Blinded by the Light (Alta, Norway)

Yes dear reader today's title takes us all the way back to 1976 and Year 11 at school. Anyway, Blinded by the Light by Manfred Mann's Earth Band was a big hit in its day and signals yet again, that we saw the Aurora Borealis. It was the best display yet and I doubt it will be surpassed. It was so strong that its colours could be seen without the aid of a camera lens.

We had continued heading north to Alta, the proclaimed "city of northern lights". There is a not-insignificant rivalry around propriety of the Aurora, between Alta and Tromsø, the "gateway to the Arctic". Although a city, Alta is smaller and less beautiful than Tromsø. In a world where everything must be labelled, Alta also bills itself as the northernmost city in the world.

It is a city that boasts a university and an all-weather sports arena but not a hospital - emergency patients have to be transported by helicopter and those deemed less serious are driven to a halfway point to be exchanged into another vehicle to go the rest of the distance to the hospital in Hammerfest. The situation of the hospital, clearly a sore point with Alta locals, was apparently determined by the need to have a medical facility in the Hammerfest community because it has a gas works which could be the potential site of an industrial disaster.

We are told that Alta women who are about to give birth, are made to go to hospital prior to their due date but if babies come early (unusual I know), it is not uncommon for the them to arrive mid helicopter flight to Hammerfest. Many Alta kids say their place of birth is up in the air. Does that make them Norse gods?

They look cold.

We were here for two days and had a reasonably busy schedule on day one and a more relaxed day two. When we woke up in Alta, we were greeted by a Norwegian naval vessel when I opened the curtains. It was as grey as the day. There were NATO war games happening in and around Alta, coinciding with our visit, so military outfits were de rigueur.

War games with NATO. What Putin would do?

The dock we were allocated was very close to the airstrip. Although we had it for only one day and night. The following day there would be four ships in the harbour and two would need to be at anchor because there are only two berths at the Alta pier. This meant tender transfers on our second day.

Incoming.

After breakfast, the first day commenced with our usual tour of the city. The highlight of this was, wait for it, the Cathedral of Northern Lights. I've often speculated while wandering through Cathedrals built in centuries past, what tourists would be flocking to see in the future. It appears the answer is still Cathedrals. This one was completed in 2013, quite recent compared with most Cathedrals I've visited in Europe.

Shaped like a boreal swirl of light.

The Cathedral of Northern Lights

The whole project was quite controversial at the time, not only in terms of its design but also the cost that had to be borne. The Cathedral is right in the heart of town and is now a focal point of pride in the community. Its design was the result of a competition and its external spiralling façade, clad in titanium interlocked panels, is symbolic of the Aurora. The Cathedral construction required the community to take out a substantial loan which had to be underwritten by the Norwegian government. 

Looking down the main street from the Cathedral door.

The Norwegian politicians, ever fiscally responsible (unlike the NSW former Liberal government), agreed to support the loan but only on the proviso that the facility would have uses other than worship and that all visitors would pay a compulsory donation. As a result, the Cathedral sports an underground multimedia presentation area, complete with an interactive display on the Aurora. This is where our tour group went initially to view yet another Northern Lights photographic video, made tolerable only by the fact that we had actually seen the lights by this time on the trip. I don't think that I would have been quite so thrilled to be constantly reminded of what I hadn't seen, if nature had not smiled up on us by now...

A photo of a photo from the presentation. Impressive.

After the video, we had less than 5 minutes to interact with the displays - only just enough time to read about the Nordic folklore that the lights are, in fact, spinster virgins waving their mittens about in the hope of attracting a husband. Like that would work. Can you hear the calls of the boys/men, "Show us your mittens." Doesn't quite have the same ring to it.

Reluctantly, up the stairs we went to do the Cathedral part of the tour which, happily and unexpectedly, proved to be a vastly more interesting experience that the previous church visits of Narvik and Tromsø.

