So just maybe I came in for bit of flak regarding the “sameyness” of my pictures of Lofoten! Maybe there were quite a lot of them too! Fair dinkum, as nobody says round here.
So if all else fails - read the manual. And it turns out I can change something called the colour saturation on my camera and shoot in black & white! Who knew?!
So in order to avoid the aforementioned sameyness of pictures from this never ending coast of mountains, fjords and pretty little red and yellow houses, I have started experimenting with the camera - what could possibly go wrong. You still get lots of mountains, houses, boats and bridges - but some in black & white. Bet you cant wait! See the new Gallery page.
Not really that much to write about today - we crossed back over the Arctic Circle with the inevitable tourist (sorry I mean traditional) ceremony involving ice, water and over priced champagne, and we reached the half way point on the Norwegian west coast.
That sounds suspiciously like it depends on where you measure it from to me, but for now I will accept that Bronnoysund is half way along the coast. Pretty little port it is too, but more notable for having no snow and ice on the ground, allowing one to look around rather than where your put your feet.
Suddenly outside the Artic circle and it feels warm!
For the first time I am starting to look forward to spending time on land again. 12 days on a boat is, it turns out, quite a long time. And whilst it is fascinating seeing the scenery change, I am just staring to get a sense of deja vu.
Perhaps there are only so many snowy mountains, picturesque fjords and cute fishing villages one can take! Not that anyone is asking, but if anyone did ask my advice about this voyage I would recommend what I was going to do in the first place - direct flight to Tromso; a day or two there; two days on the boat to Kirkenes; a day or two there; and then the 6 day trip back to Bergen. 7 nights in total on the boat with more time in Tromso and some time in Bergen at the end. There you go - free travel advice ... that you didn’t ask for (since when has that stopped me?)
Having said all that I am still very happy in my own company, gazing at the moving scenery and letting the time drift by. At risk of sounding like a bit of a new age evangelist, I have done at least one mindfulness mediation every day and on most days more than one. My brand new Fitbit says my average resting heartbeat has fallen to about 60, and due to my new found dedication to the gym I have exceeded my exercise goals every day (goals set by the Fitbit, not me!) Yeah, I’m beginning to sound smug - I’ll tell myself to shut the f*** up before someone else does.
Oh yes and the highlight of the day - a mountain with a hole in it! Torghatten - in black & white of course. (Actually the colour ones look better in the gallery I think). It doesn't look much but that hole is 35 metres high, 20 metres wide and 160 meters long!
The Captain’s dinner tonight - I presume another excuse to flog overpriced champagne, but I might be wrong!