Lapland Mission Completed!

After three weeks as a "jack-of-all-trades" at Ofelas in Lapland I have now recently returned home. My ex colleagues at Norwegian took very good care of me during the flight between Kiruna and Stockholm-Arlanda. Thanks again! Once airborne it was great to see the sun again after 10 days of Polar night darkness.

As a temporary transfer guide/driver for Ofelas during Nov/Dec, I have covered 2.800 4WD kilometres on snowy roads. The total number of roadside moose and reindeer I have met between Kiruna and Ofelas farm exceeds the number of cars and snowmobiles on the very same road!

Today is Christmas Eve and I would like to take this opportunity to thank all my followers for this year and wish you all a peaceful holiday season and a happy new year.

Lapland Santa's

As promised in an earlier blog and with only six days to go before Christmas eve, it is time to let you meet some of the Santa's I have seen in Kiruna and Jukkasjarvi during the last couple of weeks.

Jukkasjarvi is not only home to the Icehotel

Jukkasjarvi is small village located 17 km east of Kiruna and home to 610 inhabitants and over 1.000 dogs. The name of the village, which is one of the oldest in Lapland, stems from a Sami word that corresponds to "meeting place at the water". In the old days it was in fact an important market place.

The church in Jukkasjarvi dates back to 1726 with an original part built 1607. The church is built in a special timber construction, the only one of its kind preserved in Sweden.

Next to the church, at the old market place, you will find "Sami Siida" - an accessible and reconstructed sameviste. At the outdoor exhibition you can learn about both nomad and modern Sami lifestyle. Arts and crafts are on display and you can sample Sami slow food.

Lapland style lunch by Staffan

Sharp at 9 am this morning I picked up four guests (2 Danes and 2 from the UK) at the Icehotel in Jukkasjarvi. They had booked Ofelas "Moose safari by snowmobile" starting from the farm. During the 35 min transfer by 4WD I explained in Danish and English about Kiruna's ongoing changes. Included in the safari is also a Lapland style lunch served in the farm's stable kitchen. Today I was responsible for preparing the meal for six persons, our 4 guests plus our wilderness guides Kerstin and Sarah. Yesterday I prepared a similar lunch for 15 hungry horseback riders! Today it was a lot easier...

After waving good bye to the snowmobile riders I started to prepare the lunch. Upon  their reurn the riders are given a cup of hot lingon berry juice to warm up. A cup of spicy broccoli soup follows and is served with a choice of rye bread (hard) or polar bread (soft). Main course is smooked moose meat (from a former farm visitor shot in September 2017 by Matti) served together with owen fried potatoes and a woked vegetable mix. Today's dessert: blueberry cake served with whipped cream. Coffee or tea to follow before its time for transfer back to the Icehotel by today's lunch man.

Nikkaluokta, a gateway to Kungsleden

Nikkaluokta is a Sami village locted at the end of the tarmac road from Kiruna, 39 km west from Ofelas farm i Puoltsa. In its vicinity lie the areas of two Sami communities, Laevas and Girjas. Both communities still herd reindeer in the region. My hosts belong to these communities, Kerstin to the former Matti to the latter.

In Nikkaluokta you can stay in a nice mountain lodge, complete with a small grocery store, a slow food Sami restaurant and a chapel - all run by the Sarris, an old Sami family.

Nikkaluokta is famous for:
a) being the starting point for several hiking and skiing trails, including the popular "Kungsleden" (The King's Trail), a hiking trail of approx 440 km (270 miles) between Hemavan in the south and Abisko in the north
b) often being the coldest place in Sweden - when it is -32°C in Puoltsa it could well be -37°C in Nikkaluokta
c) being the starting point for people wishing to climb the highest mountain in Sweden, "Kebnekaise" (Cauldron Crest), 2,096,8 metres (6,882 ft) above sea level.

