Jurgen Freund’s pictures of a baby turtle, a barrel sponge and other beauties of the deep have been released to back environmental campaigners the WWF. Read the rest of this entry »
We didn’t last very long, we had managed a couple of hours sleep & even with hand and feet warmers Abbey woke up shivering. It was 4am and time to call it a night. Although I was pretty snug and warm, I struggled to get much sleep. We retreated back to the lodge and jumped into our warm bed.
So inviting and warming was this bed, we managed to sleep through the alarm and miss breakfast. Hungry again we suited up and made our way down the valley to a small cafe for some brunch, it wasn’t nearly as good as the Scandinavian breakfast we had at the lodge but it filled a hole!
Just across the bridge was the small Swedish town of Karesuando. We were on the northern border of Sweden & could see the village across the Muonio River from the lodge. Most notably seen is the church, it’s spiral can be seen from the top of mountain that we had been star gazing the night before.
After a short walk we came to the bridge, with it an old iron sign marking the divide. The river was frozen solid with a thick layer of ice, if it weren’t for the ski, snowmobile and footprints it would have looked like the icing on a cake. People were free to cross the border without any checks, a bit like England and Wales really.
Our first stop was to the church, which we learnt is the most northerly church in all of Sweden! It was quite modern inside, I wasn’t allowed to take photos but it was more like the happy clappy churches you get in America. From the outside however it stood tall and proud at the top of it’s drive, overlooking the river.
There wasn’t a great deal going on in the village, a couple of shops and residential areas but that’s it. It was very pretty though and nice to walk around. The only people we saw were those serving in the shop, a bit if a ghost town. They are probably hibernating, which I don’t blame them for, it’s freezing!
After lunch came the activity I was most looking forward too, Husky safari! Saying I am dog lover is an understatement, I adore them, especially huskies! As we approached the farm you could hear them howling with excitement, they had 92 in total including a few pups. Most of them are crossbreeds, either with greyhounds for speed or arctic wolves for strength. People think its cruel making huskies pull a sleigh but I can honestly say they genuinely love it. The sleighs are tied to a tree with a pack of six huskies tied to the front, they with howl, jump, spin round in circles until we finally until the sleigh and whoosh they are off! The two at the back are usually the matured males, wolf cross breads for strength, they do most of the work, the middle two are younger, very cheeky but hard workers. The front are usually female, they are the more intelligent ones who can lead.
They were pretty easy to steer, a bit like riding a bicycle, you lean the way you wish to turn and you have a foot break. On the up slopes you have to give the dogs a helping hand and push the sleigh.
After two hours out in the wilderness it was time to day goodbye, we were introduced to the leader of the farm, Roy! He looked like a St Bernard’s but was a cross of some other breeds. He looked like a huge White fluff ball, a mini polar bear almost. If any of the heard were to escape he would herd them back into the kennel.
That evening it was time to unwind and relax, the first night we could have a good sleep. We curled up in front of the fire in the Sami lounge, with beer in hand and enjoyed sharing stories with the other guests.
Cheers!
A loud rumble awoke me, I had only been asleep a few hours since arriving from Tromso. We were greeted by Sue and shown to our room, large wooden beams and a warm soft bed awaited us which we took full advantage of. The rumbles continued, they were subtle at first, but after more than 16 hours since our last meal the rumbles grew louder & louder!
Breakfast was a gods send, a full English Scandinavian style. Having settled the hunger, we retreated to the Sami lounge where Ian welcomed us to his hotel and gave us a bit of history. The lounge we were sat is was named after the native Sami’s, who are Europe’s northernmost and the Nordic countries’ only officially indigenous people.
A Sami family in Norway around 1900
Having been welcomed to the Davvi Arctic Lodge, our holiday guide, Greta, lead us down to fetch out thermal snow outfits. Neither of us were expecting the sheer extent of the sub zero temperatures. It was minus 26 out and my nostril hairs instantly turned to ice. After just 5 minutes I had lost feeling in my hands, feet and ears. That will teach me for going outside in nothing more than jeans and a rugby shirt!
Abbey enjoying her thermal suit!
We spent the rest of the afternoon dressed like Michelin men, layered up to the neck exploring the Davvi Artic Lodge and it’s surroundings. You could hear a pin drop it was quite surreal how quite it was, there was not a human, bird or vehicle in sight. We trekked up to the top of the hill and through the woods to discover a gleaming full moon surrounded by a bed of purple and pinks. Although by 5pm the night is drawing in we were too early to see the northern lights so we took a look around and made our way back to the lodge for dinner.
