Well, that went well. Or maybe it didn't.
Our dream of seeing the Northern Lights in NORWAY became reality this January.
Several months ago on a sunny day while sitting with my neighbor outside on her brick wall surrounding her front yard flower garden we mentioned in passing that we'd both longed desperately to see the Northern Lights up close and personal. We'd both read the article stating that this next year was the idea time because of the solar flare activity witnessed recently. It was a casual conversation, neither of us expected anything to come of that chat.
I came home and started investigating VIKING CRUISE SHIPS and their itineraries and locations. Lo and behold, they had a tour planned for January 2025 to Alta Norway, the tip top of the world. I clicked all the right boxes and found myself talking to a Viking Cruise Line agent. Before I could say "I'll start packing" he had two staterooms reserved with my name on it. I quickly called my neighbor and told her she had an opportunity of a lifetime and she had 24-48 hours to decided.
After talking with honeybuns and a quick discussion with the neighbors we were confirmed. YES, we were going to Norway in the dead of the winter of 2025, together.
(She describes this whole incident as "Sharon, fires then aims and then gets ready." There's truth to that.)
Months of planning began. We opened a Viking Journey account on their website and proceeded to investigate all the excursions offered every day, restaurants aboard the ship, stateroom sizes and all the other amenities the Viking Vela offered. We made reservations and payment for a dog sled ride, a nighttime trip to a tent camp to watch for the Northern Lights, historical bus rides, concerts in beautiful churches, historical tours and lovely dinners aboard ship. It was really going to happen. We shared our plans with family and friends over Christmas and they questioned our sanity.
After final payment, purchasing trip insurance, and picking out our airline seats we began the process of preparing for adventure in the northern tundra way above the artic circle. That involved new ski pants for everyone, wool socks, long underwear made of silk, snow boots bought and returned and purchased again. Gloves, special hats and hoodies, long lined coats, hand warmers, long sleeved t-shirts, and pretty pajamas arrived in Amazon boxes at our front door. Piles of gear were taking up space in my bedroom closet. We waited.
The day arrived for us to leave our lovely Texas home and the first rare snow fall descended on our town. Ice and snow covered the highways and the weatherman was telling everyone in the Metroplex to stay home unless it was absolutely necessary to travel. We headed out.
Our neighbor drove slowly to the airport and we unloaded enough luggage to spend a couple of weeks on Mars. It was 11:30 a.m. our plane was to depart at 4 p.m. from the international terminal.
People gathered and joined us in waiting. It continued to snow throughout the day, the flight was delayed, then cancelled. We and hundreds of others re-booked to another flight, we raced to another gate and finally boarded for London at 11 p.m. We made a little nest in our very comfortable premium plus seats and prepared for the long night. It would be 7 hours before we would deplane!
Baggage claim at Heathrow in London was chaos. We were told our luggage did not arrive, we were told to wait, we were told it was in Dallas and as we stared at the carousel and the air tag notification on our phones, each piece finally appeared surprising everyone. The Viking Vela was waiting for us and we drove an hour and twenty minutes to Tillary where we boarded the biggest most beautiful sea going vessel we'd ever seen.
Our stateroom was gorgeous, the common areas were stunningly beautiful and the staff treated us like royalty. This adventure truly was going to be magnificent even after an eventful start.
The ship sailed and we were on our way to Amsterdam and Holland before heading our to the North Sea and waters far north of the Artic Circle.
Excursions the next day were delightful and we took pictures of windmills, canals and wooden shoes. It was cool but nothing unbearable yet.
Everything changed on day 3. After a lovely dinner we settled in our state room for a night at sea, the NORTH SEA. The ship started ROCKING about midnight. Evidently the wind had picked up and the waves were growing in size. We turned the lights on and held onto the bed. That very large ship rocked from left to right, again and again for hours. We stayed in the bed and concentrated on NOT getting seasick. About 5 am a HUGE WAVE hit the ship and lifted the right side up in the air. Everything not permanently fixed to the floors or walls shifted quickly to the opposite side of our room. Glass was breaking in our room, doors and drawers banged, the door leading to the hallway swung open, we were tossed from the bed, and loud creaking began. An inch of water covered our floor. As the ship hit the waves time and time again there was loud booming noises coming from the bottom upward.
The Captain immediately came on the PA system, "Ladies and gentlemen, you are safe, this ship is built for this type of weather. Stay in your staterooms, do not leave your rooms, that is the safest place to be."
We stayed, for 24 hours. The staff was busy up righting tables, chairs, dishes and all things not nailed down. A sack breakfast was delivered to our room and later the following evening everyone received a beautiful plate of grilled salmon and vegetables. "Stay in your stateroom." The Captain attempted to turn the boat around and head for a safe port along the shore.
We arrived a Alesund and docked. And stayed there 4 days while the ship was being repaired. All plans to continue northward were cancelled. No exciting adventurous trips above the artic circle would take place. Onboard entertainment continued and we attended lectures, shows and dance parties.
The crew was fabulous and worked day and night to continue excellent service for all the passengers. Excursions were planned for everyone to enjoy beautiful Alesund. We later learned that the Viking Vela had lost propulsion at sea, the Coast Guard had arrived in the middle of the night ready to rescue and tug boats helped the ship limp into port.
Once all systems were checked and repaired we set out again, only SOUTH, heading back to Bergan, Norway. We visited a couple of beautiful ports along the way and learned more about Norway, it's history and economy. It is a stunningly beautiful country of mountains, fjords, villages, trolls and people. The temperature the whole time was higher than the temperature in Frisco TX. Not once did we bundle up in all that winter clothing.
One cloudless evening we braved the wind and nighttime air and witnessed the NORTHERN LIGHTS right from our balcony. UNBELIEVALBLY beautiful. That was the highlight of the trip. The tour was called, "In Search of the Northern Lights" and in spite of the storm on the North Sea they were actually found! Mission accomplished!
14 days after the trip began, we exited the ship to begin the long journey home. We spoke with people that had cast on their arms and legs, some women had black eyes where they had struck something, and a few in wheel chairs. Thankfully we were not injured at all.
What an adventure! It was one we did not plan or expect, but we're thankful we went. We're now ordering t-shirts that say, I survived the STORM ON THE NORHT SEA!
VIKING very generously issued vouchers for future cruises to all on board. NOW, where to next?
Oh, yes, we're still friends with the neighbors! And we have snow boots for sale, cheap!
