BarentsObserver in Kirkenes and the Norwegian General Consulate in Murmansk have tested the speed of old fashion postal service.
Not all communication goes via e-mail. For one or another reason it might be that you want to send a traditional letter, like people have done for centuries. A romantic hand-written letter, for instance, might still be something that sounds more charming than a hasty e-mail note or Facebook message.
Sending a 20 gram letter the 220 kilometers between Murmansk and Kirkenes shouldn’t be a big challenge you think? No, as long as you have plenty of time. We did a test.
Former Consul General Øyvind Nordsletten posted us a letter in Murmansk on April 29. A month later, on May 28 we got it in our postbox in Kirkenes. Which possible route the letter had taken, was not imprinted on the envelope. For sure, it couldn’t have been the easiest direct way, with the daily bus service across the border that takes less than four hours.
Our receptionist, Knut Pettersen, sent the same letter in return the very same day, on May 28. Guess when it arrived back? Yes, nearly a month later. The mailman in Murmansk delivered it to the Consulate General on June 21.
For the future; you might want to choose e-mail.
