The Final Chapter - Kirkenes, Tromso, Train to Stockholm

Kirkenes, Tromso, Train to Stockholm

Wednesday, November 22, 2017

Kirkenes          Sunrise                                    Sunset                         Length of Day

                        9:34 am                                   11:57 am                     2 hours 23 minutes

                       

The time had come for us to disembark the Hurtigruten Ferry to Kirkenes. It had been such a wonderful week spent aboard the ship. Except for the occasional rockiness in the sea, we had loved every moment. But now it was time to begin another new adventure, the last segment of our trip before flying home on December 1.

We are in Kirkenes on terra firma again. It is cold, beautifully snowy and dark by 2 pm. The trees look like something out of a storybook. The branches and twigs are coated with a thick coat of snow that has been frozen into place by a layer of icy crystals. I recall when learning about ‘Eskimoes’ in school, that there were many different words to describe snow in the far north. Today, I understand why that is necessary. We could not come up with a word or even a description that adequately describes the beauty that we are seeing here. In the soft and short sunlight, the whole world sparkles. In the dark of the very long night, the illumination of street lights makes the snow glow almost a pale yellow. It is stunning.

After checking into our hotel, we drove 15 km to the Russian border today. A land crossing just like going from Canada into the USA. Except you need a visa. And a vehicle. No footcrossing allowed.

Many refugees have crossed this border from Russia into Norway on bicycles. As you would expect at any border, there were signs warning of a restricted area and arrows and barriers that determined where you could go. It looked pretty ordinary. There was a small café on the Norwegian side of the border offering hot drinks and souvenirs. We chose not to go in but head back to Kirkenes instead.

The road we were driving on was in excellent condition with, thankfully, very little traffic. It was centre bare to snowpacked with icy patches in places. I had never imagined that my first winter driving experience of the season would be outside a small town in Arctic Norway. You never know where we might find ourselves. There was a brand new bridge crossing a fjord and a lengthy tunnel through a mountain that had just been opened this year. Decorative lights on the bridge glowed blue in the dusk as we crossed it on our way back to town.

Next, we stopped in at the Borderlands Museum in Kirkenes which has excellent displays and explanations (in English) of the fascinating history of this area. Up until sometime during the 1800’s this area was collectively controlled by Norway, Finland and Russia with no precise border markings at all. As time and history evolved, it seemed important to more clearly define a border and so it was set and border security was put in place. By the time WWII began, Kirkenes was a significant military location and was taken over by the German army. In order to prevent the Germans from moving across the border into Russia, this area was a hotbed of activity. Did you know that during WWII Kirkenes was the second most bombed community in the war? Mostly by the Russian army to destroy the German military installations there. Only 40 of 400 buildings were standing in any way at the end of the war. Who knew? (Malta was the most bombed location.)

More current activity at this border relates to refugees fleeing from Syria. Although it is a very long land route, travelling through Russia means that refugees do not have to risk their lives crossing the Mediterranean in unsafe and unsavory boats. So they slowly make their way all the way north to the Murmansk/Kirkenes border crossing. There is a catch when they get here though. Russia does not permit border crossings on foot and Norway does not allow anyone to provide rides across the border to people without documentation. To address this issue, a bicycle industry has developed and refugees are able to purchase inexpensive and poorly built bicycles at a town just 15 kilometres from the border. They travel the final 15 kilometres on these bicycles and safely cross into Norway. The bikes are then seized by the Norwegian authorities and sent to a landfill site because the bicycles do not meet Norwegian safety standards for bicycles. As of January 2016, 5500 people had cycled across this border.

Norwegians who live near Kirkenes do not need a visa to cross the border. Interestingly, many of these folks cross this border to buy petrol and alcohol. Sound familiar? Also, on a weekly basis during the summer months, there is a Russian market held in Kirkenes where Russian vendors sell their handicrafts, mainly to tourists. Even now in winter, there are many Russian artifacts on store shelves here.

By the time we finished looking around the museum it was completely dark outside. And it was only 2 pm. Our plan to tour the town of Kirkenes took on a comedic quality as we tried to find the places we were interested in without being able to see street signs or non-illuminated signs on buildings. There was also a culture of driving here that we could not figure out. There are no stop signs or traffic signals at any intersection and cars just seemed to drive straight through with no regard for who might have the right of way. We felt fortunate that Kirkenes is a small town with very little traffic. But, I am sure that word spread quickly that there were a couple of tourists driving a car who did not know how to approach intersections, so beware. At one point, I drove into a place that looked like a parking lot except, once in the space, I realized that the cars were all parked around the perimeter beyond a row of trees. Hmmm …. I think, when we go back around there tomorrow, we will discover that it is actually a park or, at minimum, a pedestrian area. A kind-hearted man who spoke very little English approached our car and tried to direct us out of the area. Communication was a challenge and he finally just shook his head and walked away. Jim and I simply started to laugh. It was a scene out of a sit-com. I drove back onto a legitimate street and we went on our way.

We had eaten breakfast on the ship but had not taken any time for lunch. At 4 pm, we decided it was time to eat again and so looked for a restaurant that appealed to us. We found one that served King Crab soup but it did not open until later for dinner. So, we went to the old standard … Shanghai Restaurant for some Chinese food. We had a delicious meal there; the menu and the flavours were very similar to what we might get at home.

Our server was a delightful young man (not quite 40) who had only recently moved to Kirkenes in search of an adventure. He was excited about the Arctic winter and how people functioned for weeks in total darkness. He had originally come from Latvia. He had come to pick strawberries in Norway for eight summers, one month each year. He learned some of the language and also noted that the standard of living here was much better than in Latvia. He describes Latvia as stuck in the post-Communist era without making appropriate and critical changes to advance with the times. Because Latvia is a part of the EU, he was able to migrate to Norway and find employment here. He has taught school; he has worked as a computer programmer; and now, he is a server in a restaurant – by choice, he followed a former employer to the north to work with him as he established a restaurant and hotel here in Kirkenes. Our server speaks five languages – Latvian, English, German, Russian and Norwegian. As always, we are humbled by the linguistic abilities of many Europeans.

