A week after my visit to this town of 9,500 near Russia's border, snow was finally falling and -- mere steps from where a chef cooked us reindeer steaks and local vegetables -- the annual Snow Hotel's construction was underway.
Warmed by the Gulf Stream that pervades the north, despite being 240 km above the Arctic Circle the temperature was a bit warmer than Toronto two days before I flew home Oct. 26 from Oslo.
Pale wintry morning sunlight highlighted the surrounding grass-and moss-covered rocky hills, plus forests of birch and fir in the river valley.
After a day of touring, cold rain began as our taxi van reached the highway's edge near the Radius Kirkenes resort, prompting me, five Canadian companions and a Norwegian guide to walk quickly.
After crossing a wooden bridge and board path, we passed a small group of domesticated reindeer watching warily while chewing the protein-rich moss near the grassy site of the Snow Hotel due to open Dec. 20.
A replica of a round wooden structure provided refuge, plus a warm, welcoming fire. The building resembled a tepee-like skin tent the native Sami -- once called Laplanders -- use while herding reindeer.
As we warmed beside the stone-lined hearth at the centre of the circular room, chef Tor Erik told me he left the hotel business two months earlier to study Sami cooking, with a few modifications.
"We try to keep the old way of cooking," he said. "We don't do the shortcuts."
Above burning logs, he pivoted flat aluminum foil-covered iron pans, placing the 2.5-cm thick sliced meat to simmer above the coals, then prepared a salad of rucola greens seasoned with parmesan cheese and balsamic vinegar, with a side of garlic-edged crusty white bread.
"We use local herbs and local berries," Erik explained. "We live so close to nature, we are lucky we can use what is around."
The atmosphere -- reminding me of wood slat cottages of my youth -- and twinkling flames of tiny oil lamps on the windowsills, added to the enjoyment.
Assured that all of the reindeer in the adjacent safari park were accounted for, my slight hesitancy about the main course gave way to a Norwegian version on the old saying: "When in Rome ... "
Accompanied by hearth-baked potatoes and vegetables, and served piping hot and medium-cooked, my reindeer steak was the leanest I have ever tasted, not strong like venison, but nonetheless extremely tasty. Local fish and veggie plates were also available. Berry-topped chocolate mousse, plus dark-roast coffee, topped off a lovely meal.
As the glow of twinkling candles in the windows receded, we had a few minutes of exercise, retracing our footsteps to an asphalt path, where a light, chilly drizzle -- and young Norwegians whizzing by on roller-skis -- reminded us the site would soon be transformed into a winter wonderland.
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WINTER WONDERLAND
Located in Sor-Varanger on a branch of the Varanger Fjord, the harbour town of Kirkenes (church headland) dates to 1862 and is made up of about 90% Norwegians and 10% Russians. The municipality was almost entirely rebuilt after German troops torched it before retreating in 1944.
Just 12 km from the Russian border, Kirkenes has numerous winter activities. These include skiing, snowmobile safaris, ice fishing, an outdoor forest spa, dog-sledding, the Northern Lights -- nature's best illumination show -- even a night in the Snow Hotel at Radius Kirkenes ($425 per night with a three-course dinner and breakfast from Dec. 20 to May 1).
A popular port of call for cruise ships, such as those operated by Hurtigruten, the town has good pubs, restaurants, shopping centres and three well-appointed hotels, the Rica Hotel Kirkenes, the Rica Arctic Hotel and the Kirkenes Hotel.
You can learn about the plight of 3,500 residents who took refuge in a tunnel beside the town's open pit iron ore mine before being freed by Soviet troops during the Second World War, visit its entrance, then a bomb shelter in a residential neighbourhood where a well-done documentary film is shown in a small underground theatre.
Since the town is so far north, the midnight sun shines from about May 17 to July 21 and darkness lasts from about Nov. 21 to Jan. 21. Although the coldest record was -41 C one winter, temperatures average -11.5 C in January, 12.5 C in July.
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THINGS TO DO
- Grenselandsmuseet, the Border Country Museum, tells of war and peace along the Norway-Russia border.
- Feb. 6, Sami "National Day."
- March 10-11, Europe's longest sled dog race.
Tours
Kirkenes is the final destination for the Hurtigruten working cruise and cargo ships, which sail the coast north from the southwest coastal city of Bergen.
To arrange a trip locally, contact GLP Worldwide Expedition Travel and Tours, 1211 Denison St, Unit 26, Markham, ON L3R 4B3; phone toll free 1-866-383-1110, 905-489-1938 or 905-489-1939. GLP is an agent for the Hurtigruten Norwegian Coastal Voyage, see coastalvoyage.ca or e-mail requests@hurtigruten.ca.
MORE INFORMATION
Hoybuktmoen, the Kirkenes Airport, has non-stop flights between Oslo, the capital, and the northern coastal city of Tromso. To visit Russia, its consulate here can provide visas.
For information about local sites, attractions, check the Kirkenes Turistinformasjon website, kirkenesinfor.no.
