My husband (also a Steve) and I also took a Hurtigruten cruise chasing the Northern Lights in December 2022. Ours was just a week after yours: an 11 night Bergen-Kirkenes-Bergen coastal sailing aboard the MS Nordlys, departing Bergen on Dec 14th and returning on Christmas Day. Despite having very little daylight (thanks to Polar Nights) for most of the journey, and frigid temperatures for all of it, we loved every minute of it. And believe me, the dark skies and sub-zero temperatures were a huge change for us -- because we have spent the past 40+ years of our lives in the sunshine and heat of South Florida. And we would do it again in a heartbeat!
Oh that's interesting you could handle the cold well as we live in the Northern part of Australia where the weather is similar to Florida. What a fantastic journey this is and considering booking last minute for this December! Is it worth doing the round trip? I'm looking at the 7 day one from Bergen to Kirkenes only as we've never been on a cruise and I'm concerned about big seas and massive waves ... did you experience this?
Happy memories, my wife and I were on the ship too, we loved it and hope to do it again some time, like you this was something completely different for us and we are so glad we did it, thank you Susan Calman 😊
@@thepotterycornerwe actually appeared in your video, just the back our hats in the white out sitting waiting for the cable car to descend in Andalsnes 😊
Amazing video. I'm booked on this cruise later this year. You have certainly brought it to life for me, and I hope I have a similar exciting experience as you had. Thankyou.
That was amazing! Such an exciting trip, packed with beautiful experiences and memories! Need to go check this out. Anniversary coming up in 2 years. No need to look any further methinks :) Thank you so much for sharing that with us!
Not sure if you are aware of the ship you travelled with, MS Maud ......who it was named after It was not just anybody. It was.....Maud Charlotte Mary Victoria who was born 1869 in London ....and in 1896 she married ( and with a wedding that took place in Buckingham Palace ) with her cousin prince Carl of Denmark. Her parents happened to be king Edward VII and queen Alexandra. A little history: Sweden has had a long history with crazy expansionism ...attacking absolute every neighbour ...in every direction. They made a lot of wars with Denmark which they took more and more land from. Norway had become just a colony under Denmark ( for 450 years ). Every time Denmark lost a war with Sweden ...well...than they just took a piece of Norway and threw it to Sweden. Today is around 55000 sq. km of originally Norwegian territory a part of Sweden. During the Napoleonic war did Denmark side with Napoleon ...and hence was Norway stuck in that also. Sweden had lost control over Finland to Russia....so the Swedes looked elsewhere for "compensation". So with the defeat of Napoleon Sweden saw the opportunity to press Denmark to give them all of Norway. Since Norway has a history as the oldest united kingdom (established 872 ) in Scandinavia they wouldn't have anything with Sweden to do and declared independence in 1814 and wrote a constitution ....which still today is valid. Denmark gave up Norway ...but kept the Norwegian territories of Faero islands, Iceland and Greenland (Sweden hadn't demanded them). Despite this loss Norway's aim was set on independence and freedom. Those who think that Scandinavia has been a bunch of friends and has been a cozy neighbourhood ....are a bit lost. Well...... Sweden's ideas of "greatness" was through conquering. With the blessing from Russia and support from Great Britain Sweden invaded Norway in 1814 with 50000 soldiers. As the depleted colony Norway had been they did not have much to oppose the Swedes with... Hence Norway was forced at gunpoint into a marriage called "a union" with Sweden. In 1905, after 91 years under Swedish control, Norway had enough and declared independence. Sweden threatened with war again. Norway made a strategic chess move that should be an important factor to secure independence from Sweden. They offered prince Carl of Denmark and princess Maud the Norwegian throne as king and queen....which they accepted. Thereby Norway had secured support and allies in Denmark and with Great Britain they had suddenly flipped