Sleep Deprivation II - The Return of the Mosquitoes

26.06 Abisko - Narvik

We spend the second night in Abisko at the same parking lot. Due to the rain, we sleep together in the smaller bed. This has the pleasant side effect that we only hear the outside noises muffled. However, the noises from inside....

I'm even more than half-asleep when I realize that Henry is on a wild mosquito hunt. Good thing I'm incredibly tired, I think, and continue to sleep. I also don't hear any annoying buzzing and believe that Henry must be paranoid. When he finally climbs over me to hunt the pests in the rest of the living area, I groggily open one eye and ask how many he's already taken down. About 15 is his answer. My estimation seemed completely wrong. Nevertheless, I bring Henry back to bed first, and we try to continue sleeping. However, he is always ready to sit upright in bed and take out the next mosquito that dares to come near us. Now I'm awake too, but at least I managed to sleep through most of the night (with interruptions). Once again, I was wrong; it's 04:00. Fucking four o'clock, and I feel as if I have already lived another entire life. Slightly desperate, we wonder how the damn creatures managed to get into the van in such large numbers. I check all the windows, but as Henry promised, they are all closed. It can't be that they all came in the night before, can it?? We give up hope of falling back asleep and start watching our current series (Ponies, it's okay). Two episodes, not a minute of sleep, and five more mosquitoes later, we decide to just start the day. No plan as to what this should turn into; I feel neither fit to drive nor able to hike for four hours, but maybe we'll manage to catch up on sleep by noon.

We decide to just begin the day and go on the planned hike. This time, it's supposed to be in the other part of Abisko National Park. I'm as tired as I've ever been in my life. Henry, on the other hand, seems very motivated, so I just follow him and try to doze off without falling over. Even the Red Bull only helps slightly, so I decide to cut the tour short after an hour. Henry carries on. On the way back, I see the Sami village that I was looking forward to, and I'm very satisfied with my decision. In the van, I can't manage to sleep, but dozing helps too. My Henry vibrates, and Henry writes that he's taking a detour to avoid the road. At this point, he's been out longer than we have slept; what a madman. When he gets back to the van, we are both re-energized and decide to hit the road to Norway.

Just before the border, there is a supermarket, and we decide to buy the supplies we've used up and some fresh vegetables in Sweden. The idea doesn’t seem very original - the supermarket is so crowded, it feels like December 23rd. We haven't experienced such conditions here before. The license plates reveal that, logically, many Norwegians are taking advantage of the cheap shopping opportunity. There is even a word for it, 'Harrytur' - sorry, Harry!

Nothing changes at the border, which is a bit disappointing. However, we see many beautiful small cabins scattered throughout the landscape; we must have met the residents at the store. We drive to Narvik because there’s a service station there. It turns out that the high season here is the ski season, and therefore everything is currently free to use. Sometimes you just have to be lucky :) Henry sacrifices himself and stands in the rain to fill the water while I plan the next spot and the further trip.

Along the way, we see some signs about the Battle of Narvik. During World War II, Norwegians, Britons, Poles, and French fought against the Nazis here and sank all 10 ships in the first phase. In the end, the port city was occupied. There’s also a large monument at our parking spot. We are both super hungry and devour three wraps each with rice, beans, and halloumi. Feeling accomplished, we want to rest briefly on the bed at the back. Three hours later, we wake up and decide to just sleep seriously.