Oooh finally managed to get that most coveted thing of all: FREE internet! Wooo! The rate onboard the cruise was akin to just taking the kronor and chucking it in the sea, so I decided against.
I'm going to do pix and write-up at home I've decided, so I'll just jot notes here. Internet jsut costs too bloody much here for anything else! Last I left you in Saariselke. From there we took an enormously long busride to Kirkenes, which is pretty much the top of Norway. On the way there was reindeer and Sami excursions...we saw Russia...that's just how far north we were.
Kirkenes was the beginning of our 6-day cruise down the west coast of Norway. The line began as the postal carrier for that region, and has since added on passengers. Suffice to say it's nice, but it's not the Fairstar Funship. Probably a good thing.
We'd drop off in the little fishing villages along the way for anywhere from 15min-1hr. The landscape is pretty dramatic. The route weaves in and out of the thousands of islands and fjords off the coast above the arctic circle.
At each scheduled stop we all collect at the foyer and wait for the gangway to be put down. Then as the harbour workers go about delaing with the post and cargo, we rush out in a frenzy and madly snap pix. They are pretty much all quaint and have traditional architecture and colours.
The weather is harsh but the houses are cute. Who'd figure?
Hastily cobbled thoughts so far: Sweden, which used to be the home of an empire, looks by far the most affluent. Finland, which began life as an outpost of Russia, kind of still looks a bit homely. We've spent most time in North Norway, which is fish fish fish. Oslo so far has been kind of disappointing. More like a regular city--dirty, homeless people, dodgy people, police patrols etc.
Onto Copenhagen next. Wish me luck with handling the 26 tour aunties and my little rascal of a cousin another few days!
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