North Cape

North Cape

From the village of Honningsvåo, we took a bus north to North Cape, the Northern most point of Europe that can be reached by car at over 71 degrees of Latitude. This land is all rock and tundra. The temperature is 36 degrees Fahrenheit. We asked the water temperature and our guide said 21 degrees Celsius, 7 in the morning, 7 in the afternoon, and 7 at night. In the winter they receive 5 meters of snow. It is dark here from November 20^th to January 20^th.

John and Mary at North Cape

The island is used by the Sami as their summer pasture for reindeer. They take them over from the mainline in boats or trucks, but in the fall 5000-6000 reindeer swim the strait. As we left the cape, it began to snow.

Sami and his reindeer

We also learned more about the Scandinavian people and culture. These countries are quite socialist, and the people are also among the happiest in the world. Scandinavian society is based on trust, welfare is used as last resort and crime is very low. In the opinion of our guide, welfare would not work, if everyone took advantage of it, especially when the oil money declines. Unions are very strong protecting jobs and salary, but they also have mandatory retirement ages so that younger workers can be employed. We also learned about theEverymans' right, which is based on trust. You can walk, ski, camp, pick berries, etc on any land (unless it is house's yard or is cultivated) as long as it causes only minor damage unless there is a government restriction and you respect the owner (for example, no littering or making loud noises).