شايع ٿيل: 10.07.2018
COFFEE WITH A KICK
We were supposed to arrive in Hammerfest, the northernmost city in the world, at around 10:30 am and were called to Deck 7 beforehand for an "energy coffee" and a short lecture.
The energy coffee was a fun mix of coffee, cocoa, cinnamon, and chili and tasted really good. And the chili gave us a boost - especially in the rather cool temperatures and gray outlook:
VISIT TO THE POLAR BEAR CLUB
Shortly after, we arrived in the port of Hammerfest and immediately stumbled into the "city center" from the ship.
The term "city" is relative here. There are a few shops where you can shop, and you can already tell that Hammerfest is one of the larger towns in the far north of Norway.
Important men from Hammerfest have received a statue in the port - Mr. Lindstrøm, for example, was important because he apparently cooked deliciously for men on polar expeditions and was always a joker who spread good cheer - even when the expedition didn't go so well:
ALPINE IDYLL AND STINKY FISH
After the stop in Hammerfest, we took the rest of the day easy. I also wanted to try taking a nap - because we would still be on the move for a long time today - but it didn't work!
Instead, we drove through one of the most beautiful sections so far. Namely, past the Lyngen Alps, the "Alps of Northern Norway", which are one of the country's largest natural attractions and stretch up to 1,800 meters high and 100 kilometers along the coast. My favorite photo opportunity came in Skjervøy, a small village where people have lived since the Stone Age. Mountains and sun in the background, water and shadows in the front, small colorful houses, and a few clouds...beautiful:
After a delicious red wine with a view from the panoramic windows on Deck 4, it was already time for dinner. Today, my favorite menu of the entire trip so far: salmon for the appetizer, which was only briefly seared on the outside and still raw on the inside. Then delicious beef fillet and for dessert some kind of grain mush that reminded me of rice pudding. Great! Yesterday we had reindeer for the main course, which was also very good, very similar to beef. Papa preferred to have fish...
And no time to rest: as soon as the last spoonful was eaten, our captain (we got a new one since the outbound journey in Tromsø - the captains change every 22 days, take over the ship for 3 weeks, and then have another 22 days of vacation) told us a bit about his life. He was born in Tromsø and has been working for Hurtigruten for 45 (!!!) years. This is his last tour and in 14 days he will be able to retire. He could hardly hide his joy about it ;-). He showed us some pictures of the nature around his home, especially the winter time when the whales come and the northern lights can be seen. His urgent recommendation: definitely take the same trip here again in December or January. It would be complete nonsense that all Norwegians are depressed and drunk at that time, as one can endure it wonderfully even in darkness. In the end, he passed around the famous dried stockfish that is so well known here - they are sometimes huge and have a pretty strong smell:
UP LATE, OR RATHER, "MAN, IT'S BRIGHT HERE"
Right after docking in Tromsø, we were led through the city for a short distance to an office where we received these fancy suits - Papa looked like he was from the fire department:
And tomorrow: We will go on two excursions and get to know the island world of the Lofoten Islands and see sea eagles up close (hopefully).