Just a few more kilometres till Oulainen. A small town, with about 8000 inhabitants, in the middle of Finland. 830 km up to the Arctic Ocean Coastline and 550 km till Helsinki which is in the south.
We arrive Kanturinkatu No 9. Matti, Lissas dad, already awaits us. We did plan our visit to their house already a few month ago. Now we are here. Originally it was planned that Liisa would come as well, while we are here, but due to holidays in Bavaria, where families with children have the right beforehand for vacation it was not possible. Apart from Elsa and Matti, a few parcels already awaits us from grandma, parents and brothers and sisters. Lots of goodies are in it, from smoked ham over Levercheese and homemade strawberry jam. Certainly we are not starving at all, you remember that we wrote in our last diary ?since days we eat mushrooms from the forest? but it is always nice to have some delicacies from home for a change. In one of the parcels my new camera lens is in, which unfortunately broke on a hiking tour on the Lofot islands
The communication is more with hand and feet, than with our mouth. We do not speak Finnish and Elsa and Matti are not speaking German or English. In Norway and Sweden it was quiet easy for us. The words are very often similar to German and when people spoke slowly it was working out quiet well. But not with the finish language, no chance at all. Well this situation can´t go on like that. Raimund and Matti are going into town to purchase a dictionary ?Suomi ? Saksa? (Finnish ? German) Now our conversations are going better. Later on Matti, the priest of Oulainen is visiting us and he is our translator. Matti, he is about our age, was born in Tansania and lived with his parents for a while in Ethiopia. He speaks fluent English.
See picture in German version: Matti and Michaela
The sanctuary of all finish people is the sauna. Most of the houses have their own one. The importance of a sauna is different then in Germany. It is so to say the expression for Finish lifestyle. It is a place for communication and parties. It is said, that a lot of important business is done in a sauna. The tradition of having a sauna is most probably as old as the Finish people and nobody would have the idea of putting rules onto that tradition. It doesn´t matter, how long somebody is staying in the sauna, how hot the temperature should be, or how long you should do a rest in between having a sauna. The only rule Finnish have is: Enjoy! It even happens sometimes when a group is having a sauna they grill sausages on the sauna oven or drink beer. Matti explains us all about having a sauna. In the afternoon we go into the forest to cut some birch branches which are bind together with another birch branch. In the evening when we having a sauna we punch each other with that branches onto our backsides and legs to open the pore.
See picture in German version: Matti, cooks the elk
Next hurdle. Mass on Sunday morning. While Matti is preparing the Sunday meal, we visit with Elsa the protestant mass which is about the same then in Germany. Back home again we can already smell the elk meat. There will be for lunch minced elk with mashed potatoes and cranberries. As a dessert we have blueberry-raspberry-strawberry soup. All what comes on the table is fresh, either from the garden or the nearby forests, just like the things are in season. Even the potatoes are from Elsas and Mattis own garden. Since now is blueberry season, there is always fresh blueberry juice with our meals. Elsa tells us that they are collecting every year more the 100 Liters of blueberries. 2003 they even had a record year with over 160 Liters of blueberries. Here it comes quiet handy that in the house of the Jussinniemis is a huge fridge where one even can walk inside (like in the gastronomic). Nowhere else we have seen such a fridge in a private household. All the of the harvest of the garden and forest is in here.
In the moment there is harvest in all the forests. You can see the Finnish people spreading out on all the little roads out of the forests. They try to find balance on their bike since they have buckets full with blueberries. The typical sign of this season are deep blue fingers.
See picture in German version: ? even we were going into the forests
In all the supermarkets where one can normally find lots of sugar, the shelves are at this time of the year nearly empty. In all the finish houses people preserve the forest fruits. The winter is long in this part of Europe and to the next harvest it is quiet a while to go.
See picture in German version: Elsa and Michaela are picking blueberries
Matti show us the technique of paddling. We are going to the Piipsjärvi (Lake near Oulainen) set in the canoe and off we go. Both of us are first doing a few rounds with Matti and then he just let us go.
See picture in German version: Matti and Michaela on the Piipsjärvi
Matti says, we should cross the lake and he picks us up with the car on the other side of the lake. That was our baptizing before we paddle tomorrow on the river. A few years ago I did go by canoe with a friend of mine, Amann Reinhard, in the river ?Schwarzer Regen? (Bavarian Forest). Well I have to say we did go more under water then over the water, but this is an old story. A few weeks ago a Swedish told us: A good Indian paddles soundless, when you put the paddle into the water there should be no sound at all.? But till we have reached this point we should do many more paddling. Till now we anyway haven´t seen any Indians in Scandinavia (not till now!) The next day Matti brings us together with the canoe to priest Matti. Priest Matti is for us not a stranger anymore since he helped us in being a translator Priest Matti and his family are living at the Pyhäjoki. Pyhä means holy and joki is river. To the holy river. The mooring is next to Mattis house. There is a strong wind blowing so that the bit of current of the river is holding our canoe more or less move less onto it. We paddle through the reed out of sight of the house and let us flow on the river. Back to the mooring, Ruth, the wife of priest Matti receives us and invites us for coffee. After coffee we are showed round the house which they bought just a few years ago. Before that time they were neighbours to Elsa and Matti
See picture in German version: Michaela, priest Matti, Elsa and Ruth at the coffee table
Ruth, who is the daughter of a priest, tells us, that she actually never wanted to marry a priest. But lots of times future has other plans for us then we would like to have for ourselves. Now they live with their 4 kids (three daughters and a son) on this wonderful idyllic place. The grandfather of Ruth used to be already the priest in this town and they found out that he even used to live just a few meters away where they are living now. Late in the afternoon Matti and myself are driving to the collective and help priest Matti with the shifting of some cloth bags, which are collected in the parish and later go to the 3. World countries.
