At the halfway point, we head north, to go south!

At this high latitude, with the country narrowing, you have to go north from Kirkenes to go around the North Cape, to head on south towards Bergen.

But, before that, we have to entertain the issue of which town is the Most Northern Town in Norway. I was just going along, dumb and happy. Enjoying the cruise. Then I started reading some books in the gift shop. Hammerfest (10,000people) has registered the claim “The Northernmost Town in the World” as a trademark in 2009. And they don’t care what other places think. Honningsvag disputes that claim, having achieved town status in 1996. Honningsvag with 5,000 people, should have been accorded this honor; with a change in Norwegian law requiring 10,000 people, but changed to 5,000), after the fact. The government decided not to make it retroactive. Either way, we enjoyed visiting both.

Woke up around 8:15, and peeked out the window. Just leaving Havoysund. Bet it gets pretty cold in the winter. But it won’t put off the 1,000 hardy Norwegians who live there. Off to breakfast. Need energy for walking tour of Hammerfest, with only an hour and forty-five minutes to do it.

Enroute, we pass the competition. They don’t carry mail or freight. Think we made the right choice.

If you say it long enough, I guess some people will believe it. Just to let you know, we did follow the polar bear prints, but encountered no bears. None in Norway proper. You have to go to the island of Svalbard, Norway to find lots of polar bears. The prints were white paint.

After the sign, this is what we saw on the dock: a 1952 Opel Olympia, made in Germany. It was first manufactured in 1935, named for the upcoming Berlin Olympics in 1936. Not sure who he was waiting for but wow that is a ride!

Some of the people on the ship were going by bus to go for a mountain hike. Did you notice the size of the mountains? Anyway, there were several tour buses parked nearby because there was also a large cruise ship as well. As per the norm, the buses were all electric. In fact, 90% of all new cars sold in Norway are electric!

Another town, another church. I guess, before we flew to Norway, we were expecting all churches to be made of stone, like the cathedral in Trondheim. But, as part of my education on this trip, I learned that the Soviets bombed northern Norway in WW II, to try to dislodge the Germans. And what wasn’t destroyed by them, the rest was destroyed by the retreating Germans. To the point, that virtually all of the buildings of northern Norway were completely flattened by 1944-1945. As a result, what you see, up north, are completely rebuilt towns. And the style of the new buildings created a forward-looking architecture that is so appealing today.

Not far from the dock is the local school. Something you don’t see in the States are dual language school signs. In this case it says Hammerfest High School, first in Norwegian, then Sami. This far north much of the local population is likely to be Sami.

This is another building that is part of the high school. Wonderful design.

Another striking feature of Norwegian design is color. This urge to create bright and colorful buildings throughout the country. What better way to ward off the very long Norwegian winters.

During the Napoleonic Wars in 1809, Hammerfest came under attack from the Royal Navy Warships with intense exchanges of cannon fire between the vessels and fortifications on land. When the Norwegians ran out of gunpowder, they had to surrender. The warships stayed in the harbor for days while the town was sacked. Even the collection money from the church was taken. I never even knew that war was also fought so far north.

In the far-left hand corner of the picture is a Norwegian liquid gas plant. Between gas and oil, they have an embarrassment of natural resources. But they still get virtually all their energy that they use themselves from solar and wind turbine. Not to mention that they are getting close to half of the vehicles on the road using electricity.

Well, it’s time to walk on back to the ship. The reindeer walk with us as far as the school.

When I speak of this town, and that town, I should point out that most of them consist of multiple islands. While each island has its own roads, ferries are vital to get from one island to the next. Some are people only. Some carry people and vehicles. In addition, the larger towns have built long tunnels to go from one island to another. Some are as long as two miles long.

As our ship departs the dock, we can see the ever-present mountains framing the water. Wonder if the hikers went up that mountain?

Before we head on out to the next towns today, we pause for a moment to take it all in. It really has been breathtaking. I look forward, as we traverse another fjord, taking a moment to look at the sky. It surely does put a smile on my face. An absolutely amazing cruise!

Cruising to the halfway point, Kirkenes!

As we awoke early this morning, anticipating our arrival in Kirkenes, we peeked out our window to see our arrival into Vadso, a village of 5,000. Originally it was a major fishing village, but now the service industries and public administration are the primary employers.

We headed down for breakfast, as we shortly arrive in Kirkenes.

