From our hotel in Jukkasjärvi we started today towards Norway. But before we really started, we paid a visit to the ESA station in Kiruna. Maybe you are asking yourself now ESA station in Sweden? Yes, you read correctly. However, it is an unmanned station where there is public access only upon request. Want to know more? Then check here to plan your visit: Visitor Center at the gates of Esrange Space Center
Unfortunately, photography is strictly prohibited, so we can’t show you any pictures from there. We were allowed to marvel at what they do in the visitor center; namely launching weather balloons into the stratosphere or suborbital rockets with telecommunication satellites. Of course, they don’t allow taking pictures there.
Crossing the border to Norway was rather unspectacular. Much area and little to no people to see. A small abandoned looking hut we saw about 5 km before the Norwegian border, which looked more like from a Western movie. The northernmost city of Sweden is called Kiruna. Iron ore is mined here and transported from Kiruna to Narvik on open freight cars. The railroad line runs along the highway, which looks more like a federal road.
As soon as we crossed the border to Norway, the landscape changed permanently. After a rather desolate landscape, high mountains with white peaks now came into our field of vision. Besides high hills and sparse vegetation, the weather also became rather uncomfortable with 11 degrees Celcius.
But what we also got to see were many lakes of different sizes and waterfalls at seemingly every corner of the rocks. And indeed, after a few kilometers the landscape changed again from forests to rock formations and rocks with lakes until we finally reached our destination Senja (in Norway) after about 350 km. In Senja there were trees in sight again. We were glad that we were apparently the only guests in a very nice hotel with a panoramic view over the island and the west coast of Norway. Yes, it had a bit of a wild west feeling, but the people were so friendly and warm that we felt at home and comfortable right away.
What is there to see in Senja? First of all, it is a very rugged landscape, which makes the heart of every fantasy adventurer beat faster. It reminds a bit of Scotland, of the Highlands. Rough terrain, unpleasant temperatures – and yet fascinating in its own way. Again, it’s the silence that is so overwhelming here. Unfortunately, the kids don’t take this into account and romp around like crazy…. here they don’t bother anyone… except the parents chilling out.