** WITH THE LAPPS OF THE GODS **
This is the 6 February 2002 Edition of
this page.
CHAPTER THREE
** NORWEGIAN LAPLAND **
With my arrival in Tromso, and after having visited the Planetarim, I was ready to
start on Lapland in the raw! First we all got a more general explanation of Tromso's
features. This wonderful guide (an ex-thaliomide victim) is really a German girl who
has familiarised herself very well with Norway and the Arctic.
We went onto a promontory overlooking the sea (photos later!) and, after lunch at
a slow-moving all-inclusive fish-restaurant, we headed off for STORSLETT via Storfjord,
Sokibotn, and Olderdalen (included a diversion onto, and return from, the REISA RIVER.).
I had a big evening meal with friends Marjorie, a guy who lives in Southend (incidentally,
where I was born) and some from Birmingham - followed by a late evening walk with them
before returning to my own room. There, I read up on all the possibilities and details about
tomorrow's route I then 'turned in' for the night.
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The following morning, Friday, 7th July 2000, I slept right through until the telephoned
alarm-call at 6.20a.m.. (Mind you! I had woken up several times during the night for a miscellany of
requirements, the predominant reason being for toilet-visits.) At 6.45a.m., I went down for breakfast,
having a little bit of everything on offer (including fruit-juices, cheeses, meats, scrambled
eggs, tomatoes - from which I was 'truly filled'!) - and I returned to my room at 7.20a.m..
Today was my emotional return to one of my favourite places, the World's most northerly
town, Hammerfest!! The route to there showed an unusual orientation of dishes for their
Satellite TV's. Due to being so far NORTH, these dishes were pointing almost horizontally -
for obvious reasons. The coach dropped us off at Basfjord - and, there, I caught a boat to
go to a point to view a calving glacier. That boat-trip (photos later) covered 45 miles before my
return to a different point from where to continue my way Northwards.
Next, it was "on to Alta", where I had a guided tour of the town and also journeyed South to
the ALTA Power Plant (which had had many years of local and world 'concerns' about
its effects). Our drive INTO the 'plant' was a 1Km coach journey down a 10% incline (and
back again afterwards!!). This MARVEL caused us all to mind-boggle at its interior - with
its underground hydroelectric plant having TWO generators totalling 180MegaWatts of power!!
Underground, our coach took us to another part of the plant where 'hard-hats' were the 'order
of the day'. An electric-powered tunnelling machine was very impressive! Before leaving this
marvellous place we had views of the dam (front, rear, below & above!) - and also a 'cinema
show' about the facility!
We returned from this 'diversion' upwards from ALTA to the Power Plant to resume our
journey to HAMMERFEST, after collecting a 'refreshment pack' from Geoff before leaving
ALTA. There was then a very beautiful journey all the way from the STORSLETT hotel to
HAMMERFEST'S "Hotel Skytterhuset" way up 'out-of-town'! This hotel is in a NEW extension
to the town (being built in the last couple of years) and strongly resembles a building-site! I had planned
to walk to town in the evening and rephotograph ST. MICHAEL'S CHURCH (which looked brighter
and cleaner than a few years ago!) - but the lateness of the hour and the 'building-site' aspects of the
current hotel mitigated agaainst that plan! As I also needed to continue my 'writings', I did so, and then
turned-in early (10.30-11.00 ish) this evening. Although NEW, this hotel is more primitive than the
others en-route so far!
8th July 2000 (Saturday)
That morning I awoke at 3.30am, mainly because of the ALL-NIGHT lightness at this latitude in
Hammerfest, and partly because of more natural 'relief' reasons at ANY latitude! I partly dressed
and did some writing and then prepared for today's walking/hiking trip (and medications to be
taken) from about 6am.. I've, literally, been "living out of a suitcase" since I left home on Tuesday,
with all these 'one-night' stops.
