Today we are going to the Nordkapp (North Cape)
Imagine a place in the far north, where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Arctic Ocean and their frigid waters mix.
That place is Nordkapp - the North Cape - in Western Finnmark, Northern Norway. Here, the only dry land between you and the North Pole is the Svalbard archipelago.
It's our first ship based excursion, most of the feedback so far about the very expensive excursions has been mediocre at best so we are not expecting much more than a bus ride out to the monument and back. Will be nice to do something land based.
Last night after dinner, the head chef gave a presentation about the policy Hurtigruten follow with regard to the food they serve. Basically, they source locally grown, produced, caught produce. The food is sensational and presentation is superb .
We have had quite a few different fish. Salmon, herring, char, and blue mussels. Smoked, baked, poached or raw. Lamb, beef and root vegetables and berries. It has all been yummy so far and the deserts are also using locally accessed ingredients and all baked/ made onboard. The idea behind it is to keep the local small suppliers in business up and down the coast and to give us exposure to the fresh and specialized products for the region we travel through.
Just returned from our excursion to the North Cape and it was great. We went rugged up for freezing temperatures but it was actually very mild, just windy. On the way we stopped at a Sami Trading post for the 10 minute obligatory souvenir shopping and the chance to take a photo of a reindeer and his herder. After taking these photos, further up the mountain there are hundreds of reindeer roaming free. Did you know that reindeer swim? They roam free in the summer and in the winter they swim back to the mainland!
As we approach the parking lot I am quite surprised by the building here. In the information it says there is the North Cape Hall. Well it's this massive information centre complete with a panoramic movie and all sorts of other information. After watching the film we walk to the globe monument and then around the cliff tops. With 5 minutes to spare Glenn discovered a tunnel and another area with displays that leads out to a viewing platform down the cliff a bit. There are a couple of tents set up at the top of the hill so these people have either hiked up or cycled up to the top, hope their tent pegs are well anchored, it is very windy!
Back on board and we set sail again further up the Norwegian Coast. This afternoon we attend a lecture about the Sami history and way of life given by one of the exploration team, Vera.
As it turns out part way through the talk, she reveals that her dad is Sami and her mother is Norwegian so she knows first hand a lot about the race and the persecution they have suffered at the hands of the Norwegian people. Pretty much a common story of most indigenous races worldwide but she was quite open about the abuse and bullying that she personally suffered and the impact it had on her to the point that she was very emotional.
Her father is a Reindeer breeder/herder and there are a lot of rules regarding Reindeer ownership. They are bred for meat and their pelts are used for clothing and furniture and the antlers have a very strong market to Japan where it is ground and sold as a type of viagra. Her great grandmother is credited with the formation of a Sami parliament and getting recognition for the Sami people including apologies from the Royals and government. Sami language is very difficult.
Up on deck at around 4.30 we are served hot vegetable soup while we take in the ever changing scenery. The soup is very welcome as we had lunch at 10.45 because of the excursion.
After the daily Norway way of life session we finally have sometime to go back to our cabin for a sneaky glass of wine and a snack. Alcohol is so expensive onboard and once we realized that unlike other cruises they do not scan your bags when you come back from shore, we bought a couple of bottles of red wine and partake of that in our cabin prior to dinner. Turns out our dining mates do the same thing!