View of the coast from the Barents Sea, 7 October 20023.
I awoke hungry and with a settled stomach.
I really enjoyed sitting in one of the many comfortable chairs and being awed by the coast as we sailed by. The water was fascinating to watch as well. Occasionally, outside the window, a bird flies along with the ship. Every now and then, an announcement would let the passengers know what we might see on the port or starboard side of the ship. Buildings, islands, mountains, clouds, and waves. So much to see!
View from Barents Sea.The Barents Sea, 7 October 20023.Town on the Norwegian Coast, 7 October 2023.Coming into dock at Honningsvåg, Norway.Land, clouds, & Barents Sea.View of the coast from the Barents Sea.
The ship had an unscheduled stop during the night so it arrived at the various ports later than scheduled. There was still enough time at Hammersfest to disembark and walk around for a short bit before the Polaris went on its way again.
Hammersfest, Norway, 7 October 20023.Fishing off of the dock.The Havila Polaris docked in the distance.
The ship began to rock and roll again this evening. Maybe this will be typical each night as the ship tries to gain ground — or should I say sea…?
Although my watch noted the time was about 4 a.m. on October 1, in Finland it was already 3 p.m. — we had flown towards the sunrise, and the current local clock time was eleven hours ahead.
At the airport, I met Kristian, a man with the Finland-based tour company 50º North Nordic AS, who was holding up a sign that read “University of Alaska Fairbanks”. Other members of the tour group I had signed up for joined us soon after.
One view of Helsinki, showing the Sky Wheel and the Greek Orthodox church with its green and gold roofs, Finland, October 2023.
Kristian drove us to the hotel where we had a free rest of the day. We had to meet for an orientation and dinner the following day, Monday, October 2, so had until then free as well. Most people headed out into the city on Sunday after checking into the hotel, but I was exhausted from getting ready before I departed for the trip and had unwisely not slept except on the plane. I swayed as I walked and it felt like gravity was repeatedly pulling my eyelids down. I knew I needed to sleep if I was going to not get sick on this trip. I was in bed by 6 p.m. local time.
Monday, 2 October 2023
I woke refreshed and ready for the day on Monday. My plan had been to just wander around the city taking in the sites, but a couple of other group members had a specific goal in mind, and invited me, and others, along.
Helsinki, Finland and Anchorage, Alaska are at similar latitudes: Helsinki at 60ºN and Anchorage at 61ºN. Fairbanks, Alaska is at 64ºN. It is warmer here in Helsinki than it was in Fairbanks when I left. I enjoyed being comfortable in a short-sleeved shirt again.
One of the skylights that allow light to reach the subterranean gallery’s entrance hall, 2 October 2023.
We crossed tram tracks and walked on cobblestone sidewalks to Amos Rex, a museum with an underground gallery that currently had a modern art exhibit by Japanese artist Ryoji Ikeda. When paying for the entry fee, my credit card was declined (of course).
I said ‘of course’ because, in my 13-year experience of having this company’s credit card, every time I attempt to pay with my card in a different city for the first time, the fraud department flags the charge and my card is declined — even though I had used that same credit card to purchase the flight or train tickets to take me to that new city! Argh!
Another view of the skylights that allow light to reach the subterranean gallery’s entrance hall. I do not know the purpose of the tower or if it is even connected to the museum Amos Rex, 2 October 2023.
My friend L. had gifted me 20€ before I left, however, so I had cash to pay the entry fee. And after the museum visit I called the company to tell them it really was me who had used the card.
The art exhibit was in an underground gallery with walls and ceiling painted black, and the room was so dark that a person could run into a wall. It took a while for my eyes to adjust. White arrows of light were projected onto the ground at doorways to show which way to walk through the exhibit. It was a combination of art, technology, and science that I had not expected.
The path of my exploration on Suomenlinna, an island group Heritage Site near Helsinki, Finland, 2 October 2023.
This massive stone wall shows that Suomenlinna’s original purpose was as a military fortress, 2 October 2023.
After that, one of the women and I headed out on our own to find the Helsinki City Transport Ferry that would take us over to a fortress island. During its 270-year history Suomenlinna Sea Fortress was ruled by Sweden, Russia and Finland. The Baltic Sea island once housed a Fortress that was designed in 1748 to help fight off Russian invaders, but in 1809 the island became a Russian military base before it was ever truly finished. Russian merchants helped build the island and fortress, adding beautiful buildings. Russia transferred the island to the Finnish government in 1919. Now, the island is not a military base (although I did see a couple of “keep out: military zone” signs on the island). About 800 people live on the island, which has been on UNESCO’s World Heritage List since 1991.
One of the buildings on Suomenlinna, 2 October 2023.
Massive chains decorate the courtyard around the church on Suomenlinna. The chains once were used by the Swedish to block the Baltic Sea so no other ships could pass. Photo taken 2 October 2023.
Here you can see remains of anti-aircraft artillery that were used during World War II. Photo taken 2 October 2023.
The buildings are interesting to look at and the grounds are fun to explore. If we had not needed to be back at the hotel for the orientation, we would have stayed and explored more.
Did soldiers walk through this opening to move or operate this anti-aircraft artillery? 2 October 2023.
Entrances to fortification tunnels on Suomenlinna: fun to explore, it’s a good thing I had brought a headlamp with me! 2 October 2023.
The ferry getting ready to leave Suomenlinna for the mainland, 2 October 2023.
