A-hiking we will go!

*This post is about a trip I took last month* 

Later that day, I went for a walk along the Neiden river.   

Summer has been warm and long in Sapmi, the name for the northern parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland and the Kola peninsula of Russia -- the Sámi traditional homeland. At the end of the first week of September, fall was in full swing. Leaves were turning, there was a chill in the air in the morning.  The lingonberries and blueberries were ripe. 

Perfect time for a walk! 

The shoes I was forced to buy in Jokkmokk, because the airline lost my bag.

The Neiden river near Neiden, Norway

The Neiden river is important to the Skolt Sámi people.  St. Triphon, after killing his wife, wandered up this way and preached orthodoxy to the Sámi and blessed the water of the river. That was in the 1500s.  The Skolt Sámi still baptize in the river today. 

They also netted salmon hundreds of years ago.  It is still regarded as one of the best rivers in the region for salmon. 

The first red toadstool I've ever seen!  There were no smurfs underneath.

There were many more beautiful scenes which I could put here, but life intervenes. 

I walked back to the lodge.  Eeva and I had a nice last dinner together of reindeer, lingonberry sauce and vegetables. The Finnish cafe workers at this stua were very nice and pretty excited because this was the last weekend of the season. The next day, they went home to Ivalo. 

Mmmm. Reindeer!

The next day, we got up and tidied, ate a nice breakfast and went to the Kirkenes airport.  Goodbye, Eeva!  Hello adventure alone.