A night spent gazing at the stars
The food here was fantastic, warm hearty food full of nutrients and protein. Flavorsome soups to start, roasted or stewed meats for main and rich sweet deserts. The beer was pretty good too, I’m not a massive larger drinker in the UK as I find it usually tastes of chemicals, but when on the continent I enjoy a good bottle or two of the local brew, this one of which was called Koff, which the most popular of beers in Finland.
Tonight was the night in the Igloo, sleeping among the stars and spirits of the Arctic Circle under a thick wall of ice. Abbey was not looking for to it, she gets cold under her 3 large quilts and full PJs when it’s not even in the minuses at home so not sure how she will cope in the igloo.
It’s been a steady -24 degrees for most of the day, with temperatures dropping to around minus 30 in the evening. We were reassured it would be a warmer -5 in side the igloo, so with our full Artcic thermal gear on, including 3 pairs of socks, 2 pairs of long John’s and 10 other layers covering everything else we made our way into the igloo. A candle lit snow trail awaited us guiding us to our front door. We were passed our hot chocolates and climbed into our arctic sleeping bags resting on the ice mattress. I felt rather snug inside, my body heat slowly warmed the sleeping bag and felt safe in the knowledge I was warm. Abbey on the other hand, didn’t feel the same reassurance. She was shivering from the word go, I could just about see two eyes poking through the thermal layers.
Our bed for the night!
So on that note, its time to snuggle up & get warm or face another sleepness night.
Hyvää yötä!
I would be lying if I were to tell you Abbey & I were always punctual for things, Abbey is usually the one to blame, realising she hadn’t packed her suitcase just before we set off to Edinburgh last Valentines is a good example. This time, however, I decided we would be very punctual, so very punctual in fact that we got to the airport over 5 hours before our flight was due to leave. I don’t truly believe it’s fashionable to be late for things but in this instance, having done the rounds of every shop at least twice and eaten enough food to feed a small army, I am starting to believe Abbey’s knack of making us late actually has it’s uses.
For those of you stuck in a similar situation to me, here are a few time wasting ideas:
The flight to Tromso in Norway was delayed for 45 minutes, so that gave us a little longer to shop just incase we missed anything in our previous rounds. I’ve never been to Scandinavia before, its always been on my to go list, but more the Heidsinki and Stockholm city breaks rather than a visit to the Arctic Circle. I am, however, very lucky to have won a 4-night holiday to Lapland thanks to the guys over @transun and will soon be enjoying a very relaxing & rather chilly holiday to the remote wilderness of Finland.
I have always been mesmerised by the beauty the Arctic holds, especially during the winter when the Northern Lights can be seen in all its beauty across the snow frosted mountains. From a husky safari to a night in an igloo this was sure to be an incredible experience, with my various pairs of colorful long johns packed and my camera at the ready, it’s now 4am local time and we are climbing the various mountains through southern Norway into Northern Sweden. In 3 hours time we will arrive in the remote wilderness of Karesuvanto in Finland for a few hours sleep at the Davvi Artic Lodge before our adventures begin…
Number 19 on my life’s to-do list has just become a reality! (yes I actually have a list, I will blog about it one day)
Not once in my life have I EVER won anything! Actually, I lie, I won £5 at a horse racing night at my local football club when I was 12.. i was also the bookie - go figure! Read the rest of this entry »
In recent weeks, reading through Photography Monthly and Amateur Photographer I have seen the rise of HDR photography. Having not done it before and reading more about this technique in Bryan Peterson’s Field Guide book, I decided to give it a try on my trip to the Maldives. And here are the results:
Wow! Just wow! No words can explain how perfectly amazing this part of the world really is. There’s something magical about these tiny islands. The isolation… the privacy… wonderful beaches and complete solitude.
In my two weeks on Sun Island, just south of Male in the Maldives, my camera saw plenty of action. Here is just a snippet of the adventures and the beauty. To see the entire gallery, please visit my flickr: www.flickr.com/bekids
Our mode of transport to Sun Island
Sun Island, Maldives
The Pool & the Bar
Flying Summer
The Pier, the Villa & the Italian
Hermy the Hermit
Walking in Paradise
By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.
