Norwegian History and Scenery

We left the ship in darkness at 08.15 in Harstad, having had very little sleep the night before, so it was a struggle to stay awake to admire the pretty ordinary looking buildings of the town itself! However, the sky lightened and the scenery improved when we moved on to the Trondenes peninsula to visit the white medieval church there. Originally built of wood, it is said to be the site of the first Christian christenings in Norway in about 999 AD.

There is also a fascinating and well laid out museum which gave a very pictorial history of the area and was full of interesting objects right up to the present.

Back on the coach, our enthusiastic guide gave us facts and figures about the types of agriculture etc, most of which went straight over our heads, but I do remember that the region has the world's most northerly strawberry fields and berries are picked there later than in areas further south.

The trip involved a ferry crossing of the Gullesfjord, where we were treated to waffle cakes and hot drinks while we admired the beautiful snow-capped mountains and listened to tales of trolls and fairies! The scenery was really spectacular and it was almost with regret that we rejoined our ship at Sortland, as we would like to have stayed longer. However, the MS Finnmarken did provide a colourful blip in the harbour!