the former enemy (because they were enemy of Denmark who controlled Norway ) to also become an allied. Prince Carl took the name as king Haakon VII of Norway in line with the historic naming of the king name traditions. Jumping forward to the nazi-German invasion of Norway in 1940. The Norwegian government and the royal family ended up in exile in London. But only after that Sweden had declined their entrance into Sweden. On the other hand did Sweden allow ....during WW2.... over 2 million German troops, with weapon and all sorts of supply, to travel with their trains to Norway, Finland and Soviet.. Sweden also sold all the iron ore they could produce to the Germany war industry. That was the Swedish "neutrality"..... Norway was ...and still is.... one of the leading shipping nations ....with a large merchant fleet spread all over the world....which the nazi were not able to lay their hands on. Norway had the world's largest and most modern fleet of oil tankers. During WW2 did the Norwegian merchant fleet supply Britain with around 60% of all it's import of oil. Of Norway's 3000 ships they lost around 500 of those ships and thousands of sailors, due to torpedo and bombing, in their effort to supply Britain. The British Admiralty wanted very much to take control over the Norwegian merchant fleet ....but the exile Norwegian government and king said a clear NO. They knew that they were untouchable because of queen Maud and her link to the British royals... So Maud became a very important factor for Norway's self determination and control over it's assets. I can also add that Norway's current king Harald V is grandson of Haakon and Maud. Maud was a very well dressed queen and she had the best of what could be designed and handcrafted in Norway. Her dresses are today exhibited on the new national museum for art, architecture and design ...in Oslo. I hope this could fill in a little about the historic background and were the name Maud came from and whom it was.
Hi Dan and thanks so much for watching and commenting - giving myself and other viewers the history behind the name. Very interesting! Thanks for taking the time to put such interesting historical information on here. Much appreciated. 😊
this is a very good video of the experience you had in Norway in December last year. Thank you for sharing as we are looking at doing a similar one this year. I wasn't sure how cold it is... looks freezing!!
Hi Carolyn and thanks for watching. It was certainly very cold but we were well wrapped up in multiple layers. The only time we got cold was using cut off gloves to work the camera on the phone. It was really magical ✨️ 😊
I have enjoyed this as I enjoy all your pottery related videos. Must have been a beautiful experience 🤩. Thank you for sharing with us a bit of "behind your private doors" moments 💚.
Oh how I wish Mike and I had been with you on that cruise. Love cruising and meeting people from all over the world. Surprised you didn’t try hang gliding. Seeing the northern lights must have been so exciting. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you so much for sharing your arctic holiday with all your pottery friends. The northern lights were beautiful. Of course the gingerbread scenes made me think of your pottery houses! I'm sure you gathered new ideas from this journey! So happy to enjoy vicariously through this video. Also, you make quite a handsome couple! ❤️❤️
This was just wonderful, takes me back to our ice hotel experience around 8 years ago. Umm might be somewhere to go for our 40th anniversary. Thank you so much for this amazing experience.
Wow what an amazing holiday!! The northern lights and dog sled are now on my bucket list! Thankyou for subscribing to me. GUESS WHAT??? U were my 100th subscriber! So happy it was u Sarah xx
Hi Nat - I noticed I was number 💯- congratulations on your first century. It takes ages to get going initially- stick at it - you're definitely adding good content which people will want to watch. 😉
Wonderfully amazing ... hope Maud is paying you an advertising fee!! As for us we are off to Tasmania and Queensland in a couple of days! Really great thanks ... those beautiful dogs ahh.
Thank you for this video. Made my mind up to book now. Was unsure who to book with. The excursions look great. Do you book before you go or with the cruise line.