A colorful and picturesque sight, entering the harbor. This was followed by the observation of a Russian fishing trawler in the harbor.

For many years the Norwegians and the Russians have had a thriving cross-border trade between the neighbors that are only 15KM (9 miles) apart. Because both sides of the border up north have closely relied upon each other, Russian fishing trawlers still come here for maintenance. Up close and personal, livelihoods depend on this trade. So, in spite of sanctions on Russia, each small parts of the two nations still trade; tied at the hip by the fishing industry.

Finally, we dock and are able to walk out of the port. We will be ashore for three and a half hours. We plan to go for a good walk. I notice the scooter beside the sign. With as little vehicular traffic around, he pretty much can drive where he wants!

I ask the first “person” we meet for directions to the “city center.” He said: “just hoof it.” I got a dirty look when I asked where we could get a good reindeer burger. (All the reindeer in the Nordic countries are only owned by the indigenous Sami people.) They can track them with the attached devices they wear. It is most common that this far north they walk right by you, with no concern or fear.

I guess this one forgot the pass code to get through the gate.

On the way into the village center, we passed some of the homes of locals. This one clearly states it is the residence of a ship’s captain.

At the heart of the village “center” is the local parish church. The “downtown” was about 2 blocks long. After meandering around the village, enjoying the unbelievable temperature of 25 C (77F), the highest in Norway today(!!), we took the coast road back to the ship.

And now we see what the main industry is here in Kirkenes. This is the main harbor where crab trawlers head out to sea.

There were literally thousands of crab pots all over the place. The Red King Crabs originated in the Pacific Ocean. Fisherman brought some to the Soviet waters near Murmansk in the 1960’s. For the past 40 years they have migrated across the border thoroughly populating the northern waters of Norway. Although considered an unwanted species in Norwegian waters, the red king crabs are now an expensive delicacy and an important part now of the Norwegian fishing industry.

I can personally attest to the fact that they are very tasty!

Too soon, the whistle blows and it’s time to head back down the coast of Norway. We are at the halfway point. Our next stop, before dinner is Vardo. This is where the mind can really play tricks on you. As you all know, Norway is west of Russia. Or is it? Vardo is Norway’s easternmost town. And yet, it lies EAST of both St. Petersburg and Kyiv! It is on the same longitude as Cairo! 2,000 people live in this village. This is the only town in Norway with an Arctic climate. The average daily temperature never exceeds 10C (50F). But today, for us, it is about 20C(68F). And you will see fishing boats all over the harbor.

At the harbor entrance, the ever-present lighthouse.

In this sunlight, the harbor is so bright and brilliant. One important reason is that the air is so clear here, free of most pollution that surrounds us all on a daily basis. No doubt, during the dreary winter with its long days without sun rising above the horizon, having brightly colored houses can cheer you up, and help you find your home! And they are pretty too.

Have to appreciate their sense of humor.

For a post office, the MS Ricard With turns out to be an excellent cruise ship as well.

Hey, what’s going on here. I didn’t notice this coming into the harbor! I must have been on the other side. I thought this was a fishing village. Well, it is that, too. But it is also a radar system, called GLOBUS-III, established by the U.S. and Norway, less than 40 miles from Russia’s Kola Peninsula, where a series of Arctic naval bases host nuclear submarines that serve the strategic Northern Fleet. Guess there are all kinds of fishing!

Well, with all the activities of the day, we have worked up a good appetite. Time for dinner.

The appetizer we choose for tonight is Sami Laibi. This is a traditional Sami bread. It is topped with marinated herring, whipped sour cream, boiled eggs, potato and pickled onions.

I may kid around, but we got our reindeer for dinner tonight. It is Finnmark reindeer, along with reindeer sausage, mashed potatoes with celery root, fried broccolini, red wine sauce with finely chopped mushrooms.

And for dessert, we went our separate ways.

The better half had Raspberry mouse, with blackberry couli and almond brittle.

Since we are near the Russian border, I chose to have the Russian honey cake with butter cream and salted caramel sauce. The entire meal was excellent!

A spin around the deck, with the background of the most spectacular sunset at 11PM . Tomorrow will include Hammerfest, the most northern town in Norway.

Where did the trees and grass go? And the people? And the farms?

Welcome to the North Cape. Harsher weather the year-round. While fisherman live throughout Norway, this far north it is almost exclusively the domain of the fishermen. These lonely cabins, here and there, are probably summer homes, most reachable only by boat. And when we speak of fishermen, we are not talking about subsistence -level.

