Jewel of the Seas — Norway; Sailing Away from Colorful Honningsvåg

Colorful buildings are not the only sights around Honningsvåg. This close to Russia — Murmansk is only 218 miles/351 kilometers to the southeast — makes this entire region a vital radar outpost for NATO, including early warning for the United States and Canada. Not since the Cold War has this need been as evident as it is today, with an indicted war criminal of questionable mental stability repeatedly making nuclear threats as he strives to reconstitute the old boundaries of the former U.S.S.R. Last week I showed you one such radar site near Nordkapphallen, and today I’ll show you the one located directly across the harbor from Honningsvåg:

And remember that avalanche protection above Honningsvåg?

Well, there was another set of even more impressive avalanche guards as we left the harbor and turned initially southeast. This set of guards protecting the road connecting Honningsvåg with nearby Nordvågen:

In this wide-angle shot you can clearly make out both sets of avalanche guards:

Finally, three last images of this beautiful area at the south end of Magerøya Island:

Fun Photo Friday will finish this look at Honningsvåg, and next week we’ll take a look at Ålesund.

Слава Україні! (Slava Ukraini!)