Friday in Øksfjord and the autumn weather has impressed the locals who labelled the passing summer one of the worst ever. It was warm and sunny, yet the wind played havoc with the relaxng afternoon. The usually flat lake in Vassdalen resembled the surf of California. Trampolines rattled noisliy and tents flew into the river. Hopefully the wind dies down in time for the sea kayak seminar to be held in Øksfjord over the next two days. The local newspaper appears to have a lot of space to fill up. One report today on page four of the Altaposten informed us that police in Hammefest had received information that a drunk woman was sleeping outside of a house. When the police arrived, the woman was gone. On the same page, we read that a 50 year old woman had forgotten to use her handbrake. Her car rolled onto the grass of her neighbour. Meanwhile in Øksfjord, there is talk of upsizing the general store. Burfjord have recently opened its new larger shop to great praise from customers. The mayor of Øksfjord suggests that his town is more than deserving of an upgraded supermarket. One of Øksfjord's mutts is on his way to Tromsø for two competitions this weekend. Iko will be judged on the quality of his breeding, his appearance and his obedience. Over 1200 dogs from all over Norway will take part in the highly competitive shows. Remember Iko, don't bite the judge!
The Nuvsvåg school has closed and will not re open.The students did not take up the council's generous offer to travel 3 hours each day to get to school in Øksfjord. Instead, the four remaining students chose to stay put and a lone teacher, from a French background, has volunteered his services free of charge for the time being. Officially the students are being home schooled, yet they meet everday at a vacant venue. The decision to close the school was unpopular and unwanted apart from within the townhall on the day the vote was taken. The mayor had, the day before the vote, publicly announced that the school would not be closed this school year. Within 24 hours, the opposite was true, making the mayor look like a bit of a goose. Although teacher Fabrice is not receiving official payment, he has been rewarded with free accommodation and food from grateful parents. A money collecting jar stands in the general store and already 6000 kroner has been raised to pay the teacher a wage. The students had a varied first school week with a trip to Bergsfjord one day and the doctor visit to Nuvsvåg another day, forcing the teacher and students out of the building. Fabrice has been creative in his teaching over three different year levels and for the time being the students are happy with the present situation. One has to wonder though how long this situation can continue.
Norwegian kids really do have opportunities that others could only dream of. Most travel on one or two international holidays each year. Three students from Øksfjord are on their way to Bali for a year of sunshine, swimming and possibly some study. The philosophy course has been offered to Norwegian students for many years now. As an 18 or 19 year old, escaping the snow to go to school on the other side of the globe, in an area descibed by many as heaven on earth, is a dream come true. It's like the yearly trip to London. The year 10 kids take it for granted that they get to visit one of the world's greatest cities, while we! as humble school children in middle class Australia, were bussed two hours to the middle of the desert, forced to sleep in soaking tents, and a long way from the nearest art gallery, museum or royal palace. Yet I have still heard the occassional sulking complaints that a school trip to the Greek Islands would be a much better idea. A few years ago, a school group actually did spend a week in Kos. Despite the lack of summer this year, the autumn is rapidly approaching. There was a blunt shot of reality this morning when the drawing of the kitchen curtains revealed a snow covered mountain top. The days are shortening and the winter clothes are slowly being intergrated into everyday use.
It was a big day for Øksfjord as the biggest film in Norwegian history was being premiered at the town hall, at almost the same time as the rest of the country. The story of Thor Heyerdahl and his raft called Kon Tiki was unknown to myself, despite having lived in the country for three years. Thor set off in 1947 from Peru to Polynesia on a raft made of balsa wood to try and prove that others did the very same thing over 1500 years ago. The real life documentary of his journey won an oscar in 1950 and the film version was originally due for release 15 years ago, before disagreements over the content brought production to a halt. Thor and his family had always wanted a more truthful account of events rather than a ritzy Holywood version. The end product was a suprisingly beautifully made film, that contains enough action and drama to satisfy most film goers. The budget spent is the most ever on a Norwegian production. The Øksfjord cinema is four rows of chairs facing the large white screen in the town hall. The digital projector is operated by a travelling film projector man who sets up his equipment once every two weeks. The year 10 kids are responsible for the set up and the packing up. The picture quality was first class, the sound was clear and you are allowed to bring your own popcorn...
