The Purple Penguin

So we got off atVardø last night and watched the mad people who went ice dipping. There is a little wooden box thing with steps down and you’d go down into that and then dip yourself up to your neck to get the certificate. Not for us! But I did ask our tour operator where the fort was and got directions – at which point everyone standing on the dock headed off in the general direction (they actually headed in a slightly different direction, but still heading for where they though the fort was). We  waded through the snow to the fort and part of the way around the fort. It was too dark to do much else. At 4pm. I’m really struggling with time in the dark and the fact it was Christmas day so everything was closed just adds to my confusion!

Back onboard the ship we did laundry. Nice set up for a ship! And had dinner, which was leftovers, with Norwegian potato juice to finish. Or that’s what Joe called it. Google tells me it’s actually Akevitt (Aquavit) and drinking it told me it’s quite strong!

We headed back to our room and once our shoes were off there was an announcement of the lasso competition on deck 7. Joe and I laughed and thought about going up. So Joe got all kitted up and headed out and as soon as he was gone there was another announcement – northern lights! So I got into my outerwear in record time and out on deck 5 as I thought deck 7 would be crowded. The sky was lit up, but they were pale. Found Joe and we watched then a squall blew in – whale watching weather! We huddled together and watched the blur of the sky. When the squall blew over we saw the lights were still there and as we watched they brightened then started to swirl with red, yellow, and green. It was a wonderful display – huge and bright. We ended up staying out for quite a while watching the lights. And the lasso competition was cancelled because everyone was watching the aurora!

This morning we were up earlyish and had breakfast. At 10:15 they served an ‘energy drink’ on deck 7 as we passed the natural gas plant (the first one to export liquid natural gas in Europe). The drink was coffee, chocolate, and chilli and quite nice though a bit spicy! It was also quite thick and creamy.

We then arrived in Hammerfest where we had a tour. We thought it was a walking tour but it was by bus and only about a dozen people on it. The guide wasn’t the best, but we got a good look around the town, including the Meridianstøtten (Meridian monument), a traditional Sami house, and up to the lookout where we could see the whole town below us. It was worth it for those things alone as we’d never be able to walk to them in the time we had. Also everything in town was closed. However, all along the main street the pavements were completely clear. They were slate and electrically heated to keep them clear of snow and ice. Our guide also told us that the town was surrounded by fencing to keep out the reindeer; however, some do get into town (those must be the flying ones) and when they do the mayor gets on his pink scooter and rounds them up to get them out of town. We were welcomed to come back in summer to watch the mayor round up reindeer!

Back onboard for lunch then I napped while Joe wandered around and got photos. At some point around 4 or 4:30 (I did say it was hard to know what time it is in the dark! And it’s almost always dark, just a brief period of time when the sky is blue, sort of a twilight blue) we got an announcement about northern lights. So up and dressed and outside again to stand on the bow (or as close as we can get) and watch the sky. Another thing about watching the lights – the sky is full of stars!

And just now they announced : “Ladies and Gentlemen, this is for George Michael” and then Last Christmas started playing. So sitting here listening to Last Christmas.