74.22km –10H44’
Altitude : 232 m
Yesterday we found a place to stay in Inari, in a house that offers rooms with a kitchenette so we could prepare our meals like we do at home Lissu lives in Helsinki, she works during the season to help Satu, the owner of the place. Last year she came to study Inari Sami, the Sami language of this place, because Russian Sami speak another Sami, which is so different that they cannot understand each other. Satu is Sami and she speaks her mother tongue, Finnish, English and I think probably Spanish, since she has a house there. Satu is a multilingual woman who lives with her husband near Inari in a house without running water or electricity. Her family lives a bit further north, in Karigasniemi and Utsjki, two small towns on the Norwegian border.
Yesterday with Lissu, I was able to voice my surprise to see so few Sami in Finnish Lapland. It is true that there are not many of them and the young generation has to go as far as Ravaniemi, which is the closest university. The young Sami go further south; on the other hand, access to the north is easy for the Finns.
Lissu explained that the Sami speak their language among themselves but as soon as someone speaking Finnish arrives they speak Finnish. The question remains, will the Inari Sami survive with future generations? Lissu hopes so. In Inari there is a course taught in Inari Sami and Satu explained that in Karigasniemi there is only a primary school . After that the children have to go to Utsjoki for further schooling.
At km 38, we turn onto Route 92 which hears toward Karigasniemi, the town at the Norwegian border, which we will reach tomorrow. Serge is surprised because he though he would go further north. The question always asked by anyone we meet is “are you going to North Cape?” As a tourist, I would avoid the North Cape where all the RVs are heading… too many people! And Satu gave me a tip which I will share with you. The most northern place in continental Europe is not North Cape but a place called Kinnarodden, near Mehamn. The road that goes there is in good condition because it was made two years ago and Lissu, who went there last year, opens her eyes wide to indicate that the scenery is breathtaking. Because it is off the beaten track, tranquility is guaranteed. So now you know.
This is what Serge thought about today:
• About his mother, since it is Mother’s Day
• About the finals of Roland Garros, which he thinks is today but I think he is a little ahead of schedule
• The organization of the trans-continental race Los Angeles – New York, which is scheduled for 2011, with 31 pre-registrations.
• The number of hills to climb and descend on Route 92. He didn’t count them.
• About Christophe Vissant, who clocked 2,000 km yesterday on his way to Greece.
Anecdotes of the day :
• A couple of Italians stopped on the road, at an angle with the van and started a conversation with Eliane and René, who asked if there were going to North Cape. The answer was no but to Norway, yes. The lady took out a small bag of stamped post cards which they forgot to mail before they crossed the border. So we left with the post cards, which we will mail in Norway.
• The police, went by while this was happening and stopped to tell René that he should not put on his emergency lights if there is no emergency, even if the vehicle is parked half on the road? Route 92 is not very wide, there are few bona fide parking spots and in view of the traffic, parking on the road caused no inconvenience.