Svolvaer, Lofoten, Norway

June 29 – 

After a day at sea and crossing the Arctic Circle around 8:20 PM last night we arrived this morning at Svolvaer in Lofoten, Norway.  Lofoten is an archipelago off the Norwegian coast and Svolvaer is one of the largest cities with a population of about 5000. The islands lie between 68° and 69° N ; we’re pretty far north! Despite the latitude, Lofoten has temperatures in the winter which are not as cold as one would expect.  (We’re talking temperatures in the 5° range versus -47° which were the lows in some of the fjords we visited earlier.)  This is because of the influence of the Gulf Stream and its extensions, the North Atlantic Current and the Norwegian Current.

The scenery around us was absolutely spectacular. The islands are a series of  irregular peaks that I can best describe as looking snaggle-toothed.  Many are sheer rock; others have significant vegetation and appear quite lush.  I guess it’s dependent on which way they face and how much sun they get.  There was quite a bit of snow on some of the peaks.

 

Mountains around Svolvaer

More of the local scenery

Not surprisingly the principal industry in these islands is fishing.  Not as much now as in the past Lofoten was the center of the cod industry.  Evidently the waters here have perfect conditions for cod to spawn. Thus in the winter months the waters are teeming with cod and in years gone by there would be thousands of boats fishing for them.  The process is very interesting.  After the fish are caught they are gutted and the heads are removed from the bodies.  All around the islands we could see large wooden racks, some still with fish on them.  The heads are placed on racks to air dry and freeze (this is all taking place in the dead of winter.)  The bodies are placed on separate racks for the same process.  As our guide explained it, this method has been used for hundreds of years and essentially flash freezes the fish.  It becomes very hard and can be kept for up to 10 years.  Vikings probably carried this dried fish with them and it allowed them to make their long voyages.  The fish can be rehydrated by soaking it for a week and changing the water often.  We asked why the heads were removed and dried separately.  It seems the heads are mainly shipped to Nigeria where they are used to make some kind of traditional soup.

Fish on the racks in front, heads on the back ones

If you click on the photo you'll see just how many racks are around. These fish will be removed soon because they're all dry.

This eagle was waiting for some fresh fish to be caught.  Forget the dried stuff.

Our tour took us from Svolvaer to Henningsvaer, a small former fishing village.  It was virtually abandoned until a few years ago but has now seen a revival as a tourist destination. The Norwegian government has an interesting policy for these islands.  They pay an incentive to people to move from the little villages into the larger towns.  They do this so that services like medical care and schools will be easier to provide.  Of course, that has had a negative impact on the small places.

Anyway, to get to Henningsvaer we passed some inlets and bays which evidently have quite a tidal change, as much as 5 meters.  To get to the village we had to cross two one lane bridges.  The only traffic lights on the islands are found on bridges like these. The village is picturesque with a small harbor and quaint wooden buildings around it.  We went into an art gallery displaying works of a famous artist from the region.  Before going into the gallery we saw a video with stunning photographs of life on the islands.  The pictures of the boats in angry seas and the people who fish and clean the catch were so interesting. Looking at the people one could imagine how hard a life it is.  The gnarled hands and wind burned faces were like those of working watermen everywhere, even on Virginia’s Eastern Shore.  Our visit was short and we were back to the tender dock within a couple of hours.

Harbor at Henningsvaer

 

A wooden house in Henningsvaer

The ship sailed shortly and we were off for the highlight of the day.  Because we had very calm winds and brilliant sunshine the captain was able to take us into a place called Trollfjord.  Trollfjord is an inlet whose mouth is only about 320 feet wide; it widens to a maximum of 2600 feet, enabling us to turn around. It’s only a little over a mile long but it is stunningly beautiful.  Mountains that are 2000 to 3500 feet high in nearly vertical walls surround the fjord.  Our ship is about the largest which is able to go in and spin around so that we could see this incredible place.  We sat on our veranda and took it all in. 

Entrance to Trollfjord

 

We're inside the fjord!  I hope we can turn around.

After we made our exit we headed north again through smooth seas on our way to Tromsø.  We are in the Land of the Midnight Sun now so there is essentially no sunset or sunrise.  It’s just always light.  We’re going to try to stay up one night to see the sun at midnight.  That’s all from Lofoten.