The Cathedral was intentionally built to provide increased capacity compared to the original Cathedral. The seating is flexible in configuration with individual chairs that can be locked together. As a revenue raiser, the public were invited to purchase a seat and, to remove any discussion about the legitimacy of the Cathedral, the Bishop himself also purchased a seat to satisfy the definition of a cathedral as the church that houses the Bishop's seat. Although in truth, he purchased his chair when he was a priest. Still satisfies the pedants and rule lovers.

I love the fact that the Cathedral was intentionally designed to provoke debate and it has absolutely achieved its brief. Inside there are so many visual points of focus that demand not only your attention but also your reflection:  

- The massive bronze crucifix standing in a viking boat, behind the altar, with Christ looking up rather than traditionally downwards, one hand clenched in fist, the other wrapped in a bandage. 

- The mosaic panels arguably representing the 12 Apostles. 

- Jacob's ladder, in gold, suspended above the entry vestibule, not quite within reach but tantalisingly close, climbing up into the spire (heaven).  

- The font with its gold basin designed to give the impression that the newly baptised child is being bathed in golden water. 

- The circular concrete walls, with sound-mitigating light panels that create ethereal reflections on the walls, reminiscent of the dancing Aurora.

The fittings are straight, the light makes it look otherwise.

As with other churches, there was a sizeable organ as well as a Steinway grand piano off to the side which we looked forward to hearing played later that evening when we would return for a musical recital. Allowing the place of religious worship to be transformed into a concert hall and a different form of worship. 

Part of the organ - just out of shot are 6 sleigh bells.

The Alta Museum

Back on the bus, we continued across town to the museum, waving to our guide's grandmother on the way and passing by 2 of the 3 original churches that were all that remained of Alta after WWII. The rest of the town was razed to the ground by the retreating Nazis who apparently were God-fearing people and didn't want to risk damnation by torching God's houses.

The museum entrance. Cool wall.

The museum celebrates the Sámi people and culture with a particular focus on the etchings in the stone that litter the shoreline of the fjord. There is an indoor/outdoor exhibition although the snow rendered the outdoor superfluous on our visit. The rocks are etched with pictures of animals and people. Those outside were covered with snow which acts as a protective layer in the winter. Although not protective enough because at some point the caretakers of the etched rocks decided to colour the outlines of the etchings red to make them easier to see. No further comment on that.

I'm sure the rock is really cool - under 2 metres of snow.

The rock art is heritage listed and the locals are very proud of the Sámi history. Hmmm, meanwhile in Australia we allow mining companies to destroy Aboriginal rock art sites that are 60,000 years old. The art at this Sámi site, by way of comparison is, is a maximum of 6,200 years old.

An indoor example. Unpainted.

Australia is a land of tokenism. We laud our indigenous achievers, until they speak out. We pretend to protect Aboriginal cultural sites, until we need to mine them. We mine the tourist trade for indigenous experiences. We provide dual naming of cities, towns and regions. Do we care that we have the world's oldest living civilisation in our country? Do we care that the indigenous population lived in harmony with the land for almost 60,000 years before Europeans arrived? 

A familiar story.

Alright, alright, I'll move on.

The museum displays artefacts depicting various aspects of Sámi lifestyle and culture - clothes, fishing paraphernalia, canoes, weapons and interestingly, crockery made out rock that contains asbestos. Clearly, its ok to ingest but not to inhale it? Anyway, out through the gift shop, onto the coach and back to the ship for a hasty dinner before it was time to depart again and return to the Cathedral for the private recital.

The Recital

The Cathedral at night.

We were keen to hear the performance, especially since the Steinway would feature and earlier we had heard so much about the acoustic design of the walls and ceiling. Upon arrival, we were seated and introduced to a local man who plays the organ for the congregation. Not quite what we were expecting... 

He dressed for the occasion.

He then proceeded to play a set of 5 organ pieces, some of which he sang as well. Then he played two pieces on the Steinway, followed by another set of 5 organ pieces. To be honest, it was a little underwhelming compared to other private recitals we have enjoyed on different cruises. Who plays an organ when they have a Steinway sitting there unused? It's like playing chords on a cheap acoustic guitar or making your fingers bleed on the steel strings of an original Fender.

