[15-Day Northern Europe Self-Guided Trip] Day 8: Sailing from the North Cape to Tromsø, Stopping at Hammerfest, Experiencing a Sauna, and a Seasickness Diary

Table of Contents Trip Overview Trip Preparation Sailing from North Cape to Tromsø Morning Rocking and the Onboard Breakfast Experience Hammerfest: Snow, a Church, and the Polar Bear Club A Seasick Afternoon: The Price of Sauna and Writing Checking Out After Dinner, Waiting to Arrive at the Capital of the Aurora Arriving in Tromsø: Settling into a Small Apartment Late at Night Trip Summary & Other Nordic Travel Journals I. Trip Overview Today is the last day of our coastal cruise journey, sailing from North Cape (Nordkapp) all the way to Tromsø, a major city within the Arctic Circle. Along the way, we made a brief stop at Hammerfest, the northernmost town in Norway, where we explored the local polar bear club. Our day aboard included: ✅ Enjoying a hearty breakfast and buffet lunch ✅ Sauna experience on the ship ✅ A seasickness episode brought on by rough waves 🤢 ✅ Arrived in Tromsø late at night, officially entering the "Capital of the Northern Lights" II. Trip Preparation 1. Transportation: HAVILA Cruise Men's cabin: no window, bunk beds, cost 6,800 NTD per person Women's cabin: with window, two single beds, cost 11,000 NTD per person Booking website: HAVILA official website 2. Accommodation: Apartment in the heart of Tromsø (Airbnb) Location: About a 20-minute walk from the pier, but not very convenient if you have luggage. Room condition: Small and cramped, but fully furnished. Price: NT$8,400 per night, which is cheap for Tromsø. Overall rating: Average, not particularly recommended.

3. Sailing from North Cape to Tromsø Morning rocking and the onboard breakfast experience In the early morning, the cruise ship kept gently swaying, with an almost hypnotic charm. Even though we'd already dozed off several times the day before, staying in bed still felt especially cozy. Breakfast was served from 7:00 to 9:30, and we agreed to go eat together at 8:00. The breakfast quality on the HAVILA cruise was quite good, combining à la carte ordering with a self-service buffet, offering a rich variety of choices: Hot dishes (scrambled eggs, sausages, bacon) Cold cuts (cheese, ham, smoked fish) Bread and fresh fruit

During these two days and one night... actually two nights of the cruise, we had a total of 2 lunches, 2 dinners, and 1 breakfast. Given Norway's high prices, an average of NT$6,800 per person was quite a worthwhile experience. Hammerfest: Snow, a Church, and the Polar Bear Club After breakfast, we sat in the ship's lounge chatting. It was a leisurely stretch of time, and everyone's pace slowed along with the ship's speed. At eleven in the morning, the cruise ship docked at Hammerfest — one of the northernmost cities in the world. We had one hour to stop in Hammerfest, so we quickly disembarked to explore the small town. Thick snow blanketed the entire town, filling it with a wintery atmosphere. Looking at the city's emblems, the local character here seems to be tied to glaciers, seafaring, and polar bears.

After checking the information later, I learned that there were actually no real polar bears here, but there is a 'Royal and Ancient Polar Bear Society,' a small museum and club dedicated to promoting the culture and history of the Arctic region. We happened to visit a local exhibition hall there, which displayed the history of polar expeditions, polar bear specimens, and other Arctic animal specimens.

We also discovered a uniquely designed church in the small town, with the Jesus statue outside crafted as a stunning mosaic artwork. With limited time, we quickly finished viewing it and returned to the ship.

An afternoon of seasickness: the price of the sauna and writing

Honestly speaking, the sauna on this ship isn't all that hot, but the whole process was pretty complete. After one round of steaming, we ran out to the outdoor pool to cool down, but since the pool water wasn't very warm, heading back into the sauna to warm up again was especially agonizing.

However, at 3 PM that afternoon, I made a terrible mistake — I went to the top deck of the cruise ship to write an article while enjoying the sea view. At the time, the waves were huge and the ship was swaying violently. I was so focused on my phone screen that I didn't realize at all that I was already seasick 🤢 After feeling uncomfortable, I immediately went back to my cabin to rest. Even going up to the deck for fresh air didn't help. In the end, I followed A-Cat's suggestion to "go throw up," and sure enough, I felt much better afterward. With my body feeling more relaxed, I lay flat to rest and recover my energy. After dinner, we disembarked and waited to arrive at the Aurora City. At six-thirty, I dragged my exhausted body out of bed. Thankfully the seasickness had worn off, so I was able to eat dinner normally. My travel companion A-Juan wasn't so lucky — she got seasick too, and after hearing about my experience, she went and threw up as well. But after vomiting, she was completely drained and had no appetite at all for dinner. After the meal, we finished checking out before eight o'clock as required by the ship's rules. After gathering our luggage together, we found a corner in the common area to rest.We won't arrive in Tromsø until around midnight, so A-Cat and I just watch shows and scroll on our phones, occasionally glancing out the window hoping for a miracle—to see the Northern Lights again. Unfortunately, the weather tonight is poor with heavy snow falling outside, and we can't see the beautiful aurora again. This means our streak of consecutive nights viewing the Northern Lights ends at four days.

Arriving in Tromsø: Finding Shelter in a Small Apartment Late at Night Around midnight on March 17th, we finally arrived in Tromsø. Fortunately, we found a seven-seater taxi at the harbor, and the driver kindly helped us get directly to the accommodation we had booked for tonight.

Finding this accommodation was a bit of a hassle — it turned out to be in the semi-basement of a building, requiring us to walk down a flight of stairs, and the space was also much smaller than expected. But for a group of us who were exhausted from all the travel, having any place to sleep felt like heaven. Although most of this day was spent on the cruise ship, the stop at Hammerfest, sauna experience, and seasickness episode made the journey much more diverse and interesting. Explore more travel stories of Nordic four-country self-guided tours Northern Europe is not just about the northern lights and snow, but also the elegance of cities, the mystery of polar regions, and the richness of culture. This journey across Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden will take you to explore the beauty of Europe's purest corners! 🇩🇰 Denmark Self-Guided Travel 📍Day 2: One-day tour of Copenhagen | 📍Day 3: Explore Freetown Christiania, fly to Finland 🇫🇮 Finland Arctic Journey 📍Day 4: Helsinki city tour & overnight sleeper train | 📍Day 5: Santa Claus Village & first taste of the Northern Lights 📍Day 6: Rovaniemi husky sledding & city exploration | 📍Day 7: Lake Inari & the secret realm of the Aurora 🇳🇴 Norway Cruise Voyage & Northern Lights Exploration 📍Day 8: Crossing the border from Inari into Kirkenes to board a cruise｜📍Day 9: Staying in Hammerfest and enjoying life on board 📍Day 10: Tromsø's museum and snowy views from the cable car｜📍Day 11: Transport disruption, stranded in Tromsø 🇸🇪 A Swedish cultural stroll and the perfect ending 📍Day 12: Flying to Stockholm, catching a surprise glimpse of the Aurora high in the sky｜📍Day 13: City Hall & the Vasa Shipwreck Museum 📍Day 14: An in-depth wander through the Old Town and Swedish culture