As I said, we are cruising further north, which accounts for the change of scenery. Note the latitude.

The sign reads: “Mehamn, the world’s northernmost Hurtigruten port.

When you get this far north, everyone cashes in on Santa. The sign indicates that this is Santa’s house. My better half scoffs, saying Santa actually resides in Korvatunturi, Lapland in Finland.

No matter where you go in Norway, every town, village or City has at least one church. In Norway they are more ubiquitous than McDonalds!

I had a funny thought; we haven’t seen many restaurants. Passing through these latest villages, no more than 2,500 people, I wonder what they were eating for dinner tonight, fish or pork maybe? Probably not likely a gourmet feast, as we had onboard, while traversing the North Cape.

For our appetizer tonight, we both had the Pork Terrine, with pickled red onion, crisp bread and pea puree.

For our main course, we both chose the Pork Neck Confit, with parmesan cheese, roasted broccoli, and port wine sauce, topped with raw marinated red cabbage.

I’ll skip mentioning the dessert, as it was truly decadent!

A nightcap, and a walk around the ship, prepared us for sleep. When we wake up, we will have arrived in Kirkenes, where will stop for 3 1/2 hours, before heading back down the coast. This time we will visit the towns that we slept through on our way north.

Tromso is Today!

Slept in this morning. It felt good. After a great breakfast, we casually walked down towards the stern, and sat down and watched Norway unfold. The ground fog was lifting, affording us a well framed series of mountains.

Just before 11AM, we entered the harbor of Finnsnes. Another beautiful small town, on several islands, connected by the usual architecturally stunning Norwegian bridges.

The local townspeople arranged a very short concert for the passengers at the local library, which is located just above my left big toe, towards the end of the dock. It had to be a short concert, as our stop was to be exactly 30 minutes. We were too comfortable to head on over. As the departure whistle blew, three passengers dawdled, and had to run before the gangplank was raised. This ship stops for no one! The next stop, Tromso, at exactly 14:15. It would remain until 18:15.

Tromso is considered the gateway to the Arctic Sea and the North Pole. It is a town of about 40,000 people, with an additional 35,000, living on adjacent islands. It is the most northern town in Norway not to have been destroyed in WWII. Like most locations on the route of the Coastal Express, Tromso is a concoction of multiple islands, connected by bridges and ferries. The small dark orange (next to T) on the map is the heart of the town, where we docked. From there, we went by bus through the town, much of it still original buildings, until we got to the Polaria, a very modern-designed building, inspired by the Arctic ice floes. In there we saw many live species of fish, seals and other animals.

After all too short visit, it was back on bus, and heading across the bridge, to take the cable car to the top of the mountain. And some spectacular views of the town, the harbor and the bridge. And if you look closely, you will see the Arctic Cathedral from the cable car as we descend.

And now the highlight for most tourists to Tromso, The Arctic Cathedral. (The official name is the Tromsdalen Church. It was built in 1965. It was designed by the architect Jan Inge Hovig. When it was completed, everyone was amazed at the beauty and strength of design. In short, it was loved by one and all. Until that was when services started being held. At that point, the parish priest started wondering why his parishioners all took to wearing sunglasses for services. Took a while until the priest understood – the soaring glass windows behind him were clear. And the church faced to the East. So, the sun shined through, blinding the parishioners, while the sun was behind the priest. It was decided that the clear glass would be replaced with stained glass windows (completed in 1972). That solved the problem. But the architect never went into the church again.

Time to head on back to our ship, clean up and have dinner. A special treat tonight (must have been designed with me in mind). A huge seafood buffet with all the crab (four types) I could eat, along with shrimp, clams and mussels, and as much smoked salmon I could eat. (King crab to come on southern leg.) My only concern was that the plates were too small.

By now you know that we can’t disguise our complete enjoyment with this cruise. And much more to come. Hope you enjoy it, too, as we head to the top of the world, by cruising in the Arctic Sea.

And late breaking news. We were just informed that we would get our money back on our cancelled flight from Helsinki to Bergen. Nice!

A day of anticipation and enjoyment

Have to admit it. We slept through crossing the Arctic Circle. Hey, it was at 7:30AM, somewhere between Nesna and Ornes. (But we made up for it by being awake when we crossed it coming back a few days later.) To be precise, it is at 66°34′N 12°3′E (where we crossed it). There was a pool to guess the actual time. It was 7:30, and a couple of seconds. The winner got the Norwegian flag, with the Norwegian Post logo, signed by the captain.

