Our Sarah Palin Moment

Hi All,

Today we docked at Kirkines, very close to the Russian border. A tour bus took us to the border crossing where Russians pass freely to shop in Norway and the road signs are in both Norwegian and Russian. The border used to be open for Norwegians to shop in Russia. However, when the Norwegian government realized that the only thing people bought in Russia was cheap vodka, the border was closed.

For those who do not understand the subject of today's post, recall that when VP candidate Sarah Palin was asked about her foreign policy qualifications, she said that she could see Russia from Alaska!

 Iron ore has been mined in the area since 1906. Near the mine we spotted a bus stop shelter made from a used ore scoop. The town was bombed heavily during WWII and 2,500 residents hid in caves for three months until liberated by the Russian army.

Love
Sandy & Carl

Photographed and sent from Carl's iPhone

Welcome to Russia- 120 miles to Murmansk

Road Signs in Cyrillic

Russian car visiting Norway

Monument to the people who hid in the mines during the war

Ore Scoop Bus Stop Shelter

Monument Honoring Russian Soldiers who liberated Kirkines

Overlooking Kirkines