A Winter Vacation

Here in the Midwest , we have been waiting for winter. It finally arrived with a blanket of snow that should stay for some time! Now, skiiers and winter enthusiasts can finally get their activities underway. However, there are some who would rather not have winter arrive at all, and have become immigrants to warmer climates. For these people, winter is vacationtime. --------------------------- Most American vacationers choose to visit their ancestral roots in the summer or fall. There are very few Power-Point presentations of “Our Visit To Scandinavia In January”. Possibly cheaper? Less tourist-congestion with cheaper travel rates? Consider this four day winter Scandinavian experience doing something other than skiing:

Your plane lands in Tromsø where you will be driven to your fjord hotel to enjoy your dinner and, later, head for the glass-fronted sauna overlooking the fjord. After a good night’s sleep and breakfast, you board a fjord icebreaker on a Northern Lights hunt while enjoying the on-board hospitality of food and drink.

Tromsø has earned the reputation for being one of the best places in the world to view the Northern Lights. Stops will be made to visit small villages that welcome the winter visitors. That night, the famous show of lights is enjoyed.

Your next day will find you driven to remote Camp Tamok, on your way to a camp famous for Huskies waiting for you to lie back on the blanketed sled where anxious happy sled-dogs are waiting to get under way to help you enjoy a 16 kilometer safari, and what a view!

You will thrill to the course that follows the steep sided valley formed by the spectacular coastal mountain scenery.

The next day after breakfast, you have to choose whether to extend your visit to the winter shopping centers or elect to be transported back to Tromsø for your flight home.

---------------------- Or...Perhaps you wish to experience a winter adventure of life inside the Arctic Circle, assisting the Sami people of Finnmark on their annual reindeer migration. This opportunity is rare. The Sami have for years shunned interaction with outsiders. Many attempts have been made in the past to eradicate them and their 4,000- year-old culture.Taking part in the reindeeer migrations means eating, sleeping and living like a Sami person. You will become part of a journey which runs deep into the bloodlines of these people, dating back thousands of years.

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The journey begins in Kirkenes, northern Norway, close to the Russian border. Here, you will be trained in the working methods of the Sami people as they escort their reindeer from their winter grounds to the summer grazing area.

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You live close to the reindeer, assisting the sami in herding by sled or skidoo, moving and sleeping when they do, your direct participation will be required at all times.You will sleep in a lavvu ( Sami tent) and gain insight into Saami cooking, done over an open fire.This means long hours and little sleep for up to five days.

You will probably spend the night popping out to watch the northern lights flash over the wild and remote area where a night is said to be a unique and special experience not soon forgotten.

Tourism in Norwegian Lapland has become a main source of employment and income, replacing traditional industries such as forestry.

When the herd stops, it’s time to say goodbye.

Adjø!