05.07.2018
For the first time in 10 years I took vacation in the middle of the summer season. Taking this opportunity I went together with my Mom on a road trip through the Scandinavian North to see the midnight sun. The Arctic and the midnight sun always held somewhat of a fascination for me. I was really looking forward to this trip.
Germany – Oslo – Harstad/Narvik by airplane & Evenes – Finnsnes 170 km
We left home at 04:30 in the morning driving to the Airport Berlin. The sun was just rising when we roared along the German Autobahn. There was not much traffic this early in the morning and we made good time, when all of a sudden hazard lights of the few cars ahead of us started flashing and a huge sign appeared – “Autobahn completely closed! Use next exit to leave!” Nothing moved, however, for a while and there was nothing on the traffic news on the radio either. Crap, we are going to miss that flight!
The GPS showed a detour and, in normal traffic conditions, we would still make it on time to the airport. But it rolled very slowly …. I already decided, if we would get stuck in traffic too long, we would skip our pre-booked airport parking and go directly to the airport and park there. It would still be cheaper than buying new flights, because, of course, we had low fare, not changeable tickets….
We followed the Autobahn detour signs blindly and eventually reached the Autobahn again on the next exit. Luckily, traffic was still light and with full speed we roared to the airport parking, reached it in time to catch our scheduled transfer to the airport and were there at bag drop spot on. Phew …
After the security check there was even time to raid the duty-free – in Scandinavia alcohol is expensive, so why not take at least part of the allowed quota with us. I had downloaded the Norwegian Toll App, a very handy tool for that. So, we had a couple of bottles of wine in our suitcases already and granted ourselves with a bottle of Vodka each, those being strictly for medicinal purposes, of course.
Even for coffee and muffins for breakfast was time before takeoff, because our flight with Norwegian to Oslo was slightly delayed. That did not bother us much, because we had some 3 hrs on Oslo Airport to connect to our flight north.
When we landed in Oslo, I first had to make a phone call to Norway Pro Travel, the tour agency in Germany, which organized our trip. We had received a bunch of vouchers for hotels and also for our rental car. I had only noticed now, that the pick up/drop off point for our car was written wrong on our voucher. But no problem, they checked, said it was booked correctly, only the voucher was printed wrong, and e-mailed me a new voucher.
We drew some money from the ATM – Should I draw € 500? – No, the equivalent of € 300 should be enough for a start, we do not want to spend, so much money! – OK, I draw € 300! After changing the terminal, which was just a short walk, we decided to have some lunch to bridge the waiting time. We ended up in Friday’s and shared a Threesome starter for 2 and one beer. Since I was going to drive, I did not dare to have more than half a beer. Traffic and driving rules in Norway are very strict!
Our flight to Harstad/Narvik was as well for 1 hr delayed. The flights today were pleasant enough and not very long. We slept most of the time. Mostly we flew over the clouds, but just before landing we had our first glimpse of the Norwegian landscape.
We arrived at the small airport of Evenes around 17:00. Mom went to get our luggage and I lined up for the rental car. Many people seemed to have a similar idea. All the rental car companies had their counters right next to the one and only luggage belt in the small terminal. And all were busy with long lines of tourists. The guy at Avis did not even check our voucher, he just took it to see the name and find us in the system. Quickly I had the papers and key for our KIA Niro. At the same time Mom had grabbed our suitcases. Off we went!
We had to look for the car. The papers stated it was blue and we looked for a blue car. But all cars in the parking lot looked black … Checking the license plates, we eventually located it right in front of us – it looked black to us! Loaded the suitcases, mounted the holder for the mobile phone/GPS and were ready to go. Turned the key to start the car, all lights flashed on, a chime sounded and then …. nothing. Hmmmm, how to start the car? – It is an automatic like our car, are you sure you pushed the break? – Yes, Mom! – Did you put it in park? – Yes, Mom! – Hmmmm…. – Turn the stupid radio of, I have to concentrate! – OK, OK, where is the button for that? – Here!
