Norway Day Four

Well, my last night on the boat was spent mostly on deck. It was announced that the captain was making a detour around midnight to see the famous rock with a hole in it - Torghatten. So of course I had to go out, then I had to watch a bit more because I could see some jaggy mountains coming up. Then I could see a wee harbour with no obvious way in - another skillful driving display by the captain. I was out there, on my own, for about two hours. The sky was pink, but I didn't know if it was sunset or sunrise. What fun it was!

More fantastic scenery this morning, with everyone out on the deck in tee shirts even though we are now in the Arctic Circle! We arrived in Bodø about midday, and sadly left the boat. I was just beginning to find my way back to my cabin easily. What a wonderful trip!

There were a lot of Scouts sleeping out on deck last night - apparently there is an International Scout Jamboree in Bodø, and there are 9,000 of 'em here, many of whom were being rather rowdy in the Norwegian Aviation Museum, which we visited once we disembarked.

The museum was very interesting. JR tried on a sealskin coat like the one Roald Amundsen wore while getting to the South Pole first. Though she had it on back to front. Our guide's parents had lived through the bombing of Bodø by the Luftwaffe during the war, and the tension of the Cold War, with the U-2 spy plane incident. The beautiful wedding dress on display, made from parachute silk, was her mother's. We really could have stayed there longer, but were whisked on to view the famous (in these parts) Saltstraumen. But it was a bit of a non-event, as it's at its best twice a day at high tides, and so we couldn't really see much action. However, there was a fabulous humped bridge, with spectacular jaggedy snow capped mountains in the distance.

Actually, we were quite glad to check into our harbour side hotel and have a lie down before a super buffet dinner. One chap at our table had a small beer, which cost £10. He sipped it as if it was a fine wine.

Tomorrow we go on the Nordland Railway, Norway's longest line. The fun continues!