What a beautiful view. Looking out of the dinning room window as I hade breakfast at Hotel Inari. There was the mirror like surface of the arm of the lake and river which we were beside. The reeds growing along the banks stood out in sharp contrast in the early morning light. It had a special quality about it and a sort of sharpness to the colour. A clarity which you do not get later in the day.
The hotel's breakfast spread was varied and here, besides salted herrings they also had slices of smoked salmon (lox) with dill spread across it. It did taste very nice and even the herrings were nice enough to fit into a typical Kiwi's breakfast on tour. (Oh? Am I a typical kiwi?). Three types of sausage slices to choose from, and the usual vegetables and scrambled egg and hot sausages and boiled eggs and cereal and a ver. nice fresh raspberries and black current mixture to put on the corn flakes. And lots more with about six bread and roll choices. But only peculated coffee as is the rule in Finland. If only they could make decent espresso.
I had to be downstairs ready for the bread van to pick me up between 9:30 and 10:30 am. At 10:40 am I started asking where it was and after a phone call I was told that the bread was late arriving. Could be any time they said. I pointed out that I had a bust to catch in Kirkenes at 3pm. That created some panic. Then the van announced that not only was it not going to Kirkenes but it would not even go to the boarder. So after discussion and with the old lady who was the van driver now here a phone call was made to the town she would end her run at to find out the price of a taxi the rest of the way.
Well they could do the taxi for 120 euro. That was twice the price I had been told the trip would coast me over the emails. However I didn't have much choice unless I gave the Russian trip a miss.
So off we set with the determined driver staring straight ahead and doing the maximum speed allowed. Her Mercedes could of course go much faster. We just made one delivery of newspapers on the way, around 90kms. From the back came the smell of fresh bread, most it smelt like fresh rye bread.
Just a few kms from the start and we had to slow down and follow a male reindeer along the road until he decided to move out of our way. Very interesting. Later there was another one eating beside the road, then a group of four your deer crossing the road in front of us and later a whole herd grazing in the open land where rocks were covered with lichen. Every time there was any sign of deer all cars slowed down. I thought that perhaps it was out of consideration for the deer, but then I thought, more likely the know the cost of panel beating and don't trust the deer to keep out of the car's way.
Once again we travelled past may lakes or perhaps many views of the same lake. Where there were minor depressions in the rocks there would be melt water ponds and small lakes. There were some houses around some and even a camping ground or two as well. The vegetation started as low conifers – say 2-3 metres tall, but gradually gave way to be mostly silver birch of a similar height. Also in places similar trees but with dark grey bark. I was impressed at the stillness of the water in all the lakes. It was mirror like.
Later at and across the boarder there were areas of low scattered trees with lots of lichen and mosses. In some places were patches of snow nestled in to the protection of rocky over hangs.
Well, the little old lady proved to be a very determined driver and we made good time along the 88km to the general store by the lakeside at her route end. I didn't have much time to take this in for the taxi was waiting as we pulled in beside it at the store frontage. I was hustled out and before I was standing the driver had my bag out of the boot and into the taxi. I collected my back pack and computer. Then I was off with another lady driver in her modern and flash Volvo car. This one could speak a little English and so we did manage some limited conversations along the way. I did feel that the rush of pulling in tot he store and rapidly transferring to the next car, was a little bit like the old Western Pony Express riders who would gallop into the depot, grab the waiting fresh horse and transfer the mail before riding out again at a gallop.
On the second leg of the trip, I had the chance to look down to the famous Neidenfj River which is famous for its salmon fishing. Sure enough I spotted numbers of dark figures standing on the bank and even a small boat or two out in the middle.
Up ahead I could see the clouds gathering and just as we crossed the boarder into Norway it started to rain. I kid you not. Right at the boarder. Of course everybody outside of Norway will tell you that it always rains in Norway. The rain continued right into Kirkenes.
We wound around the sides of a fjord and while the day was damp, the view was still appealing in a different sort of way.
