The TV channel TV2 has been broadcasting a flyover of all of Norway from a helicopter. They landed at Vadsø’s airport two weeks ago. A lot of us came out to greet them and others put on a show with vintage cars.
Oscar II’s chapel: right on the border with Russia and a surprisingly popular place to get married.
Yesterday we drove out to Grense Jakobselv, the easternmost border with Russia. It’s on the southern part of Varangerfjorden. I can’t enter Russia since I don’t have a visa, but at Grense Jakobselv we could see right over the river that the border runs through. Northern Russia looks exactly the same as Finnmark: stony, snowy, and barren. Norway’s oldest mountain is visible from the same road that goes to the border. Unlike the flat plains of Northern-Varangerfjorden, there are high cliffs and mountains here. The only actual Russians we saw were in Kirkenes. Most of the signs in Kirkenes are also written in Russian and there’s a road that goes right to Murmansk.
Saturday was the 200th anniversary of Norway’s constitution, so we had a very special 17th of May celebration. I borrowed a bunad (national costume) from my host family. All of the different communities in Norway have their own bunads. Ours comes from Lillehammer, a city in Southern Norway where the Jørstads orginally come from. Bunads are incredibly expensive, so I won’t be buying one for myself, but they’re very fun to wear. They’re hand embroidered and have real silver.
On May 17th we got up early to watch the military drills in Oslo and to watch a bit of the children’s parade in Oslo. All the schools walk past the palace and wave to the royal family. Vadsø had its own parade at 11 o’clock. We don’t have a palace, but it was still fun. People wore bunads and koftes (the Sami national costume) from all over Norway.
Walking in the 17th of May children’s parade. I went with my host-aunt’s class of fifth graders since most students in videregående (high school) don’t go in the parade anymore. They were the same class I worked with back in January for SA-week, so it was fun to all of them again.
Eating cake a café after the parade. Ice cream is also traditional for May 17th, even in snowy weather. We were lucky and got beautiful weather this year. My host aunt (third from the right) is wearing Finnmark’s bunad. It has a much simpler design, but it also has very pretty Sami jewelry.
On the steps of Vadsø’s church. Afterwards I went out with my host family for dinner at Indigo, an Indian restaurant. Bit of a strange choice for Norway’s national holiday, but the food was delicious.
This bunad also has a very practical little purse that latches onto the dress and is excellent for collecting russekort. (I should probably write a post explaining Russ, but I don’t even know where to begin. The sheer fact that Russ give those cards to children…)
And a full length picture of the bunad. After we ate at Indigo we went home and relaxed for the rest of the day. As far as national days go, May 17th is a bit fancier than the 4th of July. For instance, the average Independence Day outfit is a tank top and shorts, not an 18th century-style handmade dress. Norway’s Constitution Day is also much more quiet, no fireworks blasting off all night long. (Of course, 5:00am on May 17th is hardly quiet if the Russ come by your house.)
Pictures from Ekkerøy, a small peninsula fifteen minutes outside of Vadsø. At this time of the year the cliffs are full of mating seagulls and eagles. Ekkerøy was the first place we visited after I came off the plane at Vadsø’s airport. Coming back here made me feel nolstalgic, not to mention a little shocked over how much time has passed and how much has happened since August. Everything is different, even though the sun is once again in the sky for almost the entire day. It’s warm enough that we can go skiing in the mountains without jackets or gloves. Ekkerøy is a beautifully barren area, the kind of landscape that would be perfect for a cross country race (if you don’t mind bird poop on your shoes).
We spent three days of the Easter holiday in Båtsfjord. On the drive up we saw cars and scooters lining the roads, a typical sight at this time of the year. Everyone’s away at their cabins for the holidy. Båtsfjord was just as wintry as the last time I visited. We visited my host mom’s parents and ate a lot of traditional Norwegian food including whale meat.
Easter is a pretty big deal in Norway. We had over a week off from school. Even though Norway is so irreligious they still recognize Good Friday and the first and second day of Easter. Easter eggs are also traditional here, but what’s more unusual is Easter-crime. (As in reading and watching about crime, not going on crime sprees to celebrate the resurrection.) I’m not sure how the connection between Easter and murder mysteries came about, but it’s the norm in Norway. It’s also common to listen to a radio program called “Påskelabyrinten” or “The Easter Labyrinth”. Listeners try to guess where the program will travel to next based on vague clues.
Today my Norwegian mom, sister and I skied Vadsørennet. It’s a 27 kilometer long trail from Vestre Jakobselv (a village about 20 minutes away by car) to Vadsø. It’s the farthest I’ve ever skied in my life, but it went well, apart from the time we were nearly runover by a couple Petter Northug-wannabes.
I had a wonderful 17th birthday on Friday. My chemistry class was canceled, and I got Arctic Monkeys tickets! I also got some beautiful silver Sami jewelry from Tana from my host family. Being 17 doesn’t feel especially different from 16, but it is weird to know that I’ll be a legal adult in only one year. The only real legal change in Norway is that I can now get my pilot’s license. That’s actually something I want to get since it’s a tradition in my family, but I’ll wait until I’m in the US for that. I don’t much fancy flying in snow storms. Even though it’s April, it’s still entirely possible we’ll get more snow here.
On Sunday we drove snowmobiles up to a cabin outside of Jakobselv and grilled a bit.
More inner tubing, along with a slight mishap thanks to the weather.
Ice fishing on a lake between Vadsø and Jakobselv.
Last Sunday I experienced some very typical Finnmark traditions. I went out on a snow scooter tour with some friends of my host dad. For the first part of the journey I sat behind a scooter on a sled decked out with reindeer skins and inner tubes. We drove up into the mountains and met up at a cabin for coffee. Afterwards we headed over to the lake and got ready for ice fishing. I’d never fished before in my life, but ice fishing seems to require a lot more luck than skill. I helped bore through the very thick ice (I’m hardly complaining about the thickness since we were driving snowmobiles on top of that lake).
There was a bit of a snowstorm that day, so we ended up digging a snow cave for protection against the wind. It was quite cozy with the reindeer skins to sit on and plenty of hot chocolate and grilled sausages. Some of us rode the inner tubes down the hills a few times. The wind carried one of the tubes so far that we had to chase after it on a scooter.
We ended up with precisely one fish from the five ice holes we made. That’s still more than what I was expecting, so I was satisfied. I doubt I’ll ever really enjoy fishing, but riding the snow mobiles was extremely fun. I’m more grateful than ever to be in Northern Norway. It’s so easy to be out in nature here. I’m looking forward to more skiing and scooters during Easter break next week. I’m also turning seventeen on Friday!
Vikings and Vadsø 