“Welcome to Gallivare!” He spread his arms wide as if he were presenting the entire city to his visitors.
“We’re very happy to be here,” Griffin responded politely. “I understand you’re to take us to our hotel?”
The words were barely out of the scrivener’s mouth before Lars scooped all their luggage up into his arms and trundled off to a minivan parked in the back row of the tiny lot.
The other three trailed in his wake.
“I thought all Scandinavians were supposed to be introverted and gloomy,” Cassie commented under her breath.
“Maybe he didn’t get the memo,” Daniel said.
Cassie and Griffin stopped dead in their tracks to stare at the scion.
“Daniel, did you just make a joke?” the pythia asked in disbelief.
The scion appeared startled. “I think I did.” A slow smile spread over his features. “It felt good.”
“There may be hope for you after all,” Griffin observed dryly.
The trio resumed their stroll to the vehicle.
“Get in everybody, get in,” Lars prompted. He’d already shrugged off the burden of their baggage into the cargo area.
The travelers obediently climbed inside, and they were off.
Since the airport was located only four miles from the center of town, their ride was a short one. Lars took them immediately to their inn—a boxy modern structure indistinguishable from any chain hotel in the United States. Without hesitation, their guide steered the van up to the front door and switched off the engine. Before his passengers even had time to exit, he managed to grab all the luggage, carry it inside, and dump it in front of the reception desk.
“He’s certainly got a lot of energy,” Daniel said.
The bemused trio caught up with him at the counter.
While they were completing the check-in process, Cassie eyed a clock on the wall behind the clerk. The local time read seven in the evening, but the sun’s strong rays made it feel like noon. “It can’t be that late already,” she said.
“You must remember we’re in the circumpolar region here,” Griffin informed her. “At this time of year, the sun never sets.”
“Never?” Daniel’s eyes grew wide with surprise.
“Oh, at midnight the sun drops a little in the sky,” Lars chimed in. “Then it looks like sunset... Or maybe sunrise, because it is both.”
“And I thought jetlag was disorienting.” Cassie’s tone was rueful.
“You will adjust.” Lars gave her a hearty thump on the back that made her stagger. “It is harder to be here in the winter.”
“You mean there’s no sun at all then?” The scion couldn’t hide his amazement.
“Just a little bit,” the guide hedged. “In late December, we get maybe an hour of light.”
“Yikes, I’d want to kill myself!” the pythia exclaimed.
“That is only because you come from someplace else,” Lars told her solemnly. “We are used to it.”
“Darkness 24/7 isn’t something I’d ever want to get used to,” Cassie muttered in a soft voice.
Once the visitors had completed their registration, they went to their respective rooms to unpack. Fifteen minutes later, the trio returned to meet Lars for a meal in the downstairs restaurant.
“This hotel has a very good dinner buffet every night,” the guide informed them as they were being seated by the hostess. He gestured to a long table at the opposite end of the room piled high with appetizers, salads, entrees, and desserts.
“That’s quite a smorgasbord,” Cassie observed.
Lars seemed puzzled by her choice of words. “That is what I said—a buffet.”
The dining room wasn’t crowded despite the fact that summer was peak tourist season for campers, hikers, and anglers in the area. Only two other tables were occupied.
A waiter arrived to take their beverage order. At Lars’ suggestion, everyone opted to try a Swedish craft beer. While the waiter retreated to the bar to fetch their drinks, they helped themselves to the buffet.
Cassie found many of the dishes familiar, but she turned to Lars for an explanation of items she couldn’t identify. “What’s this?” She pointed to chunks of fish in a briny sauce.
“That is pickled herring. You eat it for an appetizer. You must try some though it is not as good as surstromming.”
“Surstromming?” Daniel repeated.
“Yes, that is fermented Baltic herring. It is traditional to open a jar in August. It tastes very good but the smell...” He clamped his fingers over his nose. “Some people say it smells like what you flush down the toilet.”
“Yeesh!” Cassie shuddered. “I’m glad we aren’t here in August when people are waving around open herring jars.” She moved down the buffet table to check out its main course selections. She found roast beef, meatballs in brown sauce, and several kinds of sausage presumably made from pork. She paused in front of a bubbling pot of broth.
“That is reindeer stew,” Lars said. “It is a traditional Saami dish.”
“The Saami are reindeer herders, so I would imagine many of their recipes contain reindeer meat,” Griffin commented.
Cassie ladled some of the thick concoction onto her plate. Daniel did the same.
“Why is there a bowl of jam next to the meats?” the scion asked.
“Lingonberry preserves,” the guide told him. “We like to eat it with many different foods.”
“It’s similar to the way cranberry sauce is served with turkey,” Griffin said. “Or mint jelly with lamb.”
Daniel put a tiny spoonful on his plate.
They were next presented with a number of different potato items including dumplings, potato pancakes and whole potatoes stuffed with bacon. After that came several vegetable side dishes. The buffet offerings ended with a separate table covered entirely with pastries, cakes, and puddings.
“That’s a lot of sweet stuff,” Cassie commented.
“Dessert is the favorite part of the