See picture in German version: priest Matti with family
Two years ago Elsa and Matti did visit Liisa in Munich. At a trip to Andechs they were ordering pork with dumplings. Michaela remembered, that Elsa and Matti liked it a lot. So the idea was born, that I should prepare for them this Bavarian speciality so to say as an souvenir. It should be me who prepares it, since at our home in Germany it was as well always me, who was in charge for the Bavarian dishes. Now we have a problem. How do we get the dumplings from Germany to Finland, since here we definitely can´t buy dumpling dough. We have two possibilities, either we let us send the dough from Germany and hope it is still fresh when arriving or we do the dough by ourselves, but this is the more difficult way, since it takes a long time and I never did it before. To make sure after all that we will have dumplings at all, we ask my mum to send the dough and as well the recipe of how to make dumplings. For our luck the dumpling dough which was send came in ?good health?.

One week we have been guests in Elsa and Mattis home. Tomorrow we want to go further on to the East of Finland, Karelia. Today in the evening we have once more sauna.
Next morning after having breakfast together it is time to say goodbye. Matti once more goes to the garden and makes us another care package: Fresh onions and potatoes.
The next lines are just for Elsa and Matti

? Mieluummin Elsa ja Matti, olemne viihtyneet täällä oikein hyvin.Oikein
paljon kiitoksia kaikesta.Toivottavasti tapaamme pain uudestaan?.

It is already the third week of August and the Summer vacation in Finland are over. School has started this week.
On the big campground we are totally alone. The atmosphere is really strange. Even the nature seems to already have said good bye to summer time. The days are getting shorter and in the evening it is really getting cold. In the morning the windows of our bus are covered by condensed water and the sun has problems to eat the mist above the lakes away.
See picture in German version: Evening sky at the Puruvesi
We are going further south. We follow the border between Finland and Russia for quiet a while till we come to the Saimaa Lake district. The landscape is criss crossed by lakes, islands and peninsulas.
See picture in German version: at the Russian border
The whole landscape is surrounded by endless forests. In this maze we loose track where a lake ends and where a lake starts.
See picture in German version: Lake maze in Southeast Finland, more water then land
The way leads us further over a spit of land through a lake. Suddenly the street ends at the water. But we can see already in a distance on the other side of the island a small ferry boat which brings the few cars over to the island. The ferryman lives next to the ferry and his duty is from 6 am till 10 pm every day. We find a wonderful place next to the beach, surrounded by trees and there we make a small campfire. The nature is with us, all over we find berries and mushrooms. That?s a place to be for a few days
See picture in German version: Nightcamp at Saimaa
Slowly but surely we say good bye to Finland. With our thoughts we are sometimes already in our next countries to come. But a bit of time we still have. There are still 250 km to go to Helsinki, where we are invited from Pävi, a friend of Liisa and our guide in Helsinki as we have been here a few weeks ago with my parents. In Loviisa, a small village at the south coast we walk over an open market. And there, quiet unbelievable, we see an Indian in Scandinavia. If he knows about the quiet paddling, we are not quiet sure about that?!
See picture in German version: an Indian in Scandinavia
In the evening we are at Pävis place. Again we get a terrific meal. Quiche with a filling of reindeer ham. Delicious! Pävi wants us to sleep in her bedroom that we at least would once in a while have a real bed. She herself sleeps in the kitchen. Dear Pävi: ? Paljon kiitoksia!? Unfortunately we have to go out of this comfortable bed already at 5.30 am, to make sure we are in time for our ferry to Tallinn in Estland. The ferry leaves exactly at 8am from the West harbour in Helsinki
See picture in German version
With melancholy we look back a last time. Even with all the mosquito?s it have been a wonderful three month in Scandinavia. We will never forget the beauty of this countries but even more we will always remember about the warm-hearted people leaving here!

The next time we will tell you more about the three Baltic states Estonia, Latvia and Lettland, which have been liberated themselves 14 years ago from the nation prison Sowjetunion.
Have a good time in the meanwhile!

Michaela und Raimund

We are still in the country of Lapland (Sapmi), which is a part of Norway, Sweden, Finland and the Russian Kola Peninsula. We drive from Norway to Sweden, from Sweden to Finland, from Finland to Norway again and that all in three days. Here in the North the border of this three countries are like criss cross, sometimes we don?t even know where we are right now.
See picture in German Version ? a Sami woman
Just on the bigger roads you find signs which tell us, that this is the border. Since a long time there are no more border controls at the barriers. We even gave it up to drive according to our roadmaps. The town signs are bilingual (Samisch and Norwegian/ Swedish or finish) but in the road maps there is standing a third variety. We drive along small settlements of huts and wooden houses. To call them ?villages? would be to much. Mostly they have such exotic names like Aissaroaivi or Beaivvaasgieddi. .
