Today, in rain and wind, the ship crossed into the Arctic circle. Though about 8am, the sun wasn’t close to appearing. Official sunrise in Bodo, where we were headed, was 11:05 with sunset following quickly at 12:47.
Our ship is the Midnitsol (Midnight sun). For this journey it should more appropriately be named the nosol (no sun).
At 11:15 we had our offical welcome to the Arctic ceremony on the very rainy top deck. There was a “baptism” by the sea god, King Neptune. For those who were brave enough, ice was poured down their back. The looks on participants’ faces were priceless. As a reward, they got a shot of alcohol to ward off the cold. I abstained.
While this was winding down our JourneyWoman group posed for a photo. Quite the way to celebrate JourneyWoman’s 30th anniversary.
Meanwhile, during a brief stop, a massive Christmas tree was brought onboard. Watching the crew try to get it upright and decorated was amusing. Each member of the team had a different approach. After several unsuccessful attempts, they managed to right it, the guests gave them a resounding cheer.
The rain and wind are so fierce that all excursions were canceled. I hadn’t planned to go on any, so it wasn’t a great loss.
We head north in the rain. Fingers crossed the sky clears. Still haven’t seen the northern lights 