Issue 6 Self Indulged Travel Magazine

ISSUE #6

f l se

INDULGED www.selfindulged.com

Successful Shooting!

Gear needed to shoot the northern lights!

Photography by Sandra Herd

Chasing the Light Aurora Hunting in Tromso

InFinnish theLapland’s Lapland of Luxury Hotel Kakslauttanen

71 North!

Honningsvag and beyond o

+WIN Lonely Planet’s 1000 Ultimate Experiences with “Where’s Dave?”

TRAVEL - AURORA - NORTHERN NORWAY - KAKSLAUTTANEN - PRIZES - AND MORE!

ISSUE #6 HAPPY NEW YEAR! Welcome to 2012 and the start of another year of travel tales and photography.

2011 was a great year for Self Indulged. I spent my birthday on the Great Wall of China, ticked the Aurora Borealis off my bucket list and attended my first Nadaam festival in Mongolia. The support that Dave and I have received from family, friends and everyone who has read, followed, liked and subscribed has been fantastic... and is hugely appreciated.

We spent the months leading up to Christmas in the Arctic Circle, a magical and unusual place which deserves exploring in summer as well as during the winter months.

This is the North of 65o issue...every story and photograph is from within the Arctic Circle.

You may notice that many of the images within this issue have a blue cast. This ‘blue light’ is part of the region, I could’ve colour corrected it out of the image but that’s not how the light was...the blue cast is everywhere, a kind of perpetual twilight during the ‘daylight’ hours.

The latitude of the Arctic Circle is defined by the invisible point on the planet marking the southern limit of the area where the sun does not rise on the winter solstice or set on the summer solstice. We spent about 3 weeks within the Arctic Circle and never saw the sun once...the further North we went the fewer hours of daylight we had in which to shoot. The days and nights kind of melded into one continuous photo shoot...spending the midday hours shooting while there was light and the midnight hours in search of the Aurora which, I am happy to report, we did finally see - not as spectacular as it could’ve been but apparently 2012 is the year for that.

The solar storms that are predicted for 2012 should mean a light show the likes of which have not been seen for years, supposedly reaching as far south as Ireland.

Are these the same solar storms that the Mayans predicted would cause the end of the world?

I certainly hope not...there’s still way too much to see and do on this wonderful planet.

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WIN ’S 2 6 Pg LANET P Y L E LON TIMATE UL NCES RIE E P X E

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Written by Sandra Herd Photographer: Sandra Herd Designer: Sandra Herd Editor: Sandra Herd Research:Sandra Herd Operations: Dave Goldstraw www.selfindulged.com www.shotsinternational.com sandy@selfindulged.com Self Indulged takes no responsibility for links leading to external content. By reading this publication you are agreeing to click on external links at your own risk.

The links have been included soley as a source of information only.

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WISH YOU WERE cing rodu ter p r fo gh ed, y thanks My dau ’ve g l u we e.

Ind sa e Self mail to ce for fre ine and ewher e r a e m z e r o a D th is an at resou ur mag olia is s njoyed s i h e g e T yo a gr Mon e to eally such uced m edition. and I r arly the ours b l o d y intro ed ever ted to g ..particu ur neigh ward r . n o y enjo lway wa e photos ’ve got ll look fo os. t e a a I’ve re and th ning. W so we your pho na, e w aroli light to it no more of featu C m in fro ng seei egards -) o t ndy : R

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USA lcom e w re You’

If you’d like to send me an email with your thoughts/comments/ideas about the mag, please use the following address...

sandy@selfindulged.com Click the bottletops above to LIKE on Facebook or to FOLLOW on Twitter.

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y rk an o Y New n a mag o t , g o ot r andy ong omin Hi S ou be c to tag al R. I’m n gu L y fi Will I’d love new DS ut I am . b y n big a soo with m rks yet e h t t o n shoo how it w ee you i s b e sur s yet pe to a o Y H rN out.

NYC plans fo ixels are n o Jas on...no g, p s tisin a c J a r i p H Keep . w o kn

I’ve just finished reading your Issue 5. Your magazine is simply wonderful Sandy – your photos are exquisite. You are going to some awe inspiring places and I like your honest opinions on things – like the Mongolian tour company!!

I also find your Hints/Tips feature very helpful to improve my own photography.

