The Kingdom of Norway is an unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy, covering 385.178 square kilometres and measuring around 1750 kilometres as the eagle fly. It is the home of 5.258.317 citizens, of which 82% are Christians and 2% Muslims. The currency is Norwegian Krone, worth 0,79 Danish Krone and €0,11. The GDP is US$376.268 billion.
The southern and western parts of Norway, fully exposed to Atlantic storm
DIARY
The next habitat is dominated by low birch bushes, two to
four meters in The landscape changes again, and now, here are barren bedrocks. Then the small birches are back, and I do a walk. However, the lack of sun and presence of cold wind make it rather short. Here are a lot of lichens of several species. I have to do another stop where the Eriophorum are so numerous, it look like snow-dunes.
Then
I reach the big settlement of Alta, and suddenly, not only are the
big trees back, here are fields with green barley and cows! I did not see
that coming! I head straight through, but will return on the way back. I pass the harbour, then find the northern road. I now realises; I won't make it all the way up north today, but I still have some hours to get closer. The road pretty much follows the coastline. It is low tide, and a lot of orange wrack is exposed. A bit further up the road, I meet a herd of sheep.
It feel a bit strange that the light comes and goes. It
is kind of late enough
Now, the trees have disappeared, and the hillsides are
covered in short grass. A few areas are sparsely covered in short birches.
Most of the vehicles are auto-campers now. Here keep being small wooden huts
along the road. Some camp on parking lots along the road, but I pull
I park right a at the beach, and go for a short stroll. It is getting nippy, and the wind does not help on the comfort. I find a common room, and turn on the heater. Then, it turns out to be real cosy! I found some lettuce in Finland, boils some eggs and crack open a can. It is only 6C outside, and I consider brining the madras to the common room. But I better release the big duvet. At eleven, it is still lighter, than it was earlier, when the clouds gathered. Northern Norway.
Here are no trees at all, just a few low bushed. The road
follow the coast, and on the other side, numerous lakes are found. Here are
small
Here are quite some reindeer, and the first ones I see today, are in the seaweed on the beach. I recon this is where the flies don't go. Today, I not only see the big males, but also groups of females with calves. Some are real dark, some pale and some white.
The rocks are getting bigger, and it is sledge, looking
like Pancake-rocks in New Zealand. My plan was to head all the way up, and
do the stopping
The road follow some of the bays, other times it head straight through the mountain. The longest tunnel is seven kilometres. It might be the time of day, but I have the road almost to myself. Well, here are some reindeers, crossing it from time to time, or simply using it to grass the roadsides.
Beside
from the barren rocks, everything is covered in lush grass and herbs. It
seem really fertile, although I imagine nutrition are scars.
A few waterfalls meet the sea, but not spectacular enough
to draw me out in the rain. Some of the small lakes or ponds are lined with
a white ring of Eriophorums. The road start to be a bit more alive, as the campers along it wakes up. Now, the landscape changes into waste flat hills with only grass and small herbs. It start to feel alpine - especially when I open the window to make a photo. I reach the Nordkapp Visitor Centre, and they charge me €11, just to park, and €30 to get in myself.
Then I have free access to a cinema, showing a fifteen
minutes movie about
Well,
I head back a bit along the road, and do the trail to Knivskjellodden, which
is 1.600 metres further north - around 1.200 kilometres from the north pole.
I think Nordkapp is the famous one, simply because the road leads right to
it. Knivskjellodden is found 8.500 metres out in the nature. A natural trail, hardly marked and partly flooded, leads out there - I've heard. I had expected other trackers to do the walk, helping me to find the right place. But here are only some campers at the parking lot, and they sit and watch TV and alike. My GPS have awaken, and it actually know the road - although it think it can be done in a car. No way!
I am kind of prepared for the situation: Fleece jacket, padded jacket,
raincoat, gloves, knitted hat, skiing underwear - and light shoes. But I should had
brought my walking boots! My loafers are way too soft in the soles
The nature is real pretty, with so much green, some
lakes, waterfalls, strange looking rocks, great views to the sea and huge
hills. I start taking pictures of the different plants, but realise; it
is
a long and harsh walk, and I better get moving. Getting pictures are hard,
when you tend to fall over trying anyway. I'm a bit like a kite: Long thin
arms and a way to voluminous raincoat.
After a tour way up over a fjeld, I reach the coast again, but it is still not here. I feel a bit like the Hobbits on one of their quests through endless and hostile land - and I have forgotten the ring at home. At some point, the camera is warning me: Battery low. I use to have a spare in my pocket, but on this tour, I have been close to the car most of the time. Now I'm not! No more flower photos before I have seen and made a photo of the most northern part of Europe!
A
I find a single plant I can't place at all - unless it is a spore plant like the Selaginellas? It is getting late, and I must admit; I can feel this struggling tour in my body: I get tired. I kind of rush back, but in some stretches up-hill, I also have the harsh wind in my face, and I have to wait for "holes" to get on.
I
stop only a few times to get some photos of a harbour, reindeer and rocks,
but the rain started a few hundred meters before the camp, and getting out of
it,
don't really appeal. In an effort to have an early night, I start working
and eating right away. I negotiate a good price again, but could have parked
and overnighted without telling, as the site is on the other side of the
road and without any supervision. Road
to, and Nordkapp, Knivskjellodden. |