Today, the year 7s from Høgtun school in Øksfjord traveled to Alta for a concert entitled 'The show must go on'. It is the brainchild of one Åge Sten Nilsen, a self proclaimed musical legend in Norway. Having had success with his band 'Wig Wam'' and various other solo projects, Åge has spent the past 5 years heading a tribute to rock legends Queen. The latest 'Northern Tour' is a concert based on a musical, based on a band famous for its concerts. The kids claimed they had never heard of Queen but when the opening beat to We will rock you began, they sat up and started to take an interest. The overall verdict was that it was loud and a touch too long, yet also awesome in a rock and roll kind of way. As Åge and the band finished, the kids jumped out of their seats, put on their jackets before the teacher quickly explained the concept of the encore. The kids slumped down again and sighed loudly as Åge and band and choir belted out Bohemian Raphsody and We are the Champions for the finale. For the many Øksfjordians that made the trip, it was four hours of travelling for two hours of entertainment, but it is not every day a semi famous, ex Eurovision participant bothers to venture this way. We can only hope that Åge Sten Nilsen spreads the word that Northern Norway rocks!
Oh my, what a miserable day. It actually started out alright with a warmish wind and some overcast yet dry conditions.The four year old and I even took the boat out for a quick and unsuccessful fishing trip, having seen the threatening clouds hovering above. Around midday, the heavens opened and it pelted down for the rest of the day. When it rains up here, it is usually in the form of an annoying, frustrating drizzle. Umbrellas are virtually unheard of, raincoats and waterproof pants being the preference. A look outside today and you could be excused for thinking you were stuck in Manilla during the wet season. It was a pity for the Øksfjord A football team that trudged through 90 minutes in horrid conditions. Even the dog refused to venture out into the torrential downpour. The weather really is unpredictable these days. Summers disappear, winters move and the frequency of storms is increasing each year. Whatever you want to label it, the weather is changing. The fishing tourists seem to revel in the conditions. A smiling group, suitably dressed were transporting their ample catch back to the apartment. The fishing tourist season is extending into October and by that time, snow blizzards are not unusual. They really must enjoy their ocean fishing because the chill of the Arctic winds, an icy ocean and an open boat are not the Ingredients I would consider for my dream holiday!
The clothing brand 'Moods of Norway' have opened a store in Tromsø. The successful brand has a large international following, despite the absurdly ovepriced garments. There is no immediate plans to open a shop in Alta. Tromsø has over the past years made the transition from northern hole to the self proclaimed 'Paris of the North'. Curiously though, the golden archers have not been erected in Tromsø. In fact, it is hard to imagine anywhere in the world that is further from a McDonalds than Northern Norway. There is a McDonalds in Trondheim, which is around 1100 km away making it the most accessible for Øksfjordians. Interestingly though, the closest McDonalds is over the border in Murmansk, Russia, a mere 700 km drive. Just to put all this irrelevant information into perspective, the most McIsolated point in the U.S is just 170 km from a Big Mac and medium fries. There is of course a Burger King in Tromsø, but it's really just not the same. The Øksfjord boys played their match against the boys from Hammerfest today at the Vassdalen stadium. The home team put in a good effort and were competitive for much of the game but were outclassed by a better team and lost 4-0. As discussed earlier, the Øksfjord team is made from boys from all over and the teamwork suffers as a result. Certainly, Hammerfest looked a more slick and well trained unit.
The weekend arrived as usual on Friday. Predictably, the weather has turned the corner, just as school starts and everyone is back at work. The berries are taking over the mountain, now that the reindeer have started their journey back inland. The kindergarten kids are blessed with their own stash just behind the slide. Of course sometimes, an all you can eat blueberry buffet and swings and slides can have messy results. The Øksfjord football boys play against Hammerfest tomorrow. It is actually a mini miracle that Øksfjord can field a team, given the difficulties caused by a team made up of lads from no less than eight different towns. They travel by boat and bus to get to training, which has taken place in seven different gymnasiums. Tomorrow, the boys will travel from Nuvsvåg, Bergsfjord, Sandland, Alta, Sørvær, Breikvikbotn and Hasvik to Øksfjord to play 80 minutes of football, before returning home. Unfortunately, it looks like it will be the last year that Øksfjord can indeed field a team of 11. The immediate future looks bleak in terms of the number of boys playing football, meaning that it will be 7s football in the near future.Due to a lack of evidence, police have been unable to solve the mystery of 'who threw a rock at Nasser's kebab van' almost a year ago. Nasser and his kebabs were a big hit during the recent Øksfjord festival.
