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| Half-moon & sunrise, 0025 on 7 7 15 |
As you can tell, the 1st pic of the day was of light in the sky at nearly 1/2 past midnight.
Then I went to bed & slept.
I got up for the next 3 photos at about 10 to 7 after Gary woke us all for another 0700 breakfast.
Err. This was a holiday? ;-p
The Puffin Post gave us a 'Russian Phrase of the Day", because the crew of the PP was Russian.
The first one we got on arrival in Orkney on July 1st was Dobraye utra ~ Good morning.
This had come in very handy at breakfast etc.
Yesterday's had been Balshoye spasiba, meaning Thank you very much, but today's was a bit bizarre:
Murashka ~ goosebumps.
Were they trying to tell us something?
After breakfast ~ yet still before 8 o'clock, Carol regaled us with tales of Trollfjorden's legendary creation by axe-wielding trolls, then we congregated in our wets & boarded the zodiacs at 0800 for a closer look.
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| The size of the zodiacs ahead gives perspective to the fjord |
The steep sides certainly evoked massive beings wielding stone-shearing axes!
Gary & Heidi were in our zodiac, so we got a 1st-hand account of the flora & fauna.
Maybe there's a small lake just down from the peak?
They were also a little reminiscent of one I saw in Milford Sound during the same NZ trip.
I like the ledges on this waterfall.
Maybe a good place to sit on a hot day?
But there again, maybe not ~ given the latitude!
We motored past a strange shrine to brews & trolls, or at least, that's what it seemed like.
There were also various birds chilling in ledges in the sunshine.
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| A trio of black guillemots |
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| Black guillemots. According to the RSPB website, this is their breeding plumage |
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| There was a fishing station or something down in the fjord |
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| Trees living dangerously on the (l)edge! |
After half an hour or so we headed back out.
The pic shows the steep cliffs hitting the water, & I wonder how far down they continue?
If you zoom in & look at the bottom left of the pic on the left & the one below you can see the kayakers wetting their bows in the waterfall. |
| Virtually vertical |
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| Hey, look at this photo I took! |
Back on Raftsundet, we went left & left again into the next fjord along. According to Gmaps, it's called Grunnfjord.
I don't know if this means green fiord, but it was, & I liked it better than Trollfjord.
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| The green sides of Grunnfjord |
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| Stream & falls on southern side of Grunnfjord |
We all piled out of the zodiacs for a walk & found there was a little lake connected to the fjord by a stream. Like most peeps, I headed inland. The lake ~ Grunnfjordvatnet, was to the left, but eventually my way was barred by a fast-flowing stream which fed it.
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| This stream was as far as I got |
I took a few pics.
On the way there I'd passed a small green tent with a big black dog standing guard, so on the way back I snapped a few more pics.
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| Small green tent by Grunnfjordvatnet |
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| Big black dog |
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| I think this line was for the owner's tea? |
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| What a peaceful campsite ~ at least it was until 50+ PP expeditioners turned up ;-) |
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| My notes say this is a Dwarf Cornel |
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| Thanks to Heidi for telling me! |
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| She also said this was Roseroot AKA Stonecrop - - - |
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| & this was Alysum/Danish scurvy grass. However, the photos of Alysum on Google images are nothing like this, so maybe the question mark after this note was right to query the name. Anyone out there know? |
The zodiacs had been moored on rocks on on the seaweed covered beach, & most expeditioners were congregating there.
There were some Big boulders dotted around: probably glacial morraine of some kind, & the Aus lads had fun climbing all over them.
I felt like joining in, but chose to act my age instead.
Boring, or what?
When I was looking for the name of the fiord on Gmaps, the boulders were all clearly visible on satellite view:
A memory of a lovely little walk along a green-sided fiord.
I was on Robyn's zodiac on the way back to the PP, & we saw the kayakers again.
This time they were all out of their kayaks, & ~ according to the Kayaking Log in the expedition souvenir book (which we all received 3 months later), they had found "a nice little spot out of the wind", & had a cup of tea.
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| Quote from the Log "the perfect place to take in the view & enjoy a little morning tea" |
There were more great views on the ride back, & we set off again up the Raftsundet shortly after 10am.
We'd had a busy morning already, but there were cakes & hot drinks on offer in the dining room!
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| The PP in the fjord |
Anchor up, the PP sailed north-easterly up the narrow channel, & I was on deck most of the time for the next couple of hours taking photos.
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| Looking back down Grunnfjord with a zodiac on the left & the coloured kayaks just visible on the water |
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| A lonely place to live ~ |
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| unless you enjoy being alone in nature |
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| Raftsund Bridge |
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| There were quite a few peeps on deck as we headed up Raftsundet & under the bridge |
Wiki says: The Raftsund Bridge is a two-lane cantilever road bridge that crosses Raftsundet. The bridge is 711 metres long, the main span is 298 metres, and the maximum clearance to the sea is 45 metres. The bridge has 4 spans.
I got this photo off Wiki as well.
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| I think this is Raftsund bridge looking back at it? |
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| This was the last of the morning at 1116: a very zoomed pic of a white sand beach |
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| Back on deck just after 1400 for the 1st pic of the Sortland Bridge |
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| According to Wiki, it has 21 spans - - - |
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| & has a max clearance of 30 metres. |
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| There should be plenty of room for the PP, then :-) |
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| Not sure if this looks east or west |
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| Lots of pics of this bridge! |
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| The bridge to aft |
It was getting rougher bit by bit as we sailed north, so ~ slightly damp, I decided to head for the bar & The Long Way Round.