Some feedback: i) I’d like more info about the photo on the actual page it is on. ii)I realise that you were really pushed for this issue, but I found some of the pages – esp written in

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white, hard to read. iii) The page footer needs to be a greater distance from the text to make pages more readable I’m looking forward to reading Iissue 6…

Liz Thanks Liz for taking the time to send feedback which is always hugely appreciated. I’ve taken your comments on board...hope you enjoy this one too!

- Cheers, Sandy

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Chasing the

Light:

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Tromso...

In search of the Northern Lights.

Words Sandra Herd Photography Sandra Herd

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T

here’s a special light in Tromsø. It’s a blue light that envelopes the town during the winter months. The few daytime hours that are not completely dark are filled with a perpetual twilight, a blue hue that gradually lightens to daylight for a few mid-day moments before tinging the town again with its cooling cyan cast.

I stood on the lookout above town with my camera, the orange lights of the town below reflecting in the strait of Tromsøysundet, and complimenting, beautifully, the blue cast in the sky and on the mountains opposite.

Although the light on the scene below me was a photographers dream, it wasn’t this light that I was chasing. The light I was seeking was more elusive than twilight and more ethereal than city lights. It’s certainly not unique to Tromsø but this little town in Northern Norway, 350km inside the Arctic Circle, was a good place to start the search. We were searching for the Aurora Borealis, the infamous Northern Lights...and for that, we were going to need the help of a professional.

I’d contacted Kjetil Skogli a few weeks earlier to arrange a meeting. Kjetil is the ‘Aurora Hunter’.

He’s been shooting the lights for years and runs night time tours for people who are also desperate to see the Northern Lights. As a fellow photographer I was hoping he would share some advice on shooting the aurora and shed some light on the locations where we’d be most likely to find it during the few days we had in Tromsø. Kjetil’s local knowledge of weather conditions means that his clients enjoy a high success rate of seeing the aurora on his tour. Of course, as with any tours relying on mother nature, there are no guarantees on the day. Naively, we’d kind of assumed that if we turned up in Tromsø, we’d see the lights but looking outside the gallery windows at the pouring rain outside, it was clear that this was not going to be the case. The cloud cover above Tromsø was heavy and set in for the afternoon and evening - there’d be no chance of seeing the stars tonight, let alone the aurora 10 SELFINDULGED

The library/sitting room at Tromso Bed & Books

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The funky Tromso Bibliotek. The main library building is located at Fokuskvartalet, a building complex that also houses the town hall and cinema.

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and without a clear night you’ve got little hope.

Kjetil told us he was taking a tour out that night (and this is where his local knowledge mattered) he showed us the region on the map where he would be taking the group. I was astonished... it was more than 2 hours drive away. It was becoming clear that chasing the light required a stoic dedication, maybe one that we’d been lacking. When Kjetil enquired if we’d seen the aurora last night I shook my head and made some excuse about it being a long drive from Alta, a little embarrassed that we hadn’t even bothered to look outside. I could see that a greater effort was needed from us if we did want to catch this illusive display.

The real reason we hadn’t been out the previous night was because we’d been hibernating in our homely accommodation. We didn’t actually prebook a place to stay. Guilelessly, we’d considered camping. However, on arrival and, despite the fact that Tromsø was having the mildest start to Winter in nearly 150 years, the idea of camping for 4 days in a tent was, at best, ambitious.

Surprisingly we did find an open campsite who were willing to abet us in our crank-pot plan but they wouldn’t let us pitch near to the ‘facilities’ so we abandoned the idea and headed to the main Visitor Centre for advice.

It was there that Tromsø Bed & Books was recommended. We asked for a cheap (a relative term in Norway) but friendly place to stay.... and that’s exactly what we got. Tromsø Bed & Books is a small family run business in with a private house just down the road from Polaria, the Arctic Aquarium. It advertises itself as a Bed and Breakfast...but without the breakfast, unless of course you make your own in the small but well equipped kitchen. It also bills itself as your home away from home and for us, it really was.

So much so that we found it difficult to leave the cosy dining room and library, hence the reason we didn’t venture outside on our first evening in Tromsø.

