Hello Readers

This is my photo-blog from my holiday in Lapland, Sweden. It's posted up so you can read it in the order it happened. I've yet to add an "I'm feeling lucky" button but you can also just browse back and forth at will. And when you're bored of that you can head back to the original Cru-blog. Enjoy!

Kiruna Church

Designed to look like a Sami hut for reasons no two tour guides can agree on.

David's First Husky

You never forget your first one...

David With More Huskies

Note attractive dog poo also pictured, this was to become quite a feature of the husky-sledding.

My First Husky

Here's hoping this one doesn't poo...

I Help Steer The Sled

"Help" may be the wrong choice of word.

Stop at the Tea Tee-Pee

The Dogs have a Break Too

They really deserve it.

Kiruna Town Hall

Much prettier inside. The tower is designed to look like a mineshaft due to the world's largest iron ore mine located next to (and, reassuringly, under) the town.

Cross-Country Skiing

We make it look easy. Shame I didn't have my camera to hand at the bit where David went off-piste swiftly followed by sub-piste as he sunk in up to his chest in the soft snow.

Born to be Wild

Drilling a Fishing-Hole

That Hole in Detail

Not quite through at this stage, but nearly. It fills with water once you're right the way through.

Arctic River

Water so clean you can drink it straight from the river - if you don't fall in that is.

Some More Gorgeous Scenery

Born to be Wild parts II and III

Neverending Sunset

They have about six weeks where the sun never sets and six where it never rises. In between (as now) it sits pretty low on the horizon and creates some beautiful scenes.

My Taxi Arrives, Sami-Style

Correct Reindeer-Sledding Technique

I.e. hang on for deer (geddit?) life. Sophie demonstrates.

Sold to the Idiot in the Goggles

How am I going to explain this at customs?

Inside Nils-Anders' Hut

What a brilliant guy. He invited us to come back in the summer when he said he'd take us on a "mosquito safari"...

Santa's Back Yard

Well Nils-Anders' back yard actually. Reindeer are the basic unit of currency among the Sami people so as you can see Nils-Anders is a rich man.

Rooms at the Ice Hotel

In One of the Ice Hotel Suites

Pretty Comfy

We'll Take It!

View from Jukkasjarvik Church

Late-Night Mushing

This time we got to do all the mushing ourselves, rather than sitting on the sled while someone else did it. As usual there was a tee-pee stop.

Driving a Mazda

This was my lead dog, Mazda, so named because she was born in the back of one... She didn't want to sit outside with the other dogs, she wanted to hang in the tee-pee with us.

The Whole Gang in the Ice Bar

Ann, me, David, Vicky, Annie
Front row: Martin, Jordana

Do You Come Here Often?

No, of course not, it's freezing... Note the ice glasses.

The Ice Church

Waking Up in the Ice Hotel

I actually slept really well in the ice hotel. David slept less well but did get some sleep. It's really warm in those sleeping bags. You have to leave all your luggage in a heated locker so it doesn't freeze up.

Goodbye Sweden

We Parked our Dogsled at the Airport

...and we were gone!