Well, we left Honnigsvaag on Tuesday on the "Hurtigruten" boat to Kirkenes. Hurtigruten are expensive and we were disappointed compared with our previous experience of them, but that is another story. Kirkenes is one of two possible starting points for the Iron Curtain route, the other being a tiny village, called Gremse Jakobselv where the Norway/Russia border comes to the sea. We saw Kirkenes (fascinating museum aboout World War 2, which just about obliterated the town; very moving on the suffering involved) and then took a cabin in a local campsite. Next day (Thu 19 June), we cycled to Gremse Jakobselv, since the bus does not run until July. It is tiny, and seems the main population is people from many European nations in campervans. But ....
It is where we started the Iron curtain trail
We did a ceremony of putting our bike wheels in the sea.
After all, what else can you do in the circumstancces, and it is becoming traditional for people cycling between seas (our next one is the Gulf of Finland). I did not mention before that the weather was atrocious, but the strong North wind drove us back, up over the mountains and realised its mistake and changed direction only when we were about half way back. Near the border is a restricted area
and we saw watchtowers over on the Russian side (photography not allowed). Then climbed out of the river valley that contains the border, and over the mountains. The road went past a very old mountain
The sign reads "Norges eldste fjell". The rock formations are fantastic. But also these mountains are much more rounded and eroded than the ones further south.
I am writing this on the next day, when we have cycled from our campsite near Kirkenes to Neiden, the last stopping point in Norway - Finland tomorrow. The distance to and from Gremse Jakobselv was 118 km, or about 74 miles. We never intended to start with such super-exertion and although our milage today was much less, we are wacked!
Tom
Tom did not do justice to the weather in his report above. Yesterday, on the way there the wind was strongly agianst us, up and down over mountains. That wouldn't have been too bad if it just kept to the wind. Those who are young at heart may remember the Raymond Briggs Father Christmas story, and the weather forecast as he prepares to go out on Christmas Eve, "rain, hail, sleet, snow, fog," we had it all except fog. We had to stop for the hail, it was just too painful. It had more or less stopped raining by the time we got to the coast, so had our picnic lunch sheltering on the beach. The weather forecast for us, incidentally had been light cloud and sun.
Katherine
It is where we started the Iron curtain trail
We did a ceremony of putting our bike wheels in the sea.
After all, what else can you do in the circumstancces, and it is becoming traditional for people cycling between seas (our next one is the Gulf of Finland). I did not mention before that the weather was atrocious, but the strong North wind drove us back, up over the mountains and realised its mistake and changed direction only when we were about half way back. Near the border is a restricted area
and we saw watchtowers over on the Russian side (photography not allowed). Then climbed out of the river valley that contains the border, and over the mountains. The road went past a very old mountain
The sign reads "Norges eldste fjell". The rock formations are fantastic. But also these mountains are much more rounded and eroded than the ones further south.
I am writing this on the next day, when we have cycled from our campsite near Kirkenes to Neiden, the last stopping point in Norway - Finland tomorrow. The distance to and from Gremse Jakobselv was 118 km, or about 74 miles. We never intended to start with such super-exertion and although our milage today was much less, we are wacked!
Tom
Tom did not do justice to the weather in his report above. Yesterday, on the way there the wind was strongly agianst us, up and down over mountains. That wouldn't have been too bad if it just kept to the wind. Those who are young at heart may remember the Raymond Briggs Father Christmas story, and the weather forecast as he prepares to go out on Christmas Eve, "rain, hail, sleet, snow, fog," we had it all except fog. We had to stop for the hail, it was just too painful. It had more or less stopped raining by the time we got to the coast, so had our picnic lunch sheltering on the beach. The weather forecast for us, incidentally had been light cloud and sun.
Katherine
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