Today's addition for the Expedition Storage: his 'n' hers neck gaiters, snoods, infinity scarves, or whatever you want to call them.
I'm sure I'll agree once we get north of northitude.
Having covered the top and bottom of the food offerings available on MS Maud, we come to the main course. See what I did there? :o)
Aune is the largest of the three restaurants aboard, and serves the majority of the meals, including breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Named after the Norwegian ship chandler and polar expedition supplier Tinus Aune, it occupies almost a third of the length of Deck 5, at the stern, and has full-height windows on all three sides offering fabulous views from any seat.
Breakfast, served from 7.30am, is a European-style buffet with a variety of hot and cold options; lunch starts at noon and is also a buffet; evening meal is slightly more rigid - a three-course meal served in an allotted time slot, at half-hour intervals from 6-8pm. Your "dining slot" is allotted during boarding at the start of the trip. For anyone like us, who prefers to eat earlier rather than later, it is apparently no problem to change to a different time (phew).
That concludes our brief taste of the catering options. I have to say it's made me quite hungry. It all looks and sounds fabulous and I won't be at all surprised if we end up doing a "dish of the day" type post once we're at sea.
Roughly twice the size of Lindstrøm, this restaurant is at the other end of the cultural scale, offering bistro-style fast food at all times of day or night (because you might fancy a snack once you've spent your five minutes freezing your nuts off on deck staring at the stars).
A recent addition to the ship's catering offering following the refurbishment, this casual cafe serves a selection burgers, hot dogs, tortilla wraps etc alongside more substantial dishes like grilled chicken, steak and salmon. Their massive selection of equally massive milkshakes is, allegedly, legendary.
Our ship has three restaurants, all situated on Deck 5. The first, and smallest, of these offers "fine dining" at all times for passengers who have a suite. They even have a waiter service for breakfast. Lindstrøm is also available to the rest of us plebs (for dinner only) if we want to pay. Fortunately, the price isn't as steep as you might expect when you hear the phrase "fine dining", so we're intending to try it at least once during the expedition, and maybe twice.
Named after Adolf Lindstrøm, a Norwegian chef and polar explorer who did all the cheffing for Amundsen. The food can be an upmarket version of what's on that day in the main restaurant, or may be unique. The main thrust of the catering here is always to showcase local cuisine, recipes and ingredients.
I used to claim to be a "fast follower" (back in the days when technical staff were put through a "marketing sheep-dip" because our managers - who were almost all from a marketing background - decided we needed to understand the subject, despite the chances approaching zero that any of us would ever use the information), but now I'm not so sure.
The fact is, I never seek out "developments" in, well pretty much anything, unless I'm actively looking to buy that thing. So, since I have less than zero interest in clothing, especially outdoor clothing, the existence of these things that arrived in yesterday's post came as quite a revelation.
It shouldn't be a surprise, in these days of ubiquitous tech, that people who spend time outdoors in the cold, and therefore need gloves, still want to access their tech.
So these clever little guys come with a special rubbery spidery pattern on the palms for added grip. You can actually turn your hand almost vertical before the phone tips off, which is pretty damned essential when you're aboard and any droppage is likely to be followed shortly after by sinkage and consequent irreversible lossage.
But it's better than that.
Two of the fingers and the thumb also have small patches of conductive material, so you can still work the touchscreen through the gloves. Pinch and spread and tap and whatnot. I had to up the sensitivity on mine, but hey, it's all good. Awesome.
We got new coats and fleeces in that delivery too, but compared to the gloves they were all quite mundane.
Today's delivery - long johns.
Or to be entirely accurate, replacement long johns, because our first attempt was... no. Ever slept on a nylon sheet? Yeah, that. They went straight into the charity shop pile. Some unfortunate homeless people will benefit from a slightly warmer life experience this winter.
I even cast a long, sideways glance at these, when we opened the package. For me, the phrase "long johns" conjures an image from the distant past of old B&W movies watched on a Saturday afternoon, of some Wild West duffer emerging from his shack carrying a shotgun, and wearing what would, forty years later, come to be known as a "onesie."
They turned out to be surprisingly nice to wear. I began to understand why people develop a liking for latex would choose to wear them, even in a regular winter. Not that I'm intending to do that. Unless that heating bill goes up again.
Today's task was to fill in and submit our SMIFs.
No idea why they need these "no later than least eight weeks" prior to departure -- maybe they do some vetting or something? -- but it was a list item we thought we'd better tick off sooner rather than later, especially since none of the information required is likely to change between now and January.