After lunch I went back up & spent 3/4 of an hour with the camera & looking at the Sortland Bridge etc., before heading back to the bar & the book.
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| Black wing-tips & a yellow beak ~ I think that means it's a Kittiwake?? |
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| A Port marker |
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| Another lovely white sand beach & denizens This pic was well zoomed |
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| I took this hanging over the bow. It shows the channel we were to sail through |
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| I was alone on deck after lunch. Well, it was rather wet! |
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| I nearly missed this one ~ a Little Auk? Small beak, dark under wings. Possibly?? Er ;-) |
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| Not a clue ;-) |
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| The sea was rougher than it looks on this. Great mountain, tho :-) |
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| Time for another excursion in the zodiacs |
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| It looks like the seas were quite big? |
I was pretty sleepy after the late nights & early morning zodiac trips, & (having fallen asleep for 20 min) I chose not to go on the next one ~ to Fuglberg & the kittiwakes.
According to the Puffin Post, Fuglberg translates as bird cliffs, but not being a Twitcher*, I was birded out so I took a strong coffee up top & did some press-ups instead.
It was too choppy for the kayaks to go out safely, so the kayakers took a zodiac ride to the cliffs.
*Google says:
The term twitcher, sometimes misapplied as a synonym for birder, is reserved for those who travel long distances to see a rare bird that would then be ticked, or counted on a list. The term originated in the 1950s, when it was used for the nervous behaviour of Howard Medhurst, a British birdwatcher.
Gmaps & Andy's GPS reckons we were on the Sundsvollsundet, & it was all very picturesque - if rather narrow in parts!
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| Cliffs of guano? |
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| We'd been in that channel! |
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| There's that red paint again ;-p |
It had been quite a day, & made even more interesting by a little wine tasting in the bar to pick my next bottle for dinner. I tried 2 Riojas: white Viura - off dry, & a red ~ which I chose. I also had to explain to Elena about my synaesthesia, & that the colour of the wine didn't match the colour I smelled!
I continued to read bits in between popping up on deck for the view, chatting to Andy from NZ, & stowing everything in the cabin for the sea crossing the next day.
I knew we were to change Pilots & asked Gary to knock on my door when it was imminent. The knock came about 2320 & the sky was still light. The last shot was lovely & colourful :-)
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| The new Pilot, Ola, arrives |
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| & the last one leaves |
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| It was listing a bit! |
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| The Pilot heads back home - - - |
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| Taken on the mobile |
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| We head to Bjørnøya - - - |
After the switch, I stayed on deck for another 10 min & got shots of the Norwegian coast over the waves, & under the pink clouds.
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| north across the Barents Sea - - - |
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| part of the Arctic Ocean |
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| As we left the effect of the coast - - - |
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| it got rough |
Once in bed I enjoyed the rockin'n'rolling of the PP as she sailed towards Bear Island :-D
Day 10: July 8th ~ At Sea Northwards, & I have a lie-in
I slept in until after 8, & had breakfast with Diane (Dobby's Mum & Tony's ex).
We were the last to eat & the staff were tidying up around us.
I'd started a Cadfael book the previous evening ~ having finished the story of Charley & Ewan's epic road trip, & sat in the bar reading it.
We were due to be at sea all day ~ headed for Bear Island, so the Puffin Post delivered the previous evening showed we had a number of lectures to keep us amused.
The first was by a fellow passenger ~ Jay Ruzesky.
He was a descendant of Roald Amundsen, & his lecture was about his famous ancestor.
I was too into Cadfael & sleeping in my bed & missed it. But I subsequently bought a copy of his book for my brother's birthday in August.
I wonder if he's read it yet?
Having had a lie-in & several strong coffees, I think I managed to stay awake ;-p.
It was very hot in the lecture room, so once finished I went on deck to cool off.
Back in my cabin I finished Cadfael & had another kip before waking to the smell of fresh baking ;-q
I had 2 scones & warm cake.
Afternoon tea was followed by a Mandatory safety briefing. This was because we might encounter polar bears on Bear Island, & they were mighty dangerous beasts.
See next blog for how seriously the crew took the possibility one may come & have a look at us.
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| Gary mid-flow |
It was exceedingly hot again down there, so I went up to the top deck & chatted to Jay for a while before heading to the bridge in the hope of seeing dolphins & whales.
& I was lucky ~ there came a shout of "Dolphins" :-))
I thought the dorsal fin was too long, & I was proved right.
Most of the passengers missed the 3 orca swimming over to starboard.
We all then piled into the bar for a Recap with Heidi, & my notes say Henry sang Pie Jesu (by Faure).
Good on yer, mate :-)
I had dinner with Deirdre & Andy from NZ, the brothers Scott & Jay from Canada, Dr Ann, & Ola, the Norwegian Pilot. He was quite cute ;-p
My notes say I chatted to Andy from Germany (he of the awesome puffin pics) & Ola after dinner, after which there was an Adults Only film on. It was Walk The Line, so as I'd not seen it at the pictures, so I went down to watch it.
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| 1045pm on 8 7 15, somewhere on the Barents Sea |
A shower & bed followed at 2315, & I continued to enjoy all the PP's pitching & tossing as I fell asleep.
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