Kirkenes stands in the far northeastern extremity of Norway, facing the Barents Sea and only ten miles from its border with Russia. This remote town is 25 miles within the Arctic Circle and is further East than both Sweden and Finland. Kirkenes can be reached by the E6 Norwegian coast road or via roads from Finland and Russia. It is also at the end of the regular Hurtigruten ship cruising route along the Norwegian coast. Kirkenes also has its own airport, nine miles to the west. A popular day trip is to the Varangerhalvøya National Park and Vardo, where there’s an old border fort and a solitary tree, which is protectively wrapped up every winter.