Just to give you an accurate understanding about what the Norwegian coastline is like, check out this chart image. We kept going in and out of the fjords and around many, many islands. The only time we were in the open sea was when we traversed part of the Arctic Sea.

While there is no dotted line when crossing the Arctic Circle, there is this very large monument placed on a deserted island that we passed by.

Two other things happened later in the day, after you cross the circle. For this, we were awake. There is a ceremony commemorating the event. It wasn’t thrilling. It was chilling. For those brave enough, you had ice and water placed down your back, and on top of your head. (At least I got a shot of schnapps for my bravery.)

And we each got a signed certificate.

At precisely 13:05 we docked in the town of Bodo. Having read up on this town, we headed on off to the salmon museum. (What else would you expect in Norway?) And to peek into shop windows, as most places closed on Sunday.

A model of the typical new generation salmon fishing boat. Some flying salmon. And a sign that says the Norse take care of things. Even to coming up with a new type of handbag.

We had one more stop to make prior to eating dinner. We slowly entered the very small fishing village of Stamsund, for a short 25-minute stop to deliver the mail (even on Sunday). Dried Cod, natures gold in Norway. Most fish caught wind up being dried on racks like these.

After having a relaxing dinner, we walked around the ship to find the best possible positions to watch the MS Richard With enter and traverse the Trollfjord sound. At 25 kilometers (15.5 miles) in length, its most narrow spot is about 100 feet across. It sort of resembles a tube with a bulb at the end. The Richard With is 121.8 meter (400 feet) in length. Its beam is 19.2 meters (63 feet). So, cruise ships carrying several thousands of passengers will never make this journey.

This is what it looks like on a chart.

At the bottom of the fjord, the mountain along the water is about 1,000 meters (3,281 feet) high. And you can almost reach out and touch the mountains. As for describing it, I would say awe-inspiring, downright scary, not to mention breathtaking. See for yourself. As for the captain, he told me that he doesn’t always enter the Trollfjord, if the conditions are not just right. So, on the return trip southbound, we did not enter. As a point of reference, it was about 10:30 PM when we entered the fjord. Getting a little bit more out of each time when the sun shines 24 hours a day.

In the distance you can see a very small fishing camp. About there is where the captain turns the ship, literally on a dime! From there, it’s back out to the “normal” fjords. And for a us a good night cap and a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow we will visit the city of Tromso.

Our first full day of the Norwegian adventure

Our first shore excursion on the cruise started with the City of Trondheim. It is the third largest city in Norway, behind Oslo and Bergen. And the first capital of Norway. Whenever you ask an American or Norwegian who discovered America, Columbus might not be your first choice. This commemorates the historic journey of Leiv (Leif) Eiriksson (Erikson).

While we were having our first dinner the night before, we made a 30-minute stop at Molde. Took no pictures, as we would pass through it on our return trip, coming southbound. The ship dropped off mail and freight, while also picking up three Norwegians on bikes.

In spite of all the activity of flying to Norway, I couldn’t quite stay asleep. So, I looked out the window as we docked in Kristiansund at 3 AM! But it was plenty light out this far north. No Northern Lights in the summer, but plenty of light 24 hours a day in the summer. That’s why they have really dark curtains on the stateroom windows.

After breakfast, we went ashore in Trondheim. We had signed up for the walking tour of Trondheim. That’s when we found out that some of our itinerary had changed. Instead of walking into the center of the city, we went by bus. It was at that point that we met our local tour guide. A long-time citizen of Norway, he was born in the Ivory Coast. Being a tour guide was a parttime job. He was also a language instructor of multiple languages, as well as being a university professor, with a PhD. He was an absolutely wonderful person, guide, and an incredible fount of local knowledge. And he loves football (soccer). My fave team, Manchester City has two Norwegians: Earling Halland and Oscar Bobb.

He explained that today was a special day in Norway. It was the annual celebration of King Olaf II (St. Olaf), the Patron Saint of Norway. And as there was to be a special service at the Nidaros Cathedral, we took the bus to the cathedral, so that we could get in before it was closed for this service. The cathedral is also the location of the coronation of all of Norway’s kings.

