North Cape

Hi All,

Today we docked at Honningsvag the northernmost port on our trip. A 22 mile bus ride across the island brought us to North Cape, with no land between us and the North Pole, 1289 miles to the north. We are now at 71 deg 10 min 21 sec N latitude. The locals call it an early spring but with temps in the 30's, 25 mph winds with sleet and freezing rain, it sure seemed like winter! The monument and cliff overlooking the ocean was about 100 yards from the building so our walk was fast and brief. While at North Cape we also saw a movie depicting the four seasons here in the land of the midnight sun. There was also a display describing the nearby sinking of the German battleship Scharnhorst during WWII. 

In Honningsvag we saw the statue of Bamse, a St Bernard that was the ship's dog on a Norwegian pilot boat that fled into exile in Scotland. During the rest of the war, stories and photos of the dog buoyed the spirits of the folks back home and Bamse became a local hero.

Back on the ship we watched a Norwegian folk dance performance.

Love
Sandy & Carl

Photographed and sent from Carl's iPhone

Honningsvag Harbor

Sandy finds another Norwegian Friend

North Cape Monument

Statue of Bamse