Day 14: Tromso 19C
I was woken  at 1.15am by the seagulls fighting over food that people were throwing while they were partying in the midnight sun. One of our group had his entire pizza stolen by a swooping gull. Management were most apologetic and gave him another.

We didn't have to leave until 8.45am so it was a real leisurely start. We travelled 460km northward from the Oslo, the capital of northern Norway, following the Lyngenfjord. There were two short ferry rides with our coach driving on to the boats. Of course, with Norway's new found wealth, huge money is being put into roading and transportation. Just shows what utilisation of natural oil and gas will do for a country and its people. Don't let Jacinda know though, will you.

We have seen several of the Hutiruten cruise ships taking select passengers on what is considered to be the most beautiful cruise in the world. One was anchored at our front door in Tronso last night and it was their passengers feeding the gulls that woke me up.

North Norway was occupied by the Nazis in WWII as a stepping stone to attack Britain and they had 400,000 troops in Norway. The hero of the resistance movement was Jan Baalsrud about whom a movie was made last year called "The Twelfth Man". It has just been released on Netflix. Alta, the town we are staying in tonight was completely destroyed in 1944 but has been rebuilt and of course is now the major centre for the 16,000 tourists who travel to experience the North Cape while it is open May - September. There are only the two hotels here to cater for these people so the schedule is very tightly organized.

The Lyngen Alps rise to 5,000ft above sea level and even in the summer are shrouded in mist. Today though was the hottest day there has been this year at 20C and the views were spectacular. Only birch trees can survive up here and then we drove beyond the tree line. It was here we spotted our first herd of reindeer running through the snow. Wild screams of delight from all of us. We were driving the whole way on the E6 which runs from Spain right through to North Cape. National Parks were only established here in the 1970s to preserve the brown bears, moose, reindeer, flora and fauna. Income tax has been reduced to 10% with the same benefits to encourage people to live and work up here.

When we were coming into Alta, City of the Northern Lights, we stopped at The Rock Art of Alta which was included on UNESCO'S World Heritage list in 1985. It was in 1973 that two boys  discovered  some carvings across four uncovered fields that are between 6200 and 2000 years old and include more than 5000 figures of humans, animals, birds, fish and objects such as boats, fishing nets and spears. They were made by people before the Iron Age who lived by hunting, gathering and fishing.

Finally at 5.15 we arrived at our Scandic Alta Hotel straight opposite the astonishing new Northern Lights Cathedral which was consecrated in 2013.  The building is constructed from concrete with external cladding of titanium sheets. The end effect is comparable to the Len Lye art gallery in New Plymouth. Fortunately as well as the Lutheran services held there, it is used as a concert hall for the 16000 residents of Alta.

Now again we need to work out how to black out the room to get some sleep. Have I mentioned that hotels in Norway have three entrance doorways? Open one to step into the porch which is stone and not heated; open the next which seems to have slight heating and wooden floors; open the third which gives entry to the carpeted foyer and reception area of the hotel. What's that tell you?

Right, now tackle these curtains. It's 10.30pm!