On a Spark (kicksled) in Tromsø, Norway.
Text & Photo © JE Nilsson & CM Cordeiro 2019
The Swedish and Norwegian word spark means kick in English. This ‘winter walker’ has been a small, more lightweight form of transportation since the mid-1800s for the wintry landscapes of northern Scandinavia. An observation between the city of Gothenburg located along the southern southwest coast of Sweden and the Arctic Circle city of Tromsø is how much less gravelling of the snow is done here as compared to Gothenburg. This also means that in the northern regions of Scandinavia, kicksleds come more into use, facilitating longer distances and heavier carrying loads. These kicksleds are crafted from wood, where the seat in front of the kicksled could comfortably accommodate a child whom you’d want along with you if you were in a smaller town or village on a half day’s errand to the market or nearest grocers. In today’s context, kicksleds are used more for recreational purposes, like on this Saturday afternoon, the perfect time to går på tur along the snowy waterfront of this island.
Sunrise at 09.15 hrs and sunset at 14.41 hrs on 3 February 2019 in Tromsø. The days are getting progressively longer, and with that, a fantastic display of colours in the February sky, reflected off the dark steel greys of the Barents Sea in the Arctic ocean.
At a more southern Scandinavian latitude along the coast of the North Sea, Cat, in a different kind of ‘snowy’ environment. Still, a perfect Saturday activity to be enjoyed.