Beyond the Arctic Circle

Traveling in Scandinavia is a bit like traveling to Alaska. When you start out in the Lower 48 you have lots of routes to choose from, but by the time you get into Canada heading north, the routes start to merge and there are only a couple of ways to go. We originally thought we’d drive all the way through Finland to Norway, but once we decided to go to Stockholm, we had to rethink our route to include Sweden.

Of course, we are not pioneers here, there are so many others who have made this trip and took the time to document not only their routes, but also the places they stayed. We followed Shani and Todd’s route through Sweden, because like us, they enjoy staying at marinas and had found a few along the east coast. From there, we could either go left and into Norway, or turn right and head through Finland. We chose the latter and turned once again to Our Tour, the wonderful and informative blog of Jay and Julie Buckley who were on this route in 2016. In these two resources we were not led astray and we are grateful to have such good information at our fingertips.

Our first stop out of Stockholm was not a very exciting one, but it was at least productive. We stayed in the IKEA parking lot in Birsta, just north of Sundsvall. In most countries we have been traveling through, the IKEA stores have been closed for shopping, only online orders and pick-up was allowed. But in Sweden everything is open and I was so ready for new rugs for Bijou! We made our fastest trip ever through IKEA and after dropping off our purchases we headed back inside the store to eat dinner.

Back at Bijou I realized we were parked just a few meters away from the Coop grocery store. Since I was expecting to shut off my fridge on the ferry crossing I had been very careful not to load up on fresh food. I still had a few more things on my list I wanted to buy before we got into Norway, the most expensive country in all of Europe. Remember all those black beans and rice I brought from the States? And the Rosti? Yeah, we’re gonna eat all that stuff in Norway. And whatever else I have squirreled away over the previous months.

I left Steven behind and off I went. From the looks of the store on the outside I was not expecting much, but wow, once inside it opened up into a huge, well-stocked dreamland of a grocery store! I had a ball roaming around and did manage to buy what I went in there for, which was stuff for chili, spaghetti sauce and pork chops. I wanted to cook all this up and have it in the freezer so we could have a hot meal after a long day of travel. Needless to say, when we hit the road the following morning, every nook and cranny in Bijou was stuffed with grocery goodness.

By the time we reached our next marina in Täfteå, Steven was feeling a little claustrophobic. I had a few bits and bobs stuffed in front of his chair and on our bed so we had to move a bunch of things before we could do anything. That makes it hard to even move around. I was feeling the same, so I went to work cleaning and reorganizing.

By the time we reached our third stop, the marina in Luleå, I had a couple of bags of stuff to get rid of. Luleå was a perfect place because they had a big kitchen for use by boaters and RVers. I left behind some nice containers and dishes, which I was happy to get rid of. It opened up lots of room so that I could put most things away properly rather than in and around our chairs and bed. Now Bijou was feeling more comfortable and less crowded.

We stayed two nights at the marina in Täfteå mainly because they had a great washer and dryer and it was free to use. I always try to take advantage of these facilities because I never know when the next opportunity will come along again. I guess on some level I kind of obsess about laundry because that night, after I washed our sheets, I had a dream that I found a set of self-cleaning sheets for $49.99. I was going to buy them but Steven suddenly intervened and said, “Absolutely not. We are not buying another thing, under no circumstances, we have to stop spending so much money!” No amount of pleading on my part would change his mind and I was pretty upset. (Who wouldn’t be, right? Self cleaning sheets!!) Next thing I know we are in a limo ($$?) speeding down the highway. For some reason this limo had window ledges and I was initially horrified to realize Steven’s camera was sitting outside on the ledge. When I brought this to his attention, he cursed and started to lower the window to make a grab for it, but before he could get to it the camera just flew off the ledge. I looked at him wide-eyed and said, “Whooops!” I knew it was now dawning on him just how much of a steal those self-cleaning sheets were and he had a look of regret all over his face. I was really looking forward to hearing him justify the purchase of a new camera but I woke up. Darn it! I thought the whole thing was hilarious so I woke Steven up to tell him about it. He thought it was pretty funny, too.

The marina at Luleå also had a free washer and dryer, but we were all caught up! Luleå was a great place to get some things done before heading off into Finland. One of those things was a cut and color for me. Now, we’ve heard over and over how expensive things can be in Scandinavia, but in my wildest dreams, I never thought to even ask how much this service was going to cost. I should have, because I ended up paying over twice what I’m used to and that was not including a tip or the three products I purchased. Holy crap, I am missing those prices at the spa in Krakow! To his credit, Steven didn’t blink at the expenditure, so maybe he’ll get a new camera someday after all. 🙂

Due to all the organizing, cooking, cleaning, shopping and pampering, we stayed for four days at the Luleå marina. This place is extremely popular but it only has 10 spaces. The day we got there, we just wheeled in and parked up in one of the two open spaces. Ten minutes later the last space was filled and from that moment on rigs came every few minutes, only to turn around and leave. It was that way for the next four days. We felt kind of lucky to have gotten a space so easily.

