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| The sea was a bit rough yesterday evening (I didn't spill my drink though !!) and into the night but my anti sickness wristbands worked well !!! We docked this morning at 09.00 in Kirkenes the most northerly point of our cruise and the most northerly town in Norway.... |
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| Thick snow and very clear air, a beautiful pleasant day for the 20 minute walk into town.... |
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| Needless to say all vehicles have studded tyres in the winter....they are very courteous drivers and stop if they even think you want to cross the road.... |
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| Oh my an RV dealership....anyone for camping !!!! |
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| Low tide....the drop is about 6 feet.... |
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| Kirkenes is classed as a small town but much larger than we thought it would be....still can't get over how many people live this far north..... |
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| In 1906 iron ore was discovered nearby and Kirkenes became a major supplier for raw material for artillery during WW1....however early in WW11 the Nazis occupied the town, posting 100,000 troops here. As a result Kirkenes after Malta was the most bombed place during WW11. The town was also an internment camp for Norwegians from all over the country who did not cooperate with the Nazi occupiers.... |
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| And the Library.... |
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| Kirkenes Church....maybe they need to reset the clocks it's actually 11.15am.... |
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| Midday when we return to the ship and already getting dark...fascinating.... After a relaxed afternoon we prepare for the evening celebrations....like many European countries Christmas is celebrated on Christmas Eve.... At 5pm the Captian's blessing starts the proceedings... We have a fabulous Christmas Buffet....their main meat at Christmas is pork (well we can't eat reindeer on this day !!) A huge spread of sea food, delicious salted and dried lamb and so much more.....they also cure lamb in a similar way to parma ham.... Festivities in the lounge after dinner with Santa and carols (Norwegian, English and German) and fun songs around the tree.... The ship was docked from 6pm until 9pm for the whole crew to eat their traditional dinner (no alcohol allowed for them, in fact Hurtigruten ships are strict dry ships for the crew with random drug and drink tests) Another brilliant day on the Kong Harald.... Happy Christmas to you all from the Merry Travellers..... |
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