We arrived at the port of Honingsvåg Norway which is proclaimed the northernmost city of Europe. At 71° North Latitude, you stand 1300 miles from the north pole, 140 miles from NW corner of Russia, and along the northeast passage that connects Atlantic and Pacific Oceans running north of Russia.
Our tour today had a few stops on the way to Nordkapp including a small village of Kamoyvaer which is only a few houses and boats, but also an artist Eva Schmutterer who originated from Germany who does collage art from recycled magazines finding the right color and shading which really were unique and beautifully done – Gina was impressed and bought a few of her works.
The second stop was a roadside Sami market which is hosted by Norway’s indigenous people which allowed us to see crafts and some reindeer they keep.
The next stop was Nordkapp, which is at the top of the climb, which is the highlight for just about every tourist to the area.
Well, being this far north, you need to prepare for any weather even in height of summer – we were not so fortunate as the low clouds, rain and fog hampered what can be one of the most scenic views on the European continent. At Nordkapp, or known to the English as “North Cape”, is the point along the cliff 1000′ feet above the ocean which was demarked by sailors they are at the boundary of the Norwegian and Barents sea. On land, and on a sunny day, the view standing 1000 feet above the oceans is breathtaking and people fearing heights can feel uneasy, on a foggy day however, you have no idea of the majesty that surrounds you.
The gulf stream effect on the climate of the area does keep the region climate relatively moderate, thus fog and low cloud cover is common. We can attest that temperature dipped to 42°F while we were there, but local guides mentioned that winters are cold, but not harsh.
After visiting Nordkapp with its museum, gift shop and 15 minute video on the history of the area we headed to another village for some King Crab tasting.
The King Crab industry is big in Honingsvåg and our tour included a King Crab presentation and lunch with a guide teaching us how king crab is harvested by the locals. Our return to the ship brought us to a small port town with some local shops and restaurants, and after a nice walk, we were back on the ship ready to depart Norway and head to sea for two days on our way to Scotland and the Shetland Islands.
Honingsvåg was a very quaint area and certainly, recommended to any travel enthusiast that has a bucket-list for such destinations – I’m not certain if visiting January/December is recommended (only a few hours of illuminated skies, no direct sun) but certainly a spring/fall destination for seeing the northern lights may just be the best place for the adventurous.