** WITH THE LAPPS OF THE GODS **
This is the 2 June 2003 Edition of
this page.
CHAPTER FIVE
** SWEDISH LAPLAND **
12 July 2000
Wednesday morning's phone-alarm at 7.12am came TOO LATE as I was already up and
dressed at 7am, here in Finland, before my first LAND JOURNEY to Sweden (I had on
previous occasions either arrived by air or sea!!). Anyhow, it was worth a pleasant 'Thank You'.
This time, 'IT' spoke saying the time is 17.37!! Later, at 7.19 on my watch, the digital clock
on the wall showed 16.56. These 'time-warps' get a bit confusing!! I bet the digital clock on the
coach shows 6.19 am.! I got my case out, for it, at 8.40am - ready for the 8.45am departure.The
first stop was at the old wooden church at SODANKYLA. (Pronounced "soddin' kill yer")
It was a mostly photographic stop, but I avoided the mosquito and 'spiritual pollutions' by remaining
on the coach with its fresh unpolluted air. Whilst sitting comfortably in my seat, I saw an old woman
walking with the FINNISH version of the NORWEGIAN 'sparktotting'. (However, this one had
wheels rather than skis!)
Whilst moving on our way - in the middle of nowhere - a reindeer decided to scratch behind its
ear in the MIDDLE of the ROAD. Human arms are more flexible, I pondered, and can scratch
ALMOST anywhere! (But 'age' restricts these human movements later!).
Part of the E4 route, during the 'cold-war', just 90Km off of RIOVANIEMI, was converted for
DUAL use - as a MILITARY AIRSTRIP!! That's why it looks as if we are in the middle of a 2000 metre
full-width RUNWAY!!
I noticed a cycle-track by the E4, nearer Riolanumi, which separated the cyclists from the deisel
fumes (good) and put them right into MOSQUITO territory! (Not so good!!) We stopped near ROVANIEMI
for two SANTA PARKS, the first being the Children's one ('Northern Lights Show'
for small kids) - and the ADULT one for (a) the ARCTIC CIRCLE marks and (b) a meal at
a restaurant. Most people (myself included!) liked the curious 'sensation' of standing with one foot
either side of the Arctic Circle line! Silly, I know!!
I used the small map of the local area for villages en route to PELLO (via routes 79 and 83) -
with two service-stops for toilets and cokes - and also did some small currency exchanges. I took
a few moments to put my watch back (since I'm in yet another time zone - now on Swedish Time!)
At PAJALA, we entered a mosquito-infested Hay-Marsh (which was a complete waste-of-time,
except for the 'experience'!! Apparently, says Geoff, HEN HARRIERS use the area, feeding on
migrating birds etc.. [So ONE species DOES find a use for this hell-hole!!] Our approximate arrival time
at the PAJALA hotel was 17.30hrs - after which I made a quick survey of the TV facilities in the room.
We had come about 215 miles (including ther diversions) today.
My KEY interest in this place would be the WORLD's LARGEST SUNDIAL, fortunately, I found,
being only about 200 metres from the hotel.
I was not able to get an ENGLISH-LANGUAGE guide to its propeties (in print!) although there was
an English annotation nearby (which didn't come out well in the 35mm or digital photography!!), but,
essentially my handwritten notes from the annotation (and a separate handout) showed that it was:-
(a) Very large (38.33 metres diameter)
(b) a 24hours per day sundial because of its latitude (67.21 deg North)
(c) a 365day/year calendar because of its latitude
(d) equivalent of a megalithic monument because of its seasons & dates
(e) built and inaugurated in July 1996 (70km north of Arctic Circle)
(f) brochures exist in German & Swedish!!
From 7pm, I had a good chat at the evening dinner, with Irish, Birmingham and Yorkshire friends. Back in
the hotel, I got my notes 'writte up' by 20.55hrs Tomorrow's 'timings' defined by Geoff are:
(a) Breakfast 8am
(b) departure 9am..
13 July 2000 (Thursday)
Now 5.15 am and I've been cat-napping since about 3.30am.. (The perils of a 'traveller'!!) Lack
of darkness at 'night' (like, - we have all-night light!) is the main cause for this effect. I hope to take
photos of the GIANT SUNDIAL before leaving this place. I'll have to move very early this morning!
(Furthermore, I mustn't forget to change Finnish Marks for some Swedish Kroner too!)
At 5.40am, the sun is high in the sky - so planning to pack my cases before 7.0am is essential, as is a
walk to the SUNDIAL for photos before 8am.. I need to return for breakfast by then! I need also
to photograph the 'English Legend' and hope that later OCR (optical character recognition) will tell
me all I want to know!
I got up at 6am, dressed and got ready just before the sun went behind the clouds at 6.10am.. (Oh!!!)
After a quick 'TV Channel browse', I tried to get out of the hotel at, 6.30am, to take the photos - but the
ORDINARY EXIT and FIRE EXITS are LOCKED!! (That's naughty, if not criminal!)
However, at 6.50am,I escaped, made my way (under a weather-front, albeit without precipitation) to the
GIANT SUNDIAL. Odd rays of sun broke through, but at 7.10am, the clouds had cleared and a use could
be made of the 'facility'. First, I took 35mm and digital photos of the words in the annotation - for making my
'own brochure' in ENGLISH hopefully! Thereafter, I took several more 35mm pictures of the 'Sundial', itself, with
its shadows, from 7.15 am up until 7.28am, the 'dial' inaccurately reading 7.00 at the time. But that was
SOLAR TIME as opposed to Swedish Time!!
