Monday June 12, 2023
An exciting day today as we reach our most northerly point at 72 degrees Latitude, with the Arctic North Pole being the only thing further North. It’s exciting as over the past couple of years we have been fortunate enough to be close to Antarctica (in April), rounding the southern tip of Africa and South America and traveling through the Suez and Panama canals. What we need now it to tackle the North of Canada with the Northern Passage, to complete the North and South land masses, but that will have to wait. This is the northernmost tip of Europe and significantly North of Iceland, and half way up Greenland. Honnensvåg is a small town (officially a City as of 1996) on the island of Magerøya located in the Eastern Finmark area of Northern Norway on the southern Barents Sea. It has a sheltered harbour allowing cruise ships ow to dock at the newly constructed, small dock in the center of town. In 2012, Roger was here and it was a bit of a nightmare as the Queen Mary had to drop anchor and have tenders manage the very rough seas causing a delay of 3 hours as the wave conditions were unsafe, the coach broke down going to North Cape, leaving us stranded by the side of the road for an hour, and the weather was poor allowing virtually no visibility of the key feature – Nordkapp – North Cape. Today, it was a gorgeous sunny day so we were able to enjoy the entire trip a lot more. We boarded what we thought was a tour coach, but was actually just a transfer from Honningsvåg to Nordkapp. The scenery over the one hour drive through the mountains was spectacular. A lot of snow was all over, slowly melting and forming little lakes in the depressions. All were sheer rocks with precipitous drops in places to the sea. Lichens and moss covered the ground, but no shrubs, trees or anything taller than ground moss did not exist. We did see a few reindeer and sea birds, but otherwise it was impressive due to it’s “nothing-ness”.
Arriving at the North Cape (Nordkapp) located at 71 degrees 10’ 21” North, there is a thriving and interesting set of buildings and structures. Entering from the parking lot one is greeted with a large cafeteria restaurant and panorama bar, to the right located under a weather station dome, an extensive gift shop to the left, and in front of you a large window wall overlooking the end of the Cape and the globe like statue, erected in 1977, that marks the northernmost spot and is the symbol of Nordkapp. Located within the complex are a number of indoor activities. This makes a lot of sense as often there is rain, Fog, clouds and visibility is greatly reduced. A continuous Cinema show takes 20 minutes and explains the seasons around Nordkapp. A tunnel under the rock, explains the story behind the location and important visitors who have arrived there. These dioramas and explanations in various languages are excellent. There is a small ecumenical Christian chapel dedicated to St. Johannes, The Thai Museum (actually one room dedicated to the memory of King Chulalongkorn of Siam (Thailand) who visited Nordkapp in 1907 and at the end – The Cave of Lights. Steps allow you to sit and watch on the screen and cave walls a 7 minute light show taking you through the seasons. There is also a room that gives you the history of the North Cape since 1533. Although we did not see it, we believe there is a viewing area that can be reached ousted the cave as we saw what appeared to be a balustrade and open area when we wandered around on top of this cave, near the globe symbol. A Post Office is there to send letters proving you were there as well as certificates also proving you were there and making you a member to the Royal North Cape Club which allows you the privilege of returning to the place for free, for the rest of your life! The purpose of the club is to take care of the North Cape. One other feature that is well worth seeing is the “Children of the World” Monument. This consists of a sculpture of a woman and child pointing at seven stone circles, like enormous coins (each 6+ feet in diameter and 18 inches wide) standing upright in a semi-Circle with the Ocean behind. Each of the seven circles reflects a design made by the children from around the world. They symbolize – Collaboration, Friendship, Hope, and Happiness across al borders. The monument was unveiled in 1989 and ever since the “Children of the World” Prize has been awarded, with a generous sum of money, to an organization or project that works to improve the conditions of children.
After a couple of hours at the North Cape we were transported the hour back to the ship. We noticed an information center, near the quay, so asked if there was a good restaurant nearby. We were directed to the “Corner” Restaurant, literally in the same building around the corner on the second floor with a great view of the fishing harbor. This was at most a 5 minute walk from the ship. We enjoyed a great lunch of fish soup, Reindeer Stew and Cod. After a quick stop at the shop to get magnets, we headed back to the ship. A really enjoyable say in Honningsvåg and Nordkapp. The evening entertainment was the amusing two piano players – Worby and Farrell.
Roger & Anne Travels 