Publikovaný: 06.09.2023
The North Cape is behind me, the journey south through Lapland is now on.
But how do I get to Lapland? As soon as I had my first thoughts about this trip, the desire arose to complete part of the journey on a Hurtigruten mail ship. And lo and behold, everything fit. Both in terms of time (the ships do not leave every port every day) and the route. There was also heavy amounts of rain in Honningsvåg and the surrounding area the day after my North Cape tour. I wasn't mad about driving Hildegard into the belly of a ship again. This time it was something special. We went onto a platform which was then lowered down like an elevator. In the ship's storage room there were 4-5 cars, some pallets and boxes and now also Hildegard. The men from the ship did the lashing.
The trip started in Honningsvåg around 3 p.m. The next morning we arrived in Kirkenes at 9am. I hadn't booked a cabin, so I lounged on the chairs and sofas on the top deck and hoped for the Northern Lights.
I had my very first Northern Lights experience the night before, in Honningsvåg. The light wasn't super clearly green but I saw it. A fellow traveler brought this to my attention.
Unfortunately, I was unable to spot any northern lights during the trip on Hurtigruten's MS Nordnorge, and no whales appeared either.
However, the experience of a boat trip so far up north was wonderful. Great air, no rain at sea, beautiful coastal strips and fjords. We were anchored in a total of 6 small, colorful towns with harbors.
The travelers all had individual plans, you come and go according to your booking. Hurtigruten offers shore excursions. Anyone who takes part will then get back on board by bus at the next port.
The north coast of Norway calls for another visit. So many interesting things, in addition to the beautiful nature, are still to be discovered.