Ålesund, Norway

June 27 -

After an uneventful night, despite the fact we ventured briefly out into the North Sea, we arrived in Ålesund. This a fairly large seaport here on the coast with a population of approximately 50,000.  The city has an interesting history.  In January 1904 a fire broke out which destroyed most of the city. As in Norwegian cities of the time, most of the structures were wooden, so the blaze quickly went out of control. It was winter and thousands were left homeless.  Neighboring communities took the population in and Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany, who had often vacationed in the area, sent several ships full of materials and supplies. The city was rebuilt primarily in the Art Nouveau style, popular at the time.  To honor the Kaiser one of the main streets was named for him.

Ålesund's old fishing district

Our all day tour today took us out in the countryside again, this time to the Romsdal and the Troll path.  Once again we headed out along a fjord on a road with lots of tunnels.  We’ve marveled at the roadways.  Until some of them were built, many completed in the 1980’s, there were lots of small farms and villages that were virtually isolated, especially in the winter months.  We saw one farm that is perched high up above the fjord at about 1500 feet.  Down at the base of the rock wall is a little boat dock.  Apparently the only way to supply the farm is by boat and then carrying the supplies up a steep trail.  Our guide told us that only once was a helicopter used and that was to bring in a new tractor.

 

The little farm is at the top of the cliff. At the bottom left the little white dot is the boat dock from which they are supplied.

Our first stop was the little Rose Church in Stordal.  The church is picturesque with an old graveyard with iron cross grave markers.  Next to it is an intact thatched farm house open for visitors to see.  Next to the farm house is a little storage building.  We saw many like this along the way.  They were built raised off the ground to try to keep mice and other vermin out.  Inside the family would store everything from cured meats and vegetables to linens.  The people living in this area must be hardy indeed.

One of many iron cross grave markers

Old thatched roof farm house and shed

From Stordal we continued to Valldal where we stopped at a little inn for lunch.  Valldal is renowned for its strawberries and other fruits grown in the little valley. Unfortunately we were too early for strawberries.  It will be another couple of weeks before they are ripe here.  We had a very nice buffet lunch which of course included salmon.

A fish farm we saw along the way. Perhaps the salmon came from here.

After lunch we proceeded along the Trollstigen, the Troll Path, to see the real highlights of the day.  As the road wound upward we passed lots of rushing streams and small waterfalls again.  Eventually we arrived at the Gudbrandsjuvet Gorge.  This is a stunning place!  The gorge is only 16 feet wide but it’s 60 feet deep. A river rushes through it filling the upper part and plunging down through the narrow cleft in the rocks.  A zigzag bridge is built across it so we could walk over the gorge, take pictures and hear the tumultuous sound of the cascade.  It was pretty awesome.

 

Gudbrandsjuvet Gorge river

An old stone bridge across the river

We continued up the road and came to the real star of the day, the Trollstigen viewpoint.  This place lies at about 4900 feet, well above the tree line.  Our guide told us that there had been a light snowfall yesterday and we could see the peaks above us looked like they had been dusted with powdered sugar.  On a little plateau surrounded by three peaks known as the King, the Queen and the Bishop, we stopped at the viewpoint.  There a walkway has been built with viewpoints to see the Stigfossen waterfall at its top.  It cascades down from this point 585 feet. Around the little valley way below are nearly vertical rock walls including the Troll Wall.  At 3600 feet it is the highest vertical mountain wall in Europe.  Before 1965 it had never been climbed and people believed it couldn’t be.  That year two teams, one Norwegian and the other English, climbed the wall following different routes.  It took them 14 days to do it with the Norwegian team finishing first.  Since then there have been other successful climbers and the wall has attracted the usual nuts too.  Someone got the idea to try jumping off with a parachute.  Evidently a few succeeded, but after several did not, it was made against the law to try that.

 

The zigzag lines are part of the road down

The Stigfossen from about midway down the mountain. A few minutes before we were on the bridge you can see.

