May 31 - Berlevag, Batsfjord, Vardo, Vadso, Kirkenes

We slept well, but did manage to peak out the window from time to time to see which port had made. At Vardo, in the low sunlight, Sherrill went out on deck, with clothes on over her PJ’s, to photograph some of the sights. Vardo played an important part in NATO’s early warning defences during the Cold War. Fishing and fish processing are the town’s staple industries.

We carried on under darkening skies, and increasingly cold northerly winds, arriving in Kirkenes at 1000. This was the end of our Hurtigruten trip. The trip north was wonderful!! It is difficult to find the words to describe the sights during the voyage, and we’re not sure that our photographic images will adequately depict what we saw. However, we have lots of beautiful mental images.

How cold was it in Kirkenes? It was +30 and the wind was just howling. The sea was awash with white caps and spray. It was COLD!!! Thankfully, Europcar met us at the dock with our black VW Polo rental car (clunker). While checking out some of the local lookout points, we were introduced to some of the indigenous population of Kirkenes who were grazing along the roadsides, and who were found periodically crossing the streets. It was surprising to see so many reindeer in town; it reminded us of the elk in Banff and Jasper. We checked into the Rica Hotel which sits up on the hill overlooking the town and the fjord. In the past iron ore was the financial cornerstone of Kirkenes, but this ended in 1996. In 1944, when the town was destroyed by the retreating German army, the 2000 residents sought refuge in the nearby mine shafts.

From here, we traveled south, then east along Highway E105 towards Murmansk. After reading the signs at the Russian boarder, we stopped there, and no further east. Its fascinating to stand so close to the Russian border thinking about current and past relationships, and how much tension the border creates. There were numerous signs with warnings about not randomly crossing the border, and not taking photographs into Russia or of the border entry points with 200 mm or longer lenses. In several instances, the Norwegian - Russian border was right along side on which we were driving, i.e., step out of the car and into the ditch, or into a boat, and you were in Russia.

The landscape in the area east of Kirkenes was hard and harsh. Any trees were small stunted, twisted birch. There was lots of snow, and rocky cliffs. Many of the lakes were still frozen. Spring has not yet arrived.
We drove south along Highway E6 to the small town of Neiden where crossed raging set of rapids in the Munkelva River and visited a stave church.

To end our day, we savoured a dinner of local salmon in the hotel dinner room overlooking the town of Kirkenes.