We have had some sun every day. In this approach to our last stop in Norway at Kirkenes the blue sky was welcome. The granite mountains here have a good deal of iron in them and the area once had many mines. During WWII the German Army occupied the area and in this period there was a Russian/German fight that made living in Kirkenes hell. In actuality the Allie’s bombed the area often and the entire town was leveled. Today there is a a friendly relationship with Russia because the Russians help to rebuild the town. Russia is 7 kilometers away and citizens cross back and forth for shopping all the time. Kirkenes is famed for the i kilometer long cave carved into the rock which saved many lives during the war. Whole families would go down into the cave. It was cold but it was safe. This image was captured from a film we saw about the war. The black and white images show the burning buildings and the gunners in the tanks. The local guide said that some of the soldiers were as young as 14 years old. Germany was running out of manpower. One of the things I love to do is visit the local grocery store. This one is called Joker and is part of a franchise. Snacks are nearest the cash registers because often the folks who come in by the tourist boats simply want that sort of food. As I went around to see the aisles away from the registers there were lovely surprises bFrozen foods and packages of butchered meat and poultry and fish were displayed. The range of options may not have up to Safeway standards but there was plenty to choose from. My biggest surprise was the presence of lots of Mexican spices in the spice isle, and jars of salsa and packages of tortillas. I wondered why they would have packets of spices for guacamole when they certainly didn’t have avocados. But they certainly do have avocados and they come two to a package for about $3 for the package. I say hurrah for the Mexican entrepreneurs.
daily woodring 