Honningsvåg, Norway

Sunday, June 18th
Honningsvåg, Norway
ms Koningsdam
Voyage of the Midnight Sun
Day 8
Mostly Sunny - 50 Degrees

This is our only stop North of the Arctic Circle, a little hole in the ice on the Barents Sea called Honningsvåg, officially recognized as the Northernmost city in Norway.  This is a matter of some dispute.  Norwegian law defines a city as having at least 5,000 residents.  Honningsvåg has only 2,500, but received the designation as a city prior to the law establishing the 5,000 resident threshold.  The 2nd Northernmost city in Norway, which has more than 5,000 residents, is pissed.

But, this is the gateway, not the destination.  Our ultimate destination is Nordkapp, or the North Cape, which has laid claim to various designations:

The Northernmost Point in Norway
The Northernmost Point in Continental Europe
The Northernmost Point in Europe

All are false.  Honningsvåg and the North Cape are both located on the island of Mageroy, thus not even a part of Continental Europe.  And, the North Cape isn't even the Northernmost point on the island of Mageroy.  Knivskjelodden is further North, but only by a reindeer whisker (71º 11' 08" vs 71º 10' 21" North Latitude to be specific), and it's inaccessible.  So, the North Cape is the SYMBOLIC Northernmost Point in Europe, and we are all about symbolism.

It was a beautiful, crystal clear, blue sky and sunshine morning for the drive out to the North Cape, about 45 minutes from Honningsvåg.  This is a truly barren, windswept landscape, above the treeline even at sea level.  Winter is not yet a distant memory here.  The low places still have patches of snow, and the lakes are still partially frozen-over.  The vegetation is sparse, just more than 200 species in total, but there are reindeer.  We saw herds of white reindeer with little brown babies.  The babies are adorable, and one would fit in my suitcase just fine, but the adults aren't much to look at.

The North Cape is a promontory with a dramatic vertical cliff face rising 1,000 feet above the Arctic Ocean.  The views down to the surf and out over the ocean are spectacular.  We are told.  It was fogged-in solid while we were there, and all we saw looking out to sea was the inside of a marshmallow.  It's a cool place, though, with a visitor center, research station, and a monumental globe marking the NOT Northernmost point in Europe.  It's one of the most striking and apt monuments we have seen.  The fog, and the hordes of smiling idiots, cleared around the globe for a split second to give us one good shot.

We had hazy sunshine for sailaway.

And, a view of the North Cape from the Arctic Ocean as we sailed by.  Dramatic, indeed.

Next Stop:  Ålesund, Norway