Crossing the Arctic Circle

We crossed the Arctic Circle at just after 8am this morning. There is a metal globe on an island in the sea marking the position of this. However, apparently the Arctic Circle moves 15 metres north each year - all due to the pull of the moon.
The scenery is wild and more spectacular, with more snow on the mountains. We're at sea heading for the port of Bodø with a short 10 min stop at Ørnes en route.
Karen and I joined in with the crowd for the crossing the circle ceremony on deck at 10.30am - ice cubes poured down our backs and we were given a shot of grapefruit, ginger and chilli. Freezing cold but great fun!
The approach to Bodø was beautiful, hugging the coast with views of the fiords, passing by little islands, some with houses down to the shore.
On arrival at Bodø, the rain put us off going ashore so we remained on board for a relaxing afternoon, reading,
catching up on the blog, and I've even attempted a bit of sketching. Again the A&S had a couple of beers while K&J tried another cocktail.
Later Karen and I went to an interesting film about the Northern Lights, telling us the many ancient beliefs about their meaning and also the real science behind how the lights are created.
Another Barbu card game - by some miracle I managed to win this time, thanks to a bit of coaching!
Excellent dinner with a few changes to the menu for this next leg of the trip. Tomorrow we're off on an excursion at Tromsø - it will involve snowshoes!!Read more