Oski meeting

But this time we would have so many more headlines... For example, time out from time out, Bye Bye Norway or Schlierbach meeting number 2... But one after the other 😊

07/28/2023

After Norway's southernmost lighthouse (we were there in May) we wanted to visit Norway's northernmost lighthouse. For our project we drove 120 kilometers north through barren, but nevertheless varied and beautiful landscapes. According to the motto the way is the goal. Arrived at the destination, well, because of the lighthouse, we shouldn't have done that. But the great scenery was still worth it. So we drove back and on towards Kirkenes and moved into a "wild" spot somewhere in the middle of nowhere. We enjoyed our last evening in Norway and were again able to marvel at a beautiful sunset. With red wine we toasted our wonderful 10 weeks in Norway.

07/29/2023

With a laughing and a crying eye we left Norway and said "Hello Finland". We lost an hour crossing the border (time difference), but we knew that we would gain the hour again when crossing the border into Sweden. The drive through Finland was accompanied by pouring rain. Which probably meant that the lake landscape could not reveal its beauty either. On the way we visited a Sami museum (the Sami are the original people of the north). We then placed Oski in the parking lot of a ski center in Saarisvelkä.

07/30/2023

Unfortunately no sunshine when getting up today either. And yet we decided to do a short hike so that we can move around a bit again. We walked to a viewpoint and covered 200 meters in altitude. At the top, the fog had become even thicker. Hoping the weather would improve, we went to the restaurant. A little longer than planned because it was raining cats and dogs. We caught a rain break, which we used for the return hike. And as soon as we got to the square, the sun showed up again.

07/31/2023

We drove further south today, our destination was Rovaniemi. On the way we visited the gold diggers' museum, where the gold diggers from the Napf are also mentioned. In earlier times there were several gold mining sites in this region. And the museum also explained the world history of the gold panners.
At our destination for the day, Rovaniemi, we were greeted with warm temperatures. Which was very accommodating for us after rather cooler days and we were able to eat outside again.

01.08.2023

The surtitle of this day would be: Christmas is coming soon... We gave ourselves a full load of Santa Claus today... What a commerce and yet we visited everything. For a photo with Santa Claus you would have shelled out 30 EUR. We let it be and prefer to take a selfie with Santa Claus in Switzerland 😊 After the trade we visited the Arctic Museum and dealt with the history of the Sami and the Arctic from the Nordic countries. Which was interesting and insightful.
After the brief visit to Rovaniemi (didn't blow our minds) we drove on. We crossed the Arctic Circle from north to south. With the border crossing to Sweden (in Övertornea) we got back the lost hour from Finland. Shortly thereafter we checked into Norrsken Lodge in this Övertornea and were warmly welcomed by Mäx and Yasmine. We moved into a small hut and enjoyed the Swiss national holiday with Swiss raclette and Swedish live music. Until the early hours of the morning...

08/02/2023

After sleeping in we could motivate ourselves for a 2-hour hike in Finland. We visited the Aavasaksan viewpoint.
In the evening we let Norrsken Lodge cook for us and enjoyed a wonderful piece of reindeer fillet with fried potatoes and broccoli. It was very delicious.

08/03/2023

After sleeping in, we turned our attention to Oski again. He had a few days off and we really spoiled him today. Reto changed the wheels from back to front and unconverted and Heidi brushed Oski again…. No, today there is no further comment on brushing… 😊
After work the pleasure. On the internet we found a pastry shop in the neighboring village in Finland. So we drove there and enjoyed coffee and cake for 5 EUR. Back in the lodge we walked into the village and rattled off all the clothes shops. Hoping to find a suitable summer dress for Heidi. Well, unsuccessfully we returned and enjoyed our aperitif. For dinner we let us cook again. This time there was Hörnli & Ghackets with reindeer meat. Today Mäx cooked for us and it was again a treat for the palate. We spent the final evening with other Swiss guests around a cozy campfire and enjoyed the evening atmosphere.

04.08.2023

We said goodbye to Yasmine, Mäx and their team. We really enjoyed the break from the break at Norrsken Lodge. We felt at home for 3 days. So thanks again to you, we very much hope to see you again 😊
On the way to Gällivare we visited Olaf's Moose Farm on Mäx's recommendation. We also got to know Oskar the Elk. Unfortunately, it was not possible to take a photo with both of them, so we decided not to do a moose test. Olaf lives with his wife and about 15 elks on a farm that can be visited. We exchanged a few words with Olaf, where he introduced us to the Finnish language. We didn't learn much, but Reto can now say "I love you" in Finnish. It means something like this: “Minä rakastan sinua”. So romantic…
After the Oski meeting we headed north again and crossed the Arctic Circle from south to north again. Our night camp in Gällivare was on a calm river and was occupied by mosquitoes. Nevertheless, we enjoyed the beautiful evening mood.

08/05/2023

A hike in the Muddu National Park was on the agenda for today. During the hike we were able to visit several waterfalls. There are many animals to see in this national park. Bears, moose, lynx and more. Unfortunately none of them wanted to show themselves. So we parked Oski just outside of Park at a beautiful lake.

