Bear Island, Norway

Shrouded in Fog and Intrigue 

As the sun fights its way through a shroud of fog, you’ll feel as if you’ve slipped silently into a chilling chapter of an Alistair MacLean thriller.

Look over there. That man on your left, with the pencil-thin mustache, pleated trousers and piercing gaze. Is he who he claims to be? What about that woman who dines alone each night though she radiates a certain classic charm while sipping Veuve Clicquot? Seems a bit curious, don’t you think? And that handsome officer with a chiseled chin and golden locks? Is he who he purports to be, or merely an actor chosen from a cast of thousands during a cattle call in a smoky Hollywood screening room? For that matter… who am I, really? Am I that executive with the international successes I’ve boasted about or is that just a web of lies, a fabrication, a cover-up, a character I’ve concocted to conceal my true identity?             

Mystery surrounds us all like a long dark cloak now that we skirt the shores of Bear Island. 

The Truth Be Told 

With that flight of fantasy behind us, the truth can be told. 

Most of us are who we claim to be and we are truly passing into the realm of travel where few of our fellow men have or will ever have venture. Bear Island is our destination. It seems to hang precariously to the southern tip of Norway’s Svalbard archipelago where the icy waters of the Barents Sea churn. Your navigator will tell you it’s 74 degrees 31 minutes north, and that clearly explains why your armchair traveling friends haven’t been here.

You’ll need your navigator friend to find this remote speck of land as it measures a mere 68.7 square miles. Few others have found it, for only 9 people (unless there’s been some sort of recent snit) live here, sent to man the island’s meteorological outpost. Throngs don’t flock here since the warmest summer months register a bracing 39.9 degrees Fahrenheit and Spitsbergen is 146 miles away by bouncy boat. Plus, the shoreline is ringed with towering cliffs not sandy beaches. 

But Bear Island wasn’t always so lonely. After its discovery in 1596 by Willem Barents, for whom the sea was named, and fellow Dutch explorer Jacob van Heemskerk, adventurers seeking their fortunes in whaling and fishing as well as coal mining arrived by the boatload. So, too, those who hunted seals and walruses, or gathered seabird eggs until that practice was halted in 1971. Their villages remain somewhat intact, even today, including the one at Kvalrossbukta. 

For the record, walruses are the ones that look like they’re clowning around with straws stuck up under the upper lip. But they didn’t used to have fun when they were hunted not only for these impressive ivory tusks but also for their bone and blubber, meat and skin. Scientists believe there are fewer than 250,000 in the wild, counting both the Pacific and Atlantic groups. Though Atlantic walruses are quite big, just know that large males in the Pacific can weigh two tons and their tusks can reach more than three feet in length and weigh 12 pounds. Even so, polar bear and orca do hunt walruses for their dining pleasure. 

More factoids -- many claim the Vikings were here before the Dutch and perhaps that is true though recorded history didn’t begin until 1596. And arctic foxes are sighted here though no polar bears are in residence on a permanent basis. The odd stray does linger longer occasionally. So, too, two delicacies on a polar bear’s menu – the bearded seal and the ringed seal.           

A Flag Flies over Bear Island Today 

Norway’s, in fact, but that wasn’t always so. The English flew their colors then struck them when the packs of walruses played out. Imperial Germany and Imperial Russia came next, shadowing each other and secretly jockeying for position. Each was well aware of the island’s significance and strategic location in the Barents Sea as it was right in the crosshairs of the sea-lanes between Murmansk, White Sea ports and the mighty Atlantic. The Germans launched attacks against the Soviet Union’s warships not far from where you sail today. Some missions were more successful than others while the war raged on in 1942 and 1943. 1944 was when the Soviets attempted to assert their ownership of Bear Island by tossing aside The Svalbard Treaty. These intentions were dashed when the war ended.                      

Back to Words and Songs 

Well, as the day unfolds, curl up with a dog-eared copy of Bear Island with your earphones on. Read MacLean’s words about Bear Island being the “wartime graveyard of the Arctic, where Nazi subs lay in wait.” Or, for a lighter read, there’s always Lewis Carroll’s poem The Walrus and the Carpenter. Then dial in 1967 Beatles tune I Am the Walrus. 

