Into the Midnight Sun: Detlef Palm

In summer 2019, our first cruise took us to the North Cape, into the Midnight Sun. (click on any picture to enlarge)

Here s a map of our route. To reach Bergen, where we would set sail, we had to pass through Oslo.

The opera house is one of the many attractive buildings of Oslo.

The Oslo municipality grows some rare cabbage on its pedestrian streets.

Bryggen is the oldest part of the city of Bergen.

Inside Bryggen. The timber houses burnt down several times, but are now well restored and maintained.

We took advantage of one extra day to climb Blåmanen, overlooking the city of Bergen.

On top of Blåmanen

The first stop was at Geiranger Fjord. While you continue reading, you can play this rendition of modern Norwegion folk music (played by Tor Jaran Apold) in the background (click on the play button below and turn the volume up):

High above Geiranger Fjord

Exploring the Geiranger Fjord by Kayak

The Seven Sisters are falling straight into the Geiranger Fjord

It is a long way up north, along the Norwegian coast...

...passing the mountain with a hole ... (click to enlarge, if necessary, to see the hole)

...and another group of seven sisters.

Crossing the Arctic Circle, passing the Arctic Globe. The Arctic Circle marks the southernmost latitude at which, on the winter solstice, the Sun will not rise all day, and on the summer solstice, the Sun will not set.

Round About Midnight, sailing into the sun.

A pilot boat taking its leave

On the Lofoten Archipelago. The Lofoten Islands are located at the 68th and 69th parallels north of the Arctic Circle. The Lofoten are a mountain range that sunk into the sea. They provide a distinctive scenery with dramatic mountains and peaks, open sea and sheltered bays, beaches and untouched lands.

A mural on a Lofoten fish processing plant. The Artic Fox carries the Lofoten on his back.

For more than 1,000 years, the Lofoten have  been the centre of great cod fisheries, especially in winter, when the cod migrate south from the Barents Sea and gather in Lofoten to spawn.The dried and salted cod is sold as far as Portugal, where - under the name of Bacalhau - it remains the most popular base ingredient in Portuguese cooking. 

From 18 May to 26 July, Tromsø experiences the midnight sun, where the sun does not set at night. The opposite phenomenon happens in the weeks either side of late December, when the sun does not rise. Then, visitors flock to Tromsø to experience the Northern Lights. Many international students are drawn to Tromsø for the experience of living in the Arctic. The Arctic University offers courses in many Arctic-related subjects including biology, geosciences, indigenous studies, and marine biotechnology. 

We hiked to see the Lyngen Alps. 

Cloudberries are native to cool temperate regions, alpine and arctic tundra and boreal forests. In Norway, a common use policy allows anyone to pick cloudberries on public property and eat them on location, but only local residents may transport them from that location.

A Russian tanker supplies fuel to our cruise ship, in 2019.

At the northernmost point of Europe. Visibility was close to zero.

Kamøyvær is a fishing village on the east side of the island of Magerøya, close to the North Cape (as always, click on any image to enlarge)

Kamøyvær

Skarsvåg is the northernmost fishing village on earth.

The journey back is long, and we spent  two days at sea.

The bridge

The galley

The Shetland Islands in sight

Mousa Broch on the Shetland Islands is a preserved Iron Age broch or round tower. It is the tallest broch still standing and amongst the best-preserved prehistoric buildings in Europe. 

Approaching the Orkney Archipelago, which is part of Scottland. The islands have been inhabited for at least 8,500 years. 

Visitors approaching one of the main attraction of the Orkneys. The Ring of Brodgar is a Neolithic henge and stone circle. It is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the Heart of Neolithic Orkney.

The Ring of Brodgar

We stopped at Edinburgh...

... to look for a decent pub.

On the last stretch through the North Sea, passing some oil rigs, soon to be decommissioned...

... and on to London.

*****

Other photo-stories by Detlef:

• Lunae Montes - a journey to the source of the Nile, in 1980
• Operation Lifeline Sudan, the first years in pictures
• The Somalia Experience
• A Walk on the Wild Side (New York)
• The Door to Hell and the Path to Health (Turkmenistan)
• Magic South (Southern Africa)
• Azhdahak (from Germany to Armenia, by road)
• Top of Mexico
• At the edge of the bog - where we live
• Rudaki, a Wedding and Proto-Urban Sarazm (Tajikistan)

Detlef can be contacted via detlefpalm55@gmail.com .