At the PAJALA HOTEL reception, I exchanged 50 Finnish Marks for 70 Swedish Kroner, with no thoughts of
Sterling or US Dollars!! The coach stopped at the GIANT SUNDIAL and Geoff 'waffled' (as he always HAD to,
with his lack of knowledge and only his 'pet-beliefs' to go on!). I did NO further photography, as I'd done all
mine last evening. Then we were off to the OLD 'Blast Furnace' for a local 'guide' who knew NOTHING (he
even admitted!) so Geoff WAFFLED aagain!
After a while, we were back for 12noon for lunch near the 'furnace/mill' complex. FISH (which was a very high
percentage of bones with just a 'fish flavouring!) was the 'main' course - which I followed this by an attempt
to get an icecream because it was marked with an X on the menu. Whether the X indicated 'OFF' items or
whether it indicated the 'ONLY ON' items was as much a mystery to the staff as to us customers!
In the end, I just had 'biscuits' for 'afters' and finished with a coffee. Then at 1pm, we drove off to KIRUNA,
but before we got there we went off to another restored water-mill near a MOSQUITO-PLAGUED 'Nature
Trail' where the coach was parked in the SUN - before moving to another place (also in the SUN) where I
took a coach photo and drew the curtains to write 'notes' whilst others 'looked around'.
There were just four
or five left in the coach with me - and the others got back somewhat later!
SVAPP-AVARRA was an afternoon refuelling stop (and my usual toilet and icecreams). It is VERY HOT
here. Is this right for Lappland?? I'll have to THINK SERIOUSLY about postponing further SWEDISH and
FINNISH visits until OCTOBER onwards!! Sod the mosquitoes of June & July!!!
In the evening, after our arrival at the Hotel KEONE at 16.10 at Kiruna, I went for a walk to the 'other side of town'
with the help of my map, - through houses, a swimmimg pool and campsites. It's much better out there, meeting
'REAL people' - with 'real lives' on 'real holidays' etc.. [My map enabled me to do a circular tour of the town - which
remains my favourite way of 'on-foot' travelling!] I was back at 17.45hrs - well in time for the 7pm meal.
That evening, I watched RIKI LAKE's programme with Scandinavian sub-titles (American version of English
words) and, later, joined Duncan, Andrew and Mavis for an excellent meal after our 'welcome' drink from
Geoffrey Roy (the guide). That meal was a delicious Reindeer meat with various vegetables and sauces! Geoff
said that tomorrow's breakfast will be from 6.30am until 10.00 and our departure will be at 10.00am..
A wildlife programme this evening (on Channel 5 between 20.30 and 20.55hrs) was all about those delightful
MEERCATS - and I also encounterered several bits of EURONEWS at various times. Todays coach mileages,
standard and detours, had amounted to 142 miles.
14 July 2000 (Friday)
After a good night's sleep, I awoke for a toilet-visit at 3.50am and returned , in this HOT Arctic Weather,
to lay on the bed until I got up later!! Despite being wet & overcast outside - it is still VERY BRIGHT!! I
need to try and get to sleep again!
Well, I cat-napped until 6.20am - when I decided to get up, get washed (using one of their PLASTIC
BEAKERS as a plug!), get dressed and then shaved (the hotel has a 110volt system - as the 'Lonely Planet'
says that "some do"). Next, I indulged in a LARGE Continental Breakfast from 7.10-7.50am before the EURONEWS
on TV.
Then, as distinct from yesterday, I explored southwards from the KEBNE hotel - almost as far as the KIRUNAVAARA
INDUSTRIONVIADE (industral estate??). I got back to my own room by 9.15am.. I went to the coach for the 10.30am
takeoff - going then to JAKKASJARVI, past the ICE PALACE to the 'Homestead Museum' for a visit concerning the
'artifacts' (two buildings) before back to Church for their description of their 'bits & pieces' - plus ORGAN PLAYING,
complete with BIRDSONG!!
Then it was "off to the coach to write-up my notes" before our departure for the ICE HOTEL (which is on the
internet at www.icehotel.com) to see where the 'carvings' are! Mind you, it was FAR too expensive to go
inside and look!! (I had found that, in the Dolomites in 1996, they were displayed FREE in the streets there being one such
photo in the following link!!)
Here, there is a new site being created for a new ICE HOTEL. A fellow-traveller, Frank (from Ireland) photographed
the 'blank-space' - which was then a pile of rocks and stones!!
The coach then returned to our hotel for lunch, - which featured a beautifully prepared chicken, - before our walk to the
bus-station for a trip to the WORLD'S LARGEST IRON MINE!! Today our coach took us about 25 miles - and the
'Iron Mine' bus covered an extra 12 miles.
The 3Km descent down the mine's road takes one down 100m every kilometre - i.e to a depth of 300 metres with miles
of tunnels and, apparently, 400Km of rail-lines underground! It also, as we found out, has a cinema (like I-MAX with
digital stereo sound!), a refreshment place and had hard-hat collection points for us visitors and the hundreds of workers
underground (plus even more above-ground!) A lady-bus-driver took us down there (and back) with the everpresent
computer checkins and checkouts (even for coach passengers!)
At depth, an instructor demonstrated the heavy machinery (very NOISY in its confined tunnel-environment!) After the
visit to this subterranean marvel, we then returned to our own rooms at the hotel by 16.45hrs.. I waited patiently in my
room (No 110) for the 7pm evening meal - browsing the www.euronews.net on TV!!
The meal-partners were Duncan, Mavis and Andrew - and we all enjoyed some lovely fish with the beautiful
Scandinavian Sauces! Geoff gave tomorrow's 'times' to us (included the wake-up call, breakfast and departure) -
and reminded us that it would be a LONG DAY'S DRIVE to the west of NORWAY.
I watched miscellaneous programs on TV in the room before going to bed.
( continuation through NORWAY will start in the next linked chapter!)
EMail to:
Roy's Location.
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