No deer today but in the soup
Kittilä - Pokka ~90 km
Yesterday we had to break our conversation because of the moskitos, but today in the morning the austrians and I had breakfast together. Two girls and a guy, about my age. They told me, that I should go to the City Center of Levi, a finnish winter sport resort, because yesterday the reindeers were right at the shopping center, nearly entering the elevator for going shopping...
And so I went on to Levi. This was the first mountain, that I saw here in Finnland. It was so hight, that somewhen yesterday in the afternoon I suddenly had to stop and make a photo, because I nearly couldn't believe it: A MOUNTAIN! Wow!! Ya. Today, passing by that mountain, it just looks like every wintersport resort in Summer: it was quite dead...
Looking forward to once more a very small street (that in most maps isn't even noticed) I came to Köngäs, where the unsurfaced road began. And suddenly the environment changed completly: the woods disappeared, lakes and meadows with colorful flowers appeared, and it was sooo beautiful having this diversification.
In addition today nothing hurts: nor my knees, neither my shoulders, I felt fine, and at a distance of 35 km to Pokka I was thinking: What a pity, just more 35 km... (and then I thaught back: some days even 4 more km to go were just too much... Distances are relative...)
Going around in these beautiful woods I was always thinking about: I have to come back here: for hiking, going in the woods and taking photos, fishing (besides, is there someone who wants to teach me how to fish?!?), collecting berries: "Man måste njuta av naturen" (That was exactly what I was thinking in that moments. It is swedish and means: You have to enjoy the nature). I fell in love with Lapland...
But then my bike started to make troubles: I had to pedal all the time (also going downhill); if not the chain lost tension and hung down to the floor... but it's quite exhausting... So I got off of my bike, worrying around about not knowing what to do... while trying to put some oil the moskitos ate me *argh* So I just told myself: "Calm down, don't worry, have some chocolate..." (no, just kidding, in this case I just had lunch... no chocolate). After lunch I was quite relaxed and managed to go on. Pedaling all the time, but for the last 20 km it was ok.
For the last 15 km there was rain as well, so when I arrived at Pokka I thought about taking a mökki for that night... I went into the reception of the camping, a small restaurant/bar as well, and - what a nice surprise - after three day camping without someone speaking english the welcome was english and very cordial.
"Are you going to northcape?"
"Yes, I do."
"As everyone does!"
*bam* ungently I landed on the floor of reality... really? I just thought I'm the only crazy person going to northcape by bike...
As I could read in the guest book later, there were LOTS of people: I read about Italians, who did the WHOLE way from Modena to northcape (4800km), about a spanish guy who did Helsinki - Northcape in march with all the snow... Oh, there are persons even crazier than me... ;o)
"Yes, but I'm not going to the northcape for going to the northcape. I want to see the solar eclipse"
"Really, there is one?"
Dialogues are always the same...
"Yes, there is, but most people don't know"
"So have you been to the Camping at Kittilä yesterday?"
"Yes, why do you ask?"
"Oh no, you just took the wrong road, you could have reached your aim with less kilometers"
"Yes, but I'm not here to 'travel through' Finnland, I want to see Finnland as well."
Then we started to discuss about sleeping in tent or in a mökki (normally they are for 4 - 8 persons, and so is the price... :-O )
and finally i took the mökki. Instead of a key for opening the door I just got the door handle :o))
The man from the bar also had a look at my bike, so about 10 minutes later it worked perfect. Great, everything is prepared for tomorrow.
Then I just didn't want to cook alone in my mökki, so I went to the Restaurant and asked, if they offer special finnish food - and they did: It was a soup made of potatoes and dried reindeermeat, with some salad, and bread, and cheese.... *njam* this time for me, not for the moskitos...
So, sitting with a beer and my maps, writing my diary, looking where to go, I once more noticed this strange word "Poroerotus" in my maps. There were lots of red stars with this description. My dicitonary didn't help very much. It just says: Poro = Reindeer, erotus = difference. Ya. So I asked the proprietor what that means, and so started a very nice and long conversation about Living in Lapland, Fauna and Flora, Sorroundings, Winter and Summer in Lappland, Aurora Borealis, Snowmobiles, Wolves and Bears, keeping Reindeers and problems with Wolverines (Vielfraß), the finnish language (now I even know what "marten" (Marder) means in finnish! ;o)), and problems of waiters (coins for the change). Besides: Poroerotus is the place where reindeers are beeing sort once a year in autumn. I just learned a lot, and it was sooo interesting. Suddenly Kari asked me:
"Do you know why Pokka is so famous?"
"I didn't even know that Pokka is so famous..."
So he picked a baseball cap with a map of Finland, where there was a huge red dot "somewhere" in Lapland. Next to it was written: "-51,3° C"
So, that's why Pokka is so famous.
The Bar closed at 10 pm, I left at 11 pm ... (no comment).
Since then I want to return here. In Winter. I am fascinated by all that light, and also by loosing rhythm of all the light. I just want to see how it is with no lights but (maybe) the Aurora Borealis. And how it is loosing rhythm because of no light... And I want to go with a Snowmobile ;o) (Besides, is there someone interested in doing the same...? ;o)
Boat No. 5368 (circa)
Click: Levi at Summer... Just the same as Zürs at Summer... another death winter sports ressort
Click: For the last time Ounasjoki, which I was following for about two days
This just invites you to take a bath...
Click: I was amazed of that colours, I admit...
Click: The view right out of my mökki
Click: Kari... thanks a lot!