After our meal, we returned to our hotel and settled in for the long, winter’s evening. The dark is an interesting companion. We lost track of the flow of the day. We were tired very early in the evening and even had a short nap. It will be interesting to see how that impacts how we sleep tonight. We need to be sure to make good use of the daylight hours tomorrow so we can actually explore the town. Up early, out the door … dark by 2 pm. Read tomorrow’s entry to see how we do.

Thursday, November 23, 2017

Kirkenes           Sunrise                        Sunset                         Length of Day

                        9:43 am                       11:48 am                     2 hours 5 minutes

We started out the morning with great intentions. Our plan was to drive 40 kilometres to the Finland border and have lunch in Finland. We would travel on a major European Union Highway (E6) and easily pass into Finland because there is no immigration process between EU countries. We knew there was a small town just past the border and that it had a restaurant. We also knew there would be enough daylight for us to complete the round trip before dark fell. So we headed out of town.

To start with, there was steady traffic on the road. The posted speed limits are 50, 60 or 70 kilometres an hour and they are fairly strictly observed. That makes for easy driving on major roads. Roundabouts are common here and a few kilometres east of the city, five vehicles travelling behind us all made a right turn at a roundabout. That gave us full rein on the road. No one ahead and no one behind. That lasted for quite a long time. The road became somewhat more winding and then began to climb into the mountains that loomed ahead. And the centre bare pavement turned to solid ice in many places, especially when going around an exposed bend in the road with guard rails along the side protecting us from going over the cliff into the fjord below. That was when I began to get nervous. I tested the brakes a few times to be sure they were solid and we knew the tires had studs as all Norwegian cars do. We travelled for several more kilometres and all was well except that I was becoming increasingly uneasy about being out in what felt like the middle of nowhere with no resources to get help if we needed it. It was then we discovered there was no phone signal out there and we could see very heavy grey clouds ahead. There was still traffic going in both directions on the road but they had clearly driven on this route before. Some overtook us on the straight stretches; some waited patiently until I could find a place to pull over and let them go by. Several transport trucks and one pick-up truck pulling a motor home were our companions. But, in the end, about 25 kilometres into the journey, I chickened out. I pulled into a driveway and turned around. It was not the thought of completing the journey that spooked me. It was the thought of having to drive the whole distance in the opposite direction to get back to Kirkenes. So we went back to the beginning, having not completed the goal. I was disappointed but knew in my heart I had made the right decision. Jim was fine with it either way.

Now, I know that many of you believe I am an invincible driver, that I can handle any road in any weather any time. And I am actually a bit proud of that reputation. Some of you also think I am crazy and take risks that no one else takes. I do not think that is true. And today proves it. And some of you are simply breathing a sigh of relief and wondering why we ever set out to go on such wintry roads in the first place. In the end, we were back in Kirkenes long before dark descended and had some daylight time to explore this community.

We had a map of the town on which there were several points of view on the hills high above the water and the town. We were not finished with the hills quite yet. We easily made it both up and down on the snowy surfaces. I must say I was surprised at the angle of the incline on some of the streets we travelled on. I have always thought that regions that experience heavy snow and ice in winter would, of necessity, install shallower inclines in the interest of safety. But today I learned that that assumption was not always true. Perhaps having studs on the tires changes the driving conditions sufficiently to be able to increase the slope of the road. It felt a bit precarious to me, especially when we were going down the hills and making sharp turns. But the brakes on the car never gave us cause for concern and the studs held us firm. We did not even slip once. And the lookouts were worth the trip to the top every time.

We were curious about a new building that we could see on a crossroad we had passed by. So we went exploring and discovered it to be a business park similar to some our new business centres at home. As we went further up the road, we found a new housing development under construction. Some of the homes were occupied; some were enclosed with the interiors being finished and some were simply foundations awaiting attention. Nearby was a very large combination daycare centre and school. Lights were on; cars were in the parking lot. Clearly it was open for business. I had a small urge to go in and introduce myself, hoping for a tour and a chat, but I decided against that and we carried on. The other interesting component of this community was the community trail that was being developed for pedestrians, bicycles and skiers (cross country skiing is a popular means of transportation here). It was wide and smooth and actually had a large bridge built across the major roadway to eliminate the need for walkers etc. to cross the path of traffic. And the course of the trail went right past the school.

Next, we went into the centre of town for a cup of coffee at the Centro Kaffe. (Have you ever noticed how some words are similar no matter what language they are in?) It was nice to have a break from the car and to have something warm to drink. The outside temperature at noon today was -18C. Pretty chilly, even for a Canadian!!

There were two other tourists in the café and they had just arrived from Trompso where we are headed tomorrow. We were able to share some information about Kirkenes and, in turn, they shared some ideas about Trompso. It was good to chat with them.

Dark was approaching as we left the café (1:15 ish) so we went directly to see two monuments that are significant in Kirkenes history. The first is a monument of gratitude to the Russian forces in WWII for holding the Germans at bay during the war and ultimately reclaiming Kirkenes for Norway. It stands proudly on top of a hill and it fully illuminated so it can be seen at all times. The second monument is also war related. It is a statue of a mother and child and dedicated to all mothers who were impacted by the war in any way. This statue sits in the town square and is visible to most people who pass through this town. As with other places throughout Europe, WWII had a huge impact on this town and it is important to the townspeople that it be remembered.

