Attempt no. 3 to visit the North Cape!
Just at the end of my last post I wrote that I have to try again to finally get to the North Cape - soon! And this is it now, my 3rd try to get up to what is usually referred to as the northernmost point of Europe, the North Cape.
After the various cancellations by Innovation Norway to go on one of their NTW-pre-tours to the North, my colleague Franck felt sorry for me and invited me instead to accompany him mid of April on a FAM trip with a French client.
The two guys from a French tour operator planned a study trip through Norway, among others to North Norway. After spending some days in Fjord Norway accompanied by my colleague Stéphanie, Franck would take over the part of showing them the north... and that's where I was brought into play: starting in Alta, travelling further on to Honningsvåg, then North Cape and back to Alta and for them further on to Tromsø.
Here the details and the pictures:
Saturday 16/04:
I took SK4544, first flight in the morning at 09:05 from Oslo Gardermoen to arrive in Alta at 11:00 a.m.
A taxi brought me the 8km from the airport to my hotel in the city centre. I had organised a complimentary room for me at the Rica Hotel Alta :-) All other hotels in Alta were already closed for the Easter period.
(view from my room)
At 12:45 I went to the close by bus stop and took the bus for two stops to Hjemmeluft, 5km from Alta downtown, where the famous Alta Museum is located.
It is northern Norway's most visited summer museum. And so all Terra Nova tourists that travel through Finnmark stop here for a visit and often even for lunch...
...with a great view :-)
The museum presents exhibitions on local culture and historic industries, but most especially the nearby prehistoric rock carvings dating back from around 11,000 years ago. They are located at the early settlement of Finnmark and appear on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
The museum is open all year round, but the rock carvings are only accessible for visitors during the snow-free season, normally from May to the beginning of October. As you can see, in the winter season - that is also now that I was there - they are covered with snow.
However, three small stones with rock carvings are exhibited in the museum and so I just had a visit of the inside of the museum. The exhibition led me through presentations about the rock carvings and their history, about sami live, the very controversial construction of the Masi-dam in the 70s, about the polar light and about Norwegian history of sports including ski speed run, soccer and moreover of ski jumping legend Bjørn Wirkola.
After my visit I returned to the city centre and had a walk and a look around. Alta's city centre is definitely not a big thing and so my city exploration was done withing 15 minutes and ended with coffee and cake in the local shopping mall.
At 15:30 I returned to the hotel as I had an appointment with Kari from Holmen Hundesenter to pick me up for a dog sledge tour :-)
We drove about 10 minutes, along the snow covered river to the dog centre where I was then introduced to Rebecca. She led me to the dressing room where she gave me the suit to wear over my clothes, special snow shoes, gloves and a hat. When properly dressed she showed me around and gave me instructionsfor the run with the dogs.
During the instructions I realised that I was the only one there for dog sledging. They had prepared some dogs just for me! However, they knew that I was from a tour operator and thus a potential client.
After the instructions I started my excursion of the other kind together with guide Thomas and 5 alaska huskies :-) They took me on a 17km tour of over an hour... which is more than what the tourists usually get.
Unfortunately it is not allowed, yet possible, to take pictures during the run itself; the dogs run with a passion and a speed over the wide open fields and the terrain around the Hundesenter. No way to take a hand off the handle, take a camera out and shoot some pictures.
Thomas on the lead sledge directs his dogs with words, i.e. instructions like "venstre" (=left) or "høyre"(=right). All other dogs follow this lead sledge and so we were crossing in the sunshine the tracks along the river, through some small forest and over open fields. I was nice and warm and the tour was just a great experience for me!
Thomas on the lead sledge directs his dogs with words, i.e. instructions like "venstre" (=left) or "høyre"(=right). All other dogs follow this lead sledge and so we were crossing in the sunshine the tracks along the river, through some small forest and over open fields. I was nice and warm and the tour was just a great experience for me!
After the tour though I could take some more pictures.
As additional attraction, and included in the tour prices, are the sami tents where they offer the tourists hot drinks and snacks after a trip while warming up at the camp fire.
In the bigger tent they even serve dinner on request.
While sitting in the sami tent around that fire, I was talking to Thomas and getting to know all kinds of interesting information about this place.
Holmen Hundesenter offers various tours which range from really short tours of half an hour (max. 30 mins./8-9km) tailor made for the cruise tourists, "normal quick" tours of about 12 km in about 40 mins, over the most popular standard tour of 2,5 hours all suitable for up to max. 40 pax, to daytours and 5-days tours which take max. 8-10 participants.
Their dogs are mainly between 0 and 9 years old and a mix of males and females alike.
