Search for the Northern Lights Cruise 9th-25th February 2013 (Part Three)
Feb 17th Our first Day in Alta
We went for a walk this morning. We turned right from where the ship was docked and followed the road to some houses about 1 to 1 ½ miles away.
On the way, we passed a jetty and spotted a whole gang of Eider Ducks swimming in a line. It was most bazaar; it was like they all decided to go off somewhere together. There must have been about sixty of them.
Eider Ducks.
At the same spot we saw some otters using the jetty as a resting place whilst fishing. I only caught the slightest glimpse of the otters who were only up and out of the water very briefly.
We carried on to the houses, which were very beautiful and obviously owned by very affluent people. There were motorboats, snow scooters, mobile homes etc… parked on the drives and the houses themselves looked quite roomy. Someone had said apparently they get cheap energy in Norway to encourage them to live in the North, as the government had not wanted the Northern regions to become just wilderness.
My dad in Alta.
We carried on through the housing estate until we reached a lake. Across the lake was a fabulous snowy mountain. Even in the depths of winter, the landscape was just breathtaking.
We returned to the ship, had lunch and prepared for our trip to the Ice Hotel.
We joined the coaches around about 1 and set off for the Snow Hotel (it wasn’t allowed to be called the Ice Hotel as that one is in Sweden) which was about 20 minutes away.
It looked like an igloo from the outside and there was reindeer skin on the front door.
Snow Hotel, Alta.
Inside there were soft orange lights glowing and the lampshades were made of ice.
The theme this year (the theme changes every year) was mythical creatures and stories. I recognised The Ugly Duckling, The Three Billy Goats Gruff etc…
Ice sculpture.
In the chapel there was a magnificent chandelier made of ice and newlyweds could spend the night in the honeymoon suite.
Chapel.
On arrival, we got a very tasty fruity vodka cocktail, in a glass made of ice. It was hard to hold the glass as it was melting in your hand as fast as you could drink your cocktail down.
Outside there were the most adorable chalets. If you chose to spend the night in the Snow Hotel this was where you ate, got changed and showered. Although it was quite expensive apparently, the package included your evening meal prepared by one of Norway’s top chefs. One of the passengers and her mother spent the night in the hotel and they thoroughly enjoyed it. It would certainly be quite an unusual experience.
On our way back to the ship we saw a boy on his snow mobile on the frozen river. He was obviously enjoying himself as he got up to quite a speed.
That night we prepared for our Northern Lights Tour.
In the UK, as we had waited to board the ship, there had been a number of people coughing. We had been quizzed about whether we had been sick or had an upset tummy at check-in, The hygiene on the ship was fantastic and everyone had to us hand gel both going in and out of the restaurant, but it was the cold that finally did the rounds of the passengers. Unfortunately, a few days into the journey, I got it and by the time we came to do the tour, late that evening, I was feeling quite ill. I began to suspect I had the flu as I felt ghastly. I also forgot my ginger tablets and became travel sick on the two hour coach trip, which didn’t help.
Unfortunately, we did not see anything that night as there was cloud cover. We would have been bitterly disappointed had we not already seen the aurora a number of times by then.
We had coffee and there was a fire where you could stay warm if you got really cold. We headed back on the second last coach, at 12.30, and arrived at the ship freezing and exhausted about two in the morning.
Feb 18th Our Second Day in Alta
I didn’t think I would make Hammerfest the following after I felt so poorly the previous night, but I woke feeling a lot better.
It was an early start, because it was a long drive. I remembered my ginger tablets this time.
The ship was docked a few miles outside of Alta and my dad and I hadn’t gone into the town, so it was nice when the start of the journey took us that way. After that we made our way up into the mountains where we drove higher and higher.
The further we went the more spectacular the landscape. It never ceased to amaze me though that no matter how remote, snowy and barren, there were always houses.
Our guide was called Peter Kay and was from England. He had come to Alta to take part in the dog sledge races. He said he hoped to be the first Englishman to win a race in Norway.
He told us a wonderful story about a race he took part in across some mountains. He said in amongst his team were two very experienced dogs. A bitch, which was his, and a dog that belonged to his friend.
As they set off the weather became very bad. He said there was super frozen rain. This is a rain that stays in a liquid state even in subzero temperatures until it hits something, then it freezes.
He said all their equipment was covered in frost to the extent that he couldn’t see any readings. This included his GPS. Luckily, he had a GPS on his wrist, protected by his coat, which he could refer to as he could barely see a couple of metres ahead.
When they were very high up and the weather was absolutely horrendous another musher approached him and yelled something in Norwegian. He yelled back that he did not speak Norwegian and the man repeated in English, “I’m lost!”
He turned and said, “Follow me!”
He said this was a major moment as here he was, an Englishman guiding a Norwegian out of the mountains.
Still, at the end of the story he gave his dogs the credit for safely getting them out. He said the dogs seemed to know exactly where they were going.
When they got back he checked the route they’d taken, through his GPS and found they had followed the route precisely except for one part where they had taken a different track which had not only been safer, but had made the journey shorter. Incredible!
When we arrived in Alta we went to a Sami camp to have lunch. There was a wonderful dish of omelette and salmon. We heard songs that the Sami sung and stories about their lifestyle and herding.
After we visited the Sami camp, we went on to the Hammerfest Polar Bear Museum.
Hammerfest is the location of the Polar Bear Society which works for the conservation of these magnificent creatures. I always knew Polar Bears were dangerous, but thought this was just because they were large bears. We stopped just outside of Hammerfest for a photo opportunity where there was a model of a Polar Bear. There is a sign in Svalbard which states you should not go any further without a gun. The reason for this became apparent when I saw the model of the Polar Bear and in particular, the woman standing next to it.
Model of a Polar Bear.
According to the plaque, Polar Bears are seven foot tall and are the same weight as a car. My husband said they must be prehistoric.
On the way back, the temperature dropped to -15. We stopped and I stood outside with no coat on. It was cold, but not unbearably so, and I could see what they meant by dry cold. Had there been a wind though it would have been a different matter. One of the Sami’s told me the coldest temperature he had encountered was -50, but the coldest he had ever been, was when it was -35 with a wind.
That night we left Alta and headed back out to sea.
After dinner we went back up on deck and saw the lights. It was a lovely show although it never really got very bright. We stayed out until 10 and then went in absolutely exhausted.
Next week: Heading South again.
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