Days 5 & 6 - at Sea

Saturday 1st July 2017

Canada Day - 150th Anniversary

Crossed the Arctic Circle this morning about 08.35, our first time cruising this far North.  Grey sky, grey sea and a bit of mist though not notably cold.  Lots of red and white around the ship.

Breakfast on the open deck, did need a coat.  Went for a prom round the deck but soon felt a few drops of rain so retreated inside.

Nice easy day with not much to do but have coffee and attend a couple of trivia sessions.  Sea starting to get a bit rougher though still pretty gentle.

Tonight's dinner in the main dining room, thought we had better attend occasionally to make sure the waiters knew we were still around.  Scallops and shrimp followed by lamb shank for one, beef satay followed by lamb shank for the other.

This evening's entertainment was a ventriloquist, Kieren Powell, quite amusing if not greatly to our liking.

Sunday 2nd July 2017

Sea up a bit overnight, now a 3 metre swell and wind at 40 knots, though not uncomfortable.  Now in the Barents Sea, also well known as the middle of nowhere.  Sky still grey, sea still grey with white highlights.  Air temperature down to 6 degrees.  Tomorrow expected low of minus 1 degree and high of 2 degrees, sunny with a chance of snow, nice.

All morning seabirds glinding alongside the ship, so far from land, the day just seem to fly by.  During our dinner in the buffet the Captain announced at about 7.00pm that we should be able to see Svalbard, even though 40 miles away, and we could clearly see the snow capped mountains.

Afterwards we went to the production show in the Cabaret lounge "What the World needs Now" consisted of 60's music, very energetic again.  After the show, up to the Pacific lounge for evening Trivia, while waiting the quiz to start I saw our first  dolphins of this trip, again did not do very well at the quiz. 

We then went back to our room and watched the view till around midnight and got some good pictures.  This is our first bright sunny night, proper midnight sun (previous evenings had been grey and overcast).  Awoke about 2 am. with the mountains nearer as we sailed up the fjord towards Longyearbyen.

 

Spitsbergen - sunny in the middle of the night