Ready for adventure

Yesterday we went into Lancaster. The knee braces have been got, the waterproof trousers bought along with some ordinary trousers. We’re nearly all set for our holiday.

We’ve yet to get some kroner. Norway’s an expensive country. This times we haven’t got a drinks package so I suspect we might be tempted to buy some drinks, alcoholic or not, on land, to try some of the local bars & cafés, rather than just drink on board. Tea, coffee & water are free on board ship.

Meanwhile we’re looking at maps & realising just how much further north we’re going than we’ve ever been before. Alaska, which we had thought was as far north as we had been we discover is more or less on a parallel with Bergen. We went a bit further north than that on our last Norwegian cruise. The furthest north was Hellesylt. We’re going a lot further north this time, way into the Arctic Circle.

We’re trying to come some conclusions on what clothes to pack. The warm spell we’re experiencing here at the moment has thrown us into confusion. A quick look at the weather forecast – admittedly rather early at this stage to be accurate – indicates Bergen, too, is having a warm spell. Even at the most northernmost point they predict above freezing temperatures. So do we take summer or winter clothes? I suspect layers are the answer. Maybe some lighter clothes for Bergen & Ålesund, plenty of woollies for further north.

We’re also speculating on the food on offer. With its long coastline, fish is high on the diet of Norway. That should suit us. We’re looking forward to trying some Arctic char. We have some fond memories of some char we were once given that was caught in Windermere. However, elk, reindeer, those are unknown meats for us. We’re guessing they are going to be more akin to venison. As for fruit such as cloudberries, we're totally lost.

Whatever else can be said of this trip it should be an adventure.