See picture in German version ? near Aissaroaivi
From now on we have much respect for the people living here in the middle of the forests of Lapland. Since one week we are now back again in the forests. First of all we thought: Oh how great, thousands of wonderful places to camp in the wilderness. No where any people around us. No wonder, because this country is so big, that the few tourists which are coming to the North are kind of disappear. We find a wonderful place just for us alone but five minutes later we are gone with the wind. Why, what happened? I am gone to pee, sorry normally I would not go so much into details, but here it is important, and while I am peeing three mosquito?s have been stung me on my ?backside? and at the same time about a dozen try to land on my face. Something like that I never have had in my live, not even in Thailand I had the experience, apart from the evenings but not during the daytime. Now I know, what people mean, when they say, that the inner part of Scandinavia belongs to a bloodsucking beast. But nevertheless we still have to stay in this forests, since it is still a few hunderts of kilometres to drive to the coast. And now comes the best! We have entirely shut the bus, as well the mosquito nets but it seems, that for this amount of mosquito?s even this is not enough. In the beginning we kill one after the other, but after a while we don?t have the nerves for it anymore. Next morning we wake up with about 40 mosquito?s inside the bus. The dead ones are still stuck to the windows as a kind of deterrence, but it did not work. We leave the place like a thunderstorm and drive until there is more wind around our noses because it seems that this is the only thing which the mosquito?s does not like at all. In the next bigger town we buy another mosquito net and meters of Velcro. No wonder that you can get this things easily, not even the natives like the mosquito?s. As well the reindeer are during the summer month up in the north at the coastlines, directly on the beaches.
See picture in German version? Mosquito free zone
But it?s funny, that when you talk to other tourists about mosquito?s, they pretend not to be bothered at all by them and they always just say: ?Well, you get used to it? Either they are just travelling along the coastline or they want to be cool. Funny enough that this people, which are trying to be most cool they have a kind of leprosy or are this maybe scratched mosquito stitches?
See picture in German version ? not even the mosquito?s can do something about, that we enjoy every minute here
We come back onto the road E 6 in Alta, the caravan way of the North cape driver and are part of the convoy of the motor homes, of which thousands of them are here during the summer month. To enter the most northern point, you have to pay an entrance fee. We do not even think about doing this stretch and therefore we save ourselves over 80 Euros (Entrance fee and toll for the undersea tunnel to the North cape) In Skaidi we drive to the left, direction Hammerfest. Shortly before the city of Hammerfest, there stands a model of a huge ice bear to tell everybody ?Hammerfest, the most northern city of the world? In Hammerfest, not a really nice city, we just stay for a short time. But it is interesting to sea all over reindeer. In front of shops, petrol stations and very often they even block the rush hour traffic.
See picture in German version ? Hammerfest
Near of Kvalsund we find a wonderful place to stay with a terrific view over the Fjord, where we stay a couple of days, especially to fix our new anti mosquito system. We go further through the sub-arctic landscape of the Northkinn peninsula on which a few fishing villages lie on a fissured coastline. But before that we come through a grey stone desert and this landscape has it?s own attraction. No trees to be found, no green colour at all. But if you look more close to the rocks, you realize the beauty of nature. Lichen!!! In all different colours, models and sizes.
See picture in German version ? lichen
See picture in German version ? in all colours and models
Shortly before midnight, in another ?darkless? night, we reach Mehamn, which lies directly at Sorfjorden. A simple fisher village, from which you find a lot of them here in the North. Who ever wants to see the typical construction style of North Norway will be disappointed. Russian and Norwegian troops drove out the occupying power of the Germans in autumn 1944 and nearly all of the settlements in North Norway were destroyed by the ?Politics of the burned earth?.
The street lead us another 20 km North till Slettnes tyr, where there stands the most northern mainland lighthouse of the world at 71? 05? 33?? N. The lighthouse is situated 550 km north of the polar circle and at the same latitude as the northernmost point of Alaska. We are right at the coast, covered with a few layers of pullover and jackets and watch the sun as she moves along the horizon of the Arctic ocean. Then some clouds cover the sun and the wind gets cooler. We go back to the bus in our warm beds and fall asleep immediately after a long day, till the heat of the sun wake us up again. It is already lunchtime.
See picture in German version 71? 05? 33?? N lighthouse of Slettnes
In the East of Slettness tyr lies the Varanger peninsula with the village called Berlevag. Bee line between this two settlements is just 45 km, where in-between is just the sea. To go with the car from one to the other village you have to go to Tana Bru and then crosswise over the Varanger peninsula altogether about 350 km. With that kind of streets you need for this stretch about 1 ? day. Well, time we have enough. The second possibility would be by the Hurtigruten post ship, which comes every evening at 8 pm to Mehamn and goes northbound to Berlevag. The crossing takes about 2 ? hours. We calculate which way would be cheaper for us. To go by ferry or to go by car. We don?t have to much of petrol anymore so we definitely have to go first of all to a petrol station. There are two of them here. One is out of order, the other opens ?maybe? on Monday again. So the decision is already taken out of our hands. We take the Hurtigruten to Berlevag. On the waves you can see foam. Sailors speak about rough sea. It is so foggy that we can?t even sea the coastline which is just 1 km far away. The weather don?t change even on the next day. That?s the time when our ?Mobile VW-Bus cinema? comes to action again. We look at DVD?s which we can play on our laptop. Next day the weather has changed. It is a real warm Summer day.
See picture in German version ? Berlevag
The street along the coastline leads us through a bizarre Fjord landscape, which is formed from erosion, cracked rocks and cliffs. Then in contrast we can see bays with wonderful white sand beaches, which easily can coop with the beauty of tropical beaches. In a lot of this bays along the arctic ocean we see ?Ghost villages?. Since the new street construction have been finished more and more people leave their home villages since this is a very inhospitable region.
