The Arctic Circle Monument

When you pass the Arctic Circle - around 07.20 in the morning (Summer Daylight Savings Time) going North - the horn is blown at the time you pass an island which is just South of the Arctic Circle.

On the island is a piedestal with a semicircular construction on top. Inside that semicircular construction used to be a metal globe. It's gone because of the hurricane "Arve" which passed over the island in January 2006.

The globe was blown into the sea, and apparently nobody is responsible for replacing it. A shipful of cruise passengers a day get to enjoy and photograph the leftovers of a monument.

When the ship uses its horn to indicate that the Arctic Circle is being crossed, then you are being deceived. In reality, the Arctic Circle is crossed 2 kilometers or just over a mile North of this location, at the South end of the island Sundøya. This has been discussed with the captain of one of the Hurtigruten ships who acknowledged this, and said that it was because the location with the island with a globe on it and the Hestmonøya behind it looks better on photos than the real thing, so they stick to the deception. Now the globe is gone they should take it as a hint from Njord, the God of the Sea in Nordic mythology, and move the monument to the real location on Sundøya? The more people who bring their own gps navigators, the more obvious the deceit becomes. Bring your own gps navigator and see yourself - look for the latitude N66.33 (66 degrees 33 minutes North) to show up on the display and you're there.