Posts tagged w/ Lappland

Interesting Places - Linbana in Norsjö

Posted by Anna Ikeda
Jun
27
2009

A week ago the season started at one of my favorite tourist attractions in Sweden. And I hear you groan… If it’s one of Anna’s favorite attractions it must be somewhere up north. Ridiculously up north. Hard to get to. Rather obscure. Infested with mosquitoes. Filled with blueberries. And surrounded by wild nature. Yep. You’re right. On all accounts, except for the “ridiculously up north” bit. The place I’m going to tell you about today is moderately up north by Swedish standards. It’s practically southern Lappland. And that’s practically central Sweden if you squint at the map at just the right angle.

And the attraction I’m talking about? Världens Längsta Linbana (the world’s longest ropeway) in Norsjö. Well, technically it’s between Örträsk and Mensträsk, but since nobody’s ever heard about those places, we’ll stick with Norsjö – much easier to find on the map.

What’s the longest ropeway in the world doing in the woods, you might ask? Hmmm… It’s a long story.

It started with a mine (gold, silver, copper, zinc, and lead) in Kristineberg. Back in the olden days, the ore had been transported to Boliden by road – about 100 kilometers (or 10 Swedish miles). But then WW2 happened and with it came severe shortages of fuel and rubber. In other words, road transport became pretty much impossible. But the world still needed that ore. And even more so than before. The problem of how to transport it to the coast was solved in a rather ingenious way.

“Hey, let’s build a ropeway,” someone said. And the rest is history.

And boy, did they build a ropeway, or what? 96 kilometers of it. Through the woods and over the lakes. It took 1500 men two years to finish it.

So how did they transport that ore using a ropeway? They simply loaded it into buckets and moved those buckets on a cable. Kind of like that:

These days 13 kilometers of this ropeway are used for moving tourists. Not in buckets, of course (but hey, now THAT would be an attraction, don’t you think?), but in comfortable cabins. The trip takes about an hour and a half and you can even order lunch. Or bring your own picnic along. And a camera – don’t forget about the camera!

And the best part? If you go towards the end of the season, you can see all the best hjortron patches from the air!

Yeah, yeah, nice bucket of hjortron. (Seen from the air).

And here’s the official website of Världens Längsta Linbana with all the relevant info. Enjoy!

 
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Summer Plans 2009 - Vacationing in Sweden

Posted by Anna Ikeda
May
7
2009

It’s (almost) the middle of May already. Time’s fun when you’re having flies, or rather, the other way round. The weather may not be very summery yet, or up North – not even very springy yet, but summer is already on everybody’s mind.

Yes, it’s time to plan your summer vacation, if you haven’t done so already. Where to go, when exactly to go, how much to spend and all those other pesky little details of your long-awaited summer break.

My friends and co-workers all seem to be discussing their semester (vacation) plans right now. Global crisis, or not, semester is sacred. After all, what are you going to do? Stay at home for four weeks in July? Nah, you gotta go somewhere.

True, many people are concerned about the economy and about whether or not they can actually afford their summer breaks. Some of my friends have downsized their normal plans. Instead of a trip to Thailand or another exotic destination, they choose more mundane places like Spain or Egypt. Those who normally would go to Spain or Egypt are opting for even more budget friendly choices like Turkey and Bulgaria. But few of the people I know say they will stay in Sweden during the summer. Why? All things considered, it’s cheaper to go abroad. And oh yeah, the weather’s better elsewhere, too.

But let’s pretend for a second that staying in Sweden this summer is your only option. Or that visiting Sweden this summer (for those of you in other countries) is your only option. In that case, where would you go? Which places would you like to visit? Where in Sweden have you visited already and what would like to recommend to others?

Anybody who’s been reading this blog for more than 5 minutes knows that I’m a huge fan of Lappland. My number one destination in Sweden is the Far North – Kiruna, Abisko, Jukkasjärvi and the whole Tornedalen (Torne Valley) area. There are no ancient castles there and no Viking huts. There are no gothic cathedrals and splendid art museums. Instead, there is plenty of nature, gorgeous views, different culture and midnight sun (after all, we are talking about summer here). If not for the mosquitoes, it would be an ideal adventure destination. The drive along the Torne river is, without a doubt, one of the most gorgeous in Sweden.

A bit more south (if you’re in, let’s say, Pajala) there’s Luleå with its World Heritage listed Gammelstads kyrkstad (Gammelstad Church Town). Oh yes, and why is Luleå calling itself The Capital of Swedish Lapland? Just how many capitals does Lappland have? What about Lycksele’s claim to “Lapp Stockholm”?

So, now you know where I would like to spend my summer in Sweden. How about you? What are some of your favorite Swedish summer destinations?

PS. And just so there is no misunderstandings – it’s “Lappland” in Swedish, but “Lapland” in English.

 
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Exploring Norrland

Posted by Anna Ikeda
Aug
12
2008

One good thing about being from (or living in) Umeå is that you’re not from anywhere else in Västerbotten. Because imagine the alternatives! You could be from a place like Lycksele, for example.

I’m sure that Lycksele is a perfectly delightful little town, or a large village depending on who’s talking, of about 9 thousand people. Delightful for a short period of time, that is. And considering the numbers of teens and young people from Lycksele who come to Umeå every Saturday night in search of adventure, excitement and really wild things, you can kind of guess they share my opinion. And don’t forget the housewives on shopping trips! Lycksele may brag that three chain stores have opened there in recent years, and they even have a Dollar Store (which is not really a dollar store at all, but a normal Swedish shop) in town, but that still doesn’t change the fact that to most Lycksele-bor Umeå is a shining metropolis filled with swanky shops and fashionable people. No Dollar Store can match that.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s a charming town, but a charming podunk town, and the label of “Lapp Stockholm” is very misleading. But to be honest, I’ve never heard anyone except the Lycksele kommun (municipal district) and tourist office employees use that term. And even then, they whisper it quietly.

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Sami

Posted by Anna Ikeda
Aug
6
2008

I said last time that I would tell you about the Sami. In fact, I’ve been thinking about a Sami-themed post for quite a while now, or at least every time I listen to Transjoik. Though Transjoik is technically a Norwegian band, we’ll let them in here on an honorary membership. Sami, the people formerly known as Lapps don’t recognize normal national borders. They live in Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia. But who are they?

In Swedish:

  • samer (noun plural, def. plural: samerna) – en folkgrupp som finns i norra Sverige, Norge, Finland och Ryssland – an ethnic group in northern Sweden, Norway, Finland and Russia.


This happy Sami guy, Lars Jonas Johansson, lives nearby Tärnaby and welcomes visitors into his home. Just bring rubber boots if you plan to pet his reindeer - they sure poop a lot.

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