See picture in German version ? Arctic ocean beach
Now we are coming to the east part of the Varanger peninsula. We drive the E 75, which ends in Vardoe (by the way, the beginning of the Europe street 75 starts on Crete) Vardoe lies on an island and is connected by a 2,9 km undersea tunnel with the mainland. The deepest point is 88 meters under sea level. There are nowadays living about 320 inhabitants on Vardoe. As well in Vardoe lots of people left, to live more south. As in 2001 the government of Norway announced the closing of the airport and the sea radio station, the inhabitants of Vardoe defended themselves. There would have been no more a helicopter ambulance. The next hospital to be reached is in Kirkeness, five hours by car. The town councillor resigned and gave business to the government to the 2500 km far away Oslo. From all over Norway TV camera teams came to Vardoe. The startled state chancellor of Norway did send a state secretary to Vardoe. The politician from the south thought, that the sea radio station with the name ?Vardoe Radio? is a local music station. Airport and sea radio station could stay in the end and even 30 more working places have been developed. A department for national working supervisory body have been moved to Vardoe.
From Mauri we let us bring with a small motorboat to the nearby bird island Hornoya and we arrange that he picks us up 4 hours later. The noise of the 120 000 bird couples is to hear already from a long distance. In that moment we step on the island there is an incredible smell. We pass the first hill and we know now why the smell is so bad. Towers of fecales of the birds. We leave the meal in our backpack, which we brought along with us. We don?t feel like eating at all. The pathway leads us crisscross passed the bird rock towards the lighthouse. The birds are flying in short distances over our heads. Very often we duck our heads. Thousands of birds are starting and landing at the same time from the rock without any collisions
See picture in German version ?ah, like this I have to fly, a small puffin at his flying school
All different kind of birds are living here on the bird islands. Next to cormorant, guillemot and different kind of seagulls most of the birds are puffins. Their real funny way of moving and their big coloured beak let them look like clowns. And, yes they are terrific photo models. In that moment a puffin realize that someone takes a picture of him, he poses. At least we have the feeling that they know. Very well done!
See picture in German version ? puffin
Some part of the islands are closed till the month of August, since the birds are breading. That?s the reason we do not leave the pathways. And now it happens. We both hoped, that it would not happen. Raimund walks in front of me and then he is attacked by a seagull. The seagull comes back and faces with her backside Raimunds head. Bulls eye!! Over his bald head, the neck and his pullover runs a stinky liquid. That was a neat peace of work. Not even a fighting pilot with a lot of electronic could have done better. But this was not all. The seagull comes back and attacks us with her sharp beak. Right away we move backwards out of her way. With binoculars we see know, why she attacked us so hardly. On the pathway to the lighthouse their was sitting her baby after the first flight lesson and could not move any more further. She just wanted to protect her little baby. We go back to the boat which we see already coming. The evening we spend cleaning bodies and clothes. A small street leads us about 40 km more northbound to a fishing village called Hamningberg and here the street ends.
See picture in German version? Hamningberg
Long time ago during fishing season over 6000 people used to life here. Today, the village is uninhabited. Just during the Summer month there is life again, when the owner of the holiday cottages are back to spend their vacation here. A view km outside of Hamningberg we find a wonderful place to stay for the night. In the evening, as we walk along the beach to collect shells, we can watch in 200 m distance about 50 beluga whales. We are really happy after this experience.
See picture in German version? Beluga whales at Hamningberg
After two more days we reach Kirkenes, the last town before the Russian border. On a sign we can read ? Munich 4443 km?. In the harbour a lot of Russian ships with lot of rust on it are anchored here. The Russian flags are blowing in the wind. Russia is not far away! There are just 20 km left to the border itself. We buy some groceries and drive to a nearby campground to take a shower and wash our clothes. Our destiny for the next days is a small village, named Grense Jakoselv, which lies directly at the Russian border. This will be our last time at the arctic ocean and we hope that we will have the chance to see a last time the midnight sun on a cloudless night
See picture in German version ? aureole or hypocritical?
A few hundred meters before the border Storskog, Norwegians only official border to Russia, the street turns left towards Grense Jakobselv. We are surprised that so many cars come to meet us. Because there is nothing else in that village then a chapel, a vicarage and a few empty houses. But today is Sunday and it is definitely worth a trip out here.
See picture in German version ? double seater WC, in the old vicarage at Grense Jakobselv
At the arctic ocean we find a wonderful place for the next three days to camp with terrific view over the ocean. We do small hikings along the coast and the river (in the middle of the river is the borderline to Russia. I try again to catch some fish and surprise Michaela with it, but unfortunately I am not successful.
See picture in German version ? Raimund is fishing
The weather changes a lot. Sometimes we get free showers from the rain, sometimes we sit endless hours in the sun. Nowhere is Norway more German then on the arctic Ocean. On the last day we sit comfortable together in Lissi and Dieters ?Repair truck?, a Mercedes 608D, building year 1977 and just enjoy the moment. We call it repair truck, because Dieter has in his self-made motor home more repairing gear then some of the garages would have. The nice globetrotter are living in D?sseldorf. Horst, a 70 year old man from Pinneberg, who drive alone through Norway, comes as well to sit with us. Everybody of us brings their last bit of alcohol with and it is becoming a real funny evening.
See picture in German version ? great evening in Lissis and Dieters ?living room?