We also took a look at the Russian Embassy located here and the proud Lutheran Church that stands high on a hill near the fjord. We found the airport which will be our destination tomorrow morning along with the drop off location for our Hertz vehicle. It is good to be prepared. We also took a drive to the port where we had arrived and found another Hurtigruten ferry just about ready to leave for the journey south to Bergen.

The Hurtigruten ferry company has a significant economic impact in Kirkenes and all the other communities along the west coast of Norway where it pulls into port. First of all, it is a carrier of supplies and materials so the most remote communities depend on the ferries to bring goods to their towns and villages. Secondly, the Hurtigruten ferries transport people in and out of communities. For example, on the ferry we travelled on, Sunday night was a very busy night because people who had gone home or away for the weekend were on the ferry to get to the place they needed to be to work or study on Monday morning. So the ferry effectively serves as a marine bus service. What travels north must return south so there is a ferry every day in each direction.

But, as well, the Hurtigruten ferry line has also attracted a very large and loyal tourist business. A ferry leaves each day from Bergen and travels for seven days to Kirkenes. Each ferry has the capacity to transport 800 passengers and during the summer tourist season almost every ship runs at capacity. The ferry stops in one or more communities each day and the passengers leave the ship to tour the town or partake of an excursion operated by a local company. That brings a lot of tourist dollars into each town. Although the ridership diminishes during the winter season, there were still about 400 passengers on the ferry we took. Communities are being encouraged to develop winter activities for the passengers which will further encourage more travellers to come to Norway. Dogsledding, reindeer sleigh rides, bus excursions, city tours, winter hikes, whale watching, and king crab fishing are all examples of opportunities that are already available to winter tourists.

We also learned that the Hurtigruten company offers ship excursions in other parts of the world, for us most notably Antarctica. We would certainly be willing to travel with Hurtigruten again. It was a great experience for us.

Now back to Kirkenes … By the end of our tour of the town, dark had fallen and with the dark comes more cold. Brrrr. We returned to our hotel about 1:30 pm and settled in. Blog, photos, crocheting, reading and, of course, a nap were all part of our afternoon. We had some food in our room that became our lunch but we will venture out again for dinner.

This lengthy darkness would take some time to adjust to. We are finding it very disorienting. But we will not be here long enough to find out how to handle it more effectively. Tomorrow morning, we fly south to Tromso, a lovely Norwegian town, and the first leg of our journey toward home. We have only one week left before we arrive back in Waterloo.

Friday, November 24, 2017

Kirkenes           Sunrise                        Tromso             Sunset                         Length of Day

                        9:53 am                                               12:26 pm                     2 hours 33 minutes

We have had a gentle day today. A delicious and plentiful breakfast at the Thon Hotel in Kirkenes was a wonderful way to end our experience in that fascinating town. The brilliant white that we had experienced over the past two days had dulled to a grey/white today. The sky was shrouded in dark clouds and clearly snow was on the way. Indeed, by the time we loaded luggage into the car and began our drive to the airport, snow was falling and swirling in the wind. It was -18C and with the wind it felt much colder.

We were concerned that our car might not start in such cold and open air. Most cars are plugged in each night, especially vehicles parked in the out of doors. But we need not have worried – the car started on the first push of the button. As soon as we drove out of town, we were grateful that we had enjoyed our drives in the countryside and in the town yesterday. The weather was unpleasant and the swirling snow made visibility much more difficult. With but one wrong turn, we made it to the airport without incident and settled in to await our flight to Tromso (pronounced Troomsa).

Once at the gate, we saw a plane outside that looked like one that might be used to fly between remote villages in the Canadian Arctic. It was propeller driven and very small. Hmmm … It was not our plane but when our plane did arrive, it was an only slightly larger version of the first one. Cloud cover was low, wind was blowing hard and we were getting into a metal machine with only two propellers to keep us in the air. At best, we expected a bumpy flight. At worst … well, let’s not go there. We boarded and buckled and settled in for the hour and a half journey. And, we were very impressed. A couple of jiggles on the way up and soon we were sailing smoothly along well above the clouds. We were able to see sunrise from the east facing windows and pink and orange striations in the west as that very same sun prepared to set. It was a remarkable sight. As we approached Tromso, the cloud cover gave way to a flock of cumulous clouds that looked like sheep needing to be shorn. Very pretty indeed. And below these clouds was a rugged mountain range, peaks covered in snow. Running parallel to the mountains were several fjords, some wide, some narrow, some long, some short. There were ships travelling in one of them and we wondered if that had been the course of our ship just a few days ago. We also saw two large frozen lakes high in the mountains. It was all very beautiful.

Our plane gently descended and we could clearly see farmland all along the coasts. One surprising crop from this area is strawberries. The variety that is grown is harvested in August and exported all through Europe as strawberry season in other places has ended by then. Thanks to the Gulf Stream.

We landed in Tromso at about 2 pm, picked up our rental car and drove the short distance into town. (Interestingly, Tromso is the third largest city in the world north of the Arctic Circle, population 72,000. The other two cities are in Russia.) It was already getting dark and there was much more traffic on the streets in Tromso than there had been in Kirkenes. And, clearly, I had not figured out the rules of the road. This time we were driving a much larger car in more congested areas. Yikes … I better figure out how to determine who gets the right of way. Even in the main part of town, there were very few traffic signals or signs and most cross streets did not have any stop or yield signs at the intersections.

We made our way to the port area and decided to stop for a bite to eat. Breakfast had been many hours earlier. We went into a pub only to find that pubs serve beverages but not food. Hmmm … so we wandered the street a bit and finally saw O’Learly’s Bar and Restaurant. It was not Norwegian but it was a source of food. And best of all, their burgers were all 20% off if you ordered before 5 pm. A beer and a burger sure hit the spot!