Hiya and thanks for watching. You can book the excursions before you go. There is an included trip at each stop but you can pay for others that are available before you go. Some of the best ones get booked up! This was a once in a lifetime experience I will never forget. 😊
Thanks for sharing this , it was so informative. I’m going on Maud on the 18th Feb . I see you are wearing your red hurtigruten jackets mainly , what did you wear underneath to keep warm ? Did you wear another jacket underneath? Also on the dog sledding did they give you any warm clothing to wear ? I’m very excited now after watching your amazing film , hope I’m as lucky with the weather . 😊
Hi Deborah - can I come with you?! Thanks for watching and your comments. The red jacket is very thin - although does keep the cold out but you definitely need a warm jacket underneath. Hubby and I both wore thick puffer type jackets beneath the Hurtigruten jacket. On the sled there is a thick blanket but we were out for an hour on the sled and at the end it was getting a bit cold so more layers would be good. Really hope you have a magical trip. 😀
My husband (also a Steve) and I also took a Hurtigruten cruise chasing the Northern Lights in December 2022. Ours was just a week after yours: an 11 night Bergen-Kirkenes-Bergen coastal sailing aboard the MS Nordlys, departing Bergen on Dec 14th and returning on Christmas Day. Despite having very little daylight (thanks to Polar Nights) for most of the journey, and frigid temperatures for all of it, we loved every minute of it. And believe me, the dark skies and sub-zero temperatures were a huge change for us -- because we have spent the past 40+ years of our lives in the sunshine and heat of South Florida. And we would do it again in a heartbeat!
Hi Nancy and thanks for watching. I'm so pleased you enjoyed your trip as much as we did. I'd do it all again if I could afford it! 😊
Oh that's interesting you could handle the cold well as we live in the Northern part of Australia where the weather is similar to Florida. What a fantastic journey this is and considering booking last minute for this December! Is it worth doing the round trip? I'm looking at the 7 day one from Bergen to Kirkenes only as we've never been on a cruise and I'm concerned about big seas and massive waves ... did you experience this?
Thanks for the video. I have booked for this December 2023😊
Hi Bob and thanks for watching. Lucky you!! I'm soooo jealous. Have a fantastic time
Very nice production. Looks like a wonderful time.
Thanks so much Fred. Very kind 😊
Wonderful, thanks for sharing. It looked so cold. The sledging was wonderful.
Thanks so much for watching. It was cold but worth it. Amazing experience 😊
Settling down to watch the video. Thanks for sharing this. I know its going to be very interesting!
Thanks so much for watching. A little different to the normal offering! 😁. Hope you enjoyed it.
Thanks so much for sharing, it looks amazing. What a beautiful day you had.
Thanks Cindy - it was a great week! Hope you enjoyed it 😀
Happy memories, my wife and I were on the ship too, we loved it and hope to do it again some time, like you this was something completely different for us and we are so glad we did it, thank you Susan Calman 😊
Absolutely- we booked because of Susan Calman. Really loved our time in the Arctic and Really hope to do more. Thanks for watching. 😊
@@thepotterycornerwe actually appeared in your video, just the back our hats in the white out sitting waiting for the cable car to descend in Andalsnes 😊
@@neilscarff7332 Really - how funny. Great view - not! 😆
Amazing video. I'm booked on this cruise later this year. You have certainly brought it to life for me, and I hope I have a similar exciting experience as you had. Thankyou.
Thanks for watching Chris- wish I could join you and do it all again. Have a magical time 😊
Thank you so much for sharing. Love the doggies. What fabulous memories for you both.
Thanks for watching Diane. It was a truly amazing experience 😊
I think you and your husband had an amazing travel!! Thanks for sharing!😍
Absolutely amazing Helena. Beautiful Norway 🇳🇴 😍
What a wonderful treat! Thanks so much for sharing. It must have been an amazing trip! I need a cup of hot chocolate now! 🥶 LOL
Hi Joann. It really was an amazing trip. I'm so pleased you enjoyed it 😀
That was amazing! Such an exciting trip, packed with beautiful experiences and memories! Need to go check this out. Anniversary coming up in 2 years. No need to look any further methinks :)
Thank you so much for sharing that with us!
Aww thanks so much for watching. It really was an amazing trip. Definitely worth it! Hope you get to go 😊
Gorgeous country...a bit cold though....Thank you for sharing!!!!
Yes it was! But fabulous. Thanks so much for watching.
Not sure if you are aware of the ship you travelled with, MS Maud ......who it was named after
It was not just anybody. It was.....Maud Charlotte Mary Victoria who was born 1869 in London ....and in 1896 she married ( and with a wedding that took place in Buckingham Palace ) with her cousin prince Carl of Denmark. Her parents happened to be king Edward VII and queen Alexandra.
