Our Adventure in Norway Begins
Monday, July 14, 2025
Without any fuss or bother, we boarded a plane in Manchester, flying to Oslo, Norway, bidding farewell to the British Isles. What a wonderful adventure we had in Ireland, Northern Ireland, England and Wales.
The flight was very smooth and I actually slept through most of it. In Oslo, we boarded a second flight (SAS Airlines) and headed north to Kirkenes (pronounced Sheerkenness). Kirkenes is located at the 70th parallel north, far enough north that the sun never sets at this time of year. Oddly enough it lies at the 30 line of longitude which places it directly north of Cairo. Norway has a very odd shape and covers two time zones.
We visited Kirkenes in December several years ago. The sun had set sometime in late November and only briefly peeked above the horizon during midday. It was dark the rest of the time ... and COLD. It was a true winter with ice and snow everywhere.
We decided then that we needed to come back to this unique community with loads of natural beauty. So here we are.
As I write this, the time is 11:30 pm and the sun is still quite high in the sky. We are going to go to bed soon and see if we can actually sleep.
Tuesday, July 15, 2025
Here we are in Kirkenes (pronounced 'Sheerkenes'), experiencing summer. We took a photo last night at exactly midnight in the broad daylight. The sun dipped below the horizon later for a very few minutes but full daylight remained throughout the night. It is amazing to experience.
We enjoyed a wonderful breakfast, more choices than we could manage, at the hotel where we are staying. We then gathered our wits about us and headed out to explore the town. It has grown substantially since we were here several years ago. We found new businesses, enlarged factories, more sophisticated tourist opportunities and many new housing developments.
We spent some time today exploring this 'new' community without having to worry about icy roads. Driving on the right hand side of the road took some adjustment after having spent three weeks in the UK. Only once did I find myself on the wrong side and quickly moved over to the other lane. Fortunately there was no other traffic around. Some driving practices are unfamiliar though. We recall from our last visit that the vehicle on the right always has the right of way when crossing or entering an intersection. There are virtually no stop or yield signs. Simply put, if you are on the right you can move forward. Yikes!!
Happily, following our tour around town, we headed out on the highway where there we fewer intersections and traffic. Our destination was Ovre Pasnik National Park. It was a beautiful drive on a highway that was flanked by lakes and fiords all along the way. Occasionally, we would pass through a tiny town but mostly we were surrounded by beautiful countryside, farmland and forest and water. Happily, the traffic was light so we could stop and take photographs.
We did stop at the entrance of an enormous iron mine. Huge mounds of earth and stone were piled up along the road so it was not possible to see the operation itself. And there was a large sign to Keep Out! Even in Norwegian the message was clear. We had learned that Norwegian ore is highly valued on the world market due to the high concentration of iron in the ore.
For much of the route we followed, we were paralleling the Russian border. Sometimes it was in the middle of a lake; sometimes it was simply cutting through swaths of land. The distance from the road varied and at times it was only a kilometre or so away from where we were. Just before we arrived at the National Park, there was a military training facility where people in the military were posted and engaged in training. Of course, we were not able to get close to anything there. The message was again clear ... Keep out!!
Just a short drive from there, we arrived at the National Park. The entrance to the park took us along a roadway lined on both sides with white birch trees. What a graceful way to come into the park. The Park Headquarters was well designed and filled with information and displays. We began by seeing a movie (in English) that described the history of the park. Then, we explored a broad range of displays focussing on the habitat, the birds and the animals that live there. There was a large world map on display that lit up the flight path of each migratory bird. One went as far south as south Africa and others only went to another European country during the snow season. Other displays illustrated the habitat of various mammals with emphasis on the birth and care of the young.
We were disappointed that the land that was closest to the Park Headquarters was all agricultural land and the trails and other areas that could be explored with too far away for us to go. And so, we had to settle for a cup of coffee and a view from the roof. On this gorgeous day, that was not such a bad thing.
Our ride back into Kirkenes was calm and quiet. It was almost dinnertime when we arrived. We took some time for pragmatic things like downloading photos. Then we headed for the dining room for another delicious meal. Jim had reindeer and I had Arctic Char. We shared a serving of Norwegian cheese for dessert (just as we had last night). Delicious!!
And now, having written this blog, it is almost midnight. Time for bed. The sun is still up and the sky is still blue. How deceiving nature can be!!
Good night, all!!
Wednesday, July 16, 2025
Another day has come and gone. Yet the sun is as high as can be in a cloudless sky in spite of it being 10 pm. We are adapting to this delightful evening light although it does mean we are going to bed later than normal.
Today was a quiet day for both of us. Jim was not feeling his best and wanted to stay close to 'home' (this comfortable hotel room). That suited me well since I have quite a bit of work to do on our photo books and this blog. We barely left the room until late in the afternoon.
