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This morning we missed Vadsø, the only harbour where the ship calls only once.
Kirkenes marks the end of the journey north.
Located at the far end of the world in the Boksfjorden, Kirkenes developed through iron mining.
Nowadays, repairing Russian ships is an active business which makes the harbour look a bit like a marine graveyard.
Passengers who chose the South-to-North cruise will disembark here...
while those who opted for North-to-South will come aboard.
There is no passenger or luggage terminal here. All available staff is called upon to help.
Meanwhile on board, passengers gather in the lobby until the doors open.
Some of them will leave Midnatsol, while others (like us) will take an excursion.
Our bus crosses the city of Kirkenes towards the Russian border checkpoint of Storskog.
The Cold War left its mark on our guide and on the population.
This is the main theme of her commentary throughout the tour.
Murmansk, headquarters of the Russian Northern Fleet, is only 200km from here.
Russian nuclear weapons are a sensitive issue, especially since the sinking of Russian submarine Kursk near these shores.
Our guide warned us: unless you really want to get to Russia, crossing the gates is strictly forbidden.
Our next stop is Bjørnevatn.
These huge open-pit mines are a tribute to the last 90 years of mining history.
On our way back, we can see a very odd bus shelter.
One last stop to enjoy a view of Midnatsol with her new passengers aboard.
We drive through the city to the harbour, ready to go aboard for our trip back to Bergen.
The blue sky lets us hope for better weather this time!
We leave the wrecks of Russian fishing boats. The journey south begins.
The Gulf Stream has little influence here. In winter, the fjord often freezes...
requiring icebreakers to preserve access to the harbour.
Like an echo of the Cold War, impressive NATO radars overlook the harbour of Vardø.
As always, docking is fast. The staff on the foredeck and on the dock work precisely and efficiently.
We have enough time to take a walk around the harbour.
Located on the island of Vardøya, Vardø is connected to the mainland by a 3km-long underwater tunnel.
We arrive at Båtsfjord by early evening.
This fishing harbour is Norway's champion in terms of delivered catch.
The hawsers are brought back on-board. Slowly, Midnatsol moves away from the dock.
We are back to Berlevåg, that we left only 24 hours ago.
An opportunity to take a closer look at the breakwater protecting the bay.
A second jetty protects the harbour itself.
Again, there are few people on the dock.
An Hurtigruter emerges already in the distance: MS Polarlys. We had missed her on the way north.
Like MS Nordkapp did yesterday, it is our turn to leave the dock to another ship.
The schedule is busy tonight. We will call in Mehamn, Kjøllefjord, and Honningsvåg.