The stationary heating is on since outside it is really cold. Horst tells us a lot of great stories from his time being sailor on several ocean going ships. We sit together till about 2 am and then ? the wind stopped in the meanwhile and the clouds are nearly all gone ? we walk together up to the cliffs and enjoy the marvellous view over the ocean with it?s colourful midnight sun. Then we finally go to bed. Next morning we drive back to Kirkenes. Lissi, Dieter and we decide to drive together the next 550 km towards the Gulf of Bothnia. The border to Finland is not far. We leave behind the forestless area and so more we come into Finland so more forested areas we see. At a lake we stay for another night
See picture in German version ? one of thousand lakes
It becomes a ritual. Motor homes in position, change things for the night, collecting wood, burn a fire and then the easy going life is starting.
See picture in German version?first of all comes the work
Sitting on the evenings at the campfire is the daily highlight. Mostly it is long after midnight that we find our way into our beds, smoked and tired. Today we have the first time mushrooms, picked ourselves from the forests. Waltraud and Rudolf from Berlin are joining us and so everybody just gets a fork and we all eat from the pan full of mushrooms. Well we will have mushrooms the next days more than enough. Here we certainly are more successful then with fishing.
See picture in German version ? lots of mushrooms
Every day we drive kilometre after kilometre through endless forests and lakes. In the evening we camp either at lakes or rivers. This is our schedule for the next days.
See picture in German version ?Camp at the Inari-See (holy lake of the Samis)
Shortly before Rovanniemi we stop at the polar circle. Here the Santa Claus is living. Yes, the real one. He has an own post office and answers together with his helpers year after year about 500 000 letters to all children all over the world. Most of the people don?t know the following: The Santa Claus lives in Rovanniemi, is married and has three children. By the way in the finish language Santa Claus is called Joulupukki. We are back to darkness. It is our first night south of the polar circle. It is the first night that it gets dark again, at least for a few hours per night. We did not thought, that it will be dark so soon. Back at the Gulf of Bothnia we stay together a couple more days.
See picture in German version ? Our night camp at Kemijoki, on the right side Lissis and Dieters red ?Motor home and Repair truck
The last day we camp on a campground so that we can take a shower and more necessarily wash clothes. Dieter, who actually should have been born as a screwdriver, at least found someone who needed his help. Next to us is a Swedish guy who was stucked in fresh tar. Now all over the tyres was fresh tar, which is hard to remove. Dieter is going right away to him and offers help. In his self-made motor home one can find from screws over special tools all kind of things Dieter is not only a superb mechanic as well a fantastic inventor. The VW K?fer of a couple in Brasilia he onetime did change into a functioned motor home. The sympathic 65 year old man is always ready to help. In the time when Lissi and Dieter travelled through Asia, North- and Southamerika he could help quiet often other travellers who where stucked with their motor homes. Even in mission stations he always offered his help for all kind of work. A lot of friendships have turned out of this time and they get still quiet regularly visits from all over the world. When you listen to the two, the wanderlust is getting up high into the red temperature. On our last evening together,r we eat once again mushrooms which we just picked in the nearby forests. There are plenty of them that you even don?t have to search for them just harvest them. Lissi and Michaela are playing a round of badminton, while Dieter and I are watching ?Dick and Doof? on the laptop.
See picture in German version ? Dieter and Raimund enjoy watching ?Dick and Doof?
This was a great time together with Dieter and Lissi. Time passed much to quick. After eight days together we are really sad to leave them. But Lissi and Dieter are going over Sweden back to Germany while we are on the way to Elsa and Matti in Oulainen. Elsa and Matti are the parents of our Finnish friend Liisa, which- as you know by now – lives in Munich.
Ok, that was it for now,
See picture in German version ?

Lots of greeting from the country of the thousands (mosquito)lakes.

Michaela und Raimund

Dieter explain us how easy it is with the Swedish health system. If you are ill, you go to the doctor and pay your bill right there to the yearly limit up to 900 Euro. Whatever is over this amount the government take care about. He also goes into raptures about the people here in Sweden which are always ready to help. Dieter and Silvia (in their 50th) know what they are talking about, since they left Germany last year for good with their three dogs all the way from the Black Forest (south-west of Germany) and emigrated to Kornsj?garden in North of Sweden. They are running a campground and as well a small restaurant where Dieter, a passionate chef ? is serving specialities from the Black Forest. An idyllic place they have chosen. We stay here two days in which we do our necessary laundry and clean up our bus before we are heading North through the forests of Norway.
See picture in German version ? Forests, rivers and lakes
The colour green in all shades is mandatory again in our all day travel. We drive from the Bottnic Bay at the Swedish North coast to the North sea at the Norwegian Northwest coast. 500 km just forest, rivers and lakes.
See picture in German version ? somewhere in Sweden
Mostly in the morning or evening hours we are visited by a vast amount of mosquito?s. Some days you can cop with it and they don?t bite as much, some days you don?t know what to do. You have the feeling they want to eat all of your body. Even the reindeer flee during the summer month to the coastline or up the mountains. You have to give lots of blood for the beauty of the North.
See picture in German version ? not even mosquito spray is helping
But on the other side we see a animal kingdom which pays out a lot. Quiet often we can watch reindeer grazing on the plateaus. They belong to the family of deer but are smaller then their relatives in middle Europe.
