Mixed cargo (cargo and ocean liner hybrid), the Express Côtier has provided the link between Kirkenes and Bergen since 1893, day and night, summer and winter. His mission ? Delivering goods and mail at its 34 stopovers on the Norwegian coast, and also transporting travelers who use it for the entire route or just for a few stops. Despite my poor sea legs, I didn't feel too seasick:equipped with stabilizers, this freighter sails very little in the open sea, but almost always between the mainland and coastal islands, where it's calmer. As for comfort on board, it's nickel. And if there is no dress code required, don't forget your down jacket to go on deck, or your swimsuit to enjoy the outdoor jacuzzi. Take a dip in -17° in front of the snowy fjords, it's unique!
It's all about the gear! Arriving in Kirkenes, in the very north of the country and only 5 minutes from the Russian border, I quickly understood that I had to pull out all the stops:long, warm underwear and thick woolen socks, then layers of fleece and down jacket. My secret weapon? The balaclava, a thin balaclava essential to protect the face. To test my resistance to the cold before the cruise, I decided to spend a night at the Ice Hotel in Kirkenes, open from December to April (then it melts), which also offers sleigh rides. The most difficult:take off your clothes and shoes by -7° and manage to slip into long underwear, T. shirt, big socks and balaclava in a sheet then in the duvet. Once past the first ten critical minutes, it's true, we're hot, but above all we must not be cloistered because we can barely move in our sleeping bag. Or want to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night...
It's true, on board, it's rather calm:we learn to tie marine knots, we attend conferences... and we admire the snow-covered fjords as far as the eye can see. At stopovers, a complete change of pace! So I got on a snowmobile in Mehamm at 1 a.m., and spun in the polar night to pick up the boat in Kjollefjord at 4 a.m. In Tromso, the midnight concert in the Arctic Cathedral moved me to tears and the Polar Museum allowed me to realize the harshness of the first expeditions in the Norwegian Far North.
If I feasted on board the Express Côtier with fresh-smoked-marinated salmon (your choice!) but also with reindeer sausages or roast elk with cranberries, this is my encounter with king crab in Kirkeness which impressed me the most. After snowmobiling to the hole dug in a frozen fjord, I had to break the ice before pulling up a basket of “King Crabs”. The most beautiful animals weigh up to 15 kg! Once the souvenir photo was taken, it became more gory when the guide stuck his Sami knife in each crab before cutting it up on the spot. We then quickly returned to put our peach to cook and 30 minutes later we tasted its juicy flesh... Royal!
And the “Hunting The Light” cruise that I tested is ideal for observing them because at sea we are far from any source of light pollution. From 9 p.m., polar temperature or not, everyone climbs onto the bridge to see the famous green rays. For lack of having studied my camera's manual, I missed all my shots... For next time:provide a tripod or a stable support, switch to manual mode to choose a large aperture (f/2.8), a sensitivity ISO 800 or higher and a short exposure time (less than 15 s).
Kirkenes-Bergen cruise (6 days/5 nights) from €1,122/pers. in a double inside cabin and full board, excluding flights, for a departure between 01.01 and 31.03.2015 (by booking before 31.01.15) with Hurtigruten. Kirkenes-Tromso cruise from €152/pers. with breakfast. in the inside cabin. Tailor-made trip, possibly combined with car rental.
