Twilight in Raftsundet

While traveling on the MS Nordlys with my parents, we quickly developed a nice routine. We would stay up late watching the beautiful scenery, wake up early to watch beautiful scenery, and eat three full meals throughout the day. But no matter what we were doing, it was nice to spend time with my parents.

Day 4: Bronnoysund to Stokmarknes

Arctic Circle globe

We woke to an announcement stating that we were about to cross the Arctic Circle. We rushed outside or to windows to see a globe statue on a small island marking the invisible line. Later after an early lunch, we docked in the city of Bodo where Sara, Dad and I booked an excursion to see the Saltstraumen. We bundled up in thick onesies, gloves, hats and goggles before boarding a Rigid Inflatable Boat (RIB). Our guide took us on a scenic ride through islands and by steep cliffs. The Saltstraumen is a unique place where huge whirlpools occur naturally in the water. They are caused by a dramatic shallow channel where water is forced up from the deep when the tide is right. It was an impressive sight. We watched whirlpool after whirlpool form and each one seemed bigger than the previous!

That night was full of fjord tours, we cruised through Raftsundet strait, a beautiful 26 km long narrow fjord. While cruising the strait, our captain made a detour into Trollfjord. I still don’t know why it is called Trollfjord, but it was incredibly beautiful. To celebrate, the crew provided Trollfjordknert and troll soup. Trollfjordknert is a hot drink, similar to mulled tea along with dark rum. I didn’t like it at first but it really grew on me. While staying warm with the hot drink, we took in the beauty as sunset lasted until sunrise.

Trollfjord

Arctic Circle globe

Barren landscape in the arctic

Passing an arctic town

Arriving to Bodo

Excursion on a RIB to Saltstraumen Maelstrom

Cliffs near Bodo - easily see the compression which created the landscape during the ice age

Approaching Saltstraumen Maelstrom on the RIB

Saltstraumen whirlpools

Saltstraumen whirlpools

Puffin viewing on the excursion

Sea eagle viewing on the excursion

MS Nordlys docked in Bodo

MS Nordlys docked in Svolvaer

Svolvaer

Statue while leaving Svolvaer

Twilight near Svolvaer

Twilight near Svolvaer

Enjoying Trollfjordknert in daylight at 10:45pm

Twilight in Raftsundet

[Show slideshow]

1 2 ►