Day Seven at Sea - Alta

Well, we were to arrive in Kirkenes, on the Russian border, today.. until we had a briefing - in which the captain, and a couple of other officers, explained to us just how bad the weather conditions were going to be up there in the next couple of days, a storm causing winds of Force10-11 on the Beaufort Scale, and 40-foot waves. With the 10-foot waves we had over Christmas, which caused a lot of seasickness, nobody was going to disagree with the captain's decision to avoid it - particularly when he pointed out that it'd last for 48 hours. 

No, we skipped Kirkenes entirely, taking shelter in Alta. It's their standard safe haven, apparently - and lo, they advertised last-minute excursions there, so I booked onto the city tour. I had to finish breakfast early - we had a 9.30am start! And I have to say, I wasn't mad about the organisation of this tour - we were told to meet on the pier, but the guides were actually up on the main road with the buses! Not massively clear, but we figured it out. And this was the first place, interestingly, that we saw any evidence of snow! Generally compacted, and gritted - but still a bit slippy. Thank goodness I brought the cleats..

Our first stop was the Northern Lights Cathedral:

A very modern design, obviously, modelled on the Northern Lights, built in titanium, it seems, which reflects light very well. 

A memorial on the approach commemorates the victims of a local helicopter crash:

The ramp to the entrance was mainly snow-free:

The interior apparently seats 300, with a space at the back that can be expanded into to double capacity:

The four panels on the lectern depict the Evangelists - Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John:

The panels on the centre pillar apparently depict the 12 Apostles:

The organ blends in really well:

The design is carried throughout very well:

The centre pillar contains something like Jacob's Ladder..?

Altogether, a very impressive deign:

More confusion thereafter, where our guide completely forgot to mention that we could now go down to the film about the Northern Lights - or indeed, to mention where it was.. we eventually figured it out, and headed downstairs (behind the cash desk, FYI), where we found a fascinating exhibition about research on the Northern Lights in the area. We also watched a very pretty film about them - he was kind of selling us on the idea that, if we hadn't seen them yet, we'd probably see them there.. of course, we'd actually seen them three times on this trip already, but no-one mentioned it.

By the time I left, it was about 10.45am and beginning to get light:

And so to the museum - when we figured out which of the two buses parked there we were supposed to be on! The other belonged to a different ship, it seemed.. The museum turned out to be all about the prehistoric rock carvings/drawings in the area, as depicted in a projection on the outside of the museum:

The museum, of course, dedicates itself primarily to the local rock art:

One, in particular, is dubbed Pippi Longstocking, after the children's books character, with braids and a skirt:

Watch out below..!

It's also such an interactive museum - I found this board game!

There are descriptions of how the people of the time lived:

Another interesting display describes the tension between local Sámi women and others:

There's also a display about a dispute between Sámi people of the area, and government, over the construction of a dam. They lost the battle - the dam was built - but, proverbially, won the war, with Sámi culture being newly recognised, and the Sámi people developing a new sense of community. This was the last large hydroelectric power project.. Hey, they even provide a board where you can write what you're passionate about! (I refrained.)

A map in another part of the museum lets you explore UNESCO World Heritage sites from around the world:

Truly a forward-thinking museum, so many interactive exhibits - and most multilingual. Still, I was finished before the time we'd agreed, and after a schlep around the gift shop, I settled in the cafe for a while:

They provide a handy bench just inside the entrance, for putting on/taking off cleats. Which I was glad of.. not only was it slippy outside, but we walked out into a veritable gale - the bus driver ended up helping us onto the bus! A real storm had whipped up - our guide told us we'd stop for a photo opp on the way back, at the old church, but he then amended it to say we'd stop there, but stay on the bus:

And my, when we finally got back to the ship, the wind was still so strong, it was hard to make our way onboard! A blizzard started up.. snow flurries all evening, and the wind blowing every which way - but it lodged, and oh, we all had a childlike delight in seeing proper snow at last! We did wonder, over dinner, what our ship's officers were doing, huddled on the pier:

Dinner, BTW, remained unchanged from the original menu, referencing Kirkenes, and specialising in Russian dishes! (lots of beetroot, which I don't like). So I skipped a starter, scraped the beetroot off my main. The Russian honey cake for dessert, I liked..

Popped outside very briefly afterwards, to get a picture of the blizzard before we left - they even had to clean the gangplank of snow!

We're in Hammerfest tomorrow, back on the original schedule. And I'm doing a city (bus) tour.

And I'm at a midnight concert at Tromso Cathedral on Monday. Some people who didn't explore Tromso on Christmas Day are saying they'll do it then - but I don't think we'll be there long enough for that..

So, Christmas and New Year's on the boat! Just what I wanted. Back on New Year's Day - not as early - and taking the next day off, because it's a Friday - and back home to Ireland for the weekend, because it's been too long. The next two days are with CT - on the 5th, I'm back at the Hen & Chickens for Shake It Up: The Improvised Shakespeare Show.

And on the 6th, I'm at a comedy show - Live Next to the Apollo, at Riverside Studios.

On the 7th - my first Meetup of the year - I'm back with the Horror Book Club - assuming I get the book read in time! It's The House on the Borderland - and they're meeting in the Prince of Wales, as usual. Now, considering the lack of progress I made with Hogfather for my work book club.. we'll have to see.. I did at least finish the sample.. it's over a year since I was last with them for a book review! (As to Hogfather, we met last week (me virtually - I stayed at home because of my cough), and it turned out I was one of the ones that read most.. I had a last-minute sprint, and got to 71%..)

The next two days, I'm with CT at the Backyard Comedy Club.. again, it's been a while!

Then, four days in a row of Meetups, including five in total. On the 10th, two Meetups.. firstly, a walk titled Southwark: Seedy and Sublime with none other than Laurence Summers and the 45+ Not Grumpies, yay! Haven't seen him since September, would you believe..

And that evening, back with The Hideout for 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple. Venue and timings TBC, but it'll be somewhere around Leicester Square. 

On the 11th, back with London Museums A-Z for T is for Thirst: In Search of Freshwater, an exhibition at The Wellcome Collection. Advertised, would you believe, while I was looking at my phone but not especially busy, in The Rockingham Arms recently - and this being the next unscheduled date in my diary, I was one of the five to snap up a place in the first minute!

On the 12th, with Up in the Cheap Seats again, for Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo - a dark comedy set in Iraq - at the Young Vic. Booked for Bar + Block Southwark beforehand. Ooh, another place I haven't been in an age..

And on the 13th, I'm back with London Classical Music and Theatre Group for The Makropulos Affair, by the London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Sir Simon Rattle, at the Barbican - one of the group with a wildcard ticket couldn't go and kindly offered it for free, so I snapped it up. Eating at Cote Barbican beforehand. And gee, you guessed it.. Haven't been there since September, but was with the group slightly more recently, in October..