a good thing that it’s automated now!
Kjeungskjær Lighthouse off the starboard side of MS Midnatsol
On Saturday night, sailing between Kristiansund and Trondheim, a very subtle Auroral glow came peeking out above the clouds. It started out so faint, that almost nothing could be seen with the human eye. One of the things they don’t always tell you in the books is that the Northern Lights sometimes do not look green to us at all, but in fact look mostly grey. This is because our eyes are not built to see vivid colour in the dark.
But, take a photo, and your camera screen will show you a beautiful green sky. It’s a strange experience looking out and seeing nothing but a faint grey light, that looks similar to the very early signs of dawn. Yet the camera shows something entirely different.
A faint Auroral glow above the clouds
With a big, bright Northern Lights display, your eyes will pick up the green. But you will be amazed at how much more colour the camera will show!
Trying to capture the green glow
Hopefully this is just a taste of more impressive displays to come as we travel further north. But first, we need Mother Nature on our side! Check back to find out if the Lights show up of us again.
Our first major stop on the way up north is Ålesund. One of the most interesting facts about Ålesund is about its architecture. After a fire destroyed practically the whole town in 1904, the place was rebuilt in the style of the time – Art Nouveau. We explored the main street to get a look at the buildings for ourselves and learn a little bit about the history.
Another unique twist in the tale is the Kaiser Wilhelm II, the last German Kaiser, used to holiday in the area often. So when he heard about the fire, he sent four warships full of supplies to help the town recover. Unsurprisingly you can find a lot of examples of places where Wilhelm has been honoured!
A rainy start to our walk in Ålesund before the skies cleared!
The walk started out in the rain, but another thing you learn about Norway, especially at this time of year, is how quickly the weather can change! Luckily not long after we began our walk, patches of blue sky appeared and the umbrellas were put away.
The picturesque Art Nouveau riverside after the rain cleared
We also discovered that Ålesund, like all towns in Norway, has a coat of arms that you can find displayed everywhere from public benches to manhole covers. Ålesund’s coat of arms shows the importance of fishing to the town.
Ålesund’s Coat of Arms featuring a boat and fishes
After Ålesund, MS Midnatsol made another brief stop in Molde. Our tour leader, Inger, recommended we follow her to one of the main streets to quickly see a window display of the local traditional costume. This was an example of one of many ‘national costumes’ in Norway that are specifically tied to one region. A quick taste of more of Norway’s history!
One of the many ‘national costumes’ – this one from Molde
After that, it was back on the ship for dinner, an evening stop in Kristiansund, and then a night of searching for the Northern Lights! The first of many to come…
An evening visit to Kristiansund
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