On our way home - September 5, 2013

When the ship leaves Kirkenes it has begun its return trip. We will be stopping at most of the same ports, but seeing them at a different time of day and for longer or shorter stops. So, I will combine some of the information.

Leaving Kirkenes we headed north to sail around the top of Norway. Many of the communities on this coast show a lot of Finnish influence, having been home to many Finns looking for a better life. This part of Norway is also called Finnmark. Before we visited Kirkenes we stopped for a short time in Vadso, which is the center of Finnish culture. There is an interesting church with a tall, square bell tower that we could see from the ship.

 

Vardso Norway with its old church & Globus installation

We did not stop in Vadso again, but did return to Vardo, a little further along the coast. We saw the Vardo lighthouse on Hornoya Island, which is considered the easternmost point of Norway. We had not stopped in Vardo earlier because it was early morning, but now it was mid afternoon and we had a quick walk through the town. Eva took us along the wharf and pointed out the town’s historic church. We trudged up the hill to Vardohus Fortress, built in 1737. The only shots fired from this fortress are those fired in January to welcome the return of the sun! We also saw the Globus, or radar installation. Eva said it is to patrol the fishing boats (not the Russians – hmmm).

 

Entering Batsfjord Norway

Our last port for the day was Batsfjord. It is considered Norway’s largest fishing village. However, it was getting dark and drizzling outside so we just enjoyed looking at it from the ship’s deck. It was actually very beautiful with all the lights in town and on the road going up the side of the mountain. It is interesting to remember that our previous stop here was less than 24 hours earlier, just after midnight.

We also stopped in Berlevag. Eva had shown us a movie about a men’s choir who came from this community. They rehearsed and gave concerts in spite of the snow and ice. It was quite a movie and we were all interested in seeing where they lived. Unfortunately, both of our stops were late at night and in the dark so we couldn’t see much. But, I would like to get a CD of their music.