Inspired by our chat with Kjetil we went back to B&B to prepare. His tour was fully booked but SELFINDULGED 13

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he had given us a general vicinity of where to start looking, along with his mobile number...just in case we got horribly lost. We left Tromsø at around 7pm. The bad weather had closed in, as predicted, and was now pelting the car with ferocious sleet, making it impossible to see the road ahead. The road itself was icy and dark and 30 minutes into the drive we were tempted to turn around and head back. A small break in the weather saw us push on and by 9.30pm we had found a jetty by some water and plenty of unobscured sky. We parked up and waited. And waited. And waited. We had a hot flask of tea to keep us warm and Doctor Who on the laptop to keep us occupied.

Delighted, I set up on the tripod and began to shoot. Shooting the sky is easy - composing an actual ‘shot’ was much tougher. I was getting blasted by the freezing cold wind off the water and battled to keep the camera steady on the tripod. As my eyes adjusted to the darkness the streaks became easier to see although they were still mostly very faint. Within half an hour a thick cloud had rolled back in. It was 1am and we still had the long drive back to Tromsø. Kjetil had predicted correctly, the weather there had never lifted and we copped another pounding in the car as we got closer to town.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed by that first encounter. Yes, I had seen the aurora but it Without our earlier chat with Kjetil, it’s fair to say wasn’t enough for me to tick it off my bucket list. we probably wouldn’t have known what it was I wanted more. I wanted movement and light... were actually waiting for. The aurora doesn’t ap- and a good shot of it! pear to the naked eye the way it appears in photographs, a fact I had been oblivious to. Kjetil ad- Despite the drizzle the next morning we made vised that we should look for clouds that appear the most of the ‘daylight’ hours. We hid out from to be moving in unusual ways and every half hour the rain in the Polar Museum where we learned or so I nipped out of the car to see if there was about such colourful characters as Wanny Woldany movement. After 3 hours the heavy cloud stad (the first woman to winter in the arctic) and started to lift and eventually I glimpsed what ap- Hansen and Johansen who accompanied expeared to be a faint greyish green streak across plorer Amundsen to the South Pole. There was the sky. also an unusually high quota of ‘stuffed’ things... seals in particular seemed to have had a raw deal. Many of the displays lacked an English I was unsure. translation which was a shame as we were keen to read more although the old photograph depictIt certainly wasn’t the spectacular green curtain ing rows and rows of polar bear skulls, a result of of light pulsating across the sky that I was ex- being trapped and slaughtered, spoke volumes. pecting but it was...something. As my eyes adjusted to the light I saw it again. I fumbled around We drove across the bridge to visit the iconic with the camera, trying to point my lens in the Arctic Cathedral which was built in 1965 and direction of the streak, desperately searching for hosts the Midnight Sun concerts in the sumsomething to lock focus on in the darkness. My mer months. I opted to walk back across the fingertips were freezing as I played with the setbridge, struggling against the buffeting winds at tings on the camera, working feverishly so that I the peak and mopping up all of the leaks which could put my gloves back on. I took a hand held had abruptly started pouring from my eyes and shot for 8 seconds just to be sure I was seeing nose. I defrosted in Macks Brewery...the world’s the aurora and a blurred luminous green streak ‘northernmost’ brewery and savoured my very on the back of my display confirmed that this inexpensive pint of beer in front of the open fire deed was my first (albeit weak) encounter with as I tried to avoid the glassy gaze of yet another the Northern Lights. stuffed polar bear.

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On our last evening we headed out late. We were taking a shorter drive out to Ersfjord, just 20km west of Tromsø. It was a wonderfully clear night and we were in with a real chance of seeing the lights. We set up by the water’s edge, my camera pointing out towards the fjord when suddenly, behind me, came a spectacular stream of light...still greyish to my eyes but the camera caught the last of the streak as luminous green. I turned the camera around...not the best composition, not the best foreground subject...but no matter, for now it was enough.

For nearly two hours the aurora danced across the sky. We moved locations and still it appeared, the more I watched the clearer it became. It was fascinating...mesmerising.

Just before midnight and mid exposure on my camera my mobile phone beeped to life with a message. It was from Kjetil and it simply said, “I really hope you are out tonight!”

Yep! We were watching.

COOL LINKS www.auroraphoto.no www.bedandbooks.no www.visittromso.no

A few hours of ‘daylight’ in Tromso Harbour.

