Winter in Lapland…

My dear friends , first of all I wish you a very happy, bright, successful and peaceful new year, wherever in world you are. I know may be I am little late to say that, but I believe,there is no specific time for spreading love 😀

I am spending this new year in Swedish Lappland, one of my favourite part of the world. I have been here in summer, but lappish winter is my first, and I am enjoying it.

The winter is hard in Norrbotten county, specially in Kiruna. Almost always it is snowing, and you cannot go anywhere. Most of the time you have to stay home and watch TV. Working hour is reduced to 6 hours. .

One morning, I saw through my balcony, three elks are going through the snow covered field. To have a good look, I bring my camera and zoomed in and clicked the photo… O gosh… they were ponies 😦

Temperature is always fluctuating but it is around -20 degree centigrade . Even when the temperature is around -7 to -10, the feel is like -20 to -25. Everything is covered by snow, cars, window beds and balcony. So, people enjoy going to  food market, as good home made food can really improve your mood in an all- dark-and -snowing-you -cannot-go-out  day..

Tuolluvaara

I bought a bus card, which is always cheaper way to travel within a county or part or the whole Sweden. They have different tariff for how far you want to travel. I bought the kiruna Kommun card, which allows me to freely roam around the city ( as if it is full of sunlight and warm & I am going out regularly … ..huhh!!)  Anyway, it works for me, as one way travel  IS 24 krona, while the 6 months card is for 100 krona.

So, one day I went to explore the town and took both yellow and red line till their last stop and came back. First I reached Tuolluvaara by the red bus and snapped these outdoor pictures..

The duration of a day is often zero with 24 hours of night.  After I have come, only today I got a 56 minutes day. Mostly, the sun does not appear as we see in tropics, it is seen in the sky as an orange spread.. and light remains from 2 to 3 hours a day.

 

I was expecting to see some elks or reindeer, but only saw the marks in the snow.It was freezing (-11 but real feel -22) and I had to wait another 30 minutes for the next bus, which took me towards the city. But halfway there was a shop with discounts in winter garments, and I hopped off.. you know if there is 70% discount, we ladies see no other thing in the world except that shop….

 

Rocket school

The shop was beside the rocket school, but they do not take visitors. So here is a glimpse from outside..

pollution 😦

In the shop I met a young lady from Africa, who took asylum in Sweden. According to her, Muslims were torturing her, she being a christian. So she fled leaving behind two young children to her mother. She said, she is having a peaceful life here, works on two jobs, has a swedish boyfriend who loves her. She showed me their photos, understandably she was very happy to get someone to talk to, in the cold winter when almost no customers coming to the shop.

In christmas, the best gift I had, to be able to see the northern lights. But since then, the sky is covered with cloud and it is snowing, so did not have the chance to see it again. But I am grateful for what I have seen.

Lastly I want to tell you about my closest neighbours. There is a cute red house just across the street.I can see their living room is from my bed room. In the whole area as far as I can see from my windows or balconies, they are the only sign of living human beings.No, I did not know them or never talked to them, I can see from my window  that they are watching TV, most of the time of a day and know they are there. And, believe me, in new year eve for  two days, no body was home, the TV was off, and only a dim light was on, I felt so lonely.  Now they are back as TV started going on,,,, yeeehhhh

 

Anyway, I am enjoying my lappish winter before I go back home. Hope you will like my photos and soon I will be coming with new lapp adventure posts….

I clicked the photo of Santa from backside 😦

Kiruna streets

Lights over the rail track from LKAB mine

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