Nature in the north

Well, summer is over - again! how did THAT happen, I ask? - and I am now again in Tromsø-town.  In fact, since I am such a LOUSY blogger, the autumn has ALSO passed and the snow has come :) ... the nights are drawing in... On November 21st we lose the sun for two whole months.

Here are some images from my summer in Kokelv, in the north.

Here is a link to where Kokelv actually IS: (cut and paste)

http://kart.gulesider.no/query?what=map&mop=aq&geo_area=kokelv&partnerid=google&_s_ref=21SbNWP6S&kw=%5Bkokelv%5D&creative=9413226364&s_kwcid=TC%7C21491%7Ckokelv%7C%7CS%7Ce%7C9413226364&gclid=CJCqnuL3w7MCFWZ2cAodlV8Agw

And a wee video 'Minute for Minute to Kokelv'.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lq4AYVZxJ6Q

(see from about minute 3 to miss the big discussion in Norwegian as you drive over from Smorfjord in the first long stretch through the birch forest)

This is a take off from when the National TV channel here showed in 2011 minute-by-minute footage of a Hurtigruten (coastal cruise liner) boat travelling along the coastline of Norway.... It was literally, minute-by-minute filming (with dodgy musical accompaniment)..   The boat stops at several ports (some small, some larger) as it travels northwards the 6 days from Bergen to Kirkenes....  The crowds greeted the boat and its passengers at every port and the crowds seemed to just grow more personal (and the messages on the banners). It was pretty avidly followed, as everyone wanted to catch their rellies on the TV, som far-flung place northwards.  Classic TV, and classic marketing for the cruise liners!! (I think the sales were boosted incredibly by this)

http://nrk.no/hurtigruten/?lang=en (cut and paste to view this)

(a small place, persecuted by the wind constantly but beautiful shifts of weather! - constantly...)

And here is what you might expect, in terms of nature and wonder up there...

Enjoy

Summer, Kokelv, Finnmark

I have moved up in the world - literally.  Meaning, I have employment for the summer, and its location is two days driving north of Tromsø, in a wee village called Kokelv.  It is a modest summer guide job.   But I am happy with it.

Yes, I am proud to have this job - perched on the edge of Norway's Northwestern tip, with a rich, living history to learn about and to - try! - and share with others who visit.  Home to the Coastal Sami people of the northern reaches of Norway, Finland and Sweden, I get to guide curious tourists round a classic 1950's farmhouse which has been preserved in an almost original state. Full of historical objects some of which relate to the Sami culture, and some of which, well, you might find them back home in Blighty (great old classics like churns and hand-wound milk separators).  The startling and grotesque history of Northern Norway under German occupation is also a very important story to be told. I am reading madly to become up to date on facts, but the most prominent war-time moment (after, of course, occupation itself) is when the Nazis departed.  Local people were forced to evacuate their homes, and then the Germans left, as abruptly as they came.  They caused terrible damage on their exit from Northern Norway, as they burnt and destroyed all and everything as they went, (to leave nothing for Russia or allied forces). This forced mass emigration of the local population.  Although some few people escaped (or tried to) to the hills, the vast majority moved southwards, as refugees in their own land, and with nothing left to come back to...

Hence the 1950's farmhouse: there's literally no earlier examples of pre-war houses left.

So, there's a decidedly dramatic war history that shapes the place, and the society today.  And I guess I was curious to learn more about this, and how the Sami people adapted on their return north.

Not least Kokelv is a truly beautiful location, with wide open uplands, (the trees in N Norway get considerably smaller and fewer up here ;)), broad empty valleys, post-glacial raised beaches and craggy plateaus... Yes, I have itchy feet just describing this!

So, here is where Dovre and I find ourselves, for summer.

..oh! and the weather is decidely 'mixed',  shall we say.   The Gulf Stream Hits Northern Norway's Tip.... need I say more! Sunshine, showers and the odd mosquito when the wind finally calms.... ;))

And here's a video link to wet your appetites:
(click and paste this URL link)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8-lM7MtxZc&feature=youtu.be

Location of film: 'The cairn', Weather: 'windy and fair', Time: 'about 1am, midnightsuntime' :)

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Norwegian-isms: Enjoying Codfish...

