Welcome to Hero City Murmansk
July 13, 2019 in Russia ⋅ 🌧 43 °F
Our sixth port of call ... Murmansk ... in the Russian Arctic.
Not only was Nautica docked at Murmansk’s marine terminal and cleared in record time, but our small group was first off the ship forRead more
Cruising Kola Bay to Murmansk (Russia)
July 13, 2019 in Russia ⋅ 🌧 43 °F
The last time we were in Murmansk was in July 2014 to embark 50 Let Pobedy, a Russian nuclear icebreaker for our voyage to the North Pole. (The story of that amazing expedition is at this link:Read more
Hammerfest Photo Gallery
July 12, 2019, Norwegian Sea ⋅ ☁️ 46 °F
Images from today’s visit to Hammerfest, Norway are at this link:
https://eenusa.smugmug.com/Cruises/NoGlow/NoGlo…
Cupcake Tea @ Sea
July 12, 2019, Norwegian Sea ⋅ ☁️ 54 °F
Most days, afternoon tea is held in the Horizons Lounge on deck 10 forward. Today the theme was “cupcakes.” Yes, we went and sampled a few 😄😋. But not so many that it would ruin our appetiteRead more
Sailaway from Hammerfest
July 12, 2019 in Norway ⋅ ⛅ 57 °F
A short day ... an early sail away ... a relaxing afternoon at sea! Perfect after a delightful time sightseeing in Hammerfest.
Going up on the top deck as Nautica left its berth, we got a glimpse ofRead more
Hammerfest Church
July 12, 2019 in Norway ⋅ ⛅ 55 °F
Although Hammerfest did not receive its charter as a market town until 1789, its first church was built in 1620. The five churches that followed were all destroyed by fire. The sixth one, which weRead more
Hammerfest: Meet Hvaldimir!
July 12, 2019 in Norway ⋅ ⛅ 55 °F
After the museum, we hurried over to one of the piers in the harbor to meet Hvaldimir, who the volunteer at the visitor center said would likely show up for his noon meal and training to hunt for hisRead more
Royal & Ancient Polar Bear Society
July 12, 2019 in Norway ⋅ ⛅ 54 °F
On our way to the harbor area, we took a peek inside a one-room museum with a grand name ... the Royal and Ancient Polar Bear Society.
There’s really nothing royal or ancient about the museum,Read more
Hammerfest: SikkSakkveien & Reindeer
July 12, 2019 in Norway ⋅ ⛅ 54 °F
Though this was a short day in port, we squeezed quite a bit into our allotted time, starting with a hike up to the Salen Viewpoint and Mikkegammen.
SikkSakkveien — which translates as the Zig-ZagRead more
Welcome to Hammerfest (Norway)
July 12, 2019 in Norway ⋅ ☀️ 54 °F
Our fifth port of call ... Hammerfest ... a new-to-us port in Norway ... greets us with clear blue skies.
This town, claims to be the northernmost city in the world, but that is disputed by anotherRead more
Day @ Sea
July 11, 2019, Norwegian Sea ⋅ ☀️ 50 °F
We had a quiet day sailing the Norwegian Sea today as we head north to our next port of call.
As far north as we are now, it doesn’t get dark at night anymore. In fact, the Currents does not listRead more
Trondheim Photo Gallery
July 10, 2019 in Norway ⋅ ☀️ 52 °F
Images from today’s visit to Trondheim, Norway are at this link:
https://eenusa.smugmug.com/Cruises/NoGlow/Trond…
Trondheim: Bakklandet & More
July 10, 2019 in Norway ⋅ ☀️ 66 °F
Before and after our visits to Nidarosdomen and the Archbishop’s Palace Museum, we wandered around Trondheim.
As this was our first time here, we found plenty of sites of interest, especially inRead more
Trondheim: Archbishop's Palace Museum
July 10, 2019 in Norway ⋅ ☀️ 57 °F
Dating back to 1153, the Archbishop’s Palace now serves as a museum. Situated across the street from Nidarosdomen, it was easily accessed once we completed the tower climb at the Cathedral.
OneRead more
Trondheim: Nidarosdomen
July 10, 2019 in Norway ⋅ ☀️ 61 °F
We got off the ship’s courtesy shuttle at the second stop ... near Nidarosdomen, billed as the northernmost Medieval Cathedral in the world ... named after the former name of Trondheim ... Nidaros.Read more
Welcome to Trondheim (Norway)
July 10, 2019 in Norway ⋅ ☀️ 54 °F
Our fourth port of call ... Trondheim ... new-to-us port in Norway.
When we disembark in a new port, seldom do I look down in search of a manhole cover. After all, there’s usually nothing veryRead more
Ålesund Photo Gallery
July 9, 2019 in Norway ⋅ ⛅ 50 °F
Images from today’s visit to Ålesund, Norway are at this link:
https://eenusa.smugmug.com/Cruises/NoGlow/0709A…
Sailaway Dinner from Ålesund
July 9, 2019 in Norway ⋅ ☀️ 54 °F
Tonight was a special “Chef’s Market Dinner.” The menu at the Terrace Café featured Norwegian salmon, shrimp, reindeer, whale, and other delicacies that the Executive Chef had picked up from aRead more
Ålesund: Afternoon Tea
July 9, 2019 in Norway ⋅ ⛅ 57 °F
Returning to Nautica around 4:00p, Mui and I headed up to the Horizons Lounge on deck 10 forward for afternoon tea. This time we could not resist adding a couple of tasty accompaniments to ourRead more
Ålesund Kyrkje
July 9, 2019 in Norway ⋅ ☀️ 57 °F
After lunch, we took a meandering walk back to the pier where Nautica was docked.
Having wandered these streets in 2017, I was happy enough to keep the camera in my bag. Until, that is, we walked upRead more
Ålesund: Lunch Time!
July 9, 2019 in Norway ⋅ ⛅ 59 °F
Last time we were in Ålesund (in 2017) we discovered a restaurant called Anno ... overlooking a small square along Ålesundet ... the inner harbor, if you will. We so enjoyed our meal then that thereRead more
Ålesund: Stiftinga Sunnmøre Museum
July 9, 2019 in Norway ⋅ ☀️ 55 °F
On our first visit to Ålesund — in 2017 — we climbed the 418 steps to the top of Mt Aksla and then explored the Art Deco architecture that sprung up after much of the town was devastated by aRead more
Welcome to Ålesund (Norway)
July 9, 2019 in Norway ⋅ ☀️ 52 °F
Our third port of call ... Ålesund ... a Norwegian town that today welcomed us with blue skies and sunshine ... considerably different weather than what we had when we called here for the first timeRead more
Bergen Photo Gallery
July 8, 2019 in Norway ⋅ 🌙 54 °F
Images from today’s visit to Bergen, Norway are at this link:
https://eenusa.smugmug.com/Cruises/NoGlow/0708B…
Sailaway from Bergen
July 8, 2019 in Norway ⋅ ☀️ 54 °F
Following our outing to Gamle Bergen, we opted to take it easy to give Mui some rest time. The decision to do so was made easier because we’d explored Bryggen — the UNESCO World Heritage Site ofRead more
Gamle Bergen (Old Bergen Museum)
July 8, 2019 in Norway ⋅ ☁️ 55 °F
Any other time we would have walked the 1 mile between the port and Gamle Bergen [Old Bergen] Museum. Since Mui was feeling poorly, however, we hopped on a public bus instead. The museum was just aRead more

































































































































