Addendum, Postscript, Wrap-Up, Stuff - Part 3: White Sea Russia and Return to Norway

Still burping from the $1.50 Costco hot dog (including unlimited soft drinks) and gagging from the $150's worth of purchases we made to stock up after being away from home for a home. 

 

Continuing with my odds and ends:

 

 

MURMANSK

 

Really serious looking antenna structure outside of Murmansk

Modern short wave radio antennas in sight of the gigantic monument to the Russian WWII dead in Murmansk

Decaying dry docks and Soviet era apartment blocks in Murmansk

 

I already have said enough about this Soviet era dead shipyard town of 300,000 plus. The cold war took its toll on this town by providing endless apartment blocks for the workers who could not leave this military zone. But there was ample strange short wave antenna arrays to amuses even the most jaded radio amateur. (And you know who.) 

For all it's worth, during the following day at sea after leaving Murmansk we spotted the old Soviet "DEW-Line" Antenna arrays high on a bluff. Nearby is a gulag and all sorts of really secret USSR installations. Look at Google Earth at N67 6 34 E41 12 4. We were off shore, and too far for a good photo, at N67 03 01, E41 31 22.

SOLOVETSKY MONASTERY

Pilgrims arriving at the Solovetsky Monastery

Early morning in the White Sea.

 

This is a photographer's mecca. Perhaps a bad choice of words, but pilgrims arrived throughout our visit. The view early in the morning of the top of the cathedral above the sea fog was one of many great moments of exotic ocean cruising.

ALTA

 

Alta Fjord

6,000 year old petraglyphs near Alta, Norway

I came across a better shot I had taken of the original state of the 6,000 year old petraglyphs near Alta, Norway. The  ochre enhancement on most of the others was for tourists. The high Arctic rock drawings beat any I've seen in the American Southwest. And some showed moose having sex. The Alta fjord sail out was fantastic. That it wasn't raining didn't hurt.

KRISTIANSUND (N)

 

Stave Church wall paintings, Alta Norway

Alta Stave Church panorama

Stave Church guy with ball on his head, Alta Norway

This lovely town in Southern Norway (but not as south as Kristianson, which is usually shown with an "S" in parenths) had the "modern" 13th Century stave church. I wanted to add some pictures to show the stunning paintings on the walls and share my iPhone panorama.