[megasprut]

Thanks!

[ptmQqoxw]

Actually, I'd say Bergen is a lot better than many outsiders seem to think. But yeah, it is fun to joke about it.

Also, there are a few things about Bergen I won't miss while I'm gone, like the rain, the traffic and the lack of daycare for my little daughter.

[spiveker]

northern lights

Is it so far north the sun doesnt go down?

[Obebtetibre]

On 26 November, Kirkenes will have sunrise at 14:19 (2:19 PM) and sunset at 15:15 (3:15 PM). That's the last we'll see of the sun this year.

It will be back on 16 January 2007 with Sunrise 14:38, sunset at 15:42. From then on it will work its' way back to not going down at all, which will start at around the 17th of May again.

[opelonafqe]

HAH hah

[tofRobbroolve]

Heh... well, for better or worse, I'm off. Come what may...

I'll post again when I can. In the meantime, have a nice life.

[nikolapegayyyaasss]

Good luck to you and your wife.

Take pictures!

(Btw, your wife has no say about where she goes at all? If so, that's like the army.)

I'm with Japher on this one. I have problems dealing with 9 hours of daylight during the winter.

[neonasafluni]

Can't you just work in Sweden or Denmark?

[Stovegeothnon]

On the upside there will be plenty of crabs to eat.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4775155.stm

[Smabeabumjess]

Whew, now if someone asks me if I know anyone living in Kirkenes, I can say yes.

[fabrizioitwloch]

Originally posted by Gangerolf
Kirkenes is east of Istanbul - fact Yup. We should actually be in a different time zone from the rest of Norway. We're not though, since somebody in their wisdom thought that would pretty impractical and I suppose they did have a point.

The next door neighbors on the Russian side of the border are two hours ahead of us though.

[adultcomicssitedessaa]

like a pick your own farm. sweet

[AssinHT]

Why do the Russkis cross the border? Is it just that Kirkenes is the closest real settlement? Or is the Russki side of the border a hellhole compared to Kirkenes?

[jeepgrandch]

Kirkkoniemi

[hereiamguy]

Originally posted by Ari Rahikkala
Kirkkoniemi Finnperialism

[Inconykic]

Life is to short to live some where crappy.

[Enjknsua]

OK, it's time to post some pictures!

As you know, we are pretty close to the Russian border here. So close, in fact, that the nearest part of Russia is just 7 km or less than 5 miles from our house. Even though the cross-border relations are fairly good these days, this is a strategically in militarily sensitive area with a lot of pretty icy history from the days of the Cold War. In the 50's and 60's when the Soviets were conducting nuclear tests on the island of Novaja Zemlja in the east Barent Sea, the people in Kirkenes could see the flashes and feel the ground shake as the bombs detonated. In 1968, during the invasion of Checoslovakia, the Red Army rolled up somewhere around 4 000 tanks along the Norwegian border and kept them sitting there gunning their engines making a huge rumble that could be heard for miles and miles away. This was a warning to NATO: "Stay out of this or you could have trouble a lot closer to home before you know it..." -Or something along those lines...

Norway and Russia still have a border dispute in the Barents Sea as well. Fortunately for us all, everyone seems determined to sort that thing out in a cordial manner.

Anyway, as I was saying, this is a strategically and militarily sensitive area, and as such, we still have a significant military presence on both sides of the border, even though relations are pretty good at the moment. We don't have to drive far out of town in any direction to see signs about military restrictions, no photographing, no entry, etc.

Here is a sign I photographed up by Grense Jacobselv, right up on the border to Russia. The river that can be seen behind the treeline is Grense Jacobselv itself and it is the border between Norway and Russia here, so the hills in the background are very, very Russian...

[blohannaserri]

I think I'm gonna have to either make my pictures smaller or find another way to put them out, or I'll be out of upload space in about 6 or 7 more pictures...

I'll get back to you!

[lidersontop]

OK, folks. I uploaded some pics at a Norwegian site that you all may come and have a look at if you wish.

Here's the link: http://www.eurofoto.no/show_album.php?aid=1217736

Edit: By the way, this is the same album as my family and friends get to see in case you wonder...

[SnareeWer]

Awesome pics Guardian. My sisters husband did his military service in Kirkenes (I think) spying on the russians