• Escape the Heat (August ‘26)
    The yellow building is the Harbor Administration for the port of Harstad.
    The yellow building is the Harbor Administration for the port of Harstad.The Harstad skyline as we continue our voyage north.Harstad, Norway.Trondenes Church; northernmost stone-built church from the medieval period; this one built in 1440.Hurtigruten's Vesterålen passes us as it heads south.

    NB Day 5: Harstad

    August 12 in Norway ⋅ 🌧 48 °F

    I released myself from quarantine today. It was self-imposed after all. While I wasn’t fully recovered, I felt much better. Definitely good enough to go to the dining room for breakfast … where I was greeted warmly by the dining room staff.

    When we left the dining room around 7:40a, we were already pulling away from the dock at Harstad, this morning’s ½-hour stop. It wasn’t raining for a change, so I went up to the first open deck I could get to for a few quick shots.

    Returning to the cabin, I began preparing for the next several hours on the ship ... looking forward to a day where I didn’t have to take photos through the cabin window.

    Turns out that the m/s Havila Castor staff had something else in mind for at least some of us!    Read more