June 10, 2025. Wow, sailing the fjords is way better than ocean sailing. The water is so smooth, if you don’t look out a window you wouldn’t know you’re even moving.
We had an early (8:30) narrated bus excursion through town where we learned about the importance of this town during WWII.
Back in the 1870’s iron ore was discovered in the nearby Swedish town of Kiruna, but they needed a way to get the ore to market. With its year-round ice-free port, Narvik was a perfect match and a railroad was built from Kiruna right down to the water in Narvik.
Things changed dramatically during WWII when Germany decided they needed the ore for their war machines. Norway declared neutrality, but the Germans ignored it and a sent battleships into the port to take over Norway’s ports & iron. They destroyed homes and business in their effort to invade & overrun Norwegian lives. The Germans succeeded for five years until the British & Norwegian navy fought and won back their harbor, and their lives. Many ships and submarines were lost before the Germans were ousted for good. We learned so much about the Nazis quest to rule all of Europe and Scandinavia. A sad tale that needs to continue to be taught in hopes it won’t happen again.
Today, Narvik is still a major ore exporter, and the city will be hosting the 2029 alpine skiing championships so there is a lot of new development going on. Our bus took us up the mountain where we could see all the preparations for the upcoming championship. We also stopped at one of the oldest churches in Norway, where we were treated to some local music and singing.
Following our bus tour, we walked into town to their fabulous WWII museum showcasing the city’s history during the war. We were all shocked to learn just how much of a crucial role the city and its harbor played during the war. After touring the museum we walked around town some more before heading back to the ship.
As we headed out of the harbor, we were treated to a nice rainbow as a send off.
