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Published: January 4th 2011
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Continuing on from the previous blog.
Every evening we took a walk to the north side of Kiruna in the hope of seeing the Northern lights and one night we got to see this clearly and we couldn’t believe our eyes. They were really strong green and really close to us, and also this time we could see red dancing along with the green. We headed right into the forest so that the city lights weren’t disturbing to take pictures. We think that we were really lucky to see this phenomena with own eyes – it was cold, clear night with many stars. Also this was the time when we got to see true husky’s, a breeder was taking four for a walk where we were sitting in the snow and got to learn quite a lot of these dogs. A common sight in Lapland is the husky but not pure as it is common to have mixed breeding with greyhounds to make them quicker for racing but for us these types of dogs don’t really fit the proper scene of life in the arctic.
New Years Eve was a special day for us, not just that we were
in Arctic Circle but also we spent this sunny and cold day on snowmobiles. To get our own snowmobile and go through the amazing Swedish Lapland’s landscape was a truly amazing experience. If you are lucky enough it is possible to see winter wildlife, for example reindeers, mosses etc. To drive a snowmobile on the frozen lake is much more than fun, we went on four but didn’t realise until it was over.. Also to escape in the forest and drive on downs and ups is a challenge doesn’t drive in the deep snow. In same places the snow is almost 1 meter deep and our advice is to keep on the path because it can take time to get out of the snow! One couple had a little trouble in the deeper snow and headed right into a building! We had a great lunch in a hut which was literally in the middle of nowhere. In the hut you have an open fire and you can cook the food. It sounds a little challenging but it was an adventure. Well we really enjoyed our time and it was a freedom feeling. Awesome!!!
We did finish our trip with
a tour to Sami countryside north of Kiruna. Actually we were interested in Semi culture and it was a great possibility to meet someone from this tribe when we were in the place. An funny old guy and his family are living in the countryside, and in winter time he takes care of many reindeer in one location (when he can look after tourists) but in summer time he is moving several hundred reindeer to the mountains where they spend the summer without electricity and seems to be completely at peace with himself. He told about his life and culture which was amazing and the amount of rules or superstitions they have is amazing, he knew all of them but only discussed several funny ones. Listening to his tales makes you think about what is really important in life. Also he invited us for some wonderful reindeer soap, showed how to ride a reindeer in a slide which we got to race around a track and we got to feed the reindeers. It was really nice to spend a little time with him and get in and under the culture of Lapland. It would be easy to spend few weeks
with this guy, he has a great attitude to life!
Ok to give you an idea of how cold it can get well.. When we did the dogsleding the other day it go so cold that the metal around Christopher's eye froze (a metal place with a few screws into the bone). When this happened it shrunk and the screws in the bone moved causing a black eye and looking quite funny for a couple of days.
So our time has come to an end from Lapland and it is a winter destination for sure. The activities and sights that you can see this time of year truly outweigh the summer things unless you really like mosquitoes although hiking of course would be great that time of year.
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Jo Trouble
Jo McCarthy
Love reading blogs on this area - it's definitely on the 'to-do' list. Great you got to see the Northern Lights, and nice photos :-)