Visit Where Norway Meets Russia

Kirkines Norway

The vistas became more dramatic as we approached Kirkenes, the end of the northbound cruise. We arrived early in nearby Vadsø and just after breakfast, we arrived in Kirkenes. At 30° East, Kirkenes is further east than St. Petersburg and Istanbul.

The only town in Norway where East meets West, Kirkenes was the turning point of our Hurtigruten voyage. You can see the Russian influence characterized by street signs in both languages, and you can often hear Russian being spoken.

Andersgrotta 

Our first stop was Andersgrotta, the town’s bomb shelter during World War II. Here, we were shown a film about town's civilians and their experiences during the war and walked through the shelter.

Russian Border

From here, we drove to the Norwegian-Russian border at Storskog. Crossing the Pasvik River, we saw the Russian settlement of Boris Gleb. The vegetation here is characterized by the
Siberian taiga. We passed through the Pasvikdalen Valley, which is known to have Norway’s largest population of brown bears.

The border crossing at Storskog defines the limits of the Schengen area and  is one of the most guarded borders in Europe. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to cross the border, but were allowed to take photos. Back in Kirkenes we made a stop at the Prestfjellet Mountain, which overlooks both the town and our waiting Hurtigruten ship.

Additional photos can be found on our Norway Shutterfly page

Kirkines - Andersgrotta
Russian Border




Click on the image to the right for more Blog posts about this trip.

Follow Us On

Sign-up for Exclusive Email Offers

Where have you explored? 

Gather your travel and food pics and join us Wednesday night for the latest installment of #FoodTravelChat 

Northern Lights Double Header

Conditions Right

Now We Wait

As we continued our journey, day 6, north along coastal Norway on Hurtigruten MS Vesterålen, the sky was crystal clear and the temperatures were cold - perfect conditions for Northern Lights to appear in our path.

We learned the night before that you need to be ready, because the Northern Lights will appear all of a sudden and if you don't want to miss a minute of the action, time is of the essence.

After dinner we'd retired to the lounge for some coffee, tea, and conversation. Our camera was mounted on the tripod and warm clothes were laid out on the bed. Once the crew would make an announcement, we could run back to our cabin, get dressed and go.

It turns out we didn't have to wait long - the Northern Lights appeared over our ship around 7:15 PM and for the next two hours they danced their way across the northern skies.   We setup our tripod pointing one direction and all of a sudden someone would gasp and there would be another display somewhere else in the sky.

click images to enlarge  (Click Here for  Albums)

Shows Over - Now for Some Sleep

It had been a long exciting day and now that the Northern Lights show was coming to a close, we headed back to the cabin to settle in for the night.   We did keep our camera gear and clothes ready, just in case.

Inside the cabin there is a switch that you can control whether or not you want to get Northern Lights announcements.   The speaker is on the wall plate, above the table which is between the two fold down beds.  We opted to turn it on to allow announcements.

About 1 AM on day 7, the music played and the announcement followed that northern lights had been sighted.   I didn't budge but my husband, first debated about going, and then decided that this was a once in a lifetime opportunity which couldn't be missed.

He was rewarded by another dazzling dance show in the night sky. This time the show lasted for about 30 minutes.

What Causes Northern Lights

The Northern Lights are actually the result of collisions between gaseous particles in the Earth's atmosphere with charged particles released from the sun's atmosphere. Variations in color are due to the type of gas particles that are colliding. The most common aurora color, a pale yellowish-green, is produced by oxygen molecules located about 60 miles above the earth. Rare, all-red auroras are produced by high-altitude oxygen, at heights of up to 200 miles. Nitrogen produces blue or purplish-red aurora.

TIP: How to Photograph Northern Lights

Additional photos can be found on our Norway Shutterfly page

Northern Lights 3/1 8:15 PM
Northern Lights 3/2 1AM
Northern Lights 02/29



Click on the image to the right for more Blog posts about this trip.

Follow Us On

Sign-up for Exclusive Email Offers

Where have you explored? 

Gather your travel and food pics and join us Wednesday night for the latest installment of #FoodTravelChat 

Flag Day 2017

U.S. Flag Flying Over

American Cemetery 

Normandy, France

June 14th is Flag Day. President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed June 14, 1916, to be a national celebration of the American flag, and the 1949 Congress declared June 14 to be national Flag Day every year. This day commemorates the day the Second Continental Congress authorized the United States of America to adopt a flag to represent the new nation.

