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    	I stopped in Bodo (I don't have a compose character on this
    terminal) on my way to Tromso to see a friend of mine.  They brought
    me down to the fjord when the tide changed, and told me that it
    was the biggest natural maelstrom in the world.  
    	If I remember correctly, Hurtig Rutten means the fast window.
    It is a great way to see the coast of Norway, but you miss the
    interior.  A lot of people like to go in the summer for the midnight
    sun, but if you do thatm you'll miss the northern lights - quite
    a spectacle. 
    	I've been saying I'm going back for 12 years now.  Hopefully
    soon.  If you find some good deals - let me know!
    
    						-Jerry
    
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|  |     Hello my name is Svein and I'm born in Bergen where Hurtigruten
    has one of its end stops. I have never travelled with it but from
    what people who have says, it is a very nice way to see the coast.
    Specially in the summer with the midnight sun. 
    When I did my national service in the norwegian navy, I was based
    in Tromso for 10 months and I must say it was a bit of a shock to
    come there between christmas and newyear. No daylight and pretty
    cold. The day after arrival four of us were taken by helicopter
    to replace the crew on a small radar station, none of us had been
    there before and everybody was replaced. The airway was choosen
    because all the roads where closed. So that was the worst newyears
    eve in my life, dark, cold and we did not even know where we were.
    
    But then the sun comes back, the people celebrate and schools have
    a day of. The summer up there I will never forget, just imagine
    you try to go to sleep at midnight and you have the sun straight
    in your eyes. Its a strange place, and I'm happy for the time I spendt
    up there. 
    
    By the way Hurtigruten does not mean "fast window". In norwegian
    we use the same word for window as said, but in this meaning it
    is "line". So "Hurtigruten" is "The fast line".
    
    In these days the profile of the line have changed with new ships
    that takes more cargo, but still have room for passengers.
    Most of the person traffic along the coast today goes by plane I
    think. From Trondheim to Tromso as I remeber takes two hours with
    a DC-9, quite a distance.
    
    So have a nice trip for everybody that goes.
    
    Svein.
    
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