| WHITE SEA, RUSSIA AND NORWAY CRUISE |
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| HENRY NOWICKI 26 JULY 2000 |
I have traveled before on the Kristina Regina, the flagship of the Finnish-owned Kristina Cruises (Ref 1), last year on the Arctic cruise (Ref 2), the East Scotland Cruise (Ref 3), and this year's Baltic cruise (Ref 4). Needless to say, I have come to like the 40-year, twin funneled, 300-ft vessel. I joined the group in Helsinki and we flew Finnair about 500 miles north to Ivalo, Finland which is just north of the Arctic Circle. We boarded busses for a half-day's trip to Kirkenes, Norway where the Kristina Regina awaited us. At Ivalo, we enjoyed a visit to the neat Saami Museum which is near the center of the Lappland reindeer country. Departing Kirkenes (Ref 5) in the evening just before dinner was quite uneventful as the Kristina Regina is quick to leave port on time with very little fuss. In fact, I don't recall anyone on the dock to even wave to ... such is the start of grand adventure. The first full day was spent heading east and southeast to the White Sea passing Murmansk and the Kola Peninsula on our right. (Late breaking note: We passed not that far from where the ill-fated Russian nuclear submarine Kursk met its end in August 2000. We might even have seen her as we spotted three boomers at the various naval bases just north of Murmansk when we later put into that port.) We again passed the Arctic Circle only this time we were headed south. The next day, we arrived in Archangelsk (Ref 6) which is still an old Russian city in spite of its Khruschev-style 5-story and 9-story (with elevator) apartment buildings. The old wooden houses give it a somewhat somber charm and its outdoor museum with its collection of locally-designed wooden buildings provide just the right introduction to this northern tundra and taiga country (Ref 7). Add to this, the maritime museum's exquisite display of Arctic exploration mementos emphasizes the role this port has played as an early gateway to the northern polar regions. The following day has us early alongside at the largest of the Solovetski Islands (Ref 8) where we encounter the huge and infamous monastery that served as a prison for many decades. The walls are enormous, well-designed as a fortress, but now needing quite a bit of maintenance and rehabilitation. The few monks living there do not have the resources to even start a proper job. Perhaps since the monastery has become a World Heritage Site there will be some allocation of funds to do a bit of rebuilding. In any event, the visit is a most interesting one and portrays another side of the Russian culture. Incidentally, the smaller size of the Kristina Regina allows us to make it up to the pier where a ship even a bit larger could not. Today finds us cruising south along the long sea inlet that reaches Murmansk (Ref 9), the largest northern city on earth. Its population of some 400,000 plus has dwindled by a fourth to a bit more than 300,000 as the primary industry of fishing has been very poor as of late. The view of ship after ship is impressive although many are obviously in need of maintenance if one is to judge by the amount of rust one sees. Also, a large number of abandoned vessels lie along the shore with no apparent effort to salvage or move them. The naval bases which are situated along the Kola inlet still display many vessels to include the large cruisers Peter the Great and Kirov (which reportedly might be mothballed or at least taken out of commission), a pocket carrier and a number of submarines (a few of the extremely large Typhoon class). Three large, brightly-painted nuclear ice-breakers are lined up taking a break until the next ice season. Incidentally, the Kristina Regina needed approval by the Prime Minister of Russia to enter this maritime sea defense/frontier zone that is still off limits to non-Russian shipping. Murmansk has a marvelously large statue, commemorating the military contributions to the motherland, atop a bluff for all the community to see. A tour of the city highlights, to include a visit to the fish processing plant, is interesting and makes for a full day. Shoppers found that the selection might be limited but the Russian prices were right. A full day was needed to head north, crossing the Arctic Circle for a third time, and west to Norway's North Cape, the northernmost part of Europe's mainland. Early the following morning, we tied up in Honningsvag (Ref 10) to tour the rather new facilities at North Cape. The 45-minute bus ride is up and over bare hills of rock, lakes and tundra which is characterized by the absence of trees. A stop to photograph the reindeer that are displayed by Saami herders was most welcome and soon the modern glass and tunnel North Cape Center is approached. Fortunately we were able to get a good look at the sea cliff before the clouds obliterated everything. The balcony that opens out to the sea is extremely safe as walking out on the loose slate along this particular coastline might pose a problem for so many visitors. The center features a prize-winning multimedia presentation of the area that should not be missed. Next day finds us in Tromsoe (Ref 11) a rather prosperous-looking university town. It has a modern museum along the waterfront that gives the visual impression of a row of books that has fallen to one side, but its contents are excellent. The so-called Arctic Cathedral across the bridge from downtown is a visitor's delight. Nearby is a funicular which affords a good photo opportunity to view the city and its waterways. I had to go to the airport to see someone off and found that there is a series of tunnels from the center of town almost to the airport itself. At one point there is a five-way meeting of roads leading to various entrances. Poor weather should not be blamed for missing a flight in this town. Next day it's Svolvaer (Ref 12) in the Lofoten Islands. The Lofotens are a series of picturesque high islands that parallel and protect the Norwegian shore from blustery North Atlantic winds and storms so they have come to be known as the "wall". Their primary industry is cod fishing and drying so the coves are dotted with boats and fish farms. It is a very pleasant drive out to the Viking long house on one of the neighboring islands, many of which are interconnected with a road network. Although the Lofotens are located north of the Arctic Circle, they have the happy honor to have the greatest temperature anomaly on earth, that is, they enjoy the highest temperature for their latitude as compared to anywhere else on earth. There even is a golf course on one of the neighbor islands. Next day, after passing the Arctic Circle for the fourth and last time, we arrive at Bronnoysund (Ref 13) which is a typically neat little coastal town that features a nearby hole in the mountain on Torghatten Island. Unfortunately, it rained and the path up the mountain was a small stream so only the hardy made it to the top. And still the next day finds another port. This time it's up a series of marvelous fjords to Geiranger (Ref 14) where we finally have to tender a few hundred yards to the small quay that serves as a transshipment point for busses which take the passengers up to the snowfields. Of course, we stop to photograph the famous cliff overhang where people can walk out and appear to be conducting some death-defying rock climbing activity. The weather is excellent and the ride up is exciting with hairpin turns and great views. We have some welcome coffee and cake at the lake near the summit and everyone is quite happy with the day's accomplishments. Finally, on the last day we arrived in Bergen (Ref 15) and offloaded early in the morning. I stayed on for another cruise to Scotland and Dublin but, as they say, that is another story (Ref 16). Click here to see additional travel/cruise stories by the author. Click here to email the author. |
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