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Interesting Facts:

The German battleship “Tirpitz” was sunk in Haakoeybotn outside Tromsø on the 12th of November 1944

Every year, on the first weekend of February, Tromsø hosts the annual Reindeer Racing Championships. In June, the humans race instead in Tromsø’s ‘Midnight Sun Marathon’

Tromsø is Home to Mack, the World’s Northernmost Brewery and it hosts a beer festival every August.

Most of Tromsø, including the city centre, is located on the small island of Tromsøya.

The sun remains below the horizon during the Polar Night from the end of November to mid January.

The city centre of Tromsø contains the highest number of old wooden houses in Northern Norway, the oldest house dating from 1789

The cable car to Storsteinen is 421 metres above sea level

A photograph from the bridge looking down into the harbour.

Catching the

Light

Photography by Sandra Herd

It’s no good ‘chasing the light’ if, when you eventually find it, you have no means of ‘capturing’ it.

TromsØ local, Kjetil Skogli aka, ‘The Aurora Hunter’ shares his list of essential photographic equipment in the hunt for the perfect Aurora shot.

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Ersfjord About 20km out of Tromso) Shot at 1am ISO 640 f2.8 81 second exposure - you can see the movement in the stars SELFINDULGED 21

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Camera

A camera with possibility for manual adjustments of shutter-speed, aperture, ISO and manual focus. A good and modern compact camera or an SLR is preferred. To shoot in RAW is a good idea, but not a must. High quality jpegs work ok. Your camera needs a decent fast lens with a minimum aperture of at least f4. However, you’re on the limit with these values and f4 can mean a very long shutter-speed and use of high ISO. High ISO will produce more noise in your photos.

2 hours drive out of Tromso ISO 800 f2.8 11 second exposure SELFINDULGED 23

City lights of Tromso in the background ISO 640 f2.8 28 second exposure 24 SELFINDULGED

Tripod

A good and stable tripod to stabilize the camera and to prevent shaking. You can easily get track from the stars if your camera moves. Because of the long shutter-speed the camera must be mounted on a tripod. Try not to leave your camera alone if you don’t trust the steadiness of the tripod. A wind-cast or other unpredicted movement (ie: by people), can easily destroy your camera equipment. Also other equipment can blow away in seconds, so take good care of it.

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ISO 640 f2.8 12 second exposure

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Batteries

Good batteries!!! You should bring at least two fully charged batteries or if you use non chargeable batteries, bring plenty of them. It’s a good idea to put a battery (or several) in your pocket to keep it warm. You don’t want to lose the power when the Aurora dances in the sky. If you’re afraid of running out of battery-power or you only have room for a few more photos on your card, replace battery and card while there is a silent period.

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Ersfjord ISO 1000 f2.8 8 second exposure 28 SELFINDULGED

Cable Release

A cable release, or you could use the delay function. Using the shutter directly with your finger may causes distortion and movement. But if you’re careful you may use this solution.

I prefer a cable-release because the northern lights change so quickly and you might lose the shot of the year while waiting for the delay function

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Memory

A lot of memory!! Starting to delete pictures by watching the LCD screen is not a good option at all. Especially if the Aurora performs one of her celestial dances above your head.

Believe me, it can be stressful. And you also have to remember Murphy’s law which will also try to give you a hard time.

Ersfjord: ISO 800 f2.8 11 second exposure Serendipity: the little boat in the photograph is actually called ‘Aurora’ SELFINDULGED 31

Ersfjord: ISO 800 f2.8 10 second exposure 32 SELFINDULGED

Torch

Torch/head-torch. It’s an important detail that will make taking the photos easier for you.

The best option is a torch with red light. The red light will not destroy your night vision or the rest of the group’s night vision!! Be careful with the use of torch. Practice in the dark at home so you’re familiar with the buttons, etc on your camera.

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Honningsvag ISO 1000 f2.8 14 second exposure 34 SELFINDULGED

....And Kjetil’s final tip:

If you feel excited (which you probably will), DON’T jump up and down. Why???

Movement again and the stars will end up looking like W’s!

....A final word from me:

For more information on what to wear and to book a tour with Kjetil (it will be your best chance of seeing the lights) check out the Aurora Hunter website www.auroraphoto.no Kjetil was the guide chosen for the BBC documentary “Joanna Lumley in the Land of the Northern Lights’ his local knowledge of weather patterns and ‘hidden’ locations is second to none in the area.

2012 is predicted to be a great year for the Aurora Borealis based on predicted solar storm cycles so get yourself up there and start chasing the light.

