Day 6-Bodø

Due to all the changes we weren’t due to arrive in Bodø until about 11.00am so had a leisurely morning in front of us after our late night last night.

We had the usual coffee in bed and then went to Medina for breakfast. We agreed to share so we could get in quickly. Everyone was pleasant enough but not exiting.

After breakfast I went up to the Oasis Spa to change my nail appointment as I thought I might be able to do it in the morning before we went out. They didn’t have one for this morning until midday but that’s when our excursion was due to start but so I booked at 5.00pm as our excursion would only last 2.5 hours.

But what a fickle mistress the weather is!  No sooner had I got back to the cabin when the Captain made his next announcement - due to high winds we would have to delay docking for an hour which would affect all shore excursions!

So my next concern was that they would swap the excursion we had booked for today to tomorrow when I had re-booked the Tripadvisor excursion and it was too late to cancel that now. If that happened we would have to cancel the P&O one.  But I decided to just be patient and see what happens.

At around 11.00 they announced the new times of the excursions. Ours was still today but at 2.30 so no way I’d be back in time for my nail appointment. So I hot footed it up to the spa again and asked if they could still do it at midday today which they could, so I changed it yet again.

With a bit of time to kill I wondered around the boat. Steve confessed to a hot dog in the Lido Grill.

Back to the spa for 12.00 and she did my nails very nicely (no gel just old fashioned polish).

Then I thought that because the trip had been put back I would need something to eat before we went so I copied Steve and went to the Grill and had a burger for my sins!

By 2.00 we were ready and raring to go so headed downstairs. Today we were going on a hike to Keiservarden which is a plateau at the top of Veten mountain in Bodo. It is named after Keiser Wilhelm II who supposedly climbed the mountain in 1899. The plateau has a 360 degree view of the surrounding area and in good weather can see as far as the Lofoten Islands.

It was a very short coach trip to the car park at the bottom. There were only 20 people doing the hike and there were two guides. So we split into two groups and set off.

Well!  What a great walk. It really made up for last night.  It’s a tough walk with quite a bit of it up steep granite steps and other parts over natural rock. So we enjoyed the workout. But over and above that, the views were spectacular. I realised as we walked that sometimes these hiccups we have can prove to be a blessing in disguise. Because we started so late and because the clocks have gone back, the sun was setting by the time we reached the summit. We had wonderful views on the way up but to see the sun setting over the sea and surrounding mountains was outstanding - once again, how lucky are we!  The timing turned out to be immaculate, the walk was fantastic and we are still fit enough to enjoy it.

The walk down was a little more challenging as the light was fading but it was still fun and very satisfying.  And I did get to use the head torch I’d been given.

All in all we walked 5km in 2 hours.  So it easy.

We are now back on the boat and showered and getting ready for dinner which will be in Medina after a drink in Anderson’s.

Tomorrow is a rib ride to see eagles and the Saltstraumen Maelstrom. Exciting!