Nidaros Cathedral, Trondheim. Built over the tomb of King Olaf II

After about 30 minutes later, we started to walk through the city, on our way back to the ship. The streets were busy, even on this holiday. The architecture was a bit of mix between old and new, and very colorful, too. And of most interest, they managed to tie it all together.

**Just three blocks from the cathedral, along the river, these old buildings were refurbished and repurposed into apartments and restaurants.**

Over 95% percent of electricity generated in Norway comes from either wind power or solar. They are one of the world’s biggest producers of both oil and natural gas. That they sell and keep the profits in a fund for all of Norway, when the day comes that they run out of oil and gas. Most new cars sold today in Norway are electric. They conserve and are quite innovative. Truly an environmentally friendly country.

The next port, heading north is Rorvik, at 9:40PM. We will stop for 20 minutes. Have to get up early tomorrow, as we will be crossing the Arctic Circle, along with a trip into the famous Troll Fjorden in the evening.

Made some new friends this summer in Norway!

In the middle of the summer, Santa makes his reindeer work out every day to stay in shape. As you can see, we have the road to ourselves. Well, we came to Norway to see the spectacular landscapes and the fjords. (Don’t tell the reindeer that we also hoped for some more domesticated versions, for our dinner table.)

For many years, we have thought of taking a cruise through the fjords in Norway, high on our bucket list. Which is kind of funny since we never wanted to go on a cruise with 5,000 of our closest friends. Not to mention that we are not big on floating casinos, Broadway spectacular shows, and kiddie pools. Let’s face it, aren’t you excited about cruising in an out of fjords and mountains so high and close, you can reach out to touch them. Luck came our way when the better half, The Finn, received word of a special deal for citizens of Nordic countries. I suppose we could have passed it up, but not really, since it was on our bucket list.

Unlike many cruise ships, the MS Richard With is about 450 feet (and can maneuver in and out of the fjords) and can take up to only 450 passengers. And with a crew of 71, it felt very relaxing and like a stroll in the forest. If you didn’t want to keep bumping into passengers and crew, you didn’t have to hide. The Hurtigruten Shipping Company was founded 130 years ago, to fill a unique niche in Norway. Being a country smack upside the North Atlantic coast, the Ice Age created an incredible number of mountains and fjords, limiting roads and rails. And even today, there are less than five airports in Western Norway.

Richard With, the founder, won the bid to provide mail delivery and pickup services along the coast. And the company he founded has held it ever since. That explains why the Coastal Express service stops at 17 towns, from Bergen to KIrkenes. So, it’s 17 up and 17 down. In addition, they pick up and deliver freight, as well as taking Norwegians to the next town up, since, for Norwegians, it is relatively inexpensive for them. And being a good businessman, he found a way to incorporate cruise passengers, too.

The trip is 1,089 miles (1,753 km) up the coast, from Bergen to Kirkenes, and the same back down. So, it is 12 days and 11 nights long.

So, this is the MS Richard With, named after the founder. One of the Coastal Express ships passes by each town every day. So, it’s a reliable method of mail delivery. The ship has one dining room, a bistro, a bar, and an upscale dining room. Not only does it make many stops, but it also picks up fresh food along the way. Everything from veggies to fish, to milk, to bread, to ice cream, to the most amazing amounts of shellfish (four kinds of crab, including live king crab), shrimp, clams, oysters, gravad lax (salt cured salmon), smoked salmon, and the most amazing bounty of absolutely freshly caught fish. And it has an excellent selection of wine. One word of warning. The tax on booze in Norway is absolutely astounding!

At the start of the trip. we had one problem. Our flight to Bergen, from Helsinki, was cancelled at the last moment. And the airline would not book us on a different airline. And the flight they did book us to Bergen would have arrived the day after the ship left! They did give us a hotel and dinner overnight in Helsinki. And we filled in our E261 form with Finnair to get compensation for the cancelled flight. No way to get to Bergen for the start of our cruise. (In hindsight, as newbies to cruising, we didn’t realize that we should have booked a room in Bergen the night before the cruise. Fortunately, we stayed in touch with the cruise line. Through the night they figured out how to get us to the next stop the ship made the next day. So, at 5:30 the next morning we caught a flight to Copenhagen. And caught another flight to Alesund, the first stop for our ship that late afternoon.

The flight attendants on the way to Copenhagen took pity on us and gave us this bottle of champagne to take with us.