One of the reasons we don't normally venture out in the snow and ice is an increasing fear, as we get older, of slipping and falling. It never used to bother me. The first time I went ice skating I fell over so many times I couldn't walk the next day. Couldn't even get out of bed, actually. I spent the whole morning stranded in my little student cot on the 17th floor of Owens' Park tower, only making the agonising trek across the landing when I "couldn't wait any longer." TMI, probably. Sorry.
But those days are long behind me. And the expedition is in front of us, with the likelihood of copious quantities of snow and equal amounts of ice, so Nikki set to with her amazing and unrivalled SearchSkillz™ and discovered: YakTrax.
The sales blurb says:
"Yaktrax Diamond Grip provides aggressive traction for all winter walking conditions, from slick, glassy ice to back country snow and everything in between."
I love that. "Aggressive traction". If you held these things in your hand you'd agree it's the perfect description. You can almost hear them growling.
With heavy duty rubber (or whatever passes for rubber these days) straps, including a toggle at the back to help pull them on and off, these puppies mean business. The chains have teeth! You don't get much more aggressive than that.
Easy to see why HG don't want you wearing them on the ship. There'd be no deck left!
Full disclosure: Nikki is much better at apps than I am. She's got the "holiday countdown" app on her phone home screen, telling us how many days are left to every trip we've booked. She does the fitbit thing. She Google Mans everywhere we ever travel (she already knows how to drive around the back of the hotel we're staying in the night before we set sail, and find the parking, and how long the walk is to the nearest fish and chip shop :o))
So it's not surprising that we're all set on the app front for this trip.
This only works on the ship, but it allows you to set up a daily calendar, keep track of events and expeditions that are happening that day, discover the location of on-board services, access bookings for meals and lectures, check out the restaurants' daily menus, and even keep an eye on your expenditure so far.
Or, to give them their proper name "Thermal Action Trousers" (LOL. Gimme that thermal action, baby).
These are so warmly lined that when I tried them on soon after they arrived, I began to swelter within a couple of minutes. So I can't see me ever wearing them in the UK, but I expect I'll be glad of them in Norway.
Handy-dandy zippy pockets, they fit closely enough to go under those wet-weather troos from yesterday, and they have the added bonus of an elasticated waist, which means they have a better than normal chance of staying up. We bought stretchy belts to go with them too, just to be on the safe side. Having checked out the on-board menus I have a feeling we will need a bit of stretch by the end of the expedition.
Having not been able to find any suitable ladies version, Nikki went with the men's too, and discovered that the higher waist makes them a lot comfier. Result!
The latest item for the Expedition Storage:
Pairs of rain resistant walking trousers for both of us, courtesy of Mountain Warehouse. Big enough to be worn over other trousers, because layers. It's all about layers. I don't remember ever having cold legs, but there again it's been a decade or more since I walked about in cold weather for any length of time and even then it was nowhere near -20, so these will no doubt be absolutely necessary.
They're elasticated too. Perfect for people with shelves instead of waists.
Rather fetching, I think you'll agree.
I do already have a Thinsulate hat, but it's not as snug as this, not as well lined, and likely to get a bit soggy if it rains. This new one will fit easily under a hood, or even two hoods since our complementary Hurtigruten expedition jackets also have one.
Apart from this being a totally new experience for us - the Northern Lights; the Arctic Circle; Norway; etc - one of the main things that attracted us to this trip was its focus on science, especially Astronomy.
This trip is turning into a kind of early Christmas. Hardly a day goes by without a delivery of some sort, as Nikki munches her way through the list of cold weather clothing we need.
Today's present was a stash of Marks & Sparks Merino Woollies. Three each, because (a) we need to stay warm, and these are the warmest, (b) we need to be able to wear loads of layers, and these are the thinnest, and (c) we'll be out in all weathers, both on deck and on land, so we need to be sure of always having a clean, dry one to wear!
So far she's doing a bang-up job with all of this. I'm not the easiest to buy clothes for, being this shape. All the blokes in the adverts for these things are shaped like a V, whereas I'm more like an A (or maybe with a tendency towards O). I'm hardly unique, so you'd think the clothing peeps would cater more for people like me, but instead we have to go with the larger chest sizes to cope with my expanded midriff. On top of that, they seem to assume that blokes with big chests also have long arms (what? lol), so for much of the time anything we buy for my top half has arms that hang over my hands and make me look like the Beast from Five Thousand Fathoms or something.
Anyway, these fit very nicely thank you, so they're all now folded neatly away in the Expedition Storage, as we settle back to see what goodies tomorrow's delivery brings!
