Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Day 6: Land of the Midnight Sun

We left Kirkenes today.  It’s definitely the land of the midnight sun, since it NEVER got dark—not even dusky.  We boarded the M S Nordlys around noon.  It’s really great because even though the ship holds lots of passengers, it’s not that crowded. 



We were able to upgrade our cabin, which is sweet!


The day was glorious and sunny with some beautiful scenery along the way. 



Since the ship a mail, cargo, ferry, and cruise ship all rolled up into one, we stop in quite a few small towns.  This afternoon we stopped in Vardø.  It’s a fishing village with an old fort and military radar installation (the round structures). 



According to some passengers and Wikipedia, its official purpose is the tracking of space junk, but due to its proximity to Russia and an alleged connection between the radar system and U.S. anti-missile systems, the site has been the basis for heated controversy in diplomatic and intelligence circles.  There were also awesome murals on the sides of buildings.


As we sailed out of Vardø, there were tons of Common Guillemots.  Very cool!




1 comment:

  1. The champagne and fruit is a very important upgrade!!!

    ReplyDelete