Day 17: the Arctic Circle!

I never knew it was such a big deal to cross the Arctic Circle.  Apparently, on a cruise ship, they make it a very big deal.  Everyone gets their noses painted blue to simulate having been in frozen water, they dump 4 buckets of ice into a fairly warm pool, they have folks recite a commitment to bear up under the freezing waters (75 degrees) and they all jump in, once the captain blows the ship's horn signaling the crossing over the line. I guess on an all sea day with no land stops, you need something to keep the folks occupied...

For the educational component of this day's blog, the name "Arctic" comes from the Greek "arktos", which means "bear", and represents the region's location below Ursa Major, the Great Bear constellation that circles the night sky above this point!

Here's an early morning shot of the Norwegian coastline near the Arctic Circle (with another cruise line in the distance) and the craziness around the pool at 1pm... crossing time!

A very pretty day and nearly 60 degrees outside. 

Just before the horn blows! 

And the power table, for pre dinner beverages, affords us the calming view of the receding wake.  If you look closely enough, you might see the dotted line of the A.C. 😀 



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