Sami, sun and introducing 'From the Pillion'♡ (2149)

We're in a privately owned cabin in Kautokeino, Norway. (We rode in three countries yesterday; Sweden, Finland, Norway.)

From our veranda

This small town is one of the main centres of Sami culture. Chatting in a bar last night, we discovered that 90% of the residents here are Sami and 75% have some kind of involvement in reindeer herding. There's no-one around now because they're all away for the summer at the coast with their herds. In the winter, the town streets are swarmed with reindeer; it's where they live. They go away in the winter to allow the pastures here to recover. Fascinating.

The sun doesn't set here at the moment. It just kind of circles us. Not so far above the horizon during the day, just slightly below at 'night'. It makes me feel unsteady on my feet, knowing how close to the top of everything I am. When I was a young teenager, climbing a rope in the school gymnasium, it wasn't the height from the ground that unnerved me, but the realisation, looking up, that I was close to the ceiling. That's how it feels.

Last evening, 21.45 hrs

And now, the first in an occasional series of reports:

From the Pillion ♡
Following my pre-trip announcement that I didn’t want to commit to an ‘obligatory blog’, I have now changed my mind.

I really like Simon’s musings and reflections on our trip and have decided to share my ponderings now and then.

First off, I can’t stop going on about the midnight sun. It’s one thing reading about it, another experiencing it. Yesterday, it was still light at 11 pm, felt a bit overcast at midnight and was light again at 1 am. This is a bit confusing for a night owl like me!

You might wonder why we take so many rest days? Well, just ask our gluteus maximus! (maximi?)

I love riding in this part of Europe, not much traffic and lots of greenery and lakes. Tons of them.

And then there’s Mama Moose* trundling down the road with her offspring, shooting us a look that says 'You just mind your own business' - which we did.

More later. Tea’s brewing and the Pilot's taking a nap.

 
* Probably reindeer (Ed.)