We had made arrangements to have dinner at the year-round Snow Hotel. Yes ... year round. It is build from ice and snow, 16 bedrooms, a lovely restaurant, and a sauna. Each room has ice carvings as decoration and pads and blankets layered on the bed made from a large ice block. Rooms are private with the door covered with a thick hanging curtain.
The exterior of the Ice hotel is actually a very thick layer of snow, hollowed out below and frozen into place with a light spray of water. No problem in the winter to keep it from melting but in the summer it gets covered with a heavy protective blanket about the size of a jet plane and a cooling system is installed inside to keep it at a temperature just below freezing.
The Ice Hotel facility also has several husky dogs and a small number of reindeer in captivity. We visited the dogs (used for pulling sleds in the winter) and fed some leaves to the reindeer before we toured the Ice Hotel. Having experienced the Ice Hotel in Quebec, we knew what we would likely see and we were not disappointed. Well equipped rooms, animal pelts and heavy quilts, the sauna and a warm place to change your clothes.
Dinner was delicious from start to finish ... a lovely salad prepared with a range of vegetables, finely chopped and delicately arranged on the plate. Main course was reindeer, both tender and tasty, accompanied by a rainbow of vegetables cut into tiny pieces, smooth mashed potatoes and a wine-laced gravy that was amazing. Dessert was a plate of local cheese, some nutty crackers, backapple jelly and bits of fruit and nuts, all artistically arranged on a plate.
It was still broad daylight when we headed for home ... but we are easily distracted. So, we turned a corner and headed back to the Russian border. There were several vehicles of various kinds waiting there but the gates were closed and locked.
We learned that this particular border is open from 9 am to 4 pm daily and the gates close after that. So people were parked and spending the night in their vehicles, cars, trucks, campers, until the gates open tomorrow morning.
So, now we are back in our room, preparing for another interesting day. I am writing and Jim is booking our hotel for tomorrow night. We have decided to spend one night in Finland. The border is close by (can you tell we are fascinated with borders?) and we do not need visas or any other documentation except our passports. So off we go to a summer resort just for the fun of it. Call us crazy!!
Thursday, July 17, 2025
After a wonderful breakfast at our hotel, we loaded our luggage and hopped into the car. Destination: Inari, Finland ... about a 3 hour drive from Kirkenes. Of course, it took us longer than that because we stop and take photographs or explore sideroads and waterfalls etc along the way.
In Norway, there were many reindeer roaming on the roadsides and several that were actually wandering on the road itself.
That certainly slowed us down but we got some great pictures. The scenery along the way was spectacular. It was reminiscent of northern Ontario (long distances between towns with few (aka no) services in between). Forests flanked both sides of the road and enormous rock faces rose above the pavement, mostly granite although we occasionally saw pink/red rock as well. Rivers and lakes of various sizes were on both sides of the road. There were places where acres of large boulders replaced any vegetation. There were also areas where the rocks were covered with bright green moss. Some large areas had smaller rocks leading to the lakeshores. Such a varied landscape!!
We also visited a small historic orthodox chapel, the oldest and only orthodox chapel in Norway, likely built about 1565. It has been well cared for and updated. It is in the Skolt Sami community of Neiden. (more about the Samis later).
Continuing on, wildflowers were abundant - yellow, white, purple, pink. The trees tended to be deciduous, mainly birch, both white and silver. Rivers all had fast-flowing currents, rushing to a nearby lake or the sea. White foam on the rapids is always fun to see. Waterfalls aplenty. The scenery was a great addition to the clear blue sky overhead. What a wonderful day for a drive.
We stopped once for a break but when Jim opened the car door we remembered .... black flies filled the car. The door was closed quickly but we needed to free ourselves from the hum and the bites of these little creatures. There were also several big ugly bugs flying around our windows. Ugh!! That was the last time we opened the door until we arrived in Inari.
Crossing the border from Norway into Finland was interesting. As we approached the border, there was a sign posted telling us when the border patrol office would be open. We were a bit dismayed that it was not open when we would arrive. Hmm ... will we have to wait? But then, we remembered we are in the EU and there really is no border control from one EU country to another. Not what we are accustomed to in Canada.
So we passed the point where Norway ended and drove for several kilometres through 'no man's land' until we reached a sign that welcomed us to Finland. Of course, we stopped and took a photo.
I will say that for the first several kilometres, the quality of the road was not as smooth as it had been in Norway. Narrower, no middle lane markings, and somewhat bumpy. Then, we encountered a rest area with a sign about the EU assisting in improving the road quality. The next long stretch was wide and smooth. The traffic was fairly light and travelling at the speed limit. We made good time with only a few 'scenery stops' along the way.
