FERRY TRIP ALONG THE COAST OF NORWAY: Let’s Deliver the Mail! Guest post by Owen Floody

Early morning on the coast of Norway.

Our friend Owen Floody, a superb photographer and frequent contributor to this blog, recently took a trip on a mail ferry along the coast of Norway. Here is his report.

Just back from a 12-day cruise on a Hurtigruten CoastalExpress ferry traveling the coast of Norway between Bergen, in the south, and Kirkenes, near the Russian border.  The coast is often majestic and beautiful and the many fjords we visited are especially so.  Several Hurtigruten ships ply the route and my experience is limited to the Nordlys, a relatively recently renovated ship with a capacity approaching 600 but carrying just 397 on our trip.  The quarters were functional, if a little cramped, and the food (breakfast and lunch buffets, served dinner) were great.  The ferry, being a ferry, makes many stops, only a few of which are long enough for off-board sightseeing.  However, Hurtigurten’s Expedition Team offers more than 70 excursions that vary in style (e.g., walks, hikes, bus tours, small-boat tours), physical demands, and cost.  These can serve to pursue special interests or simply to break up the routine.

Bakklandet section of Trondheim in the early morning.

Talk about the ultimate weather-dependent trip?  This might be it.  Many of the coastal landscapes feature tall mountains that would seem to demand clear weather, but Norwegian weather is notoriously changeable and damp.  What to do?  Well, one approach to this dilemma is one we selected.  The basic ferry ride extends just 6 days north or south.  But you can combine these, as we did, to create the 12-day package.  The obvious benefit is that you now have two shots at any cannot-be-missed features or areas.  Bear in mind, though, that doubling your throws doesn’t guarantee a score.

Puffin seen on a birding "safari" to the Giesvaerstappan Islands.

Another thing to do is to reconsider if brightly lit landscapes are always most interesting or best.  We lucked-out on the weather at several points (e.g., our birding “safari” to the Gjesvaerstappan Islands) and I would not trade these in.  Along similar lines, periods with good but more subdued light sometimes were perfect, such as on an early morning walk through the Bakklandet section of Trondheim, as were occasional instances when the light was distorted to produce attractive effects.  For instance, a genuine sunrise can’t occur if the sun never dips below the horizon (as in Norway at this time of the year.)  Nevertheless, very attractive sunrise-like effects can be produced if the sun’s direct rays are appropriately blocked by landmasses and/or clouds, as in the top photo above.

Dark and Stormy

Misty and Atmospheric

However, I’ve been cheating a bit.  The real test of my suggestion is the ability to produce appealing images under more challenging conditions.  In this regard, I can only note that many of my favorite images do this (obviously in my opinion), so many as to define two categories, Dark and Stormy, and Misty and Atmospheric.  Above is one of my favorite images in the first of these categories and below it is one of my favorites in the second.  And when do images suggest divine inspiration as clearly as in the image below, another in my Misty and Atmospheric set?

Divine Inspiration

Finally, I must close by reminding you that cruises and Covid are not an ideal fit.  My traveling companion and I went determined to mask aggressively in all public settings.  Once on board, however, we said no more than a weak “baa.”  Consequently, each of us spent a significant fraction of our initial period home fighting off Covid.  We should have had the courage of our convictions.