Sportlov: Part 2 - Jukkasjärvi

In planning this trip, one of the many things I wanted to see were reindeer. Ideally out in nature, but going to the Nutti Sámi Slida had to do. And, boy, did they love Sam an her reindeer food - moss.

The museum owners just brought in some reindeer from their ranging lands to the museum. They were all a little skittish, and did not want anything to do with us.

This guy and I were both a little unsure of each other or as Sam noted we are both giving the side eye.

Of course, it was not just all about the reindeer. We learned quite a bit about the Sámi people and both their traditional and modern lifestyles.

Scott and Sam even gave the Giant Ski a try. There is a Giant Ski contest each year at the Birkie, so maybe we'll have to check that out.

Like the California missions, the church next to the museum offered a not so subtle reminder of what early missionaries thought of the Sámi people. The novel, "Stöld" (in Swedish) or "Stolen" (in English) covers both the historical and present oppression of the Sámi people. It's getting a movie adaptation by Netflix in 2024. I for sure need to read it before it becomes a movie!

After our visit to the Sámi museum, we headed over to the Ice Hotel. Go to the website and click on Art & Design Gallery to see way better pictures of the hotel (which is the gallery!) than what I have here. It was impressive, for sure! Below are just a sampling of what we saw.