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In the Lapland of Luxury...

Words: Sandra Herd Photography: Sandra Herd

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The wonderful glass igloo.

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It was sent to me over a year ago. One of those emails that originates from...well, somewhere, and then gets sent on and on around the world in a seemingly never ending cycle of forwarding.

It was titled ‘Unusual Hotels of the World’ and, true to its title had about 10 photographs of quirky and unusual hotels. One of which stuck in my mind. It was a photo of rows of glass igloos lit up in the snow. The same row of glass igloos that I was now standing in front of, lit up, just like in the picture and I hand the key to igloo number 17 in my hot little hand. We’d finally arrived at Hotel Kakslauttanen.

Luxury is a quite a relative term. To be fair, most people wouldn’t consider sleeping in a glass room with no shower (or even a mirror for that matter) ‘luxury’ but for us it was sheer joy. Our main goal for visiting the arctic was to see the Aurora Borealis. We’d already spent many night time hours sitting in a cold car, waiting for her to dance across the skies and now the thought of being able to lay in a warm bed and gaze up at the skies was pure luxury.

Hotel Kakslauttanen Resort is just 30km south of Ivalo, smack bang in the middle of Finnish Lapland. Most visitors to the resort spend only one night in a glass igloo and then move on to the real luxury inside one of the forty cosy log cabins that are also part of the complex. Each has an open fire and private sauna...and the Queen Suite even has its own ice cold dipping pool if you feel like spending a short spell in cardiac arrest. The even more adventurous can spend a night in a real ice igloo. Every year, once it gets cold enough, a small village of ice igloos is built next to the small river that runs through the resort along with a snow chapel and an ice bar.

We opted for three nights in the glass igloo...I wanted to maximise our chances of seeing the ‘revontulet’, the Finnish word for the Aurora which translates to mean ‘foxfires’. Lapland is home to the Sami people and their folklore and culture abounds in these arctic regions. An ancient fable tells of an arctic fox who started fires by running on the snow, its thick tail spraying up the snow so that sparks flew off into the sky... creating ’fox fires’.

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Not far from Kakslauttanen lies the village of Saariselkä, the Northernmost Holiday Resort in Europe. There are plenty of tours and activities on offer and, if you listen hard enough, you’re never far from the sound of excited huskies, yelping in anticipation of a tourist group so they can do what they do best...run! We’d selected two tours for our time at Kakslauttanen, a snowmobile safari and a reindeer ‘northern lights’ safari which was booked for our first evening. The staff arranged everything and listed the available tours on a board in the reception area...all we had to do was show up at our designated time, which for us was straight after dinner.

We scoffed it down. It had been a long day of driving to get there and we were starving. Our hunger was satiated with a three course meal; the steaming hot entree of salmon soup was delicious and warmed us through in preparation for our excursion.

We were picked up by the owner of Joiku Kotsamo and taken to Sarraskella where we were kitted out in winter woollies. And I mean kitted out.

There were two other Aussies on the tour and we giggled as we dressed in the winter gear. A full wool lined body suit over our clothes, 2 pairs of wool socks over our own socks followed by big boots with a warm furry inside. Balaclava,

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gloves and finally a woolly hat with pull down ear flaps. The guide explained that it can get very cold and, as we’d be sitting in the back of the reindeer sleigh it’s best to load up and be warm.

I’ve got to say, given the amount of clothing we were wearing I was a little concerned about just how cold he was expecting it to be. We’re from Western Australia - cold to us is standing for too long in the bottle shop cool room deciding which carton of beer to buy.

By comparison, our guides were less bulked up in their traditional Sami dress. Looking like Santa’s helpers in their colourful costume their attire has no doubt been the influence for many a Christmas Elf over the years.

Back in the van we were driven for a short way into the wilderness. It was pitch black outside until our eyes slowly adjusted to the light, we could see by the cloud cover that there would be little chance of glimpsing the northern lights but what we did see was a line of reindeers waiting for us, each with its own sleigh behind. Predictably I started reciting, ‘Go Dasher, Go Donner, Go Comet, Go Blitzen’....which was about as far as I got before revealing my inept ability to remember the rest of the herd. Rudolph of course was fondly remembered but from the lack of red glow in the area he’d obviously failed to make an

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appearance. We loaded up and took off rather silently into the night in a roped convoy.