See picture in German version ? Reindeer
We take the street E 12 to Fosnacken and decide for a side road. After a while there is no asphalt anymore just road metal. A real dusty business which lasts fort he next 200 km till the border to Norway. Here at the border there is no border guard, no sign, nothing at all. But suddenly the streets are made of tar again. And now the king of the North say hello to us. Right next to the street there are three grazing elks. Nothing on this earth can disturb them. Happily we can send Heinz after all the promised picture about an elk. (Heinz guarantee no zoo picture!)
See picture in German version ? the king of the North
In the evening we reach the coastline at the North sea and enjoy after five days forest the wide view onto the sea.
See picture in German version Finally far-sightedness
The first time since we are on the road the temperature is getting unbearable. This kind of climate we actually just know from movies from Africa or from previous phone calls back home to Germany. Already since five days it is lasting now. Our VW-Bus becomes a sauna. During the day we try to hide in the shade or at a cooler place.
See picture in German version ? Cooling down in a mountain creek
We have no problems with the constant broad daylight. Around 2 or 3 am we mostly go to bed and get up around 8 am again. The body cop with it quiet easy and does not need any more sleep. We drive further on towards Mo I Rana, a rather ugly industrial city, where we meet an acquaintance of Michaela. Then we go further direction to the Lofot Islands. We have passed the polar circle. A sign ?Welcome to the Arctic? stands here. But none of us two ever thought that it can be as hot in the Arctic. Around 0.15 am we reach with a ferry the Lofot island Moskenesoya. The island state of the Lofoten goes far out into the North sea. The mountains are rising right out of the Sea and are not to compare with any other mountain range.
See picture in German version ?in the background the peaks of the Lofoten
Here you meet any kind of outdoor people: from the fishermen to the mountain climber. Since our last visit seven years ago, a lot of things have changed, concerning the traffic net. They have build tunnels and new road layouts. Butt his was more then necessary, since the tourism have tripled since then. The five largest islands are connected with either a underwater tunnel or bridges. For the smaller ones there is a frequent ferry running.
See picture in German version ? The houses gloom in the midnight sun
Skrei (spawning cod) which is caught during the winter fisheries is the most important for the industry. Fishermen from all over Norway take part in the Lofot Fisheries and stay for this time in fisher huts which are called Rorbuer and build on wood into the sea. In Summertime this Rorboer are rented to the Tourists.
See picture in German version ? Fisher huts on Sakrisoy, water like in the South pacific
As well we try to fish after everybody told us ?that even the blinds would catch fish right away?. Perseverance we brought with us along, but still we have to go after a good while into a supermarket to have some steaks instead of fish for our barbeque.
See picture in German version ? on Moskenesoya)
Thomas, a biker from Regensburg, him we met yesterday, comes in the morning for a cup of tea and tell us the last news from our ?old? native town, before he leave us again. (?Thomas, we hope you did got save home again?)
See picture in German version ? Thomas from Regensburg
The weather god can?t hear our moaning and groaning anymore about the heat. So therefore after six days we get from one extreme into the other. Since a couple of days now it is raining cats and dogs and the wind comes from every direction. On top of it it?s cold and misty. We realize how difficult it can be ? weather wise -, to call a bus our home since we still can remember the bad weather from the Shetland Islands.
See picture in German version ? on Vestvagoy
We meet Karen on the ferry from Bodo to the Lofoten islands, a native from Norway, which leaves already over 30 years in Sweden. She grew up on the island of Vaeroy and is on the way to visit her mother and two brothers. Karen did invite us for a cup of coffee when we would come over there. The island of Vaeroy is the last island of the Lofoten and just to reach either by ferry or helicopter
See picture in German version ? fascinating mountain range
The weather is not getting better at all. After a few days, in which we thought it will change we decide to continue our travel and phoned Karen to tell her that unfortunately we can not manage to come. We travel further up north into the forests of the Northland where we came from, a week ago. Our next destination is Lappland, which stretches over four countries: Norway, Sweden, Finland and the Russian Kola peninsula. About 70 000 people of the natives of North Europe are still living all over this four countries. They call themselves Sami, Samit or Sameh and the country itself Sapmi. By the way, it is an insult to call the people of Lappland: Lappen.
See picture in German version ? Sami-girl in her traditional dress
The breeding of reindeers is still one of the main income of Lappland. But just only a few Sami still live like their ancestors in Lavvu (tents) and wander around with their reindeer from place to place.
See picture in German version ? Lavvu, the tent of the Samish people
The modern breeder of reindeer is doing his work with a motor slide and always having a cell phone with him. As well helicopters are of big help when they get the reindeer together. Fur of Reindeer and other handcraft you can buy all over Lappland on the main traffic roads. Some of the Samish people are living during the summer month in tents right next to the streets and while they are selling their goods they even wear their old traditional dress. This dresses are nowadays just worn on festivity days or on big meetings. But there are exceptions to the rule. In Kautokeino we saw yesterday at the supermarket two women with their traditional dresses.
