Bodø lies just north of the Arctic Circle and is not a place I have previously visited. The midnight sun is visible from 2 June to 10 July but due to atmospheric refraction, there is no true polar night in Bodø, and because of the mountains to its south, the sun is not visible from the city from early December to early January.
Braemar had crossed the magic line into the Land of the Midnight Sun at 2.00am this morning and the usual request for safe passage had been made to Neptune at 11.30pm last evening. I didn’t attend but those who did told me that the usual fun and games took place – the traditional kissing the cod by the Captain although no dunking in the pool since it was a bit blustery outside so the celebration was held – very appropriately in the Neptune Lounge. The dunking in the pools was replaced by pouring ladles of ice-cold water over the heads of untold miscreants as suitable punishment for their sins – usually for such misdemeanours as waking passengers by excessive use of the bow-thrusters when entering and leaving port by the Captain or ruining everyone’s wardrobe with huge meals! The certificate I was awarded for successfully crossing the line will look nice along with the other three that I have!!
The photo is of the Crossing the Arctic Circle Ceremony from 11th August 2007 (Before Blog) on my way to Spitzbergen.
A littlie more about Bodø - not that I saw much of the town itself since I had morning and afternoon shore excursions to look forward to. The village of Bodø was granted township status in 1816 and is now the capital of Nordland County. Most of Bodø was destroyed during a Luftwaffe attack on the 27 May 1940. Of the six thousand people living in Bodø at this time, 3,500 lost their homes and fifteen people were killed.
Located on an unsheltered peninsula in the Norwegian Sea, Bodø is one of Norway's windiest cities but in spite of its location just north of the Arctic Circle, it enjoys a sub-polar oceanic climate, with chilly (but not cold) winters and cool summers. Snow cover during winter is described as sparse, partly due to the wind, but also because of the mild winter climate relative to its latitude, with frequent periods of rain.
Bodø’s other claim to fame is that it is home to the Royal Norwegian Air Force Rapid Response base housing two thirds of Norway's F-16 fighter force. This base played a central role in the Cold War because of its strategic location and proximity to the Soviet Union although the base was virtually unknown of at that time. It became famous during the U-2 Crisis of May 1960, when the American U-2 pilot Gary Powers was shot down over the Soviet Union on his way from Pakistan to Bodø. There is a U-2 in the local Aviation Museum that also houses a Spitfire, Mosquito, Vampire and Star fighter – somewhere to visit on a future adventure perhaps on a Hurtigruten ship.
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