So what is it like at the top of the World? Honningsvaag is the Northernmost city on the mainland of Norway. 2,500 people call this home. It is Cold but the town exudes warmth with its colorful little wooden houses. I find this part of the world, Desolate, Windy, Eerie, Jagged, Rugged, and Brown and Grey with sprinkles of green. The town and its people give it is warmth.
Our ship docked at 7PM. Our tour to the North Cape, Nodkapp, began at 7:45 PM, close to our bedtime...:) We debated if we wanted to take this hour long bus ride, a 3.5 hour tour, or stay on the ship. I said to David, well we can sit in the room or we can sit on a bus.... The bus won out. We were here before and remember it well. If you visit, you will never forget the stark beauty this site offers or the endlessly long bus ride. With no trees, nothing scenic like Colorado for example, it seems endless. But at the same time the LACK of scenery, the rocky land, the mountains, the left over snow from its winter, and reindeer running across the road keeps you alert and watchful.
We bundled in layers and decided to go, we are here, after all. Regent opened dining early. We headed to the buffet just to find out everyone else decided to do the same thing. We then headed to the dining room. It was still closed. Soooo, we then came back to our room and ordered room service. I knew we would not fade away without a meal but it became more about principle. We were both happy we decided to do the tour. It was a different experience this time. Last time the view was endless. We saw the jaggedness of the cliffs 1,000 feet high and we saw endless sea. This time, we still had that whipping wind, but we were fogged in to some extent. The fog was below the cliffs we stood on. You could barely stand because the wind was so strong. It was also very very cold. Ahh, we remembered it well. Beautiful. Breathtaking, but much nicer on a clear day. The fog this time was too dense for a great photo but it was well worth the trip. All five of our busses stopped at a local souvenir stop where local Sami's offered up some local crafts and a photo op of one of their reindeer. They own all the reindeer on this island. If you happen to hit one with your car, you are fined $2,000.
We spent the night here, if you can all it that. The sun never set. Actually the sun never sets 77 nights a year. We went to bed at noon and got up at noon, or so it seemed. The next morning a bus took a group of us to Gjesvaer. I went out on a little boat to the island of Stappan, or Bird Island. It takes about 15 minutes to get to this tiny island which is home to thousand upon thousands of all kinds of birds. Birds segregate. Each kind has their own little space on this island where they sit, live, people watch and just chit chat with each other. They could have filmed Hitchcock's movie, The Birds, here. Perfect day, sunny. I was bundled in layers, 6 I think and a fleece and David's North Face jacket and hat. He never noticed them gone... :) I was happy that I signed up for this tour. At first I was getting crabby because so many bus loads of people came on board. One was from Regent. I don't know where all the rest came from.... I worried about how may the boat could hold and if there were life jackets. So many people were left to stand. For some reason I happened to be one of the first ones on, and found a perfect seat for two facing backwards and shelters by two walls..... hmmmm. I was fortunate. :) Of course, yes, I shared it with a fellow passenger. I was still able to get up and walk around for photos. I think the owner makes a killing on this tour. Although most of Regents tours are 'complimentary' meaning you pay for it with your booking fees, they charged an additional $149 each for this tour.
When we got back I had lunch at La Veranda, cod. Don't tell anyone, but I actually went back for seconds. :) Don't think I EVER did that before. I was hoping the people at the next table didn't notice.
After a morning with the birds, I was thinking it is probably a good thing to always wear a hat when you visit Bird Island.
At 2 PM, the ship pulled away from the dock and headed for Murmansk. Guess what? Two passengers never got back to the ship and we had to leave without them. Numerous loudspeaker announcements were made to locate the couple. Finally the Captain had their passports given to the local Police and we had to pick up the walkway and head to Russia. I am not sure what they are going to do as we hear Russia, especially Murmansk, is a tough immigration port and it will take hours for us to get processed in order to get off. We once again have to STICK WITH THE GROUP. Only get off if you are with a tour and listen well ..... We are thinking these guys may just hit Hammerfest, Norway in two days rather then try to get on the ship in Russia tomorrow. There are 4 flights a day out of Honningsvaag. I can't imagine coming back to the ship and find it GONE ......
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