July 31, 2015

Coast of Norway - arriving in Hammerfest


We are coming in to Hammerfest in Finnmark - and the decks crew are ready to moor the ship for the 2 hrs. we are staying here. This is the northernmost town in the world and the gate to the Barents Sea.

WIKI: Hammerfest is a town in Hammerfest Municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. 
The town is one of the northernmost towns in the world. 
The 2.94-square-kilometre (730-acre) town has a population (2013) of 7,568, which gives it a population density of 2,574 inhabitants per square kilometre (6,670/sq mi).
The town has an ice-free harbor, 


Close to the anchor place of our ship we can look over to the Hammerfest Church

From the net: The Protestant Church of Hammerfest was built by architect Hans Magnus from Oslo, who among other things also designed the northernmost church in the world on Spitsbergen. 
It was consecrated in 1961. 
The triangle Magnus served as a leitmotif for the Church, both as a symbol of the Holy Trinity and also as a reference to the traditional fish drying racks, which still today are used to produce the stockfish.


Mirror effect of our ship MS Nordkapp in the windows of a nearby warehouse

July 30, 2015

Melkøya (Milk island) a gas processing plant in the Arctic Norway

Link to Flickr

A much discussed event - the building of a gas processing production unit outside of Hammerfest at Melkøya. 
A 168km long pipeline is bringing in the raw gas from the fields out in the Barentz sea. 

After being processed the finished LNG gas is exported at ships mainly to USA.

This is the biggest industrial unit in the North of Norway.

Photo above of the Southside of the production plant. Below a version from the North side:


Below: Modern Gas driven supply ship outside of Melkøya, Hammerfest




From wiki:
Melkøya (Northern Sami: Muolkkut) is an island in Hammerfest Municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. 

The island sits just west of the town of Hammerfest. The 0.69-square-kilometre (170-acre) island is connected to the town of Hammerfest (on the island of Kvaløya by the Melkøysund Tunnel which was completed in 2003.

The industrial island is the endpoint of the undersea pipeline that transports natural gas from the Snøhvit natural gas fields in the Barents Sea. 

The gas goes through the 168-kilometre (104 mi) long pipeline to the processing station on Melkøya where it is converted into liquefied natural gas. The plant opened in 2007 and it is operated by Statoil.



July 29, 2015

Coast of Norway: 1 of the 50000 islands

Link to Flickr

We are on our way app. 2.400km along the coast of Norway from Kirkenes in NorthEast to Bergen at the westCoast.

Here we pass one of the 50.000 islands registered within our borders - some place up North close to Hasvik.



Sun rays through the clouded sky outside the coast of Norway


July 28, 2015

Coast of Norway: Sailing in Arctic waters

Link to flickr

At our way South along the coast of Norway from Kirkenes we can se many boats and ships - but it is very rare to spot a sailer with his spinnaker in use.

This one we could see outside of Hammerfest in the North.

Cropped from a 300mm objective to eff. app 600mm tele.


A grey day on the islands a little North of the city Hammerfest


July 26, 2015

Coast of Norway: Arctic windmills in the North

KLICK here for Flickr link

2nd day of our sailing South along the arctic coast of Norway. We meet the northbound Coastal Express "Polarlys" just as we pass the windmillpark Havøygavlen. The most Northern windmillpark in the world.

From the net: The world’s northernmost windmill park was officially opened in June 2003. The park consists of 16 wind turbines which are expected to produce around 120 GWh of electric power a year. This corresponds to the annual power consumption for 5,000-6,000 Norwegian homes.



Just after passing the Northbound Coastal Steamer MS Polarlys



July 18, 2015

Coast of Norway: Vardo / Vardø a small fortress in the NorthEast


A town with a small fortress that already was there in the medival times as a defense against aggresive Russians and Swedes claiming ownership to this part of the Arctic.

Look to the great round (dome) antenna buildings in the back. Super secret monitoring of Russian activities at sea and in the air 24/7. In a "warm" conflict probably one of the first places to be "taken out" by Putin and his men.....

Beside of that it is fishery that is the name of the game for the app. 2 000 inhabitants on this small island that have 1 visit by the coastal express pr. day. They also have a small airport with 4 departures a day or you can take the underwater tunnel if you arrive by car - all for serving the 2000 who lives here.....

In spite of the good communications people are leaving town as the population for just some years ago was up to 4 000,


The old canons at the wall of the small fortress will probably not be very scaring for Putins men should they want to visit....


Street art in the harbour of Vardø

July 16, 2015

The Coastal express / Hurtigruten Departure from Kirkenes, Norway




We arrived in Kirkenes with a plane from Oslo and have spent the day strolling around in Kirkenes situated only a few kilometers from our border to Russia - and as far East as Istanbul.

We will from here sail with the Coastal express / Hurtigruten  south to Bergen some 2 400 km and 6 days away.


Kirkenes is the only town in Norway where the street names are given both in Norwegian and Russian (very handy for Putins gang should they invade this neighborhood sometime) 

July 8, 2015

Coast of Norway: Intro

Coast of Norway: Intro

Welcome aboard for a long 2 400 km sailing along the Coast of Norway.

This time with the coastal express from Hurtigruten: MS Nordkapp going from the small Arctic town Kirkenes - close to the Russian border and then South to Bergen at our West Coast.

This series started with my sailing to North Cape in January 2014. At that time in the winter darkness. This tour will be in the Midnight Sun (hopefully as clouded weather is reported for most of the trip).

The itinerary will be: Plane from Oslo to Kirkenes. MS Nordkapp along the coast south to Bergen (app 2 400km). And then finally after 6 days a plane from Bergen to Oslo.

This photo a stitch of 4 photos in Lofoten, Norway


Arriving in Tromsø a winter afternoon in January

July 5, 2015

The little StaveChurch in the mountains. Golsfjellet, Norway

The little StaveChurch in the mountains. Golsfjellet, Norway

Scaling is difficult. The small StaveChurch here is like a doll house as it can anly have some 15 visitors to be filled up.

The small copy of the StaveChurch was build to a nearby hotel owners daughter -  just4fun some years ago.

Today from time to time also used for small weddings.

Situated close to the Oset Hotel at Golsfjellet, Norway.


Some "ghosts" in the small mountain chapel