At 11.30, the whole school population met at the primary school for the official opening. The headmaster gave one of his motivating speeches and recited a poem to mark the occassion. The two small school starters stood up the front with their new orange school bags and looked proud, excited and slighty terrified, all at the same time. The teachers were introduced, along with all of the other staff that help make the school a smooth running organisation....most of the time. The rest of the day was a relaxing welcome to the new school year with smiles and no conflicts. Let's hope it lasts!The members of the old boys football group meet reqularily, yet over the summer, they had not managed to meet. Tonight a few of them arrived at the football ground to see if they could assemble enough to put together a social kick about. The first team and the old boys combined to play a 5 on 5 game to get the blood pumping a little. A generous Øksfjord resident had a lucky day on the fjord, pulling in over 20 good sized coal fish. His catch was too big for his freezer, so he made stops, delivering a massive fish to each house in the area. Needless to say, some families will be having fried fish, boiled fish, fish cakes, fish fingers and fish soup over the next couple of weeks.
The teachers made the last touches to the classrooms ahead of the students' arrival tomorrow. The welcome to the new year signs, the laminating of name tags, moving of desks, tables and chairs, counting of books and an assessment of the new and old technology. Unfortunately, Øksfjord is a little behind the eight ball in the field of megabytes and gigabytes. The server that is driving the internet within the buildings was installed when facebook was a work of portraits and it was more my phone than iphone. Many of the lessons comprise of logging on, waiting, frustratingly pressing buttons, turning off before finally taking off, having achieved very little.
It is a frustraiting process and does not prepare the students for when they arrive in a 21st century university town like Alta or Tromsø. Speaking of which, many of the 2011/2012 Høgtun school graduates have spent the last days moving into their new 'cosy' living quarters. The majority now live in small rooms in Alta, close to the high school, they will be attending over the next three years. Calling the rooms small is an understatement. Bending over needs to be planned and the students need to step out of the room to change their mind. The kitchens and bathrooms are shared and the furniture arrangements need to be creative. Still, the kids are revelling in their new freedom and enjoying every cramped moment.
One of the natural highlights of Øksfjord is the giant glacier that sits upon the mountain across the fjord. Although the signage can be misleading, tourists flock to admire the view from a range of different viewpoints. The school has made plans to visit this natural wonder. It is a tough trek up the mountain and requires wits, courage and a good level of fitness. Three enormous Danish produced fish oil tanks have been lifted into place at Øksfjord's fish food factory. Polar Feed has invested more than 10 million kroner in the new tanks which will double the production. A French tourist will serve 18 days in prison following a drive over the mountain at 160 km pr hour. His excuse for driving 70 km over the speed limit? He was simply testing how fast his new car could travel. A popular venue during the Øksfjord festival was Nasser's Kebab van. Although the van disappeared as quickly as it arrived, it appears that Nasser is a known figure around Finnmark. Nasser, himself is from Alta, yet had been serving the late night revellers in Vadsø on weekends with his tasty kebabs. Although popular amongst the hungry crowd, the nearby restaurants took offense to the competition in the food industry and reported their complaints to the council. Nasser was asked to find his profitable kebabs another home. He hasn't been seen in Vadsø since.
Teachers went back to work today to start planning for the 70 students that will arrive on Thursday for the new school year. It has been two months since the kids threw their books in the bin and it will take a week or two to get back into the swing of things. There are only two newbies starting this week in the first grade. It appears that the school closure in Nuvsvåg will not result in any transferring of kids to Øksfjord. A couple have moved away and the remaining four will remain in Nuvsvåg on a home schooling / private tuition type situation. The parents argue, quite understandably that the voyage between Nuvsvåg to Øksfjord is not adequately safe for their children to travel five days a week. The French / Norwegian teacher has decided to stay put and has accepted the parents offer to teach on a private basis. A gentleman in Alta had a very lucky escape. Two police officers were on the way back to their office after an incident early in the morning, when they noticed something floating in the Alta river. They were suprised to discover a young man lying on an inflatable mattress. The 21 year old from Tromsø was less than sober and could not explain his bizzare situation. He had been camping with friends, who claimed they had no knowledge of the incident.
