After a windy morning the afternoon was bright and only partly cloudy. Leena Valkeapää, an artist who lives not so far from here came to town and we met for coffee, sitting on a terrace in the sunshine like any old ski tourist. I have never been to the north for vacation, so I would not have known, but Leena initiated me to this custom, and told me about life here, between two worlds, the Norwegian weekend visitors and tourists from the south on one hand and the reindeer herding Sami people trying to maintain their traditional way of life on the other. I was fascinated by the fact that on the other side of the lake is Sweden, and I could simply walk there over the ice. There is a reindeer fence, however, near the shore, she told me, which keeps people out, as well. In older times the Sami people used to follow their reindeers across the borders, but now these movements are blocked.
Today I spent most of my time socializing, a small walk northwards in the morning and a small round on the ice with my skis in the evening, for practice, and of course the walk to the village to meet Leena. No video images today. I photographed an art photo in the dining room, depicting the same Malla Fell I videoed, in summertime. Unfortunately I do not know the photographer. With the reflection from the window it becomes something else, however. Although recognizable it looks rather surreal:
