The days go by, the light increases. Nature is still hidden under a layer of snow, everything is white, beautiful and frosty. The trees are slowly starting to bend under the weight, but the frost does not stop. It is wonderful to watch the sun's rays breaking through the snowy branches. The sun is not that strong yet, but every day there is more and more of it. My mood also improves with the amount of sun. When I drive, I enjoy the beauty and I can't stop looking at it. It always warms my soul and I tell myself what a beautiful world we have.
There is not much going on at work now. So everything is the same as before, still reindeer, huskies, snowmobiles and aurora. It is nice to meet (and get to know each other a little more) other guides from other companies. As for snowmobiles, now we often have large groups - around 37 people. So that's challenging – getting everyone dressed, giving them boots, helmets, signing the rules… And then cleaning up after them. And how such a large group actually drives? 21 snowmobiles in a row, mostly not very experienced drivers, we drive at a speed of +/- 10km/h. We usually arrive at the first place and take photos, which they mostly care about, and they are happy with them. For us, it's a bit "boring". But recently I had a couple from Brazil and the guy was a great driver, so we drove through the forest and all the roads like crazy. And we both enjoyed it a lot! It was amazing!!!
Huskies grow incredibly fast, the little puppies are not so little anymore, but pretty heavy. However, they are still cute, I would steal some home right away. And all the huskies are incredibly grateful for every caress, cuddle, and show of love. So I always go around everyone and share the cuddles, and it makes me happy too and releases endorphins. They are such an injection of good mood and encouragement.
After long months, the reindeer are also more used to people and some even let themselves be petted. And you must try the reindeer specialties in the restaurant at least once. Although you don't really want to, when you see how cute they are. Some reindeer end up on your plate, because there is a regulation of their population, a precisely set number of reindeer, so that there is enough food for them and they don't destroy all the nature by eating everything they see. In Finnish Lapland, there can be "only" 200,000 reindeer, there are about 180,000 people here, of which about 5,000 are reindeer herders. And every reindeer belongs to someone, you can tell by the ear marks. Soon after birth, a baby reindeer gets the same ear mark as its mother. It is a combination of different cuts that will remain for life. Every herder has their own officially registered brand, without a brand they cannot have a reindeer. Ear marks are often inherited, or you can buy one from someone who no longer wants to continue herding.
Towards the end of January, the magnificent Northern Lights were visible again almost all over Europe. And we had clouds and overcast skies again. Fortunately, this spectacle lasted two days and the second day, luck finally smiled on us. I didn’t have a tour, but I joined Zsolti and it was worth it! It was so beautiful!!! Lady Aurora danced all over the sky and was unstoppable!!! I didn’t even have time to take pictures of everything… At one point, I just wanted to enjoy looking at it. The following days were not so glorious. We were lucky a few times and saw a little bit, but it is often cloudy and overcast. Anyway, every (even small) Northern Lights makes me happy.
Besides work, or constantly waiting for it, we sometimes have time for other activities. Like going for a beer, saying goodbye to the departing guides (on the dance floor), watching the light columns (which always look like alien landings), tasting different foods (the aforementioned reindeer, I also had a craving for fish & chips, they even had Kozel on tap), being moved by the sunsets... It's simply magical here. It's cold, but beautiful. I'll probably miss it...
