Hammerfest, Norway... Part 1 of 2

This morning I was up at 0500 for an early sail into Hammerfest…As it turned out, I was up way too early as the scenery was not photo worthy until we sailed closer to the Hammerfest harbor which was spectacular. Hammerfest is the world's northernmost city surrounded by mountains, beaches and a beautiful coastal landscape. We were off the ship as soon as we were cleared and started a walk to town…the weather was stunning and excellent for capturing reflection shots. Our walk along the harbor front took us on a panoramic view of the town. Being one of the oldest cities in Norway, it strikes you as odd how modern Hammerfest looks…This is reminiscent of the ravages of WWII when in 1945 the retreating German/Nazi army systematically burned almost every building in Hammerfest and forcibly evacuated all residents. Today, many colorful houses rebuild in the 1950s dot the city. Once in town, we stopped at the St. Michaels Church. Continuing along we walked along the Harbor Quay coming to town square with its pretty Mother and Child fountain. Next, we made our way to the Hammerfest Church. The triangular design of Hammerfest Church is inspired by the fish-drying racks. We headed back toward the center of town stopping at the Blue Music Pavilion, a gift from the city of Alta on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the city of Hammerfest in 1989. Our last stop in town was the Polar Bear Society where we joined join the world famous and exclusive society…While membership doesn’t bring you any real benefits, it does prove you visited this northern outpost, as membership can only be obtained in person. Before returning to the ship, we walked up to the UNESCO site of the Struve Geodetic Arc known as the Meridian Monument. The Struve Arc is a chain of survey triangulations stretching from Hammerfest in Norway to the Black Sea, through 10 countries and over 1750 miles. These are points of a survey, carried out between 1816 and 1855 by the astronomer Friedrich Georg Wilhelm Struve. The site represented the first accurate measurement of a meridian which accurately defined the first measures of the planet’s size and shape. We had a great day in Hammerfest and again stellar weather. Later this afternoon we will be sailing by the North Cape the northernmost point in Europe.