Turnaround Day 7: Exploring Kirkenes

Today m/s Havila Captor completed the northbound leg from Bergen to Kirkenes and began the southbound leg from Kirkenes to Bergen.

Since we are on the BKB voyage, for us it was turnaround day … meaning that we went off to explore the city while BK passengers disembarked the ship and KB passengers embarked the ship … there were some port-to-port passengers amongst them as well.

I say we went off to explore the city. But I should probably say I explored the city … Mui saw bits and pieces as he made his way to and from the clinic in Kirkenes.

The short story is that Mui’s sinus infections tend to devolve to the point of requiring antibiotics. He wanted to get ahead of the potential problem. So, he had the service manager schedule an appointment for him at the medical clinic in Kirkenes.

No cabs at the port unless you pre-order one — nor Uber either. Nothing to do but to hoof it once we disembarked. I planned to keep Mui company as far as the city center — a 15-minute walk. But I’d be missing some of the stops along the DIY walking tour outlined in the “Coastal Ferry Guidebook.” So, once we got to Highway E6 and found Haganesveien, a residential street, we parted ways.

Just to wrap up the story of Mui’s visit to the clinic … he made his appointment with time to spare. The doctor did a blood test and determined that his infection was not at the level requiring antibiotics. Instead, he prescribed a nasal spray, told him to use a saline nasal wash, and recommended Ibuprofen to reduce any inflammation that might give him a headache. He’ll be following that regimen … at least for the duration of this cruise.

Back to my tour.

It was interesting that the streets were all named after individuals … from people I knew, like Amundsen and Nansen, to famous Norwegians whose names I wasn’t familiar with. The names weren’t always easily visible, which made the tour a little challenging. The good news is that the guide had photos that helped me get my bearings.

Kirkenes is not only further east than İstanbul, but it is also just 9 miles (15 km) from the Russian border … putting it further east than St. Petersburg. Somehow, looking at a flat map, you don’t expect either. One of the popular tours the ship offers takes passengers to the Russian border. Turns out that I didn’t have to go on a tour to see the border markers … there were two outside the border commission building along my route … yellow for Norway; red and green for Russia.

Further along, I came to two of the bomb shelters used during WWII. At the outbreak of the war, people took shelter in the mines. But they were too far to get to from the city. So, several shelters were built in the city that were used during the 300+ air attacks on Kirkenes. The shelters were essentially caves. No water, air, or electricity supply. Today, one can take a guided tour of the Andersgrotta bomb shelter. But with the ship scheduled to depart at 12:30p, that wasn’t possible.

Near the shelter, I also found the Soviet Liberation Monument … now referred to without the Soviet designation. Current politics aside — though I did see some indication of it (see photo) — the monument was installed as a memorial to remember the liberation of the municipality by the Red Army in 1944. In fact, Kirkenes was one of the earliest places in Norway to be liberated from the Nazis. The Soviets also helped to rebuild the city … street signs even today are in Norwegian and Russian.

Next on my route was the church … locked up tight today. The first church, consecrated in 1862, was destroyed by bomb runs during WWII. The current church was completed in 1959. An interesting aside … that first church is the source of the city’s name — Kirke Nes = church headland.

Eventually, I arrived at Kirkenes Square in the city center. In addition to the library, colorful flowers, and a giant red king crab in the children’s play area, there was a mini exhibition here. Photo and text panels focused on Ellisif Wessel, a Norwegian writer, trade unionist, and politician. She moved here with her husband when he was hired as the district physician. Ellisif is well-known for documenting the scenery and local life through her photographs. Unfortunately, the glare on the panels made it difficult to photograph them.

Reversing my course, I walked by the town hall and then passed the church … essentially retracing my steps. I was almost back at the port when I realized that had I followed coastal route, I could have taken a photo of a house that was built on top of a WWII Nazi bunker. Luckily, I caught Mui just before he passed the house, so he was able to get a couple of photos for me.

I was on the ship by 11:30a … Mui arrived just before noon.

And so, we now begin the southbound leg of our trip.

But first … lunch … a little later than usual, but the hostess accommodated us since it is turnaround day.Read more