July 25, 2025: Hurtigruten

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Today we embarked on a twelve-day cruise with Hurtigruten along the west coast of Norway. It has finally started to cool down in Bergen. We aren’t wearing jackets yet but are no longer drenched in sweat.

Once we arrived at the terminal at 1:00pm to check in our bags, our Airbnb host contacted Rob to say that we had left a cell phone charger (mine). Well, we don’t set sail until 8:00pm and the onboard dinner is at 6:00pm so we made the 25-minute walk of shame back!! However, we were unencumbered with our bags and made the most of it.

We were able to see some men roofing a house. So that’s how they do it. I didn’t see any gluing or nailing. Maybe there were grooves?? He must have very stretched hamstrings and Achilles tendons.

Our leisurely walk allowed us to have a nice long visit with our host, Frank. We have certainly found any Norwegian that we encountered to be very friendly, helpful, and eager to engage in conversation.

We were amused at the apparatus attached to the side of the window. It was to be used in case of fire. Fires are not taken lightly. The funny thing was that the first step was to throw the box out the window. How is one to figure out what to do next when
the box is gone?

Watch these videos to see how it works:

Fire Safety #1

Fire safety #2

I love mind games. This puzzle is in Norwegian. Can you figure it out, Curtis??

Here’s another puzzle. Our apartment can be seen from the famous Fish Market. It is the one with the red roof behind
the yellow house.

We made it back to the dock in plenty of time. Here it comes!

Hurtigruten, which means “the fast route,” was founded in 1893 to deliver goods to and from locations located on the Norwegian Sea. Today the ship Kong Harald is a hybrid-powered ship.

It looks like smooth sailing as we get ready to journey north. We are advised to consult windy.com to see the wind conditions. I am pleased since I am prone to get seasick.