Horizons Unlimited - The HUBB - From Tromso to Alta

Today, about 400 km to reach the Last stop before Nordkapp and the penultimate in Norway.
Alta is a small town of just under 30 000 inhabitants, to reach it you must travel a road (before the E6, then E8) High-slip, but often insidious with asphalt due to depressions, gravel and a few holes. Conditions are more difficult even for the maintenance of roads.
well most of the north? Iceland and at the same level of northern? Alaska, much more to the north of the Yukon where Alexander Supertramp
(Chris McCandless or) lived his extreme adventures.

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In fact, now the vegetation is quite sparse, sometimes a small patch of birch trying to create a small forest, stealing space grasslands
and bare rock, the rock where it goes crashing to the icy Norwegian Sea.
Today, however, has been a hot day, more than yesterday, and apart from a few minutes of rain, the clouds are alternate in the sun.
Approach to Alta, where we arrived around half of the afternoon.
The dinner've Done it in a typical local, meat of reindeer which of course is the specialty of the area.

About Reindeer: today we finally spotted some of them! Now a few and in the distance, then, as they climbed to the north, always
more numerous and closer, until we have seen even safely cross the street or browse the? Grass ditches at the edge of the roadway.
At some point I'll have a look at view? Last time and I'm also a bit? scared? because tomorrow and the next two / three days is provided
for a much greater presence of these animals, keep a occorrerr? gait much more careful and cautious than usual.

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The ones we saw today are quite small, around one meter tall or little more (with then? Antlers? Horns are even more high), but tomorrow
we should see more of the great. Obviously since the first sighting we stopped to photograph them, while the people of the place, a bit?
fun to look at (and maybe a little? annoyed because we occupied the street), spent with his SUV, SUVs and vans, that in these areas,
especially winter, are essential with their four-wheel drive.
Even today we saw several Italians, either by car, camper, or running that were returning from Caponord.

Even in a hotel in Tromso we met a young waitress in Turin, a university student happened in Norway in January (!) With the Erasmus program,
which is expected to return soon in Italy. He said, however, that even during? Winter life goes on almost normally in these parts, despite
the perpetual night of 24 hours and the strong snowfall, arriving safely to three meters in height. The streets are never clean and the cars
drive only with studded tires, so as well as on soles of the shoes are fitted with additional nails, not to slip on the ice?

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In the evening, after dinner, we took a few steps on the shore of the sea, as the sun was slowly setting, where we took some great photos
before returning to the hotel in Alta.

Some of my fellow travelers do not see the hour to arrive and seem a bit agitated or excited anyway (maybe not dormirr someone tonight!).
I, as usual, I'm calm because I consider Caponord not as THE destination, but a destination for a trip that I want to enjoy fully, aware that
past this milestone, will still be more than five thousand miles to go! I can already say, however, that Norway is I loved it, its streets, the
beautiful scenery and also? not l? would have guessed? for really good food. Who knows maybe one day we can come back?

This morning we crossed nearly Chiara, solo riding his motorcycle, was walking our own way in the opposite direction, back to the house, and that
today is the beautiful Lofoten Islands? good luck for the next steps!

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Nordkapp

It's three in the morning, just got back from the second lap on the cliff of corporal? what to say? FANTASTIC
Maybe in the next few days scrivern something more, for the moment I can only say that it'll be very difficult to describe the place and? Emotion
that arouses in those who visit it, especially after a tiring journey from the point of view of physical and psychological

Time and space Night visit to the globe and stage of transfer from Honningsvag (Norway) in Inari (Finland)

Today we start at 11, to leave Norway and reach Inari in Finland, agile stage of only 350 km. I have a few minutes of time to try to tell the
emotions experienced in reaching the cliff Caponord, yesterday afternoon and then again in the evening, after a long journey Austria, Germany,
Denmark, Sweden and Norway, for nearly six thousand miles, and under the sun rain, heat and cold, l? sultriness and fog, in the middle of the
traffic of the city and in the country lanes, to one hundred and thirty on the highway and step d? column in man at the traffic lights?
Corporal, objectively, it's a place like many others: it has nothing else to express terms of scenic, cultural, historical, artistic or naturalistic.
The view that you see (the Barents Sea should be if I'm not mistaken), you Can you see even a thousand other places. The cliffs are beautiful,
but never like those of the west coast of? Ireland. The road to the cliff is beautiful, but there are lots of equally beautiful. The globe is
nothing more than an iron ball mounted on a concrete base (not so nice, including the? Else).
What drives then thousands of people to reach, by any means and at any time of? Year, this remote place? I swear that until last night I could
not answer?. Today I know that Caponord is a magical place, one of the few places in the world where you try something? Strange?. I could not
describe it, are the same feelings that I experienced looking towards East from Ellis Island, the? Island off New York, where he landed immigrants
in search of the promised land, or looking westwards from the docks of the port of Lisbon, where emigrant ships left for South America. These are
places that? Weigh?, Where you stop listening to the sea breaking on the rocks and my mind goes blank? at least, this happens to me. I do not want
the professor, but I think Leopardi had in mind precisely this feeling when he composed? L? Infinity?: Places where time and space lose their
objective presence and become, in fact, infinite.