The manager of O’Leary’s was decidedly not Norwegian. We asked him where he was from and he was a Canadian, from Vancouver. A voice from home. He has lived here for 10 years and has no interest in returning to Canada. He got married in the summer to a Norwegian woman and is happy as a clam in Tromso. He was also a great source of information about this community. Stores are closed on Sunday. Stores close at 5 pm on Friday. And always yield the right of way to the car approaching from the right … no matter what!! That was helpful information. I had heard that before in Kirkenes but really could not believe that was how it worked. In fact, every vehicle slows down at every intersection to be sure that the correct car gets the right of way. The only thing that trumps the ‘right’ rule are pedestrians. They always have the right of way, whether at an intersection, a crosswalk or anywhere else. And they stroll onto the roadway without even a glance for traffic. This is going to take some getting used to. We are here until Monday and then no more driving in Norway! Oh, by the way, the burgers and fries were delicious!!

And now we are at our hotel, the Smart Hotel. It is a chain of hotels that offer compact but well equipped rooms with excellent internet. Simple and functional. Double bed, hot shower. Clean. A sumptuous breakfast is included. All for $170.00 per night. In Norway, this is a bargain!

Off to do some crocheting, look for English TV and curl up under a blanket to stay warm.

G’night.

Saturday, November 25, 2017

Tromso             Sunrise                        Sunset                         Length of Day

                        10:45 am                     12:16 pm                     1 hour 30 minutes

Today has been a more active day for us than yesterday. At least, we stayed out longer in the day and were not scared inside by the early darkness. That said, we were still back in our room shortly after 6 pm, having already had dinner.

The day started with yet another substantial breakfast provided by the Smart Hotel we are staying in. Later today, we will laugh at ourselves for not being nearly as smart as the hotel. Our room comes with a double bed but it was clearly made for a single user and there was only a single-bed-sized doona set out. Fortunately the room was pleasantly warm and we managed to share this small doona last night without much difficulty. When we asked today about getting a larger one or a second one, the hotel desk clerk politely suggested that we should check in the storage drawer that is built into the base of the bed. We would find another one there. We did … and it was there … and we will use it tonight. Score one for the hotel … they are smarter than we are.

OK … so back to breakfast. We ate well and set out for the day. Our goal today was to maximize the use of the daylight hours and see what we could see during that time as well as doing some shopping in preparation of going home in a few days. We walked down the hill to the business district and stopped to admire the cathedral that sits in the middle of the square. Sadly, the cathedral is currently closed to all traffic due to major construction work that is taking place all around the property. Nothing is wrong or being refurbished with the cathedral itself, but the thoroughfare is totally impassable.

We walked on and found the first of several tourist shops to go into. Once again, Trip Advisor has been a source of useful information and we were delighted with the array and quality of Norwegian products that were displayed in the store. We took our time looking at many items and making decisions about what kinds of things we want to take home with us. Eventually, we made a few purchases and left the store feeling satisfied with our acquisitions as well as our plan about what to look for during the rest of the day.

We continued to wander through the central area of Tromso, admiring the many old and new buildings as well as the multitude of Christmas decorations. Norway does not celebrate Halloween or Thanksgiving so there is no artificial barrier before which Christmas cannot go on display. Christmas decorations and Christmas carols abound in every setting. We spied a lovely café and took time to stop for a treat. Jim had a cappuccino and I had delicious mocha beverage and we shared a tasty cinnamon bun.

While enjoying our break, we also worked out a plan for tomorrow which required making some reservations. We are going to have a reindeer experience outside of Tromso tomorrow and we were able to get a booking. Also, we are going to a concert in a second cathedral tomorrow evening and needed to make arrangements for that as well. We also wanted to visit the Tromso University Museum tomorrow to see a film about the Northern Lights. When Jim inquired about that, he was told that we needed to come today, in fact, immediately, because the film was being shown at 2 pm and would not be aired tomorrow at all.

So, off we went … and found the Museum without much difficulty. It is in a suburb quite a distance from the centre of town. Although we did not quite make it by 2 pm, the lovely lady waited for us to arrive before she started the video. It was well worth seeing as was the second, shorter one that we also viewed. Sadly, it was 3 pm by the time the videos finished and that is when the museum closed today. So we are going to go back to that museum again tomorrow with two things in mind – first to see the displays that accompany the videos we saw. And the second is to attend a Vivaldi concert in place of the videos. A group of university music students have organized the concert as part of their course requirements and will be playing the music we will hear.

Back to town. By now dark was fully in place. It had also started to snow and created a scene that was truly a winter wonderland. We parked the car and headed for the pedestrian area of town. Streamers of white twinkly lights were strung across the street, illuminating the area. Large white snowflakes swirled in the wind and landed on hats and shoulders and benches and even the sidewalk. The area was transformed into winter and it was beautiful.

We still had time to visit two more tourist shops to complete our shopping. While similar to one another, each shop had a different emphasis – knitted clothing, glassware, food items, trolls etc. They all had an ample supply of hats, scarves and mittens. It was fun to browse and to make decisions. We did not leave any shop empty handed.

A bookstore had caught our eye as we strolled down the street. By the time we returned, it had closed. 4:30 was the time to lock the door. I was disappointed as I have not yet read a book while in Norway that is actually set in Norway. I try to do that in each country we visit. Maybe I will find one later this week and read it on the way home. Time will tell.

We decided to have an early dinner, having not eaten since breakfast. There was a highly recommended restaurant close to our hotel and we thought that would be a good place to go. When we entered we asked if it was too early to have dinner and we got an unexpected response. “We are all booked out for this evening and we do not have a table for you.” The restaurant was totally empty at that time but we took them at their word and left. We went to a quite busy restaurant across the street where they were able to squeeze us in in spite of being heavily booked. Jim had a traditional Christmas dinner meal (salted lamb, crispy pork, potato, gravy, purple cabbage and pureed turnip). He enjoyed it thoroughly although, as with all Christmas dinners, there was too much food to eat. I had a bowl of Thai soup followed by a taco salad. (I think I am tired of eating fish.) The soup was excellent, the salad OK. Both of us left the restaurant happy with our meals. As we walked by the restaurant that had not welcomed us in, we laughed. It was still entirely empty.

