SUNRISE: 10:45 SUNSET: 13:29
Another full and fun-filled day today. We got up at the usual time; it was still dark as it would be nearly three hours before sunrise. We were due to arrive in the port of Mo I Rana, Norway, around 10 o’clock this morning and we were booked to do an excursion at 11.15am.
We went up to the Thistle Restaurant and enjoyed a tasty breakfast, washed down with orange juice and good hot coffee. Then we tentatively ventured out on deck. Despite a mild temperature of 8°C, there was a nippy little wind that made it seem colder than it was, and an all-pervasive mizzle.
Going back to 5007, we changed into our warm clothing and coats, hats and walking boots before heading back outside to watch as the Balmoral approached Mo I Rana. We had never been to this port before, nor indeed even heard of it, before this cruise, so we were curious to see what it was like.
As the Balmoral sailed slowly along, past mountains covered in snow-capped pine trees under a pre-dawn sky, we looked around with interest. From what we could see, it looked to be a very industrial port; we could see lots of factories, gas holders and warehouse-type buildings. Everything was covered in snow which glittered under the street lights. There was a walkway which looked to be covered with a sheet of pure ice. We’d have to watch our footing today! 🙂
As our trip wasn’t until 11.15am, we saw that we had time to participate in the carpet bowls at 10.30am, so we went to the Lido Bar where Hubert was moving the furniture out of the way to create a ‘rink’. Many of the regulars were there, so we took a seat at one end of the rink (it was too early to enjoy a cocktail on our bar stools!) and awaited our turn. We could see the sky slowly lightening outside the large windows as the Balmoral manoevred her way into port, and was made fast.
We were knocked out in the second round, so we took the opportunity to return to our cabin, get dressed in our warm clothing and collect our bags, cruise cards, excursion tickets etc. before making our way to the Card Room to await the call to board our coach.
It ddn’t take long, and we disembarked and proceeded gingerly over the icy ground towards the waiting coach. Our tour was called “Panoramic Mo I Rana” in which the coach would take us all around the town and point out any places of interest, such that there were.
At 66° 31′ north, Mo I Rana is just below the Arctic Circle and, for the last 150 years, has been known for being the largest industrial city in Norway, with a large emphasis on green recycling and renewable energy. Further out into the countryside it is popular in the summer for camping and hiking. Viewing the official website will describe the city and what it has to offer much better than I can. 🙂
As the coach set off, it suddenly started raining hard, the water cascading across the windscreen of the coach. We certainly hoped it wouldn’t last. We slowly passed through the town, including a long street of residential dwellings, many of them showing Christmas lights in the window and signs proclaiming God Jul (Merry Christmas).
Our driver told us we would soon be stopping for 10 minutes at a photo viewing point, which would afford us panoramic views across the landscape towards the bay and our ship; it was basically looking in the opposite direction from that which we’d viewed from the Balmoral. It had stopped raining by now, but the rain had washed much of the fresher snow away, leaving a road like an ice-rink. As we’d only be staying here for 10 minutes, we decided it would take that long to put our ice-grips on over our boots, so we gingerly alighted from the coach onto the icy ground. I took only two steps before slipping, and I was too scared of falling over to continue. I could see other people having trouble walking as well; one person did actually fall over, so I went back onto the coach and Trevor said he would take the photos instead. You can see the Balmoral in the centre of the first photo.
Back on the coach, we continued our way around the city, including a guided tour of the largest industrial estate we’ve ever seen. Our guide told us that most of the world’s plastic credit cards will have been made and encoded here in Mo I Rana. Fascinating! 🙂
Our tour finished about 1.00pm, and soon we were back in the port and picking our way gingerly over the ice towards the Balmoral. As we arrived at the top of the gangplank, there was hot chocolate and hot blackcurrant for those who wanted to thaw out. 🙂
We returned to cabin 5007 and dumped our bags, divesting ourselves of our boots, coats, hats etc. and changing into indoor clothing and shoes. Then it was up to the Thistle Restaurant for a light lunch which we washed down with a chilled glass of cava and some cold water.
