Northern Lighting

I've just spent the last two hours climbing a hill in (minus) 20, a (nearly) full moon and (at times waist) deep snow to spot some fabulous Northern Lights above Karashok – home of the Sami parliament. Finnmark is the homeland of these reindeer herding people who have roamed across all borders (including the Russian) for centuries. Now they are mostly settled and have a fabulous parliament building (left) which came in on time and on budget. I'm the guest of the Norwegian Foreign Ministry here – and from tomorrow until Sunday in Kirkenes. My mission – to see their "Far North" policy in action, encouraging cultural links between indigenous people on either side of the Arctic Norwegian- Russian border, in the interests of world security. I spent the day hearing about Sami customs and being struck by the number of parallels with Scottish Gaelic culture..... and discovering that Renee Zellwegger is part Sami – her mother came from Kirkenes!