Wow, we are half way through our cruise and we haven’t told you anything about it. Let’s put that right before we turn around and start heading south again.

Our cruise ship is the Hurtigruten MS Nordkapp, she is part of a fleet of ships that depart Bergen 6 days a week sailing northbound and calling at nearly 40 ports over seven days. As well as excellent cruise facilities (more on that later) the ships provide a post, cargo and ferry service to communities all along the coast. They have been doing that for 130 years.

The Nordkapp has capacity for 500 passengers, a mixture of people like us doing a twelve day round trip, some doing the north bound or south bound legs and passengers in transit travelling a few ports up or down the coast. This week it seems the boat is only partially full, the restaurant is always busy at meal times but in between it is very easy to find seats in the public areas and there are no queues to get on and off in port.

The Nordkapp has cabins on decks 3, 5 and 6. Deck 4 contains the main restaurant, a bistro for ‘non-resident’ passengers, an a la carte restaurant (supplements apply) customer service desk and two lecture rooms for films and presentations. Deck 7 offers  a lounge with panoramic windows, a cosy bar area, a bakery serving hot drinks, cakes and snacks, and a large open deck area for experiencing the amazing natural environment we are visiting. There is also a sauna and two jacuzzis. As ferry’s go, not bad.

The daily routine on board is very simple and we have adapted quickly. The day starts with a fabulous buffet breakfast offering just about everything you can think of, it’s a real treat to linger over croissants or (and?) smoked salmon. Each day there is a stop at a significant port with  upto three hours to go ashore on excursions or just explore under your own steam. In between shore visits most of our time is spent enjoying the magnificent landscape of islands, fjords, mountains and small remote communities along the route. Several times a day and through the night we call at small villages, sometimes for just 10 or 15 minutes to collect and deliver post and stores. It’s fascinating watching the ship maneuver alongside small piers, the crew have got it down to a fine art.

During the last week as we headed north we have had the chance to visit several ports.

Urske on day two was a small fishing village at the head of the Hjorundfjord. Maybe two dozen houses in a farming community over 1000 years old. We didn’t go ashore there but admired the scenery from deck 7.

On day 3 we took the chance to explore Trondheim which was lovely. Just as we were about to leave the ship we got chatting to one of the officers who told us that Trondheim is his home town and proceeded to annotate our map with his recommended tour. It took us through the town centre passing the Kings home -an historic two story wooden building, to the cathedral and back along the river through a very pretty area of wooden houses and shops.

The featured port on day 4 was Bodø which we thought was very underwhelming. It was a very utilitarian town with a couple of attractions designed for tourists (an aquarium, a couple of museums). We have come to realise that the further north we travel the more the towns are designed to support the fishing industry which is so vital, and have tacked on some offerings for tourists. In the summer and winter they serve as centres for all kinds of outdoor activities but mid week at the end of September there is not a lot to see or do in a couple of hours. None-the-less it is interesting to experience these places and we are very glad to have the opportunity. One last observation on Bodø, next year it will be the European Capital of Culture.