Then we wound around the valley or fjord side which would take us into Kirkenes. The driver wasn't very sure of where to go once we got into downtown Kirkenes – not that is is very large at all. I got her to drive around a corner and there was the hotel I will stay at on my return from Murmansk. Now I knew from looking at maps that the hotel was facing the travel agent's street and sure enough there was Dr Wesselgate. So I paid her the fare and made my along the street to number 9 where the offices of Pasvikturist are located.
I was able to meet the staff I have been dealing with and collect my original vouchers for bus and hotel. While I was there I was able to book tours for the weekend, charge my phone and beginning typing the blog. I also had time for lunch before heading off for the mini bus.
It took me a few moments in the car park to locate the bus but it was the only 18 seater there with Russian sign writing on it. The driver just looked at me a pointed to my name of his passenger list. He took my bag and indicated I could get in. I showed him a request in Russian which the office had given me to be dropped of at a big hotel in Murmansk. I was not staying there, my hotel was more down market and just along the road. However this is a hotel that he would be quite familiar with. That worked well.
There were about 5 or 6 women on board and during the trip we picked up another male. The women had arrived ahead of me and grabbed the best seats so I ended up in the back row. Not the best choice as for the first half of the Russian side trip the mini bus bounced around like a rodeo horse. Fortunately, after the tea and toilet stop the road was much smoother.
We got to the border in about 15 minutes and had to first go through a Norwegian custom check, then back into the bus for a 100 metre drive to the Russian customs post. We had to go in with our main bags and I had to fill in an entry details form. When my turn to be checked came up my passport was gone over with a fine tooth comb. Every page seemed to be examined with a magnifier. I wonder what else he was doing and it was to rewrite my entry form into Russian. Not a smile on his face the whole time.
To get the bus into the customs area we had to be checked by a female guard. There were also soldiers standing around. When we had all been checked and the bus moved forward into the pick up position, we still had to drive up to another female guard who checked the drivers passengers allowed in receipt. So that was three guard point barriers to be passed. Then along the road at various stages we had to stop at other check points. Two were just show the receipt but the third involved the guard collecting our passports and stamped entry slips and checking them carefully.
The landscape at this first stage of the Russian side was very much a Tundra sort with few low trees or bushes and mostly lichens and mosses. And of course lots of lakes and some small bog area. There was snow remnants here as well. Once we got closer to Murmansk the low tree vegetation returned so I guess it also had something to do with altitude as much as climate.
We passed a couple of large buildings and some old decaying smaller buildings and sheds. On a tall tower a single guard gazed down at us an I am sure he had a rifle. In the distance were the tall smoking chimneys of an industrial plant. In time we actually passed this quite closely. There were a number of apartment buildings, for, I assume the workers. The ground around the area was barren and seemed to have been scrapped. This sense of scrapping carried on for several kilometers. To what extent the plant had caused this I don't know but it was easy to assume pollution and industrial waste.
A few kms along the road and we passed a larger township. There were dozens of old style Soviet workers apartment buildings in just as unattractive landscape. Closer to the road were decaying sheds and perhaps industrial buildings. On the whole it looked like a very unpleasant place to live in. I suppose in the years past, workers didn't have a lot of choice about where they lived and worked.
There were a couple at least, memorials which seemed to have a military significance.
We pulled into a car park beside the highway for a break. The toilet was at one end of the car park, complete with its lady in charge at the cash window. She took all my handful of coins, which could have been a bit more than needed. Afterwards I noticed that men were tending just to cross the road and go behind a pile of earth.
The bus was parked beside the Cafe. Coffee cost 50 rubbles and was a small cup and weak. But it was something hot and welcome as the trip was four hours long.
Beside the car park was a row of tiny joined up round top huts. I minded me of the old workers huts and soldiers huts we had in NZ during and just after WW2. The ones here looked in good Condition on and freshly pained to I assumed they were being used.
Carrying on along the road we suddenly came over the top of a small rise and there ahead was Murmansk spread out in the dull light along the fjord or inlet. My view on things was influenced by the tinted windows which did make everything mush duller than it really was.
In a few moments we were over the bridge and passing rows of somewhat ugly lock up little garages and some very unattractive larger buildings decomposing against a hill side. There were also scores of apartment buildings all around.
In almost no time we were at my drop off point and the bus was rushing away. After few moments to get my bearings I walked along in the right direction to find the hotel.
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