So, here we are, day 1 at Alta and excitedly boarding the shuttle bus to town in search of somewhere to hire Cross Country Ski equipment. First stop the Tourist Information Centre, only to discover that there is nowhere within reach to hire neither ski equipment nor a snowmobile! Big disappointment! Next best thing, shopping! Another hat, for Rob this time, a splendid one made of raccoon fur. Then we returned to the ship for yet more food and drink and an aftern...

Managed to acquire a window seat to enjoy the passing views on our approach into Tromso, which can be likened to getting a sun bed next to a swimming pool! Things started improving when we went to another talk from Paul Barker, the ex paparazzi who gave us instruction on photographing the Northern Lights, followed by an amusing story of his exploits during the making of the film 'The Calendar Girls'. Then came the time to disembark for the shuttle bus into town. ...

We spent most of today braving fierce winds, out on various decks watching the most mind blowing scenery and waiting in anticipation to cross the Arctic Circle, eventually arriving at the glacier. A commentary was provided by guest lecturer Eric McVicar. We watched a cookery demo by the chefs in the morning and after lunch a talk on Andelsnes and Bergen. There was another fascinating lecture after that by Eric McVicar on The Sea Sami of Arctic Norway - The histo...

Today we rose 620 feet, by climbing 419 steps up to the Aksla Viewpoint where there was a tremendous view of the town of Alesund, the surrounding myriad of islands and soaring peaks of the Als. Here stands the statue of the Viking Gange-Rolf, who sailed from Alesund to what is today Normandy in France.

Started the day with Yoga, while Rob had a talk on shore excursions for Alesund and Tromso. We then listened to a fascinating lecture by Eric McVicar onThe Gulf Stream - its origins, the effect it has on the coasts of Norway and the UK and the sea sub beauty. In the afternoon I attended an Introduction to Watercolour and learnt about the colour wheel and the technique of wet-on-wet, whilst Rob went to a presentation on Alta. After that we attended a talk by P...