There is an airport somewhere on the island. To get to Alesund, we had to take a taxi, from there, through a two-mile-long tunnel. As we were to find, most towns are on multiple islands. We had three or four hours to explore and sit by the water and sample local beverages.

Coming from a big city, Helsinki, it was a feast for the eyes to see Alesund. Colorful, with an apparent sense of history, everywhere you looked, water was at hand. It was like a rapid decompression.

What’s not to like? And unless you looked closely, it was hard to distinguish between old and new buildings. And oh, so colorful. It was a joy to just stroll through the town. And if you like football (European version), you can’t miss signs of the famous Norwegian son, now playing for Manchester City.

We were going to try and get a better overall view of Alesund, but we changed our minds after we saw the few steps we would have to climb to get that better view.

Better we didn’t climb up the stairs. The ship was coming into dock, and we were getting hungry. I heard that the food was quite good.

The appetizer was Dybvik dried and salted cod carpaccio. (Pickled carrot, semi-dried cherry tomatoes, crisp bread, tapioca grains in a parsley-infused oil, and sugar kelp.

No reindeer tonight. Hellessylt Salted Leg of Lamb. (Mustard-stewed vegetables, oven baked potatoes and red wine glaze.) We both gave it thumbs up. But as were fast tiring after a long day, we decided to hop into our way comfortable bed, and get a good night’s sleep. For us, the cruise will begin tomorrow.

Our adventure continues. So much more of Norway to see!

Downsizing the Christmas Spa

Every year at Christmas we enjoy a holiday/spa vacation up in the frozen north. Lately we have enjoyed ourselves at spas within Estonia. This past Christmas we did a return visit to Kuressarre. This small village on the water is located on the island of Saaremaa. To get to Kuressarre, you first take a 2 1/2 bus trip from Tallinn, then a 27-minute ferry to Saaremaa. And finally, an additional hour by bus to Kuressarre. Of course, this is all preceded by a 2-hour ferry trip from Helsinki. Now you see why we go to the Grand Rose, a great spa. And after unpacked, we relaxed in the Spa!

Kuressaare is a small town, located on the water. They are close to getting back to normal from the Covid. Being very hard hit when it first made its entrance to the Baltics, everything on the island was shut down. So, there were not as many tourists as the last visit. But it was every bit as good as before, albeit very quiet. As befits towns in Estonia, there are several churches, statues, as well as old hotels.

It was Christmas, after all. So, you see them all over town.

Like many countries in Europe, independence was a hard fought experience. This celebrated the bravery of local citizens in their fight for independence in 1918. Then in 1941, it was taken over by the Soviets, later the Nazi’s, and again by the Soviets until their eventual freedom in 1991. Suffice to say, the citizens of Saaremaa were not pleased during the Soviet occupation. Those on the island when the Soviets came, were forced to remain. Those that were off the island when the takeover began, were not allowed to return until 1991.

This sculpture depicts Suur Toll, a mythical hero of the island, and his wife Piret. Where he stands was important to Toll, as from there he reached the shortest way to island Ruhnu, where he had his cabbage field. When his wife started to make a fire under the cauldron, Toll went through the sea to his cabbage field came back half an hour later, so that Piret could boil the cabbages.

The answer to that question is YES. Quite obviously, we did not stay there!

All in all, it was a usual great holiday spa. As for next year, well, there is always Germany and Austria to consider.

Dining in the Middle of the Mediterranean, without getting wet!

The pleasure of dining in Malta is the result of the chefs of Malta drawing upon the diversity of the countries that surround us. Not only Maltese food, but the food cultures of Italy, North Africa and mainland Europe. From the rustic to the highly polished presentations of starred restaurants, a feast for your eyes, as well as the stomach.

***From the scallop sashimi at the Michelin starred Bahia……***

We have, by now, been to many of the sites and sounds in Malta. Time to share with you some of our favorites when dining out. Not a comprehensive list. It would take way too long. Just a few restaurants that we would return to on a drop of the hat. Like the wines of Malta, the restaurant scene has been improving by leaps and bounds. Think about it, on this small island there are now five restaurants with Michelin 1-star!

The Lija Athletic Club’s Team Bar is located in a small street behind the Lija church. Located right next to it (until it recently moved to the Corinthian Palace hotel) was the Bahia restaurant. Both owned by one man. The former contains a bar, at least a half dozen large screen TV’s for watching football (soccer) games from all over Europe and the Middle East, as well as excellent pizza, pasta, hamburgers and rabbit. Bahia is one of five Maltese restaurants to earn the Michelin One Star designation. The Team Bar is reasonably priced, while Bahia’s prices were very affordable compared to Michelin starred restaurants on the Continent.

