Excited and relaxed

Last night 2 a.m.: Wilfried has to go to the toilet and leaves the car. A short time later he comes back excited: the sky is full of northern lights! Ooh! There were none announced… I quickly grabbed my cell phone and got out! In fact, much of the sky is covered with shimmering bright green stripes. We watched the spectacle for almost an hour. Then the glow fades and we go to sleep. So some inconveniences (in this case Wilfried's need to urinate) are also good for something (in this case for observing the northern lights).😁

The watch is at 6:30 a.m. We have breakfast, pack up and drive into the deepest tundra to Solberget (which consists of a farm with several buildings and where reindeer have been kept for some time now. Our personal reindeer is waiting for us there with his sleigh. The farm is so secluded that There is no electricity or running water. It is run by a German and a few helpers. There are 4 people: 2 Swedes and we. 2 women, both from Germany, who have settled in the next town, guide us.

First we get to know our reindeer, walk around with them in the enclosure and finally get to harness them to the simple sleigh ourselves.

Then there is an introduction to driving the sleigh, giving commands, etc. It all sounds pretty simple and it is. Our guides go ahead with a sleigh, then Wilfried, then me and then the two Swedes. The lead animal is very young and is only just starting school. It often stops and eats the lichens of nearby trees. Wilfried's reindeer is also quite voracious and often has to be pushed and made to go by shouting “Joi, joi!” You are connected to the reindeer with a kind of leash. With their help you can also drive or stop the animal. Reindeer, especially castrated males that are harnessed to sleighs, are, in contrast to sled dogs, rather quiet creatures. You don't necessarily want to be faster than everyone else and that makes the ride on the reindeer sleigh very relaxing, even a little meditative. You glide through the snow-covered landscape (thank goodness we have fantastic weather around 0°) and really have plenty of time to take in all the impressions.

Here is a short video:

Please mark link and click open.

https://share.icloud.com/photos/00bxW7MkT4wakDxHN9xXbBqcA

We stop halfway. A sheet of metal is unpacked on which a fire is lit. An iron pan is placed on top in which thick slices of the Swedish “national sausage” (it is similar to the extra sausage) will soon fry. There are also Sami flatbreads and hot cranberry juice. Finally, coffee and cinnamon rolls - a good snack. Meanwhile, the two guides tell us very interesting things about reindeer, about life in Lapland and about the life of the Sami reindeer herders.

Then we pack up again, harness the animals and head back to the farm.

We are allowed to feed the reindeer with lichen, say goodbye and drive back to Jokkmokk with beautiful images in our heads and a valuable experience.

Maybe there will be northern lights again tonight...