Riding the ferry back from Suomenlinna to Helsinki, 2 October 2023.
At the orientation, our local Finnish contact did not show up in person, but Zoomed in instead because she had come down with COVID. Oh, no! She and our group leader from Alaska were in the process of finding someone to take over for her so that 1) she could get well and 2) we would not be exposed to the virus.
Ready to get to know each other and to start our trip, we headed off to a tasty dinner in a local restaurant.
After dinner, three of us crossed the plaza to climb the steep staircase of high stone steps (about 50 of them!), walked around the enormous Lutheran church, and then walked back down the steps and headed ‘home’ to the hotel.
Lutheran Cathedral, Helsinki, Finland, Photo taken 4 October 2023 through a rained-upon bus window.
The view looking downwards from the top of the steps in front of the Lutheran Cathedral, looking out over the square on the night of 2 October 2023.
A view of the exterior of the Lutheran Cathedral, lit up on the night of 2 October 2023.
We have landed at the airport in Reykjavík, Iceland! 1 October 2023.
The plane took off from Fairbanks, Alaska Saturday morning and flew southeast towards Settle, Washington, a typical destination for anyone heading Outside (of the state). The transfer to Icelandic Air went smoothly and I read a book for most of the flight as the plane headed northwest, up over Canada where the curvature of the earth makes flight travel shorter. We landed in Reykjavík, the capital of Iceland. I did not see any of the city — except for what I saw from the air — because I had about thirty minutes to transfer planes.
Yikes! Is that enough time? I still had to pass through customs…!
I made myself not worry: the airlines should know how much time I needed. The flights I am taking were suggested online by the airlines when I searched for flights.
I followed the signs towards customs. I had to officially enter the country by having the customs officials check my passport. I walked up to the window where the border guard sat.
“How long are you visiting Europe?” She asked.
My passport was stamped at customs in Reykjavík, Iceland, 1 October 2023.
“Ten days.”
She stamped my passport and wished me a good trip, and I officially walked into Iceland.
The walk to the gate was also short and I had plenty of time to wait for my boarding group to be called. This airplane had been parked a distance from the gate, so we all piled into a couples of shuttle buses. At the plane we all walked up the staircase and into the Icelandic Air cabin.
View of Iceland’s coast as we depart Reykjavík, 1 October 2023.
Another view of Iceland’s coast as we depart Reykjavík, 1 October 2023.
It was a comfortable flight, but because it was so long and I wanted to make sure my body was acclimated for the timezone difference, I slept most of the flight. Did you know that there is an eleven hour difference between Fairbanks, Alaska and Helsinki, Finland? This means when it was 1:00 p.m. in Alaska, it was midnight in Helsinki. So, I slept to trick my body and mind that it was night time just like it was in Finland.
The curvature of the Earth seen beyond the wing and engine of the Icelandic Air airplane, 1 October 2023.
First view of Finland, 1 October 2023.
First view of buildings in Finland, 1 October 2023.
The plane landed in Finland, and I walked through the airport, wondering where customs was. I was in a totally different country now, after all, and needed to have my passport stamped, right?
It turns out, no. Iceland is part of the Schengen Area, which is an area of 27 European countries that agreed to not check passports at their mutual borders. In other words, once I had my passport stamped in Iceland, I was free to travel to any of those other 27 countries without have to go through border control again until I left the area. This makes travel much easier, of course, but a little part of me wanted another stamp in my passport…
One more fun fact I learned: Finland has two official languages. This is why there are two languages listed on every street sign, and, as you can see here, on the airport signs too. Finns speak both Finnish and Swedish.
Saapuvat is Finnish for “Arrivals” and Ankomst is Swedish for “Arrivals”. The words underneath show the Finnish and Swedish for “No entry”.
Outside of the arrivals gates at the airport in Finland, 1 or 2 October 2023 (which time zone am I in now…?)
The full moon’s silver light shines above me as I walk towards the airport early this morning. My body tingles as if hundreds of tiny bubbles are popping on my skin. I love the feeling of heading off into an adventure — the newness, the unknown, the change of scenery, the experiences I will have, and the people I may meet…!
What will happen this time…?
Moon over glaciers and mountain peaks, westward out of airplane window, 30 September 2023.
After dozing on the plane, I look at the window on my right to see the beauty of the sky, the clouds, and the landscape. The sky is a deep cobalt blue, the moon hanging in a perfect circle above the thin horizon line. The sun shines brightly without glaring off snow below or the window to my right.
In the distance, the mountains look like Mother Nature has plowed piles of snow into a line off to the side of her long driveway.
As the airplane flies onwards, I begin to see the white piles as individual peaks. From this height, the snow looks cracked and wrinkled. The mountain tops also seem disconnected from the brown and dark green sections. It is very clear here where the tree line is: trees can only survive up to a certain elevation. Above that, snow and ice and cold keep the mountain summits plant-free.
The view from above is delightfully beautiful.
The mountains look like snow piles that have been pushed aside by a large plow truck or a very diligent shoveler, sky borne photo, 30 September 2023.
Two glacier fingers seem to be reaching out to meet — but, in all likelihood, global circumstance probably has resulted in them receding instead. Sky borne photo, 30 September 2023.
Not a river, the frigid curves show the slow movement of the ice and snow, a view westward out of an airplane window, 30 September 2023.
Flying nearer to Seattle, Washington, USA. Is this a suburb or a different community altogether? Sky borne photo, 30 September 2023.
