Polar nights along Norway's fjords

After a brief appearance, the sun sets on Norway's fjords. 

We depart Bergen on a rainy Christmas Eve evening. Having read many posts on the Havila voyagers Facebook page, we aren't surprised by the long line to check in to our cabin aboard the Polaris. Havila is one of two ferry lines that provide passenger and cargo service between Bergen and Kirkeness along Norway's western coast. Among the reasons we've chosen Havila is because its Eco-friendly boats are new and much smaller than the huge cruise chips, and its food is locally sourced and served restaurant style in sensible portions. Except for one unfortunate choice (lutefisk really is an acquired taste) we enjoy every meal during our voyage.

Polaris offers cozy corners in which to pass the time.

The ferry stops at 34 ports during its 12-day roundtrip. On most days, there's a stop that is long enough for us to disembark for a few hours. It's raining at our first stop, Ålesund, but we still can admire the city's Art Nouveau architecture. A fire here in 1904 left 10,000 people homeless, but the city was rebuilt in just three years. Today, there's hardly anyone around, which is understandable because it's Christmas morning.

It's a quiet rainy Christmas morning in Ålesund.

The next day, we visit Trondheim. Since we only have a few hours here, we make a bee-line for the Nidaros Cathedral, one of Northern Europe's largest cathedrals. The church was built over the grave of King Olav who introduced Christianity to Norway. Nidaros is a destination for pilgrims and the venue for the coronation of the country's kings and queens. 

Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim is known for its towers and 91-meter spire.  

One evening — or is it afternoon? — we visit Tromso, known as "Paris of the North" and "Gateway to the Arctic."  With Christmas behind us, we finally see people out and about, shopping and sipping. We're intrigued by the long line at an outdoor bar. The drinks (and heaters) there must be worth the wait. The church here is quite pretty. On its southbound trip, our ship will stop in Tromso again and passengers will be invited to attend a midnight concert at the church.

Tromso Cathedral is said to be the northernmost
Protestant cathedral in the world.  

The midnight concert is one of many excursions that Havila offers. Some of the excursions are quite adventurous, like cross-country skiing, dogsledding, and snowmobiling. More to our liking, instead, are the two excursions we do sign up for. 

It's even colder than it looks on the day of our visit to the North Cape. 

The first, a trip to the Nordkapp (North Cape), is very memorable. The sun will rise and set while we're en route, so the view during our bus ride is spectacular. Once we arrive, we don our boot spikes and head into the wind to take some pictures at the iconic globe monument. Enough of this! We spend the rest of our time here at the museum. I find it fascinating that until the road to the cape was completed in 1956, visitors would climb the thousand steps straight up from the beach below. Food, drink, supplies, and wealthy women in long full skirts would be carried up the 307-meter cliff.

The iconic globe sits at the edge of the North Cape.

Before the road was completed, visitors to the North
Cape plateau had to walk up this steep path.

Heading south now, we join the "A Taste of Vesterålen" excursion. Early in the morning, we disembark in Harstad and board the bus that takes us through the city then on to  Trondenes Church, the world's northernmost medieval stone church. 

Trondenes Church near Harstad can trace its history back 800 years.

Next, we walk over to the medieval farm where we hear a brief talk about what life was like on this farm 800 years ago. We have time to explore the Trondenes Historial Centre that provides insight into the rich history of the Harstad region. 

Clipfish dry on a rack in Trondenes. 

Displays at the Trondenes Historical Centre provide a look at
life in the Harstad region from Viking times. 

Our excursion continues with a ferry ride across a fjord where we enjoy lefse (traditional soft Norwegian flatbread) with brunost (soft brown cheese) and a coffee. We have a few photo stops during this most enjoyable excursion along Vesterålen's mountains and fjords, before stopping along the Sortlandbrua (the Sortland Bridge) to wave at our boat passing below. Sad that the day is at an end, but ready for some hot Norwegian fish soup, we reboard our boat at Sortland Harbor.  

I love the red barns of the Vesterålen region.

Could this really be an AirBNB accommodation?

The mountains of Vesterålen are seen from across a fjord.

It's our final night aboard the Polaris, and we have a crisp clear evening to walk about Kristiansund. We've made some friends during our cruise and we set off with them along the wharf of this pretty city, rebuilt after being bombed in 1940. We have only just enough time to visit the the Klippfiskkjerrina sculpture that honors the generations of women who processed clipfish along cliffs. I'd love to be able to stay longer and sample some fishan, Kristiansund's take on fish and chips. 