When in the mood to dine or imbibe in Lija, at one small intersection behind the Lija church, there is a bar at the left, a wine bar Tal-Villagg across the street, as well as the Lija Athletic Club, adjacent to the Bahia. ***We’ve done three out of the four. The wine bar is perfect for an early summer evening***.

***Besides the large menu at the Team Bar, there is a sign on the wall imploring you to order their fried rabbit. (I did.)***

***If you have any hang-ups about eating a rabbit, this should dispel that notion.***

***Politics is a blood sport in Malta, especially during the run-up to the parliamentary elections.***

When you put yourself into the hands of a chef, highly skilled in his profession, Bahia is the end result. By the way, Bahia is also the name of the type of orange that happens to grow in Lija.

***Local barley, in molasses, lamb bacon, sheep cheese and olives***

For the main course

But, we also love pizza. Malta being next to Sicily, pizza, along with most Italian food is quite popular. Our favorite spot for pizza is the St. Gabriel Band Club in Balzan. A good bottle of Nero d’Avola, a mushroom and anchovy pizza for me and ruccola and ham pizza for the other half, while sitting down in their inside courtyard, enjoying the warm evening while listening to the band practice for one of their numerous marches and concerts.

***One hundred years teaching kids to play instruments and providing concerts and marches for festas and other happenings. A very informal and enjoyable spot to dine.***

Two streets away from home is the Daily Grub . Providers of great tasting burgers, pasta and Indian food, not to mention great company from Fabian, the owner. He also does a mean eggs benedict for a Sunday brunch. Whether sitting inside to avoid the torrid summer heat or winter chill, or sitting directly opposite the Naxxar church on the outside deck, we stop by often. Our go-to place for spur of the moment meals, as well as plan-ahead times.

***All the usual suspects, pasta, Indian food and eggs benedict.***

On the other side of the Naxxar church, is Cellini, home of some yummy Maltese and Italian food, with a good wine selection. Out in front, one floor up, they have a Maltese balcony, with just one table, for two people. In the summer evening, we like to sit in there, having dinner with the windows open, with a view of the Church and the village square.

***We usually share a beef carpaccio to start. I had the orange duck while my wife ate the beef and pasta dish.***

Surrounded by water, sometimes we just want SEAFOOD. In those times, we just head on down to Gzira, to the Seafood Market, by Adam. Three things make this an outstanding choice. First, outside of dessert, everything on the menu is seafood. Second, not only does Adam serve great seafood from the waters around Malta, but he serves absolutely fresh seafood from around the world: Sea bass from Chile, crab from Alaska, stone crabs from Florida and oysters from France. And finally, and not least, his food and service are outstanding. And the price is reasonable. Give it a try.

**Four kinds of seafood** ***tartare is a great way to start dinner.***

***I on the other hand, had the hots for some outstanding shellfish.***

**While I try to keep desserts in check, I always have room for a great** ***Crème Brule***

Up until recently, we hadn’t dined very often. in Valletta. No particular reason. Or perhaps, we had many good restaurants nearby. We made up for that mistake recently with three choices: Nenu the Baker, Noni , and Rubino.

Located in a narrow street, between Republic and Merchants Sts., Nenu the Baker, is the reincarnation of an old Valletta bakery. Even today, the breads used here come from the old stone oven in their basement. Down a steep set of stairs from the street, the restaurant becomes a warm location for both tourists and locals alike. Serving a large selection of Maltese foods, and hefty portions to boot, it is both a great place for lunch and dinner.

***Where else, but in Malta, will you find an abundance of rabbit liver. So delicious.***

And for the main

Some might call the traditional Maltese Ftajjar dish a Maltese “pizza.” Not so; and a disservice as well. This one is the Ta’ Karmnu I-Bidija. It is a rectangularly shaped bread dough, topped with pork belly, Maltese sausage, gravy, thin sliced potatoes and sesame seeds. Delicious. If you order this, or one like it, pass on the appetizer, or you have no chance to finish it. They do provide take away boxes.

Having had dinner at one of the five Michelin One starred restaurants in Malta, we also visited one of the three One star restaurants located in Valletta, Noni. Located going down the hill towards Fort St Elmo, Noni is located on the Republic Street. As expected, service, ambiance, food and an overall attentiveness marks Noni as one the very best restaurants in Malta. And, like Bahia, it did not break the piggy bank.

