Travels with Auntie M: klippfisk

Deep into the Arctic Circle, Honningsvàg is the northernmost city in Norway.

With a population of fewer than 2,500 it became a city in 1996 before legislation was passed that required 5,000 inhabitants to be declared a city.

Located on the southwestern part of the Barents Sea, the ice-free ocean provides rich fisheries. Dee got the above shot of clipfish (klippfisk) drying from the bus window as we were speeding by the dramatic scenery.

Yes, TW found trolls everywhere we went. When we stopped at the North Cap Museum (Nordkappmuseet), we joined in the fun.

Below: 1988 art project utilizing the art of 7 children from different countries, symbolizes co-operation, friendship, hope and happiness across all boundaries.

Children of the Earth

We stopped at a Sami gift shop:

Just as the indigenous people of Alaska are the only ones allowed to hunt seal, the indigenous people of Scandinavia, Sami (Lapanders), are the only ones allowed to own and ranch reindeer.

They also sell their products in town.

Boreas - Erling Saatvedt, 1971

Boreas is the Greek god of North Wind, yet this sculpture reminds me of reindeer antlers.

Bamse (1937-1944)

This beloved St. Bernard became a symbol of Norwegian freedom during World War II. He was adopted as an official crew member of the Royal Norwegian Navy. He performed several acts of heroism including saving a crew member from a knife fight and sounding the alarm for a man overboard that no one had witnessed. He would break up pub brawls and lead his drunken crew mates back to ship. He had a bus pass attached to his collar and would travel on local buses, unaccompanied. When he died of heart failure, he was buried with full military honors. He was the only WWII animal to receive the PDSA Gold Medal for gallantry and devotion to duty.

Back to the ship and on to the next port.

The 22,000 plus residents live on four main and several smaller islands that are connected by bridges, boats, and an undersea tunnel which runs over 3 miles and reaches a depth of 880 feet.

There are several monuments to World War II as nearly 80% of the city was demolished by German bombs.

This was the greeting we received:

Dee and I took a long walk through part of the city and enjoyed the architecture.

Kristiansund is one of the most densely populated cities in Norway.

Below, is the town's house of culture, Festiviteten, built in 1914. It has a concert hall that seats 275 with a coffee lounge that holds 50 people.

Young Girl with Bird - Arne Durban, 1956

The End of the Journey

This Holocaust sculpture is in memory of the 18 Jews from Kristiansund that were killed in Auschwitz.

Found 'The Swan Pond' which was once a water reservoir.

This falling water pond was created for the town's 250^th anniversary and represents the town's coat of arms. (See the three fish?)

I found these:

And Dee found these:

This cover depicts the iconic clipfish woman, the 'sound boats' and Kirklandet church, with the date of 1742 which is when they became an offiical town.

The Clipfish industry began in the 1690s; the dried, salted cod was exported to Spain and Portugal. The word 'clip' comes from the Danish-Norwegian 'klippe' meaning 'rock' as the fish were originally sun-dried on the smooth ocean rocks. Sound boats started connecting the islands in 1876 and is claimed to be the world's oldest continued public transportation system. The Kirklandet church was built in 1964.

While the men were out at sea, the women and children did the drying of the fish.

Credit: visitnorway.com

In the afternoon our tour on a large bus, that took us through the undersea tunnel, out to a remote fishing point to turn around and head for the Stave church for a very brief stop in the rain.