karasjok in the dead of winter: reindeer, rain, and random strangers
karasjok. ever heard of it? yeah, me neither until last week. turns out it's this tiny town in northern norway where the sami culture is alive and kicking, and the reindeer outnumber people. i landed here thinking it'd be all snow and northern lights, but the weather had other plans.
i just checked and it's 12.94°c there right now, feels like 11.7°c, which is weird for january. the humidity is 54%, pressure's 1010, and the ground-level pressure is 837. hope you like that kind of thing.
anyway, first thing i did was wander into the sami museum. someone told me that the exhibits are better than the coffee in town, and honestly? they weren't wrong. the museum's small but packed with stories, and the gift shop has the softest reindeer mittens i've ever touched.
"if you're here for the northern lights, you're probably out of luck," a local muttered while sipping coffee. "but the midnight sun in summer? now that's something."
i stayed at this little guesthouse called lavvu lodge, which is basically a cross between a cabin and a dream. the owner, a guy named bjorn, spent an hour telling me about the best spots to see reindeer. apparently, they roam free near the karasjok river, especially at dawn.
if you get bored, alta and hammerfest are just a short drive away. both are worth a detour if you're into fjords and weird local legends.
food-wise, i hit up gaskkas, a tiny restaurant that serves reindeer stew so good it'll make you forget about the weather. someone warned me that the portions are huge, so come hungry.
the vibe here is slow, quiet, and weirdly magical. if you're into *reindeer, sami culture*, or just want to escape the noise, karasjok's got your back. just don't expect it to be warm.
p.s. bring a good jacket. trust me.
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