Tue 29.9. Alta - Kautokeino - Karasjok

Morning lots of sun, afternoon cloudy, cold wind, clear in the evening

The coast is behind us now, we are heading south to a center of Sami reindeer husbandry, Kautokeino.

The municipality covers a huge area, the town itself seems somewhat scattered, without a recognizable center. The most interesting thing for us is a visit to Juhl's Silversmith, a now large building for exhibition and sale of silver jewelry and handicrafts.

It started as a single house of the Juhl couple, who as silversmiths transformed the ornaments of the Sami into silver jewelry. Over the decades, the building has been enlarged and the exhibition and sale have been expanded to include other arts and crafts.

On the way to Karasjok, we spend our lunch break at a lake and actually find a very nice beach again. Unfortunately, there is a cold wind blowing, so we continue driving immediately after eating.

Meanwhile, we are in the deepest Lapland, on a hilly high plateau with an area the size of Denmark, the Finnmarksvidda. There are endless lakes, ponds, pools and flowing waters around us - no wonder that there are so many mosquitoes here in summer.

Arriving in Karasjok, we check into our cabin with sauna and take a short bike ride into town.

After two sauna sessions, dinner, and a rest period, we go outside because the sky clears up. We actually see northern lights activity, but it is disturbed by blue-violet laser beams.