On the road with Hurtigruten 05.01 - 09.01.23

After a short stay in Bergen, our journey begins on the Hurtigruten at 8:30 PM on board the MS Nordlys.

In order to travel with our moped, we have booked one of the few animal cabins. It is equipped with two beds, one of which is foldable. There is also a small bathroom, a television with various information channels and Norwegian channels, and most importantly - two portholes that provide a beautiful view of the sea and the coastline.

Throughout the entire sea journey, thanks to the ship's stabilizers, we hardly notice the rough seas and therefore we mostly do not need motion sickness tablets. We sleep well and during the day we laugh here and there as we move around the ship. Due to our curiosity, we now know that all decorations on the ship are glued down.

On board, we also enjoy the many amenities of the ship: the outdoor hot tub, the sauna, the fitness center, the excellent food, and the panoramic bar.

And while other tourists take city tours or visit museums, we take the bus to the Nidar factory outlet in Trondheim, one of the largest chocolate manufacturers in Norway. And as it should happen - we leave the city with a few kilos of the finest Smash chocolate in our luggage, with a smile on our faces.
To explain: it is a mixture of milk chocolate that is salty and crispy. Very tasty and highly addictive!

In the last night, the MS Nordlys lives up to its name and we actually see the Northern Lights.

As we get closer to Sortland, the wind becomes stronger. Some planned stops at ports are cancelled because the captain decides that docking there is unsafe due to strong south winds. In the last 1-2 days, we are somewhat concerned if we will be able to stop in Sortland. Thank you to everyone who kept their fingers crossed for us - it helped! We dock at the port in Sortland at 3 AM and leave the port by car.

Now we drive for another hour to Guvåg, our new home in the municipality of Bø. Along the way, we have to wait at a tunnel as it is being renovated at night. At 5 AM, the first Ledebil (lead car), as announced online, arrives and guides us through the construction site or tunnel.
We arrive at 6 AM and happily fall into bed.

MS Nordlys itinerary
Bergen - Florø - Måløy - Torvik - Ålesund - Molde - Kristiansund - Trondheim - Rørvik - Brønnøysund - Sandnessjøen - Nesna - Bodø - Stamsund - Svolvær - Stokmarknes - Sortland