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Bodø and Narvik Norway

We finally got off the boat at Bodø in Norway. The weather is not kind it was almost sunny and not too cold but the. It started to completely chuck it down.   We had a wander around the town which if I'm really honest was a cross between amble Marina (that was the nice bit)  Newton- AYcliffe High Street and Redcar so ... yes,  probably not the most Scenic bit of Norway!  However the coastline coming up here was pretty stunning and we have met quite a few trolls...
Life on board the beautiful Balmoral continues... yesterday I did the book club and learnt the social foxtrot - still not up to strictly standards but working on it. Dr Fred hosted a lunch but there wasn't room for me🙁. Later in the evening the chaps did stargazing but with total cloud cover and rain so no aurora visible - just lots of friendly chatty people. 
The following day we disembarked at Narvik which was a completely different experience to Bodø.  The sun was shining, and the scenery was absolutely stunning.   The town is surrounded by amazing jagged mountains covered in snow.  In fact, the town was full of snow,  and we have to wear our spiky shoes. We walked up the hill (actually I trudged) to take the cable car up the mountain.   

656 meters above sea level - the views were just fantastically panoramic - we were very lucky with the day- fantastic blue skies, glorious sunshine, everything looking clean and dazzling - we wandered about on perilously steep mountainside... skiers zipping by - it did feel a bit like, one false step and you would back down the moountain too quickly🤣🤣.  I had walked all the way up without any problem and then fell on my backside just at the cable car gate!! thats when we put the spikes on.....
We came back down on the cable car and wandered back down into town.. 
We even found a supermarket on the way down so I got a tin of sardines for my collection.  
Norvik is quite a pretty town doesn't have a very exciting shopping centre but we're not shoppers so that didn't matter... there were some nice bits of sculpture about.   It was nice to walk up through the suburbs and see all the different kinds of houses perched on the hill and most of them with the most amazing views.  However in spite of the sunshine and the glorious skies it was actually only just above freezing for most of the day we were well wrapped up and we didn't feel the cold but I always feel like I've got so many clothes on I can hardly move🤣🤣We really liked the idea that we were less than 1500 miles from the North Pole.



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  1. Caroline Mackay24 March 2024 at 10:18

    Awww fabulous 🤩 The foties are bringing back lots of happy memories... The snowy mountains, lots of trolls and the little red houses dotted about everywhere. Sam says, and I concur, if you get a chance to go to an Egon restaurant on dry land somewhere at breakfast time... Do it!!! The most amaaazing breakfast buffet selection anywhere ever!!! 😁 Crossing my fingers you get some aurora action 🤞 xx

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