Joanna Lumley in the Land of the Northern Lights Page #5

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I want more than anything to see the Northern

Lights. Have you seen it? Never. You will see it.

For sure? Yes.

I promise!

'Despite Thor's promise, as night

fell the clouds came in again. '

The truth is I'm passionate

about finding out about the north

and the Arctic Circle

and the Norse people and legends,

but what's really driven me is the

idea of seeing the Northern Lights,

something I've longed for for 55 years of my

life. I've dreamt about seeing the Northern Lights.

I just can't bear the thought of going

home without seeing them on this trip.

'My bags are packed,

spirits a bit low.

'As the film crew sort their equipment,

I take one last stroll around A.'

Look, look, it's gone.

Ah!

It's gone now.

I'm so sorry, we just...

I was calling you. It was just here.

Just a great big sort of pale...

rainbow, sort of coming from nowhere.

Right across the sky,

like a vapour trail.

It was the most extraordinary thing.

It kind of...

It kind of... sort of broke a bit,

sideways like that.

It was just... right across the sky.

I think it's gone now.

I'm so sorry you missed it.

I saw it. We'll see them again.

'We sat up half the night waiting for

the reappearance of the "Tricky Lady",

'but she doesn't show her face again

all night.

'As I move ever northwards, and across to the

mainland, I leave coastal Norway far behind.

'The landscape, culture, history and people

where I'm now heading couldn't be more different.

'This endless expanse of Arctic

tundra is the ancestral homeland

'of the indigenous people,

the Sami.

'Kautokeino is the most Sami town

in Norway. '

Good morning. Morning. 'Its mayor, Klemet

Erland Haetta, kindly agrees to meet me. '

How good to meet you. I expected a much

older mayor. You are very young for a mayor!

Now you are in Samiland.

It's thrilling. You see.

It's fantastic. And this beautiful belt

and skirt. What are these? Sealskin?

This is skin from reindeer.

Reindeer skin. And this is also.

So we have white reindeer

and more black reindeer.

And this beautiful pattern -

can I touch it?

Was this made for you?

This is made for me. Very important.

Yes. You can see when you are

unmarried, then it is round.

When you are married,

then you've got... Square? Yeah.

So I'm in with a chance. No...!

Yes, shall we go to the church?

How lovely!

CHURCH BELL RINGS

'We do go to the church.

'I'm lucky, not just with my choice

of guide, but with my time of arrival.

'The run-up to Easter is THE Sami season.

Bells are summoning everyone to church.

'Heading there with the mayor means, within minutes,

I've been introduced to all of Kautokeino's society. '

This is my cousin.

Lovely to meet you. And you.

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