The Troll Wall

After our stop at the view point we traveled down a road with 11 hairpin turns and a drop of 2800 feet.  Let me tell you, I was sitting next to the window and at times the view was heart-stopping as we were right on the edge. Midway down we stopped to get pictures of the Stigfossen from below.  The volume cascading down in front of us was breathtaking.  Our guide told us that just a week or so ago the spray from the falls was going over the bus at that point because there had been so much rain.  It was a two way road so we passed buses and campers going up and I’m not sure how the bus driver managed, but we made it so in our opinion he was the best bus driver in Norway. Someone had told us earlier that there are two kinds of bus drivers in Norway – excellent ones and dead ones.

After a day of breathtaking scenery, we headed back to Ålesund.  Along the way we passed through the town of Åndalsnes.  It has an interesting history.  During WWII after the Germans invaded Norway in April, 1940, the British launched an effort to take the city of Trondheim.  British troops were dropped into Åndalsnes, but the Nazis were prepared for them and the British were basically all killed and the town was burned to the ground by the Germans.  It was a truly brutal time in Norway.

Modern day vikings rowing past us in Ålesund harbor

We had another wonderful day and now we’re off to the Arctic Circle following a sea day to re-energize again.

Flåm, Norway

June 26 -

After a very rough day and night in the North Sea, we finally entered the calmer waters of the Sognefjord and made our way to Flåm which lies at the end of one of the branches of the fjord, the Aurlandsfjorden. 

A little about yesterday (Sunday) first.  We were in gale force winds pretty much all day.  A lot of our fellow passengers were feeling it.  Fortunately we didn’t, but walking about was a challenge.  We played trivia at noon (didn’t win) and continued our Scrabble games in the afternoon.  We’re now tied three games apiece.

So, back to Flåm.  We rode down in the elevator with our captain and he said the weather should turn sunny and the next two days should bring pretty good weather. I hope he knows what he’s talking about.  We set off on our excursion through the mountains around the fjord to the town of Voss.  The first half of the day was by bus.  Our first stop was at the Hotel Stalheim which sits at the top of a valley.  The place has a spectacular view of the mountains and valley below. We had about half an hour there to enjoy coffee and one of the best pastries I’ve eaten.  When we left the hotel we took  Stalheim Road, the steepest road in Norway.  Our driver did a marvelous job getting us around the hairpin turns.

Valley below the Stalheim Hotel

Then we were on our way to Voss.  Along the way we passed lots of small waterfalls, rushing streams and lush farmland.  There were a few ski areas along the way, so we saw some ski jumps and slalom courses.  After a couple of hours we arrived in the town.  Because of its location, Voss is a sportsman’s paradise. There are lakes, mountains and white water rivers, so a host of sports are available.  The last week in June is Extreme Sports Week and we saw people preparing for white water rafting and kayaking, skydivers and parasailors. 

Tvinde Waterfall

 

One of hundreds of rushing rivers we saw

Our group was served a buffet lunch in Fleischers Hotel, a picturesque building right next to the train tracks.  The dining room was quite ornate with lots of dark wood.  The food was pretty good.  After lunch we boarded the local train to Myrdal which is at an altitude of 2850 feet.  We had a short wait there before we boarded the Flåm railway.

 

Al with a very large troll

Signpost on the Myrdal platform

The Flåm railway is a 12.6 mile line which goes from 2850 feet to sea level at the Sognefjord.  Along the way it passes through twenty tunnels and one bridge.  The railway was begun in the 1920’s, took 20 years to build, and has a gradient of 1:18.  It is truly a marvel!  Along the way we made one stop for photos at Kjosfossen.  The waterfall drops about 740 feet and is one of the most visited tourist attractions in Norway.  One thing that makes it of particular interest is that in the summer months, art students dressed as a legendary forest character called a Huldra dance and sing in front of the falls.  The Huldra is supposed to be a beautiful woman who has a cow’s tail under her dress.  Legend has it that the only way she can lose her tail is to marry a religious man.  Unfortunately I didn’t capture any pictures of the Huldra.

Kjosfossen  Sorry no Huldras in the picture

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The end of the line was a hundred meters from the tender dock.  After a long day we were ready to head back to the ship and watch our sailaway through the fjords. 

Copenhagen

June 24 -

Today was a whirlwind tour day in Copenhagen, capital of Denmark. For most of our shipmates today was the end of their cruise. Only 62 of us stayed on for the next 14 days. It was gray and not particularly cold when we disembarked to meet our guide Ivan Naurholm.  During the course of the day we had a mixture of sunshine and rain, heavy at times.