The Steinway.

We headed back to the ship, taking note of shuttle bus pick up points for tomorrow as we were going to head into town by ourselves in the middle of the day to witness the noon start of the Finnmark Race. Never heard of it? It is Europe's longest dog sled race (1200kms) which features 160 teams and over 1500 dogs! This is a big event in Alta, it starts and finishes here. It is certainly not a spectacle we are likely to see in downtown Redfern.

The next day

The ship was to move from dock to anchor before lunch. It was then we realised that this change would alter how we headed ashore and came back on board. To go into town meant that, after the race start, we would be stuck in chilly, icy Alta standing round for about 2 hours waiting for the shuttle service to resume. Not very appealing. 

The tender.

So the dog sled race was abandoned and instead, we spent the next morning doing washing and blogging while we waited for evening. Our last night in Alta would see us venturing out to Paeskatun, high in the surrounding mountains, for our final shore excursion before heading south once again and out of the Arctic Circle.

The pre-excursion excitement was a flurry of snow around 4pm.

Paeskatun

Paeskatun or Mt Paeskas was a 30 minute drive up to a slate quarry and workshop business that also provides a viewing location for the Aurora. While there, we were subjected to another presentation on the northern lights. This one was much more interesting and personal as the presenter talked of the myths and legends and the impact they had had on her life.

The area consisted of a few slate houses, a workshop and lavvu. Nothing out of the ordinary. Oh, and what would have been a drop dead gorgeous view over the neighbouring valley. The light display was the best yet, swirling lights in a myriad of colours visible to the naked eye. It was cloudy and the temperature was probably around 0° but the excitement overroad any level of discomfort.

As they do, the lights appeared from nowhere, sparked amazed interest and then disappeared. The only frustration was avoiding the idiots with their iPads and smartphones who were using a flash. I'm sure they're sitting around wondering why their photos didn't turn out. Then there were the usual inconsiderate, entitled morons who can only focus on themselves, stepping into camera shot. Otherwise it was a perfect night.

I shall conclude this post with pictures of the lights. We have been so, so fortunate. Enjoy. We did.

Until next time.

I saw the light (Narvik, Norway)

Well good morning, dear reader and what a beautiful morning it is. Clear blue skies, calm seas, snow capped mountains either side of the ship. All rather picturesque. It is stunning country and unlike anything we have experienced previously. So much water. So much snow. So many mountains. It's not that cold, yet, it's still around the 3° mark.

Morning on the Ofotfjord.

We are still on our way to Narvik but last night we crossed into the Arctic Circle. The land of the midnight sun, or this time of year, the Aurora Borealis. The famed and elusive northern lights.

From the cabin balcony this morning.

I'm here to tell you I saw the light (one of my favourite Todd Rundgren songs from 1972, have a listen) from the ship. As we were sipping on our nightcap, the Captain announced the ethereal lights were visible from the bow. As luck would have it, we were sitting in the Explorer's Lounge in the bow. Armed only with my phone, out I went to see, well nothing. I fired off a couple shots and returned to the warmth of the lounge to see the northern lights shimmering at me from the photo. What I couldn't see, the camera could. An exciting moment, if not a spectacular one.

The first sighting.

We had not long returned to the cabin when the announcement came over again. This time the lights were off the starboard bow. Damn. We're on port. Gather the warm gear, the pre-set camera attached to the tripod and out we go. People were converging from everywhere, leaving dinner, leaving partners and heading for the bow to catch a glimpse of the lights.

The second coming.

The lights were more visible this time, although they resembled light cloud. I set the camera up on the tripod and tried to photograph the lights. No deal. Black screen was all I was getting. We returned to the phone. We captured plenty of images but they are all a bit grainy.

1am with phone from the balcony.

What an excellent beginning to the chase. Back to the cabin to check the camera settings and make some minor adjustments, we laid out our warm clothes just in case the call came in the night. And come it did, just before 1am and before we had crossed into the Arctic Circle. This time the lights were all around us and we successfully photographed from the balcony with the camera. The result is much clearer pictures.

