Zefyr Hotel Bodø

The computer on board the MS Nordkapp will not acknowledge Bodo, Norway one of the seven ports of call today. The Nordic gods will not be amused since this area of Voringbassenet has character and geographic significance. <br><br>This morning the coastal express passed the island globe symbolizing crossing the Arctic Circle. This invisible border circles the earth at 66 degrees 33' north latitude marking the southern most point at which the ...

... välillä. Aurinkokin paisteli mukavasti ja meri oli varsin tyyni ja tyynen puolella lämpötilakin oli ihan sopiva.<br><br>Lofoottien lähestyessä esiin tuli valtavan pitkä vuorijono, todella upeaa! Ja mitä lähemmäksi päästiin, sen upeammaksi se muuttui. Kaiken kukkuraksi ihan loppumatkasta pilvet siirtyivät jo suht matalalla olevan auringon eteen sen verran, että mereen tuli upea vaalea hohde, ihan kuin unessa! Jotenkin epätodellista... Saavuimme Moskenesiin ja kun p ...

... board. The advice was to fill up on lunch because dinner portions were supposedly not on the generous side and breakfast wasn't the best - "they have things with labels saying 'jam' but it isn't jam in them!". It was all good fun and I appreciated talking to someone else from a different background. Heeding our table partners' advice we did load up at lunch, taking advantage of the many dessert offerings on the lengthy buffet bench. The afternoon was spent lounging around the ship and ...

... eventful, just the normal work of going to classes, doing homework and hanging out with friends, so I will spend most of this entry telling you about each of the trips I have been on. First, in the last week of August, my Adventure Knowledge class went on a trip to the Engabreen glacier in Svartisen, a few hours drive south of Bodø. We left on Wednesday and made several stops along the way to look at

... strongest maelstrom, where we ate fish soup in a cute little touristy restaurant. Then last week our classes finally began... I'm taking three different courses while I'm here: Norwegian Language; History, Politics and Northern Resources; and Adventure Knowledge. The schedule for these classes is a lot different from what I'm used to at home. Norwegian goes for the entire semester, meeting on Mondays and Wednesdays. Last Wednesday was our first day, and it seemed very ...

... Das war wie Kreuzfahrt - man fühlt sich wie in einem Hotel, bloß auf dem Wasser eben. Eine Empfangshalle mit Glasaufzügen, mehrere Restaurants und Bars, der obligatorische Tax Free-Laden und auf dem Oberdeck eine Saune, sowie zwei Außen-Whirpools, die bei eisigen Temperaturen tatsächlich benutzt wurden, aber nicht von uns ;) Und so konnten wir die 4 Stunden Überfahrt in bequemen Sesseln genießen und ein bisschen Kreuzfahrtluft schnuppern ...

... we did a bit of parting that night, where after I went to bed, I guess some went streaking in the Arctic, amongst other things... Friday we took this so-called ferry to a nearby island for the night (2 hours away). This "ferry" was like an oversize motorboat... needless to say... 5 of us got very sick... like puking on the boat... including myself. Not fun at all! We went straight to a museum of an old Trade Center, which was really ...

... almost knocked them out for good. It was dreadful for them. They were deathly ill! During Blair and Kyle's visits to the bathroom that day, the rest of us were taken on a tour of an old town that has been turned into a museum that showed what life was like in Northern Norway in the past. It was actually very interesting to see, because it was a lot like museums of the same time period in the ...

... the night ahead. I forgot to mention that it was Joe's birthday on Thursday so we were quite prepared for a fun night. We went back and had lunch and talked about life and important things like that. Then the family that owned the campsite lent some of the kids boats to go out canoeing and kayaking while some of us watched and relaxed on shore. It was just such a nice day for the arctic it was impossible not to enjoy what activity ...

... our faces and expensive camera lenses. Once back inside, we looked at our picture. "If only we were all there, this would make a great Christmas card shot." You can guess the rest. We screwed our courage to the sticking point and went back out. This time all were totally zipped up, so no errant coat flaps would act as sails (or worse, wings). A kind gentleman of seventy-some who was marooned halfway out, holding onto the ...