As we awoke this morning, another anomalously sunny, blue sky day welcomed us into Træna bright and early this morning. Thankful for another day of unexpected sunshine along the generally foggy Norwegian coast, we celebrated crossing the Arctic Circle! Venturing ever further north took us to a tiny community, about 420 people, where we shared breakfast in a tent reminiscent of a teepee that represented a traditional cod drying hut, and was decorated with pictures of hundreds of fillets. After breakfast, we strolled around the small island, taking in all that we could, including a museum, a chapel with quite a vista, the Arctic Circle monument, an art studio, and even a hill with a memorial and a surprisingly spectacular view to boot!
Next on the agenda was undersea specialist Paul North’s time to shine, as he presented the fascinating world of plankton and its global impacts in a lecture that was informative and entertaining- a hallmark of Mr. North’s communicative style. After lunch, we explored Nordfjord to soak up this proper balmy afternoon! Some watched snow cascading down the surrounding mountains via kayak, while others discovered various parts of the simply gorgeous area via Zodiac. A few of us made it to shore for a bit before pulling anchor and heading on our merry way for a secret treat just before Recap! Captain Martin outdid himself as he nosed the bow of National Geographic Orion right up to the water’s edge - the waterfall’s edge that is! During this navigational dexterity, we took turns getting soaked for a perfect picture moment as the water rushed down the steep cliff inches away right onto our ship. A rainbow appeared serendipitously in the waterfall’s mist and it was certainly an exhilarating, particularly wet experience for the brave few that jumped up to the nose of the bow. Recap, cocktails, and seemingly infinite sun concluded yet another adventure-filled day onboard.