Back at our hotel, we have settled in for the evening. We have sorted our new goodies and are working on this blog, the photo book and more plans or the coming week. It is hard to believe that we will be home next Friday and at the curbside enjoying the Elmira Santa Claus Parade on Saturday morning. We are looking forward to seeing our grandchildren on a float in that parade. It will be good to be home. Six more busy days until then …

Sunday, November 26, 2017

Tromso             Sunrise                        Sunset                         Length of Day

                        10:59 am                     12:02 pm                     1 hour 3 minutes

It was wet and dreary as we left the hotel this morning. The sun had not yet risen and even when it did rise it was not going to be visible through the thick, dark layer of clouds that filled the sky. Occasionally a drizzle fell to the ground making the day feel drearier and colder than it really was. We made our way to the pick-up point for our activity for today, a trip to a Sami reindeer camp. There were about 35 of us hardy souls on the bus.

Sami is an indigenous tribe in Norway. They are also found in Sweden, Finland and in smaller numbers in Russia. In Norway, they have been given the exclusive rights to raise reindeer for meat. As with indigenous tribes in many countries, the Sami have undergone serious hardships - prejudice, political challenges, loss of language and land. Currently though, they have integrated well into the Norwegian lifestyle in three distinct groups. The largest group by far have adapted to modern Norwegian life and hold jobs, own houses and live in communities as Norwegians do. The smallest group, the Mountain Sami, (only about 5 %) still herd reindeer. The remaining Sami are known as the Sea Sami and make their living from the water. They live with the threat from the nearby oil rigs of pollution of water and fish. The reindeer herders also are under threat as more and more of the land of the reindeer is being recommissioned for industrial purposes, also related to oil.

In the area around Tromso, there are two families who herd reindeer. Each one has a geographical area to manage. In the summer, the reindeer are set free to roam the forests and the mountains. In the fall of the year, they are herded and brought to large open areas where they are cared for during the winter. Whereas in the past, the animals lived free range all year and the Sami moved about in their midst living in tents wherever they were, now climate change has caused some new weather patterns that has impacted the reindeer’s access to food. Snow has historically been thick and deep in this area and reindeer were able to forage in the forest for the food they needed. But more recently (including today) rain has replaced snow, and worse yet ice, has coated the land and the vegetation, making it very difficult for the reindeer to get to their food source. Also, over recent winters, more predators have arrived in the area, in particular lynx and wolverines. In response to these changes, reindeer are brought together in the fall and provided with food and protection.

A recent innovation by the Tromso herders is to introduce tourism into reindeer herding. The rationale for this is complex. First, it provides an alternate source of income for the herders and provides an opportunity for tourists such as ourselves to have an up close and personal experience with the reindeer. Interestingly, there is also a political motivation for this move as well. Since there is a desire by the oil companies to take over additional lands to grow their business, the Sami herders are trying to do the same and hopefully preserving reindeer habitat rather than the oil companies, unchallenged, taking over the land.

So, our reindeer and Sami experience … we travelled by bus about a half hour outside the city of Tromso. We were greeted at the gate to the reindeer compound by a man dressed in traditional Sami clothing. Immediately, we were faced with the challenge of ice, a great way for us to more fully understand the impact of ice on reindeer habitat. We were led on a carefully textured path across the treacherous ice into a traditional Sami building where we were each given ice grips to put on the bottom of our boots for more sure-footed movement around the land. (All Norwegians own such ice grips and use them when out walking, hiking or getting the mail. They would be a very helpful winter tool in Canada as well, especially on slick ice.)

After a short introduction to the plan for our time there, we were taken out to the large corrals where the reindeer live during the winter. About 250 reindeer are brought here each year, while thousands still live freely in the mountains. Most of the reindeer that are brought in are pregnant females or animals headed to the abattoir to be distributed as meat through the various butchers and supermarket stores.

We were offered buckets of food to give to the reindeer. Reindeer are somewhat skittish animals and took a while to build trust with these new people offering food. Once they warmed up to us, it was like dogs with treats. They would not give up until they got some. They nudged each other out of the way with their very pointed antlers. And those without antlers simply had to wait at the end of the line. It was quite comical to watch. What we learned was that it was the females who had the antlers. The males drop their antlers soon after the fall mating season. Females retain their antlers for protection as they care for their young and/or fight for food to nourish their current pregnancies through to spring. They do not lose their antlers until around the time they give birth. Females return to the same birthing place year after year and will find their old antlers there when they return. Over a few years, the dropped antlers deteriorate and soften and the females then eat them as a source of calcium and other minerals which will enhance the quality of the milk she feeds her newborns.

Consider this though … that must mean that all of Santa’s reindeer are female. Who knew???

Following a good long time in the icy fields, we were invited into a second Sami building for lunch. It was a tall, round building with a large circular vent at the top for the smoke to escape from the roaring fire in the middle. While we were feeding the reindeer, a Sami chef was preparing lunch. You guessed it already – reindeer stew. It was delicious!!! And hot. A nice change from the damp chilly weather outside.

Following lunch, the Sami man who we had first met made a presentation about Sami history, traditions and also current lifestyle. He was very engaging and entertaining and provided a great deal of information as well. He showed us features of the outfit he was wearing, made entirely of reindeer skin and wool. He talked about the patterns on the jacket and how they integrated information about families and marital status. Round buttons = single; square buttons = married. His buttons were round but he also talked about his two sons. Hmmm.

