Day 7 of the trip

It promises to be a good day: it's not raining. We visit Santa Claus Village, as Lapland was declared so by the Parliament in 1972. It's quite nice to see the helpful elves buzzing around and wrapping presents that can be purchased in various souvenir shops. You can also talk to Santa Claus and get a photo if desired. We skipped both.😉 Our journey continues. Inari is the destination. On the way there, which passes through forests and lakes, we are greeted by reindeer from a natural distance, as we are in the motorhome. Along the way, we often encounter Hermann and Hans-Willi with their tractors. They chug along the roads at 30 km/h until they reach the North Cape. Before reaching Inari, we visit the open-air museum in Sodankylä. It is always fascinating to see how people lived hundreds of years ago. In this town, the oldest wooden church in Lapland stands from 1689. As you know, such a trip costs money. That's why we try our luck in Tankavaara to pan for gold, but without success. Off-season and the gold is already gone!!! However, it was interesting to see this old gold mining town. We reach Inari around 7 p.m. and look for a place to spend the night. It's more difficult than expected. Forget about being able to park anywhere for the night. The few camping sites don't open until June, they are not willing to compromise when asked, or they simply want to 'rip you off'. So the only option left for us is the local parking lot.

Good night🤔🚐