Sailing Away

Rather than fly out of Hammerfest, we decided to leave by boat. But not just any boat – we’d travel south to Bergen, Norway’s second-largest city, on the famed Hurtigruten line.

Hurtigruten ships are working vessels. For 125 years they’ve carried goods and passengers to ports up and down the coast. For many of those communities, even today, Hurtigruten remains the only regular form of access.

The word Hurtigruten means ‘fast route’ which is ironic because the 2,000 kilometre journey from Hammerfest to Bergen takes five days by ship but only a few hours by plane. We knew our southbound trip would be slow, but that was a big part of the attraction.

The Norwegian coastline has been described as one of the most beautiful voyages in the world; a slow sail to Bergen would give us a chance to see some of that dramatic coastline and to experience a little bit of Hurtigruten history.

Hurtigruten's ports of call between Hammerfest and Bergen

The MS Polarlys sailing into Hammerfest

One last look at the town

And we were on the way

 

 

 

Aglow in the midday light, a small town south of Hammerfest

Tied up in Tromsø, the main centre in Norway's remote north

 

For part of our voyage the weather was like this

Not unexpected - it was January after all

At those times there was nothing for it but to kick back and relax

In fact for the entire five days we did little else but watch the world go by

 

 

These days Hurtigruten vessels are very comfortable for passengers, but they don't provide the trappings of 'regular' cruise companies

Onboard entertainment options included presentations such as 'Norway's Geology' and 'The Norwegian Fishing Industry' (yet another reason why we love Hurtigruten) 🙂

 

 

 

 

At many ports the ship is in and out in 15 minutes

Up here, catching the Hurtigruten is like catching the bus

In other places there was time to hop off, stretch the legs and look around; this is Trondheim Cathedral looking fabulously Gothic in the mid-morning light

 

 

Navigating Norway's fjords requires skill and constant close attention

All in a day's work for these ships' captains

 

 

By the end of our voyage we understood that Norway's coastline was much more than simply 'beautiful', and that to those who live and work along that coastline Hurtigruten is not a convenience but an essential part of the community