Ok...So I admit, the first thing that went through my mind was “ho-hum”, but soon the rhythmic movement of the sleigh lulled me into a relaxed state of mind. I was cosy and warm, outdoors on a freezing winter’s night enjoying the snow in the comfort of a reindeer sleigh. It was actually quite a magical experience, made even better by the fact we stopped for a cuppa (made over an open fire) and a ginger biscuit...simple pleasures.

Back at Kakslauttanen the communal shower came as a little bit of a shock to me. Scandinavians are possibly a little more liberal than I’m used to. It’s all that hanging out in saunas that does it. Call me a prude but I like my shower habits to remain private...more than that, a single cubicle keeps the steam in and keeps me warm.

Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t that the shower room was cold, I just felt a little bit exposed...to the cold and to the little Asian lady with whom I was sharing the whole experience. Of course the luxurious cabins have their own private bathrooms but this was a sacrifice I was willing to make in exchange for the chance of glimpsing the elusive light.

The words “What the hell are you doing!” were yelled into my left ear, even through the helmet I jumped at the shock as my pillion passenger, Dave, vented his anger at our near collision. I’d sort of steered our snowmobile ‘nearly’ into a tree. With my lightening fast reflexes (ahem!) I managed to brake before I wrote off a very expensive piece of equipment but still, we now had to turn the thing around and catch up with the others. We had joined our second safari earlier that morning with Wild North. It was a two hour safari through the picturesque snow covered landscape surrounding Saariselka. Dave had been doing most of the driving, I only took the front seat to ‘have a go’ and to warm my hands on the heated handlebars. Needless to say it didn’t take long for me to be relegated again to the back seat...but I didn’t care. It was enormous fun hooning down the tracks and gliding over the snow and the two hours were up before we even realised it.

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Spurred on by the rush of adrenalin, when we returned to the resort we decided to give crosscountry skiing a go. The Saariselkä ski trail network of over 180km passes right by the hotel and we’d seen others effortlessly gliding along the trail having a jolly old time. The hotel rents out cross country skis and all the warm gear that is required. Once again all you have to do is show up...so we did. One crash course later we were let out onto the trail. We didn’t venture far. Within minutes we’d worked up a sweat...the effort just to stay upright was enormous, particularly as fits of giggles hindered the balancing process. Fortunately I managed to stay upright - more out of timidity that any form of skill. Dave on the other hand took fifteen tumbles on his quest to glide like a pro on the snowy flat track. We chalked it down as ‘a skill yet to master’ and retreated to the warmth of the dining room.

As we headed back to our glass igloo for the last night I couldn’t help but feel a little relieved at the cloud over head. After a morning of snowmobiles and an afternoon of attempted cross country skiing, I was exhausted. It wouldn’t have mattered if the arctic fox danced all night through the snow...I fell asleep as soon as my head touched the pillow.

COOL LINKS Hotel Kakslauttanen Joiku Kotsamo Wild North Visit Finland The Queen Su

ite

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71 NORTH o

Words: Sandra Herd Photography: Sandra Herd

It was the wrong time of year to come...we were aware of that.There wasn’t a puffin in sight. The bird watching safaris had long since packed up their binoculars, and the only puffin to be found was at the local book store.

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The famous ‘Globe’ sculpture synonymous with Nordcapp

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Had we arrived a few weeks earlier, we might have caught the last of the King Crab tours.

But now, alas, the water in the Barents Sea was turning treacherous and stormy and no one in their right mind was going to take tourists out to catch the monster of all crabs... the Red King Crab. Interestingly enough, this beastie was first introduced to Arctic waters by the Russians. Under Stalin’s governance, the crabs were transported to the Barents Sea with the aim of providing a new food source for workers in the barren far north. The initial introduction failed so what did they do? They ‘handpicked’ the biggest and healthiest crabs and tried again - it worked the second time. In fact it worked so well that the crab took over the region, decimating every native species in site. Catching one of these monsters is a double bonus – a delicious meal and the reas-

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surance of knowing you are assisting in shifting the balance back in favour of the original environment. Apologetic that the ‘king crab tours’ had ended, Daniel from 71o North tours invited us back for another season....but it’s a long way to come back. A helluva long way!

And it’s not cheap...or easy. Especially when you choose to drive the 545km from Tromsø in a second hand Citroen.

