Kirkenes is just 11 km from the Russian border, and at 30 deg 2′ longitude, east of pretty much all of Western Europe. (East of Finland and Istanbul.)
Many of the street names are in Norwegian and Russian.
It developed rapidly in the early 20th Century after iron ore was discovered nearby. But suffered badly during WW2. Germany occupied Norway and had around 100,000 troops stationed nearby as part of their Russian offensive. Russia in return bombed the German positions, followed by a German ‘scorched earth’ policy when they pulled out in 1944. The town was totally destroyed. So nothing is here from pre-war.
They have a large ship repairing operation (the big blue checked shed) – a ship here in dry dock, and on the skyline, infrastructure from the iron ore processing and shipment out. The mine closed in 2015, but apparently is due to reopen next year.
When my itinerary was being planned, I was persuaded that a crab fishing trip would be a good way to fill in an afternoon. As it turned out, a few hours trussed up in a warm ‘flotation’ suit in the drizzle wasn’t so bad. Out in a RIB again, though colder this time so with the full regalia including padded boots and balaclavas.
A bit of sightseeing – Old German torpedo post dug into the cliff, guarding the entrance to the harbour.
Then our guide pulled up a couple of crab pots. In the first, all but one had to be thrown back (female or too small).
Then off to a rustic cabin – an opensided cookhouse where the crab claws were steamed, then into the old boat shed where tables were set with white tablecloths and napkins and we ate the cooked crab still in our boating gear. All a bit surreal
In retrospect I’d probably have preferred a tour to the Russian border. Our guide reckons we should come back in winter. Maybe then?
So then I went for a walk. A strong memory will be dodging puddles: in this environment with frequent freeze-thaw, it’s hard to keep roads and paths maintained. And in the housing streets, often there are no kerbs/gutters. Many car parks and open spaces are gravel rather than paved.
But you could have a good time on Saturday night:
This mural on the wall of the school – I reckon would put the young ones off rather than entice them in! A bit hard to see the sad expression in the pic – but you can take your teddy!
travellingkathy 
All of your Norwegian places look very different when they are not under snow! You can compare with my pictures when you get back. The Flam waterfall was frozen, but the train did run!
Many years ago, September 1974, John and i took the car to Norway and i remember we walked one way between Flam and the main line and took the train back. Not many cruise ships were around then. I can also recall asking the tourist office in Alesund about local orienteering events but they had no idea what it was!
If you are thinking about going back in winter, let me know. When we were driving up through Finland to Kirkenes we kept passing signs to Murmansk, and it was obvious at a store near the border that Russians were the main customers.
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kathy, loving your blogs. you write interestingly with a bit of emotion seeping through- quite masterful!
i see you and I are now ranked in W M MTBO W70 as equal 2 nd. am hoping you can climb back to #1.
keep travelling well and blogging.
peta
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