Since we only had 6 hours ashore, we wanted to get more of an overview of the place.  Ivan was very knowledgeable and told us more about the history of the places we saw than I could really absorb.  Our first stop was the statue of the Little Mermaid.  She is a bronze statue seated on a rock by the waterside of one of the city’s promenades.  She has been the object of many attacks of vandalism.  She’s been decapitated at least a couple of times and as recently as three weeks ago was splashed with paint.  It’s truly sad that people feel compelled to deface iconic things like the Mermaid.

From the Mermaid we drove to the Kastellet, in English the Citadel; it is one of the best-preserved star fortresses in northern Europe. Within the walls and moat are a number of army buildings, a church, and a windmill. It was at one time part of a series of ramparts and forts which ringed the city.  The church was in a very baroque style and had a really interesting feature.  The prison  is attached to the church and there are eyeholes so prisoners could follow along with and hear the church services.  On one of the ramparts behind and above the church is a windmill which still works.  It was placed there to grind grain into flour.  If the city was under siege, the inhabitants would have a way to get flour for bread.  It is still used for that purpose ceremonially once a year.

 

The chapel is the yellow building and the prison is the red one behind. You can just see the top of the windmill behind.

Our next stop was Amalienborg Palace and Frederik’s Church.  This palace is unlike any we’ve seen before.  It’s actually a set of four large manor houses built around a square.  The houses were originally built for four noble families, but after a series of fires and other events the buildings were bought by the royal family. The Queen lives in one, the Crown Prince in another, and other members of the royal family in the others.  In the center of the octagonal square is a large equestrian statue of Frederick V.  Each day that the Queen is in residence, there is a ceremonial changing of the guard complete with marching band.  Unfortunately today was not one of those days.  Instead we saw a very small ceremony.

The church adjacent to the palace is the Frederik’s Church, also known as the Marble Church.  The building was originally supposed to be built entirely of marble, but due to many factors it was eventually completed using limestone.  The dome is the largest one in Scandinavia.  The church is a Lutheran one, since that is the principal religion of Denmark.

 

Looking up at the dome of the Marble Church

From Amalienborg we went to the Nyhavn Canal.  This is the place that is probably the most  photographed in Copenhagen. The canal is bordered by brightly painted 17^th and 18^th century houses.  Along the banks are cafes and bars.  The rain had stopped while we were there and it was clearly the place to be on a Saturday in June. After a short walk to get a glimpse of the place we were off again, this time out of the city.  Along the way we passed the Old Stock Exchange, the Børsen, one of the oldest buildings in Copenhagen.  Built during the first half of the 17^th century the building is in the Dutch Renaissance style and is decorated with a number of dragons.  Dragons symbolize power and it is interesting that during WWII structures around it were bombed but the Børsen was not damaged at all.

Nyhavn Canal

We drove to the small village of  Dragør.  This is an old fishing community.  Along the narrow winding streets are small cottages, some of which have thatched roofs.  There are still some fishermen working from the little harbor; in fact, we saw one boat which had just come in and which was selling fish to some people right off the boat.  One of the interesting things about this place is that it was from here that the Danes smuggled many Danish Jews to safety in Sweden which is not far across the water.

 

A village scene

Next Ivan took as to modern Copenhagen.  The Danes are very environmentally conscious and this new section is being built with that in mind.  The buildings incorporate lots of glass and green energy things.  One building actually had a bike ramp that zigzagged its way up to the top floors of the building so that residents can ride their bikes right to the door of their apartment.  The community was interesting to see, but I’m not sure it would be easy for those of us used to single family home neighborhoods to adapt to that style of living.

A modern apartment building

Another one

Back in old Copenhagen we drove through the oldest streets with some buildings dating back to the 15^th century.  We stopped for a walk through the square by the Parliament Building.  Finally we visited the artillery museum.  It was very interesting to see the evolution from  very old cannons to modern weaponry. Some of the really old pieces had intricate castings of coats of arms on them. 

 

Intricate design on an old cannon

By the time we finished at the museum it was time to head back to the ship.  Because this was the beginning of a cruise for most of the passengers there was another muster drill which we all had to attend.  When they say it’s mandatory, they really mean it!  We sailed at 5 PM and headed to our next port, Flåm, Norway.  The captain told us that once we rounded the Danish mainland and headed out to the North Sea the wind would pick up and the seas would increase.  He didn’t lie!  We’re rocking and rolling.