With the brilliant sun outside, after a bit of multi-channel TV in my room, (No58), I decided to go
on a walk in a SW direction over the hills outside the hotel. So. at 7 am., I started heading that
direction to a ridge just to the right of a snowy area. Hoping to see over the other side, into
Hammerfest's built up area, I walked slower than my T-shirt indicated (763mph - it's a THRUST SSC
shirt!) and enjoyed a pleasant (shorter than anticipated) walk to just before the ridge. I started
heading back and then noticed that I was heading into a NORTHERLY wind (up here in the Arctic in
a T-shirt!). Great!! I arrived back at the hotel a couple of minutes before 8am - and at 8.05am,
before dashing to the toilet, a knock came at my door, and on opening it, I found a guy who
asked "Do you want to get up now?". "No", I replied "I've just returned from a one-hour walk!!"
I passed a little time in my room with some writing before the 9am breakfast and a 10am start
for NORTH CAPE!
Our coach took us into HAMMERFEST's Centre from our own hotel. There, we picked up a female
guide who was rather poor on directions (i.e not familiar with the 'hands of the clock' standard for
the direction to look in!!) and we made a somewhat confusing 'tour of Hammerfest' without this
'standard' (not even saying left or right!) - just saying things like 'over there' without anyone being
able to see which way she was looking or pointing!
Thereafter, we visited surrounding 'villages-by-the-sea' before returning to Hammerfest for a lunch
at a restaurant where we had had the previous night's evening meal. After that, we had another quick
tour of Hammerfest, by coach, before having time for private explorations and photography. We, later,
visited the ICE BEAR CLUB which I had joined on an earlier visit, had a re-issued membership card,
and witnessed the 'inductions' of my many new friends into their memberships. The guy fulfilling that
task was one of their staff - who just happened to be the 'ex-boyfriend' of our current guide!!
I chose to re-photo the ST. MICHAEL'S CHURCH (yet again) - this time with MORE light and from
MORE angles. Then I returned to the 'centre' for the seats in pleasant surroundings, company and (two)
ices before we all regrouped and walked to the ferry which took us to HONNINGSVAG on NORTH
CAPE (which, incidentally, is an island!)
I had an evening meal on the ferry and we retraced my route of 1993. At Honningsvag, our coach
was waiting to transport us to NORTH CAPE itself (a 20 mile trip) where we would attend the area
for watching the MIDNIGHT SUN. Only one guy (apart from me) understood that being at 25degrees
(approx) East, that the 'cape' is 40 minutes ahead in time (because of our 10 degrees in position AHEAD of local
time). Therefore, TRUE midnight would NOT be at 24.00hrs but at 23hr20mins!! (i.e it would then be at its
lowest altitude/elevation). I left my position at the meal-table to watch (in the open air) the TRUE midnight
sun - and was the ONLY person doing so!! [Even our alledged expert on polar matters, our guide,
(Geoff Roy) who realised that there was a difference (because his script told him so!) between clock-time
and solar-time, - didn't UNDERSTAND the implications of what he was reading!] For my benefit, the
SOLAR midnight's weather conditions were far better that at the CLOCK'S midnight. I had joined them
for that as well!! The sun's disc could only just be seen through the cloud, - and the morons on-board a
boat going around the 'Cape' were merrily flashing their cameras at it (at the CLOCK MIDNIGHT)!!
When we were gathered up by Geoff (our Guide) to watch the Sun at 24.00hrs, I realised that he hadn't
listened (or understood) the technical aspects - as he was STILL talking about the "sun being at its minimum
elevation" - even when I insisted that "it was 40 minutes ago - and its been rising since then!"
On the way back to the Coach, via the fence on the 'Cape', it was obvious that Geoff's technical knowledge
(remember, he's a self-proclaimed EXPERT on the ARCTIC, rather than NORWAY!) was very poor. He
misused English words with religious-like 'gobbledeegook' to confuse and misinform others with his
'theories' about the Earth as a 'living planet', 'balance', equilibrium, etc, etc..
The Coach left for the South, from North Cape itself, at 12.30am tomorrow.
9th July 2000 (Sunday)
The overnight travel went about 41 miles from the 'Cape', through tunnels and eventually arrived on
Mainland Norway at REPVAG for its primitive chalets - 'your truly' turning into bed at about 1.45 am..
EMail to:
Roy's Location.
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