Finnmarken and Water Sports

The cruise up and down the coast of Norway had a lot of spectacular views and was generally an incredibly lovely experience.

We also had some huge ocean swells and a 24-hour period which included gale-force winds (70+ miles an hour with occasional "oh-my-god" gusts).  There were a number of times where Karen looked at me and asked me if I would go up and tell the captain to just "park the damn boat" for awhile until the storm had past.

Of course, I can (and often do) sleep through pretty much anything.  Karen, on the other hand, cannot.  At one point in particularly rough seas, Karen mentioned that she was concerned that I might have rolled off the bed.  From the look in her eyes, though, I suspect she would have at least got a good chuckle had I been tossed from my bed.

Karen did discover that our little windowless bathroom was most comfortable place for her in rough seas.  So, in particularly nasty weather, I could be found snoring in the bed while Karen was sitting in the bathroom waiting for the storm to pass.

When we crossed the Arctic Circle, there was an initiation ceremony which included a viking or a troll (recall that I cannot tell them apart) who would pour ice and water down your neck, followed by a drink.  How could I not take part in this ceremony?

Unlike the other Hurtigruten boats, the Finnmarken does have a pool and a couple of hot tubs.  I passed on the swimming pool, but a hot tub while cruising in ice cold weather was something I could not resist.  Of course, traveling in February, I had neglected to pack any swimming trunks.

Fortunately, the Finnmarken had swimsuits available.