Around 1.29pm, we watched as the sun disappeared below the horizon. We wouldn’t see daylight again for another five days. 🙂
Looking at the Daily Times, we saw that there was a game of Indoor Kurling at two o’clock, so we went up to the Lido Bar, where George spotted us perched on our ‘regular’ bar stools and put our names down. We each ordered a drink and took our turn at the kurling when it came. We won the first couple of rounds, but then we were narrowly knocked out in the next round; in fact, it was a measuring job between Trevor’s stone and one of our opponents. Unlucky!
We remained in the Lido to finish our drinks and watch the rest of the game play out. Then we hotfooted it down to the Neptune Lounge to be sure of getting a good seat at the front, because at four o’clock they were holding the Arctic Circle crossing ceremony. For Trevor and I, this is our fifth time into the realm of the Blue Noses (the first time was on the Funchal in June 1999), but for those who had never ventured above 66° 33′ degrees of latitude, this would be their initiation ceremony. 🙂
Because it was dark outside now, and pretty chilly, it was decided to hold the ceremony indoors.
Soon ‘King Neptune’ and his entourage were welcomed onto the stage, and a large paddling pool was placed in the centre. Senior officers had to kneel before King Neptune where a judge proclaimed the charges against them and the audience inevitably found them ‘guilty’. They then had to kneel in the paddling pool where a large bucket of ice was tipped over their heads. Brrrrr! 🙂
We were disappointed not to see Captain Steffan taking part (the captain is usually the first one to be punished!) but we assumed that, because we’d only set sail half an hour previously and negotiating the Balmoral out of this fjord would be quite tricky, that he would be unable to leave the bridge at this time.
Once the officers had paid their dues, it was time for members of the audience to come forward if they also wished to be iniated as Blue Nosers. The queue was out of the door of the Neptune Lounge! Each person was given the ice bath (although they only needed to kneel over the bath and have a few ice cubes poured over them) before being handed a towel. They then had some blue grease paint daubed on their noses. We stayed to watch a few of the initiates, including some of the children on board, before heading back to get washed and changed for dinner. It had all been good fun. 🙂
Tonight was a smart-casual dress code, so I wore a different Christmas dress which I team with my amazing Irregular Choice polar bear boots. These are my absolute favourite boots ever; they are just unique and so cute.
Unsurprisingly, many people stopped me on the way to the Ballindalloch Restaurant, photographing my boots and saying how stunning they were; several agreed that they were the nicest ones they’d seen me wear so far this cruise. 🙂
The meal on table #51 was as delicious as ever, washed down with crisp, chilled wine and water, and finished off with our usual post-prandial coffee and liqueurs. There was never any shortage of conversation, plenty of anecdotes and tales and laughter. We cannot understand why some people only choose a table for two; socialising with your fellow, like-minded passengers is one of the many great joys of cruising.
We were out of the restaurant in good time and made our way to our usual seats in the Neptune Lounge. We had to be there earlier then usual tonight, because there was going to be a special performance by the Balmoral Show Company tonight, and featuring the singer Andrew Robley whom we had seen the other night. It was the Balmoral‘s Christmas Pantomime “Aladdin and his Magic Lamp”. 🙂
The show, as usual, was preceded by 30 minutes of ballroom and sequence dancing, and Trevor and I got up to do the ones we knew. Then we took our seats as the lights went down.
Well! What can I say? The panto was hilarious (oh no it wasn’t!) It starred Andrew as Widow Twankey and he was a scream! The audience all joined in lustily with the traditional booing of the baddie, and heckles and joining in with some catchy songs. The funniest parts of the performance was when the actors forgot their lines and had to ad lib, of there was a costume malfunction, or in one case when the Widow Twankey’s huge wig fell off. We were splitting our sides laughing! 🙂
Afterwards it was time to go up to the Lido Lounge to take part in the quiz, which we didn’t win once again. We chatted with some of the other passengers as well as members of the entertainments team, and made the most of Fred’s all-inclusive drinks package. 🙂
Then, at 11.00pm. it was karaoke time, and I put my name down to sing Back to Black by Amy Winehouse. I was the second person called up, and I got a big cheer afterwards. Several other singers were called up but, as there weren’t many different singers, it meant each person had the chance to sing a second time, so I sang Alejandro by Lady Gaga. It wasn’t until around 11.45pm when several more people arrived in the Lido Lounge and some new singers got up. All in all, we had a good time, and remained in the Lido for the Jukebox Sounds by DJ Hubert. It was after 1.00am when we returned to 5007, after a really interesting and fun day. 🙂