When I eventually tested the gas pedal, there was a sound! Ahaaa! The car was on already, but it is a hybrid and you cannot even hear the engine before you actually drive! That has to be told to a stupid person! Now we know! Basically that car drives itself…. I just had to loosen the break.
We left the airport eastward along the E 10. No more speeding here in Scandinavia! This is not the German Autobahn! Speed limit is here 80 km/h. I had to get used to it. But it was OK, because the road is not an Autobahn anyway, it is a two-lane-country road. I set my offline map of Norway to follow the GPS and of course, to find a few geocaches along the way and we cruised towards Finnsnes, our first overnight.
The weather was as expected, fresh and cloudy, but a few rays of sunshine. More clouds, though. Mom was worried about the time, because we had 170 km to go to the hotel, but who cares about the time, if the sun is up all night?
We drove the E 10 along the Ofotfjorden and the views to the water and the snow-capped mountains around Narvik on the opposite side were already magnificent. On the way we stopped a few times to find a secret box. I had picked out caches alongside the road, so we did not have to make detours. Mostly it was just park and grab. But I did not find all of them.
I took up geocaching a few years ago and find it rather relaxing. Geocaching is using expensive GPS devices to look for cheap Tupperware containers, which somebody has hidden somewhere outdoors. Just in case you did not know what it was…. Some boxes are easy to find and those are my favourite, most of the time anyway. Mom and me agreed on an average of 10 secret boxes per day on this trip. I had downloaded the details of some 700 boxes along the route we had planned. Some were too far off, some were too complicated terrain – I am not climbing up or down bridges for example – or I just could not find them.
In Bjerkvik we stopped at a supermarket to buy some picnic supplies and water. Bread, cheese, salami, water, sirop, Arctic Beer etc. And zack the rest of the money I had drawn from the ATM at Oslo Airport was almost gone. – I guess, we have to draw more money then! – You think so? – Yes, I think so! – But we are also going to Finland and Sweden. – Yes, Mom, but we will also come back to Norway in the end. But for now we still have enough cash.
There we turned off the E 10 onto the E 6 leading north. We moved away from the Fjord into the mountains. Nevertheless the weather lightened up a bit, more and more the sun came through and blue sky as well. The scenery changed to more snow-capped mountains and lakes that mirrowed them and the colorful cabins along the shorelines.
In Fossbakken we changed onto route 84. That is a smaller road. The E 6 was like the equivalent to the German Autobahn. Not that you could speed there and it is also only 2 lanes, but it was a main road and while the scenery was nice, I prefer smaller roads. Traffic was lighter here as well, not that it was much traffic anyway. The #84 lead us northwest through mountains but also many small villages and along small fjords and lakes. We found a few secret boxes along the way as well.
When we came by a parking spot with a picnic table overlooking the water we stopped for dinner and spread out our picnic goodies. It was fresh with 15°C, but no wind and the view was great. The further we came towards Finnsnes the sunnier it got and in the evening was blue sky.
In Sørreisa we reached the #86 and turned towards Finnsnes. The last 10 km the road was skirting the Solbergfjorden. We were booked into the Finnsnes Hotel, found it quickly in the center of the small town and checked in at 21:00. Our room was comfortable and the sun was shining into the window all night. I had to park the car behind the house somewhere – that was the official parking lot for the hotel – which was rather adventurous, but I managed.
Finnsnes is a rather small town located on the mainland part of Norway, across the Gisundet strait from the island of Senja. Over the last 100 years, the town has grown from a small farm community into the center for commerce in the small region. Finnsnes has experienced extensive growth both commercially and industrially the last few decades. The town has a population of approx. 4,300 and in 2000, the village of Finnsnes was granted town status. It is connected by boat with the city of Tromsø to the north, the town of Harstad to the southwest, and the town of Narvik to the south.
