1982 Kiruna and Nikkaluokta, Sweden (7/18/1982)

Sunday, July 18, 1982

It poured rain last night. There was a rivulet of water from the window running across the floor to be soaked up by the German’s backpack.

We packed our new sheet set which is like interface lining material. We had oranges for breakfast, then with raincoats and umbrellas we walked to the train station to put our bags in lockers. Went over to the Kiruna Kyrka/Church (1909-12) in Lapp architecture.

It was made of dark red wood shingles and was much nicer than the Kiruna Stadshuset/City Hall which won an award in 1964 as the most beautiful building in Sweden. (NB. The church won that award in 2001.) City Hall was basic brick with scaffolding holding a clock.

Returned to the tourist bureau t0 take the 9:00 bus to Nikkaluokta. The bus also had a trailer for the baggage of all the backpackers. We picked up more people at the train station. We headed east through the woodsy tundra, while a conductor collected the 30 SEK/$5 tickets. At 10:20 we arrived at a parking lot labeled Nikkaluokta and Sue and I didn’t know what to do! The backpackers all headed off. Outside a small building marked Information/Reception, stood a man in Lapp costume who asked us something in Swedish. He didn’t speak English, but pointed the way when we showed him our boat tickets. Inside the building we questioned the girl at the souvenir shop, who had to get someone from the cafeteria kitchen to tell us there is no tour in English of Nikkaluokta, and that this large scrubby area with a few cabins was the village and we were reassured the boat left at 11:00. We followed the rough dirt, rock and gravel road down to the water passing a few simple wood buildings. One had several antlers hanging outside. On and on past stunted trees and thick underbrush until we arrived at a group of buildings at the water’s edge, that had a teepee-like structure of branches. One such teepee covered with canvas near the parking lot was where hikers retreated out of the cool wind. I had put on a long-sleeved shirt and my raincoat because it was cooler. We backtracked a bit to the boat, imagining we saw reindeer droppings. At certain points, boards were laid across wet areas.

We arrived at the boat along with the Lapp man, now in a regular jacket instead of the native costume. At 11:00, the man went into a long spiel in Swedish, then we took off. We were to tour the Vistadalen which the tour book described as the “Vista delta” (dalen actually means valley), but we seemed to leave the “delta” to travel upstream. A young boy collected the tickets of 30 SEK/$5. (We paid 90 SEK/$15 for the “tour” that included the round-trip bus ticket and this boat.)

Vistadalen boat ticket

The kid was cute at first, hiding behind his backpack to eat and drink, but turned out to be a brat, as he kept poking an old lady, who surprisingly tolerated him for the longest time. We chugged down the waterway with stunted birch trees and marsh grass right at the water’s edge, and mountains off in the distance, including snow-covered ones.

Vistadalen/Vista valley

After an hour we landed, tying up to a tree, and we were given 10 minutes as the Lapp man walked up a path with an envelope.

Vistadalen boat

We climbed a small prominence to view the Vistadalen and perhaps the base of Sweden’s tallest mountain, the Kebnekaise.

Vistadalen/Vista valley

Saw a ramshackle shanty before returning to the boat, and it looked like we were the last to board. The boat backed out into the water, when two fellows appeared on the shore, and we returned to pick them up. Now we headed downstream when the throttle seemed to have stopped functioning. The Lapp asked someone to skipper the boat as he cleaned muck out of a huge sieve-like apparatus from under the [steering] wheel. That didn’t work, and this time the kid took the wheel and we headed right for the bank! After several attempts at flushing something with water from the river, the toolbox came out. Another passenger went to help and he fiddled a long time. Others went to stand over them as they worked. Finally the old Lapp took over for a final flush, and we got going again. Arrived back in Nikkaluokta at 13:00.

We had waffles with raspberry jam and fresh whipped cream at the cafeteria with hot tea to warm up. Then used the outhouse.

We walked over towards a small church on a hillock, passing a sodded mound with a door in it. A peek inside showed stones circling a burnt log, and branches laid out like beds on either side. Next to it was either a tiny hut or a giant birdhouse sitting on a pole.

Sod hut

We entered the simple structure of the church to see a standing figure of Christ and reindeer skin on the altar rail. New modern wooden lamps hung from the ceiling, and there were candles in sconces along the wall.

Nikkaluokta church

Looking down the other side of the hill, we saw what looked like paddocks, but when we tried to walk in that direction, our way was blocked by a rushing stream. As we walked towards another sod hut, a lady asked us directions, and tried again in broken English. We were able to direct her to the bus stop. She explained she had come from Abisko National Park, and it had taken them 6 days to walk the trail and at one point the stream was too swollen to cross, and they had to wait until night time when there is less melting. They apparently had the worst winter in 30 years. This lady had also been in the U.S. taking the Greyhound bus in the Northeast.

Sue and I climbed the highest point next to the church and saw a path to the paddocks. We ended up on a marked trail on a snowmobile path next to a cross-country ski route. The wood fenced paddocks were empty, and there was a concrete-floor with tables and lights had been installed.

We bought postcards at the souvenir shop and wrote on them all, having to buy more postcards! At 16:00 we walked out the opposite direction, passing a fenced-in house with a branch teepee and a sod hut. Started following a series of wood board bridges into the brush that led to a shanty.

Nikkaluokta landscape

We turned around and returned to the bus stop, where two buses pulled up. The ticket collector started in the other bus as we left. Stopped several times to pick up passengers, and when the seats were full, they pulled out camp stools for people to sit in the aisles. We also picked up the ticket collector at one of the stops.

Most people got off at the Kiruna train station, and we went back to the tourist office, arriving at 18:00. We went to a grocery store and on the way we were waved down by a guy. We felt funny because we couldn’t help anyone speaking Swedish. But this guy asked if we spoke English. “Ja, ve can help!” He wanted to know how to get to the youth hostel!

We went to the train station and found a bench out of the rain to eat a dinner of soft cracker bread and a cream-like cheese from a tube. When it got windier and colder we went into the smoky station to wait for the 20:05 train to Boden. It didn’t come until 20:30 and had only one car continuing. They later added two more cars, so we moved to one of those to get a compartment to ourselves. The train stopped on a bridge over a stream and three guys jumped out onto the bank. A scheduled stop?

We are still looking for reindeer. And those mosquitoes! People were swatting themselves, smacking the windows or each other, or snatching them out of the air.

The sun was still visible in the sky at 23:00, then set behind a mountain. A beautiful sunset could be glimpsed, although it was usually behind the train.

Sunset at midnight

Sunset or maybe sunrise at midnight

The terrain was flat and the birch trees were getting taller and there were more evergreen trees.