Seascape - David Mathre Photography

Eleven-Years Ago (27-January-2007) — Norway

Gone to See Norway 2007 Family Winter Vacation. Day 7: Northbound Hurtigruten MS Kong Harald Norwegian Coastal Voyage (Stokmarkenes to Skjervøy).

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. For those that cross the equator for the first time the ceremony requires that they get their head shaved and kiss a fish.

Coffee Warming By a Wood Fire after the Dog Sled Trip Tromsø. Image taken with a Nikon D2xs and 85 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 200, 85 mm, f/1.4, 1/60 sec).. (David J Mathre)

Eleven-Years Ago (26-January-2007) — Norway

Gone to See Norway 2007 Family Winter Vacation. Day 6: Northbound Hurtigruten MS Kong Harald Norwegian Coastal Voyage (Brønnøysund to Svolvær).

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.

Picasso Frykt For Bombing. Norwegian Aviation Museum in Bodø Norway. Image taken on Day 3 of the Northbound Hurtigruten Voyage. Image taken with a Nikon D2xs and 50 mm f/1.4D lens (ISO 400, 50 mm, f/1.4, 1/30 sec). (David J Mathre)

Eleven-Years Ago (24-January-2007) — Norway

Gone to See Norway 2007 Winter Family Vacation. Day 4: Northbound Hurtigruten MS Kong Harald Norwegian Coastal Voyage (Florø to Kristandsund).

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.

Ålesund Winter Panorama. Image taken with a Nikon D2xs and 12-24 mm f/4 lens (ISO 400, 24 mm, f/11, 1/500 sec). Composite of 3 images combined with Kolor AutoPano Giga Pro. (David J Mathre) — Ålesund Winter Panorama from Mount Aksla. Image taken with a Nikon D2xs camera and 12-24 mm f/4 lens (ISO 400, 24 mm, f/11, 1/500 sec). Composite of 3 images combined with Kolor AutoPano Giga Pro. (David J Mathre)

Two-Years Ago (23-January-2016) — North Pacific Ocean

Gone to See the World. Semester at Sea Spring 2016 Voyage on the MV World Odyssey. Day 18: Crossing the Pacific Ocean.

I woke up to a dreary cloudy dawn sky. This was the final day crossing the North Pacific from Hawaii to Japan. You could tell we were getting closer to land as more seabirds were flying around the ship.

Dreary Dawn Panorama from the aft deck of the MV World Odyssey. Crossing the North Pacific Ocean from Hawaii to Japan. Fuji X-T1 camera and 23 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 200, 23 mm, f/5.6, 1/125 sec). (David J Mathre)

Preparing for Japan. View from the deck of the MV World Odyssey crossing the North Pacific Ocean. Image taken with a Fuji X-T1 camera and 55-200 mm lens (ISO 200, 156 mm, f/4.5, 1/600 sec). (David J Mathre)

Eleven-Years Ago (23-January-2007) — Norway

Gone to See Norway 2007 Family Winter Vacation. Day 3: Bergen then Embarkation on the Northbound Hurtigruten MS Kong Harald Norwegian Coastal Voyage.

The sky was clear and there was new snow on the ground when we woke in Bergen. 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.

Bergan Harbor Panorama. Composite of 3 images taken with a Nikon D2xs camera and 12-24 mm f/4 lens (ISO 800, 24 mm, f/4, 1/15 sec). (David J Mathre)