“Nordkapp is the furthest point you can drive to” Two ferry rides, an overnight stop in Alta, and a whopping toll tunnel charge of 192 kroner (each way) later, we arrived in Honningsvag - just 34km south of our desired destination, Nordkapp. From July this year the cost of the tunnel will be paid off and the toll will be re-

moved - you can thank me later for contributing to the repayment of the loan. The subsea tunnel took 6 years to build in the 1990’s and is just short of 7 kilometres long. There’s some debate as to whether Nordkapp is actually the most Northern tip in Europe as it’s not technically on the mainland...hence the tunnel to get there. It is in fact on the island of Magerøya and if we’re talking about islands then Knivskjellodden, on the same island is actually further North, but nobody built a funky globe sculpture there. If you want the most Northern point on mainland Europe then a stop off at Cape Nordkinn in Finmark county is in order however, it involves a lonely, two day hike from Mehamn and I’m guessing that would be a very bad idea in the winter months. So just to be clear...Nordkapp is the furthest point you can drive to... and, as we had a car and no ambitions to hike

anywhere, that was North enough for us.

“With heavy heads, we set off the next morning” We were staying at the Nordkapp Vanderhjem, otherwise known as ‘the backpackers’. As I mentioned earlier, this little jaunt wasn’t cheap so we were saving costs anyway we could. As it was winter only one Rica hotel was open in town instead of the usual two and many of the restaurants were also closed. It was the best option to stay at the back packers which we had almost ourselves (in stark contrast to summer when the town is buzzing and the rooms are all booked) and at least there we could cook our own meals...again, not much was SELFINDULGED 53

The small fishing village of Skarsvag.

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open in Honningsvag. The hostel is located next door to the Honningsvag fish processing plant and is owned by the same company. As an unexpected surprise, we were invited to the staff Christmas party which was being held in the spacious dining room at the hostel. The Honningsvag hospitality didn’t disappoint and we were treated to a night of good food (as much roast pork as we could eat) and great company. It was wonderful to mix with the local workers, many of whom are from Sweden or Finland and come to Honningsvag each year to work the fishing season. For them, this was one last hurrah before they finished up for the season and moved on to other employment in other towns.

With heavy heads we set off the next morning on our inaugural trip to the North Cape. We’d popped into the Visitor Centre the day before to enquire about joining a convoy. Usually at this time of year it is required that you convoy with the local tourist bus for safety’s sake but, as the snowfall had been minimal we’d been advised that we could drive by ourselves.

However, we weren’t advised about the big probability that the road would be closed altogether. When we arrived at the final turn off for the mountain pass, the boom gate was down and there was no way through. We waited for a while at the gate, thinking maybe we were too early and someone would come an open it.

Eventually the driver of a passing snow plough stopped and told us that the pass was closed due to high winds, the conditions on the road were too icy and windy and it was dangerous for vehicles to pass. We drove back to town via the small fishing village of Skarsvag and the now deserted campsites that would make wonderful retreats during the summer months.

We were concerned that the road would remain closed and we would never reach the coveted ‘North Cape’ but the following day we gave it another go and the gates were open. As we drove across the mountain pass we understood how the conditions the previous day had closed the road. Although it was only snowing 56 SELFINDULGED

Racks of cod, otherwise known as Stockfish, left out to dry.

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lightly we were driving through a virtual ‘white out’, the winds outside were still high and the road was icy and winding...and there was a long drop down the side of the mountain.

As we reached the top of the cape we finally saw the famous ‘globe’ and we knew we’d reached our destination. Nordkapphallen (North Cape Hall) remains open all year round and is a tourist centre for visitors to the North Cape. The highlight of North Cape Hall (apart from the warmth) was the inspirational film by Ivo Caprino. The footage documents the region over the four seasons and conveys, beautifully, the diversity of the landscape. Seeing it made me want to go there...and I was already there!

The footage can be seen HERE...take a moment to have a look and save yourself the exorbitant Cape Hall entrance fee of 245 Krone per person. In Summer it may be worth the fee to sit in the bar and delight in the midnight sun but in winter (particularly as the windows looking out from the cliff face were boarded up for safety) it’s a high price to pay to watch a film and send a postcard. Although, after saying that, it did provide refuge from the icy cold gale force winds we encountered outside. There are other displays inside but nothing to warrant the high entrance fee and, unsurprisingly on such a windy day, the hall was largely deserted.

