DAY 6 HONNINGSVAAG AND NORDKAPP

It is Sunday, so it was full English breakfast day for me – in the cabin. Yum! Then I dressed warmly and went topside to meet friends and take in the scenery as we approached Nordkapp which we passed at about noon and then arrived at Honningsvaag about 1:00 pm. We are at anchor and there are 3 other cruise ships here: the Tahiti Princess (seems out of place!) which was later replaced by an MSC ship; a Fred Olsen ship; and a Hurtigruten ship - they were all moored at the docks.

Honningsvaag is a fishing town, pilot station and now tourist stop on Mageroya Island. It has been settled for over 10,000 years. It is the proverbial “roof” of Europe and its northernmost shore is Nordkapp (71degrees10’21” N lat.). Strictly speaking Knivskjellodden, a few miles west, is a few degrees north, but no one minds. There is a complex at Nordkapp consisting of a visitor center, a post office (so you can post you card from the roof of Europe!), a souvenir shop and a theatre with a film presentation.

Mageroya (pop. 5,000 hearty souls) is part of Finnmark province where Bergen once exiled vagrants, vagabonds and condemned prisoners (sound familiar?) These people manned the fisheries which grew in number. The region is also part of nation-less Lappland which straddles Norway, Finland and Sweden. More than 70,000 ethnic Sami live in the area. The Norwegian government helps protect the Sami nation. They speak their own language and there is a Sami parliament and court at Karasjok.

The sun does not rise here between mid-November and the end of January. There are 24 hours of sunshine from May 15 to July 30. Due to the temperate sea water, winter temperatures are much milder than one would expect –January 24-hr. avg, is -4C). Estimated high temperature for today is 8C (around 46F).

The morning was rather cloudy, but eventually the sun came out and one could see nice patches of blue.

You can see from the photos that this area is pretty bleak, but has its own beauty. It reminds me of Cape Horn and the Falklands. There are no trees and very little vegetation; I found some pretty arctic wildflowers under foot and caught glimpses of color here and there on the hillsides. I saw some raptors, some ducks and plover-like birds, but could not identify them. There are bird colonies in the area and there were excursions. Well, I said “penguins” to that – if I book they’ll be cancelled! Haha. So, I took a bus to NordKapp after lunch. It really wasn’t that cold – at least there was no wind. Just a sweater and my fleece sufficed – I took an anorak but did not need it. I met up with Jacques, Jacqueline, Bryan and John who had arranged for a taxi to Nordkapp. We walked to the edge of the cliff; visited the “King’s View” from deep inside the cliff; watched the film presentation which was very good – no narrarion, just the four seasons in this area, set to music; saw the lovely sculptures done by children from around the world and a statue of a Norwegian mother and child; and took lots of photos.

On the way to Nordkapp, the bus stopped at the obligatory souvenir stand – ah but his one is run by the Sami and they showed off a couple of tame reindeer who ate lichen for us. They were bit scruffy as they are growing new antlers and are shedding their winter coats. But adorable, nevertheless. The Sami bring them here each year – by ferry - for summer pasture. There were plenty of them in the pastures, even newborns, and we had to brake for a group crossing the road. Reindeer come in all colors, none of which is Rudolph-chocolate-brown. Just as we have different hair coloring, so do they. Most of the ones we saw were very pale. I bought a little stuffed one for my collection.

Hard to believe, but people come here, from all over, to camp, hike and bicycle. The Norwegians believe in fitness and outdoor sports. I saw some elderly people cycling up hills with no effort at all.

Met two young Welshmen who’d asked someone to take their photo and it wasn’t very good, so we offered our services. They were wearing full motorcyle gear, so we wanted the story. They have been traveling the world with their bikes for 3 years; they’ve loaded he bikes on ferries, ships and planes. One sold his house, the other his business. They are now almost at the end. They were so nice and didn’t mind the barrage of questions. And they travel light – just what the saddlebags of BMWs will take --- oh yes, and they are camping.

I am including two extra photos: one of the sky at 1:30 a.m. this morning and one of me taken at Nordkapp – I am showing off the lovely scarf Ross bought me for Xmas.

There are 30+_ French people on the ship – I think I have met most of them!!! I have been speaking French every day. Also met some Belgians and an Anglo-French couple – so more French.

Back at the ship, after dinner, I worked on the blog. Then, around 10:30 went topside to meet everyone and wait for midnight and the sun NOT to go down IF the skies clear. It was too cold to stay outside and so I took photos every 15 minutes and then popped back inside. Cunard put on a midnight buffet of desserts (and a smoked salmon station): strawberries flambéed in rum, sugar and butter; butterscotch and chocolate fondue with fruit, cakes, marshmallows for dipping; cakes, mousses, fruit….you name it. Plus a hot chocolate station – as in add your own liquor! The presentation, anchored by a model of Tower Bridge, and 4 huge ice sculptures and including many chocolate and butter sculptures, was beautiful...but it was a madhouse. We waited until things calmed down and seats became available and then moved in for a nice quiet time.

After that, it was bedtime for this bonzo!!! I still can’t get over this 24-hours of daylight. It is amazing.