Hurtigruten Cruise

10,000 kilometer from North Cape to Gibraltar. From the so called most northern point of Europe to its southern end. Me, my bicycle and my guts. So far the plan. But first I needed to reach my starting point.

I had a smooth flight from Hamburg via Oslo to Tromsø. Despite all the horror stories I heard about having to collect and re-check in my luggage in Oslo, I was fortunate and all packs and my bike were transferred directly (and in one piece) to Tromsø. After spending a leisurely day in this lively nordic metropolitan, I boarded the Hurtigruten ship Ms Finnmarken. Hurtigruten, “the fast route” in Norwegian, is the traditional postal shipping line, connecting towns along the 2,700 kilometers long Norwegian coast. It truly is a fast route, as the roads have to follow in and out the fjords, stretching out the enormous length of the coastal line even further. The actual postal service has long since been terminated but the line still plays an important role in cargo and passenger transportation. However, nowadays, Hurtigruten is mostly seen as a tourist cruise, which is considered as one of the most beautiful cruises in the world.

Since Norway truly means “the way to the north”, what better way than to travel in the traditional way? The Hurtigruten ship would cover the last stretch and bring me to Magerøya, the “North Cape Island”. The Ms Finnmarken is beautifully furnished in Art Deco, lavishly ornamented, but coherently kept in a maritime style. The wonderful and spot on aquarell paintings of Lofoten illustrator Dagfinn Bakke about life on the Hurtigtruten ships form a humorous contrast to the otherwise serious interior. Despite all functionality and relaxed atmosphere, Ms Finnmarken does carry a whiff of luxury. After our departure from Tromsø, I quickly dashed for the one thing I had looked forward to the most: the Ms Finnmarken has an outer swimming pool and two jacuzzis on the upper deck. What a way to start a journey! Sitting comfortably in 40°C steaming, bubbling water and watching the dramatic Norwegian mountain scenery pass by. Especially the views of the Lyngen Alps, an almost 100 km long Fjell chain is truly breathtaking.

Part of the comfort vanished over night – the wind had increased and the Ms Finnmarken was swaying and rolling in the rough sea. By the time we reached Honningsvåg, the wind speed was up to 10 bft and the ship unsuccessfully tried to approach the pier. Just a couple of weeks before, one of the Hurtigruten ships got damaged while trying to land in such weather and ended up in the docks instead. Apparently, our captain did not want to risk such an outcome and, after a last attempt, decided to sail directly on to the next harbour, Kjøllefjord. In the meantime, I was treated to free lunch, and enjoyed an excellent selection from the buffet as well as the gossip of my young table steward. He may be excused, though, as he probably just took the chance of talking to someone a bit closer to his age. The average cruise passenger was white haired and handling a walking frame, which inevitably led to the impression of a floating old people’s home.

Kjøllefjord turned out to be a nice, scenic fishing village with a population of around 1,000, which makes it to one of the largest fishing villages in Finnmark county. Kjøllefjord has a long Sami tradition as trading and meeting place. Like most settlements in the region, Kjollefjord had been destroyed by the German Wehrmacht in 1944, when the army retreated from Murmansk front and applied the scortched-earth policy.

Involuntarily stranded in Kjøllefjord, Hurtigruten staff arranged for a mini van to take me and five other people back to Honningsvåg. What had been a bit over a two hours trip for the ship, turned into a six hours drive by bus. The landscape was spectacular, though. Nature was still gripped hard by winter, thick layers of snow and ice everywhere. The almost midsummer sun bathing everything in a special glow. Small herds of reindeers grazing besides the road, making the driver brake and stop ever so often. I would have liked to make him stop constantly myself. It was hard to miss out on all those beautiful photo spots. Eventually, after a long and eventful day, I arrived in Honningsvåg.