It’s all so… “Goo goo g’joob. Goo goo g’joob. Goo Goo g’joob.” 

Alta, Norway

Go North, Young Man, Far North

Well, you can’t get much further north than Alta and enjoy a somewhat civilized lifestyle. In fact, the locals claim they live in the world’s northernmost city that boasts a population in excess of 10,000 inhabitants. The 2012 estimate put the total number of people at more than 18,000. 

Alta’s found in an area of Norway called Finnmark with its total population of some 72,000. Strikingly beautiful, others might live here as well if it weren’t just a wee bit cold, especially in winter. In fact, Alta is on about the same latitude as Siberia but it is a titch warmer than neighboring Finland and Russia thanks mightily to the blessed Gulf Stream that washes past. 

Evelyn Waugh, that lauded English author of novels, biographies and travel books, said of this part of the world, “The scenery becomes more Arthurian as we get further north … the mountains on the starboard bow like a Doré engraving.” You might just agree if you sidle over to that side of the ship. 

The Sami People of Sápmi 

The 80,000* indigenous people of the far north are called Sami and their traditional homeland of approximately 150,000 square miles, called Sápmi, stretches across the more familiar contemporary borders of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia. These people tend large herds of reindeer, fish and hunt, raise other livestock and many continue to live in traditional settlement areas even today. Of course, Sami are important contributors to modern society, as well. And, yes, it is possible to visit their communities, even see them in their regional garb. Called Gakti, these garments include knitted jackets with frilled skirts, fringed shawls, fur hats, pearl or tin embroidery, and decorative capes with appliqué, beads or ribbons, even scrimshawed antler buttons. They also have their own national anthem and flag bearing the traditional colors of red, yellow, green and blue. For the record, they were formerly known as Laplanders. 

The Hand Of Man 

In the nearby area known as Hjemmeluft there’s a significant collection of prehistoric petroglyphs. Scientist estimate there are thousands of rock carvings of animals and fertility symbols covering more than one mile. Though experts disagree as to their age, they do agree that this area was once an important place for exchanges and trade between the regional hunters and gatherers. Many of these carvings can be viewed at the Alta Museum, named Europe’s Museum of the Year in 1993. Hjemmeluft is also considered to be the largest of the countless World Heritage Sites. Professor Knut Helskog, from the Tromsø Museum, believes these rock carvings scan a period from 4200 B.C. to 200 A.D. Jan Magne Gjerds, from the Tromsø University, believes they are even older, dating back to 5200 B.C. Let’s just agree they’re quite old.  

The Heavy Hand Of War

A dark chapter of World War II was played out across Norway. At one point in the war, Germany established one of its largest naval bases in the city you now visit, Alta. Our story concerns the German ship Tirpitz. Unlike her sister ship, the Bismarck, the Tirpitz saw little action. She was anchored in Alta for approximately two years during which time her mission was to prevent Allied shipments reaching Russia. Several bombing missions and directs hits failed to damage the Tirpitz until Sir Barnes Wallis developed a specific bomb, the 12,000-pound “Tallboy”, that was able to penetrate this vessel’s double layer of armor plate some 12.5 inches thick. At one point, the Tirpitz left Alta. Then, on November 12, 1944, the Tirpitz was bombed with “blockbuster” bombs while in Tromsø and capsized. This chapter of WWII history is told at the Tirpitz Museum at Kåfjord and worthy of a visit. 

But on a cheerier note, Alta is a wonderful city for a stroll. Alta Church, found in the Bossekop area, dates back to 1858 and is noted for its timber interior and neo-Gothic design. You can also visit the city’s other important districts of Elvabakken and Bukta. But you might want to take a break from all this walking about and sample some Norwegian fare like grilled fresh arctic salmon. Fish is a staple in the Norwegian diet and just know they’ll prepare it as you wish – poached, baked, fried, or cured, even in a chowder. The famous bacalao is made with salted and dried fish and prepared a million different ways, depending on whim and Mama’s recipes. Cod is considered the “beef of the sea” and there is plenty to go around. 

And, speaking of going around, all too soon the clock’s hands will indicate it’s time to bid farewell to this delightful city of the north. As night falls, keep an eye out for the Northern Lights that just might give you a proper send-off. 