We had driven 170 km from the airport to here and had found 6 secret boxes. But we were not ready for bed and went for a walk in town, found a couple more boxes and a nice spot by the marina near the statue of Ottar fra Hålogaland – who was a Viking Age seafarer and in recent years his statue overlooking the harbour has become a symbol of Finnsnes and the town’s mascot – to have our Arctic Beer watching the midnight sun. It was a great finish of our first day North of the Arctic Circle!
06.07.2018
Finnsnes – Tromsø 170 km
Despite the all night sun we slept well that night and got up at 07:00 morning. No wasting time on vacation! However, the sun was gone. It had hidden behind thick clouds in the early morning hours again. The day started grey. After a good breakfast I got the car and we started at 08:15 for our second stage.
We left Finnsnes on the #86 backtracking for about 3 km and turned onto the #855 at Finnfjordbotn. Again we had decided to leave the bigger roads and follow the small country roads for more scenery. The road followed a valley northeast and then turned south along the banks of the Finnfjordvatnet, which seemed to be a huge lake. No secret boxes were to be found here but we were on the constant lookout for beautiful views and of course moose! The warning signs were there! – Mom! Look for moose! – I am looking!!!! But there is nothing! – They must be here! There is the sign again! – But maybe they come in dusk or dawn! – Mom, there is no dusk or dawn here! The sun is up 24 hrs! – But I see none! – You must look harder! – I am looooooooking!!!!!
Near Olsborg we reached the E 6 again and after crossing the bridge over the Målselva found a parking space near some motor homes and went for a walk to find a couple geocaches. The first one was just up a tiny hill at a look out with a nice statue. The view over the valley was even in grey cloudy weather beautiful.
We crossed the bridge and I wanted to find another geocache under the end of the bridge. Mom waited by the road and I walked down. I had not checked the terrain rating before or maybe I though a 3.5 is usually not as hard. Well, I saw the box under the bridge, but decided it is not worth to climb and maybe break some bones when falling down. Crossing the next bridge back to the parking lot we found another cache however which was easier.
We left the E 6 directly again in Olsborg onto the #854 leading north, but followed it only some 5 or 6 km before turning onto an even smaller road, the Fv184. – Are you sure this is the right way? – Yes, it is! – But the GPS keeps telling us to turn around! – No, it tries to lead us the fastest way and that would still be turning and going the E 6 to Tromsø! But we want to go the nicest! – OK, if you say so! – Yes, I say so!
The road was very small and had almost no traffic. It reached the Nordfjorden after some 20 km or so and followed it all around. The views were magnificent. We stopped for example at a small waterfall near the road – of course there was also a secret box hidden nearby. That is the great thing about geocaching. Often there are caches hidden near special places, viewpoints or other points of interest. At some of those places you would not have stopped or even gone to without a cache marker on them. I have found some really cool spots while geocaching around the world.
At Nordfjordbotn we turned onto the #858 north towards Tromsø. It was a slightly bigger road, followed first the Nordfjorden before crossing over the mountains towards the Balsfjorden. The scenery became somewhat more arctic along the fjord. It was very windy, but no rain yet. Near Vikran, where the Balsfjorden connected with the Rystraumen, there was a tiny lighthouse, the Balsnesodden lykt, where also a secret box was hidden. We missed the only parking bay nearby and turned around the traffic circle a kilometer or so further on to come back.
There were people walking along the road even though there was no house or car insight anywhere. So we guessed it would be OK to park and take a walk to see the lighthouse and find the box. It was very windy and fresh. I found the box, but it was all wet and soggy. So it was a photolog again.
On the very far side of the fjord we could already see Tromsø in the very distance. The view was not so spectacular, because thick grey clouds hung over the fjord and the surrounding mountains. However, we could see a cruise ship arriving there. – I hope, this is not one of the turquoise ones! – You think, they are up north at the moment? – I am not sure, but it is this time of the year! It kind of looks like one, but it is too far to be sure. – Can you zoom with the camera? – I try ….
