As we head north it was starting to get a tad chillier – I suppose that happens when you head above the Arctic Circle.
One of the lovely little towns we happened to travel through was Dombas, or dumbarse to us. For no particular reason other than that’s kind of how it sounds when you say it. It’s a nice town and all, the name just makes you giggle, especially after you’ve been on a bus for way too many hours. Needless to say I bought a few postcards. We travelled on, stopping first in Trondheim, where I managed to acquire a big rip in the bum of my favourite jeans (they were too well loved), and a lovely pink Frisbee. And then, a little further north we finally made it to hell. No really, Hell, Norway. It’s a real place, look it up. Hell was not frozen over; it was actually not too bad weather (even with the bum out of my jeans).
North again, past mirror lakes (you know the ones where the reflection looks like a mountain is upside down because the water is so still) and to the Arctic Circle. Yes that’s right, I’ve been above the Arctic Circle. I’ve got the pictures to prove it. There was a lot of snow, it was quite nippy, and lots of little piles of rocks everywhere that people had made. I had no idea why, maybe it means you’ll come back one day or something, maybe if you make a wish it will come true. Who knows? Either way I made a little pile sort of thing and made a wish just in case.
North again (getting colder!) we saw some reindeer – that was pretty exciting. They were alive too, not road kill. As we got more north there seemed to be lots of them – none of which were very photogenic.
We spent one night in a place called Skibotn. This was where I joined the polar bear society by going for a swim in ice cold arctic waters. It’s sort of a Topdeck tradition in this town so the locals come down and watch the crazy people going swimming in the freezing river. I was in the third group to go in. Just after the crazy naked boys (one of the locals was taking photos!). There was no way I was running in starkers, but I did go in. It was bloody cold (duh). But strangely enough it seemed like a good idea at the time to run in twice. I’m a sucker for punishment- the second time was painful and very numbing! After that craziness we all jumped in the steamy sauna and it didn’t take too long to warm up. After that I had the nicest shower ever and I didn’t even care that I had to pay for it! (Pay showers- a common feature throughout Scandinavia- hot water not guaranteed)
Onwards and northwards in the midnight sun!
(something which is very hard to get used to!)
