Back to the Sunny South August 22-23, 2006
August 22
We left Sortland around 9AM this morning and promptly missed the bridge and highway E10 that crosses the fjord here to take us back to Narvik. Back on track we were amazed as a dark and dingy day with a low hanging ceiling of clouds became clear and sunny. The difference here between clouds and clear is huge! Since being in Lofoten we have seen about half and half of cloudy and sunny days. The overcast days that we have seen have a low solid ceiling of clouds that obscure the view of the tops of the mountains. After a while you feel like you’re in a small room that is painted in grays. Claustrophobia followed by depression sets in and you want to find a very dull cod fish and start sawing at your wrist. On the other hand the sunny days are glorious and the sun is very intense this far north and removed from pollution creating population centers. The nice thing about our three hour drive back to Narvik this morning was that when we drove this road last Friday it was one of those oppressive overcast days. Today we got to see the mountains and the fjords as they should be seen; from top to bottom and in living color.
Once back in Narvik we had to arrange our transportation to Trondheim which means we will be crossing the Arctic Circle as we head south. This is the farthest north we plan to go during the Davis East West Expedition but we are glad that we came up here. We have enjoyed the time we have spent in the great northland and I would like to come back to the Scandinavian Arctic for some focused activities like hiking, biking, fishing and kayaking. I would also like to come back in the winter to see this rugged landscape with a covering of snow and to take in the Northern Lights.
Our routing for Trondheim ended up like this:
A 5 hour bus ride from Narvik to Fauske, 4PM -9PM, including a ferry ride. Buy the ticket from the driver.
A 9 hour and 40 minute train ride from Fauske to Trondheim 10PM-7:40AM. We were able to buy the tickets at the Narvik train station even though it’s a different railroad. (The RR here only runs back to Sweden.)
We have now decided to then catch the 10AM Hurtigruten in Trondheim for Bergen. (The Hurtigruten is the coastal ferry that runs the entire length of the Norwegian coast and makes 31stops during the 5 ½ half day voyage. From Trondheim to Bergin will take about 1 ½ days.
Once all that was taken care of we had lunch, returned the rental car and did a little necessity shopping at the mall where the long haul buses pick up. The bus ride wasn’t bad and only made about 6 stops in the five hours. It helps to have the dramatic Norwegian scenery to help the time go by.
We made it to Fauske waited 40 minutes or so for the train found our car and compartment. We decided to splurge on a sleeper compartment because of the duration of this leg. I am writing this as we rumble through the night, but will close now as we will leave the train early and a new day of adventures will begin.
August 23
A somewhat restless night on the train (at least for me) was followed by an early morning as the train continued its rhythm of stopping at small town stations and then moving ahead toward our destination of Trondheim. Holly was up first and used the sink that was in the train car compartment to clean up. I then got up and did the same. This is the first train we have been on that had sinks in the compartment and while it takes some of the already limited space it is a nice addition. We then put on the clothes we had worn yesterday as we were going to catch the Hurtigruten and planned to have a cabin with a shower in a few hours. When the train pulled into the station we checked with the information office and confirmed the sailing time of 10AM and that the dock was about a 15-20 minute walk away after which we had a light breakfast.
We arrived at the dock around 8:30AM found the Vesteralen, our ship, and had our gift from the Norse gods for the day. Hurtigruten was running a southbound special and the tickets cost us about half of what we expected. We were so elated that we upgraded to an outside cabin which only cost about US$20 more. The catch was that our cabin would not be ready until 11. That’s Ok as the ship is a big place and we found a place to hang out until then. We settled into our cabin right at 11 took a shower and changed into fresh clothes. What a difference!
We had another nod from the Norse heavens in that the ship has laundry facilities which allowed us to load our packs with freshly cleaned, machine washed clothes. Double Bonus!
The ship cruised down the coast and treated us to more views of beautiful Norway. We lounged around the upper outside deck and took in as much as we could but after a week or so it’s sensory overload and it becomes too much. This is a coast best explored on the deck of a sailboat. Moving at a speed that allows you to savor each vista as it unfolds around you. Maybe next time.
We splurged and had dinner tonight. The ships restaurant offered a set menu consisting of salmon with a mustard dill sauce followed by chicken breast on risotto and ending with a very light cheese cake and coffee. It was the best meal we have had in a few days and we took our time and enjoyed it. We topped off the meal by going to the lounge on the upper most deck and watching the sunset off the stern as the Vesteralen moved into the rain.
