It is time to head back home. This means traveling from Äkäslompolo in Finland to Tromsø in Norway. This is at least a seven-hour drive just skirting the Swedish border. The outside temperature raised a bit and a layer of fresh snow has fallen during the night. So the roads are not in the best condition. It still is a pretty sight, driving through snowy countryside with snow covered trees on the side of the road. Quite a mesmerizing and zen experience.
On the first road there was no time to relax though, as it was a mountain road that was just wide enough for one car. There were enough passing places but due to the height differences you had no way to see if a car was coming the other way. This combined with the slippery road made it a fun but sketchy journey. Luckily it was quite early in the morning and there wasn’t much traffic yet.
We only took two breaks at a Swiss Chocolaterie (yes, really) for some hot choco and a gas-station to fill-up before we entered Norway. Because we were right on schedule we could also make some small stops at scenic locations. One of the locations was an enormous frozen waterfall. We stopped at the top on a small parking area. The recent snowfall made the walkway quite perilous though. We couldn’t walk down to see the waterfall because the railing that normally secured you from falling over the edge was now at ankle-height above the snow. So we only got a view from the top, and on we went to Tromsø.
Back in Tromsø it was very busy with tourists coming and going. With some extra added from a cruise-ship that was docked in the harbour. The weather was again above zero. This made all the roads extremely slippery. But since we were tired anyway we only went out for a short visit to the town before returning to the hotel for dinner. After the dinner we made one last toast on our journey and then it was time to sleep. Tomorrow we would return the car and fly back home.
This ends my journey trough Lapland. It was quite an adventure and so many new experiences in a short time. We went with the four of us, and we all had lots of fun and a wonderful time. I’m grateful we could experience this journey together. So cheers to them! I’m planning one more blogpost to commemorate all the things that I’ve learned or noticed on this journey that don’t fit on a particular day or activity. Stay tuned!