Greetings from the Top of the World! Today our ship is docked at Honningsvåg, Norway and just after breakfast we boarded a bus for a tour of Magerøy Island, the northernmost land mass in Norway. We visited the Nordkapp Jul & Vinterhus in Skarsvåg. Unfortunately we didn’t get to sample Ivy’s famed tea and waffles but in addition to seeing some of the lovely Christmas decorations in the Christmas House that once had been Ivy’s home, we delighted in just seeing the local scenery, the fish drying on a rack in the backyard, and seedlings inside the enclosed side porch. Our next stop was a roadside picnic area and scenic overlook with a view of Nordkapp that is apparently a premier location for viewing the Northern Lights but not during this three month period of Midnight Sun. A little more bus riding and we arrived in the tiny fishing village of Kamøyvær and the East of the Sun Art Gallery where we met Eva Schmutterer and learned about her unique paper collage art. We came away with a bit of wall art for our camper and for the apartment. All along the way as we watched the scenery through the bus windows, we enjoyed Francesca’s narration. She gave us a lot of information about the landscape, the economy, and the culture of the area. There are few land animals in the area, mostly reindeer and rabbits, but lots and lots of birds including a lot of eagles. The reindeer have no fear of humans since all of the reindeer are owned by members of the Sami people although not all Sami are reindeer herders. Most of the beaches are rocky but there’s at least one white sand beach, with white coral being the source of the sand. The snow that we saw on the mountains was from a snowfall just two weeks ago but it will be melted soon. Although Norway’s coast is warmed by the Gulf Stream there’s enough snow and ice to make winter driving treacherous but the Norwegians do not use salt on their roads but rather learn to drive in snow and ice and must prove their skill in order to be licensed to drive. There are no trees on the landscape since there is little topsoil, it’s still recovering from the last ice age, so all the foliage has adapted to the climate and soil conditions including some carnivorous plants. We two were fascinated with the camping opportunities. Wild Camping is allowed and enjoyed by many Norwegians and tourists. Due to the rainy conditions we opted not to wander the town of Honningsvåg once we returned but to seek shelter inside the ship and enjoy the scenery through rain streaked windows in the Safari Lounge. Then after dinner we were out on deck as the ship passed north of Nordkapp, the northernmost point of land in Europe. In the distance we could just barely make out the iconic globe. This is such a cool adventure!
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