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Coming to the day today, we started promptly at 11, even with a few minutes d? Advance, to travel the road that took us from Norway to Finland.
Farewell to the winding roads that run along the Norwegian fjords, welcome to endless straights that seem drawn with a ruler and tear the birch
forests of the highlands in Finland.
Here the? Asphalt is much less cured, there are several holes and numerous bumps invite you to take a? Cautious pace.
Fortunately, the traffic is virtually non-existent, so that we still keep a velocitr around 90-100 km at? Now. The long straights, which sometimes
supernal five miles, are interrupted by some curve or bridge, and the roads run alongside the many lakes lying on the territory of this hilly area of
northern Finland (Lapland). Along the way, there are no countries or homes for endless kilometers long, so I think that if I were to go down this road
alone I could feel in trouble? going to look further away, maybe a few from the top of the hill, you see that woods for miles and miles, with no trace
of human habitation.
We arrive safely, however, to the village of Inari, which is the biggest municipality of Finland as an extension (18 thousand square km) but has only
six thousand inhabitants, and the name to the DR? Immense lake of the same name (or maybe it's the lake that his DR name to the municipality?).
Here in Finland, the currency is the? Euro, so before you cross the border we have to change or spend the last remaining Norwegian kroner, to avoid
bringing dovercele below for the rest of the trip.

Personally, today is the stage I liked it, some find it boring to travel all these miles of straight road, but I find a different way to ride a bike,
where you can also afford to travel a bit? and perhaps more relaxed look with more attention to the landscape? Of course I would not like it either go
days and days of road in this way?
Finland is a country as geographically close as culturally distant from Norway: where to order and cleanliness reign over there, over here there are
potholes, houses a bit? crumbling, dirt roads, fences knocked down? in short, seems to be in? Eastern Europe, perhaps dipenderr by the fact that until
less than 100 years ago this country was under Soviet domination, although now that Finland is one of the nations with the most high income per capita in
the world ? We'll see when we reach the southern part and (in theory) most developed in the country.
For now? Content ourselves? a dinner of salmon!

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Russia: from Inari to Rovaniemi (Finland)

Stage of about 350 km which takes us a little? more to the south, also in Finland, approaching the capital Helsinki where we will arrive in a couple of days.
Together with two other riders I decided to start a? Now before the others, go for a detour of about 50 km (50 more others for the return) to take me to the border with Russia and so can be said to have at least seen from the adjacent the territory of this country (to enter without a visa not even mentioned).
We walk 50 km at a good pace, with a wide road and deserted, and we reach the border where we take some photos with the bikes parked right on the border? even the military? shadow.
Back on the main road and we join the rest of the group to reach, through Ivalo, the town of Rovaniemi. It is the capital of Lapland, with more than 60 thousand inhabitants, and is famous for two things, one that I like, while dell? Another honestly I care little or nothing.
That interesting (to me) is that near Rovaniemi c? Napapijri is, that is not the brand of? Sportswear but it means? Arctic Circle? in Finnish. In practice, here goes the same parallel that we had already met all? Gone, in Norway and which delimits precisely the polar circle.
L? Else that is characterized Rovaniemi Santa Claus Village, which is a tourist resort (Disneyland style with shops, games, houses, restaurants, etc.., But obviously much much more smaller). It is a completely artificial heart where you can spend a lot of money on gifts, photos with Santa Claus, cards, gadgets, clothing, etc.. etc.. In practice, a hymn to consumerism?. if we add that August 16 is the Christmas spirit of the well to come, it explains why the village was semi desert and I have not bought anything (contrary to the truth I bought an adhesive, readily attached to the trunk of the bike on the transition to the polar circle). I have never liked this kind of attractions that have only commercial spirit, probably others appreciate them?. the world is beautiful because it is varied!
The roads today were along the lines of those of the past: straight (which now start to become monotonous) bordering woods, lakes and a few small cluster of homes that should be a municipality. At least? Asphalt highway (velocitr limit of 100 km / h) is much better than yesterday, but we are certainly not at the levels of Norway impeccable. When Pern with the look you check the side streets that cross the state, including those that lead to other common indoor, one sees that the first meters are unpaved, and then the road is totally unpaved?. Than I'd like, having time, throw in one of these streets and see with? Finland is at? inside, outside the canonical tourist routes and commercial. Maybe you would discover tiny villages, to explore and learn new reality?. Who knows maybe in a next trip!
To confirm? Impression of a country more backward than in Norway, today we saw three cars incidental, abandoned on the roadside, without license plates and with the windows broken, the hood and the doors open? perhaps victims of accidents with reindeer and other wild animals and then leave them where they were. Rest of always? Impression, at times, to be in a country of? Of Europe? East (such as in Bosnia, where I have been recently).
For? Accommodation instead no problem, we are in a kind of cottage, a wooden house on two floors really pretty and well made, all wood, with fireplace, sauna (!) And surrounded by a beautiful park of pines, beeches and birch.
Last night is an amazing thing happened, that is worth telling. Months ago, in an online forum, I met a biker from Vigonza, town in the province of Padua and a 40in miles from my house. We promised to meet us in person and maybe take a ride together, then you know that the work and commitments us astray from our programs, and honestly I had also forgotten about him. Last night, in the hotel, after dinner, we are approached by a guy who tells us to be Italian and that he offered to give us suggestions for our planned detour to the Russian border. Speaking of more and less, telling me to be Padovano and when he hears that I am, I respond? But then you're Philip Sawn!?. Of course I remain stunned at first, then come to find out that is? Aciachi? (which is the nickname used on the forum), and then, bevendoci a beer, spend the evening talking about everything. He had read of my own journey on the forum?
The more I do my big wishes for the journey he is doing (of course Caponord) with his bike a bit? battered but who, deep down, you know that takes a lot of good! good road