Third day of the cruise wasn’t as busy because we were at sea. I attended a presentation on the principles of photo composition, another on how to tell cetaceans apart based on their fins and flukes, and there was a lecture on the kings of Norway over history (Norway has been a series of separate kingdoms, ruled by Denmark, ruled over Sweden, and is now its own country).
Later in the trip, when we need to go ashore via Zodiacs instead of walking down a gangway, we’ll have to go in groups. I was assigned to the Orca group and received an Orca patch to put on my red expedition jacket. We also received a pair of “city spikes” that we slip over our shoes when walking conditions get icy.
When we were in open waters north of Denmark but not yet protected by the coast of Norway, our passage got notably rockier. Lots of passengers, myself included, felt queasy for an hour or so. As I woke up this morning, it is so calm that it doesn’t even feel like we’re moving. In reality, we’re threading our way between the mainland and a series of barrier islands.
Norwegian scenery
If we see tails in the water, now we’ll know which species we’ve spotted!
Norway has been ruled by both Denmark and Sweden in the past, but now they’re happily their own country.
Some pretty good swells this afternoon, lots of jokes about “how much have you been drinking?” as we stagger along. Handrails are our friends. Crossing the North Sea between the Netherlands and Norway is no joke.
Hurtigruten tries to make sure that we learn about all aspects of Norwegian life and culture – including the food! For dessert tonight, this Norwegian treat is described as Norwegian thick milk pudding from Roros with caramelized hazelnuts and black currants.
Very delicious and not too sweet.
It was a nice way to end the day.