About this journey

Hurtigruten (literally "the fast route") refers to a fleet of ships which sail up and down the Norwegian coast 365 days a year constantly resupplying the country.  The ships started as freighters which later carried some passengers and across time became a blend of services for passengers and freight.  Some refer to it as the "Norwegian Coastal Express", the "Coastal Steamer" (the original ships were sail and steam powered) or the "Mail boat", as it was the main means of mail delivery in Norway until 1983. For passengers other than day passengers who are simply going from town to town, the experience is similar to being on a modern cruise ship (without the entertainment).

In the top picture above we enter Trollfjord just before midnight.  And yes, the ship sailed through that narrow opening into the small fjord.  The fjord, the shape of a keyhole of an old lock provided enough room for the ship to turn on its axis and sail back out of the fjord.

Lots of photo opportunities, not only along the coast, deep into the magnificent fjords, but also on side trips through the mountains.  The final part of our trip included staying with relatives for a week and a half as I visited all of the locations of my Norwegian heritage including hiring a caretaker on an island (the island of my mother's family back to the 1600's) to take us to the island in his boat.