In Vikran we took a tunnel under the Rystraumen. We saw a sign fly by which said something about NOK 100 toll for this tunnel. I made Mom look for my backpack on the backseat and fish for my wallet to get NOK 100 out. The tunnel was less than 2 km long and before she even got the money out, we were out the other side again. No toll station there…. Hmmmm … Then we realised there was one of those toll beepers hidden behind the rear-view mirror of the car. They would probably book it on my credit card via the rental company.
The road followed the fjord towards the city and we took a little detour and crossed a small bridge to Håkøya, which is a small island with mostly summer houses. It was very tranquil there with grasslands full of wildflowers and horses.
One of the secret boxes I wanted to find was leading us to a small monument commemorating the sinking of the Tirpitz, which was the second of two Bismarck-class battleships built for Germany’s Kriegsmarine during World War II. Named after Grand Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz, the architect of the Kaiserliche Marine, the ship was laid down at Wilhelmshaven in 1936 and work was completed in 1941. In early 1942 Tirpitz sailed to Norway to act as a deterrent against an Allied invasion and while stationed there, was also intended to be used to intercept Allied convoys to the Soviet Union. On 12 November 1944, while the ship was moored off Håkøya Island outside Tromsø, British bombers scored two direct hits and a near miss which caused the ship to capsize rapidly. A deck fire spread to the ammunition magazine, which caused a large explosion. Figures for the number of men killed in the attack range from 950 to 1,204. Between 1948 and 1957 the wreck was broken up by a joint Norwegian and German salvage operation. The small monument was hidden behind summer houses and only a tiny, nondescript sign led the way from the road. A lot of things you can learn while finding geocaches!
Back on the main road near Eidkjosen we turned onto the #862 towards the city. Traffic was getting denser closer to the city, but nevertheless – Oops, there was a big reindeer in the ditch right next to the busy road munching on the greens. Yeah! Our first reindeer! – Quick quick, take a photo! They will start honking behind us! – Let me have a look! – You cannot just stop here! – I just take a photo! OK, I am going! I am going!
We drove over the huge Sandnessundbrua, which crosses the Sandnessundet between the islands of Tromsøya and Kvaløya. The 1,220-metre bridge has 36 spans supporting it and has a maximum clearance of 41 m to the sea below. Those bridges in Norway are really steep, with the maximum clearance in the middle. We then rounded the Tromsø airport and a very long tunnel under the islands mountain led us right into the city of Tromsø. Navigating in the small streets of the city was complicated, because there was more traffic than we had experienced in the days before. Since it was only about 14:00 yet, we decided to do some sightseeing first. Mom did not want to walk across the bridge to the Arctic Cathedral and I would not move the car anymore once I had parked it at the hotel. Therefore we drove across the Tromsøbrua and found a parking lot behind the cathedral.
The Tromsøysund kirke is located in the Tromsdalen valley on the east side of the city of Tromsø. The modern concrete and metal church was built in 1965. The church seats about 600 people. It is commonly nicknamed the Ishavskatedralen which literally means “The Cathedral of the Arctic Sea”. Despite its nickname, it is a parish church and not, in fact, a cathedral as it is commonly called.
Of course there was a secret box hidden by the church and we also paid the NOK 50 entrance fee to have a look inside. It is rather simple inside, but the glass mosaic, which was added in the eastern side in 1972, is very beautiful. It had a nice organ, as well and apparently the acoustic in the church is very special. We did not spend too much time inside however, because there were busloads of tourists being dropped off. Not only turned it out, I was correct and one of the turquoise cruise ships was in town, but also one even bigger one, which had to dock further out in the harbour.
Our next plan was to go up the Storsteinen with the Fellheisen cable car before the clouds would close in completely. The weather forecast for the next day was not promising. We put on some more layers of clothes in the parking lot before, though. – Can we strip in the parking lot? – Of course! What do you want to do? You just take your jacket off and the put the jumper on and finished. Nobody cares!