The winter season is due to start early next year. When I visited Nikka the other day I only met two reideer in front of the lodge. To reach the information hut for the area you had to hike thru meter deep snow...

Smilla - the snowloving dog

Two year old Smilla is the constant companion of Matti, the co-owner of Ofelas farm in Puoltsa. Smilla is a very active young lady and she loves snow, other dogs, her food, people and to go snowmobiling with Matti. Her balance is excellent even when the going gets tough.

A film titled "Smilla's Sense of Snow" gave Matti the inspiration to give her this name. The film had it's premiere in 1997 and is based on the novel of the same title from 1992 by Peter Hoeg, a Danish author.

Smilla is a very successful mix between Border Collie on her mother's side (a famous film actress in two Swedish movies) and Finnish Lapphund on her father's side.

Kiruna - a city in transformation

The world's largest underground iron ore mine is located in Kiruna. LKAB, the mine operator, has approved the opening of a new main level at a depth of 1365 metres. The ore body is shaped like a slice lying at a slant that slopes down at a 60° angle in the bedrock underneath the city. The deformation is moving towards the city centre at a rate of 40 meters per year and will make a large part of the city uninhabitable within 20 years.

Therefore it has been decided that the city centre must move to a new location 3 kilometres east of the city's existing centre. Within the affected area there are 3.200 homes, 750 hotel beds, the entire city centre's commercial district, the majority of public institutions including schools, the hospital, library, the church and around 1.000 jobs. No less than 33% of central Kiruna's population must move - around 6,000 people.

The transformation of Kiruna has already started. The railway line has been moved and the old railway station has been closed. A few historical buildings will be moved to a new location including the wooden church. A new city hall is under construction and is due to open in spring 2018. The landmark clock tower from the old square shaped city hall has been grounded and is now placed in front of the new circular shaped city hall.

Icehotel 2017: Christmas gift ideas

Here are samples of the quality goodies on display at the Icehotel shop located next to the main hotel reception. The spirit of Winter Lapland can be felt in many of the products.

Lapland: Christmas window shopping

This afternnoon I was looking for signs of Christmas in the shop windows in Kiruna city center. At 3 pm it was already dark and snowing - perfect for a city stroll while looking for Lapland style Christmas signs. Since we are 16 days away from X-mas eve, I am saving the various Kiruna santas that I have collected today for a later blog. A very athletic street performer was braving the cold and showing off at the city square. Her audience total: five cold souls - while I continued on my photographic mission for you to enjoy the results.

Iceman on thin ice

Earlier this week, when I visited ICEHOTEL 365, I met this sleepy Iceman hugging his pillow while looking for a place to lay down. I guess that he was looking for his room in the classic (seasonal) section of the hotel. But he was to early! This part of the Icehotel will be opened officially on 15 December at 6 pm. The sleepy Iceman therefore curled up on a chair for a well deserved nap while waiting for his room to be completed.

ICEHOTEL 365 and MR FUZZ

The worldfamous Icehotel is located in Jukkasjarvi next to Torne river, 11 km from Kiruna. The "ice part" of the hotel will always melt down at spring time and a new hotel will be built during early winter for the following season. This practise will continue also in the future. The winter season 2017/18 will be the 28th for the classic Icehotel. In addition to the seasonal part of the hotel a new, permanent 2.100 sq meter facility, ICEHOTEL 365, is ready to welcome guests from far and near.

The year around temperature inside ICEHOTEL 365 will be -5°C and to keep the temperature below zero also in the summertime, a 600 sqm solar panel has been placed on the roof of the ice storage hall. The solar panel will generate 130.000 kWh, more than enough for ICEHOTEL 365 and all the other buildings on the premises.

The Icehotel's famous icebar is now located inside the ICEHOTEL 365. This seasons theme is "fuzzy icecream" and MR FUZZ is keeping an eye on everyone visiting the bar. With direct access from the bar you will find 9 luxurious suites (with private bathroom and sauna) and 11 art suites.