The TRAVELER'S JOURNAL: December twenty-eighth, doing laps in Lapland.

These are dark days in Hammerfest. Situated in the Finnmark area of Norway nearly 300 miles north of the Arctic Circle, this town is as close as anyone can drive to the North Pole. Winter's one long night there lasts for 67 days, from November 18th to January 23rd.

Despite its remote latitude, Hammerfest is a charming, even elegant little fishing port, especially when the coastal steamers call. Of course, they're more frequent in mid-summer, when the sun shines around the clock, but even this time of year, a surprising number of visitors come to experience Europe's largest uninterrupted wilderness.

Primarily, they come to sample the culture of the Sami people, who have flourished in this harsh climate for 10,000 years. Once nomadic reindeer herders, modern Sami are remarkably sophisticated, but still celebrate traditional values. The vibrant reds and blue of their coats, adorned with hand-embroidery and silver jewelry stand out against the eternally frosty landscape.

However, visitors seeking Europe's actual apex must journey 60 miles further north, to the bleak, windblown promontory of North Cape, which towers a thousand feet over the Arctic Sea. This outpost boasts a four-story visitor center that burrows deep into the cliff, down to an observation lounge with a stunning panorama of seascape and, when the weather's right, the Northern Lights.

The Italian explorer who reached North Cape first in 1664 wrote "I stand on the very edge of the world, my curiosity satisfied." The impact on modern visitors is just the same. FMI For information on Hammerfest and Nordkaap, contact the Norwegian Tourist Board at 212-949-2333 or visit www.visitfinnamrk.com.

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