We found out this morning that the air conditioning was on the fritz but it was repaired quickly. I was slow to rise but Yordie’s feet hit the deck and she was gone for her tea. I was just about to get in the shower when they announced we would be crossing back over the Arctic Circle in 15 minutes and a special treat awaited us.

Jumping into my clothes, outside to Deck 7 I headed. Yordie was already perched at the railing suspecting the monument would pass on the starboard side. There was a countdown, a long air horn blast and cheers with cameras clicking. Now that we are further south it is brighter and we can see the island, green light and monument clearer marking where the Arctic Circle is. The ship passes very close which allowed for this picture.

What is this treat that awaits us on Deck7? COD LIVER OIL served on a souvenir engraved spoon!! We all lined up and took a slug in order to get our spoon. It was fun to watch the looks on people’s faces as they swallowed their dose. Spirits are really high today and we laughed as everyone took their turn.

After breakfast, we went to the lounge to socialize and laugh about how cod liver oil brought back memories of our childhood. Suddenly over the loudspeaker we hear, “Prosper couple to the Expedition desk”. Yordie’s last name is Prosper. We joked about the fact they surely think we are a couple.

Unbeknownst to me, Yordie had approached the captain on his way out of the dining room and gave him a brief summary of the Prosper marine history, notably the sinking of the SS Caribou off the coast of Nova Scotia on its way to Newfoundland. Her grandfather was 2nd officer in command. The SS Caribou was torpedoed on October 14, 1942. It was a passenger ship and was mistaken by German forces as a fighter boat, hence the attack. To commemorate this event, she asked if he would allow us access to the bridge. He instructed her to make contact with reception to book the visit. This was what I wanted to win her for her birthday but had been unsuccessful at the auction. She was thrilled that at 11:45 am today she would get the chance to see it. Apologies to Astrid and Paul for being secretive but we were asked to keep it under wraps.

The SS Caribou was torpedoed on October 14, 1942. It was a passenger ship and was mistaken by German forces as a fighter boat, hence the attack.

At 3:00 pm we docked in Brønnysund and it was time for a walk and hopefully find that elusive Norwegian sweater. We walked up and down the town streets and nothing was open except a mall. No souvenir or gift shops were open at street level either. We bumped into Bev and Nick who told us even the tourist office was closed. Through the Hurtigruten Insiders forum on Facebook, I learned this port offered up some amazing soft service ice cream with strawberries. We had just finished lunch and didn’t feel like indulging although we did see one of the ship’s employees come aboard carrying two takeout containers of that ice cream. It must be good!

Tonight is the Captain’s Dinner to celebrate the 130th anniversary of Hurtigruten. This was a bonus for us and not on the published agenda. At 6:30 pm were offered a glass of champagne for a toast and then we walked by the Captain and his crew including the Head Chef, Restaurant Manager, Hotel Manager and Expedition team, servers and apprentice servers lined up impeccably dressed in their uniforms as we entered the restaurant. The Captain made champagne toast and they all walked around our tables cheering us with a “Skäl. The event was well organized and they looked so dapper in their uniforms. The dinner was delicious. Yordie had the Clipfish and I had the Braised Beef Cheek. Another fabulous meal.

At 9:30 pm Yordie and I joined some other enthusiastic passengers for some line dancing in the conference room. It was so much fun. We worked off our dinner and then headed to the panoramic lounge to unwind before bed. I tried to stand up but my left knee locked and felt swollen. I must have twisted it during the line dancing which was on carpet. I took an anti-inflammatory before bed and was fine by the morning.