Even when seemingly complete, the road had a further obstacle to clear. Norway's fractured west coast was seen to be the next challenge. When, just over sixty years ago, the highway was deemed to have been completed, there were still no less than ten sections where the link was not a road, but a ferry. With the ingenuity and audacity of Norway's road engineers, these were gradually reduced by bridging or tunnelling until today, only one ferry remains in the highway's path.
 

The Midnight Sun is a natural phenomenon that occurs during the summer north of the Arctic Circle, including Northern Norway. The earth is rotating at a tilted axis relative to the sun, and during the summer months, the North Pole is angled towards our star. That’s why, for several weeks, the sun never sets above the Arctic Circle. At its peak you can see the sun moving in the sky, but it does not dip completely below the horizon. Depending on how far north you travel, the period of non-stop daylight can last from a single day to nearly five months.

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The North Cape - Every year many thousands tourist from all over the world visit North Cape in Norway and the European route E69 highway has its northern terminus here, and it is possible to see both the Midnight Sun in the summer and the Northern Lights in the winter. You will find this most northerly point in Europe around 71 degrees north and approximately 2,000 km from the North Pole, and located on Magerøya at the very end of the European landmass. The plateau itself rises 307 metres almost straight up from the Arctic Sea, but it is flat at the top.