Time to Start Our Cruise Up Norway’s Remarkable Coast

Tuesday dawned cloudy and gray as most of the days in Bergen have been. That was OK as we are used to that living in the Seattle area. However, today would be different as we were going to board the cruise ship that would take us up the coast of Norway. We were ready for the change.

According to the information we had received, we were to check in around noon. The cruise company, Hurtigruten, didn’t want people to show up really early. Fortunately, our hotel allowed check out until noon so we weren’t stranded with no place to be.

We packed everything up so we were ready to walk out the door. We still had quite a bit of time left before we would be leaving so we decided to take one last trip into Bergen. I was thinking of buying some sausage for my son and his wife. They make sausage here from some different meats. One could buy whale, moose, elk or reindeer sausage. I had tasted a few of those and thought they would be a fun gift. However, when we got downtown the price was higher than I remembered. I decided not to spend money on something they might just throw away.

We walked all the way through town for some exercise and then made our way over to the coffee place we had stopped at yesterday before heading back to the hotel. Andrea and Jacob had volunteered to help take our luggage up over the hill we needed to cross to get to the dock where our cruise ship was waiting. Andrea was a little more challenged by the task, but we made it.

Check in was faster than I had expected. There were no long lines. We had little wait time. The only wait time we had was getting into the safety presentation. Everyone had to be certified as having attended a presentation on what to do in an emergency. We had to wait for a group to finish before we could start. In the meantime they served snacks and drinks so it was hardly difficult.

Once we attended the safety presentation, we could board the boat. However, we could not yet go to our rooms as they had a crew cleaning and preparing the rooms. We sat around in the bar area for a while, but then it was time for lunch. Lunch was served buffet style, and there was plenty of food. However, it was clear right away that this was Norway as fish was very prominent in the menu as well as some unfamiliar items.

An announcement came that the rooms were ready for us. They had taken our large luggage at check in so it was sitting outside our doors. We had the least expensive rooms, but they were sufficient. They had a lot of storage space tucked in here and there so we unloaded our suitcases and then put them under the beds and out of the way. We made it all work. While the shelf above the bed were convenient, I did hit my head on it a few times over our trip.

Silvette wanted to do some laundry right away which required no extra expense. While she started that, I went up to the top deck of our cruise ship and started taking photos as we had already left the dock. It was hard to stop taking photos as everywhere I turned there was a new vista to look at. Bergen is not directly on the ocean. There are quite a few islands around it as you can see in the screenshot of Google Maps below. In fact much of the coast of Norway has islands. Initially we were looking at a variety of different towns and locations on the islands we were passing by as well as going under bridges that connected islands to the mainland.

People were already out on the top deck of the cruise ship which was the best location for viewing the scenery. There was a large stack in the center of the deck, and people seemed to like sitting behind it as it protected somewhat from the wind.

As we continued on, the signs of civilization grew farther away, but they did not disappear. We could still see distant towns. We also saw places where people had built their homes near the edge of the water. All along we continued to enjoy the beautiful scenery.

Later in the afternoon, the cruise ship announced a gathering for English speakers where they explained a number of things about how the ship operates. It is something they do every day to help keep passengers informed of the ship’s activities. There are separate meetings for German and Norwegian speakers.

Dinner time rolled around. For most of the dinners there is an assigned time and table. However, this first night it was open seating. We grabbed a table along with Jacob and Andrea in the back with great views out the window. It made for an enjoyable setting for dinner. The wait staff here is efficient asking guests what they want to drink and then clearing away used dishes once we are done. The dessert offerings were again wonderful. I hope I am able to get enough walking in on this trip so I don’t gain any weight from the food we are eating.

After dinner we went out on the sixth level deck and walked around. They have a walking track outside that goes around this deck level. I would stop and take photos from time to time. By this time we were seeing mostly nature. Silvette saw a whale breaching in the distance, but I could never catch it. Later I started talking to a man from North Carolina. He was particularly interested in our trip to Kenya as he said his wife really wanted to do a safari.

In the evening the cruise ship announced over the loudspeaker that there was a special lighthouse coming up that we should see, the Stabben Fyr. Since they announced it, many people came out to see it. The lighthouse was not what I expected. It looked like a church sitting on a rock. I guess the point was to guide ships away from that rock. It was a very unusual lighthouse, but I was expecting something bigger so I was a bit underwhelmed.

I stayed up to try to catch up on my blog work. At about 11:30 I went up on the deck again. It was still bright enough outside to take photos. However, they all had a blue cast to them. We were definitely in an extended blue light time. Soon we will be in a no sunset zone as we continue farther north.

In the meantime watch for next week’s blog on Wednesday with more photos and stories of our cruise up the coast of Norway.