Birthday Cape

Today is the day. Today we reach our first goal. So far, we have seen and experienced so much that we will probably still be talking about this journey in a few years. Hopefully, no one will be annoyed. Oh well, it doesn't matter.

The day starts with birthday pancakes at Lillefjord. To celebrate, we also took a shower again last night. The storm has almost passed, even though there was some light rain during the night. After a door-opening-window-drying action, we're ready to go: off to the North Cape.

We race back to Havøysund, past the now abandoned construction site, and turn onto the E69. Towards the final section, the last time heading north.

The landscape is once again changing rapidly. The small birch groves are becoming rarer and in the end, the little trees cling only to steep cliffs and lonely sheltered corners. The taiga of the North expands and is simply breathtaking in its autumn colors. Only a few kilometers separate us from our goal, which we have worked and saved for so long.

The highest point on the island is just 417 meters above sea level, the Gråkallfjellet. (In comparison: the highest peaks in Jotunheimen National Park and the highest in Norway are around 2460 meters, which we visited just a few weeks ago. Months? Time flies too fast.)

The dreamlike route past the few places on the island adds to our excitement. You can't really describe this place, but maybe that's also because of our general mood. It's strange to be so close to a goal. It will be even stranger to drive back south. But we're not thinking about that today.

As we pass Honningsvåg, we see something quite unusual. Hitchhikers. Unfortunately, when we set off this morning, we just put everything on the seats and so we have to keep driving. We also want to wait until after 5 p.m. because then the 'entrance to the North Cape' doesn't cost as much money. Aaand we want to see the Kirkeporten near Skarsvåg.

Finally, we rest near the small settlement and cook ourselves a birthday meal. We have vegan hot dogs, of course with the good mustard jam. That's when we spot two hitchhikers. Or rather, they spot us and decide to rest there too. Before that, the two of them try to catch fish, but without success. We ask them if we can give them a ride to the North Cape and that's settled. Exactly 10 minutes to 5, we set off. The two young Danes have hitchhiked a long way and will fly back in a few days. It will be a fun ride, because our excitement is growing with every beautiful kilometer, oh no, with every second, as we approach our goal.

And then we see it. First the museum building and the large parking lot. We quickly check in, look for a parking space, and then we explore. Just like our Danish passengers, we stay overnight. After all, such a moment must be celebrated with good Mosel wine, what else. And so we open our last bottle of queen's wine and watch the clouds move across the Arctic Ocean.

At the end of the world?

At sunset.

Wrapped in fog.

Translucent and still,

a feeling of freedom,

infinity and

peace.