Bye Bye Russia!

June 22 -

Well, we’ve left St. Petersburg.  We were supposed to sail at noon, but the wind picked up and was against us so we finally got away at around 2:30 PM.  We understand now what the problem was getting here; the channel is extremely narrow and with high winds would have been impossible. They had to hold up inbound traffic so we could make our way out.  There’s no room for passing.  Along the way we sailed by a Russian naval base.  The ships looked a little rusty, but there was a sub there that looked in pretty good shape.  We can’t even imagine how many listening devices are planted in the Baltic and how much aerial surveillance is being done. We didn’t see any buzzing of aircraft, ours or theirs.

We wouldn't have gotten away from the dock without the help of this tug.

Gazprom headquarters building under construction by the port.  The locals don't like this, but they were told "too bad."

The Russian sub - not the Red October

High speed hydrofoil coming from somewhere to St. Petersburg

Our tour guide Olga was very interesting to listen to, not just about the history of what we were seeing but also about some of the realities of being Russian.  For example when we left the Catherine Palace we tried to go out the usual exit.  A guard there told us the exit had been changed (evidently for no apparent reason) to one much further away.  Olga said that this is typical Russian; more precisely she said, “We Russians know how to suffer.” When she talked about schools, doctors and hospitals, it was clear that Russia is not the first world country it would like to be.

As we waited in line to enter the Catherine Palace, she told us that she had taken a group from Gazprom, Russia’s large natural gas conglomerate, to the Palace not long ago.  She said some money changed hands between the Gazprom people and the ticket people, and magically another entrance was opened for the group.  Once inside they were allowed to visit rooms that Putin has used during visits of foreign dignitaries which are normally closed off.  Clearly, as in many places, money talks.

It was an interesting  visit.  I think I’d like to go back and spend some more time at a little less hectic pace.

St. Petersburg in a day!

June 21

Because our visit here was cut by two thirds we knew today would be a forced march to see as much as possible.  It was rainy, cold and windy when we disembarked.  Going through the Russian border control was not as awful as some of our fellow passengers had said it would be.  The agent who checked my passport smiled and wished me a good visit.

As soon as we were through we were met by Olga, our guide for the day.  She hustled us out to the car where our driver Oleag was waiting.  Since we had changed our schedule the ship wasn’t docked downtown on the Neva River as originally planned but was instead out at the new cruise port.  The area is very unattractive with s relatively new city of institutional looking high-rises. 

After a short drive we were in old St. Petersburg.  The city was founded by Peter the Great in 1703.  He wanted to bring Russia into a more modern European age and thus built a new capital city by the Baltic Sea and along the banks of the Neva River.  The old part of the city seems relatively small to us and is filled with large and grandiose buildings in various baroque and rococo styles.  At one time they were the homes of aristocracy and wealthy merchants.  Now many are occupied with universities and museums.

Before I get to the things we saw, a few interesting facts we learned.  The city has approximately 5 million residents.  During WWII the city was under siege by the Germans for more than 2 years.  During that time much of the city was destroyed and an unknown number of people died of starvation but estimates are more than 1 million.  The only way for the city to be supplied was via the frozen Lake Ladoga.  Naturally, that route didn’t work in the summer.  One other fact, there are still more than 100,000 communal houses in St. Petersburg.  Large pre-Revolution homes were appropriated by the Bolsheviks and divided into apartments.  Each family got one room and all the families share a kitchen and toilet.  Now 750,000 people still live in those “apartments.”

So on to what we saw.  Our first stop was the Hermitage Museum.  This is a huge complex along Palace Embankment on the Neva River.  The Museum was started by Catherine the Great and it now encompasses the Winter Palace, the former home of the Russian Tsars, and several other palaces.  The museum has a huge collection of art ranging from pre-historic to modern.  Of course, with only limited time we were able to see just a tiny fraction.  Olga, our guide, concentrated on Renaissance and 16^th century art.  They have two paintings by Leonardo da Vinci, quite a feat since there are only about 14  known to exist, and a large collection of Rembrandts.  One of the most unique things we saw was a large mechanical clock which chimes only on Wednesday evenings.  There are a peacock, rooster, owl, and trees which all move as the clock chimes.

