Intermission

Not calling at Hammerfest gave a day cruising dramatic fjords which would otherwise have been passed in the dark. So it turned out for the best. There is more snow in this region, but it is high on the mountains.

Dinner in suite - pizza, champagne and 'Darkest Hour' movie.

Morning walk round Tromso. The shuttle bus went through a long tunnel and there was a first for TSH and Diva. An underground roundabout where two tunnels met!!

The afternoon excursion was to the beautiful  island of Sommaroy. A group of 4 wild reindeer on the road caused the bus to divert around them. Waffles and hot drinks were much appreciated in the cold weather.

On return to the Silver Spirit, all guests were strongly encouraged to go  immediately to the theatre for an announcement from the captain.

Through the Chilean fjords to Punta Arenas

The itinerary for the voyage was misleading in that there was really only one day in the fjords – the first was in open sea (which was choppy enough to make some people ill – not TSH and Diva) with entry to the first fjord at 17:00. When they eventually got there, TSH and Diva thought the fjords were very similar to those in Norway. They varied in width and at one point it seemed that the Silver Spirit was on a lake, while at other times, both banks were quite close. The nearest hills were reminiscent of the central English Lake District fells, covered with low vegetation but with some bare rock. In places, snow covered peaks and glaciers could be seen through the mist on the higher peaks beyond. This was the first rain of the whole trip.

The butler spotted a ship-wreck but for some reason the captain did not draw attention to this sea feature.

There was another special dinner (tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, pasta, beef, tuna, sticky dessert) for the Circlers, this time in La Terrazzza.

Punta Arenas is not the most interesting town but the short excursion gave a good idea of a region which has always had to work hard to counteract its climate and its distance from places it trades with. The terminology of ‘discovery’ and ‘native Indians’ seemed very colonial and old-fashioned, not to mention politically incorrect. The main statue in the town shows Magellan in triumph, with the original inhabitants of the region beneath his feet. The guide was the son of a man who left London after the first world war but most of the European settlers here came from what is now Croatia.

Punta Arenas is at the extreme south of the mainland of South America. It is on the Magellan strait – across the water is Tierra del Fuego, a separate island which belongs partly to Chile and partly to Argentina.

Many guides in Chile have said that Chile is the major exporter of salmon in the world but a Norwegian guest insists that Norway has that distinction.