The Hitchhiker's Guide to Scandinavia 2005

The Map

Alex:

15:51  25. kesäkuuta 2005
map.jpg

Our path through the rocks of Scandinavia. As you can see, mostly our way is lying through the nothing. No big cities, just small villages and submarine tonnels.

Tampere-Oulu

Fri 24/06/2005 16:28

Fri 24/06/2005 16:28

On our way to Oulu it was raining cats and dogs. Many cars duffm stopped, because one can literally see nothing.
// Ivan

Introductions and explanations

Ivan: And now about our schedule. Me and Mila left Tampere on early morning of Midsummer's eve - 24th of June, 2005. Our destination was a small cottage on  Muotkajärvi lake in Enontekiö, some 1200km north from Helsinki, where we are staying for a week. Then on 2nd of July Alex will come by train to Kolari, where we will meet to start the second part of our journey - see post about the map. So that is the plan. And let's see what the fate has prepared for us.

 

Oulu

Fri 24/06/2005 18:34 Oulun Eden (Nallikari)

Just 500km north from Tampere there is a beautiful town of Oulu. We arrived there on the eve of Midsummer (Juhannus). We stayed there overnight in Oulun Eden hotel at Nallikari. There is a spa in this hotel, so we had quite relaxing time. Late in the evening we met our old friend for dinner in the same hotel.

Juhannus

Sat 25/06/2005 08:28 Aftermath of Juhannus

Sat 25/06/2005 08:34 Nallikari

There was a huge party in the hotel last night. As usual on Juhannus everybody got really drunk. White night in Oulu (sun practically doesn't go below the horizont here during the summer), gulf of Bothnia (hotel is right on sea shore), strongest wind from the sea that raised in the air a lot of sand from the beach and created a sand storm effect, and lots of drunk people in the midst of it - it was the most surreal Juhannus I remember.

In the morning servicemen were cleaning the beach and surroundings, wind was still strong and we had another 500km ahead of us.

Travelling with a dog

Travelling with a dog is never easy. But it seems that our dog - Buss' - was born for it. He really likes to look from the car - what's going on out there and easily adapts to new environments.

From Oulu to Tornio and Polar Circle

Sat 25/06/2005 12:53 Apple trees in Tornio

Sat 25/06/2005 13:06 Buss' likes travelling

Day one - Arrival

Wooden sign to the cottage

Parking next to a swamp

Second day

Buss' is watching the fish

10 fishes in 20 minutes

Fishing under midnight sun

Fishing under midnight sun

Fishing under midnight sun

The good thing is that there's always sun in the sky. It doesn't set during few summer weeks. One can get really confused about day and night here. I think we are getting confused already.

The bad thing is that mosquitous are back.

Day three

Bonfire on the lake side

Buss' is enjoying wild life

Day four

Enontekiö airport

Nature center in Hetta

Radio Ga-Ga

Old radio

Do you remember old Queen song:

Day five - mökki päivä

Coffee and hot sandwiches with rieska (northern bread)

Strange tree

Midnight sun

Buss' is tired fighting mosquitoes

Sun reflects in the lake

Day six - Järämä

Reindeer on the road

Järämä museum

Kilpisjärvi

Kilpisjärvi

Kilpisjärvi

Tampere - Kolari

Fri 01/07/2005 22:56 Photo129

Alex: My train from Tampere to the place with strange name Kolari. Eleven hours of peaceful sleeping, and i'll be above the polar circle, in the place with eternal day. Let's the journey begin!

Day seven - last day in the cottage

Grilling mushrooms

Last sauna

Kolari and Inari

Reindeer herd on the road

Kolari railway station

Norway - Karasjok

Sami parliament

Alex and Mila argued about purpose of life

From Karasjok to the North

Reindeer in Sápmi park

Sápmi park in Karasjok

On the North Cape

North Cape tunnel

North Cape cabins

More from the North Cape

Buss' in the fog on the North Cape

Fog over North Cape

Hammerfest and Alta

Reindeer island

On the shore of the Arctic ocean

Tromsø

Mountains and Arctic ocean

Snowy mountain

Å i Lofoten

Snowy peak

Sun goes down over fjord

Umeå

Å

Thunderstorm is looming

From Umeå to Stockholm

Reindeers herd on the way to Umeå

Scandic in Umeå

Day in Stockholm and back home

Skansen's Aquarium

Drottninggatan

Bonus photos

The North Cape

A couple on the North Cape