Aye aye, cod heads galore a-drying in their thousands, and the stink of the rotten ones below was overwhelming.  (Even Dovre wasn't keen to investigate - it was a very rich aroma!)  

Easter Sunshine 2012

(..oops. bit of a late blog-entry, but surely late is better than never? ...apologies ;0)...)

So, it was EASTER time again, in Norway. In Northern Norway this means a trip to the mountains, to relax, to ice-fish, to drink schnapps late at night, and generally to enjoy the sheer joy of this sunshine-laden heavenly snowquality time of the year! I Love Easter should be the North Norwegian motto, as people seem visibly relaxed after the hard winter. The sun is back, it's not going to disappear for MONTHS to come now, and the worst is behind you. (mind you, I do love magical winter trips in the dark-time also - but I think you have to enjoy this part of a Northern winter to be able to manage here).

So, it was with a full pulk and an eager husky that Per and I set off for the Swedish border this year. I was out 6 days, and Per for 10.  (I have this little issue of a Norwegian Exam looming: not nice, but needs some attention, hence the foreshortened tour for moi) :( 

Mind you, one can't complain at all, when the temperature drops to -20C at night and is pure sunshine in the daytimes! We were lucky, out in the hills, as back in Tromsø it snowed the whole week - we were definitely in the Right Place. 

So, I was able to enjoy some days camping with Per and the dog, before Dovre and I peeled off, circled back through the woods and returned to the car... I drove out of the hills, and I caught up with friends back in Målselv for a few days before departing back to the city...  In Målselv it was lovely to be 'home' there, as having lived their 2 years I just love the place now I have left! (funny, but natural how that happens...). Whilst I was there, I entered an Ice Fishing Competition on Andsvatn, the lake where I used to rent my cabin (didn't get a single bite...), drank excess coffee and caught up with friends and had a lovely daytrip up the local hills :) All in all: a good Easter.

So, here you are: a sample of Easter 2012, for you all. I wish many of you could have seen and experienced it with me. It is such a simple pleasure to ice-fish and it is pure delight to pulk on skis in a thin layer of snow on a hard surface beneath.  Ah! 

I am lucky to be here, in Norway, and active and able to do all I am doing. I don't know who I should thank for this, as I am not the religious type - but I do count my blessings on such trips away. 

"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived." 

Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) 

 (at the Swedish border - a sign reveals a warning of missile/rocket testing range area. 

Yes! We had been camping there. ...small wonder it was so quiet and we had the place to ourselves ;))

 One happy, tired puppy!

 Ice-fishing competition, Andsvatn, Målselv. 

People are SERIOUS - little or no small-talk between the competitors.

 Just row upon row of intent 'fishers'!  

It is 2 hours of intense concentration: not sure I can stand the suspense of more competitions like that. Think I would rather kick back and fish in my own time! ;)

Sparking about

Well, the snow finally arrived, and everyone had a big smile on their face, temporarily... Temporarily, I say, as Zeus decided otherwise... Norwegians had evidently had had it enough good, he must have pondered. Rain, high winds and mild weather generally has followed suite.

So, out with the Norwegian SPARK. This helpful device is as Norwegian as they come: an ingenious tool to help 'get about on sheet ice streets'. It's the equivalent of trawling a shopping trolley behind you, I guess. Except that you push it in front and kids are - shall we say - keen on it (especially when someone else is pushing!).

So, whilst we negotiate the icey streets of Tromsø for a while yet, here's hoping the snow comes back again soon!

...and so, Zeus, can we have this weather back please??

Søltilbakk - 21 January

There was a reason behind my smile here. I will let the photos tell the tale... ;)

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(Tromsø town)

(the slopes of Lille Blåmann mountain)

(shadows from the sun we hadn't seen for 2 months)