Not Kirkenes, Alta and onward

Most of our stops have been just long enough to load cargo but there is usually one port every day when shore excursions are offered. Quite honestly, they aren't usually things I want to see, or if they are, they aren't things I'm willing to spend $100-$200 per person to do. I was quite intrigued by an excursion to the Russian border where you could learn the history of the Nazi occupation and the tunnels dug between Norway and Russia. It includes a visit to Andersgrotta, the town's largest bomb shelter which now showcases a film that portrays the harrowing experiences of seeking refuge within its confines during wartime.

There is also a stop which provides a panoramic view of Kirkenes. Well, forget all that because we're skipping Kirkenes entirely. There's a huge storm headed there with enormous waves - reportedly over 25 feet. That was disappointing for us, but for the passengers who were doing a 7-day cruise, this was their debarkation point. We sailed to Alta where these poor passengers had to board a bus at midnight for the seven-hour ride to the Kirkenes airport.

Alta wasn't one of our scheduled stops but we ended up spending more time there than at all of the other ports put together. Being tired of being aboard ship I was thrilled when, for once, it wasn't pouring down with rain and I could disembark. We took the shuttle bus into town and visited the one tourist attraction, Alta Cathedral. It's a tremendously modern church that reminded me of something out of a sci-fi movie.

It was equally exotic on the inside with a Christ figure that looked like an alien.

On the cylindrical entryway there are twelve gold-plated mosaics of the twelve disciples.

There was what looked like the world series trophy by the alter, but it turned out to be a candelabra. You can see the resemblance though, right?

This was meant to represent Jacob's ladder but I found myself singing "Stairway to Heaven."

The only other attractions in town were three shopping malls. Why a tiny place like this needs three shopping malls I'm not sure. Bruce went off to find the local pub and I perused the goods in the mall. I surprised myself by finding a pair of Rieker boots that actually fit. Bruce & I met for lunch at a Thai restaurant, just for the change from the not-very-good food on the ship.

Honestly, if I eat much more fish I think I'll sprout gills.

A view of Alta from the ship:

The next day our long stop (1.5 hours) was Hammerfest.

No sooner had I reached the end of the gangway than it began to rain. Nope. Cold is okay. Cold and snow or cold and hail, okay. Not cold and rain. I turned around and went right on board. Ditto the next day in Svolvær which was pouring down with rain. As I started to exit I saw the drowned rats returning to the ship. One of them offered me his umbrella. I thanked him but said that I had changed my mind. He retorted, "Discretion is the better part of valor." Hear hear.