NORDKAPP I'm coming

Hello Senja!

The ferry from Andenes to the Lofoten took me to the beautiful island of Senja, the second largest island in Norway. It's amusing that the fact I didn't plan to go to the northernmost tip of the Lofoten led me to the quickest and simplest route to Senja, where I could take the ferry directly. It's nice how things sometimes come together.

Senja turned out to be a scenic hiking region with stunning viewpoints and waterfalls wherever you look. The view of the Bergsbotn Fjord and the hike to Hesten are the most memorable for me. Once again, I was pleasantly surprised by a beautiful rainbow in the middle of nowhere, which I love about Norway.

Things don’t always go as planned

Next on the agenda was Tromsø. Like in Bergen and Trondheim, the visit to Tromsø was not under a good star. The only campsite turned me away because it was already full. I couldn't even do my laundry there as planned. To make matters worse, while filling my water tank, the hose slipped out, spilling water all over the bus.

But unfortunately, experiences like these are part of van life. In the end, I found a laundromat and, as a consolation, treated myself to some Italian food for the first time in a long while. The pizza was absolutely delicious.

As a landmark of Tromsø, after spending a night a bit outside the city, I visited the Ice Cathedral before continuing northwards.

Some fun in the Water

The rest of the route led me along beautiful fjords with snow-covered mountains. The weather cooperated one day, so for the first time, I unpacked my stand-up paddle board and paddled around on the fjord.

In Alta, I witnessed a Sami wedding, with the couple in traditional attire entering the Northern Lights Cathedral.

Scenically, over the last few hundred kilometers, the mountains lowered, the expanses widened, and the trees completely disappeared. Left were a long road along the sea and countless herds of reindeer.

Hurtigruten

My last stop before the North Cape was Honningsvag. A beautiful sunny day with a delicious (rare) cappuccino allowed me to stroll relaxed along the harbor. A cruise ship from Hurtigruten lay impressively peacefully at anchor. I decided to take advantage of the weather and tackle the last 30 kilometers to the North Cape.

End of Road

After a 45-minute drive through landscapes that literally hinted at the end of the world, it lay before me. End of Road. The North Cape.

After what you see in the landscape behind you, it's quite an unassuming location, this place. A huge rock platform with nothing but stone, dropping about 300 meters straight down. On it stands the landmark, the globe. Beyond that, nothing. Nothing but endless water. It's hard to imagine that beyond that distance only the North Pole remains. (And Svalbard).

Only a few hours later, when I stepped out of the van to see the midnight sun, did I realize where I actually was. A feeling of relief and gratitude spread within me.

Until next time

Namaste & all my love

Emma & Michie