*24 August 2025* After a slow start we had four very different culture experiences - as well as a brief taste of the beauty of the Norwegian fjords which are going to be our companion for the next 10-14 days. We drove into Alta to get a feel of this quite attractive town which has been rebuilt after the retreating German forces torched it in October 1944. Facing the fjord and ringed by hills, it has a nice feel to it. We visited the Cathedral of the Northern Lights which was inaugurated in 2013. ![[12-GNT - 2.jpeg]] A service was underway but a very kind church warden allowed us to stand briefly at the back and get a glimpse of the quite stunning interior with a 4.3 metre bronze sculpture of Jesus on the cross "giving his blessing with embracing arms", as the leaflet says. "Christ seems thankful for becoming the Chosen one... he does not look at the ground; triumphant and bringing salvation, he stands in front of us as the bearer of light and hope." Above the statue, hundreds of LED light strips create a dazzling Northern lights effect. If anyone is interested, this short video is worth a watch. <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4zwRU1MKSwo?si=VJOhBpUAFOD4Cg9s" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe> From this sublime experience we moved to an almost ridiculous one. In the barren city centre, all shops closed because of Sunday (the Norwegians still respect Sunday), we found a House of Burgers open for a quick lunch. There was no one at all in the place apart from a very young man (15?) on his mobile phone who looked quite startled to have a customer appear. After taking my order he announced that his colleague and boss was visiting the toilet. Eventually this culinary master chef appeared and in due course our burgers with chips appeared - at least they were hot and fresh. We charged our car at the Tesla Supercharger behind a supermarket and were amazed and delighted to find a stirring mural on the back of a wall depicting the "Alta Uprising" of 1978. ![[12-GNT - 3.jpeg]] This was a pivotal protest in northern Norway against the planned construction of a hydroelectric dam on the Alta-Kautokeino River. The project threatened to flood Sámi lands, reindeer pastures, and the village of Máze (which we visited yesterday), striking at the heart of Sámi culture and livelihood. Sámi activists, supported by environmentalists, staged hunger strikes, marches, and civil disobedience, drawing national and international attention. Despite mass arrests, the movement forced Norway to confront its treatment of the Sámi. Although the dam was eventually built, the Alta uprising sparked lasting changes, strengthening Sámi rights, identity, and political recognition. We then went to Alta Museum for the highlight of our visit to this town - the rock carvings which are included in UNESCO's World Heritage list. Varying in age between two and seven thousand years old, they were only discovered in 1971 by some children playing. Researchers from Tromsø came and soon established the significance of the find. 6,000 rock carvings and paintings have been discovered, with more being found every year. The carvings are made on bedrock which has risen in height after the Ice Age receded, so the oldest carvings are the highest up. In addition to the excellent Museum, there is a 3km trail which takes you to 25 or so of the best sites. ![[12-GNT - 4.jpeg]] ![[12-GNT - 5.jpeg]] ![[12-GNT - 6.jpeg]] The red colouring was done to help the visibility of the carvings, but the curators are afraid that it is damaging the carvings, and the colouring is gradually being removed. ![[12-GNT - 9.jpeg]] The predominant creatures in the carvings are reindeer, bears, birds, as well as people and lots of boats. In this next carving there is a hare, one of only two in the whole Alta region. ![[12-GNT - 8.jpeg]] This next carving shows a reindeer connected with a square-shaped figure with fringes along three of its sides. Some think the figure represents the apparitions the shamans witness in their trances. Another interpretation is that the figure shows the shaman's cape decorated with patterns and fringes. A more down-to-earth suggestion is that the reindeer has become entangled with a trap! ![[12-GNT - 7.jpeg]] I found the following chart interesting. It shows the way that the representation of animals, humans and objects developed over the millenia. (The y axis is thousands of years ago.) ![[12-GNT - 11.jpg]] It was a stirring experience to connect with the people who lived so long ago in this beautiful but physically challenging part of the world. << [[The GNT, Day 11 - Kautokeino to Alta]] | [[The GNT, Day 13 - Alta (nature)]]