Sami have a tradition of music, called joik (pronounced yoik). A yoik is a melody and lyrics that arise from an intense feeling about something. He shared a joik that had come to him while building fences on the land, a joik that told of his connection to the land and to reindeer herding. Each joik is unique and personal. His sister-in-law also sang some joiks to us. She shared joiks that described different people and suggested that the sound of the joik would give insight into what the person was like. She sang a quiet, thoughtful joik about her aunt and a lively, fast-paced one about a man she knew. Of course, we could tell the difference and she shared information about their different personalities when she finished singing. It was very beautiful and melodic. In some ways, each joik reminded me of a Native Canadian pow wow and the music that is played/sung there.

All too soon it was time to get back on the bus. We had learned and experienced so much, yet there were still so many questions. The ice had been slicked with the rain that had fallen and now was even more treacherous than before. Even the bus could not make it up the grade to the parking area. With our Sami guides, we were led on the least dangerous path to the bus. It was a slow walk for me but I made it. Only then did I take those ice grips off. It did feel secure to be back on the bus.

Back in town, Jim and I immediately headed for the University/Tromso Museum again. There was a 2 pm concert that I wanted to attend and Jim wanted to explore the exhibits and learn more about the Northern Lights. We made it just in time.

I have to interject here to say that by the time we reached the museum it was as dark as night outside. Today is the final day the sun will rise in Tromso until January 15, 2018. Today the sun was above the horizon for one hour and 3 minutes. Behind a deeply cloudy sky …. Arctic Night begins tomorrow. The dark is disorienting to say the least and, as I have said before, we are not coping well with it. Dark is when we should be heading home and settling in for dinner and the evening. But it is only 2 pm!!!

I was glad to have attended the concert today. The first number was performed by a string quartet. Unfamiliar to me, the music seemed to be very challenging both in tempo and structure. I enjoyed listening to it and also watching the facial expressions of the musicians as they successfully navigated their way through some of the parts. The second number was a familiar Vivaldi composition, played by a larger multi-aged group and featured a young girl (perhaps 8 years old) as the soloist. She was amazing, a confident and competent musician, fully at ease with the music and her role as soloist. She has a future in the world of music to be sure. The third piece was the debut of a composition by one of the adult members of the group. To say it was weird is an understatement … and yet, I enjoyed hearing it executed with precision by the group. The essence of the music was to create and produce as many unfamiliar sounds as possible from a stringed instrument and to intertwine these sounds with much more traditional music. It was lively and fun but not something I would want to listen to as a daily diet. The final piece was also unfamiliar to me, featuring a teenage boy as soloist. It was melodic and easy on the ears. I enjoyed it very much.

I met Jim in the gift shop; we paused for a waffle and a coffee. Norwegian waffles are almost like crepes except made on a waffle iron. They are served with jam and cream and, of course, brown cheese. Very tasty.

Back out into the snow and made our way across town to the new glass cathedral. It was snowing quite heavily by this time but the car performed well. The cathedral was alight and glowed through the snowflakes. While we had planned to attend an evening concert tonight, the weather dissuaded us. We stopped and took a few photos of the stunning building and headed back toward our hotel.

An early pizza dinner concluded our outings for the day. We had dinner early because we misread the time on the clock and thought it was 5:45 pm. It was really only 4:45!!!

We are packing our bags again. Tomorrow morning we leave Tromso on the next leg of our journey south, by bus to Narvik. It is supposed to be a lovely trip and we will be happy to leave the driving to someone else. Only 5 sleeps left before we fly home.

Monday, November 27, 2017

Tromso             First Day of Arctic Night – no sunrise or sunset until January 15 at 11:30 am. It sets 47 minutes later.

Narvik               (destination for today)   Sunrise                        Sunset             Length of Day

                                                              10:17 am                      12:58 pm         2 hrs 41 min

Sometimes I have difficulty sleeping through the night. So I arise and go directly to my computer which awaits my questions and curiosity. Last night the question that was on my mind was ‘where have I actually been over the last several weeks?’ Yes, I know, we started in Greece and are flying home from Sweden and we spent considerable time in Norway in the middle. But the question really had to do with how those countries relate to one another. And I was very surprised to find the answer.

I have always thought of Greece at the east end of the Mediterranean and of Norway at the north of Europe. And both those perceptions are accurate. What I did not realize is that the north part of Norway is actually further east than most of Greece. Kirkenes, Norway lies on longitude 30.045 whereas the island of Rhodes in Greece lies on 28.13. That was a revelation to me. Europe as a whole does have an irregular shape but I truly did not realize just how skewed my mental picture of it was. Hmmm …. There is always more to know about the world. More reasons to travel.

After another good breakfast, we headed out of our hotel burdened with all our luggage (we really do need to learn to travel light) to go to the bus station and travel by bus to Narvik. This involved delivering the luggage to the outdoor station. I waited with the luggage while Jim returned our rental car and made his way back to meet me. It had rained/snowed overnight and the streets were slick with ice. Driving was not a problem due to the studs in the tires but walking was another matter. Without the benefit of ice grips on our shoes today, it was easy to find oneself slithering around on the black ice, not sure where you might end up. Happily, neither Jim nor I had any major issues but, as I waited with the luggage, I watched several people slide across a sidewalk or back down a shallow slope which they had just managed to walk up. One young woman kept sliding and sliding almost to the edge of a set of stairs. She finally simply at down to stop herself.

At 10 o’clock sharp, our bus left for Narvik. Narvik is a small town about 250 km south of Tromso. The journey was scheduled to take 4 ½ hours. The high quality road travels through mountainous terrain and along the shores of several fjords. Two major bridges and mountain tunnels are part of the itinerary. On most days, this trip would be beautiful. Today, though, there was a significant snowfall. The roads were covered with ice and the wind was creating havoc with the visibility. Norwegian law requires that each passenger on a highway coach must wear a seatbelt. Today, we understood the reason for that. We were very happy to leave the driving to the professional at the wheel. It was actually a very smooth and uneventful ride.

