TIP-TO-TIP: JOKKMOKK, JUKKASJÄRVI, AND THE ICE HOTEL

We got up early at the Treehotel, walked over to the shower facilities in the early morning, giving the mosquitoes their breakfast, before getting ours at the main building, which was delicious. Then we drove to Jokkmokk. I’ve always wanted to visit Jokkmokk, which is right on the Arctic Circle, because it’s where my first Swedish friend, from SEVENTH grade (in The Netherlands) was from. I’m still FB friends with her, but I haven’t seen her since we were 14.

Jokkmokk was lovely, and we saw all the sights: the old church (actually a replica, because the original burned down years ago), the new church, which looked like something out of Tivoli and had the ugliest stained glass altar window I’ve ever seen, and the Ájtte Museum, which showcases the Swedish mountains and the Sami culture of Sápmi and Laponia. Sápmi, which is the “land of the Sami”, extends without bounds across the territory of four nations (Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia). Laponia is Lapland’s world heritage area, covers an area of 9,400 square kilometers in the mountains and forests of Norrbotten and has been the home of nomadic hunters and reindeer herders since time immemorial. So we were now in the our 4th world heritage site of the trip! We also did a little shopping, stopping at Jokkmokk Tenn where I passed up the second moose of the trip, made of pure pewter.

Jokkmokk “old” church

Jokkmokk new church

Reindeer sculpture outside Ájtte Museum

A huge stuffed bull moose inside the museum. I couldn’t bring him home either.

Pewter moose I didn’t buy. He’s available in their webshop, though…hmmmm…

On the way out of Jokkmokk we encountered our first reindeer on the road. Reindeer are stupid, and they don’t understand at all that cars are dangerous and they don’t really react to honking or anything. Drivers have to be on the lookout for them well into the northern part of Sweden, as they roam freely even though they are technically domesticated. We rolled down the windows and clapped at it and it finally swerved out of our way. We saw 2 more reindeer on the highway the same day, also ambling down the road. It made for a nice change from watching endless miles of pine and birch trees! Mostly I amused myself by laughing at place names, and reading.

And then, to Jukkasjärvi and the Ice Hotel. Järvi means “lake” in Finnish, but the Ice Hotel is actually on the shores of the Torne river. The Ice Hotel grounds are quite extensive as there is a huge empty space during the summer right by the water, where the Ice Hotel is built each winter. There regular hotel cabins as well, which is what we stayed in. And there is now, since 2016, the possibility to stay in an ice room all year round, since Ice Hotel 365 opened. We had no desire to sleep on a bed of ice, in a freezing room, even with furs and thermal bedding. I’ve heard from people who have done it that you don’t sleep very well as it’s just TOO cold. Even if I would prefer to have a cold bedroom at night, a frozen one is not my cup of tea. But it was super cool to tour. There were about 20 ice rooms open to the public and a whole crowd of us, dressed in thermal ponchos, wandered in and out of them. You can view the rooms until 6 pm when the hotel closes to casual guests and those who have booked the ice rooms can check in. No toilets in those rooms either, you have to go down the hall! In the middle of the night? no thank you!

We went down the road for dinner at Hembygdsgården, which was delicious. I had smoked reindeer and moose with lingonberry creme, pickled spruce tips, and mushrooms. We asked about the pickled pine shoots, and the waiter said they are easy to do yourself. You just pick the very tiny new ends of the spruces (or firs) in the early spring and pickle them the same way you pickle anything. 🙂 Nice blackout curtains in the room (which was chilly, just as I like it) meant we slept very well.