It was about 2:30 pm Norwegian time when we arrived in Inari. But, Finland is one hour ahead so it really was later than we thought. We checked into our hotel and left immediately to visit the Sami Cultural Centre. We were able to see several displays of clothing and tools. There was also a compelling art series that showed appropriate behaviour for tourist and inappropriate behaviour for tourists. Respect was really the message in all the paintings, a very effective way of describing how to behave. There is a formal tour and a movie tomorrow morning so we will go back.
An hour later, Jim visited the Sami Siilde Museum to further explore Sami history and culture.
He reported that it was filled with information. The Sami have been in the area for about 10,000 years. Their culture has been disrupted by increased population from the south, actions of war, and creation of national boundaries, limiting movement across previously open territories.
I chose to remain in the car and read. I am in the midst of a very good book (The Spoon Stealer) but have little time to read because we are on the go so much. We both enjoyed our choices.
Back to our hotel with a little time to relax. And then dinner. The restaurant at this hotel has earned a Michelin reward in the past and the food and drinks certainly supported that designation. Jim had a beautiful meal of reindeer tongue and thick medallions, accompanied by lingonberries, potatoes and steamed mushrooms. The presentation was beautiful and the flavour was as well. I had arctic char on a bed of potatoes alongside carrot and carrot sauce and some roasted broccoli. Cloudberries were a companion to the main foods. Both our meals were delicious and most of the food was local.
The restaurant and our room both overlook a rushing river with a series of rapids adjacent to the hotel.
Beautiful scenery, made better by the three men who waded into the water to fish. We are not sure if they caught anything but the picturesque image that was created was worth everything.
And now we are back in our room planning tomorrow. A good night's sleep awaits us. We have learned how to sleep in full daylight. Tomorrow will be a new and busy day.
Friday, July 18, 2025
An early and delicious breakfast set us up for a full and fun day. We checked out of our hotel and headed directly to the Sami Sajos Cultural Centre. We were a bit early for our tour so we had a coffee in the lovely cafe. The building itself is circular in design with three main circular areas inside. The cafe is in one of those circles. A Sami library is in another part of the building. A circular parliamentary area is in another circle and the third circle holds a very large and professional theatre, complete with high tech equipment for presentations. As with all Scandinavian design, it is clever, beautiful and flexible.
A lovely young Sami woman took us on a tour of the centre and provided us with a lot of information about the Sami culture. There are five specific groups of Sami, each with their own language and specific dress and headgear. The languages are sufficiently unique that one Sami group cannot always understand the language of another. In general, the Samis also speak Finnish and often English as well. Primarily, they live in northern Finland.
One unique thing about the Samis is that they have their own parliamentary structure. Elected members meet at a round table in a designated room in the Cultural Centre. They discuss issues related to their culture, language and clothing. They are welcome to bring issues and ideas from their conversations to the Finnish parliament.
Many of the Samis are reindeer herders, the source of some of the delicious meals we have been having.
Some of the Sami children attend Sami schools rather than the public schools. There are separate schools for each of the Sami groups due to the language differences. They also learn English. At the end of the tour, we watched a beautiful film without dialogue showing the various elements of Sami life - music, dance, hunting, farming, celebrations, sports, winter activities.
Overall it was a a very informative tour and the young woman who led it was wonderful.
Time was passing and we wanted to head back to Norway. We filled up the gas tank, knowing that there were no services between Inari and Kirkenes. And off we went. We made fewer stops on our way back. The border crossing was totally unmanned and we only saw one reindeer all the way along. The lakes, the rocks and the wildflowers still took our breath away but we already had photos of all of them. It was remarkable how quickly we made our way back to Norway.
Once in town, we continued to explore this community. There is an excellent museum (Varanger Museum in Kirkenes) that highlights the history of Kirkenes and the surrounding area. I recalled visiting it when we were here before but Jim's memory was not as clear. So Jim went to the museum while I, again, waited in the car, thoroughly enjoying the time to read.
One of the things Jim learned in the museum was that in 1898 no person was allowed to speak any language other than Norwegian at school. How things have changed. Now English and Norwegian are part of the curriculum in all schools and in grade 6, students are encouraged to choose a third language. There are also specialized schools for Sami children if parents choose to send them there.
After Jim was finished at the Museum, we happened to be on the road to the Russian border so, of course, we went out to see it again. The gates were scheduled to close at 4 pm; we were just on time. But the gates did not close. A young man was walking through the parking lot. He looked like he was familiar with the area so we asked him about the closure. He agreed the gates would close but he was not sure when.
However, he suggested that if we wanted to get even closer to the Russian border, we should take a nearby road to a village called Grense Jackobselv. It was located at the border about 30 minutes away. Well ... say no more, we were on our way!! It was an amazingly beautiful drive.
Full sun, massive rock mountains, glistening fjords, some small lakes, and wildflowers. Very little traffic made the drive smooth and easy. But, we could not find the border crossing we were expecting to see.