We arrived in Narvik punctually at 2:30 pm. It was as dark as night and stormy as well. We checked into our hotel and did not venture back outside except for Jim running to an adjacent grocery store to buy some brown cheese to take home with us. (Brown cheese is a Norwegian staple just like peanut butter is at home. We have fallen in love with is and want to share it with family in Canada.)

BBC is the English channel of choice in Norway and we spent some of the afternoon catching up on international news. Of course, Harry and Meghan dominated the airwaves. A happy piece of news in the face of so many international challenges.

We enjoyed a light dinner in the hotel restaurant. Fish, of course. This is our final night north of the Arctic Circle and our final night in Norway. We have enjoyed it here, as you may have discerned, and have had some amazing experiences. Tomorrow we board a train to Boda where we change to a scenic train to Stockholm. Only 4 more nights until we fly home.

Tuesday, November 28, 2017

Narvik, Norway             Sunrise            10:23 am

Boden, Norway            Sunset               1:35 pm

Length of Day  3 hours 12 minutes

We packed and repacked. We simply have too much stuff. Nonetheless, we got all of our cases closed and headed off to the train station to board the first of our two trains heading south. Narvik has a very small station and only one track. A train with two cars and an engine awaited our arrival. A few other people boarded. All seats were pre-assigned and very comfortable. The day was overcast and the sun had not yet poked its head above the horizon. Everything looked grey.

Promptly at 10 am, the train pulled out of the station. For the first while, we were travelling adjacent to the fjord, our last fjord in Norway. We were feeling a bit nostalgic about that. We have grown accustomed to being near water. Did you know that due to the length and frequency of fjords in Norway, other than Canada it has the longest coastline in the world? One of the fjords goes 205 kilometres inland. That adds a lot of coastline in a hurry.

Finally, we turned inland and moved away from the fjord. We followed the river that flowed into the fjord for a long time. It was a beautiful and deep valley with a very winding river bed. The weather was quite changeable and at times, it was obscured by blowing snow, other times fog closed in and sometimes it was clear sky. But always cloudy.

We passed by mountains and over plateaux and through valleys. Small villages were common and the train made many stops. Sometimes the only evidence of life in a village were fresh snowmobile tracks in the snow. We crossed the border from Norway into Sweden on this leg of the trip and soon, we came to the town of Kiruna. There a lot of cars parked at the train station. That seemed odd to us and we were speculating about why those cars would be there. Were they commuting by train to a place of work? Were they in the area to ski? (Ski resorts were numerous throughout the mountains.)

The man in the seat ahead of us heard our conversation and turned to us to provide some information that answered our query. He told us that one of Norway’s largest iron ore mines was visible from the tracks just ahead and that the employees of the mine parked at the station and rode a train out to the minesite itself. He went on to tell us about the volume of iron ore extracted from the mine every day. Each train (68 cars) carries about 8500 tons of ore in pellet form and up to 20 trains leave the mine each day. Seven days a week. That is a lot of iron ore.

The train line from Kiruna to Narvik was built by the iron mine because the harbour at Narvik never freezes due to the effect of the Gulf Stream. (Remember that it is north of the Arctic Circle and still does not ice over.) That means that the iron ore from Kiruna can be exported all over the world throughout the entire year, unlike the port in Stockholm or other places to the south. This train line completed the north/south train from Narvik to Stockholm and beyond.

Interestingly, all Norwegian and Swedish trains operate on electrical power. The iron ore trains generate enough power in their downhill runs through the use of generators as braking power to supply the electricity for all trains heading empty from Narvik back to the mine.

By the time our conversation with this gentleman was complete, darkness had fallen and it was no longer possible to enjoy the scenery or the weather. It was about 1 pm. So, Jim proceeded to read and I took out my crocheting. We arrived in Boden about 4:30 pm and changed trains to the overnight train to Stockholm. We were still 82 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle and Stockholm felt like it was a long way off.

The nice man (we never did learn his name) from our little train was also travelling to Stockholm. He took us under his wing and made sure we boarded the correct car and were happily installed in the correct sleeping compartment. It was crowded, I must say, with all our luggage. I wish we had thought to take a photo. The nice man also invited us to join him in the dining car once the train was on the way. We did that with pleasure and learned more about Sweden as we travelled along. It was a very pleasant interlude before heading back to our tiny compartment.

We made it an early night as the train was due into Stockholm at 6 am. The beds were reasonably comfortable and we both slept soundly.

Wednesday, November 29, 2017

Stockholm, Sweden     Sunrise                        Sunset                         Length of Day

                                    8:13 am                       14:58 pm                     6 hours 45 minutes

It was very early when we arrived in Stockholm – just after 6 am. Jim had arranged for a porter to assist with our luggage and we made it to the hotel across the street for breakfast which was included with our train ticket. It was still very dark and we really could not see anything of Stockholm. After breakfast, we took a taxi to the hotel where we are staying (a Clarion Inn) and were able to check in immediately. Whew!! It was nice to be in a place where we could have a nap and take a shower.

A while later, we set out from the hotel to ride the Hop On Hop Off Bus around Stockholm. It is a beautiful city with many stately buildings that reflect a deep history. We remained on the bus for the entire two hour circuit, making note of the places we would disembark tomorrow. In particular, the ABBA Museum caught our eye.

As we travelled along on the bus, we took many photos. When we looked at the photos later, we could see the dark creeping in from early afternoon on. I took a picture of a clock at 3:45 and it was almost completely dark by that time.

When we got off the bus, there was a Wayne’s Coffee shop right beside the bus stop. Of course, we went in and indulged in a lovely coffee and a snack. Wayne’s had a range of cookies and cakes but there was also something called Wayne’s scone and jam. We enjoyed it but, Linda, you could certainly outdo this shop on the quality of the scone. It was fun to be there.