See picture in German version ? somewhere in Lappland
Well that was it again from us from Lappland
Till next time

Raimund and Michaela

After so much cold and rain the last days here on the Shetland Islands, we don´t hesitate to leave them now direction Norway. The ferry which comes from Iceland, will stop tonight the very first time in Summer 2005 on the Shetland Islands. Since we have gas canister in our bus, there is a control at the check in, to ensure, we definitely have shut off the canister and even if the gas line is disconnected to the canister. In that moment as I want to close the back door of the bus, I feel a horrible pain, which goes through my body like a lightening. Suddenly I can´t move down my left arm. Something in my back is not right. With a stretched out arm I try to get on the passenger seat. This does not work out without the help of Michaela. Behind us there is already a long queue of cars. Michaela drive our bus onto the ferry. In that moment I try to move myself in another direction it hurts. What shall we do? Going back onto the Shetlands, or stay on board and hope there is a doctor who could help to release me from my pain. Staying back would mean we have to wait another week till the next ferry leaves to Bergen, to tell them on the ship at first about my situation would mean the Captain would send us right away back off the ship. We decide to stay onboard and will ask them after we set sail, if there is a doctor on board. It is already 10 pm when the ferry leaves the harbour of Lerwick direction Bergen on the west coast of Norway. The crossing takes 14 hours which means we should be in Bergen around lunchtime next day. Michaela get me in to our booked couchette where there is place for 10 persons altogether. I try to get myself on the mattress on the very bottom. This works not as good as I thought it would. I kneel on the floor, the upper part of my body lying on the mattress. For me this way of resting is in the moment the most comfortable way and I wait for Michaelas return. She is gone to ask whether there is a doctor on board or not. Now an elderly English couple comes in the couchette. I am sure they think I am drunk, since this route with the ship is much favoured by the Norwegians as a „Party route“ (Alcohol in Norway is extremely expensive) But honestly to say I don´t care what say think about me, apart from that I can´t really look at them. Michaela comes back, with for me the horrifying message “There is no doctor on board” But they will check, if there is one among the passengers. Since it is nearly midnight, we have to wait till tomorrow morning. We decide to take a double cabin for us alone. I am happy as we enter the cabin, since I know, now we are alone. It is an inside cabin without window, but still you can hear how strong the wind is outside. The ship starts moving more and harder. An empty glass falls off the table and Michaela take all loose things away. In the cabin next door, we hear a few things rolling for- and backwards and lasts for the rest of the night, so this cabin might be empty. I am awake till the morning then the sea gets calm again. Michaela goes back to reception to hear what is all about. But no, there is no doctor found. But the lady at reception gets hold with the ships agent at Bergen and he will upon arrival give as an address of the nearest doctor. I am resting on the bed in our bus, while Michaela drives criss cross through Bergen City. At the first hospital we stop, we do not know if this is that on which we´ve been told neither it interest us, and rush into it. Michaela coordinates everything. At the waiting room there are at least 25 people. But god thanks we don´t have to wait so long. With my arm high up I go through the room, while people look a bit strange at me. The doctor tell us, that most probably it is a pulled muscle and it all presses on the nerves. He gives me a receipt for tablets to relief the pain and more he says he can´t do. I demand he should give me a injection “ the tablets are just as good they may need a bit longer then the injection”. I am quiet unsatisfied with it. We find ourselves a place to be for the next few days on a campground, in one of that hats you can rent in Norway. Slowly the pain is getting at ease. Day after day, I can move my arm down again a bit more. From Erna, a very special lady and being a physiotherapist, which the owner of the campground have been recommended to us, I get a full treatment, which helps me to live and walk quiet normal again.
But now time is running. Already on the Orkney Islands we booked a flight for Michaela with Ryanair from Oslo to Salzburg, since our Wireless Lan of our Laptop is not working from the beginning of our trip. In Great Britain we gave our Laptop three times to different companies but nobody could solve the problem. The brother of Michaela, which lives with his family next to Salzburg did coordinate all in advance, so in that moment Michaela would come there, the Laptop could go right into reparation since the flight back would just be five days later.
We now had still five days to go, till Michaela would leave and certainly in this moment we were not quiet sure, if I could manage all by myself when Michaela is gone. My condition was coming back, but slowly. We drove from Bergen to Oslo over Europe’s highest plateau, the Hardangervidda, where on the 6th of June in 1000 m height still was about 1 meter of snow.
See picture in German version …at the Hardangervidda Winter is still there even in Summer time
Slowly I have to get used to driving again and therefore I do some stages from about 30 km. We reach our destination Sandefjord, south of Oslo, where there in the near the airport of Ryanair is situated, one day ahead of time. Now it is clear, that I can manage without Michaela for the next five days. Next day in the morning I bring Michaela to the airport where she is flying over London onto Salzburg.
See picture in German version … Departure to Salzburg
At the airport I discover German Newspapers. The first in nearly three month. I buy them all. One Süddeutsche, one Frankfurter Allgemeine and one already four days old BamS. My yearning for German newspapers is huge and the next days I have plenty of time to read them. I stay a couple more days in Sandefjord, where I find myself a wonderful secluded place at the coast. This is the perfect place to recover.
See picture in German version … Islandgarden of Sandefjord
Michaela´s return flight is booked to Stockholm, since just two days later Anni and Heinz, Michaela´s parents are visiting us and will also arrive in Stockholm. So I drive the about 530 km in a very relaxed manner from Norway towards Sweden till the East coast. This forested area is sparsely settled and I come along wide lakes. I see a lot of elks — but just on traffic signs. The premiere for my first elk is still to come.When Michaela arrives she ask me right away, if I have already seen an elk. I tell her about my “Sense of achievement”. We decide, that one of us, which see the first elk, have to get from the other one Maß beer (liter of beer).
see Picture in German version: Where are the elks?