Fortunately, it was a quiet end to the Øksfjord festival. After continous days of live music, parties, weddings, fishing, races, jumping castles and waffles, a serene open air church service was held at the Vassdalen lake. Without doubt, it has been another successful Øksfjord festival. From early in the week, the weather forecast looked like the beginning of the apocalypse, yet the days passed by without a drop of rain and even the sun occassionally crept out from beneath the fog. The afternoon conditions were perfect for berry picking. The autumn blueberries have all of a sudden popped into view and over the next few weeks, those serious about their berries will be filling buckets of the things until their freezes are overflowing. The Øksfjordians are quite clever at making homemade ice creams, muffins and jams from the blueberries picked in their backyards. There was more football on at the Vassdalen stadium today as well as a return of the English football season on the telly. Liverpool, Manchester and Arsenal supporters around the village are of course totally convinced that this will be their year.Many Øksfjordians have chosen to return to the warmer climates for a second summer holiday. The last minute deals have tempted many fed up, sun starved souls to take the plunge and make a second visit to Turkey, Greece, Bulgaria or one of the other sunny options.
There were sore heads this morning as the Øksfjord festival hit top gear. Following the duck race, the lucky winners and the losing majority raced home, showered, dressed for the outdoors and headed to the popular festival venue 'Dattera til Larson' for a night of entertainment from the local talent. First on the bill was the controversial, loud, opinionated yet also very funny comedian Jim. Since his stand up debut, this time last year, Jim has had several gigs, some local and some in the tough market of Alta. His material ranges from sex, to football to Jesus and he is not afraid to let his personal opinions be known. Last night's performance received a mixture of raucous laughter and at times, stunned silence, as Økfjord's funny man tested the boundaries before running over them at full speed. Although Jim's show was a tough act to follow, the best of Øksfjords musicians rounded out the evening with some well known tunes. Today was a busy day in the usually sleepy village. It started with a set of fun runs for varying age groups, while the more experienced gave it their all over the 10 km course. Across the road, the wedding of year was underway at the church, while at the cafe, an African Norwegian was a teaching a group of kids about percussion and having fun with dance and music.
Today was the Øksfjord plastic duck lottery race. The last of the 350 yellow ducks were so sold but there was a nervous atmosphere following the debacle last year. There was little water in the river in 2011 and the ducks struggled to advance past the reeds, rocks and sand. After an hour had passed and most of the crowd had dispersed, a small group floated meekily past the finish line, just enough for the prizes to be awarded. This year, with all the rain, surely the ducks would rush down the river at a rapid pace. To be safe, the starting point was brought forward a few metres. After an hour of children's activities and cod liver treats on the shore, the ducks were let loose. At first, they raced down the fast flowing river at such a speed, that screams of 'Here they come' could be heard from the starting point. The coffee drinking folk sprinted over to the finish line in the hope that they would see their duck float past in the top three. There was no need to rush as many of the yellow ducks once again became stuck. After 15 minutes, the first ducks came into view of the crowd by the finish line. The owners of the first three were jubilant and collected their winnings, while the duck retrieval commitee got to work.
Every summer, the traffic near the ferry jetty increases to a level bordering on busy. A popular strategy for those who rely on the ferry either to get to the summer cottage or return home is to park the car early in the day, wander around Øksfjord for six hours or so and then board the ferry at the front of the queue. The alternative is to take a punt that there will be adequate room on the boat. Those who miss the boat, will need to wait hours or even the next day. I have often wondered why some entrepreneurial person has not set up some sort of food option for the waiting folk. I have even been approached by tourists on a Sunday, who have been devestated by the information that nothing is open before 3pm. At last one kebab cart owner has had the initiative to set up beside the waiting room and business has been booming ever since. It has been years, since Øxfjordians had access to some wonderfully greasy food to help with hangovers!Today was the annual fishing competition on the Hurtigruta pier. There appeared to be less nibbles than in previous years, yet there were some good catches and a few 'enormous' ones that got away. In sporting news, the Øksfjord football team had a magnificent 4-1 over a team from Alta.
