connections You'll fi nd many Russian infl uences in Kirkenes; even road signs are writ- ten in both Norwegian and Russian.
From almost Russia with love
––– Kirkenes is known as the capital of the Barents Region and is the gateway to the east.
The town is also Hurtigruten’s turning point of our 12-day voyage. You notice that the landscape and sea along the coast of Finnmark become increasingly more dramatic the closer we come to Kirkenes, which is located just a few miles from the Russian border.