Anyone who knows us, knows we love food. So one of the huge influencers for our decision to undertake this expedition was the expectation of being well catered for in the area of culinary content.
The food available on board looks amazing. Almost all of it is sourced locally, from the areas the ships sail to. Hurtigruten support more than 50 Norwegian suppliers, and their produce is delivered to more than a dozen of the ports-of-call during the journey.
If you're interested, there's much more on the subject of expedition eating in this article on "Norway's Coastal Kitchen."
The first of our Arctic Clobber Collection™ arrived today - our new walking boots.
His 'n' hers pairs of Clarks' ATL Trek Hi GORE-TEX (whatever all that gobbledygook means lol) -- blue for me; black for Nikki, really just so we can tell them apart easily if we're ever in a rush to put them on.
We had boots already, of course, but they were too Englandy. We needed Arctic Boots. Lighter weight, because we expect to be walking more, better waterproofing (rain and slush), warmer (remembering that we could easily be at -20° for several days), and with soles virtually guaranteed to be non-slip and have the best grip.
These have the added advantage of being made from a high proportion of recycled materials, which we thought aligned nicely with Hurtigruten's (and Norway's in general) environmental credentials.
They'll need wearing in, naturally, so we plan to walk round the block a lot more between now and January (i.e. more than once a week), whether it's -20° out there or not.
As I may have mentioned (*cough*), we don't do snow. We don't ski, unless we're meaning "Spending the Kids' Inheritance". We don't climb mountains. And we don't, normally, visit the Arctic Circle. Except now, we do. So we need all the right clobber.
In her usual superb fashion (pun half intended), Nikki dived into this project with alacrity and eagerness. She made a list (obviously) and began to work her way through it. So, starting at the bottom (of our bodies, not her list), each of us is going to need:
There's also a handy reminder that batteries don't last as long in cold conditions, so we might like to bring spares. Not sure we'll bother with that, as we're not planning any huge excursions.
We did have alternatives when it came to our choice of cabin. And I'd be lying if I said we weren't tempted. Here's a brief recap of the debate about which one we should go for, so you can see where that temptation comes from.
The one thing we were in firm agreement on: we did not want an inside cabin. No matter how much you try to convince yourself you "only sleep there; what does it matter?" neither of us could face walking into a dark, enclosed space with no outside view. That was a whole hunk of nope that was not "good nope*".
So the cabin we chose was the best compromise of cost vs porthole vs comfort. But, as dear old Jim Bowen used to say: "look at what you could have won!"
The Expedition Mini Suite
A double bed! Woohoo! Comes complete with its own mini-bar, but -- you know -- why? The lounge bar is only a few steps away.
It has a bathroom too. One that actually justifies the name. And a deluxe-sized porthole.
Similar facilities to the previous suite, slightly larger, and this time with its own balcony. Now we're talking!
The downside being that this one would have cost half again as much as the cabin we settled on. VFM? We decided not.
* My thinking behind the URL for this blog, was that often, when faced with something scary, the initial reaction is "nope." On the other hand, we're always being told that it's good, occasionally, to step out of your comfort zone. So something scary that you can face if you try hard enough, is "good nope." And since this expedition visits the North Cape, it's the "Cape of Good Nope." :o)
Recently renamed after one of the most famous polar vessels of all time, Roald Amundsen's "Maud" from 1917, having previously been known as MS Midnatsol, she weighs in at a little over 16,000 tonnes, with space for 538 passengers. In the process of being upgraded to reduce her carbon emissions, she'll have increased battery capacity to allow her to use no fuel at all while in port.
Three restaurants, a library, lounge and bar, hot tub and sauna, observation deck, and -- because she regularly undertakes expeditions with a scientific theme -- a lecture hall and science centre. Some trips even let passengers get involved with experiments. Not on each other, I hasten to add.
There's a gym, too, but the least said about that the better.
We're on Deck 8 (the same deck as the library and the "Explorer Lounge & Bar" -- can you imagine a more perfect location? :o)) in an "Arctic Superior" Outside cabin (i.e. it has its own porthole) similar to the one shown here.
Actual photos will follow, of course, once we're on board. Some of these cabins allegedly have double beds, but we're expecting ours to be more like this. These cabins have TVs too, but I can't imagine we'll be watching much of that. Not when there's the Northern Lights going on outside on the deck!
If you're interested in learning more about our ship, there's loads of information on Hurtigruten's Maud page, or if you have a couple of hours to spare it's well worth watching "Christmas Cruising with Susan Calman", either online at that link or -- still available at the time of writing -- on the My5 catch-up service.
