So nice to wake up and feel as though I'd had a full and uneventful night. I had an early morning stroll around deck 7 and noted just how cold it must have been during the night; the salt had frozen to the deck.
Went downstairs to the launderette and this apparition appeared; off to do a bit of dog sledding. It did make me laugh.
I wasn't due out until 10:15am so had plenty of time to get the whites done.
Where was I going? Oh yes, the world heritage museum, yes, I remember. Their coffee was to die for but I get ahead of myself.
After last night and the late return of us and then the next group who were equally as high and loud as we were on getting back, I really was still tired. My ankle ached like crazy by this time and all I really wanted to do was stop. It was getting tougher to walk anywhere as the ankle was seizing up if I stayed still for any time. I think I'd done enough on it and what it really needed was a rest.
So we arrived at the museum and I headed straight to the downstairs exhibition knowing most would start at the top and work down. it wasn't a huge place but still rather interesting.
Downstairs there was an exhibition of Sami clothing some of which I have photographed here
The work which went into these was amazing and the detail in the silver work was beautiful. They had head bands and belts and body warmer type jackets too. The top two photographs are of a ceremonial garment only worn on very special occasions.
Next I sat down and watched a video on the changing landscape which was great. The sound track was interesting in so far as it echoed much of the Sami music and singing.
The rest of our group started to come down so it was my cue to return upstairs where a cafe and a shop occupied most of the space.
I rummaged round the shop and found a fridge magnet which echoed the area and then had the ubiquitous coffee and a small piece of chocolate which, in hindsight, I shouldn't have had. I thought it was a wafer bar of some kind but it turned out to be a milk chocolate which gave me a headache the next day.
The views over the fjord were spectacular and the cafe had a balcony you could go and have a fag as well as enjoy the mountain air. Mm, I declined that and sat enjoying the coffee and the warmth.
On our way back we stopped off at the church.
The wind was biting this morning and I really didn't want to be out in it. I did love the snow plough though. It didn't stop clearing the paths and the roads around the church and with every pass another layer of fresh snow fell.
The church itself won awards as with most of the churches built around this part of the world. Another one where windows are long and thin and the spire is tall and, well, spiky. It was open but on this trip we had not paid to go in, so......
We could have got off the coach here at what was called Centrum but I declined as did all bar one person who obviously fancied looking round the shops. Like the rest of us, we were more than happy to return to the ship and find out what was on offer this afternoon.
I'd missed the tom yum soup which saddened me but the amaretto hot chocolate was still available to tempt the cold returnee.
Craft courses had started and people were having a go at felting a polar bear, creating an enameled box lid or water colour. Meanwhile there was another talk on the northern lights in the playhouse, carpet bowls in the card room and of course live music in various bars around the ship.
I snuck into my cabin and had a lie down, catching up on some of the talks I had missed because I was off on a trip somewhere and letting my ankle relax. By the time I had caught up on the two talks and enjoyed some NHK Japan TV in English, I was ready for dinner, so I hobbled down to deck 6th and enjoyed an orange and sparkling water whilst listening to the pianist.
As the sun was setting on yet another day , we watched as a ship started to come into port. She was taking over our berth when we finally took to the sea once more. We still had some daylight left so the slow back out to sea was beautiful.
As we approached open water, the pilot left us and the sun sank ever further leaving a peach coloured sky, which , I hasten to add, has not been touched up.
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