It was prince and princess day at the Øksfjord festival. The drama school leaders were responsible for running an entertaining program for the kids. They arrived at the town hall at midday, dressed in costumes of pink and purple for the girls and crowns for the boys. The king and queen led the parade of young royals, who later participated in a group dance. There was a quiz, a storytelling session and two bouncy castles to entertain all ages from 0 - 12. In the evening, it was time for the big kids to have some fun. It was the annual quiz night and the competitive juices started to flow. Teams of six stationed themselves at the tables, armed with pens, paper, drinks and some intelligent wit. The defending champions and overwhelming favourites spent a lot of energy deciding on a clever name for their team. In the end they kept for the same as last year, in the hope that history would repeat itself. The questions shot out of quiz master's mouth at a rapid pace and covered an array of various topics from politics to films to current affairs to translation of well known song lyrics. In an upset that smelled of a high reaching conspiracy, the favourites were narrowly beaten by some dark horse musicians. We look forward to five days of continued festival fun.
Øksford is a wonderfully peaceful, untroubled and beautiful village. The downside is the lack of services, those in larger towns take for granted. One of the more annoying tasks is delivering the family car into the mandatory EU control once every two years. The process is to ensure that all cars on European roads are relatively safe. While Alta is a tourist trap for international visitors, for others living in Finmark, it has become a shopping haven for those who have little more than a general store. It is the closest option for the purchasing of wine and spirits for those in Øksfjord and the 'Wine Monopoly' is a popular stopover. The 'Thai food store' is another popular shopping venue for adventurous Økfjordians. It is here that the several Thai women who live in Økfjord collect supplies for their delicious spring rolls and spicy wontons, in an increasingly competitive market. The weather was brilliant in Alta and fortunately there are river lined paths and tracks through the woodlands to provide an alternative to those wishing to escape the numerous concrete shopping centres.Upon returning to Øksfjord, a thick blanket of fog was smothering the mountains, bringing an eerie chill into the air. As usual I consulted with my neighbour regarding the weather and he sadly informed that the foggy atmosphere had been present for the entire day.
There are two major events on the Øksfjordian calandar this week. The Øksfjord festival kicks off tomorrow and will keep the locals well entertained and well fed. The other event is the wedding of the year. A member of one of Øksfjord's largest families will tie the knot on Saturday afternoon, followed by a dinner and party, to which a large chunk of the town's population is invited to. It was another warm one today as the sun made a mockery of the weather forecast. T-shirts were again discarded as the summer flickers briefly before the autumnn chill. Within the valley of Vassdalen, the afternoons of sitting on the verandah are numbered. Due to the massive nuisance of a mountain, the sun disappears in the afternoon, a lot earlier than it does for those living outside of the valley.There has been some controversial adjustments to the town's natural look. The owner of the 'Kroa'' pub took some intiative and cleared an area of trees, giving his patrons a better view of the fjord. The trees in question however were actually on the property of the neighbour, who apparently was less than impressed by the sudden lack of privacy. To make matters worse, the house had just been sold to a young family, that had considered the trees a pleasant buffer from the local waterng hole.
After a night of swimming, movies and Olympic excitement, it was a struggle to emerge from the caravans ahead of the final day of the tournament. It was a big night for the Norwegian Olympic hopes with the defending champion in the javelin, Andreas Thorkildsen, followed by the handball girls in the gold medal match. The Javelin flopped short for Andreas and Norway, but the girls won a thriller and a well deserved second gold for the land of the fjords. It was the last effort at the Alta tournament. The group of dusty, dirty and mostly unshowered players pushed through the exhaustion barrier to give their all until the final whistle. While the majority of young players showed good sportsmanship in both victory and defeat, one particular group of boys disgusted and saddened me. In two separate games, these boys dived and flung themselves all over the place, screamed like tortured banshees and employed ridiculous time wasting techniques to ruin a perfectly good game. Of course, after the game they were smiling smugly, proud of their cunning ploys. The coach appeared to be proud of his boys, not for good football, but for deceiving the referee and dragging the game into disrepute. If this group of under 10s is representative of the future of the sport, I will start to watch the sailing instead!
It was a full day at the Alta tournament and luckily for the players, the heat wave (22 degrees) was over. The success of the event relies on a large number of volunteers to help with everything from the food tent to coaching to refereeing. The only criticism would be the use of 10- 12 year olds to referee games of a similar age group. The poor kids were scared to use the whistle and stood off the field, a long way from the action. Whenever they made did make a decision and pointed in the appropriate direction, the players totally ignored the decision and the more confident ones took over. Even some of the more shameless parents were blatantly cheating, fully aware that the overawed mini ref was not about to blow her whistle and take control. Meanwhile in Alta centre, a market of suprising proportions had set up for the day. The theme was along the lines of The tastes of the world come to Northern Norway. There was a quality selection of cusines from all over. The English were selling jams and chutneys, the French were flogging fine biscuits and crepes. There was fajita from Mexico and Paella from Spain and much more. The locals brought along their rusty, yet impressive English and returned home with a sack of culinary delights.