Alesund, Norway

Emily Dickenson said, “November always seemed to me the Norway of the year.” 

Well, tell that to any sun-drenched citizen of Alesund who savors summer with an embrace greater than any Nordic chill. Though the winters are long and cold and dark, the summers signal an open-door policy where all Norwegians take to the out-of-doors and don’t retreat until long past the time you or I would wish to huddle near a glowing fire. So tip your hat to these fine folks and see just what keeps them here in this little slice of Norway. 

The Western Coastline 

If a crow flies in a straight line north to south along Norway’s western coastal border he’d have to flap along for 1,100 miles border to border. If a cod swam along the same coast skirting the contour of all the coves and inlets, shores and fjords, he’d have to log in some 13,000 miles. So, the moral to this story is it’s better to be a crow than a cod in Norway. 

Remember, too, the North Atlantic Ocean pounds this profile to remind us all that she’s a force to be reckoned with. Therefore, the hearty souls who inhabit this jagged tableau or any of the 50,000 offshore islands, give or take, have tales to tell and challenges to meet when calling the western coastline home. 

Alesund, as you’ll see on any map of Norway, stands with her face to the sea and her back to the Storfjord straddling the islands of Norvoya and Aspoy. And the history of her inhabitants is tied to the sea through oil production and fishing for only 4% of the country’s land is arable and 70% is mountainous, or covered with lakes, or carved up by glaciers. 

Oh, did you know that the average depth of a fjord at the ocean is 600 feet and the average depth far inland is 4,000 feet? Just thought you’d like this little factoid.  

Fire Chars The Face of Alesund 

Visitors to Alesund find it difficult to believe that this tiny fishing port dates back to the 9th century when a lad named Rollo the Ganger set about building a castle just nearby. Not much happened until 1848 when a legal township status was declared for Alesund. Everything went along swimmingly until 1904 when a disastrous fire swept through town with a roaring fury, consuming 850 homes but taking the life of only one soul--the lady who lived next door to the firehouse. Though there was little loss of life, the inferno left 10,000 locals without shelter to wander aimlessly in the ashy remains of this conflagration. They were homeless. 

Thankfully, German emperor Kaiser Wilhelm II underwrote much of the town’s reconstruction. Local architects who’d been schooled abroad thus fans of the Art Nouveau style oversaw the rebuilding. This style was creatively melded with romantic and traditional Norwegian national styles to blossom into an unusual breed of Art Nouveau design. A casual walk along Apotekergata, Lovenvoldgata, Kongensgata, as well as back alleyways, allows visitors to stumble upon whimsical designs, fanciful interpretations of ordinary components, and photo-worthy images. Exhibits at the Jugen Art Center provide even greater insight into this unique look. Alesund has truly risen from the ashes. 

Well, back to the fish and their role in Alesund’s play. Klippfisk, a Norwegian dried cod favorite, was a veritable goldmine for the local fishermen. Over time, however, these salty souls began to turn away from fishing and focus instead on fish processing as well as fish farming no longer relying solely upon Mother Nature for their bounty. No more weeks at sea and lashing waves. They were content to remain home in Norway’s biggest fish-export harbor. There’s a Fishery Museum on Moloveien Street if you’re yearning for more information on this riveting subject. Otherwise, simply stroll down Brosundet Canal and chat up a local. 

Another sight worth mentioning is the Kirkegata, or the Alesund Church. Built in 1909, it’s noted for Enovold Thomt’s fine frescoes and stained glass windows that shine down upon 800 residents when filled to capacity. 

Further Afield 

A quick journey over to the islands of Giske and Godoy tempts many travelers. Sights not to be missed include the 12th century marble church on Giske, known to some as Saga Island and the birthplace of Rollo. The Alnes Lighthouse is found on Godoy Island and is a great vantage point for a shot of the sea. 

Sunnmore Museum is just minutes from the city center and features more than four-dozen old buildings in a natural parklike setting. Yachties and sailors will enjoy viewing the old Fjortoft boats and the Heland, a fishing boat known as the “Shetland Bus” that played an important role during the German occupation of World War II.   

