We spent two nights aboard the MS Nordkapp., a 590-passenger ship that´s one of the nine currently operated by Hurtigruten, which plies the Norwegian coast daily. These are mostly passenger cruise ships, but also serve the vital function of transporting locals and cargo between 34 towns along the coast, some of which are otherwise fairly isolated. And they´re comfortable but hardly luxurious, without most of the bells and whistles common across the cruise industry these days. One restaurant alternates buffet and menu service, there´s a bakery/café; a lounge with a bar; a lecture room; a sauna: a fitness room; and a couple of outdoor whirlpools at the stern (back end) of the ship. Similarly, the cabins are perfectly comfy but fairly basic – ours didn´t have a TV, although some of the fancier suites do.

And it was on here that we saw our very first aurora borealis (Northern Lights) dancing in the sky above the fjord (top). Truly a magical experience - one I´d seen countless times in photos and videos and had been dreaming of for years - in person I found them even more transporting, painted across the ink-black Arctic sky. Apart from that, the ship made a port call in the town of Honningsvagen (unremarkable except for its Arctic Museum), staying for a bit over two hours to accommodate an excursion to its namesake, Nordkapp (North Cape), Europe´s northernmost point, perched on a 1,007-foot (307-meter) cliff. We passed on that one because apart from the expense it´s frankly a fairly barren, boring experience – pretty much just a field of flat stones, a couple of monuments, and a visitor center with a little museum and (of course) gift shop.

Read more in my post Our Winter Adventure Above Norway's Arctic Circle.