Three countries in sixteen snapshots Mar 5 2025

This article is part of the series “2025-02: Finnmark”.

While Annika and I have been travelling through Northern Norway, Finnish Lapland and Northern Sweden I take photos not only with my cameras, but also snapshots with my mobile phone. Here is a small non-landscape selection.

Norway

23 February – Solhov

Solhov, built in 1912–24 as a school provides accommodation today. The wooden building is huge and has a large hall with a piano that is surprisingly in tune.

24 February – Alta

As in Tromsø it is too warm in Alta. Temperatures round +7 °C lead to snowmelt and giant puddles in town.

25 February – Suolovuopmi Fjellstue

In the middle of nowhere there is a café by the road E45 from Alta to Kautokeino. To our delight it is open and we get reindeer burger and omelette with smoked rein for lunch. Delicious!

25 February – Karasjok

We stay two nights in Karasjok, where the Samí parliament is located. Our cabin is cozy. Min Ája, the camping site has a billiards room.

The design of some of the beer cans looks arctic. While most alcohol has to bought in the specialist shop “Vinmonopolet”, beer up to 4.7 % can be bought in supermarkets, too.

26 February – Karasjok

In the tourist shops you can buy a lot of genuine Sámi handicraft. And thick fabrics in wonderful colours. Many traditional Sámi garments use the same colours: blue, yellow, red, and green.

27 February – Finnish-Norwegian borderland

A small shop. A cupboard with lockers. On each locker attached photos, all of them with fishing motives.

Finland

28 February – Utsjoki

As many hotel rooms our room has a wardrobe with hangers. But it has something more: two umbrellas. Could be a useful device here in the warmer months.

28 February – Saariselkä

Saariselkä has many cross-country ski trails. No wonder, that the hotel has an own waxing hut, where you can prepare your skis.

1 March – Saariselkä

It’s not a rumour, there are definitely a lot of Ä-s in the Finnish language.

3 March – Sodankylä

No town without a pizzeria and/or a burger bar. Although the name “Riviera” may not completely match the actual winter weather in Sodankylä.

3 March – Vuostimo

If temperatures are hardly below zero and it is snowing the snow is sometimes like glue and covers your car everywhere.

4 March – Vuostimo

Snow, a birch, a fence, a road in the background. Leaning against the fence: a bicycle. Clearly unused for a while, since it is deeply stuck in the snow. A Northern winter short story.

Sweden

4 March – Tornio/Haparanda

Two countries, two time zones, two languages. At the border two towns: Tornio on the Finnish side, Haparanda on the Swedish. They share a lot of infrastructure such as the bus station. The border itself is not visible, but the two clocks showing Finnish and Swedish time or the cabinet with Finnish and Swedish food.

A border that connects people. A border I like.