Our northernmost port of call for this voyage was Alta, a city of about 20,000 inhabitants. Alta was the German navy’s largest base of operations outside of Germany in WWII. The Germans burned the city to the ground when they retreated in 1944; only one church remained standing, and the population was forcibly relocated. Today, Alta is a center for salmon farming, Arctic research, and mining.
Alta’s museum is built on the site of an amazing set of petroglyphs that date back more than 6,000 years. Ancient artists decorated the rocks by pecking at them with a pointed tool and adding red iron oxide to the excised area.
The museum also houses historical artifacts from the first scientific studies of the northern lights.
In the city center is the unique Northern Lights Cathedral, built in 2013. It’s made of wood and concrete and clad in titanium sheets.
Reindeer sledding
In the afternoon of March 5, we rode by bus about 70 km south of Alta, passing frozen rivers and lakes, to a small Sami village near Maze. Here we had the opportunity to go reindeer sledding.
I can’t say that it was anywhere near as thrilling as the dogsled ride of a couple of days ago. I felt more like a kid sitting on a pony that was being walked around in a circle by a handler. The sleds were low to the ground and wide enough for two of us to sit abreast. Since it was 20° and snowing, we appreciated having a blanket over us as we “sped” along!
Following our ride, we practiced lassoing reindeer by tossing lariats at reindeer antlers mounted on stakes. I actually managed to do it on my second attempt. Maybe I was a reindeer cowboy (reindeerboy?) in a past life.
Then it was time to warm up in a Sami teepee, called a lavvu. We sat on reindeer hides around a large fire.
Reindeer stew was once again on the menu, and it was a fantastic way to warm up. That was followed by cake and whipped cream with cloudberries.
Our host and his sons, daughter, and niece told us some Sami traditions and superstitions, and they explained the symbolism and fabrication of their clothing.
We had hoped for clear skies for our only night this far north, but it was not to be. It was snowing in Alta when we returned — and just as well, as forecasts predicted no auroral activity for the night. It was an opportunity to relax and warm up!
The Tirpitz
Perhaps the most infamous “resident” of Alta was the German battleship Tirpitz, which was moored in nearby Kaafjord for several years during WWII.
We visited the fjord in the morning to see where the ship lay when it was attacked twice by the Allies, first by minisub, and then by Lancaster “Dam Buster” bombers.
We visited the Tirpitz museum afterward. The museum’s collection contains materials recovered from the Tirpitz after the war, ranging from uniforms to guns to typewriters to musical instruments to shore leave passes that granted admittance to the red light district in Amsterdam!
And now, headed south
We left port at 1:30 this afternoon, sailing southward toward our final two ports of call. We’ll be in Narvik tomorrow, and then it’s on toward Bergen.
I suppose it will be getting warmer, too! We’re very happy that we brought along the right clothing for the climate.