Finding ourselves between meetings
on both sides of the North Sea, it only seemed fair that we succumbed to the
temptation of making the crossing by ship. After all, it was a long holiday
weekend back in North America as both sides of the forty-ninth parallel
celebrated historically important events. To say it was a sleepy time for all
involved would not be accurate and yet, suggesting fireworks doesn’t seem to
convey the significance. For Australians 1776 marked a change of destination
for ships out of England as one day it was off to Georgia and the next, to
Botany Bay.
Eking out a little downtime
while maintaining a working schedule is always a difficult proposition at the
best of times and yet, relief was at hand given how Wimbledon was in full swing
as was the ashes battle between old sparing partners, Australia and the
Marylebone Cricket Club (Otherwise known as England and Wales). Not to mention
that supporters of St Louis Cardinals and the Chicago White Sox were in old
London town for a couple of baseball games. Exciting times but also a very good
reason to head out of town.
Something strange was going
on all the same. Whenever we stopped at a Norwegian port, out came the
Norwegian and Australian flags. Happened more than once? Was our ship full of
Aussie tourists or was it simply a reminder that misbehaving in Norway might
see your next port of call somewhere in Australia. Didn’t they know that it was
North America celebrating important milestones? No matter, they all seemed a
cheery lot even if the meaning was lost on most of those aboard the ship.
Leaving London behind us we sailed into the North Sea, made way to Edinburgh and then it was onto a couple of islands we had always wanted to visit. The Orkney and Shetland Islands seemed to be hostile outliers when viewed from Great Britain even as their climate suggested hostility was the catchword of the day. It was the very middle of summer but that memo never truly landed on the desk of anyone in charge, as it was bitterly cold. All the same, we had our reasons to visit these northerly outposts of Great Britain.
Safe to say the rabbit and
Margo knew something was up even as ducking the small gathering of tourists
that often appeared. While some may have headed to a café for pastries and
coffee, Margo and I always took to the streets to absorb as much of the atmosphere
as possible. On this occasion it was Shetland Island and simply walking around
the harbor reinforced the remoteness of the location. Everything came in by
ship and that included those folks coming up from Aberdeen, Scotland, as well
as the catch-of-the-day that made its way to households living off the fruits
of the sea.
Shetland Island, we were
told, has a higher number of murders over a short period than that recorded in
Chicago. Before jumping to conclusions those hearing these statistics soon realized
it was in reference to the television drama series, Shetland, that was filmed
on the island. For those who watched the series and who were familiar with
Detective Jimmy Perez, finding the location of his “home” didn’t prove at all challenging.
Perhaps not as pristine as it appeared on television, but even so, it was
immediately recognizable as we explored the shoreline spreading out from the
docks.
The Gulf Stream airmass and sea currents not withstanding a word of caution to those planning a visit anytime during the summer months. The sun may be present in the sky for many more hours that you might have experienced elsewhere but I have just one word for you. Layers! A fine pint of bitters may do the trick but its warmth is only temporary. Step out onto the street and that pint does little to sustain anything like warmth. Yes, the Orkneys need to be visited and perhaps the local Scotch Whisky is enough of a reason to pay it a visit but stepping back into the warmth afforded us by our ship became a practice we followed even as time spent ashore lessened with each mile north we sailed.
The Ring of Brodgar remains
a mystery. Often viewed as the Orkney version of Stonehenge, these circles –
and yes, there is more than one but none as well preserved as the Ring of
Brodgar – they confound archeologists as to the purpose and indeed, with a
distinct lack of trees on the island, how were they moved into place? More or
less a similar quandary as is presented by the statues on Easter Island.
However, as ancient as they happen to be dating back to a time between 2,000
and 2,500 BC by inhabitants whose heritage has been long lost, they remain an
impressive sight.
It took a bus ride to get out to the site but after a couple of ports of call, we had decided that it was worth bundling in with a bunch of fellow sailors to see what it was all about. Margo and I are not ones who are quick to sign-on for a bus ride but as the Orkneys and indeed Shetland were too big to simply walk around, we happily compromised. However, the bus we jumped aboard was a bit of a puzzle; who exactly did this bus company cater to? It only took a few seconds to pass before Margo pointed out to me that there was an overhead call button for coffee and cocktails, but no such luck when pushing on the button. Oh well!
Our journey into the North
Sea eventually took us into the Arctic Ocean as we crossed the Artic Circle.
Ultimately, we reached 70+degrees north where the sun never set. Expecting
warmer weather? Not so fast. Just because the sun was kind to us and beamed
rays directly into our cabin let’s not be confused by sunshine expecting the
weather to turn warmer. On one stop, the locals were quite unprepared as the temperature
climbed past 20C / 70F but then, we weren’t going to complain.
The Norwegians are a hardy
mob, that’s for sure. As we watched reindeer clamber down a hillside and were
politely informed that the earliest of dwellings were “painted” red from the
blood of reindeers and hence their picturesque visage, but no longer. Paint in
many colors – mostly a mix of red and white, unfortunately – is now readily
available and I can only imagine what those older, blood-painted dwellings
smelt like during the height of summer.
At each port we visited there was a mixture of fishing boats and oilrig service craft. I took many photos of these vessels dockside but one composition stood out for me. It happened only as I was flipping through the photos that I came across the juxtaposition above. Would you believe that the vessel called Shining Light was pointing directly at Valhalla? Who knew; those Vikings had to be onto something after all. And it was the many shared tales of the Vikings that continued throughout out trip that finally ended where we needed to be; Bergen and then on to Oslo.
It wasn’t just these ships
that caught my eye but the welcome committee of Arctic Code hanging dockside.
At first Margo and I thought they were simply paper mâché depictions of deep-sea
monsters. A talisman that warned other sailors to stay well enough away, else
face a terrible fate. But they were real and part of how the locals go about
curing their catch before either rehydrating them prior to cooking or simply crushing
them into fine powder for shipment elsewhere, where apparently, it was a
seasoning delicacy. Well, at least that’s how I recall the story going but I
could have missed a few of the finer details.
Having an opportunity to
sail far into the North Sea and then into the Arctic Ocean was so memorable
that Margo and I have already set our sights on returning to Norway. Staying in
Oslo in a AirBnB condo in the “Barcode District” struck a chord with us. Maybe
not this year or next, but it is now firmly in our sights. As for a week at the
Oslo Grand hotel, where apparently only a week or so earlier Bruce Springsteen
had stayed, made us checking just how many Norwegian Krona we would need to
save to make any of this happen. But in all likelihood and as opportunity
presents itself, we could see it being a fun place to spend an extended period
of time.
In the previous post I wrote of how there would be more to come and indeed, this is it! Did we unwind? Did we miss being present for the July Fourth weekend? To be honest, no we didn’t miss a thing even as yes, we were able to unwind and simply relax. Having flown to these locations in former times and having travelled by train more recently, then I am happy to report and, to quote Toad of Toad Hall, when I say, there is nothing – absolutely nothing – half as much worth doing as simply messing about in boats!
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