Not all of them are "professional" race dogs. The "normal" dogs usually run an average of 4,000 to 6,000 km per year. However, the race dogs, that regularly participate in competitions train and run much more. For example one of the dogs that was harnessed to and pulling my sledge ran already 20,000 km since August 2010!!!Incredible!
It is so incredible with what vigour, passion and pleasure these animals run! I felt sorry for them that they had to carry me on that sleigh, but Thomas assured me that they really like and enjoy it and especially need it.
A bit further away from Alta is usually another winter attraction, the Sorrisniva Ice Hotel. However, to get there from Alta you either need a (rental) car or a taxi, which I both couldn't afford. So I had dropped the idea visiting this hotel long before I came to Alta.
When I told Kari about it on the way from my hotel to the dog centre, she saw the importance for me to see this attraction for our tourists and tried to help me. She tried to get hold of the IceHotel staff and would have arranged a visit incl. transport there, but noone picked up. The season for the IceHotel was actually over already and the hotel had already closed.
When I told Kari about it on the way from my hotel to the dog centre, she saw the importance for me to see this attraction for our tourists and tried to help me. She tried to get hold of the IceHotel staff and would have arranged a visit incl. transport there, but noone picked up. The season for the IceHotel was actually over already and the hotel had already closed.
So in the end, after about 3 hours at this Holmen Hundesenter, I was brought back by anotherone of the 3 seasonal employees called Henrik. He had his sister and mother over for a visit and they were staying at the same hotel as I did.
When I went out for a dinner in the evening I ended up in a restaurant called "Alfa Omega" where also Henrik happened to go with his family.
As they seemed pretty pleasant people I asked if I could join them and so we sat together eating and chatting a lot.
It was actually a very nice evening. And the best: I was talking the whole evening only Norwegian! Actually I had been talking Norwegian the whole day! :-) I'm really proud :-)
Sometimes I have days when I really have difficulties to understand Norwegians talking and to express myself the way I want, which then makes me totally down and depressed. But then I have days and moments like these where I speak so much and actually pretty good Norwegian that I think "hey, your Norwegian isn't bad at all!". But it's always changing...
After dinner I said goodbye to the three and went to bed.
Sunday 17/04:
I had a lazy morning with very long breakfast as Franck was arriving in Alta only at 11:30 a.m. I was so much looking forward to this huge and great breakfast! And when looking for a place to sit I met Henrik's sister and mother again and so we enjoyed also breakfast together... again talking all the time Norwegian :-)
When Franck arrived we picked up the rental car for the next two days and went to the Best Western Hotel Nordlys where we had an appointment with the manager for an inspection and lunch. This hotel is also used by our tourists and so we were invited by them for the delicious meal.
Soon, though, we had to depart from Alta. Passing by the Boazo Sami Sida (a Sami culture and reindeer attraction), we headed northwards in direction Honningsvåg.
The landscape was still covered by snow, but nevertheless super beautiful like this wrapped in white.
After a 3 hours drive we arrived in Honningsvåg where we checked in to the Rica Hotel Bryggen. We hadn't only been the only ones on the road up here, but it turned out that we were actually the only tourists in town. At least all other hotels were closed and they had opened this hotel only and exceptionally for us, for 4 people from the tourism industry!
Franck and I used the remaining afternoon until the arrival of the two French clients in the evening for a first tour around the area.
(Tørrfisk = stockfish/stoccafisso = dried or in this case drying cod)
We drove to the tiny local airport to check if the current extreme wind conditions would allow flights to come in today.
At this airport you have all in one: departure hall, check-in area, security check, arrival hall, baggage claim and café... on 100(?) m²!
Then we continued to our favourite and much used "Arran Hotel" in Kamøyvær, a little further out from Honningsvåg. It's a sami run hotel which at this time of the year was still closed. The owners only come back at the start of the summer season when all the tourists are coming. So unfortunately I couldn't see it from the inside.
Then we made a first approach to the North Cape by driving the missing 30 km even further northwards, on a road which - under very extreme winter conditions - is only accessible by "kolonnekjøring", i.e. driving in a convoy, at certain preset times.
The North Cape lies on the cliff behind the right hand hills in this picture, around the corner.
In order to ensure that we would make it definitely up to the North Cape, Franck initially had ordered a snow plough, but we were asked to cancel this order as the road will be officiall open now for the whole summer season.
At 13km before the actual North Cape, the road E69, however, was closed and we had to stop in front of the closed barrier. A sign advised the times for the convoy. We didn't assume anything bad about it and thought it was just closed, because it was already too late in the afternoon.
This is where they offer king crab safaris in summer.
I hope noone needs to get out or in here soon...
So after this little excursion, we made our way back to Honningsvåg...