The cable car runs from Tromsdalen up to the mountain ledge Storsteinen 421 m above sea level in just four minutes. We shelled out NOK 210 per person for the return trip and were lucky, one of the gondolas was just waiting and we hopped in before the next busload of cruise passengers arrived.
From the viewing platform at the upper station we had a spectacular panoramic view of Tromsø and the surrounding islands, mountains and fjords. It would have been even better with sunshine and blue sky, but I guess you cannot have everything.
Unfortunately, with many grey clouds we could not see very far. We walked along the ledge of the mountain for a bit, found a secret box and enjoyed the views of the city below before the clouds closed it. It was not as cold up there as we expected, but we were happy we had put on extra layers anyway. We spend about half an hour up there, then the view was gone and we lined up to take the cable car down again. More and more tourists were shuttled up and the line to go down was quite long.
Once we reached the parking lot again, we drove over the bridge back into the city center to find our hotel. We were booked into the Quality Saga Hotel. We had driven another 170 km today and I parked the car on the street behind the hotel and even found out how to work the parking ticket machine. NOK 25 for 1 hr and it was not possible to actually pay for more. But after 17:00 it would be free parking until 08:00 in the morning. So I would have to come back at 16:00 to draw another ticket for an hour.
Check-in was quick and we got a room on the 5th floor. I was happy, because we would have a view of the fjord, the Arctic Cathedral and the Storsteinen, since the hotel was only one block from the waterfront. When we arrived in the room I went to open the curtains and …. Jeez! The turquoise cruise ship was right in front of us! Work is chasing me …. I am on vacation! Vacation is turquoise free zone! Luckily, I do not know anybody on that ship, so I was not tempted to go over and chat.
We settled in our room and chilled for a bit, resting and planning our next moves. Around 16:00 we went out for a walk in the town, but first we had to draw another 1 hr parking ticket. The weather got more grey by the minute and it started drizzling. Nevertheless, we walked all over town and found a couple more secret boxes. Not much was happening in this weather, not many people around. But the tulips were still blooming in town. Nature sure is behind up here North of the Arctic Circle! And we saw our first Troll!
Tromsø is located 350 km north of the Arctic Circle and is the largest city in Northern Norway. It has a population of approx. 64 000. From 20.05. to 20.07. the midnight sun makes it possible to do as the locals and participate in various activities around the clock. Unfortunately, it did not show itself to us. It was grey and rainy. In general however, Tromsø has a mild climate for such a northerly destination because of its seaside location and the warming effect of the Gulf Stream. Human settlement in the Tromsø area dates back thousands of years, though the city itself was founded only about 200 years ago. Tromsø soon became the centre for trapping in the Arctic region, and in the early 1900s it was the starting point for expeditions to the Arctic. Hence its nickname “Gateway to the Arctic”.
The city is known for its lively night scene and a range of restaurants specialising in the fresh ingredients of the Arctic. And after we had enough of walking around in the rain, we decided on an early dinner and of course we wanted something special. We ended up at the Arctandria SjømatRestaurant – Upstairs and upscale, Arctandria serves filling and supremely fresh ocean catches. It was recommended in various guide books and therefore was our first choice. The word Arctandria is often translated as the “Gateway to the Arctic Ocean”. The restaurant was located just around the corner from our hotel near the quai. We seemed to be the first customers, but had no reservation. However, we had a good enough view over the Hurtigruten Terminal.
We started with a Tromsø Kir as aperitif. It was Cloudberry Liqueur filled up with sparkling wine. Very nice! For starters I chose Seal Wrap – thin slices of boiled, salted seal meat on a traditional Norwegian potato lefse flatbread with crème fraiche, red onion and caramelized nuts, rolled up and served as a wrap. Mom took in Beer and Aquavit marinated Whale garnished with blue cream cheese, aquavit jelly and hazel nuts.
It looked very delicious. And yes, I can hear you all already! – You ate seal!!!??? – Well, yes, I had to! When in Rome do as the Romans do! That seal was already dead before I arrived in Norway. It would not have lived, even if I had not eaten it. Same as the whale.
