Reindeer!!!

Well, today was a day of pure cold fun. We began with a tour of Kiruna, seeing the city hall and the plan for reassignment of some of the city's residents and buildings due to a "sink hole" type problem caused by the mining for iron ore. Then, we went out to see the REINDEER. WOW!!! They are wonderful and I can totally see why Santa chose them to pull his sleigh. We got to feed a few of them lichen, which we got from the trees. The reindeer think of it as candy. They are completely vegetarian and, although I kind of wanted a smooch from a reindeer, I had to settle for a tenuous glance. While they are docile, they are not warm and fuzzy like my Cosmo.

At any rate, we then traveled to the world famous Icehotel. In case you haven't heard about this place, they build an Icehotel from ice floes near the site EVERY year. Guests from all around the world come to sleep on reindeer skins in rooms made completely of ice. We toured the artistic suites of the Icehotel and then had a drink at a real Icebar. I had a Wolfpaw -- a traditional Lappland drink. The glasses were even made of ice. Because you are in a climate that is well below freezing, you could actually keep the glass and return for a refill. BRRRR. The complete hotel melts in late Spring and they build it all again the next year.

We also got the opportunity to learn a lot about the Sami culture -- indigenous peoples who herded reindeer and occupied this area beginning a few thousand years after the last ice age ended. We went to a Sami nursery school and the children were fantastic.

We are now in Gellivare, which is another mining community. We were able to take a tour of the area this afternoon and now we are dispersed into our various host families. I am staying with a wonderful couple who are both lawyers. They have two beautiful children, ages 4 and 7. Interestingly, the "Opa" to the little children is also from Germany. So, we have a lot to talk about. I had a wonderful meal, in the home, of salmon, with some delicious local liquers and I am now getting ready to hit the sack. I hope all is well back home. Sweden is a beautiful country with a beautiful people! Everyone should try to get here and experience this!