...passing by the Rica Hotel Nordkapp, another hotel which is in summer full of those tourists visitng the North Cape, including those from Terra Nova.
Still pretty covered in snow for this period of the year. I hope this will be melted by the time our tourists come in the beginning of June :-)
Passing again the local Honningsvåg airport. Again they assured us that now flights would be cancelled due to the strong wind.
Franck and I stopped for a bite to eat at the local inn "Café Corner".
Reindeer finnebiff with mashed potatoes - yummy :-)
Finally, late in the evening then, Franck and I approached again the airport. The two French clients finally landed.
Upon arrival at the hotel, the lady being on duty was so lovely to prepare us this little kind of midnight snack which we enjoyed a lot.
Monday 18/04:
This is the big day, the day I might make it to the North Cape. Today some sunrays made it here and there through the clowds, so weatherwise the day already seemed better.
Thus, after breakfast we left the hotel early. Noone could give us a definite answer on whether the North Cape road E69 would finally be open or not, so we couldn't do more than just drive again the 30km up to Skarsvåg and see how far we literally get.
Now also with the French clients we took the turn down to Kamøyvær to the water (on the picture in a bay on the right) again to show them the Arran Hotel.
After a short stop we continued the way northwards again. On the upper plateau the snow and wind storm was so strong that we had difficulties to walk when we stopped with the car at the North Cape lookout.
In order to move forwards I had to hold and pull myself along the car. The wind pushed us and we had to put all our strength against it to resist it... and not to be blown from our feet. Not sure if this is kind of visible on the below pictures.
In order to move forwards I had to hold and pull myself along the car. The wind pushed us and we had to put all our strength against it to resist it... and not to be blown from our feet. Not sure if this is kind of visible on the below pictures.
A few more kilometres and we arrived at Skarsvåg and the barrier: Noooooooooooooooooooooooooo, the road E69 was CLOSED! Shit! Please not!!! But yes "vegen er stengt" :-(
The public convoy times (to North Cape at 12:30 with return at 14:00) were simply too late for us! We couldn't wait until then to have a snow plough opening the road for us. The guys had to be back at Alta in the late afternoon to take their flight to Tromsø.
The most annyoing thing was that there was actually a snow plough standing next to the barrier!
He was just there, he could easily just drive up freeing the road for us. It was just there doing NOTHING else. We even offered the guy in there money and explained him that we initially had actually booked a "private" snow plough, independently from the public convoy times and that the only reason we cancelled it had been that his boss told us there was no need as the road would anyways be open! And still, that guy resisted: as long as he didn't get the ok from his boss to drive us up, he wouldn't do it. And the ok from the boss remained never given. F***!
So at my third attempt to get to the North Cape, I was blocked at 13km away from it! At only 13km!!!
So at my third attempt to get to the North Cape, I was blocked at 13km away from it! At only 13km!!!
A little sad and disappointed we quickly drove into Skarsvåg again and then turned around. There was no sense in staying up here any longer, just getting pissed off that the snow plough simply wouldn't let us go.
We drove the 45 minutes back to Honningsvåg, passing the plateau.
Back in Honningsvåg we needed a beer/drink to overcome our disappointment.
After that we visited the IceBar instead which is run by a Spanish couple... and a super nice husky...
...which apparently smelled Franck's dog and had to show is affection :-)
We left the IceBar just on time to see the Hurtigruten boat "Nordlys" arrive.
At 12:30 p.m. it was already time for us to leave Honningsvåg and drive southwards back to Alta.
We were passing again a beautiful white snow-landscape. And while driving the weather changed every 5 minutes.
When we were passing the pleateau again the weather changed within a couple of minutes from very sunny and clear, to grey, to foggy, to snowy and finally to stormy so that the wind blew all the light fresh powder snow over the road and within seconds we couldn't see the road anymore. Luckily wooden sticks marked the road so that we knew where to drive.
So 25 minutes later a guy with keys came, opened the shop for me, gave me the car keys to open the car and get my luggage out.
I had already called a taxi waiting for me and so I immediately rushed to the airport and quickly checked in. Only two minutes after passing the security controls the boarding started. Ufff, this was just on time! Luckily this was Alta airport, which is so small and close to the city. Any other airport and I would have missed my flight.
However, now I was sitting - with my luggage on board - in the plane on my way back to Oslo where I arrived somewhat after 8 p.m.
After a pretty cold and snow dominated weekend, I was welcomed by 18°C in Oslo :-)
And the result of this trip: very beautiful and interesting. I got to know some of the tourism services which we use for our tourists. So they are no longer just services lines on our computer. But the North Cape mission still remains unaccomplished. I don't give up! One day I will also overcome the last missing 13 km!!!
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