The US-Americans and their Norwegian guide left the following day. Mom and I got ready because Trond offered to show us around Hamningberg. This is an abandoned fishing village at the end of the road along the shores of Varanger Peninsula. It is one of the very few places in all of Finmark that the retreating Germans did not burn down in the latter part of World War II. It was depopulated and abandoned in 1964. Some of the houses, though, are still used as summer houses.
Leaving Kiberg in the early morning, we drove through thick fog towards Vardø. At the junction, where Trond waved me farewell after accompanying me on his bike two years ago, we turned towards the West. The road became more narrow and more and more dramatic. It felt like we had left Earth and were driving through moon-like scenery. The rocky and rugged scenery here and there was dotted with holiday homes that perfectly blended into the black and brown surroundings. We stopped halfway to visit prominent geological formations of steep rising rock in the most beautiful colors that felt out-worldly in this monochrome landscape on a dreary day. Once again, I was in awe and could hardly leave this magical place again.
But Hamningberg was waiting! It got so cold that we layered up and even wore hats and scarves to protect us against the harsh wind when walking through the little abandoned settlement. We got to an overlook where big blue waves were crashing into a massive, fortified dam. We could barely find a firm foothold in the storm but could not stop looking over the sea and imagining all the creatures that are hiding in the deep blue. Some huge whale bones randomly shattered over the coast and seabird diving for little fish hinted that there was a lot of life in the ocean. Soon, it was time to return to Kiberg.
