EUROPE – PART 7 

After more than 3,000 kilometers of driving, a lot of it on single-track roads, twenty islands, and twelve ferry crossings, our Scottish adventure ended in a hotel near Edinburgh airport. Although rain and wind sometimes interfered with our plans, it made for some spectacular rainbows, and we enjoyed everything about Scotland. The people are friendly and helpful; it’s not crowded; we only had one bad meal (our last dinner at the Hampton Inn Edinburgh Airport); except for fuel, things are reasonably priced; B&Bs are definitely the way to go; wifi is easily accessible; public toilets are plentiful and clean; almost all attractions are open until the end of October; history is very important to the Scottish people; and haggis and black (blood) pudding are damn good eatin’.

We took three days to get from Kirkwall to Edinburgh. Along the way, we (I) wanted to visit a couple of places: the Culloden Battlefield and the Old Course and World Golf Museum in St. Andrews. The former tells the story of the last great battle on British soil, a terrible day. As many as 2,000 men died in a matter of minutes, for nothing really, just because two rival families lusted for power in London. The battlefield shown below doesn't look like much but is understandably a very sacred place to Scots.

Although I’m not a golfer, I love the game and have wanted to visit its birthplace, the Old Course at St. Andrews. We started with the Golf Museum, a waste of $32, but enjoyed walking along the 18^th hole where so many have triumphed to win the coveted Claret Jug. St. Andrews is a beautiful city and was an important center long before the dawn of golf. St. Andrews University celebrated its 600^th anniversary in 2013 and its old buildings are elegant and stately. And, by the way, we walked past the café where Kate and Will met!

Later that afternoon, I happily turned in our Vauxhall. Twenty days on the road was enough! No dents though and didn’t get the finger once, that I noticed at least…

We flew from Edinburgh to Tromsø via Oslo, our first time above the Arctic Circle, to begin the third leg of our European adventure. Our hotel was located right on the harbour, a five-minute walk from the center of downtown. Tromsø has a population of 65,000 or so and is a vibrant, cosmopolitan city with a lot to offer the visitor. Elva was impressed with the quality and variety of the stores here although things are very expensive, way beyond her budget, she said. Norway is a rich country, having the fourth highest per capita income in the world, and it shows!

We spent our one full day there walking around and getting our bearings. It was a nice opportunity to slow our pace and relax a bit. Despite the chilly, damp weather, the port is a happening place. Tourists are still booking sailing expeditions to fish or just view the beautiful natural surroundings. We watched young people jump into the freezing harbour water from houseboats and scramble back on board to settle in a hot tub. That in itself is incredible when you realize that Tromsø, latitude wise, is as far north as Tuktoyaktuk in our Northwest Territories. The warmer climate here is of course due to the warming effect of the Gulf Stream.

Norway is a very long and narrow country situated at the northern tip of Europe. It extends 1,770 km from south to north, a distance equal to that from New York to Miami. The country has a population of about 5.5 million and shares borders with Sweden, Finland, and Russia. It is a member of NATO and Schengen but not the European Union. Since indicators help me understand where a country stands, here are just a few. Norway has the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund (a national savings account) with a value of US $1 trillion; it has had the highest Human Development Index ranking in the world since 2009; it ranked first on the World Happiness Report for 2017; and currently ranks first on the OECD Better Life Index, the Index of Public Integrity, the Freedom Index, and the Democracy Index. Norway also has one of the lowest crime rates in the world.

At breakfast, we looked out to see the MS Spitsbergen docked at the pier next to our hotel. I’d like to claim good planning on my part, but it was really just luck. We are scheduled to visit eight ports as we sail south along the Norwegian coast, and we couldn’t be more excited to begin this new adventure.

Hurtigruten markets this cruise as an ‘expedition voyage’. It will be very different from the five cruises we’ve done with Holland America and the one we just finished with Princess. If the first day’s program is any indication, we’re in for a busy time of it! The crew includes several ‘experts’ in fields such as birds, marine mammals, glaciers, photography, and history, and an expedition director who looks after all the scheduling. The ship is much smaller than any we’ve sailed on and there are only about 60 guests on this leg of the voyage.

On our way to the town of Svolvaer, population 5,000, on the Lofoten Islands archipelago, the ship sailed into the magnificent Trollfjord and did a couple of 360s. The photos give some idea of the majesty of the place. Spitsbergen is a small and very maneuverable vessel, and she can turn on a dime.

We trudged through slush in Svolvaer, the result of the year’s first snowfall, and explored on foot for three hours or so, stopping at information stations that explained how stockfish are dried and preserved, how fishing was in the old days, and how things are in modern-day Lofoten. Locals were out and about but, since it was Sunday, things were quiet. My favourite part of the day was watching three guys fish cod right off the wharf. One had caught six, the biggest weighing just under 12 pounds! The local guide told us there is no limit on the number of fish, just a lower size limit of 42 centimeters. The Norwegians have obviously done a better job of managing their fishery than we have.

Next morning, we awoke to clear skies and another beautiful scene, the pocket harbour at the place called Svartisen, little more than a collection of small farms. Our objective for the day as I began the last year of my seventh decade on this planet was to climb to the base of the glacier of the same name. Our adventure began with a short trip by zodiac from the ship to the jetty. Then we walked to a lodge about a kilometer away. Upon reaching the lake, everyone suddenly went quiet, all of us rendered speechless by the incredible sight before us: the lake and the glacier that feeds it.

Our guide led us up through a fairly difficult scramble over icy boulders until we reached a point a few hundred metres below the foot of the glacier. Words cannot describe the beauty we saw on all sides.

At 3:00 pm, we were summoned to a ceremony on the observation deck as we were about to cross the Arctic Circle. The Captain and his assistant pour ice down your back, followed by stiff drinks of cod liver oil and some high-octane solution meant to warm you up. Elva missed taking a photo of my first baptism, so I had to do it all over again!

Not long after, Spitsbergen sailed past a small island just after sunset. The globe in the photo marks the precise location of the Arctic Circle.

Day 4 saw us dock in the pretty town of Brønnøysund, population 5,000, located halfway between the northern and southernmost points in Norway. Our challenge for the day was to hike 5 kilometres to the base of the mountain called Torghatten, a granite dome famous for the hole or tunnel through its center, then climb up to the hole itself. Local legend says that the hole was made by a troll chasing a beautiful girl, while geologists and glaciologists explain that it formed during the last ice age, when ice and water eroded the looser rocks and made the hole. Once again, we enjoyed this beautiful and challenging day outdoors and later soaked in the hot tub to soothe our aching bones. In the group picture, I’m the old guy with his sleeves rolled up, having a hot flash. On the last photo, you can see islands through the hole.