Michaela comes back without the Laptop. Michaela and Christian have been running around the last days all just because of this “stupid thing”. From one specialist to the next one. They found the defect but it could not be done in that short time left. But this is not a big deal. Anni and Heinz will bring them with in two days time. We would like to take the opportunity to thank you, Christian, once more again, we do know that all of your work stayed behind, just to help us solve the problem. Thanks again for your helpfulness. And thanks as well for the updates on our Laptop. A “Lapin Kulta” (Lappland cold) on you.
Today in the evening at 10.45 pm Anni and Heinz will arrive. The time till there we spend with searching for elks. But even today we have no success.
See picture in German version … Woolen gras in the evening light
Punctually at 10.45 pm, it is still light, we welcome Anni and Heinz at the arrival hall. Heinz is full of words for the magnificent view down to the countless lakes and enormous forested areas.
See picture in German version ….countless lakes and forests
We drive onto a campground where Anni and Heinz will spend the night in a small hut. We sleep like usually in our bus. Next day the sun gets us out of our sleeping bags quiet early. For today we don´t really have a plan and so we drive criss cross through the countryside. God thanks in this area are not so many churches, since Heinz would like to stop at everyone of them.
See picture in German version … Michaela, Anni and Heinz
Some of the churches we can even visit from inside. Most of the churches here are during working days closed. So even Heinz is satisfied now. In the evening we come to a small village named Grisslehamn, where it is quiet busy at the harbour. A few men and women wear historical dresses. We get to know, that tomorrow the yearly historical sailing regatta to the far Aland Islands takes place. About 40 boats will attend this regatta and the crossing will take about 4 – 6 hours. The crew of the old sailing boats exists of four persons which all will be dressed historical
See picture in German version …historical sailing regatta towards the Aland Islands
This happening we would not like to miss and so we decide to go with the ferry to the Aland Islands for the next two days. The Aland Islands exists from over 6500 islands and rock formations and lie between Sweden and Finland. They are an autonomous area, belong to Finland but the main language is Old-Swedish. Next morning we are already onboard the ship when the sailing regatta starts. The ferry accompanies the first few boats and sets on sail then itself. The next two days we drive through the mainland of Aland. Once in a while there is as well a church for Heinz.
See picture in German version Family Robinson to camp on the Aland Islands
Back on the mainland on the next day the actual highlight of our travel together is waiting for us. Therefore we have to start with the story in the beginning for all of you not knowing Liisa. Liisa is our Finnish friend. Michaela and Liisa did work and lived together in a cabin on the sea going ship „MS Vistafjord“ 17 years ago. After this time, Liisa did go back again to Finland, just to return a few years later in Germany-Munich where she again lived together with Michaela till we met each other. Liisa still works and lives in Munich and she is an integral part of the Mark-Clan.
See picture in German version Bild … Evening sun in the North
When Liisa got to know that Anni and Heinz do visit us in Stockholm, spontaneous she booked a ships travel from Stockholm to Helsinki and back again with a personal guide in Helsinki. As we heard about that we could not believe it. What a surprise! One thing we can already tell ahead of time: it was a unique experience for all four of us. First of all we loose our way in Stockholm. Finally we come to the harbour. Bad luck, it is the wrong harbour. Back to the Stockholm traffic chaos till the next harbour. This time we can already see from far away the big ship of Viking Line.
See picture in German version … with the Viking Line ship to Helsinki
At 5 pm the ship departs and will arrive Helsinki at 9.30 am. As we enter our cabin (this time with window) we get the next surprise: a bottle of champagne, four glasses and a greeting card from Liisa and Ari.
More then three hours it takes to pass by ship the complete island garden of Stockholm. Again and again we see the small islands with the colourful houses on it from up ther,e 35 m above sea level, from the sundeck. The deep standing evening sun is colouring the islands in a very special light. The whole night it is not getting dark in this part of the world, at this time of the year. So we see the same sun, which we left behind yesterday since there is never a sunset. Pävi, a friend of Liisa, which lives in Helsinki, awaits us at the exit. She did take a day off for us to show us Helsinki. From the harbour we go on foot over the market, further on to the cathedral and then into the inner city of Helsinki. Then we continue our sightseeing tour by streetcar.
See picture in German version … the cathedral of Helsinki
Passed the Olympic stadium and back to the inner city where Ari, a friend of Liisa, booked a table for us in a restaurant with specialities from Lapland. We have grilled reindeer, bear salami, air dried elk meat, lax from Lapland and as a dessert cheese from Lapland in hot cinnamon cream, with it the arctic berries.
See picture in German version … Lappländische Spezialitäten)
After this delicious meal we go back to the ship where we have to say Good bye to Pävi.
See picture in German version … We say good bye or better see you again Pävi)
Next day we arrive Stockholm at 9.30 am.
Now we would like to take the opportunity as well in the name of Anni and Heinz to say thank you to you, our dear Liisa. You have served us two wonderful terrific days, which we will definitely remember for the rest of our life. As well to you a “Lapin Kulta”. A warm thank you certainly to you Pävi and you Ari to make this surprise come true.
The last day we start relaxed. We believe that even Anni and Heinz did got the Elk fever They keep looking just like we do, on and on and on. But unfortunately no elk.
It has been a fantastic week for every one of us. We now say good bye to Anni and Heinz at the airport and promise, that we will send them a picture from the first elk we see.
We travel further up North. Just after a few meters we entered the motorway, we see while we are driving on the right side next to a bridge our very first elk. Immediately Michaela gets on the cell phone per sms “Elk alarm”. Reply to this “Where is the picture”
See picture in German version … till next time