A little history: Sweden has had a long history with crazy expansionism ...attacking absolute every neighbour ...in every direction. They made a lot of wars with Denmark which they took more and more land from. Norway had become just a colony under Denmark ( for 450 years ). Every time Denmark lost a war with Sweden ...well...than they just took a piece of Norway and threw it to Sweden. Today is around 55000 sq. km of originally Norwegian territory a part of Sweden. During the Napoleonic war did Denmark side with Napoleon ...and hence was Norway stuck in that also. Sweden had lost control over Finland to Russia....so the Swedes looked elsewhere for "compensation". So with the defeat of Napoleon Sweden saw the opportunity to press Denmark to give them all of Norway. Since Norway has a history as the oldest united kingdom (established 872 ) in Scandinavia they wouldn't have anything with Sweden to do and declared independence in 1814 and wrote a constitution ....which still today is valid. Denmark gave up Norway ...but kept the Norwegian territories of Faero islands, Iceland and Greenland (Sweden hadn't demanded them). Despite this loss Norway's aim was set on independence and freedom. Those who think that Scandinavia has been a bunch of friends and has been a cozy neighbourhood ....are a bit lost.
Well...... Sweden's ideas of "greatness" was through conquering. With the blessing from Russia and support from Great Britain Sweden invaded Norway in 1814 with 50000 soldiers. As the depleted colony Norway had been they did not have much to oppose the Swedes with... Hence Norway was forced at gunpoint into a marriage called "a union" with Sweden.
In 1905, after 91 years under Swedish control, Norway had enough and declared independence. Sweden threatened with war again. Norway made a strategic chess move that should be an important factor to secure independence from Sweden. They offered prince Carl of Denmark and princess Maud the Norwegian throne as king and queen....which they accepted. Thereby Norway had secured support and allies in Denmark and with Great Britain they had suddenly flipped the former enemy (because they were enemy of Denmark who controlled Norway ) to also become an allied. Prince Carl took the name as king Haakon VII of Norway in line with the historic naming of the king name traditions.
Jumping forward to the nazi-German invasion of Norway in 1940. The Norwegian government and the royal family ended up in exile in London. But only after that Sweden had declined their entrance into Sweden. On the other hand did Sweden allow ....during WW2.... over 2 million German troops, with weapon and all sorts of supply, to travel with their trains to Norway, Finland and Soviet.. Sweden also sold all the iron ore they could produce to the Germany war industry. That was the Swedish "neutrality".....
Norway was ...and still is.... one of the leading shipping nations ....with a large merchant fleet spread all over the world....which the nazi were not able to lay their hands on. Norway had the world's largest and most modern fleet of oil tankers. During WW2 did the Norwegian merchant fleet supply Britain with around 60% of all it's import of oil. Of Norway's 3000 ships they lost around 500 of those ships and thousands of sailors, due to torpedo and bombing, in their effort to supply Britain. The British Admiralty wanted very much to take control over the Norwegian merchant fleet ....but the exile Norwegian government and king said a clear NO. They knew that they were untouchable because of queen Maud and her link to the British royals...
So Maud became a very important factor for Norway's self determination and control over it's assets.
I can also add that Norway's current king Harald V is grandson of Haakon and Maud.
Maud was a very well dressed queen and she had the best of what could be designed and handcrafted in Norway. Her dresses are today exhibited on the new national museum for art, architecture and design ...in Oslo. I hope this could fill in a little about the historic background and were the name Maud came from and whom it was.
Hi Dan and thanks so much for watching and commenting - giving myself and other viewers the history behind the name. Very interesting! Thanks for taking the time to put such interesting historical information on here. Much appreciated. 😊
You two are adorable! Thanks so much for the terrific tour. So enjoyable.
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching Marie 😊
Really enjoyed your video
Thank you Deborah. It was such a fantastic trip. Thanks for watching. 😊
this is a very good video of the experience you had in Norway in December last year. Thank you for sharing as we are looking at doing a similar one this year. I wasn't sure how cold it is... looks freezing!!
