They are drinking our wine over here.

Main street Ivalo

Ivalo in northern Lapland is really a one reindeer town of around 3000 people built on the banks of the picturesque Ivalo River.

Once a bustling gold town, the Germans burnt the town to the ground in 1944 when retreating from Russia to Norway. Today it is just one main street with a handful of shops and cafes, but does have Finland's most northerly airport.

With the Russian border just 30km to the east, the Russian influence is strong.

Ivalo River

It came as a nice surprise to see the local bottle store stocking a good range of New Zealand wine and not just Savignon Blanc. Like all alcohol in Finland, it is expensive, but no more so that wine from other parts of the world.

Russian Orthodox Church

Sami Parliment

The picturesque township of Inari is the home of the Finnish Sami Parliament. There are fewer than 1500 Sami speakers left in Finland with similar numbers in Norway, Sweden and Russia so the culture is clinging on, but only just.

Designed by local architects, the striking Sami Parliament building dominates the small town and is stunning use of raw timber.

Reindeer

 All over northern Finland are road signs warning of reindeer and elk. My initial reaction to these signs was a cynical 'Yeah Right'. Someone in 1973 saw a reindeer crossing the road, so the local tourist board then whacked up signs to keep the tourists happy. 

Well how wrong I was. Reindeer are like sparrows - they are everywhere and you really need to keep a sharp eye out when driving. Not only do they camouflage well, but they are both flighty and cumbersome animals. One minute they won't budge a centimetre and the next they are dashing off crossing right in front of you. 

I couldn't help wondering why, with such a vast wildness around them, that reindeer just love walking down the middle of the road - maybe they are just stupid. Not so. They like hanging around the roads as there a few mosquitoes there than in the thick forest. That I do understand. 

Reindeer are a vital part of the Lapland economy and everywhere (not just in the north) are dishes featuring reindeer meat, including a snack of dried reindeer salami chips. 

Mosquitos

Finnish mosquitoes are legendary. They are huge, aggressive, cunning and hunt in packs.

They lay in wait for you everywhere you go. The forest teems with them, though if you walk very quickly you escape most of them, but the minute you stop they surround you. Everyone here walks in the forest dressed in long trousers and long sleeved shirts regardless of the weather.

By your door they lie in wait, not to pounce on your immediately, but to get inside. Houses here have two doors and in between a small porch where you take off your shoes and hang your hat and coat. The mosquitoes' plan is to get through both doors and then wait until 2am to bleed you dry. You never dally at the  door, but move as quickly as possible into the porch. With a bit of luck you have managed to stay ahead. After taking off your shoes and coat you can then check the little porch for any of the airborne rabble. Once clear you open the second door but again moving as swiftly as possible in case you missed one of the monsters.

In a car the procedure is much the same. As soon as you slow down you must wind up the windows because they will surround the car before you completely stop. Again you must be organised before opening the door and you get in and out as fast as you can. Even so the mossies are too quick and there is always two or three that make it inside, but you can usually pick those ones off.

Blessedly insect repellent does work. It is incredibly strong, but despite that the airborne horrors buzz around trying to find a spot you missed.

I watched four young French tourist arrive dressed in t shirts, shorts and jandals and thought to myself  'They won't last long'.

Land of the midnight sun

24 hour daylight is odd. Not that it is difficult to sleep - very little keeps me awake and certainly not sunshine at 2am in the morning. The most confusing things is estimating time, particular in the evening and early
morning.

At midnight the sun does dip very near the horizon and it feels like a late afternoon - the problem is that it has been feeling like 'late afternoon' for that last six hours. Likewise early morning seems to go on for a very long time. It the sky is cloudy or if it is raining then if can actually become quite dark.

These photos were all taken just after midnight.

Survivors

Church Altar

Armenians are nothing if not survivors and they certainly have had plenty of practice.

For those who have visited Greek and Russian Orthodox churches, the Armenian Orthodox churches are a shock. Both the exteriors and interiors are very simple and plain to the point of being architecturally brutal. The stone is frequently undressed and undecorated - there are few icons or paintings, rich decoration, luxurious fabrics or precious objects usually associated with Orthodox churches. They are more protestant than the Protestants and an Armenian church is more restrained than most mosques.

Armenians have learnt the hard way that it doesn't pay to display, This country has seen a constant parade of conquerors, invaders, looters and pillagers and religious institutions have been a favourite target, though not always easy pickings.

Persian arches

Subsequently Armenian churches are plain and unadorned. However, they have not been without cunning. Older churches avoided images offensive to their Muslim overlords, but at the same time incorporated decoration and arches designed to appease their rulers. Like mosques Armenian churches make extensive use of decorative text.

Goshavank monastery still has the blackened stones from the fire that destroyed the huge library of ancient manuscripts. Here Christ is portrayed as a Mongol with long braided hair, pointed beard and distinctly Asiatic eyes. Clearly the rulers were flattered as the church remained standing.

Yet again Goshavank is a church built on top of an older temple.

Goshavank. The lighter colour base stones are an old pagan temple

Scorched library 

Decorative arch 

Decorative writing

The Mongol Christ 

Kharchkar or Aremenian cross stones

 A distinctive feature of Armenian art are Kharchkar or Cross Stones. As they are usually located in and around churches, the natural assumption is that kharchkar are tomb stones. While some do commemorate a dead person, they can mark any momentous event such as a victory in battle, an important treaty or a church dedication. They could be erected by a living person asking for prayers and of course requesting prayers for the dead. Some are engraved with the name of the artist or the benefactor but the most have no writing and
feature a cross detailed with leaves, grapes, pomegranates or other decorative features.

The oldest date from the 8th century and are very Celtic is style and feel, though it would be hard to tell who inspired who.