Thankfully when we woke up this morning the weather had improved and while still overcast and a little cool it wasn’t raining!
Before leaving Lulea and completing the 4 1/2 hour trip to Kiruna we visited the UNESCO World Heritage Site Gammelstad Church Town.
Gammelstad is the best preserved example of a type of town that was once widespread throughout northern Scandinavia. The 424 wood-built houses were owned by wealthy parishioners and only used on Sundays or during religious festivals. Their purpose was to accommodate worshipers from the surrounding countryside who could not return home the same day, either because of distance or difficult traveling conditions.
The Nederluleå Church (Nederluleå Kyrka) dates back to the 15th Century. It is the centre of the town and the reason this religious village continued to remain relevant.
The trip to Kiruna was a long one and we knew there wouldn’t be much to see on the way. The trip comprised of lots of forest and long highway. We had been told however that there was a very good chance we’d see reindeer and moose.
We were so excited to come across these three beautiful Reindeer! They were not concerned about us at all, just walking along the road outside the town of Hakkas.
And then not long after we saw another Moose! He was at the roads edge and we happily managed to get a photo as he hastily made his way back into the forest.
We arrived in Kiruna and found a shopping centre to stock up on groceries. We had some dinner and decided on an early night. Tomorrow was our longest scheduled day in the car – nearly 6 hours of driving.
Cool Stuff We Did 