We don't have enough time to stop into this inviting
restaurant along Kristiansund's wharf.

Klippfiskkjerrina honors the women who tirelessly
dried clipfish along the cliffs of Kristiansund. 

We need to clear out of our cabin early on our voyage's last day. Passing the time in comfy chairs, we enjoy our last looks at the coast and a final delicious lunch in the restaurant, The staff here has been so outstanding, that we're sad to leave them. Before we know it, we're back in Bergen, and tomorrow we'll be heading home.

We've left the Arctic behind and are heading south along Norway's fjords.

The beautiful scenery continues as we arrive in Bergen.

It's been an amazing trip to Norway, but I think we'll head
someplace warmer next winter.

Westward to Bergen

This is sound advice, wherever you find yourself.
This particular warning sign is found in Bergen, Norway.

After a few terrific days in Oslo, we board the train to Bergen. The trip is delightful. I had booked the tickets in advance directly through the VY site, thus saving some money. One hitch was that our U.S. credit card wasn't accepted; (they don't accept Canadian credit cards either). Luckily they accept PayPal, and our son kindly let us access his account.

The sun is either rising or setting over the Norwegian
landscape as seen from the Oslo-Bergen train.

'

The winterscape has a blue glow as seen from the train to Bergen.

Bergensbanen (the Bergen Line) is considered one of the most beautiful train voyages in Europe. The scenery is indeed spectacular. It reminds us of a trip on the California Zephyr we took a few years ago from Reno to Emeryville, Calif. On this day, we enjoy watching the sun rise (and then set a few hours later) over a snowy winterscape full of mountains, forests, lakes, and villages, and dotted with isolated farms.

We profit from a rare sunny day in Bergen.

I was aware that it rained a lot in Bergen, but I'm not prepared for the thorough soaking we receive on our first full day here. It rains most of the time during our weeklong stay, but our apartment is just a short walk from the cinema where we see Conclave and Wicked. Unlike in France, most films in Norway are shown in their original version, rather than being dubbed. What's more, the snack bar sells popcorn!  

It's the middle of the day at Bryggen wharf.

Despite the weather, we manage to get out and explore. We're in Bergen at the right time of year to visit Pepperkakebyen, a huge model of the city made almost entirely of gingerbread. Most of the structures have been created by schoolchildren. If you happen to be in Bergen from mid-November through December, Pepperkakebyen is not to be missed. And it smells delicious! 

This gingerbread structure was created by Bergen children. 

The window displays are festive in Bergen's Bryggen neighborhood.

On another damp day, we check out the archaeological exhibits at the Bryggens Museum. The Bryggen neighborhood is a UNESCO World Heritage site for both its distinct wooden buildings and the artifacts found below ground. The museum is built over the remains of Bergen's oldest buildings dating from 1100. The wharf area of Bryggen was a key trading center of the Hanseatic League from the 14th to the mid-16th century. Over the centuries, fires have destroyed much of Bryggen and have been rebuilt faithful to tradition. Thus, the neighborhood has retrained its colorful wooden buildings that enchant visitors.

King Magnus is the focus of an exhibit at the Bryggens Museum in Bergen.

After a short funicular ride, we've arrive atop Mount Fløyen in Bergen.

Finally, on our last full day here, the rain stops and we head to Mount Fløyen. Our mode of transportation up the mountain is the Fløibanen funicular. The view from the top is a highlight of our stay in Bergen. I take dozens of photos of the city and harbor below and amble through the troll forest. I suggest we take advantage of the sunshine and hike back down into Bergen. It's a  hearty and stunning walk. 

The rooftops of Bryggen are seen along our walk down Mount Fløyen.

The ride up Mount Fløyen lasts about 8 minutes;
the 6 km walk down takes more than an hour.

As our week in Bergen draws to a close, we are eager to embark on the second half of our Norway adventure: a 12-day cruise of the stunning Norwegian fjords.

As we enjoy the view from Mount Fløyen in Bergen, we're looking
forward to the next segment of our trip, which begins tomorrow.

For details on some sites included in this story, visit these websites:

Oslo-Bergen train

Pepperkakebyen gingerbread city

Bryggen UNESCO World Heritage site

Bryggens museum