Who: Mary Staby, Frisco, and Judy Staby Hoch, Lakewood, sisters
Where: Kautokeino, Finnmark (in front of Juhls Silver Gallery)
Out and about: Mary, a professional photographer, wanted new pictures of Scandinavia and Judy, a goldsmith, wanted new stones for setting in her jewelry. We flew from Denver to Copenhagen, Denmark, and then to Bergen, Norway, where we rented a Ford Focus and drove along the coast to Kirkenes on the Russian border with occasional side trips to the remote interiors. We traveled on RV17 to Bodø where we ferried the car to the Lofotens and stayed for several days in Svolvær, where the fishing boats, water and mountains combine to make fantastic scenery. Spring was late this year, and most of our trip was north of the Arctic Circle. The good part of that is the snow really defined the shapes of the mountains. Bad part – rainy and chilly. A new quarry has opened in Masi, Finnmark, with a unique white quartzite mixed with bright green fuchsite. We collected about 110 pounds of this. We thought traveling on E6 would be like the Autobahn. Wrong – much of it is too narrow to have a centerline. Average speeds were about 30 mph. Because few people travel this far north by car, there are few public accommodations, and they are universally expensive. We never met a Norwegian who attempted this journey.
Travel tip: Take a late-afternoon flight from Denver to Copenhagen. Arrive about 2 p.m. and stay awake to beat jet lag by shopping for shoes. Then go down to Nyhavn, have a beer and watch the locals catch the sun. All over Scandinavia, tips are not expected, so very modest amounts generate notable appreciation.
