EPIC Northern Lights Ends Voyage

Day 11 

Classic Voyage

Hurtigruten M/S Vesterålen

Perfect Ending 

Snow-capped mountains, calm seas, crystal clear blue skies - what could be better than that for our final sea day aboard M/S Vesterålen?  Little did we know that was just the beginning of what would be our best day yet on this classic voyage that took us from Bergen to Kirkenes and back.

Norway is a land of contrasts -  on the port side of the vessel were the snow-capped mountains, while on the starboard side, the mountains had already shed their snow,  There were black mountains with white snow and brown mountains with green trees, lighthouses guided our way along our journey.  Red, yellow, blue, and white houses lined the shorelines as we sailed along towards our final port of call.

Arriving in Kristiansund, the sun was starting to set and the buildings were all aglow, reflecting in the water. Finally the sun set in all its glory with reds, yellows, and oranges reflecting in the sea.

Best Was Yet to Come

The discussion at dinner included all of us wondering if we would have another chance to see Northern Lights.  Checking the Norway Northern Lights Forecast site, and checking our schedule for the evening, there seemed to be a slight possibility.   The forecast was "Try" for the area we would be sailing around.  However, we were scheduled to get their later in the evening, which meant the chances seemed to be less favorable.

Going outside after dinner, there were several stars in the sky, it was cold and dark - all of which were good signs to sighting some Northern Lights.

We went to the Panorama Lounge on Deck D  for coffee after dinner.   After sitting there for awhile we decided to go back to the cabin to finish packing.   Also, there was going to be a demonstration on Deck F aft by the chef in a little while (he was planning to serve crab).   All of a sudden, there was an announcement that Northern Lights had been spotted.  Everyone, including us, dashed to Deck F aft to pick up our vantage point for the light show.

The sky was alive with waves of light.  You can't see the color with the naked eye.   To really appreciate the Northern Lights, you need to photograph them.

Here is a sampling of images from the evening.   The main part of the show was from 10 PM until just before midnight.   We were fortunate to have three other sightings of Northern Lights during our voyage, but this was the most intense and longest of the four.

Our ship had a port call around midnight.  We have more images that were taken up until the time the clouds rolled in around 1:30 AM

More pics (CLICK HERE)

Be sure to bookmark our Diary Hurtigruten Classic Voyage Bergen page so that you can easily navigate the entire journey.

Thank You Mother Nature for putting on this fabulous light show for our pleasure.  There are many legends that describe why the lights are visible.   We'll go with one that is God smiling down on everyone on earth.

Today we sail for Bergen where the voyage will officially end.   This has been a most amazing experience.  We'd love to talk to you about it if you have any questions or if you'd like to add this to your bucket list.