Visit to Hammerfest September 4 2022.

We are vsiting the ancient village / town of Hammerfest . We woke to a stunning perfect morning without a cloud in the sky.

We spend a little tie out on the balcony before we decide to shower and change for breakfast.

The ship is due to berth in Hammerfest at 9.00 am and is about 10 minutes late.

So lets us start with some history. Hammerfest town , is on the barren island of Kvaloya i Soroy Sound, off the northwestern coast of Norway and this is in an area which we didn’t visit on our previous business to Norway.

Chartered in 1789 it was bombarded and destroyed by w British Brigs in 1809. then between 1809 and 1852 Norway, Sweded and russia conducted surveys to establish a Meridian Arc between Hammerfest, and the Danube river at the Black Sea. A Meridian stone column at Fuglenes ( asection of the town), commemorates the completion of this important work. In 1891 most of Hummerfest was destroyed in a vilent fire.

Hammerfest calls itself the most northerly town in the world. This is because in 1789, both Hammerfest and Vardo received their own charters by Royal Decree by King Charles v11 of Denmark - Norway. this ten m,ade Hammerfest the most northerly outpost of European urban culture and settlement.

Today Hammerfest has about 10,000 residents and there are no larger settlements north of Hammerfest.

Hammerfest has a long past in hunting marine mammals north and in the Arctic Ocean. Every spring major expeditions took place from here. The first expedition from Hammerfest to Svalbard took place in 1794. They hunted seals, walrus and polar bears. in Northern Greenland., Franz joseph Land to the ice at the outlet to the White Sea and the Kara Sea.

Seal pelts, Walrus pelts and tusks, polar bear pelts and even polar bear cubs were much sought after.

We enjoyed a fascinating visit and morning taking in the history, listening to gudes and the importance of this town in the whole Northern and Arctic environment..

We took an excursion to the Polar Bear club which is a display of traditional hunting and then there are displays of the animals and a museum. Then we has the opportunity to join up for a fee to the Polar Bear clb to protect the Polar Bears in the Arctic environment.

We enjoyred the visit, didn’t join the Polar Bear club , but thoroughly enjoyed the Museum and the drive. It is a pretty township at this time of year, but we sense a frightfully clod and bitter environemtn during the very long winter..

Late afternoon Jeanette makes an appointment to see the Doctor in the Ship’s Medical Centre.

however prior to this the nurses come to our suite in full PPE to check her condition and test her for covid-19. They esplain that if she is found to have Covid she and I will be reqwuired to isolate in our cabin.

After an hour she is advised that her test for covid-19 is clear and she should proceed to the Medical Centre on Deck 4.

She does this and has a variety of tests for all sorts of things. She is eventually diagnosed with acute sinusitis, acute Pharyngitis and Acute Bronchitis. She is prescribed several medications. She is recorded as visiting the Medical Suite with symptoms of cough, fatigue and nasal congestion. Jeanette is assured that medications will work over a 3-4 day period.

She returns at least pleased with the diagnosois and the provided medication..

We receive a Bill/ account for US$1,100.81 or about A$1,780. Shocked but hopefully can claim on Travel Medical Insurance.

Good service and hopefully a speedy recovery.