Nord...Nörder...am Nördesten

From Narvik, there are not many roads leading north. You can save your navigation system because the North Cape is signposted from the outskirts of Narvik.

On the way, you will come across the harbor city of Alta, an important port for the world's largest iron mine in Kiruna. I have to say, I have rarely seen such an ugly city. The harbor is dominated by old, rusty iron ships and drunken locals. There is a city center, but it is as ugly as the center in Orschel. Definitely not worth a stop.

After Alta, the wilderness of Finnmark begins, an area that consists of 75% forest and 20% vegetation-poor highlands. The rest is reindeer. Finnmark is also the habitat of the local population. The Sámi people, called Sami here, live either from reindeer herding, fishing, or from us tourists. You can see for miles on the highlands...no trees...no houses...nothing. I feel like I'm driving from Degerschlacht to Sickenhausen.

I only have a brief encounter with the indigenous population. They escort me into a souvenir tipi and try to sell me last year's collected goods. Fortunately, only cash counts here and my last crowns were spent two days ago while showering. The reindeer herder himself has to find a place for his last fur caps.

After leaving the highlands behind me, only a 70-kilometer fjord separates me from the northernmost point of Europe. But this stretch is challenging, as usual. The road is only 3-4 meters wide and one camper van chases the next. And occasionally, there is also a tour bus in between.

Just before the cape, I find a sleeping spot on the beach...yes, there is a beach here. I hear that two hundred midnight sun enthusiasts often gather at the very top every night, and I don't want to be part of that today. There is no sun today anyway, only continuous fog with a visibility of less than 20 meters and 6°C.

The next morning, I tackle the last 15 kilometers and ...there it is!!!

I have to say, it's far less impressive in complete fog than in the pictures I've seen, but well, I'm here. Almost 5000 kilometers and about 90 hours of driving and I see NOTHING, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. With some effort, I find the globe, take a few pictures when the fog briefly clears, and visit the exhibition. Still, it somehow feels good to be here, at the northernmost point of Europe.

But arriving here also means that I will move south from now on. Half of the tour is already over. Through Finland, I want to reach the Swedish east coast and spend a few days relaxing on the beaches.

Unfortunately, I have to drive the last 100 kilometers of the outbound journey again, which I really don't like, because there is only one road to the cape. After completing this section, I drive towards the Finnish border through the Finnmark region. Maybe I will see my first moose here. In the evening, I arrive exhausted and without a moose, but with a million reindeer on the road, in the small town of Karasjok. I think it's time to take a shower again and cook indoors without mosquitoes, so today I treat myself to a campsite.