Save Some Energy 

If you’re a shopper, you’ll want to peruse the hand-knit woolen sweaters, the painted wooden boxes, silver and pewter jewelry, embroidered linens, and the traditional dresses known as bunads. If you’re hungry, you’ll want to sample tasty, locally grown strawberries, geitost (a sweet goat cheese), and possibly aquavit, the Norwegian water of life that, ironically, was discovered when a medieval alchemist was attempting to make gold. Well, he failed at the task at hand yet this “failure” was a great success to others. You decide if you agree.

Narvik, Norway

“The Shetland Connection”

It was William Friedkin’s Academy-Award-winning film “The French Connection” that kept us on the edge of our theater seats, eyes riveted to the silver screen, scared out of our ever-lovin’ wits.  This celebrated director could and should apply that same talent to making a film about Scotland’s Sheltand Island connection to Norway during the dark days of World War II.  It’s a chapter in history that should never be forgotten … rich with intrigue, featuring a cast of brave freedom fighters, and all set in a landscape that’s the perfect backdrop for this story.  It’s where you will be today.

Truly, all hell broke lose for the proud people of Narvik in the opening days of April 1940 as the “Norwegian Campaign of World War II” began.  The fierce battle for the Ofotfjord, as well as the surrounding mountains, was underway.  German military tacticians theorized that control over Norway’s rugged coastline would enable their forces to protect vital iron ore shipments from Kiruna, Sweden to Narvik.  Kiruna was the location of one of the largest deposits of high-grade magnetite ore in the world, ore that was nearly 300% richer per ton than that from Alsace-Lorraine.  With the loss of these French deposits via the 1919 Versailles Treaty, the German steel industry was heavily dependent on Swedish iron ore for their production requirements.

Keeping control over Narvik’s ice-free port was critical as it was here the ore was loaded onto ships bound for Germany. The entire stretch of coastal Norway between Oslo and Narvik became a strategic prize for Hitler that would severely disrupt the Allies’ blockade of Germany.  His troops landed in Narvik despite the fact that two German destroyers were sunk in Narvik harbor.  Ultimately Norwegian, British, French and Polish troops brought their might to the fight.  Britain was also interested in the rich iron ore supply and also wanted to open a path for supplies and aid to Finland.  The French were interested in opening another front far from France that Hitler would have to defend.

The Battle of Narvik was considered the first Allied victory over Hitler’s military.  The Germans withdrew and, on May 28th, Allied troops retook the evacuated city. Then on June 8th, German forces retook Narvik and held control over it until the tragic chapter of World War II was ended some five years on, on May 8, 1945.  Before their withdrawal, the German troops obliterated the iron ore facilities.

So, what is it about a Shetland Connection?  With Germany’s occupation of Norway, her people were forced to flee to the West, to safety, to the Scottish Shetland Islands among other places.  They began training with British forces bent on somehow supplying their trapped countrymen with arms and communication equipment.  Tiny fishing boats brought escaping Norwegians to Shetland and returned, again and again, even across the harsh winter seas in the black of night.  Shetland became the base and refuge for the Norwegian resistance.  Back and forth they sailed to Norway with radio sets, ammunition, trained fighters, and weapons.  They returned with even more refugees.  To this day the people of both nations remember this emotional connection and share a destiny that was thrust upon them by the heavy hand of war.

The City Itself

Narvik is a mere 215 miles from the Arctic Circle so the summer days go long into the midnight-sunsplashed night, and winter is a stretch of endless darkness.  Her 19,000 residents are engaged not only in the busy activities associated with an active port, but also with tourism and technology.  Visitors come from Sweden, only 30 miles away, as well as the world over to fish, ski in the winter, visit the offshore islands, and hop aboard the 7-minute cable car ride to Fagernesfjellet Mountain for stunning views of the area. Of course many come to remember the events of WWII at the war cemeteries, the Chapel of Peace, and the War Memorial Museum.

Some travelers arrive in Narvik on the Ofoten Railway.  Other visitors to the city enjoy just a short trip on this same train simply for the scenery.  The one-hour journey across the 26-mile stretch to Sweden is easy compared to this same trek between the Swedish Lapland iron mines to Narvik undertaken first by reindeer, then horses.  Thankfully, in 1902 this nod to engineering magic was officially opened.  It’s claimed that this railroad was the most brutal to build due to the rugged terrain and freezing arctic weather.  That seems all forgotten by those traveling from Narvik to Riksgränsen for a day on the ski slopes.

