Day Nine: Sailing in the Norwegian Sea

“And when I awoke, I was alone, This Bird had flown,  So I lit a fire, Isn’t it good Norwegian Wood?”  I have never understood the lyrics to Norwegian Wood, but the tune has been in my head all day.   

Slow news day here on the ship.   We are headed to Lofoten, Norway and will arrive before morning.  Eventually will arrive at our Northernmost stop, Honningsvag, which is in the Arctic Circle.   Last night it was light until late—maybe 11:00 PM—and at Honningsvag it will be light until midnight.  Thus, the name of the cruise, Into the Midnight Sun.  

This afternoon we are going to a lecture called “Adolf Hitler’s Northern Flank—Scandinavia in WWII.”  Sounds exciting, right?  They have a lecture series on the ship that covers the areas we visit, so it brings history into the cruise, which is kind of our thing.  Actually, it’s more Doug’s thing, but I like it too, just in smaller doses.  

The northern islands of Scotland, the Orkneys and the Shetlands, were ruled by the Norse for over 200 years.  Their rule ended In 1468, as a result of a marriage treaty between James III of Scotland and Margaret, a Danish princess.  The Danish struggled to raise funds to meet Margaret’s dowry, so they mortgaged first Orkney and then Shetland to Scotland.  So, consequently, the people of Shetland are about 60% Norse.  They don’t speak Scot Gaelic—they have their own dialect with both Gaelic and Nord roots.

I almost forgot.  There’s a lady on the ship,who dresses to the nines for every occasion.  I talked to her the other night at the restaurant and she said her clothes are all vintage.  Her outfits are, well, indescribable.  I surreptitiously took this picture today.  See below.

And, no, the print on her leggings have nothing to do with the print on her kaftan.  As my Grandma Roofener would have said, “That’s quite a riggin’!”