Hi Carolyn and thanks for watching. It was certainly very cold but we were well wrapped up in multiple layers. The only time we got cold was using cut off gloves to work the camera on the phone. It was really magical ✨️ 😊
I have enjoyed this as I enjoy all your pottery related videos. Must have been a beautiful experience 🤩. Thank you for sharing with us a bit of "behind your private doors" moments 💚.
Thanks so much for watching. Completely outside the usual clay related content- I'm so pleased you enjoyed it 😊
What an exciting cruise. Breathtaking views and the Northern Lights looked spectacular. I'm looking forward to some Norwegian inspired pots 😄😄
Thanks so much Jan. There was some inspiration for pots - so keep your eyes open for those! 😁
Oh how I wish Mike and I had been with you on that cruise. Love cruising and meeting people from all over the world. Surprised you didn’t try hang gliding. Seeing the northern lights must have been so exciting. Thank you for sharing.
Hi Carolyn. It really was amazing. I'd go again tomorrow. Such a special trip. Thanks for watching 😊
Thank you so much for sharing your arctic holiday with all your pottery friends. The northern lights were beautiful. Of course the gingerbread scenes made me think of your pottery houses! I'm sure you gathered new ideas from this journey! So happy to enjoy vicariously through this video. Also, you make quite a handsome couple! ❤️❤️
Awww shucks - thanks Diane - how kind. He's not a bad old stick really - bless him. Amazing, amazing holiday - best we've ever had apart from Bonaire!
Looks amazing! Loved the dog sleds :)
Thanks for tuning in Mary. It was an incredible trip. Glad you enjoyed coming along. 😁
Wow that looked incredible. The dogs absolutely loved it and the views are beautiful. Such an amazing experience, what a wonderful holiday!
Glad you enjoyed it Karen. Thanks for watching 😊
This was just wonderful, takes me back to our ice hotel experience around 8 years ago. Umm might be somewhere to go for our 40th anniversary. Thank you so much for this amazing experience.
Thanks for watching Susan. Definitely one to do - it was breathtaking 😊
Wow what an amazing holiday!! The northern lights and dog sled are now on my bucket list! Thankyou for subscribing to me. GUESS WHAT??? U were my 100th subscriber! So happy it was u Sarah xx
Hi Nat - I noticed I was number 💯- congratulations on your first century. It takes ages to get going initially- stick at it - you're definitely adding good content which people will want to watch. 😉
Wonderfully amazing ... hope Maud is paying you an advertising fee!! As for us we are off to Tasmania and Queensland in a couple of days! Really great thanks ... those beautiful dogs ahh.
Thanks so much for watching Joyce. I'm envious of your trip-safe travels 😊
Thank you for this video. Made my mind up to book now. Was unsure who to book with. The excursions look great. Do you book before you go or with the cruise line.
Hiya and thanks for watching. You can book the excursions before you go. There is an included trip at each stop but you can pay for others that are available before you go. Some of the best ones get booked up! This was a once in a lifetime experience I will never forget. 😊
Thanks for sharing this , it was so informative. I’m going on Maud on the 18th Feb .
I see you are wearing your red hurtigruten jackets mainly , what did you wear underneath to keep warm ? Did you wear another jacket underneath?
Also on the dog sledding did they give you any warm clothing to wear ?
I’m very excited now after watching your amazing film , hope I’m as lucky with the weather . 😊
Hi Deborah - can I come with you?! Thanks for watching and your comments. The red jacket is very thin - although does keep the cold out but you definitely need a warm jacket underneath. Hubby and I both wore thick puffer type jackets beneath the Hurtigruten jacket. On the sled there is a thick blanket but we were out for an hour on the sled and at the end it was getting a bit cold so more layers would be good. Really hope you have a magical trip. 😀
@@thepotterycorner , wish you were coming you obviously know how to have fun .
Thanks for your tip re clothes for my trip .
Happy travels 😀