For the summer solstice: Hurtigruten

MS Nordnorge -- the Hurtigruten ship we're following

If you're not watching the intrepid and somewhat surreal 134 hour journey of the Hurtigruten ship from Bergen to Kirkenes in the Norwegian arctic circle which is being recorded live by webcam via NRK and broadcast for all to witness, I suggest you tune in here.  How perfect for the summer solstice, to watch footage from the land of midnight sun, live and sunny at three in the morning. In the latest portion, the ship is pulling into Vardø , where more witches were burned than any other town in Norway.  In true Norwegian fashion, the greeting the ship receives is quite bizarre and really rather wonderful.

Hurtigrutten approaching Vardo

"Witches from Vardo have boarded the boat"

And more witches

The Vardo lighthouse with bonfire

Townsfolk greet the ship

While witches dance and cackle, fuel is added to the flame

The interviewer discovers that there are still witches in Vardo

Vardo dignitaries and a sign greeting grandparents

a strange traditional dance?

heading back out of the harbor

and into the Barents Sea

And to get an idea of the breathtaking beauty of the Norwegian coastline, watch a one minute timelapse video of Hurtigruten's trip from Florø to Måløy: