28. 6. 2023 - 65 km / 420 hm Sommarøy - Tromsø

"Four seasons in one day, you have to expect that" my Norwegian friend predicted before our Nordkapp tour, when I asked him about the weather conditions in his home country. But it wasn't quite that bad today. Early in the morning I was torn from sleep at half past four by a strong sunbeam with blue sky and high temperatures. I thought it was already noon! The disillusionment followed during the morning meal. Quickly a thick cloud layer moved up and the temperature dropped quickly to autumnal values.

On the way to Tromsø then a small uncertainty after a few kilometers. "Road closed between 8:00 to 19:00, from Monday to Friday" was written on a traffic sign. Is that supposed to be a joke? Since we are not alone on the road, we ignore this sign and continue our journey. A small construction site clarifies the situation - it turns out to be half as bad as announced. We can only wonder about this over-cautious signposting.

Traffic Jam 1

Traffic Jam 2

 2

29. 6. 2023 - 20 km / 550 hm Tromsø Sightseeing

Again splendid weather today in Tromsø. Just right to prepare us mentally for the final spurt of our bike trip. Only 3 more stages to go!

We visit the 1965 built Ice Sea Cathedral, "the" landmark of Tromsø par excellence.

We can't do without a little exercise today either. With the support of "Garaventa" we climb/hike Fjellheisen, Tromsø's local mountain. The fantastic view can hardly be put into words, just incredibly beautiful.

For dinner we dine at "Vertshuset" Arctandria Sjømatrestaurant - fine fish restaurant!

Eismeerkathedrale

30. 6. 2023 - 72 km / 891 hm Tromsø - Lyngseidet

From Tromsø, we first drive in a southerly direction before crossing the peninsula in an easterly direction. If the road follows close to the water, there is always a cool breeze, which makes the trip extremely pleasant. However, if it runs inland, we make acquaintance with annoying horseflies for the first time during our trip. The few warm days have apparently been enough to awaken their spirits and to make life difficult for people as pests.

With the ferry crossing from Breidvik to Svensby we reach the Lyngen Alps, a very impressive mountain landscape. These stretch for 90 km in a north-south direction and are 15-20 km wide. In the west they border the Ullsfjord and in the east the Lyngenfjord. Approximately in the middle, a branch of the Ullsfjord, the Kjosen, cuts about 14 kilometers deep from west to east into the mountain massif. The highest peak of the Lyngen Alps is Jiekkevárri, located south of the cut, at 1834 meters. Touristically, the Lyngen Alps are little developed, but are nevertheless visited by mountain hikers, extreme and touring skiers. For us Swiss, the 1834 m may not seem very high, but these mountains are really imposing!

The little house at the sea

1. 7. 2023 - 72 km / 712 hm Lyngseidet - Skjervøy

After just a few minutes of driving, we're off on our last "free ferry" from Lyngseidet to Olderdalen. As a reminder: The use of ferries for non-motorized traffic is completely free in Norway and is cross-financed either by the state or by motorized traffic - a great thing!

Already on the ferry a pretty fresh wind blows - as a sailor I would say "at least 5 Bft"! And this wind does not come to rest also for the remaining day. What particularly bothers us is the fact that it blows directly into our faces. This is quite a strain on our strength. The landscape still presents itself from its most beautiful side, there's nothing to shake. If only it weren't for this wind.

On the way, there are a few more tricky points. The Maursundtunnel with a length of 2.1 km has to be passed. This tunnel passes under a fjord. With a gradient of 10% it is easy to ride down to minus 95 m in the middle of the tunnel, but from then on you have to push your bike. The opposite slope is simply too steep to ride up with our heavily loaded bikes. The next tunnel doesn't take long either to show up, but proves to be child's play, as it is completely flat.

Maursundtunnel-Entry: 2.1 km Length, 10% Gradient

2. 7. 2023 - Skjervøy Rest Day

After the efforts of the last stage, we are just glad to give our bodies a day of rest. Nevertheless a few pictures of a different kind from Skjervøy.

Harbour Impressions

Mailboxes in Norway

3. 7. 2023 - 69 km / 2223 hm Honningsvåg - Nordkap and back

The Hurtigruten ship "MS Vesterålen" brings us in the night to today in bright sunshine to Honningsvåg. The Vesterålen is the smallest and also the oldest ship (built in 1983) of the Hurtigruten shipping company. It has room for 510 passengers in 146 cabins. According to a ship's officer, still a real ship and not a swimming hotel!

On the trip we see again a few whales directly from the boat, cool!

Since the weather forecast for the next days looks less good, we decide to start the tour to the North Cape immediately. This tour is quite challenging again (note the altitude).

Shortly before the stage destination, the fog unfortunately takes over the sun. He wraps the North Cape in a thick soup. But the joy about what we have achieved prevails and so we can also stand in the queue for the souvenir photo.

For the next few days is for me once again to find a bike repair shop, which is hopefully able to put the rear wheel of my bike in state. This has namely started to disassemble into its components (2 more broken spokes). I wonder if this is a hint that enough cycling has been done for the moment?

Now it's time to relax!

The sun is still shining

Mission completed