Incidentally, it's not immediately obvious from the opening photo how large MS Maud is. The answer is "not very", but bearing in mind that some of her expeditions involve going into the fjords and even executing a "U-y" (as Susan calls it on that show above), so she can't be too big. Here's a shot of one of her sister ships sailing beside the more usual type of "cruise" ship, just to give you an idea.
Spending many thousands of pounds on a holiday is a big decision.
When all your previous holidays have been spent lying beside a pool under the blazing sun (Rhodes, Crete, Fuerteventura, Cala d'Or), or walking round a city in relatively mild weather (Paris, New York - well, OK, the Big Apple was a bit chilly in March, but still...) that decision requires a big debate.
So we went round and round the subject from several angles.
We're used to a big bed.
Even in Greece the hotel beds are at least six feet wide, and some are seven. The rooms large enough to spread out in. But this is a ship. Assuming we didn't go completely gung-ho and book a suite, the cabins are... basic. And small. With single beds. That have to do double duty as sofas. The bathrooms? Imagine the smallest space you could possibly fit a shower, basin, and WC in. And then halve it ;o)
But: how much time do you spend in your cabin, really? Sleep, wash, dress and undress. And that's pretty much it. So we figured it wasn't that big of a deal for 17 days, and certainly not enough to warrant the massive cost uplift of a suite (even though, you know, that would've been lovely).
We don't do yomping.
Neither of us are what you'd call active. Even on walking holidays with our mates we stopped doing any actual walking three or four years ago, and now stay in and read. Those holidays usually happen in October or February when it's cold & rainy outside and we long for comfy chairs and log fires. When we're at home, the most we do is walk around the block. Occasionally.
In contrast, there's potentially a lot of yomping on this trip. Dog-sledding. Mountainous trekking. Snow shoes required for some of it. Fortunately, all of it is optional, so let's park that for now.
We don't (usually) do cold.
I'm planning a whole post on this, so for now let's say we usually avoid ice, snow, and anything approaching 0°C where possible. My only recollection of really cold weather was running from the car to a shopping mall in Toronto one very cold day in February. It might have been in the region of -20 including windchill. Norway starts at -20 in places, and you can subtract the windchill on top of that. Oof.
We don't (or at least Nikki doesn't) do heights.
There's at least one excursion on this trip that involves a cable-car, and another with a funicular railway. Both of those end up in "high places" with one or more "edges". That's a lot of nope as far as Nikki is concerned. Hence the URL I chose for this blog. Although, as that URL suggests, it's "good nope", if there is such a thing. It's the kind of nope you can face, if there's something worth it at the end. And there is. So she's declared she's gonna give it a go. Which believe me, is a first.
Anyway, as you know from the opening entry in this blog, the decision was a "yes." In the end, we were driven by two very famous and oft-quoted aphorisms:
"You only regret the things you don't do."
and
"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away."
After much discussion and debate, today we booked it.
The "North Cape and Northern Lights Expedition Cruise from Dover" on the good ship MS Maud, run by Hurtigruten.
That's the official title. We don't like referring to it as a "cruise" with all the negative connotations that has (for us) of "The Captain's Table", "dressing for dinner", "entertainment", "excessive and mandated tipping", and all of that -- things which, we have discovered in the past, are all too often part and parcel of any kind of cruising.
Fortunately the Norwegians are much more sensible than that. Very definitely our kind of people. They don't believe in tipping. In fact they don't allow it. Instead, they prefer to pay their people a decent wage. That might sound pretty radical to some readers, especially those on the North American continent, but it's right up our street. You'll discover, as this blog develops over the next few weeks, that the "cruise" itself has none of the other negative elements either. It's definitely more expedition than cruise, so we're gonna try and stick with that.
It seemed only fitting that we booked it on Nikki's birthday. Definitely the most expensive present ever ;o)
We set sail on January 19th, 2023, and are intending to blog the whole trip. Between now and then, we'll be posting about all the preparation that is going into our expedition (mainly, I have to admit, or even exclusively if I'm being totally honest, by Nikki). We've never "expeditioned" before, or spent any time in sub-zero temperatures, so pretty much a whole new wardrobe is required for both of us.
Stick around, and discover how "Two Go North" in what is hopefully going to be one of the most exciting adventures we've ever had!
And so, almost as if it never happened, we wake to the familiar sight of Dover Harbour, our phones reconnect to UK providers, at UK times, a...