We've traveled all over the world and there is nothing better than seeing an American flag while overseas.   This particular image was captured in Normandy, France.   However, we were no longer in France, but on American soil.

 On June 8, 1944, the U.S. First Army established the temporary cemetery, the first American cemetery on European soil in World War II. After the war, the present-day cemetery was established a short distance to the east of the original site.

Like all other overseas American cemeteries in France for World War I and II, France has granted the United States a special, perpetual concession to the land occupied by the cemetery, free of any charge or any tax. This cemetery is managed by the American Battle Monuments Commission, a small independent agency of the U.S. federal government, under Congressional acts that provide yearly financial support for maintaining them, with most military and civil personnel employed abroad. The U.S. flag flies over these granted soils.

God Bless the USA this Flag Day

"God Bless The USA" - Lee Greenwood

 If tomorrow all the things were gone I'd worked for all my life
And I had to start again with just my children and my wife
I'd thank my lucky stars to be livin' here today
'Cause the flag still stands for freedom and they can't take that away

And I'm proud to be an American where at least I know I'm free
And I won't forget the men who died, who gave that right to me
And I'd gladly stand up next to you and defend her still today
'Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land
God bless the USA

Follow Us On

       

Sign-up for Exclusive Email Offers

Donald Duck's Ocean Connection

Donald Takes to the High Seas

We are still celebrating National Oceans Month, so on this Donald Duck day we thought it would be fitting to find a connection between Donald and the seas.

While on Disney Dream a few years ago we captured images of some of the Disney art work that adorns the vessel.   Here is one of our favorite images of Donald Duck.  He's sliding down Disney Dream's Aqua Duck - but wait, he should be on a raft.  Oh no!!

If you've not been on a Disney ship before, and you love Disney art, you should put a Disney cruise on your bucket list.   It's like walking into a museum of Disney characters.  If you are so inclined, you can even purchase a piece of Disney to bring back home with you.


Donald Duck's Debut

Donald first appeared to us in a 1934 film called The Wise Little Hen, a retelling of the original little red hen story. Throughout Donald is repeatedly asked to help plant the corn, and harvest the corn, each time finding him claiming some form of ailment that prevents him from participating.

If you’ve seen this episode or read The Little Red Hen. Unlike that parable, The Wise Little Hen took a more direct approach to showing her displeasure. She told Donald she’d cure him of his ailment so he could eat the corn… and gave him castor oil.

While that was his first appearance, the angry rage filled Donald we came to know and love didn’t really show up until Orphan’s Benefit, and it was also then that his relationship with Mickey was formed. Since then he has gone on to appear in video games, episodes of cartoons, and stands out as the Disney character who has appeared in the most films to date, outstripping even Disney Mascot Mickey Mouse. Apparently, there’s something about a rage-filled duck we just can’t get enough of.

June 8 is World Oceans Day

Learn more about the Marine Conservation Institute and the GLORES project.

NOAA Ocean Today video: 

'Celebrate World Ocean Day -- June 8'

 

Join NOAA as we celebrate and learn about our world ocean throughout National Ocean Month.  

 

Know Your Ocean   True or False?     Earth has five separate oceans   Ocean is blue because of the sky   Sea floor is flat   Saltwater is water & table salt    Watch Video for Answers
 

June is "National Oceans Month" - Know your ocean!


Together we can make a huge difference for the ocean. 
Join me in celebrating #WorldOceansDay this June 8th

We all love the ocean. It takes care of us - by providing food, medicine, oxygen and fresh air, transportation, communication… not to mention fun, recreation, and inspiration! The ocean links people all over the world together, and we couldn’t survive without it.

This World Oceans Day, give back to the ocean by promising to do at least one thing in your life to help keep it healthy. A healthy ocean means healthy humans, dolphins, corals, turtles, fish, and other wildlife for the future. So, pick a promise and post a selfie on social media to share how you’re doing your part for our ocean.

We also encourage you to check out the following website for events in your area, post your own pictures, and tag #WorldOceansDay and/or link to http://worldoceansday.org) and retweet others.

Follow Us On

       

Sign-up for Exclusive Email Offers