It was an early start for many Øksfjordian families making their way to Alta for the annual three day football tournament. The event is massive, with over 370 teams competing in over 950 games. The competitors ranged from some experienced campaigners to those pulling on the boots for the first time. The Øksfjord community was split into two areas about 300 metres apart. The caravan village set up on an area of private land, across the road from the main arena. The remainder were crammed into classrooms and the gymnasium at the nearby pimary school. Those who had slept in the gym previously, cleverly arrived early, positioning themslves in the prime locations such as the corners, or next to climbing ladders that doubled as drying racks for soggy, sweaty football gear. The weather gods turned 180 degrees and served up a warm, or dare I say it, even hot afternoon. Despite the lack of recent t-shirt opportunities, there were whispering complaints that the sudden heat was too much for the footballing kiddies. In between downing cold drinks and the consumption of ice cream, popcorn and fairy floss, there was some football being played. The youngest teams provided a show of random tumbling feet and balls, with the occassional accidental goal. The older groups showed glimpses of superb team play and star individual feats.
All eyes were on the telly this afternoon as the Norwegian girls competed in the women's handball semi final against arch rivals Korea. Norway has traditionally been very strong in women's handball and started this Olympic tournament as strong favourites. I find it strange that one the biggest sports in the country is not and has never been played in Øksfjord on any sort of level. Granted a larger gymnasium is required to host official games, yet outside of watching the national teams, the game is hardly mentioned. The kids do not know the rules and I don't even know if a handball actually exists in this town. Anyway, the handball girls on the telly performed a damn sight better than they have so far this tournament and held off a stubborn and persistent Korean side to advance to the gold medal match on Saturday night. The second semi final was played between Spain and the apparently great handball nation of Montenegro. For the record, Montenegro won a close battle and will challenge Norway for Olympic gold in 48 hours time.Meanwhile in Alta, police were called when three horses ran wild through the town. The owner of the confused animals was duly notified, although it is not known how they escaped. Just another day on the beat for the northern cops!
Norway won its first gold medal today in the sport of kayaking. The surprise victory was replayed dozens of times across the various networks and flags were waved in patriotic pride. Interestingly, there has also been a lot of support for the nordic neighbours. Whenever the Danes or Swedes are in a final, the interest level is raised and the commentators are open in their support of these athletes over the gold spoilt Chinese and Americans. The duck lottery sale is going along nicely, with over half of the 350 plastic animals sold already. The excitement is building for the many other activities to be enjoyed over the Øksfjord festival week. A jumping castle, fishing competition, stand up comedy and a quiz night are some of the highlights. Due to the less than horrid weather, there was a spontaneous gathering at Vassdalen lake last night. The group gathered to tell tales of recent summer adventures and consumed barbequed treats. Those who can, pulled in a few trout and the valley dogs chased each other up the mountain until they collapsed with exhaustion. Eventually as the sun disapeared below the horizon, we had to admit that it was getting cool. The coffee was packed away and all headed off home, hoping that this was not the last pleasant evening of the summer.
The Vassdalen committee had an important meeting regarding the events to be held in Vassdalen during the Øksfjord festival next week. Among the points that were discussed was the running of the annual duck lottery race (see day 218) and the contingency plan, to be deployed, should the ducks be stuck again as was the case last year. It was good to see some positive media attention given to Øksfjord's Coop supermarket. The management has generously donated a brand new oven to the church. Some good news regarding the caravan situation at the upcoming Alta football tournament. Earlier in the week, it was announced that due to asphalt work, the caravan army would not be welcome this year during the three day event. However, an area closer to the football stadium has been made available to Øksfjord's camping community. Recent figures show that international tourism is on the rise in Norway, the biggest increase occuring in Northern Norway, notably Finnmark. Overall, hotels in Northern Norway increased their occupation in June this year by seven percent compared to last year. Camping areas however, recorded a decline of seven percent. It just might have something to do with the chilly summer we have experienced. Pitching a tent is driving rain and arctic winds would send many running towards a five star option!
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