A lady under wraps

Saying hello to London is always lovely and exciting, and sometimes frustrating. The lady is getting dressed for next year's festivities of Olympics and royal celebrations. So Leicester Square is completely covered in building, Charing Cross station is getting new lifts in Trafalgar Square, and Strand, great buildings in Regent Street are totally swathed in wrap while they are renovated. Picadilly Circus is rather tricky to negotiate, and on it goes. But it is a good opportunity for the city to look good for the visitors, so it is all accepted in good humour, mostly. The summer however, has appeared for a few days, and forgotten to return so far. Today we got soaked in a sudden downpour - heavy rain just appears - there is no workup to it - just heavy - with the consequence of looking very bedraggled if not prepared . The sun came out again, but hopefully summer will remember to come back soon.
After a couple of rain journeys, a sorte or two to Oxford Street, and Sloane Square, and a couple of visits to the galleries, it is time to start looking at the suitcases and how best to make one big mass into a small one. Also realised we have different dates on our flight ticket, so slight panic stations till tomorrow - hopefully it is all sorted.
It has been a wonderful journey on water, and land, seeing snow and ice, and incredible fjords and glaciers, tiny towns, and cities in various stages of development and sophistication. But all so interesting and offering new experiences and perspectives. And a special reassurance that we have the best country to call our own.
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The Dover cliffs were greeting us......

......as we sailed towards the port. There was a pink tinge to the sunrise,which highlighted the chalky white cliff face with a beautiful day predicted in London. After 4800 nautical miles, it is definitely time to hit firm ground again. There has been the most stunning scenery and experiences north of the Arctic Circle, which will be part of the memory forever.
Now there is a team removing our worldly goods from the ship, passports are being stamped, and we are being farewelled before the next group arrives. We are no longer part of this vessel, we need to move on, so trains await.
Off to London and a few points around UK .
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Oslo - Capital of Beautiful Noway - Sat 9 July 2011

Another day on the water, we sailed into Oslo harbour – a beautiful sight – with over 40 islands in the archipelago on the way to the port. (We missed the first part – the presence of a little darker dusk meant a little more sleep). Went for a walk on Saturday morning in this pretty city – very easy to get around as there is much of it almost traffic free bar the trams and buses.

It is time to prepare for the last part of the expedition – we are getting instructions for disembarkation, and packing and looking forward to London. (and firm ground). We have seen some stunning scenery, and sights far beyond expectations. The seas have mainly been kind to us, which is always appreciated. There have been more sea days than we expected, which can become tedious, though it is always a good excuse to get reading (loved Follett’s new book – Fall of giants – I hope he is busy writing the second of the trilogy). Seeing the very far north, seeing and hearing the polar fields, the glaciers which sadly are retreating at an alarming rate, and the berger bits – that encouraged the birds to catch a free ride – nature at its best – seeing the spouts of whales, and the breaching – the mighty tail fly up in possible salute, or more likely a farewell wave. – this has all been so special and forever part of our memory. The cities and towns and villages – with their various personalities – Copenhagen in its Danish elegance, to the wild presence of Longeaybyen , in Spitsbergen, way out in the Norwegian sea, and the grim, but proud aspect of Murmansk – not yet ready for the cruise presence which is part of modern travel. All part of a wonderful time.

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Thoughts from the top of the world as the owl and the pussycat mess about in boats

Nord Cap (North Cape) is the very top of Norway, and a popular point to visit both at midsummer (now) and mid winter, when you can witness the northern lights. It was cloudy when we arrived but by the afternoon, the sun shone as we clambered around the town of Honnesvag, the views down the end of the fjord were wonderful, the water as blues as the postcards present. It was really peak hour in the little port as there were three cruise ships coming in at various times. We sailed out very late in the evening, with broad daylight giving a bright farewell to the very north of Norway. We start three days at sea now, cruising through the stunning fjord of Geiranger in the next couple of days on our way south to Oslo. There may be a little dusk in the next day or so, but the daily news still lists: the sun never sets. An amazing time. It has added to the whole experience of being so far north, with no phone or internet or television contact – we were away from the world we know on a daily basis, and in a wild, lonely but incredibly beautiful landscape which demanded no distractions.

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Thoughts leaving Murmansk

I am not going to give too much history on this city – the largest city north of the Arctic circle. Around 340,000, and has lost about 1/3 of its population in the last 10 years. We had to wait for customs and passport clearance, so were late leaving the ship – onto buses, and local guides with us to give some narration. It is a city based on fishing, and the oil and gas industry being generated from the seas off north Russia. So the port area is very large and busy. There are floating dry docks, and oil or gas offshore rigs in for service, many fishing vessels, and others all competing for wharf space.