Luleå was our last stop in Sweden, so on our departure day we crossed the border back into Finland without issue and turned north. Our stop for the day was Rovaniemi, the capital of Finnish Lapland and where we reached the Arctic Circle. There was a huge Santa Village with a post office, plenty of souvenir shops and clothing stores. We accidentally got in the short line to see Santa, but we escaped before one of us had to sit on his lap.

In normal times this village would be packed with tourists and the parking lots filled with tour buses. During our visit, however, the place was a ghost town. The huge parking lots were nearly empty save for a few motorhomes that were staying overnight, as we did. Even though there was plenty of space to park, most of us gathered at the far end of the lot, because at the other end was Christmas music piped through loudspeakers 24/7 and nobody wanted to deal with that!

The highway through the north of Finland, E75, is a pretty good one. It’s just a two-lane road, but it’s plenty wide and in good shape. There is one section that for some reason has shoulders that were as wide as the road itself. It looked like a runway! Steven had mentioned that he’d like to have a go at driving Bijou and this seemed like as good a spot as any.

As most of our readers probably already know, I do 99.9999 percent of the driving, including our big rig, Scoopy, when we were traveling in the U.S. Steven’s job is that of navigator which, until we got a GPS, was mostly an honorary title. But as much as I dread being a passenger, I am a firm believer that everyone who can drive should know how to drive whatever vehicle they’re traveling in. This way, if there is a medical emergency, the other person will be able to drive the vehicle to get help. Steven had driven a stick-shift for years, as his daily car was a VW Bug, so making the switch to Bijou was a piece of cake. He drove like a champ for a while and then turned her back over to me. All was right in my world and we continued our journey.

Our next overnight destination in Saariselkä was about 300 kilometers north, but along the way we made a stop at the last Lidl we would see for a while as there are none in Norway. We stopped in and picked up a couple of things, but just around the corner was an “Alko” or the shop that sold alcohol. We picked up a couple of boxes of wine and of course a bottle of Jameson and off we went. We hadn’t gotten too far down the road when I saw something small and furry run across the road. I slowed down and realized it was a fox and he was running right toward a reindeer! It was our very first spotting of a reindeer and we got a fox, too. How lucky! Steven got off a few shots but said he didn’t get the fox. It was only later when we were looking at his photos that I said, “Wait! There he is!” So, our first wildlife sighting in Lapland was a twofer!

As we drove through Saariselkä to reach our overnight spot Steven spotted several reindeer just milling about next to the street. Later, after we were parked up and settled in, I looked out my window to see three huge reindeer come bounding through the parking lot. I am reminded of places like Ruidoso, New Mexico where the mule deer roam freely through town. They are wild, but not, if you know what I mean. Reindeer are like camels, they are mostly domesticated beasts of burden. They may roam freely through Lapland, but most are tagged and wear a tracker so the herders can keep tabs on them. I mean, I’m just guessing that’s how it works, don’t quote me on any of that. 🙂 This domestication, and the fact that reindeer are slightly smaller, is the main difference between them and caribou.

Just before 10:00 p.m. I crawled into bed to warm up under the covers. It was chilly outside but not so much that it was worth blowing through our propane to heat the rig. We had experienced rain showers on and off with bright sunshine in between. Steven peeked out his window and saw the corner of a rainbow, which prompted him to grab his camera and go outside. Then he made me get up and go outside to see the gorgeous double rainbow that was perfect in the sky. (See top photo.)

Our final push through Finland ended at a campground in Karigasniemi just a few kilometers from the Norwegian border. It was great to have full services including hot showers. Our site was overlooking the river that served as the border between the two countries.

Along the way to Karigasniemi we stopped in Inari to visit the Sami Village. Usually there are both indoor and outdoor exhibits, but the whole place is undergoing a big renovation, so we were only able to visit the outdoor part. To us, this was the most interesting anyway, so that suited us just fine.

We toyed with the idea of staying at our campground for two nights, but we were getting so close to our ultimate destination we decided to keep going. So the next morning we were off to Norway, finally!

Before you go, here’s yet another portrait of Steven’s. This is becoming a regular feature in our blog! This time it’s actor John Malkovich. Steven is particularly proud of this one and it’s one of my favorites, too. If you would like to keep up with his artwork, you an follow him on Facebook here.

UP NEXT: Nordkapp!

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