Helsinki to Murmansk to the 50 Years of Victory...
Our wakeup call is at 4am and by 5am all passengers are assembled in the lobby of the Crown Plaza, Helsinki. The voyage has been filled to capacity - 127 passengers in total (excluding the crew and expedition team). As we wait, anxious to get on the bus to the airport, we consider the other passengers - wondering what motivated them to select this trip? The group is varied - it is mostly couples, but also includes a surprising number of single travelers. The ages range from others our age to much older passengers and we wonder if some of them will be able to manage the physical requirements of the trip. It quickly becomes clear that the participants can be divided into three groups - a Chinese group, a Russian group and the rest of us. We identify one other Swiss speaking couple and MG evaluates the camera equipment on display :)
With our luggage loaded, we climb aboard one of three busses and travel back to the airport where we take a charter flight to Murmansk, Russia. Although customs clearance in Murmansk is smooth (apparently abnormally smooth according to expedition team) there were some issues getting the ship into Murmansk the day before, so it is not ready for us to board. The vessel - the world‘s largest nuclear icebreaker - 50 Years of Victory - is a working ship for the majority of the year. Four times a year, the ship is used to take passengers to the North Pole. We are on the second of two voyages operated by Quark Expeditions.
As the ship gets prepared, we embark on a guided tour of Murmansk. The sights are underwhelming at best and the highlight is watching the Chinese group take pictures of every Russian wedding party we encounter, as if they stumbled upon A-list celebrities. Following a questionable lunch at a hotel/restaurant/karaoke bar/possible gentleman‘s club, we head to The Lenin, the first ever nuclear icebreaker, which has been turned into a museum. The tour is interesting as we see everything from the engine room to the decommissioned nuclear reactor to the crew cabins. The day shifts to late afternoon and we board the bus and wait - excited to finally board the ship.
And we continue to wait...
After about an hour, we sort out the confusion - our guide didn‘t know to accompany us to the ship and the driver was waiting for the guide...and the passengers were waiting for something to happen.
Thirty minutes later we board the vessel after a final passport check by the Russian military. It‘s almost time for dinner - the food exceeds expectations (today and every day...we get used to soup followed by salad followed by entree followed by dessert). Dinner is followed by our first of many briefings and an introduction to the expedition group. Tired from the long day, we fall asleep (too tired to complain about sharing the 90cm mattress). Neither of us notices as the anchor is lifted and we head North into Russian waters, sometime around 10:30pm after customs clearance happened. We are on our way.