Saturday 7th October........Lapland here we come.

We were up at 7 am and re-packed for the Lapland excursion. After a quick breakfast of teat and toast, we took the car to Vantaa Airport. We were soon checked in and at the gate for the flight to Ivalo. Boarding was easy and we were soon on our way for the 1 hour 40 minute flight up north. We arrived at around noon and picked up our rental car form Europcar and took off for Inari and the Hotel Muotka which is situated close to Inari and Saariselkä. Saariselka is a ski resort which is popular with Russian visitors in the winter season as there are several ski lifts on he adjacent fell called Kaunispää, a number of hotels and spas and 'action' in the evenings which is attractive to the visitors.

The 1 hour and twenty minute flight was soon over and we landed at the small airport at Ivalo. After picking up our bags, Bill located our hire car from Europcar and we were off north to Inari. 

Despite many assurances that we would be 'mobbed' by reindeer on the way from Ivalo to Inari, only one 'lost' animal ambled across the road in front of us.

We stopped at Siida which is a museum which is dedicated to the Sami people 

Quote Wikipedia: 

"The Sami people (also Sámi or Saami, traditionally known in English as Lapps or Laplanders) are an indigenous Finno-Ugric people inhabiting the Arctic area of Sápmi, which today encompasses parts of far northern Norway, Sweden, Finland, and the Kola Peninsula of Russia. The Sami are the only indigenous people in Scandinavia that are recognized and protected under the international conventions of indigenous peoples, and are hence one of the northernmost indigenous people of Europe. Sami ancestral lands are not well-defined. Their traditional languages are the Sami languages and are classified as a branch of the Uralic language family.

Traditionally, the Sami have pursued a variety of livelihoods, including coastal fishing, fur trapping, and sheep herding. Their best-known means of livelihood is semi-nomadic reindeer herding. Currently about 10% of the Sami are connected to reindeer herding, providing them with meat, fur, and transportation. 2,800 Sami people are actively involved in herding on a full-time basis. For traditional, environmental, cultural, and political reasons, reindeer herding is legally reserved for only Sami people in some regions of the Nordic countries."

Unquote

The museum which is very interesting and well laid out shows the way in which the Sami lived a few years ago. Nowadays, more modern ways of living and travel are common such as ATV vehicles and log houses rather than 'tepee-like' tents which used to be the rule. The way in which the reindeer are herded has not changed that much and the summer and winter migrations of the herds go on as they used to but the economics of reindeer herding have altered and now herds of less than 5,000 head of animals are not really viable. The Siida museum contains many photos and relics of Sami families and records the family genealogy of the Sami people.

There is also a large area dedicated to the flora and fauna of the area including the lemmings, arctic foxes, arctic hares, bears, eagles and other birds. The exhibits are displayed in very evocative surroundings which give a very 'live' look to the display.

Despite the harsh conditions in winter, the wildlife is very rich in this area.

After the museum we went to the restaurant Aanaar which is in a small hotel. The restaurant is very cosy and wood-lined and has large picture windows which look out over the rapids of the Inari river which flows past the restaurant. 

Inari River

Restaurant Aarnaar

In the grounds between the restaurant and the river two very busy red squirrels were darting around and visiting a feeder close to the window.

The squirrel at the restaurant in Inari

We had the fixed menu meal which consisted of various servings of whitefish as an appetizer, a reindeer steak as .a main course and a delicious dessert containing blueberries.

The meal was excellent.

Following the lunch we drove south again to the Wilderness Hotel Muotka which is way off the highway down a gravel road. 

The manager Nina checked us in quickly and showed us to our log cabins which are spectacular with fireplaces, saunas, log beds.

Our 'log' bed

A 'reindeer antler' chandelier

The 'loo', rather disturbingly, one of the logs beside the toilet was riddled with woodworm holes!!!

Our own private sauna

The bathroom

The construction which seems to be without fasteners.

The wood-burning fireplace

A bear sculpture on one of the bed supports

The front door.

We ended the day with dinner in the restaurant and checked outside for the Northern Lights but the sky was overcast although we later learned that one of the other guests who stayed up until 1 a.m. did get a view of the Aurora. Oh well, maybe tomorrow. Our cabin did have a very large window so, if the lights did turn uo and we were awake, then we could have seen them.