Yesterday we had to break our conversation because of the moskitos, but today in the morning the austrians and I had breakfast together. Two girls and a guy, about my age. They told me, that I should go to the City Center of Levi, a finnish winter sport resort, because yesterday the reindeers were right at the shopping center, nearly entering the elevator for going shopping...
And so I went on to Levi. This was the first mountain, that I saw here in Finnland. It was so hight, that somewhen yesterday in the afternoon I suddenly had to stop and make a photo, because I nearly couldn't believe it: A MOUNTAIN! Wow!! Ya. Today, passing by that mountain, it just looks like every wintersport resort in Summer: it was quite dead...
Looking forward to once more a very small street (that in most maps isn't even noticed) I came to Köngäs, where the unsurfaced road began. And suddenly the environment changed completly: the woods disappeared, lakes and meadows with colorful flowers appeared, and it was sooo beautiful having this diversification.
In addition today nothing hurts: nor my knees, neither my shoulders, I felt fine, and at a distance of 35 km to Pokka I was thinking: What a pity, just more 35 km... (and then I thaught back: some days even 4 more km to go were just too much... Distances are relative...)
Going around in these beautiful woods I was always thinking about: I have to come back here: for hiking, going in the woods and taking photos, fishing (besides, is there someone who wants to teach me how to fish?!?), collecting berries: "Man måste njuta av naturen" (That was exactly what I was thinking in that moments. It is swedish and means: You have to enjoy the nature). I fell in love with Lapland...
But then my bike started to make troubles: I had to pedal all the time (also going downhill); if not the chain lost tension and hung down to the floor... but it's quite exhausting... So I got off of my bike, worrying around about not knowing what to do... while trying to put some oil the moskitos ate me *argh* So I just told myself: "Calm down, don't worry, have some chocolate..." (no, just kidding, in this case I just had lunch... no chocolate). After lunch I was quite relaxed and managed to go on. Pedaling all the time, but for the last 20 km it was ok.
For the last 15 km there was rain as well, so when I arrived at Pokka I thought about taking a mökki for that night... I went into the reception of the camping, a small restaurant/bar as well, and - what a nice surprise - after three day camping without someone speaking english the welcome was english and very cordial.
"Are you going to northcape?"
"Yes, I do."
"As everyone does!"
*bam* ungently I landed on the floor of reality... really? I just thought I'm the only crazy person going to northcape by bike...
As I could read in the guest book later, there were LOTS of people: I read about Italians, who did the WHOLE way from Modena to northcape (4800km), about a spanish guy who did Helsinki - Northcape in march with all the snow... Oh, there are persons even crazier than me... ;o)
"Yes, but I'm not going to the northcape for going to the northcape. I want to see the solar eclipse"
"Really, there is one?"
Dialogues are always the same...
"Yes, there is, but most people don't know"
"So have you been to the Camping at Kittilä yesterday?"
"Yes, why do you ask?"
"Oh no, you just took the wrong road, you could have reached your aim with less kilometers"
"Yes, but I'm not here to 'travel through' Finnland, I want to see Finnland as well."
Then we started to discuss about sleeping in tent or in a mökki (normally they are for 4 - 8 persons, and so is the price... :-O )
and finally i took the mökki. Instead of a key for opening the door I just got the door handle :o))
The man from the bar also had a look at my bike, so about 10 minutes later it worked perfect. Great, everything is prepared for tomorrow.
Then I just didn't want to cook alone in my mökki, so I went to the Restaurant and asked, if they offer special finnish food - and they did: It was a soup made of potatoes and dried reindeermeat, with some salad, and bread, and cheese.... *njam* this time for me, not for the moskitos...
So, sitting with a beer and my maps, writing my diary, looking where to go, I once more noticed this strange word "Poroerotus" in my maps. There were lots of red stars with this description. My dicitonary didn't help very much. It just says: Poro = Reindeer, erotus = difference. Ya. So I asked the proprietor what that means, and so started a very nice and long conversation about Living in Lapland, Fauna and Flora, Sorroundings, Winter and Summer in Lappland, Aurora Borealis, Snowmobiles, Wolves and Bears, keeping Reindeers and problems with Wolverines (Vielfraß), the finnish language (now I even know what "marten" (Marder) means in finnish! ;o)), and problems of waiters (coins for the change). Besides: Poroerotus is the place where reindeers are beeing sort once a year in autumn. I just learned a lot, and it was sooo interesting. Suddenly Kari asked me:
"Do you know why Pokka is so famous?"
"I didn't even know that Pokka is so famous..."
So he picked a baseball cap with a map of Finland, where there was a huge red dot "somewhere" in Lapland. Next to it was written: "-51,3° C"
So, that's why Pokka is so famous.
The Bar closed at 10 pm, I left at 11 pm ... (no comment).
Since then I want to return here. In Winter. I am fascinated by all that light, and also by loosing rhythm of all the light. I just want to see how it is with no lights but (maybe) the Aurora Borealis. And how it is loosing rhythm because of no light... And I want to go with a Snowmobile ;o) (Besides, is there someone interested in doing the same...? ;o)
Boat No. 5368 (circa)
Click: Levi at Summer... Just the same as Zürs at Summer... another death winter sports ressort
Click: For the last time Ounasjoki, which I was following for about two days
This just invites you to take a bath...
Click: I was amazed of that colours, I admit...
Click: The view right out of my mökki
Click: Kari... thanks a lot!
koerndl - 27. Jul, 00:00