It was dark and time to head back to the hotel. A drink and some blog/photo time preceded dinner. We ate dinner at the hotel restaurant tonight, a delicious meal of deer steak and cauliflower casserole. We were not impressed with the service which left a bad taste in our mouths.

We are back in our room now making plans for tomorrow. Our last full day of this amazing trip. We have to make the most of it.

Thursday, November 30, 2017

Stockholm, Sweden     Sunrise                        Sunset                         Length of Day

                                    8:15 am                       14:56 pm                     6 hours 41 minutes

Our last full day to look around Stockholm. We still had the use of our Hop On Hop Off bus ticket so we used the big red bus as a means of transportation. I have to admit we were not as ambitious as we thought we might be so we took our time in seeing things. First stop was the Opera House. What a magnificent building it is. Stockholm has made it a priority to preserve many of its old stone buildings and this is a good example. It stands prominently in the same neighbourhood as the Royal Palace, the House of Parliament, the Royal Museum and The City Hall. With waterfront nearby, its columns reflect in the water and the stones have been polished by the wind.

We carried on with our tour, repeating some of the same areas we travelled through yesterday. Deliberately, we sat on the other side of the bus to take different photos but also to get a different perspective of the city. We saw things that we had not even noticed yesterday – storefronts, elaborate masonry, statues (there is a myriad of statues in this city) and architectural style. One building stood out among all the others, mainly due to its modern and unique design. We are still trying to determine what the building is.

The waterfront in Stockholm is prominent in the design of the city. Several islands are just slightly off the mainland and have been integrated into the city as residential areas, recreational areas or simply extensions on the business districts. One of the islands houses the city’s oldest amusement park, built in the late 1800’s and still operating successfully. Its towering rides, lighted at night, are visible across the city.

Our next stop was a city market. Although quite chilly today, the outdoor market was active with customers and vendors. A Christmas theme permeated the market with wreaths, floral arrangements, seasonal foods and decorations. It was obviously also mushroom season and stall after stall was marketing their mushrooms, brown, black, orange and white. Some varieties we had never seen before. When we got chilly, we went into the inside market where the cheese and meat and fish were on display. What an array of choices – some fresh, some dried, some prepared into sausage or salami, all artistically displayed by proud vendors.

We stopped for a bowl of soup at Kajsas Fisk, a tiny but crowded fish stall that was filling bowls of fish as fast as they could. Once we tasted it, we understood why. A reason to return to Stockholm.

From the market, we took a taxi to our final destination for the afternoon – The ABBA Museum. Yes, ABBA came from Sweden and this country is very proud of their foray into the international music world. Album covers, original costumes, songs playing, awards on display … it was ABBA personified. There were wax figures that were so realistic they looked like they might walk over and shake your hand. Jim and I enjoyed the various displays and we watched two movies about the amazing rise to fame this group enjoyed. Of course, as they sang, so did we and everyone else in the room as well. How is it that the words to this music are so deeply embedded in our minds but we cannot recall why we opened the fridge door? It was definitely a fun way to spend part of an afternoon.

It was time to head off for dinner though. We had made arrangements to take a dinner cruise tonight on the Stockholm canal and the adjacent lake. The dinner being served was a traditional Swedish Christmas dinner. It seemed a fitting way to mark the end of this incredible journey we have enjoyed.

We boarded and were immediately served some Christmas wassail along with a dish of almonds and sultanas which were to be soaked in the wassail and eaten with a spoon. The almonds especially took on a very nice flavour after being soaked for a few minutes. Jim preferred to drink his wassail straight up.

Out first food course set the stage for the evening. All the courses except dessert were served to us at our table. In this way, we could really enjoy the journey of the beautiful 19^th century ship we were on. The lights of the city were delightful on this beautifully clear night, enhanced by the Christmas lights which added to the glitter.

 We were presented with a beautiful array of herring prepared in six different ways including special herring preparation served only at Christmas (lingonberries were a part of it) along with some delicious, old Swedish cheese. Three kinds of bread were also available as well a small serving of potatoes to eat with the herring, a very traditional food combination for holiday meals. As we were eating the herring, the platter of salmon arrived – blackened, cured, and smoked salmon fins. Served with this came herb mayonnaise, mustard sauce, fennel cucumber and orange and lemon with pomegranate. We knew we were never going to be able to eat all the food that was yet to come. We made our way through much of the fish course and then the platter of game meat arrived, again 6 different kinds of meat ranging from wild venison, reindeer salami, rabbit pate, smoked moose steak, smoked moose heart and good old ham. With the meat came lingon and cucumber scallion sauce and pickled vegetables. Jim and I are adventurous and eclectic eaters and we enjoyed all the offerings on the platter.

And then on to the main course …. elk and pork meatballs, spicy venison sausage, milk-baked pork belly, Jansson’s Temptation (scalloped potatoes with anchovies), beautiful crunchy brussel sprouts, turnip and pickled onion, and creamy kale with toasted seeds. We tried them all and enjoyed them all … but in very small portions. It was a shame to leave so much food on our plates but we simply could not eat anymore.

We took a pause before heading to the dessert table. We had seen it as we came on board at the beginning of the evening so we knew what was waiting for us at the end. A table of at least 25 different desserts … so much chocolate, so delicious. There was also a cheeseboard that was very appealing but we could not do it!! We had to suffice with a small plate of slivers of a few desserts. More than enough.

A taxi back to our hotel and our adventure came to an end. Final writing and posting first; then packing. Will it ever all fit into the suitcases again? We fly home tomorrow morning.

Thanks for travelling with us. We have enjoyed your company and look forward to sharing our next adventure with you as well. Not sure when or where yet but we know for sure another adventure is in our future.