Gone to See Norway 2007 Family Vacation. Day 7: Hurtigruten Coastal Voyage Traveling North.
On the fourth day of the northbound Hurtigruten voyage, the ship stops in seven ports: Stokmarkenes (00:45-01:00); Sortland (02:30-03:00); Risøyhamm (04:15-04:30); Harstad (06:45-08:00); Finnsnes (11:15-11:45); Tromsø (14:30-18:30); and Skjervøy (22:30-22:45). As we move farther north, the amount of time that the sun is up keeps decreasing. It was almost 11 AM when I took the first image in this post. By the time we arrived Tromsø later in the afternoon it was already dark. In Tromsø several from our group went dog sledding. After the ride we had coffee in a Sami tent (lavvu). At the end of the day back on the ship I got to play King Neptune for the “Crossing the Arctic Circle” ceremony. The Captain of the Ship and King Neptune baptized those that had crossed the Arctic circle for the first time with ice water.
As I mentioned at the beginning of this series of posts, I am getting ready to revisit Norway. At the time of the 2007 trip I only had a DSLR for about 6 months. There were many things about it I didn’t know – I was very early in the learning curve. By reviewing and analyzing the old images, I learn from my mistakes. When I look at the images that I took during that trip I cringe knowing that I could have done a better job – composition, exposure, focus, etc. I typically include camera settings with the description to help when I analyze the images. Since then cameras have improved significantly. Likewise, the software used to process the images has improved. The new software lets me fix or improve the older images, and in some cases I have reprocessed the images. One of my goals for this upcoming trip is to take fewer, but better images. Comments and criticisms about these images are welcomed.
Black-billed Magpie at Rocky Mountain National Park. Image taken with a Nikon D300 camera and 300 mm f/2.8 VR lens (ISO 200, 300 mm, f/2.8, 1/3200 sec).
Gone to See Norway 2007 Family Vacation. Day 6: Hurtigruten Coastal Voyage Traveling North.
On the third full day of the northbound Hurtigruten voyage, the ship stopped in seven ports: Brønnøysund (00:30-01:00); Sandnessjøen (03:45-04:15); Nesna (05:25-05:30); Ørnes (09:00-09:30); Bodø (12:30-15:00); Stamsund (19:00-19:30); and Svolvær (21:00-22:00). We were in Bodø long enough to visit the Norwegian Aviation Museum. Later in the evening, we stopped in Svolvær and went to the world-famous Magic Ice bar. We entered what looked like a warehouse and were provided with warm coats. Inside the building are ice sculptures reflecting the life of the region and fishermen. Before leaving we were provided a drink in a shot glass made of ice.
As I mentioned at the beginning of this series of posts, I am getting ready to revisit Norway. At the time of the 2007 trip I only had a DSLR for about 6 months. There were many things about it I didn’t know – I was very early in the learning curve. By reviewing and analyzing the old images, I learn from my mistakes. When I look at the images that I took during that trip I cringe knowing that I could have done a better job – composition, exposure, focus, etc. I typically include camera settings with the description to help when I analyze the images. Since then cameras have improved significantly. Likewise the software used to process the images has improved. The new software lets me fix or improve the older images, and in some cases I have reprocessed the images. One of my goals for this upcoming trip is to take fewer, but better images. Comments and criticisms about these images are welcomed.
Gone to See Norway 2007 Family Vacation. Day 4: Hurtigruten Coastal Voyage Traveling North.
In addition to transporting passengers, the Hurtigruten ships are working ships that carry freight, mail, automobiles, and fresh food between several ports along the Norwegian coast. Many of these stops occur during the night, and only last for short (15 minutes to 1 hour) periods of time. The schedule for the first full day of the northbound voyage stops at the following ports: Florø (04:30-04:45); Maløy (06:45-07:30); Torvik (10:20-10:45); Ålesund (12:00-15:00); Molde (17:30-18:30); Kristandsund (22:00-23:00). We spent the early afternoon walking around Ålesund including going to the restaurant Fjellstua situated on top of the town mountain Aksla. Although the restaurant was closed, it has the best view in Ålesund. I was able to take several images which were then combined into a wide panoramas of the town. We got a bit confused as to where the ship was docked, but did ultimately get back before it departed.
As I mentioned at the beginning of this series of posts, I am getting ready to revisit Norway. At the time of the 2007 trip I only had a DSLR for about 6 months. There were many things about it I didn’t know – I was very early in the learning curve. By reviewing and analyzing the old images, I learn from my mistakes. When I look at the images that I took during that trip I cringe knowing that I could have done a better job – composition, exposure, focus, etc. I typically include camera settings with the description to help when I analyze the images. Since then cameras have improved significantly. Likewise the software used to process the images has improved. The new software lets me fix or improve the older images, and in some cases I have reprocessed the images. One of my goals for this upcoming trip is to take fewer, but better images. Comments and criticisms about these images are welcomed.
Gone to See Norway 2007 Family Vacation. Day 3: Bergen and Embarkation on the Hurtigruten MS Kong Harald.
When we woke in Bergen, the sky was clear and there was new snow on the ground. The locals said that it had been raining for the last 50 days. I think many took the day off to enjoy the sun and snow. The Hurtigruten MS Kong Harald would not be departing until later that night, so we had the day to visit Bergen. As part of our travel package, we had a one day Bergen Card for transportation and various attractions. After spending some time outside around the Bergen harbor and Bergen Fish Market, we took the Fløibarnen Funicular to the top of Mount Fløyen. We also visited the art museum to see some of Edvard Munch’s paintings. Finally, as it started to get dark we made our way to the Hurtigruten terminal. I’ve included a fisheye view of my cabin and the stateroom at the front of the ship. As we learned later in the voyage, rooms near the front (or rear) of the ship move the most in heavy seas. Since then I always try to get a cabin near the middle of a ship for any voyage that may experience heavy seas.
As I mentioned at the beginning of this series of posts, I am getting ready to revisit Norway. At the time of the 2007 trip I only had a DSLR for about 6 months. There were many things about it I didn’t know – I was very early in the learning curve. By reviewing and analyzing the old images, I learn from my mistakes. When I look at the images that I took during that trip I cringe knowing that I could have done a better job – composition, exposure, focus, etc. I typically include camera settings with the description to help when I analyze the images. Since then cameras have improved significantly. Likewise the software used to process the images has improved. The new software lets me fix or improve the older images, and in some cases I have reprocessed the images. One of my goals for this upcoming trip is to take fewer, but better images. Comments and criticisms about these images are welcomed.