Mom basically had to eat what I ordered and I decided we would try some of each other. The whale was like a tartar and it was very yummy. The seal did not really taste anything special. Mom preferred the seal, even though before, she had said she would never eat it. She did not like the whale. So we swapped and savoured it all. It was very good.
For main course Mom chose the pan-fried Halibut served with asparagus, creamed potatoes and butter sauce with seaweed capers while I took the Tomato and Seafood casserole. It was sooooo delicious! We ate up everything and in the end we splurged in a local schnaps – for medicinal purposes only, of course!
After dinner it was still drizzling but light and Mom went back to the hotel to rest. I decided on another walk and a few more secret boxes. I walked all over the Tromsøbrua. It crosses the Tromsøysundet strait between Tromsdalen on the mainland and the island of Tromsøya. The 1036-metre-long bridge has 58 spans with a maximum clearance to the sea of 38 m.
I watched the turquoise cruise ship leaving, but it did not pass under the bridge, but rather went around the island. Around 20:00 I was back in the hotel and enjoyed the now unobstructed view over the fjord with a glass of wine.
07.07.2017
Tromsø – Alta 315 km
In the morning it was still grey, thick rain clouds hung low, but it had stopped raining. Again we got up at 07:00, had a good breakfast and left at 08:30. Before breakfast I ran down to pay another half hour parking, in order to not get a ticket. They told us, wrong parking without a parking ticket would get a penalty of NOK 660. I think we rather spend that on something better.
We crossed the Tromsøbrua and followed the E 8 along the Balsfjorden before turning onto the #91 in Fagernes. It started raining hard on the way and I had no luck with finding the secret boxes I looked for. Anyway, we aimed for the 10:00 ferry from Breivikeidet to Svensby crossing the Ilsfjorden. The ticket for the 6 km stretch was included in our package. We reached the ferry dock well in time, I did not find the geocache that was hidden there either – I am fairly sure it disappeared – and we watched the ferry arrive.
Travelling from Tromsø to the North Cape this ferry is saving at least 2 hr and 200 km of driving. The other option would be taking the E 8 all the way around to Alta.
Driving onto the ferry was no problem. We parked and went up to the lounge. The ride took only 20 min, but it was not allowed to go on the outside deck. Not sure if they even had one. We sat in the lounge for a while. It was raining outside anyway. When the call came to go back to the cars we were already on our way there.
On the other side there is another ferry from Lyngseidet to Olderdalen over the Lyngenfjorden. The connections are timed, so we had to drive straight to Lyngseidet after arriving in Svensby. Pretty much everybody did the same and somewhat of a convoy was driving in the rain along the shore of the Kjösen. This second ferry was somewhat bigger and was 40 min for 13 km. This ticket was as well included in our package.
The upper outside deck was open and it had stopped raining, so we went up for the view. But the benches were wet and it was quite cold anyway. We took our set of photos and then went inside for a coffee and yoghurt. The ride was pleasant enough and I went out upstairs for some more sea air and views before we reached the other side of the fjord. Our apparently blue car look just like any other car on that ferry.
Now we had reached the E 6 again and it was leading north along the Lyngenfjorden and in Djupvik we sidetracked a little bit to finally find the first secret box today. A gravel track led from the main road towards the coast. – You sure you want to drive down this track? – Yes, Mom, or do you want to walk 1.5 km one-way? – No!
At the end of the track there was a parking space and an info board. It had stopped drizzling and we went for a short walk to the Spåkenes kystfort, which is a ruined coastal fortress and lies on the Spåkenes peninsula, which extends to the middle of the Lyngenfjorden. It was built by the Germans during World War II. Not much of it was left, though, but I found my first geocache of the day. The view over the fjord was nice as well, despite the clouds. It started to drizzle again and we walk quickly back to the car, but all the time admiring the wild flowers. Here up north it seemed all the wildflowers that are at home already finished were blooming now.