***You enter Noni at street level, check in and go down two flights of stairs (the kitchen floor, then down to the tables).***

***“Bresse” Quail, Celeriac & Clove, Preserved Berries, Sauce Salmis***

We are expecting friends to arrive from Seattle in a couple of weeks. They are on a cruise and will spend one day with us. Really looking forward to their visit. Since they will be docking just for the day on a Monday, that presented a small logistical hurdle. Most of the restaurants in Valletta are closed on Mondays. We went in search of a good restaurant to take them to, so they can really enjoy Maltese cuisine. That is how we chose Rubino, on Old Bakery Street in Valletta. To make sure we made the right choice, we decided to have lunch there ourselves. Glad we did. Formerly a hundred year old confectionary, it has been transformed into an excellent Michelin Bib awarded restaurant.

Perhaps our most favorite restaurant in Malta is the Opera Trattoria, located in Balzan, between a bakery and the police station. And without a doubt, the smallest restaurant we have eaten at in Malta. With three tables as you enter, the tiny kitchen in the back, and an enclosed courtyard (only open in the summer), plus two tables up the stairs, it is approachable only by reservation. Wonderful Italian fare (most Genovese style). The owner/chef is Adele Farrugia, a most wonderful and gregarious personality. She is also a lawyer and teaches Italian as well. And she can cook. After entering and chatting we sit down, and Adele comes over with a computer, open to go over everything on the menu. After choosing and the wine is opened, we can chat with her and her helper Marthe as Adele prepares our dinner. (Like home, without all the dishes to clean up). I give it top marks. Priced reasonably.

***Small restaurant, small entrance. Don’t drive or walk by too fast, or you will miss it.***

**Yes, very good food all over Malta, but nothing can compare with having breakfast and dinner on our own terrace.**

Il-ħajja hija qasira, tiekol deżerta l-ewwel.

(Life is short, eat dessert first.)

The week before Christmas, in Helsinki 2021

As is our annual tradition, we fly to Helsinki to start Christmas every year. This year we found no snow, darkness and rain, set to about 0 Centigrade (32F). But, no downpour of rain as was in Malta. After two days, the sun came out, with a temperature still around 0C.

Next week we go for our annual spa treatments (massages, sauna, indoor swimming and being wrapped in warm peat. This year we will return to the spa in Naantali, Finland ( https://www.naantalispa.fi/en/ ). Doesn’t look like we will be getting any snow next week either. But, it will be colder. When you can, we highly recommend this kind of Christmas week. It’s different, relaxing and fun.

Yesterday we went to the Market Square by the waterfront in Helsinki for the annual Christmas Market. It is usually held at Senate Square by the Lutheran Church. As they were working on the electrical in the area, it was re-located and downsized. Considering the overall concern over the virus, it was a good idea. But, we still had some fun, as well as Glogg and a cookie.

**In the States, candied apples are a staple of Halloween. Here you will find them at Christmas markets.**

And to end the day, we always walk up the Esplanade, from the market. Along this street, you will find pricey hotels, shops and restaurants. But, it does make for some great window shopping.

***Even the souvenir shops have beautiful window displays.***

And the last stop of the day is always reserved for the Christmas windows at Stockmann’s Department Store, the largest in Finland. They invest much time and money in their window displays. And they are always rewarded by many kids, young and old, pressing their faces into the windows.

***Truly, a winter wonderland. A must visit on any Christmas visit to Helsinki.***

And now, on to Naantali.

It will look a lot different in the winter. It will be very quiet. The perfect setting to go for a long walk, capped off with a cappuccino and a Christmas star.

If you want to go to Christmas eve services in Naantali, this church will do quite nicely. Built in 1443, it is the perfect location for Christmas Eve services; just a very quiet walk from the Spa.

And while you walk back to the Spa, you will pass Moomin Land, just across a bridge. Open only in the summer, it is a perfect spot to relive your youth.

So, next week is Christmas. More things opening up since last Christmas. But with things heating up again, take it slow. Next year will be even better. So, remember you can’t do all the things you want to do. And you can’t see all the people you want to see. That is a good present to give. Keeping all around you healthy is the important thing.

See you after Christmas.

Milied u Sena l-Ġdida Kuntenta

(Merry Christmas and Happy New Year)