We left Sortland around 9AM this morning and promptly missed the bridge and highway E10 that crosses the fjord here to take us back to Narvik. Back on track we were amazed as a dark and dingy day with a low hanging ceiling of clouds became clear and sunny. The difference here between clouds and clear is huge! Since being in Lofoten we have seen about half and half of cloudy and sunny days. The overcast days that we have seen have a low solid ceiling of clouds that obscure the view of the tops of the mountains. After a while you feel like you’re in a small room that is painted in grays. Claustrophobia followed by depression sets in and you want to find a very dull cod fish and start sawing at your wrist. On the other hand the sunny days are glorious and the sun is very intense this far north and removed from pollution creating population centers. The nice thing about our three hour drive back to Narvik this morning was that when we drove this road last Friday it was one of those oppressive overcast days. Today we got to see the mountains and the fjords as they should be seen; from top to bottom and in living color.
Once back in Narvik we had to arrange our transportation to Trondheim which means we will be crossing the Arctic Circle as we head south. This is the farthest north we plan to go during the Davis East West Expedition but we are glad that we came up here. We have enjoyed the time we have spent in the great northland and I would like to come back to the Scandinavian Arctic for some focused activities like hiking, biking, fishing and kayaking. I would also like to come back in the winter to see this rugged landscape with a covering of snow and to take in the Northern Lights.
Our routing for Trondheim ended up like this:
A 5 hour bus ride from Narvik to Fauske, 4PM -9PM, including a ferry ride. Buy the ticket from the driver.
A 9 hour and 40 minute train ride from Fauske to Trondheim 10PM-7:40AM. We were able to buy the tickets at the Narvik train station even though it’s a different railroad. (The RR here only runs back to Sweden.)
We have now decided to then catch the 10AM Hurtigruten in Trondheim for Bergen. (The Hurtigruten is the coastal ferry that runs the entire length of the Norwegian coast and makes 31stops during the 5 ½ half day voyage. From Trondheim to Bergin will take about 1 ½ days.
Once all that was taken care of we had lunch, returned the rental car and did a little necessity shopping at the mall where the long haul buses pick up. The bus ride wasn’t bad and only made about 6 stops in the five hours. It helps to have the dramatic Norwegian scenery to help the time go by.
We made it to Fauske waited 40 minutes or so for the train found our car and compartment. We decided to splurge on a sleeper compartment because of the duration of this leg. I am writing this as we rumble through the night, but will close now as we will leave the train early and a new day of adventures will begin.
August 23
A somewhat restless night on the train (at least for me) was followed by an early morning as the train continued its rhythm of stopping at small town stations and then moving ahead toward our destination of Trondheim. Holly was up first and used the sink that was in the train car compartment to clean up. I then got up and did the same. This is the first train we have been on that had sinks in the compartment and while it takes some of the already limited space it is a nice addition. We then put on the clothes we had worn yesterday as we were going to catch the Hurtigruten and planned to have a cabin with a shower in a few hours. When the train pulled into the station we checked with the information office and confirmed the sailing time of 10AM and that the dock was about a 15-20 minute walk away after which we had a light breakfast.
We arrived at the dock around 8:30AM found the Vesteralen, our ship, and had our gift from the Norse gods for the day. Hurtigruten was running a southbound special and the tickets cost us about half of what we expected. We were so elated that we upgraded to an outside cabin which only cost about US$20 more. The catch was that our cabin would not be ready until 11. That’s Ok as the ship is a big place and we found a place to hang out until then. We settled into our cabin right at 11 took a shower and changed into fresh clothes. What a difference!
We had another nod from the Norse heavens in that the ship has laundry facilities which allowed us to load our packs with freshly cleaned, machine washed clothes. Double Bonus!
The ship cruised down the coast and treated us to more views of beautiful Norway. We lounged around the upper outside deck and took in as much as we could but after a week or so it’s sensory overload and it becomes too much. This is a coast best explored on the deck of a sailboat. Moving at a speed that allows you to savor each vista as it unfolds around you. Maybe next time.
We splurged and had dinner tonight. The ships restaurant offered a set menu consisting of salmon with a mustard dill sauce followed by chicken breast on risotto and ending with a very light cheese cake and coffee. It was the best meal we have had in a few days and we took our time and enjoyed it. We topped off the meal by going to the lounge on the upper most deck and watching the sunset off the stern as the Vesteralen moved into the rain.
posted by Gary and Holly Davis @ 5:18 AM
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