0342 Kaamanen to Napapiiri

29^th Aug 2015

Rain, dirt roads, and the Arctic Circle

It was quite sunny early this morning, and the wind had died down during the noght – But by the time we had packed up, the sun had gone, the wind was back again, and the clouds

were looking very dark.  And it wasn’t long after we had got back on the road than it started to rain.  And it then rained quite heavily for the next 4 hours or so.  All this time we were driving down beside one of the biggest lakes in Finland – the Inarijarvi.  Since Jarvi means lake, and the town at the foot of the lake is Inari, thus Inarijarvi.  And it extends for miles down the road, with inlets continually coming back just when you thought the lake was gone.  And it is a fishing heaven for the locals – Lots of boats being towed behind cars, and in camp sites, boats everywhere.  Didn’t look like much fun in the rain though……..

We stopped in Ivalo for fuel and to find an ATM so we could get some Euros, and eventually, soon after 1 pm, the rain cleared a little, and we were even able to stop for a picnic. We thought it was a parking area but it turned out to be a Sami fishing hut – No one there so we enjoyed our picnic and carried on down the road in the increasing blue sky and sunshine.

There really isn’t a lot to see on these roads in the interior of Finland.  Trees, trees and trees on either side of the road so that even lakes or rivers that are very close are either invisible or only glimpsed momentarily.  You are kept on your toes by frequent crossings by reindeer – Sometimes they are just standing in the middle of the road and watch you as you pass by.  Not too easily flustered, but they do run off into the trees as soon as you stop near them. 

After Ivalo we carried on south on E75 to Sodankyla, and then turned SW down to Unari, which is supposed to be the Sami cultural capital. But when we eventually arrived there, we found just a little town, very spread out, and just gas stations and a few shops – Nothing really at all – Very disappointing since we had driven someway out of our intended route to visit it.  To make matters more frustrating, we then encountered about 40 kilometres of dirt road all the way down to Meltaus, and it was still quite wet and yucky to drive on after all the earlier rain.  Hmmmmm.

The autumn colours are starting to show on the trees, and I imagine over the next week or two it is going to be quite spectacular.  Then coming down towards Rovaniemi we passed several lakes and a large river flowing down beside us, which is apparently the main feature of Rovaniemi.  We turned north because just 8 kms up the road is the official Arctic Circle

crossing on this road – Evidently we had crossed it earlier on the way into Rovaniemi, but there was nothing to indicate it.  We found out why – 8 kms north of Rovaniemi is Napapiiri, and that is a total festival of not only the Arctic Circle, but also is the “official” home and post office of Father Christmas !  There are Christmas stores, Father Christmas wandering around, tour buses rolling up to buy their souvenirs – And when we arrived, a tarmac sprint / rally was being held as part of a commemoration of the 50^th Anniversary of the Arctic Lapland Car Rally !  So the place was packed with not only tourists (most buses seemed to be from Germany !) but also with all the local rev heads watching the sprint ! 

We wandered around soaking it up, and buying a few Christmassy things for grandchildren and others.  We also visited the local post office which is the “main” post office for Santa Claus !  There are 1000’s of letters that have been sent to Santa Claus from almost every country in the world, and these are all carefully filed in country labeled boxes for all to see.  And if letters are sent to Santa Claus, he will reply to them – Of course !!!  All a bit of lighthearted fun, and the kids of course love it.

Santa Claus came out  to greet a couple of coachloads of tourist, and be photographed with them on the Arctic Circle line which passes right through the middle of the square and even Santa Claus’ “house”.   And when we wandered down to look at the car later, the prizegiving was on – And Santa Claus was giving away the trophies !! 

During the course of our wanderings, we had found out that we could park overnight in the big car park here, so that’s what we have done.  Nothing very fancy, but it is free, and after wandering round all afternoon, it was easier than heading off to look for somewhere else.  With all the rain, today was a little tiresome, but as often happens, the sun came out just in time, and the afternoon turned out to be quite fun.

We have decided to head down the west coast of Finland, down the Gulf of Bothnia.  The central roads are not too scenic because of all the trees beside the road, so having given the inland roads a fair go today, we shall try their coast tomorrow as we head towards Helsinki. 

Pics are here :-  https://picasaweb.google.com/110185357936043625130/0342KaamenenToNapapiiri?authkey=Gv1sRgCNGirIyY0r7LfQ

https://picasaweb.google.com/110185357936043625130/0342KaamenenToNapapiiri?authkey=Gv1sRgCNGirIyY0r7LfQ