THE GREATEST LIGHT SHOW ON EARTH... THE SIGHTS
LESLEY OLDFIELD TRAVELS TO NORWAY IN SEARCH OF THE NORTHERN LIGHTS
RARELY have I felt more Christmassy. Not only was I surrounded by thick snow but my excitement at the prospect of seeing the Northern Lights could only be compared to that of a childhood Christmas morning.
I was aboard the Hurtigruten ship MS Nordnorge – one of a fleet that delivers passengers and cargo up and down the ragged 2,465m coast of Norway.
I was bound for Bergen, having joined the ship at Kirkenes, well inside the Arctic Circle on the Northern-most stretch of Norway’s mainland and just a few miles from the Russian border.
Other passengers had joined the ship at
Bergen and were now returning with twice as many opportunities to see the Lights and fewer flights – a sound trade.
Our voyage was blessed with three nights of those magical green Lights, visible from November to March, becoming increasingly intense on each occasion and vanishing the day we left the Arctic Circle. A true “bucket list” trip!
Norway is famously pricey but the beauty of this voyage is that it is full board, so your costs are clear, with only alcohol and extras to pay for.
At £9.35 for a glass of house wine or £45 for a bottle, doing the trip during Dry January might be the best idea!
WHAT TO DO ON BOARD
THE views are truly beautiful with dramatic sunsets and sunrises and the landscape changing from icy mountains to green, forested hills during the course of the voyage.
It was a very relaxing atmosphere during my trip with lots of people reading or browsing when not admiring the views from inside or on deck.
There were few children around and facilities for them are limited, though perhaps they are more in evidence on summer sailings.
I stayed in a very cosy Arctic Superior exterior cabin on deck five, where passengers can walk right around the ship and past your porthole. The cabin is a great retreat with TV, shower, loo and an extremely comfortable double bed with huge pillows.
There is also a gym, sauna and hot tub – from where, clad in swimsuit and woolly hat, I caught my very first sight of the Northern Lights!
The crew, whose names you soon learn, host entertaining half-hour sessions about Norway, the expeditions available, the shipping line, Northern Lights, and an unexpectedly hilarious session on the crafted jewellery and knitwear on sale aboard. We began with Robin – a real star – serenading his audience karaoke-style in French (with a strong Swedish accent).
There are also points of interest where everyone gathers at the observation deck to learn about the places we pass by, or observe traditional rituals for crossing the Arctic Circle – a splash of ice upon entering and spoonful of cod liver oil on departure, with a lovely commemorative spoon.
SHORT days in the Arctic mean the views are soon gone in winter, with mid November to mid January in almost total darkness – and temperatures dropping to -20˚C.
I joined excursions to the world’s Northernmost medieval cathedral at colourful Trondheim; a bus tour and ferry through the stunning landscapes of Vesteralen – spotting herds of reindeer and an occasional sea eagle, while avoiding moose who apparently like to lick the salt off the roads.
Coaches transported us to a midnight concert in Tromsø’s Arctic cathedral; and at Brønnøysund a memorable short steep hike to 250m-high Torghatten, the mountain with a hole through it – made by a troll, of course. MS Nordnorge also took us late-night troll-spotting at the famous Trollfjord near Digermulen. The ship, surrounded by high mountain walls, executed a neat 360-degree turn in the narrowest of spaces, aided by dramatic floodlights over the icy waters. There are 39 stops on the voyage, some as brief as 15 minutes and some through the night, collecting and delivering the post and other cargo. Should you venture ashore, be sure to return in good time as the ship waits for no one and you will face a long taxi ride to the next port of call.
NORTHERN LIGHTS TIPS
THE biggest takeaway from my trip is to go on deck, a lot! The ship will announce any lights seen by the crew, but the best display I witnessed was from the rear of it when in port – a time when the crew is likely to be taking a break.
Also, sort your camera out. It can see far more light and colour than
the human eye. Make sure it is set to aperture priority, sometimes called AV, with f stops of f/2.8, f/3.5 or f/4. My fireworks setting just did not cut it. Apps like My Aurora Forecast can help you see what time to expect some activity in the sky, but it is not to be relied on. You really need to spend time on deck looking.
Wrap up warm! Ski gear and thermals will keep you cosy and you may even need a balaclava in the coldest months.
It’s warm inside the ship, however, so be prepared for lots of dressing and undressing.
ABOUT THE SHIP
NORDNORGE means Northern Norway. It was built in 1997 and refurbished in 2016. The ship – 123.3m long, with a gross tonnage of 11,384 and a top speed of 18 knots – can carry 590 passengers and 32 cars and has 211 cabins. Many local passengers do not need to stay overnight while others seem to sleep in the chairs.
THE FOOD
THE trip is full board with a massive choice for breakfast for all tastes and nationalities. This is your chance to try caramelly Norwegian brown cheese while taking in the view. The Kysten a la carte dining area offers king crab twice a week as a special indulgence, at extra cost.
A daytime café sells barista coffees, traditional cakes and many flavours of ice cream including brown cheese, stockfish (dried cod) and cloudberry, a cute and delicious low-growing berry picked from individual plants.
But these things are hard to fit in when lunchtime offers a bewildering array of good food.
It is best to have a good meal in case the set dinner in the evening is not to your liking. Those meals are carefully themed around the area visited.
For example, our first day’s menu was Sami soused herring, reindeer with lingonberry sauce and an amazing Russian honey cake.
Not only was reindeer steak or sausages on the menu most nights but I also saw their skins on sale at Trondones.
Bearing in mind my Christmassy mood, I doubted that Santa would approve. Hammerfest and other ports also boasted Christmas shops, though it was in the supermarket that I found my favourite souvenir, a bag of soft Santa-shaped sweets called Jule Skum (meaning Yule mallows). Merry Christmas!