I was up early today. Not only because I had a long ride to the North Cape (Nordkapp), but also because I wanted to make a special visit before I left Alta. Among historians and archaeologists, Alta is well known for its prehistoric sites.

When the last Ice Age ended 10.000 years ago, Scandinavia was uninhabited because it had been covered by a kilometers thick ice sheet. As the ice receded, seafarers from the south began to explore the Norwegian coast. It seems they found the Alta shoreline especially attractive, even though they had to travel very far up north to find it. They settled there, started hunting reindeer and began to carve the rocks on the coastline with intricate figures. These figures first reflected their surroundings (images of reindeer, bears, wolves and people hunting them), but soon they also started to carve abstract figures. Nobody knows exactly what these mean. Maybe they had spiritual significance. What we do know, is that other people, who had followed the landbridge over Finland, began to visit Alta as well, and started to cooperate with the seafarers. These probably were the ancestors of the Sami. Alta became a place of gathering, trade and celebration. This went on for 5000 years (!).
The rock carvings they left behind are most definitely worth a visit. Took a look at the pictures below. From a historical perspective, you can actually see them developing from cave art to something not too dissimilar from early Egyptian hieroglyphs (though no relation). Can't think of any other prehistoric site in Europe with such a timescale, except perhaps Stonehenge.

Anyway, after a few hours at Alta I had to turn my attention to the goal of the day, which was to reach Nordkapp. I rode off and almost as soon I'd left Alta behind me, I was in deep tundra. The trees now definitely started disappearing and within half an hour I rode into a wide open wasteland of red and blue-green. First I passed the town of Skaidi and then I reached the eastern coastline of the peninsula, which I kept following to the north. This coastline has a strange atmosphere. The black layered rock seems to be very old and worn down, and pieces have broken off as if half the peninsula has fallen into the sea (which probably has been the case over time, but it looks as if it happened yesterday). It truly feels like the end of the continent.

Then Nordkapp itself. It's basically a barren rock in the wind. Which makes it tough to navigate, especially higher up. Because of it being the northernmost point in Europe that you can reach by road, it attracts thousands of visitors. But the summer crowds have gone, and when I finally arrived there I only encountered a few elderly German ladies, who were nice enough to take my picture at the Earth monument next to the cliff. The view over the Ice Sea is beautiful (no, still no ice but who cares, with all the stunning blue and white hues on the horizon). I could tell you about the return trip that I had to make to the petrol station, or my refusal to pay 31 euros to park my bike. But I won't, because it doesn't really matter. I made it! 4500 kilometers to reach the point where I can only go south again. Hurray!

So here I'm sitting here in cabin 7 of Basecamp North Cape, trying to keep warm as the cape winds blast down my door. I don't care. I feel proud.

PS. Bikers used to have their picture taken with their bike at the Nordkapp monument. But the local authorities do not allow your bike up there anymore. That didn't sit well with me, I worked hard to get here, dammit! So this morning I got up at 5am, rode passed the closed gate and got myself that picture. A German biker came riding up there as well and we congratulated each other. Freedom!