The 1am sighting. Sky shot. Camera.

This bodes well for future excursions, chasing the lights on land, where we will have the luxury of setting up the camera before the lights arrive. It should also enable the use of some foreground rather than just shooting the sky.

From balcony with camera.

Still buzzing. It was amazing - what starts out as some grey misty cloud can suddenly take on any colour from the spectrum and the cloud dances it was across the horizon. And I'm still learning about exposure, for the camera, not me. Hopefully my pictures will improve.

Narvik

Aside from the World War II battle, Narvik's claim to fame is its deep water harbour that never freezes over. Which led to it being used as a major exporting point for Swedish iron ore. We aren't in port very long, docking at 2pm and being underway again before midnight to accommodate the travellers who have opted for longer shore experiences.

Picturesque views on the fjord.

The outside temperature is 2° but the wind chill is making it feel like 0°. Our excursion is to explore Narvik, and part of this is done on a bus. So deciding what to wear is a little problematic. Despite seeing full hooded anoraks at lunch today, I'm opting for thermals under my regular clothes, adding a scarf, light gloves and a beanie. Jayne is wearing her snow jacket as the outer layer and her snow boots. I didn't buy snow boots so I'm wearing my Scarpas with merino wool socks. It is exhausting just getting dressed.

The iron ore loader.

Our shore excursion and subsequent activity is limited by our advanced booking for dinner at Manfredi's this evening. We need to be on the dock at 3:25pm for a 2 hour tour. Most of the touristy things in Narvik close by 5pm so, aside from a wander around town on foot, it will be back to the ship for us.

The Tour

The tour itself was mostly on the bus. While I understand the need for this, given the demographic of the passengers and lack of mobility for some, the attempt to minimise contact with the snow and ice resulted in a very ho hum excursion.

There are numerous interesting sculptures throughout Narvik but we stopped at none of them. Instead we visited not one, but two churches. You can imagine how thrilled I was dear reader. I shall return to this theme shortly. The first church was made of stone and was in town. Neither of us remember its claim to fame aside from the fact that is was Lutheran. Hardly surprising in this region.

Impressive? Nah.

Next stop was the railway station, the Arctic trainline, the lifeblood for Sweden's iron ore. Here we were met by a female choir who sang three songs in Navvy. The train line was quite a feat of engineering given the weather conditions. The songs seemed to be too joyful for the work of the original singers. A tad too cheerful. Not enough oomph and struggle was evident.

Standing listening to the choir was the first time that we had felt the cold starting to creep in. It didn't last long before we were back on the bus and heading for the next church, sailing past all the interesting sculptures.

The choir. Some dressed in 'traditional' fur coats.

This church is octagonal. Buzz buzz. It's claim to fame aside from the shape, was that it was made of wood which allowed it to survive the shelling of WWII because the shells passed through one wall and out the other. Not content with gathering us inside the church, our guide handed out hymn books and insisted we join him in a rendition of Amazing Grace. Like really?

The wooden octagonal church. Excitement plus.

According to Wikipedia: "Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn published in 1779, written in 1772 by English Anglican clergyman and poet John Newton (1725–1807). It is an immensely popular hymn, particularly in the United States, where it is used for both religious and secular purposes.

Aptly named, BIFROST

I know they are catering to the majority of their audience, but ... not happy. Particularly when the sculptures remained unexplained and unexplored. We did have time to walk back into the town after the tour, but it was dusk and the ice would be more difficult to see. Safety first this time.

Narvik.

Manfredi's

As I mentioned earlier there are 4 restaurants on board. Two of them are 'bookings only' venues complete with the 'no jeans or joggers' dress code. Manfredi's is their signature Italian restaurant. The earliest booking I could get was 8:30pm. That is past our bedtime.

There is really little point in delving into what was on the menu.  Overrated and underwhelming will suffice as a description for the night. Thankfully we were interrupted by the call of a light's sighting. Not as good as the previous night, but it got us out of the restaurant.

Until next time and Tromsø.