Hurtigruten Day 5: Artic Circle, Bodø, Fishing Island, Lofoten, Raftsund

This night was a little agitated, we somehow noticed the three landings at Brønnøysund, Sandnessjøen and Nesna. Deeply underneath us in the bilge, there are both bow thrusters needed to maneuver the ship at the landing stage and do become noticable by the vibrations; We get up at 6.45 a.m. and hurry up in order to have our breakfast, as around 7.15 a.m. we will cross the Arctic, but when the time has come, we finished our breakfast long time ago, as we are still half an hour delayed.

By sitting at our table we look to the island Hestmannøy where the monument of the Artic Circle is standing, a stylized globe made of metal on a stone base that glistens in the morning sun. At 7.52 a.m. we cross the invisible latitude of 66°33'. Here, the empire of the midnight sun begins, from here onwards, there is no sunset any more for some days or weeks, as it runs in the north over the horizon to the east and then rises again.

Around 8.30 a.m., a Hurtigruten-oldtimer comes towards us, the "MS Vesterålen" from the year 1983 in southern direction. The greeting to each other is a three-times hoot with the foghorn and the tempered waving with handkerchiefs and table cloths. Our excursion to the Svartisen glacier starts a little delayed, but therefore our excursion boat is the faster. It is a catamaran with a jet drive with a speed of 30 bends (approximately 55 km/h) and that takes us away from the ship to the Holand fjord in lightning-speed.

A short walk leads us in 20 minutes to the melt water lake underneath the Engabreen, an anabranch of the Svartisen. The many birchs are still in winter sleep, the dreaded cones with the pollen are still tihtly closed! Thus, we can fully enjoy the calmness, the good air and the sun. It is realy a gorgeos place and we let sink our impressions thoroughly. In the area of the end moraine we find some interesting stones for our collection at home. There is coffee and cake in the tourist centre, we try some wafers and we send the coffee and the champain with ice from the glacier to Conventry.

On the way to Bodø, where meanwhile our ship arrived, we stop at the fishing island Støtt. During the first half of the 20th century, up to 1000 fisher families lived here, but therefrom only 47 are left due to the industrialization of the fishing. Somehow, the deteriorated houses leave a blue impression, many things are really scruffy. But at the mom-and-pop shop at the dock there is still everything available what is needed in this island: from pants to fishing equipment up to food, everything is available. But we kindly refused the sweets made of dried fish and take a "Daim" instead.

We are pleased about the fact that we continue full steam ahead to Bodø. The tour guide informs us in four languages about everything worth knowing of the area. This man is a real linguistic genius; After an hour, we reach the offshoots of Bodø, at the right, the civil and military airport, at the left, a fortification, then the voluminous port facilities. Bodø is an important trade centre in the north of Norway. Our ship is already waiting for us, at the starboard side, shortly above the water line, a gate is opened and through the car deck, we access back to our swimming home.

Shortly after 3.00 p.m. we leave Bodø and an hour later, we head for the open sea to the Lofoten, an offshore archipielago in the North Atlantic. This passage also does not offerus any frights, the water is flat as the Lake of Starnberg during the calm at noon time and the sun keeps spoiling us.

We get to the first harbour of the Lofoten during dinner and land shortly in Stamsund. Alongside the mountain chain of the Lofoten we continue then in northern direction. The sun is slowly going down behind the mountains, a fantastic ambience of photography. At 8.30 p.m., the "MS Nordkapp" glides beside us. Slightly delayed (as usual) we reach Svolvær, but nevertheless we stay there for an hour that we use to visit the "Magic-Ice" galery. In a warehouse, some artists made stunning sculptures of ice all about fishing. To conclude the event , we have an ice cocktail in an ice goblet at the ice bar.

Shortly before 11.00 p.m. we reach Raftsund with a length of 26 km, an interesting passage between the Lofoten Islands. Meanwhile, the mountains got a fantastic afterglow, one just can't get enough from gazing. After the weather brought us completely calmed sea, our crew risks a tour into the Troll fjord that is only 100 m wide and 2 km long, and it is shortly to midnight! Very carefully, the ship slowly fells its way ahead, it is an incredible atmosphere, the water in the penumbral, the mountain peaks above in the last afterglow. The gag of the event is the the Trollfjord soup at deck no. 7. We prefer to abstain from the mixed drink offered, as we know our heads! After leaving the fjord, it is past midnight, we disppear into our cabin and a long day ends.

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Author: Rudi Kronenberger; Copyright: Patrick Wagner, www.urlaube.info