Moving to Kirkenes

[Guardian]

Well, ladies and gentlemen, this is it!
I'm on my last leg around here and I'm ready to move out as soon as my work's done for the day.

My wife just finished medical school this spring and now she has to take her residency, meaning that for the next year and a half, she has to go wherever the state sends her and work under the supervision of more experienced doctors. Lucky us! We're going to Kirkenes, way up north on the Russian border and we'll be there for the next year or so. I'll start driving up there after work today.

The drive that I have ahead of me is about 2 600 km, or about 1 615 or so US miles.

In comparison, the closest American equivalent I found during a 5 minute mess-around at MapQuest.com was Detroit, Michigan to Santa Fe, New Mexico. MapQuest tells me that is 1 585 miles, so I'm actually going a little further than that.

Well, my car is packed and ready to go, so now I just need to get done working. After today, I'm on vacation until the 21st of August, then I start working from home in Kirkenes (I actually get to keep my job, since virtually everything I do here can be done from anywhere). Latitude-wise, living in Kirkenes is like living way up north in Alaska. If all goes according to plan I'll be there Saturday some time. I probably won't be on the net much for the next week or so, but I promise to come back online and tell you more once we start to get settled in up there.

Who knows, maybe I'll even learn some Russian.

[Winston]

Ooh, say hello to Vegard Ulvang then!

And good luck being on top of the world.

[Guardian]

Thanks!

[Gangerolf]

are you insane?

oh wait, you're leaving Bergen

it's all good then

[Guardian]

Actually, I'd say Bergen is a lot better than many outsiders seem to think. But yeah, it is fun to joke about it.

Also, there are a few things about Bergen I won't miss while I'm gone, like the rain, the traffic and the lack of daycare for my little daughter.

[Gangerolf]

yeah Bergen is actually quite nice. it has... character.

I'm sure Kirkenes will be nice too. But what do I know, I've never even been to Northern Norway.

some friends of mine have a cabin in Pasvikdalen south of Kirkenes. crazy... Finland a few km to the west, Russia a few km to the east, bears and finnmarkinger all over the place

[Snotty]

northern lights

Is it so far north the sun doesnt go down?

[Guardian]

Yes, in mid-summer it is.

On the 17th of May, the sun came up at 03:28 (AM) and it didn't go down until the 27th of July at 02:36 (AM).

Now it's down from about 01:30 to about 04:30 (AM).

The bad news is that we'll have a couple of months with no sun at all this winter...

[Guardian]

On 26 November, Kirkenes will have sunrise at 14:19 (2:19 PM) and sunset at 15:15 (3:15 PM). That's the last we'll see of the sun this year.

It will be back on 16 January 2007 with Sunrise 14:38, sunset at 15:42. From then on it will work its' way back to not going down at all, which will start at around the 17th of May again.

[Urban Ranger]

Have fun

[chequita guevara]

HAH hah

[Japher]

On 26 November, Kirkenes will have sunrise at 14:19 (2:19 PM) and sunset at 15:15 (3:15 PM). That's the last we'll see of the sun this year.

I don't envy you.

[Guardian]

Heh... well, for better or worse, I'm off. Come what may...

I'll post again when I can. In the meantime, have a nice life.

[Winston]

So long, Guardian. You have a much better attitude about this than Lancer.

[DanS]

Good luck to you and your wife.

Take pictures!

(Btw, your wife has no say about where she goes at all? If so, that's like the army.)

I'm with Japher on this one. I have problems dealing with 9 hours of daylight during the winter.