Tyfjord in our hearts: the homecoming!

Tyfjord in our hearts! This is where I was born and my where my mother was born, and our family home was - and at least in our hearts - still is!

But before there was Tyfjord the family lived in a neighbouring fjord called Keila.  Finnkongkeila was a fishing village in Gamvik municipality in Finnmark county. It is located in the eastern part of Nordkinn Peninsula in the outer Tanafjord inlet, but was abandoned following the destruction conducted by German occupants during their retreat from Finnmark in 1944. That is when my Grandfather Fritz bought Tyfjord, and the entire family relocated there and re-built their lives post war. Finnkongkeila's name in 1744 was Finnkongkeil, and in 1768 it was called Finkonviken. The Sámi name was Siedevuodna, Offersteinsfjorden, which translated to Norwegian means 'Fjord of Sacrifice'. It was a big place full of life, based around fishermen and fish industry.

Finnkongkeila

 Tyfjord turned out to be a successful investment and the family thrived, business was good and life went on. My Grandfathers fish factory was going strong and after a decade there, they built proper houses, got electricity and as he himself said 'the animals moved into our old homes/sheds - life was good'. The pictures below show a busy Tyfjord - look at all the 'racks' of dried cod! Normally hung out in February and taken down in June, this is a sight I really miss!

Oldemor (Great Grandmother Elise's house) and Agnes
and Fritz' house (my grandma and grandpa) 

  

My Grandpa Fritz in the middle, holding on to the catch 

Lots of fishing boats - many travelling far and wide
to reap off the amazing fishing seasons up north 

Tyfjord was depopulated in 1980 after a huge fire destroyed the fish factory and several houses. It was never rebuilt. There have never been any roads to get there. You go by boat or by foot over the mountains in the summer, when the weather is kind. Or by snowmobile over the mountains in the winter. This summer we all went back by boat. We had hired a big one to take us all out there - all of us descendants of my grandma Agnes and grandpa Fritz; their daughters, sons, grandchildren, great grandchildren, cousins...soooooo lovely that so many of us could go back!

MrC packing all our stuff and wheeling it down to the boat  

Two little peanuts hitching a ride :-) 

Everyone loading the boat. We all brought A LOT OF stuff! 

Normally it would take around 3-4 hours, but this boat was
superfast! An hour to go and we'll be there! 

Sailing in the fjord....innermost you can see Tyfjord! 

Beautiful mountains... 

Fyrløkta  

Fossen (three days later we climbed that mountain!
Above the waterfall, there is a lake that we used to
fish in!) 

The fire destroyed the docks, so we
had to load a little boat and take
to shore. MANY trips back and forth... 

My uncle Fritz-Arne 

The girls and Besta waiting to jump
aboard the little boat taking us
to shore 

The big, old, rusty silos 

Waiting impatiently to get ashore...

My uncle (and Agnes' godfather) taking us ashore

...bye-bye for now big boat...see you in a week... 

Finally in Tyfjord! Couldn't wait to run up to the house!!!

Agnes found a blue shell

I can't believe I'm really back home! 

Besten and Petter Edderkopp in charge of transport

Kråkebolle

Very 'robinson'esque' to be stranded away from civilisation as we know it! No phones, no electricity, only water in the river and no toilets! What an exciting week ahead!