Some important, yet bizarre, travel information from Finland. Boardshorts are on the list of unauthorised swimwear. Due to some well funded university studies on the hygienic effects of shorts in a swimming pool, male bathers are required to slip on their favourite pair of unfashionable 'Speedos' before entering a Finnish aquapark.
According to the Øksfjordian youth, this is not cool!
Some random news from the wind ravaged town of Øksfjord. The school has received three new students which takes the pressure off the tense political situation of possible school and swimming pool closures. There has been meetings regarding the future of the Wednesday night ski meets, which are in jeopardy of being cancelled if no one takes leadership responsibility.
If it's not the extreme Arctic winds or the drone of the expanding ice keeping you awake at night, it's those pesky otters waddling from the river and causing a ruckus with their fighting and other activities.
In other local news, preparations are in full swing for this years pastel themed 'Sparkefest' (see day 36) on Saturday evening.
Even within the small community of Øksfjord, there are endless discussions regarding the best spot to be. The small valley of Vassdalen is often ridiculed by those in 'Central Øksfjord'. Vassdalen is surrounded by enormous mountains and has been referred to as 'Shadow Valley'. Today, the sun did shine on our valley, if only for 20 minutes.
Helicopters, seen flying low over the Øksfjord region, are being used as a surveying tool to assess the avalanche risk. The recent snowfalls and high winds have created several potentially dangerous situations all over Western Finnmark.
Good to see some more 'International Øksfjordians' don the cross country skis for the first time today. It aint easy!!
The Øksfjordians returned home from Levi after narrowly avoiding several reindeer, both dead and alive. Reindeer are the major source of income for the Sami people in both Norway and Finland and all incidents are investigated. In the event of an unfortunate collision, the owners and the police must be notified and penalties may arise.
The dress code on the slopes appears to be as varied and bizarre as it was back in the 80s. Zebra suits, tarten overalls and pink pin striped jackets were out in force today. Norwegian and Swedish tourists were sparse as an increasing English and French market travel to Lapland for their alpine adventure.
Although Norway's riches are due mainly to the discovery of oil in the 1970's, the cost of petrol is astronomical. The thought of taking out a second mortgage before a long road trip is considered.
The drive to Levi is however worth every greasy penny as the sun shone on a spectacular day.
Levi, Finland is a good six to seven hours drive from Øksfjord. Many make the journey in search of powder snow covered hills to ski and snowboard down and lifts to take them back up again. However Levi is not one dimensional and also offers a wellness centre and cheap reindeer meat.
Inevitably all Øksfjordians will travel by boat to the nearest hospital for a number of reasons. The 'Hurtigbåten' stops at several small ports within the district on its two hour journey to Hammerest, the world's most northern city. The term 'city' is used loosley within the Norwegian language.
The Øksfjord football firemen returned home after a long journey from Namsos, the self proclaimed rock city of Norway. After inspecting the Øksfjord tunnel, the politicians concluded that it was the worst they had seen. The Snow finally arrived and the children rejoiced.
Some less than satisfying results for the Øksfjord lads from the first day of the Northern Norwegian Firemen Football championships. Following four unlucky defeats from as many games, the tired and limping warriors are hoping for a much improved performance tomorrow.
Planes, trains and automobiles from Alta to Namsos as the team prepares for a Friday start in the Northern Norwegian Firemen Football championsips. In Øksfjord news, the worst tunnel in the country is being inspected by some influential politicians today.
