Greetings from Bugøyfjord and Varanger fjord. I am now in Bugoynes (Pykeijä –
fin.), in ‘pikku Suomi’ (little Finland). It is a fishing community with nearly
230 inhabitants. Almost everybody here speaks Finnish. The village is small,
but several activities are going on here. There are actively operating
factories (King crab farm, fish/reindeer meat processing factory); fishing
boats are coming and going; you can see reindeer, sheep and some tourists. In
the small local shop you can get an internet access, but it is veeery slow .

As a tourist you can relax in the Jäämeren sauna (‘ice sea’,- fin) and
afterward you can jump directly into the sea (apropos, the fjords are ice-free
all year around). ‘Arctic Bathing’ is a tourists’ highlight and a successful
idea of the local manager. As a researcher you are learning how differently
people may refer to the same sea water. I visited today some places in Bugøynes
and among them the King Crab farm. From this tiny village the crabs (alive!)
make a big journey to Dubai, China or Moscow.
Anna