What shouldn’t be forgotten is the time you sail.  Whether you’re a history buff, nature nut, medal-winning shopper, or simply a find-what-you-find wanderer, there’s plenty to fill your day in Narvik.

Korsakov, Russia

A brief visit to Korsakov will only make you wish you’d re-read your Anton Chekhov. You might recall that this Russian born author and playwright (not to mention physician) wrote about Sakhalin after his 1890 stay in what was then a Czarist penal colony. You’ll hear much about his time here as you explore this remote outpost that’s about the same size as Maine. In fact, you can visit the Chekhov Museum, which guides tout as the world’s only such institute built to celebrate just one book.

The Sakhalin Islands

This off-the-beaten-track Russian port is found at the southern end of the Sakhalin Oblast on the edge of Anniva Bay. (As a point of clarification, “oblast” means “region” and this one is linked with the Kuril Islands to form the aforementioned Sakhalin Oblast.) In fact, Korsakov is so far off the beaten track that this island marks the far eastern end of Russia.

The distance between St. Petersburg, Russia and Korsakov is 4,161 miles. From Korsakov to Anchorage? About 1,966 miles. Seattle is only 3,398 miles away and Japan is a mere 25 miles away, across La Perouse Strait.

Well, you certainly will get the picture about the isolation of this place as you wander about. Perhaps it’s why the Russians used it as a penal colony—the out-of-sight, out-of-mind concept. After all, there was plenty of space for prisoners because Sakhalin, at 596 miles long, is Russia’s largest island.

The early prisoners sent here were considered quite hardened and were sentenced to forced labor. They lived along with their families in harsh conditions as described in the works of V.M. Doroshevich and Anton Chekhov.

For the record, the port was named after a Mikhail Korsakov who had been Governor General of Eastern Siberia. Today’s population hovers around the 30,000 mark, plus or minus.

Political Tug of War

But the Russians weren’t the only ones to view this place as an ideal dumping ground for undesirables, and an important bit of real estate. Japan, which had previously shared control over the territory with Russia, took back the island in its entirety after the Russian Revolution. That lasted until 1924. In 1945, the Soviet Union once again controlled the island’s southern half and set about repatriating all the Japanese from Sakhalin and the Kurils.

By the way, before the Russians handed over the town in 1905 in the back-and-forth tug-of-war between Japan and Russia, they burnt many wooden structure to the ground. That’s why, today, much of the city’s architecture is post-conflagration … paved roads, power poles, bricks-and-mortar. Unfortunately, the Japanese also burned down the old town before turning control back over to the Russians following the end of WWII. In the flames were memorials, a Shinto shrine, and other important landmarks. Most of the Japanese were repatriated along with many of the Koreans who’d been brought by the Russians as slave laborers, though some of their descendants still reside in the area.

Remembering Chekhov

For those who’ve forgotten, Anton Pavlovich Chekhov was born in 1860 and became one of history’s most celebrated authors, especially of short stories. He won the Pushkin Prize in 1887 for At Dusk (V Sumerkakh), a collection of short stories.

Meanwhile, he feared he’d been stricken with tuberculosis, a disease that took his brother’s life not long after Chekhov’s diagnosis. Perhaps this is what drove him to endure a miserable journey from Moscow to the Russian Far East and to Sakhalin Island. While there, the author passed months with convicts and others who’d suffered under the Russian penal system. They’d endured beatings and depravation all within the presence of their young children who were forced to live under the same labor-camp conditions. Their stories, and more, were woven into several of his works including “Ostrov Sakhalin” that found its way to the public eye in 1893 and 1894. While cold and stale in its reporting, the book expresses his position that even prisoners were worthy of humane conditions and treatment. In his more expressive work, “The Murder”, Chekhov vents his feelings about what he considered the “Hell of Sakhalin.” All is then revealed in his exposé “The Island of Sakhalin.”

