Sun, snow, rain and a glimmer of hope

This morning we start from our beautiful campsite with a view of the town of Karasjok

You are not a seed by birth. Anyone who lives permanently in Lapland and feels like a Sami is one. The Norwegian state does not record the number of Sami people. So officially we don't know how many there are. Anyone who wants to be elected to the Sámi Parliament must be able to speak one of the 3 Sámi languages or at least have ancestors who spoke one of these languages. At the same time as Norway's parliamentary elections, the Sámi Parliament, which has existed since the 1980s, will also be elected. In the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, the Sámi were treated very badly by the rest of Norway. They were not allowed to speak their languages and the children were taken away from their parents and given a “Norwegian” education. The Norwegian state has since apologized for this action and when you see the exquisiteness of the Sámi Parliament building, you can believe that this apology was sincere!

After this cultural excursion into Sámi life, we make our way to Alta. This city is by the sea and has a good chance of seeing the Northern Lights. On the way, the sun actually shines and the snow-covered tundra shows its best side. We see a lot of ptarmigan, but you can't photograph them because they are as white as their surroundings and you only notice them when they fly up. A picture of a ptarmigan in this area is a hidden object 😁. But soon it starts to snow and the road conditions are not exactly rosy despite the plow vehicles rushing along.

https://share.icloud.com/photos/07dzkqIOUOLMLQR8tpV3fyrWg

(Please mark the link and then tap “Open ICloud link”)

Wilfried masters all the inclines and descents brilliantly (they happen all the time here) and when we get out at the campsite in front of Alta it suddenly rains quite heavily and we postpone the tour of the city until tomorrow. The weather forecasts give us hope that the roads to the North Cape will be reopened in the next few days. Maybe something will happen with us and the northernmost point of Europe...We'll wait and then decide spontaneously.