The night was very quiet at my wild camping spot in Kolari and I got more restful sleep today than at some campsites. From Kolari I followed the main road to Pello where I jumped across to Sweden for a minute, mainly so I can now claim to have been to the country. I immediately returned to Finland though, it so nice here.
The terrain was rather flat all day, just over half a percent average gradient. Some going uphill was necessary to jump from one eroded valley to the next – which is basically the description of today's entire route – but at gradients between one and three percent it can hardly be called climbing. The scenerey got a bit monotonous at times, it was endless boreal forest for the most part. However the lakes compensated for the less exciting stretches. Again the reindeer proved elusive. I did not spot one until the early afternoon. However the animals became more plenty the closer I got to Rovaniemi.
The day marked an important event: I crossed the arctic circle in the afternoon, just a few kilometers outside Rovaniemi. Not since the train ride to Bodø have I been on latitudes this low on our planet. For now I enjoy the real nights with actual darkness, it makes sleep so much more restful.
In Rovaniemi I had some time for sightseeing, starting with the Arktikum museum. While I didn't go inside I still went there to appreciate the architecture. Next I rolled down to the close by river promenade which I thoroughly enjoyed in the sun, and continued with the architecturally significant buildings designed by Alvar Aalto.
Also I finally got a food price index for Finland: a kebab I bought in the center cost me 13,90 EUR, two Euros more than I paid in Tromsø a couple weeks ago.
gps tracks
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