Well, on a lighter note, there’s always great food. Since this island is 85% covered with taiga forest, there’s usually plenty of tasty game and yummy berries on offer. The surrounding seas are among the country’s richest fishing grounds along with the 60,000 rivers and creeks that lace through the countryside. Salmon and seafood reign supreme. Add some glorious black caviar and some balalaika music and you have a proper meal waiting for you. Don’t forget the blinis with some luscious homemade blackberry jam on top.

Belfast, Northern Ireland

Blame it on the French

Well, why not?  They’re taking it on the chin for a lot of other things these days—some deserved, some not.  But if a pack of French Protestants fleeing persecution in their own country hadn’t landed in Belfast, Ireland might be a happy, unified little Catholic country today.  Instead, most people’s impression of Belfast is dominated by “the Troubles” and a few noisy spokespeople blaming each other for everything.  What you’ll really discover in this delightful city and this glorious country is that most of its cheerful and welcoming citizenry wishes the two sides would just stop talking and try to simply get along.

Pubs

If you’re wondering what these citizens have to be so cheery about, start with some of the world’s great pubs.  And maybe finish with them, too.  At lunchtime or dinnertime, Belfast’s pubs will overflow with people tucking in for a casual ploughman’s meal, a pint, and some noisy socializing.  If you find yourself sucked in to the swirl of it all try some of the local dishes like sausages and champ (onion mashed potatoes).  If you can’t take your Guinness straight have a “black and tan”.  And if you find a local who’ll stand you a round consider yourself accepted.

The Golden Mile between Donegal Square and Queen’s College has plenty of establishments to choose from.  North of Donegal Square, in a series of narrow alleys called the Entries you’ll find many of the city’s older pubs—as much museums as anything.

Culture

But if it’s real museums you’re after, The Ulster is the one you want.  It’s near the University and the Botanic Gardens, which are also worth a visit.  Donegal Square itself boasts a number of tourist-worthy stops, starting with City Hall at its center.  Marble inside and as much civic pomp as one could hope for outside, Belfast City Hall like so many monuments in this city has survived several IRA bombings.  To the west of the square is the Grand Opera House—a monument to Victoriana and another victim of multiple bombings though splendidly restored.

Heading north from Donegal Square, you’ll stumble upon Belfast’s tribute to Pisa—the Albert Memorial Clock tower in Queen’s Square—a leaning tower to rival Italy’s best.  When you get to the River Lagan you’ll be able to spot two of Belfast’s more famous landmarks in the distance, Samson and Goliath.  They’re the giant cranes that dominate the skyline above the Harland & Wolfe Shipyard.  One of the two cranes is over 300 feet high and the pair straddles a 1500-foot dock.

The shipyard has been in operation since 1833 and in its heyday employed 60,000 workers.  The Harland & Wolff yard has one of the biggest dry docks in the world and can handle ships up to 200,000 tons.  The yard’s most notable client?  White Star Lines for whom they built Olympic, Britannic, and Titanic.  When Titanic went down, the entire engineering staffs from both Harland & Wolff and White Star were lost.

Out and About

For those in search of some excitement further afield, a drive out to Giant’s Causeway will put you in touch with one of the World Heritage Sites.  Sixty million years ago (didn’t everything happen about then?) lava from an undersea fissure crystallized into huge hexagonal columns.  According to local legend, Finn McCool, the giant in question, used these as steppingstones to a distant island where lived a female giant he was particularly enamored with.  What’s nice about this site is that you can actually clamber around on some of these 40,000 fascinating formations as opposed to just looking at them from a bus.

A bit further along is Derry (or Londonderry if you’re British or a Loyalist), which features one of the best-preserved walled towns in Northern Europe.  A walk around the city wall is another interactive adventure for the less sedentary among us.  Derry is also where the Troubles began in 1968 and as much of that sad history occurred in Derry as in Belfast.

The Troubles

There’s really no getting away from it.  Citizens’ desires to “just get along” notwithstanding, the violence of the last 37 years is a fascinating part of Belfast’s history and its mark is indelible—from the political murals still on display in the working class neighborhoods along Falls and Shankill Roads, to the heavily fortified police barracks, to the armored Range Rovers cruising the streets and the helicopters sweeping the skies.  Despite the recent easing of tensions you can’t escape the sense of being in what some consider was recently a formidable police state.  But far from putting a damper on your visit it’s this very history that makes Belfast such a unique destination.