ROCKING TO HYPPO SONG-NORWAY-MY WAY

                    
        THE HIPPO SONG
In the beginning God made the seas,  
And the forest filled with trees
 He built the mountains up so high
 at the very top he placed the sky
God's fingerprints everywhere 
Just to show how much He cares.

I was awake and having coffee when we left Nesna.
 I was singing the hippo song and feeling very cheerful.

  At 7:30 am the crew on the bridge
 activated the booming hooter to let us know we were
crossing over the Artic Circle...marked only by a globe
on a nearby island.
       Those who make the trip in the summer see the midnight sun..
This morning I stayed in my room for breakfast. I made
coffee and ate leftover rolls, a little dry but okay.
Around 8:30 am I heard aknock on my door.  It wasHenry.  He had brought us my favorite ship meal for us to eat together: eggs, bacon, cheese, rolls and juice.
I made coffee.


       We pulled up both chairs to the table and ate. 
We often had "talks" because Henry loved to talk about life and its meaning....loved to philosophize. I think this boy is more of an 8 year old than 20. But he is good company.
Suddenly he said, "Miss Annie, there is something I need to talk with you about..oh, never mind." Then he left!!
At 9 am we were in Ornes for thirty minutes.
I checked my e-mail and was delighted to hear from SISTERS!!! 
When their train arrived in Stavanger, there were two people waiting. Nicklas and his fiance. Surprise. They had waited until the aunts arrived before having the wedding in their Lutheran church. Eve and Asta  are so happy and hope I will be there...   hmmm, we'll see.


                      ORNES 9:00 to 9:30
You can see our ship arriving. Although we had so little time, we took a short walk.                               
  
   
                         
When I got back on board, I had a lot on my mind. I 
wasn't hungry, so I stopped by the cold food buffet. 
I got some things to take back to my room. 
 I didn't want to seem unfriendly, 
but standing on the deck or sitting in the lounge
 for long periods of time didn't appeal to me.                          
In only a few hours we arrived in Bodo.
12:30 for 2 1/2 hours.

                    
 1,538 population  It was a pleasant place to walk. People smiled at us as we passed each other.
 Beach they use in summer.  I enjoyed walking around with  only nodding acquaintances. They do not speak English but are  fun,  nevertheless. 


Not far from Bodo is SALSTRAUMEN....looks peaceful, huh? Keep looking. We saw this from the ship.
v v  World's strongestMaelstromBrave guys rafting!!
Finally I ate lunch in my suite: rolls, fresh fruit, hard
cheese and coffee. I had unexpected visitors. Rachel
and Henry arrived at the same time. I was happy to
have company.  I had bought several Hurtigruten 
souvenier mugs hoping for such an occasion. We got
Rachel to tell us how she got started as a writer. Henry
was great at pulling stuff out of people.
Soon Rachel left to work.  facsimile
And Henry left to get on the computer.
 facsimile.

The islands and fjords were beautiful. But I was getting 
satiated with such beauty. Went in to write a few letters 
and send an e-mail to the SISTERS.
. Lofoten Islands.Houses on stiltsDrying cod on racks. 

Stamsund, Norway. 7 pm for 30 minutes. Lofoten 
Islands.
 
As the ship sailed away we saw this. 
Overwhelming...the NORTHERN LIGHTS!
  

We went to the 8 o'clock seated dinner. The food was good:Salmon, potatoes and other vegetables, hot rolls. I was tired and didn't linger at the table. Rachel was not there.************************************************************************************************
It was dark when we reached 
Svolvaer Lofoten. More northern lights!!!!!
   I still can't believe we saw this. 
I went to sleep the same way I awoke...singing.
"His fingerprints everywhere, to show how much He 
cares...fingerprints...fingerprints.zzzzzzzzz  annie
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