Further along the main road we reached the Reisafjorden and in Storslett we turned off the main road into a 2 km long gravel track again to visit the Reisautløpet Nature Reserve. It was established in 1995 aiming to maintain a large river delta with extended wetlands. In the reserve there are many different hiking and jogging trails to be found. Apparently there were at least 3 geocaches hidden. We parked the car and went for a short nature walk. Since it was about lunch time we took our picnic to a designated area and munched again on cheese, salami, caviar creme etc.
I was not lucky in finding the secret boxes, but the walk was nice. We saw many interesting forest flowers. The drizzle had let up, so it was a beautiful walk.
Back on the main E 6 road which followed the Straumfjorden north towards the other side of the Reisafjorden, we enjoyed beautiful views over fjords and mountains. Then the road turned west into the mountains and climbed up into the Kvænangsfjellet, a mountains range. The E 6 traverses the mountains through a mountain pass between the Oksfjorden in the west to the Kvænangenfjorden in the east. In the winter, route E 6 is closed for 10 to 15 days due to snow storms. The route’s highest point is Gildetun at 402 m above sea level. We stopped there for the beautiful view over the fjord scenery. The landscape up there was very barren, no trees or bushes, just a few small flowers. Even some snow fields were still there. It was very windy and fresh up there, but the view was spectacular.
I had to find a secret box, of course. Actually, we would probably have driven past the viewpoint without the geocache marker on it, or maybe not. The box was not hidden near the Gildetun Inn and the souvenir stalls, but out in the landscape. Mom waited by the path and I went quickly to get the box. Later we browsed in the handicraft stalls, before driving down towards the Kvænangenfjorden.
The road skirted the fjord shoreline for a while and since it had stopped raining again, we sidetracked a little again. We drove down a side lane, at the end of which there was a motor home camping spot. It seems motor homes are allowed to camp anywhere in Norway. We saw them an every parking or picnic spot. We took a short walk along the beach to a tiny light house to find another secret box. There were many people fishing along the shoreline and there were as well many nice flowers.
For a while the road led north again and then turned west over a mountain and followed the Langenfjorden all the way to the Altafjorden. In Isnestoften we reached the Altafjorden and took another detour to the end of the road where a small ferry boat connected the surrounding inlands. We went for a little walk again and found a couple of secret boxes. – We are looking for another box? – Yes, Mom, we go for a walk and look for more boxes. – Do you not have enough yet? – No. And anyway, what else you want to do? We can just go for a walk. It is too early to go to the hotel and do nothing! You can do nothing at home. Now we are on vacation and we want to see things and find things.
From now on the E 6 followed the Altafjorden south towards Alta. The views would have been even more spectacular, if the grey rain clouds would not have hung so low. Mom was already lamenting about the weather, because tomorrow we were going to visit the Nordkapp. – In this weather we will not be able to see it again! – But the forecast says it will be friendlier tomorrow! – Hopefully the weather forecast is right! – Mom, do not jinx it! It will be sunny when we visit the Nordkapp and if it is not tomorrow we will go there again the next day! The weather changes daily here!
In Talvik we stopped at a supermarket to stock up on our picnic supplies. Shortly before passing the Kåfordbru we stopped once more for another secret box. The comparatively small bridge was opened in 2013. The bridges here seemed to be all of the same style. The wider the water body they spanned, the higher they were.
We reached Alta and the Scandic Hotel at around 18:00. We had driven 315 km today, including the 2 ferry rides of 6 km and 13 km. When I checked the mileage of the car, it only showed 298 km, which was weird, because the GPS had stated 303 km in the morning …. Hhmm … That and a few short detour should be at least 315 km …… Hmmmm ….. It took a while before I realized, the 2 ferry rides of course were not counted …. the car stood on the ferry … hahahaha……
Alta is with approx. 20000 inhabitants the largest town in Norway’s northernmost county of Finnmark and lies at the inner reaches of the Altafjord. May to August have midnight sun and 24 hrs of daylight. Alta is indeed a remote destination. As far north of Oslo as Rome is south of Oslo, it gives a great clue to the size of Norway and just how northerly Alta really is. It is actually one of the largest cities found that far north anywhere in the world and is also called the City of Northern Lights. Maybe I should come back in winter to see the Aurora Borealis again ….