06.08.2023

Jokkmokk was about an hour from where we camped. A medium-sized (approx. 3'000 inhabitants) village in northern Sweden. We visited the botanical garden (Heidi was very motivated) and walked to a viewpoint. We saw the vastness of Sweden, mostly forest and lakes in between. Here, too, the stark differences between the landscapes of Norway and Sweden became visible (Norway many mountains, Sweden flat and lots of forest). After the hike we stopped for a coffee at the Arctic Circle (we crossed it for the fourth time today). After that we had to find a suitable campsite for 2 campers. Visit announced today. We found a campsite and defended the space next to us until the Limacher family from Schlierbach approached. Our meeting came about spontaneously. The Limacher family traveled through Norway during the summer holidays and were on their way back from the North Cape. We enjoyed a very cozy evening with you (Roger & Reto made up for the Trychler Brötle), thank you again for your visit.

07.08.2023

After breakfast we said goodbye to Limis and we moved on to another Sami museum in Jokkmokk. The museum was very informative and very well designed. The museum was able to bring us closer to the life of the Sami. At 1:46 p.m. we crossed the Arctic Circle from north to south for the 5th and last time this year. Oski was parked at the loveless campsite at Storforsen. Reto laced up his hiking boots and hiked the Storforsen currents and Heidi phoned home.

08/08/2023

So that Heidi could also see the Storforsen up close, we went on a short hike together today. The Storforsen current was artificially narrowed years ago, resulting in large rapids. In June, up to 850 cubic meters of water per second flow through the rapids. It was very impressive.
We drove on our next destination was a pastry shop in Sorsele, which is run by Swiss. Heidi was looking forward to local pastries and we were not disappointed. After the fine coffee and dessert we drove about half an hour further south to Sandsjögarden in Blicksele. Here, too, the campsite is run by Swiss people, Caro and Dani, and here too we let ourselves be cooked and enjoyed the very fine char and Swiss company.

08/09/2023

The weather in Sweden is very changeable. Wind, rain and sun change every hour. According to the media, the south of Scandinavia is hit by a storm. But here in Blicksele it is relatively quiet. We hope that the weather will improve for the next few days. After a rainy night we managed to motivate ourselves to go for a short hike. We hiked up the Sandberget. The hike led beautifully through the forest. From the top you had a beautiful view of the forest and lakes. Just like Sweden is like that.

08/10/2023

This morning was also rainy. So we decided to get away from the bad weather and headed towards the coast, to Umea, a university town. Umea has about 90,000 inhabitants. In Italy we met a German couple who were doing an exchange year there. The city is also very young, the average age is around 47 years. This is the first city we visit since Tromso. All the more we enjoyed just strolling around and shopping. The yield from shopping wasn't bad 😊
Compared to Norway, where almost everything is built of wood, the construction of the houses is a little more of concrete and stone. This is particularly noticeable in the churches.

08/11/2023

Since the weather forecasts didn't promise anything very good, we visited the sculpture park of Umea. There we found some very funny sculptures and works of art. And sometimes we art philistines asked ourselves what art can or should be... We could also be artists. After that we drove south and visited Örnsköldsvik. Örnsköldsvik is a small town with a special skyscraper and a ski jumping training center. We saw the city quickly, so we treated ourselves to coffee and dessert. And then drove to our pitch in Docksta.

08/12/2023

When we got up today we finally saw blue sky again. Even the weather report reported no rain. So we laced up our hiking boots and hiked into Skulskogen National Park, which is part of the High Coast. The High Coast has risen up to 285 meters since the Ice Age. Even today, the area rises about 9 millimeters annually. The hike was beautiful and impressive. However, due to the heavy rains of the past few days, we hiked through streams that were supposed to be hiking trails. After 5 hours and about 13 kilometers we reached the starting point again. We treated ourselves to a wonderful dessert in a pralinerie, well deserved.

08/13/2023

Continuous rain was forecast for today. We drove further south along the coast and visited Sundsvall. Sundsvall has about 58,000 inhabitants and we liked it very much despite the rainy weather. The public library and museum in the four old trading houses were connected with a glass dome and walkways. We loved it. After visiting the city we drove to Sörfjärden, where we moved into our camp for the night. Sörfjärden is on the coast and is a small village.

08/14/2023

After continuous rain, another day without rain followed. We awoke to sunshine and enjoyed breakfast outdoors once again. We used the beautiful weather today to explore the area. Because of the wetness, we laced up our hiking boots again today. We hiked through a nature reserve which offers a variety of beaches, stone paths, swamp paths and waterways. The last two lists are due to the heavy rain. After about 9 kilometers we reached our campsite again. For dinner there was an apple tart. It tasted like home 😊

08/15/2023

Today we set off to visit more emigrants. First there was another town on the program. We toured Hudiksvall. A small town on the coast. Then we drove further inland to Skalsjögarden. Jonas and Sabrina gave us a warm welcome.

08/16/2023

The weather is slowly stabilizing. Here in Skalsjögarden you have a wide range of hikes and other activities. Today we hiked about 7.5 kilometers to a lake. Back at the campsite we dedicated ourselves to our blog and later we will hop into the hot pot to relax 😊

What's next…? Tomorrow we will visit the Falun mining area and then Stockholm is on the agenda.