Throne Room

Chapel

The beautiful clock with all the moving figures

In addition to the exhibits, we could get a glimpse of how splendid the palaces must have been in the days of the Tsars.  The gilding, splendid moldings and massive crystal chandeliers helped us imagine what the place was like when it was a home to the royal family.

After leaving the Hermitage we stopped in a Russian “café” (that’s a pretty generous name for it) for a quick bite of lunch.  The décor was non-existent and the menu was limited to meat pies and soups.  You ordered at a counter and brought everything but the soup to your table.  The pie was edible.  We tried hot borscht as our soup and it was pretty good.

Then we were off for a ride out to the country to Tsarskoye Selo, the location of the Catherine Palace and the place where the Tsars spent their summers.  By the time we got there the sun had come out and one could see why the royals liked it out there.  The countryside was pretty and the air was fresh and clean.  An interesting fact (to me at least) is that Tsarkoye Selo is where Nicholas II and his family were held captive after the Revolution until they were moved to Siberia and executed. He and his family were imprisoned in the Alexander Palace which is currently under renovation.

Our destination was the Catherine Palace which was begun by Catherine the Great as a summer residence.  Initially it was a small and intimate place. Empress Elizabeth, Catherine’s daughter, thought her mother’s place was too small and out-dated so she commissioned what we saw today.  The palace is more than 1000 feet long! It’s in a very flamboyant style with the walls painted blue, trimmed in white and at one time with gold gilt figures all along the façade.  Now those figures are painted kind of a dull brownish gold.

The facade of Catherine's Palace

An intimate dining room

Gardens of Catherine's Palace

Once again we were throngs of people. This palace was completely gutted by the Nazis during WWII; they intentionally blew it up and burned it.  In fact, 11 unexploded bombs were found in the basements.  What we see now is a reproduction.  Fortunately there were extensive photographs and descriptions of the rooms.  Only a small portion has been restored at this point.

The highlight of the Palace is the Amber Room.  This room has walls covered in panels of amber mosaics and designs.  The panels are nearly 600 sq.ft. in size and comprise more than 6 tons of amber.  The original panels were created in Germany by the King of Prussia.  He presented them to  Peter the Great who had admired them on a visit to Prussia.  Empress Elizabeth decided to have them installed in the Catherine Palace.  There is an interesting story about them.  During WWII the Russians wanted to remove the amber panels and transport them away from the invading Germans.  The Russians found the amber was too brittle and were unsuccessful.  Instead they tried hiding under wallpaper.  That ruse failed and after the Germans occupied the palace under the supervision of two experts, the room was disassembled in 36 hours and transported to Konigsberg (now Kaliningrad).  In January, 1945, as the Russians were advancing toward Germany, Hitler gave orders that the art works being stored in the Konigsberg  Castle were to be moved deeper into Germany.  Unfortunately, before the amber room could be moved, administration collapsed there and eventually the castle was bombed.  The amber panels haven’t been seen again and their fate is really unknown.  Over the years there have been various reports that people have seen parts of it, but nothing has ever been verified.  What we saw was a faithful copy.  The room is absolutely splendid with the walls giving the warm honey glow of amber in intricate mosaics and carved designs.  Unfortunately no photos are allowed in the room but you can see some on line at https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=amber+room&qpvt=amber+room&qpvt=amber+room&qpvt=amber+room&FORM=IGRE

After walking through the Palace we walked through some of the extensive gardens and then headed back to St. Petersburg.  We were supposed to go to Peterhof, another palace, to have a brief look at its gardens which are supposed to be the most magnificent of all of them. Unfortunately by that time, the skies were getting black again and we had walked close to 14,000 steps (more than 6 miles) and done the equivalent of 17 flights of steps.  We’d seen enough for one day.  The next time we come here we’ll pick up where we left off.

On the way back we stopped at a very large gift shop where we met the representative of the tour company to settle up.  That’s where I saw the two matryoshkas in the photos below. A matryoshka is a Russian nesting doll.  I just had to get some pictures of us with these guys.

Al with Vlad and Donald

Ann with the guys

It was a very interesting day.  I learned a lot and now I’ll end my Russian novel.