It's just a metal ball, or is it not?

July 27, 2024 - our day! Half past eight in the morning, we eagerly await the MS POLARLYS of the HURTIGRUTEN in Havøysund. Weather: no words. Two hours on the deck of the huge ship, the bikes in the cargo hold and we marvel at the beautiful coastal landscape. A different perspective from the water. The ship docks in Honnigsvåg on time. A nice village with colorful houses, many ships, and a small café in the harbor with freshly baked cinnamon buns. Our energy for the 30 kilometers to Nordkapp. 30 kilometers! The thought gives us butterflies in the stomach. We ride in the glorious sunshine with cinnamon bun in the belly towards Nordkapp. The 30 kilometers have some tough climbs, 700 meters in altitude to conquer. It goes through an endless expanse, right through reindeer herds with thoughts of Nordkapp in mind. The kilometer signs show fewer and fewer distances. Goosebumps occasionally run through both of us. It all feels so surreal. So far, we have set out every morning to ride, to enjoy nature, to enjoy the ride. Now we ride to reach our destination, Nordkapp. Both of us keep searching for words to express our inner feelings and thoughts - but we can't quite find the words. It's a mix of pride, joy, and adrenaline. An emotional mix of everything. The final climb and then we see the parking lot at the entrance to Nordkapp. WE MADE IT!! We don't care about the other tourists, we hug each other and quietly shout for joy, tears flow freely, with joy and emotion, to touch that little metal ball on a pedestal at the northernmost point of Europe. Of course, we take the obligatory tourist photos, but we have more than earned them. Here we sit at the end of Europe, eating our cheese sandwiches, looking out at the endless Arctic Sea, looking at our gravels, the sun shining - the world around us has become pretty unimportant at this moment....
The Nordkapp road is a dead end. We decide spontaneously to avoid mass tourism and start the return journey to take the deserted coastal road south towards Finland to catch the bus. It's 260 kilometers to Karasjok, which we have and will take 4 days for. But for now, in the endless expanse, we find a beautiful place to camp, to celebrate ourselves, our emotions, and our bikes in peace.