Sunday 18 April 2004 - OSLO-KIRKENES

Please proceed to the Braathens Airlines check-in counter at OSLO (Gardermoen) Airport at least one hour prior to flight departure time.

For your information:  Oslo (Gardermoen) Airport is situated approximately 45 km from the city centre.  There is a regular bus service to Gardermoen Airport from the city centre with a travelling time of 50 minutes and costing NOK 80.  Alternatively, a high speed airport train service operates every 15 minutes directly from central station, taking approximately 20 minutes and costing NOK 130.

Depart OSLO on Braathens Airlines Flight BU 473 at 9.00 a.m. Arrive KIRKENES at 11.05 p.m. Note: changed flight times.    On arrival you will be met at the airport and transferred to your hotel. Remainder of day at leisure.

Kirkenes has 5,000 inhabitants and is the centre of Sørvaranger municipality.  The town lies only 10km from the Pasvik river on the Russian border and is the only town in Norway where East meets West.  In fact, for many centuries Russia and Norway vied for control of this area. The harbour lies near the mouth of the Pasvikelva River, far into the fjord, thus shutting out the Gulf Stream.  Ice often has to be broken up during the winter months.  The whole town is characterised by its iron ore mines but there are also saw mills supplied by the solid coniferous forests in Pasvikdalen.  There is also a ship yard for the fishing fleet – Russian ships in particular.

Overnight: RICA ARCTIC HOTEL, Kongensgt 1-3, 9900 KIRKENES. Tel: +47 78 99 29 29, Fax: +47 78 99 11 59

The Rica Arctic Hotel is located in the heart of Kirkenes in Sør-Varanger, the border between east and west, near to the borders of Russia and Finland. The coniferous forest is the outer edge of the Siberian Taiga, the world's largest forest, which stretches from the Bering Strait to Pasvikdalen in Kirkenes.

Breakfast. You will be collected from your hotel this morning to commence a two hour sightseeing tour of Kirkenes and the Russian Border.

The history of the Norwegian border with Russia is full of drama, as befits its strategic importance.  You drive by bus through Kirkenes, before crossing the Pasvik river marking the border, catching a glimpse of a Russian Orthodox chapel in Boris Gleb, brought back into use in the summer of 1992.

At the conclusion of your tour you will be transferred to the Hurtigruten Terminal in Kirkenes for embarkation for your NORWEGIAN COASTAL VOYAGE.

Monday 19 April to Saturday 24 April 2004

On board M/s Midnatsol from Kirkenes to Bergen for CHT-04 Symposium.

Saturday 17 April 2004 - OSLO-TROMSØ Please proceed to the Scandinavian Airlines check-in counter at OSLO (Gardermoen) Airport at least one hour prior to flight departure time.

For your information:  Oslo (Gardermoen) Airport is situated approximately 45 km from the city centre.  There is a regular bus service to Gardermoen Airport from the city centre with a travelling time of 50 minutes and costing NOK 80.  Alternatively, a high speed airport train service operates every 15 minutes directly from central station, taking approximately 20 minutes and costing NOK 130.

Depart OSLO on Scandinavian Airlines Flight SK 376 at 11.45 a.m. Arrive TROMSØ at 1.30 p.m. On arrival you will be met at the airport and transferred to your hotel. Remainder of day at leisure.

Tromsø, where the bridge across to the mainland was completed in 1960, is proud of its participation in space research.  It is also proud to have the northernmost university in the world and for having the largest number of restaurants, cafes, nightclubs, discos etc. in Norway in relation to its population.  The Arctic Museum, located at Tollbodrygga, a building dating from 1830 and under preservation, shows exhibits from hunting and exploratory research.  The various displays in the North Norwegian Art Museum bear witness to how artists are moved by life along the coast.  Hakon Hakonsson was inspired enough to erect a church at the Island of Tromsya in 1252, and you'll be inspired too by the characteristic wooden houses and shops selling local wares in the city where the sun never sets from 21 May to 23 July.

Here in winter you may catch a glimpse of the Aurora Borealis (Northern lights) whilst in summer on cloudless nights the Midnight Sun displays her glory. Take a stroll down to the little fishing quay and enjoy the view across the sound to the unique architectural design of the Arctic Cathedral. Tromso's characteristic wooden houses built in the mid 19th century may remind you of bygone days when continental influences gave this town the name 'Paris of the North'.

Dinner and overnight: COMFORT HOME HOTEL WITH, Sjogata 35-37, TROMSØ. Tel: +47 77 68 70 00, Fax: +47 77 68 96 16

Opened in 1989 your hotel is a first class hotel with a difference.  It is centrally located by the waterfront in Tromsø dock district, with a lot of attractions within walking distance. Being something of a maritime museum as well, the hotel itself tells the story of the Troms Country Steamship Company in its heyday around the turn of the century.

Sunday 18 April 2004 - TROMSØ

This morning you will enjoy a City Sightseeing tour of Tromsø.  During your tour around the city you will see the Arctic Cathedral which was inspired by North Norwegian nature, culture and faith.  Built in 1965 its architecture resembles ice and snow and has one of Europe's largest glass mosaic glows in the back wall. 

Continue on to the Tromsø Museum. The University Museum's aim is to represent culture and nature in Northern Norway and among its attractions are exhibits on the Sami culture, North Norwegian archaeology, church art and recent cultural history, as well as geology and zoology in Northern Norway. The four minute cable car ride to Mt Storsteinen 420 metres above sea level is an experience not to be missed.  The panoramic site with restaurant and outdoor café and the Northern Lights Planetarium, where you will view an exciting presentation and film, are a must for all visitors.  (Duration 3.5 hours)  Remainder of day at leisure.

Dinner and overnight at COMFORT HOME HOTEL WITH

Monday 19 April 2004 - TROMSØ-KIRKENES

After breakfast you will be transferred to Tromsø Airport in good time for your flight to Kirkenes.

Depart TROMSØ on Widerøe Airlines Flight WF 692 at 10.40 a.m. Arrive KIRKENES at 11.50 a.m.

Kirkenes has 5,000 inhabitants and is the centre of Sørvaranger municipality.  The town lies only 10km from the Pasvik river on the Russian border and is the only town in Norway where East meets West.  In fact, for many centuries Russia and Norway vied for control of this area. The harbour lies near the mouth of the Pasvikelva River, far into the fjord, thus shutting out the Gulf Stream.  Ice often has to be broken up during the winter months.  The whole town is characterised by its iron ore mines but there are also saw mills supplied by the solid coniferous forests in Pasvikdalen.  There is also a ship yard for the fishing fleet – Russian ships in particular.

You will be met at the airport and  transferred to the Hurtigruten Terminal in Kirkenes for embarkation on your NORWEGIAN COASTAL VOYAGE.

Monday 19 April to Saturday 24 April

On board M/s Midnatsol' from Kirkenes to Bergen for CHT-04 Symposium.