The city itself boasts the wide streets that we saw in St Petersburg, with a lot of trees on the side. It is early summer (or what sits as summer here) so the lavender bushes are everywhere. But we mostly noticed the blocks of flats – everywhere, in all areas of the city – there are three terraces of the city – all reflecting the different geological development periods of the harbour. There is a low area, moving to two higher levels. And everywhere, there are these oppressing buildings which house the vast majority of the population. Much of Murmansk was bombed to obliteration during the dark times of the second world war. After the war, the housing was very grim, and gradually, these utilitarian buildings of one, two and three room (not bedroom) flats were constructed. They reflected the different tough styles of the leaders, from Kruschev, to Breshnev, and the other leaders. Some newer ones are a little brighter, but they are still very bald - we do not appreciate how lucky we are. One wondered what the Local passport control staff thought of the grandness of the ship decor, while we were processed. There is little colour in the streets, other than the green of the trees. But they are very proud of their history, and there is a huge statue of a lone soldier on a hill overlooking the city and Kola Harbour, in recognition of the young soldiers lost in the wars. It is amazing to see close up.

It has been an eye opening visit, after the incredible wealth seen in St Petersburg a few years ago, a very different city, where there is little evidence of the historic wealth of the larger southern cities. But they are strong, they have to be to survive the winter time alone – in mid winter, there is 19 minutes of daylight on the shortest day – a little time of celebration, with only around 30 days of good sun per year – a lot of cloud, and some severe storms and high winds – and the long weeks of 24 hour daylight – quite a challenge all year round.

So we sail out, with some bewildered thoughts as to how the locals do pass their days and years, and understand how the population , particularly the young, slowly drift away.

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Of the birds of the air and fish of the sea, and the men who came.

Once upon a time there were some birds soaring and swooping over the seas of the land of the north. They knew of many people living on those lands, and they knew they had different ways of travelling and eating and hunting. Some of the birds knew of the people of what we now know as Norway, and some knew the people called Danes, and some more knew of the groups from a place called Sweden. There were groups of people who went from these countries and travelled in long boats to other countries to trade and sometimes to be fierce warriors over the people. And the birds followed them, to see what was there. Those that flew around Norway followed their people as they sailed north and west towards Greenland, and Northern Canada – they met other birds who taught them about other lands and different fish in the sea, and how to catch different gulf streams to soar and dive, and travel to wonderful new places, but also to track back home. Those that followed the Danish folk saw a wonderful new land with green fields, and cliffs, and towns and people wanting to trade. They were happy to trade and some settled, but the birds knew that they must go back, so the currents and fish streams led them eventually home with tales of all they had seen. They had seen giant fish, with spouts of water and huge back tails, that could drown men if they weren’t careful, but looked wonderful, gentle creatures from where the birds soared, and the creatures of the water looked out at the world. Some other birds followed their people to another place, east, across seas and some mountains, to a grand, ancient land, where much trade with the east happened, and a large country was evolving. The people found cities of high standing, and the birds saw Kiev become a great place, and they came back to tell the birds of Sweden what they had seen, and birds they had met. And they came and went to these new lands and saw what men were doing. The gentle giants of the sea sailed on as great leviathans, and saw the travellers come and go, and saw the birds swoop and play, and feed off the generous sea.

And a new time came, and the birds saw new objects on the water around their lands. These were on the top of the sea, not under it. And there were travellers - not traders of fur and riches, but those taking pictures and waving, and admiring the lands, and the seas, and the birds that swooped, and the giants of the sea who blew water out, and splashed their great tails, and gently swam along, while the dolphins jumped and squealed joyfully to be in such a slip stream – it saved energy, and was great fun. And the birds loved this new plaything they found on the waters, there was warm air from its spout, not like the water spout of the whale, but a warm cushion that let them float and drift without any effort just above this floating box. And the fish were easy to catch in the wake of this box, and it was fun to glide beside it and look in at the people – looking out at them. They felt sorry for the people – they could not fly and swoop and enjoy the scenery from such a height, and move onto a new lands at a whim. And the birds knew they had friends and relatives in all those lands the early people had ventured, and perhaps those people in the floating box did too, and were trying to find them.

A town called Hammerfest, on a Saturday, at the top of the world

It was a little drizzly, and not so cold – 10C, and we decided to walk into the little town – Hammerfest is very far north, and contests with Honnesvag for the title of most northerly town on the European mainland. A pleasant walk brought us to the few shops – mostly inside in a warm shopping complex the winters are so cold and dark, most shops are all in here together. The library was shut – it is Saturday, and this size town would not warrant opening. We spoke to a local who described winter in this northern part of the world. He described it as murkita (sic) or dark place – and this is more than the physical darkness for a couple of months, but the psychological issues of depression and sadness that can affect the locals and visitors.

A nice little place which seems quite content with its own quiet existence, where many are happy to spend their days and years .

We are now en route for Murmansk in Northern Russia – we have extensive directions on what paperwork we must have with us to go ashore – we do not have visas, so are limited to guided tours, which are strictly controlled – understandable and accepted.

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