“I was windswept, frozen and wet...but satisfied.”

I braved the horrific weather to photograph the iconic globe monument which was erected in 1978 and has since become the symbol for North Cape. I had to brace to keep myself and my tripod upright as I struggled to get a shot.

My eyes and nose were streaming from the cold (the back of my camera was a mess!) and the blasts of air took my breath away as the arctic winds pounded in off the freezing Barents Sea. I was windswept, frozen and wet... but satisfied.

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North Cape Hall at Nordcapp...

An expensive retreat from the cold wind.

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On our final day in Honningsvag we bumped into Bamse (pronounced Bumpsa). A life sized bronze statue of a huge St Bernard hiding behind the visitor centre and positioned on the waterfront, gazing out across the sea, facing Scotland. Bamse became a crew member aboard the Norwegian minesweeper The Throdd during World War Two. His owner was the master of the former whale catching vessel which was drafted by the Royal Norwegian Navy when the war broke out. The story goes that he had his own steel helmet (and officer’s hat) and would stand at the helm of the ship during battle. After Norway fell under Nazi control, Bamse became stationed in Scotland and continued to ‘serve’ aboard The Throdd until his death in 1944. It was reported that ‘hundreds turned out for his funeral, and more than 800 children lined the route to the River Esk, where Bamse was laid in the dunes, with his head facing Norway.’

There is a sister sculpture in Scotland...the original statue. The Scottish Bamse faces Norway and the statue in Honningsvag reciprocates. I thought it was an inspiring story on which to end our northern journey. We’d reached the cape, enjoyed the local Honningsvag hospitality and were leaving with lighter wallets but smiles on our faces. I think someday we will return in summer to take Daniel up on his king crab offer and to see the midnight sun shining on Bamse’s eternal gaze.

COOL LINKS www.nordkapp.no www.71-nord.no www.hihostels.no/nordkapp wwww.visitnorway.com/en

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The statue of Bamse in Honningsvag... a local hero

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Where’s Dave?

Every issue we show you a photo of Dave and it’s up to YOU to tell me where in the world he is. If you read the last issue this one should be EASY! Have a look at the photo opposite and email your answer along with your name, full address and contact number to

wheresdave@selfindulged.com

All correct answers will be collated and winners will be drawn on the 28th of March 2012.

Two winners will be drawn & notified.

Please note the prize will be the ‘English’ version of the book.

2 TO E GIV Y! A AW

CLICK HERE FOR TERMS & CONDTIONS

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WIN LONELY PLANET’S BEST OF TRAVEL 2012

ISSUE 5 Answer: Dave was at the Opera House in Oslo Congratulations to L.Ayres from Western Australia & S.Gopolan from NSW.

* Image for illustration purposes only. Competition open worldwide however, the guide book will be in English.

: UE UT L C KO C 5 E CH SUE E IS U’R !

O IF Y MPED STU

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PARTINGSHOTS

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WHAT - WHERE - WHEN - WHY WHAT A wintery scene.

WHERE On the road between Alta and North Cape in Norway.

WHEN Winter!

WHY Cross-country skiing.

There was a small siding on the road where people had parked up and abandoned their cars to do some ‘wild’ cross country skiing.

The scenery in this region is stunning and, once you lose sight of the main road, you really are in the middle of nowhere.

Take a flask!!

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PARTINGSHOTS

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WHAT - WHERE - WHEN - WHY WHAT The Gold Elf’s House WHERE Santa Resort, Kakslauttenan WHEN Santa’s Resort is open all year round. In summer you can pan for gold, in winter you can ride in an open reindeer sleigh. Obviously the best time to go is around Christmas time.

Santa is home and the whole place oozes ‘Christmas’.

WHY I hate to use the term ‘Winter Wonderland’ but this place really is. It’s magical and wonderful and all of the things that Christmas should be.

The main house is huge with a celebration hall that can be decked out for any occassion. You can’t go to Lapland without popping in to say g’day to Santa!ww www.santasresort.fi

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4SPECIALIST DIRECTORY

4Accommodation: Norway

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4Tours: Norway

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London Calling...Issue 7!

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“There are lessons that you can’t get out of a book that are waiting for you at the other end of that flight.” ~ Henry Rollins