There are so many uses of "northernmost" in northern Norway that it is hard to determine what is legitimate and what is not. Longyearbyen refers to itself as the northernmost settlement in the world. That is probably true, although there are some military installations that are even further north. After sailing south from Longyearbyen for more than a day, we arrived at Honnigsvag, on Mageroya Island, on September 3, 2025. The residents of that island refer to the northernmost point of the island as the "North Cape," and say that it is the northernmost point in continental Europe. However, if it is on an island and Longyearbyen is also on an island, what is it about the North Cape that makes it the northernmost point of anything? That being said, we accepted all the descriptions of sites as being "northernmost"--the northernmost golf course, the northernmost settlement, the northernmost point on continental Europe.
We docked in Honningsvag, drove to the North Cape (Nordkap on the map) and then visited several picturesque fishing villages in the south of Mageroya.
The North Cape is marked by a huge globe, planted on sheer rock, with vast expanses of sea to the north.
There are interesting monuments and statues at North Cape, proclaiming world peace.
Strange things in strange places--there is also a monument commemorating the visit to the North Cape on 1907 of King Chulalongkorn of Siam (Thailand)!
Southern Mageroya is lush and green, but the North Cape is barren.
We saw reindeer on our drive north.
Our tour of southern Mageroya was completely different. Our first stop was at an art gallery in a picturesque fishing village, Kayoyvaer. This woman made her creations by cutting shapes out of magazines and then taking high quality photographs of her collages. We saw her artwork at the Visitors Center at the North Cape.
The bay was so calm and clear that my camera captured great reflections.
Our next village was Svarstad, where we were offered waffles, cream, and jam at a "Christmas house." Norway has elaborate and charming Christmas traditions and decorations.
A giant troll awaited us on the pier, as we boarded our ship.
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