A 5:45 departure invariably means waking in the dark. Not in the Norwegian summer where the sun rose for us at 4 am. We boarded the bus in Honningsvag in overcast conditions for the 40 minute drive to North Cape, the northernmost point of the European continent. The road wound up through treeless Arctic grassland past reindeer, and even Sami teepees.
Arriving at North Cape we were greeted by a grazing herd of reindeer which made for great photo opportunities.
In the wan morning sunshine we moved on. By the time we arrived at the large globe marking the spot the memorial had been commandeered by 5 Asian tourists who literally spent 30 minutes photographing each other in ridiculous poses. At one stage someone produced a Taiwanese flag and they waved it around with pride as if they were on top of Everest! Ultimately they tired of it all and others were able to take their photos. This is a place of rugged beauty.
We rejoined the ship at Hammerfest a 3 hour drive south through rugged mountains and pristine fjords under bright sunny skies.