We parked the car in front of the Scandic Hotel, which was located right next to the Northern Lights Cathedral. Check in was quick and we got a room on the 3rd floor. Once we settled in I went to move the car around the hotel to the other side, where parking was free over the weekend. The friendly receptionist had pointed it out. When I asked her to point me in the direction of downtown, she said “You’re in it.” The parking behind the hotel is gratis Friday night to Monday morning, because all businesses and shops are closed for the weekend.
The Restaurant Alta in the hotel seemed to be the only option to have dinner and we wanted to have it straight away. Unfortunately, ahead of us 3 busloads of tourists had checked in and had group dinner. After long discussions with the waiter, he eventually made us a reservation for 20:00, which was the earliest there was a table available. So we took it and went for a walk instead. There was the Northern Lights Cathedral to be visited a and a few secret boxes to be found.
The Nordlyskatedralen – Alta Kirke is located in the central part of the town. The modern church was built in a circular style in 2013 . The Northern Lights were the inspiration behind the design and from every angle you can see undulating waves resembling the Northern Lights. What could be more appropriate in the town of the Northern Lights than a Cathedral of the Northern Lights? The church seats about 350 people. The modern building was constructed of concrete and wood with external cladding of titanium sheets. The central feature is its large spiral with belfry.
Entrance fee was NOK 50 and while the Northern Lights Cathedral here is smaller than the Arctic Cathedral in Tromsø, I liked it better. The 4.3 m tall statue of Christ is rather special. There is also a golden Jacob’s Ladder hanging symbolically inside the inner belfry and the 12 Apostles are depicted in golden mosaics.
We took an extended walk and found a few secret boxes. Most were along a cross country ski trail through town. Now in summer it was a hiking trail and led through a residential area with pretty small houses and much nature.
I especially liked the little mailbox houses that are usually stationed at the corner of a lane, so the mailman does not have to go to every single house in the woods. He just stops on the main road and saves time and kilometers.
We reached the town center again at the opposite end from the hotel and I wanted to search there for another geocache. We met a Norwegian couple on the spot searching already and together we were eventually successful in locating the well camouflaged box. A little chit chat and we went back to the hotel. It was time for dinner and we had not seen any other dinner option during our walk through town, as well.
At the Restaurant Alta we got a nice table for 2 and ordered a local Mack Beer along with Reindeer Fillet. We had to have our first Reindeer steak! Chicken, pork or beef we can have any day at home, but not reindeer. And it seems to be part of the staple diet here North of the Arctic Circle. It is a very popular choice especially throughout the winter months. Its flavour is similar to Venison tender and very succulent. We had it with dark beer sauce, cranberry jam and potatoes. That red thing on the plate was a pear, by the way. Everything was soooo delectable!
Mom, can you take a photo of me with my mobile phone! – How do I do this? – You just hold it like this and do not cut my head off and make sure your plate is also on the photo and then you touch that little circle down here. – OK. – Did it work? – No, I think not. – But it is easy! Just touch that button, no holding, just a slight touch. – It is doing nothing! – Mom! What are you doing? It is easy! Look! Like this! – But I do it like this! It does nothing! – I do not know how you can not take a photo with the mobile phone, Mom! It is easy! – Maybe I hold the mobile phone differently, I try again.
It was an early night after this delicious dinner ….. it was still light outside ….. oh wait ….. midnight sun behind the clouds… it was already late. It had completely stopped raining and looked kind of not as grey anymore. Maybe we would get lucky tomorrow. And even Mom got used to the constant light and could sleep without the curtains drawn!
