The Northwest Passage - In the Wake of the Great Explorers - Alaska, Canada, Greenland
Week three on our 13-week bucket list cruise to the North and South Poles on the luxury hybrid expedition ship Hurtigruten Expeditions - MS Roald Amundsen.
This week, our friends with us from Vancouver disembarked in Nome, and 400 new faces joined us for the Northwest Passage expedition.
Day 15 - Savoonga Island, Alaska
Last night, we time travelled; we crossed over the international date line at 2.30 am, for only a short while, and then back to the present while we were sleeping.
The first time, we skipped the wine for lunch and decided to spend the day online, as today was the last day before we embarked on the Northwest Passage leg of the cruise.
Unfortunately, we skipped the excursion to Savoonga (35 miles from Russia). Still, after hearing all the stories over dinner about the warm welcome from the locals and the rich history of the community, we reminded ourselves we wouldn't be doing this again!
The local economy consists mainly of subsistence hunting for walrus, seals, fish, and bowhead whales. The city calls itself the "Walrus Capital of the World". A dogsled mail service operated until 1963.
During the evening, the Captain's farewell took place and Shaun, the Hurtigruten photographer, shared with us all the magical memories from the first leg of the cruise. Thank you, Shaun, for producing this extraordinary collection of moments.
We enjoyed dinner in Lindstrom, and the talented team put on a little show for the departing guests. We said our goodbyes to all the wonderful new friends we made over the past few weeks, followed by drinks in the lounge.
Day 16 - Nome, Alaska
Today was a big changeover day; 340 passengers disembarked, and over 440 new passengers embarked for the Northwest Passage leg of the cruise.
We had the whole day in Nome, Alaska's most famous gold rush town. This little town was put on the map in 1899 due to the discovery of gold, of which $2m was discovered in that first year.
