North to the Arctic and Sámiland: Norway and Sweden
TOUR IS CURRENTLY FULL - If you would like to be placed on the waiting list, please send an email to Michelle Whitehill, Tour Coordinator at mwhitehill@vesterheim.org or call 563-382-9681 ext. 240.
Tour Guide:
Harley Refsal
Tour Leaders:
Michelle Whitehill
Take the exciting, picturesque, less-commonly traveled road north—on Vesterheim’s first travel adventure focused on northern Norway and Sámiland. Beginning at Kiruna, Sweden, traveling primarily by motor coach, but also by coastal steamer, the tour will explore historical and cultural highlights of the region, including North Norway during the Viking Era; fishing; mining; and World War II. Attention will also focus on the history and rich cultural traditions of the Sámi as we visit cultural centers and museums both in Norway and Sweden.
Some of the areas in Sweden we are planning
to visit include: Kiruna; Nutti Sámi Siida in Jukkasjärvi—also the site of the famous Ice Hotel; and Ájtte—the Swedish Sámi and Mountain Museum in Jokkmokk.
Some of the areas in Norway we are planning to visit include: the breath-taking Lofoten Islands, Tromsø—“Paris of the North”; Sommarøy; the Manndalen Husflidslag in Samuelsberg, with opportunities to shop for Sámi handcrafts; the 2000-to-6200-year-old rock carvings from the Stone Age at the Alta Museum; a special Sámi experience in Masi; the Sámi National Museum and the Sámi Parliament in Karasjok; Tana Gull og Sølvsmie AS—Silver Workshop; a picnic hosted by a local family on the Russian border in Pasvik Valley by Kirkenes; and more to come as planning continues.