Sunday 11 September 2022--I have a leisurely breakfast in the hotel this morning, then haul my bags a mile to the waterfront under overcast skies. My sunny Norwegian idyll seems to be at an end--the forecast for the week ahead doesn't look very good. Hurtigruten's MS Polarlys has been at the dock since 9:45, and will depart at 12:45. I'd originally planned three nights in Trondheim, followed by a flight to Tromsø for a one-night stay. From there, I would have caught the Hurtigruten south to Svolvær. I reconsidered, mostly because the departure from Tromsø is after midnight. I tried to book Hurtigruten north from here for tomorrow, but there was no availability, which seemed odd. So I've shorted Trondheim again. I'll spend the extra night in Svolvær.

The scenery from Trondheim north is not as spectacular as the coast to the south, but it's scenic enough. I enjoy the transit, and the ship's lounge, which has a nice selection of beer and aquavit (Inderoy Aquavit No 1 for me). Shortly before we stop in Rørvik, well after dark, we pass another ship that looks a lot like this one, with different colors and the name "Havila" on the side. I look it up online, and learn that the Norwegian government decided a while ago to split the coastal route contract into three and put it out to bid. Hurtigruten won two of the bids, and Havila got the other, worth four of eleven trips. They initiated service late last year. And that's why I couldn't find availability for Hurtigruten on certain dates. Havila looks interesting--the service is much the same, but there are differences. Something to think about for another trip.