I stood at the very tip of Europe, on the edge of cliffs that dropped into the North Sea. I overheard an Australian wondering out loud whether he might be one of very few of his countrymen ever to have ventured here – I wondered the same.
A few feet away stood the symbolic globe-shaped structure signifying this point at 71 degrees north – to put this in perspective; the Arctic Circle is at 66 degrees!
The dream started 12 years earlier, when I’d first visited Norway on a whirlwind trip around Scandinavia.
I booked a 5-day trip on the Hurtigruten ‘Polarlys’. The trip itself takes 7 days northbound, by far the most attractive travel option.
It is not typical cruise ship, and it does not profess to be. You get an authentic experience. It stops at towns and fishing villages to offload supplies and mail, has comfortable en-suite cabins and some of the most stunning scenery anywhere in the world.
I boarded in Alesund, situated in amongst the western fjords. The city was destroyed by a fire in 1904, and rebuilt in an Art Nouveau style and is known for its architectural beauty and stunning vistas.
We took our first long break on the journey in the city of Trondheim, whose central point is the gothic Nidaros Cathedral – a truly magnificent structure.
Optional tours in Trondheim include a visit to an outdoor folk museum at Sverresborg, with its stave church, castle ruins and views of the Trondheimsfjord.
We crossed the Arctic Circle early next morning; it is identified only by a small rocky outcrop, with a globe-shaped structure standing there to signify this famous line of latitude.
At the port of Ornes I transferred to a smaller vessel for an excursion to the Svartisen Glacier, Norway’s second largest.
The approach is one of calm waters and beautiful scenery, and once there we had the chance to stretch our legs and walk amongst the hills admiring the surrounds.
What really captured me in the Lofotens was the light. Late at night and in the early morning hours, the sun would hover over the horizon, and then rise once more.
People flock to view the similarly astonishing spectacle of the Northern Lights, with the Hurtigruten an ideal viewpoint, away from the city lights.
Passing through the stunning Trollfjord later, with its peaks towering thousands of feet overhead, the crew served ‘Troll’ soup out on deck – a most welcome but quite mysterious hot snack.
We arrived in Tromso, with a backdrop of snow-covered peaks. I walked through town and to the mainland, and the modern Arctic Cathedral where a midnight concert was held to coincide with our voyage.
Next day was an early morning disembarkation in Hammerfest. It houses the Royal and Ancient Polar Bear Society in the town hall, where for a small fee you can become a member and be awarded a certificate proclaiming such.
And so onto the tiny village of Honningsvag. From there a coach drives the 34km to the North Cape (Nordkapp), through desolate landscape where it is forbidden to move anything lest you prevent the possibility of growth. The Norwegian guide kept the trip interesting with his quips and anecdotes, including stories of what it’s like living in a tiny and remote hamlet.
I reached the end of the world – on an extremely rare day on which it was bathed in sunshine. I spent time taking photographs of the globe, positioned on a cliff rising 307m above the Arctic Sea, and visiting the North Cape Hall.
I ended my trip and bid Hurtigruten farewell in Honningsvag. After joining the locals in the village centre that night, as they partied in celebration of the beginning of summer. I caught a bus across the border into Finland early the next morning, and travelled the full length of the country, an experience and story in itself.
28 January, 2012 9:00 am
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