Instead, we found signs that stated that the adjacent river (less than 10 metres away) was, in fact, the border between Norway and Russia. The river was so narrow, you could have easily waded across it in places or played catch with one person on each side. It was incredible to be that close to Russia. Of course, there were signs indicating that any contact with the other side was unlawful. Yellow posts on the Norwegian side marked its territory and red posts on the Russian side marked its territory. The message was clear ... DO NOT CROSS!!
We continued to Grense Jackobselv where we thought we might have dinner. In fact, it is not a town at all. At best, it is a rustic campground where many people come to fish. The rules for fishing are quite strict and there were two army patrolmen on the beach to ensure that the rules were being followed.
So, no dinner in Grense Jackobselv. In fact, Grense Jackobselv is the most remote community in Norway. It is closer to the North Pole (2300 km) than to Oslo (2500 km). The road to reach the community is not serviced in the winter. But there was a church high on a hillside. It, a large Church of Norway chapel, was built in1869, high on a hillside along the Norwegian/Russian border specifically to mark the border between the countries.
Apparently there is a Russian Orthodox Church built in a similar location on the Russian side of the border. These chapels were built to ensure that fishermen on both sides of the border respected the rules and understood the boundaries.
So back to town we came. What an adventure through the beauty of the mountains and sea. When we passed the real border crossing, the gates were closed. We missed it!!
We found a small Thai restaurant in Kirkenes and enjoyed a surprisingly delicious meal. When we went in, the restaurant was virtually empty but by the time we left, it was filled to capacity. We were certainly glad we had eaten there. It was time to return to our hotel, the same hotel and the same room we had had before we went to Finland. It was good to be home!
Saturday, July 19, 2025
Today is our last full day in Kirkenes. The sky is cloudy and the temperature is much lower than it has been. We had a slow start to our morning. At noon, I drove Jim to one of the many bomb shelters that were dug here during WWll. Andersgrotta was one of the largest, dug 7 meters underground. It could accommodate about 300 people for 3 hours. That is when the air ran out.
A guide from the Snow Hotel had a series of photos about the impact of war in Kirkenes. It was shocking to learn that Kirkenes was a major target in the war and hundreds of bombs were dropped here, destroying most of the city. Following the outdoor presentation, the guide invited everyone to go down into the bomb shelter to see a film and have an opportunity to experience what it must have been like to need to take such shelter as bombs are being dropped on your city. Jim accompanied the guide and gained greater insight from the experience. I was not able to do the stairs, both down and up, so I waited in our car until Jim returned.
The history of the war and how it impacted Kirkenes is totally new to us. Russians and Norwegians working together to maintain international borders and protect the city was a story we had never heard. Germany sent hundreds of soldiers and planes and bombs hoping to acquire territory in both Norway and Russia. The presence of high quality iron ore here made it a valuable resource to capture.
Following this experience, we made our way back to our hotel to organize ourselves to travel tomorrow. Jim also took the car back to the rental agency and I worked on our photo books. We really are leaving this fascinating and beautiful city.
Late in the afternoon, we embarked on our final experience in Kirkenes, a crabbing expedition. King crabs have made their way into the ocean waters that surround Kirkenes. Today, we were going out on a boat into a bay to capture some crabs and then enjoy a crab dinner. The outing turned into much more than that.
The location for dinner was only a few metres away from the border with Russia.
It was a lesson in geography about why the border was located exactly where it is; how Russia and Norway share a dam the enables both to have fresh water; how a highly valued church on the Russian side could not be moved and so a deal was made that provided a significant additional territory in place of forcing the church to be demolished so the border could go where it logically should have.
As we learned yesterday, there are border posts along the boundary line. Yellow markers indicate Norwegian territory and red markers are for Russian land. Where we ate our crab was within 10 meters of the border. We were all invited to gather in front of the yellow marker and get photos taken. At that point we were less than 3 metres from Russia.
Our guide told a story about a previous visitor who insisted against advice to stand beside the red post. Within thirty minutes, Norwegian soldiers arrived, took his passport, levied a 3000 euro fine and deported him. Clearly, warnings about surveillance are real.
We all sat at outdoor picnic tables and enjoyed our freshly cooked crab. We were given instructions about how to deal with the shell and provided with excellent utensils to achieve the goal.
Fresh bread and a glass of wine accompanied the crab along with lively conversation. The group included people from Poland, Germany, Britain, Sweden, Norway, and four of us from Canada. Almost everyone spoke English, so conversation was easy.
We returned to the harbour in Kirkenes and bid farewell to our companions. A couple from Oslo are also getting on the Hurtigruten Cruise in the morning, as are we.
And so, we spend our final night in the wonderful community and fantastic hotel to embark on another leg of our journey. Four weeks in and 2 weeks to go. We are still eager and willing for new experiences.
Until next time ...
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