There is still no snow in Lapland, where Marianne Flückiger (55) and Wolf Bühler (51) live with 43 huskies. It’s currently minus 15 degrees during the day in Arvidsjaur, about 100 kilometers south of the Arctic Circle.
“It gets minus 25 degrees at night. But it is a dry cold and therefore easy to endure,” says Bühler Blick. Despite the early darkness, the two get along well. “If it’s bright 24 hours in the summer, that’s a bigger problem for me,” Flückiger says. Four years ago the two emigrated to Lapland, where they offered dog sled rides.
The Swiss couple praises the remoteness of their new home. There are only fourteen houses in their settlement. “Our neighbors live a few kilometers away from us. We don’t see anyone in Sweden and we enjoy space and freedom with our dogs,” says Bühler.
common future in the north
According to Bühler, the main reason for immigration was bureaucracy and many restrictions in Switzerland. He was already self-employed in Switzerland and offered sleigh rides with huskies. “I always got in trouble with the authorities. It cost me a lot of strength and that’s why I decided to start over in Sweden.” A return to Switzerland is unthinkable for the two of them.
It was the ideal time for a fresh start because Marianne Flückiger had been out of work for a long time for health reasons. After recovering, the Basel native also wanted to redirect his life and was therefore open to immigrating to Sweden.
Flückiger and Bühler were friends for years thanks to their love for dogs, until the friendship turned into love and the couple planned their future together in the north. “Through my long-time friends in Sweden, we have received several interesting real estate offers in Sweden that we would like to review,” Bühler says.
Dog kennels are more expensive than home
Bühler has traveled to Sweden as a fly fishing guide for 20 years. Flückiger’s first trip to Sweden was shortly before he emigrated. We rented a car and visited different houses. I was immediately inspired by the vastness and landscape with so many rivers and forests,” he says enthusiastically.
The couple found a simple cottage on 22 hectares of land outside Arvidsjaur. Cost: 140,000 CHF. “You get a bigger mailbox for that in Switzerland,” Wolf Bühler laughs.
The couple decided that this secluded location, yet close to the city and the airport, was ideal for their project and signed the purchase agreement.
More expensive than a house were the large kennels with 250,000-franc kennels that Bühler and Flückiger had built for their animals. “Sweden has a strict animal protection law and there are strict requirements for breeding and breeding approval that we must comply with,” explains the Swiss.
Hard work start in Sweden
In November 2018, the couple moved into their new home with their 21 dogs. The first year they were engaged in construction business, then they started with tourism offers.
“The beginning was difficult because Corona arrived three months later. We were living on our savings because despite Sweden’s special way, neither guests nor government support came.
Just last winter, the Swiss couple’s sleigh rides at FlyHu Lodge were well booked. “We have a collaboration with a German tour operator and therefore we have guests mainly from Germany,” explains Marianne Flückiger, a long-time commercial employee who is involved in the administration and accounting of the company and works at the travel agency.
In summer, the experienced Bühler guide offers angling and wildlife safaris. “The area is ideal for this. From bears to reindeer to elk, there are many animals to see or traces of animals to explore here, and with many rivers and lakes it is a paradise for fishermen,” says Bühler.
High cost of living
The couple’s simple wood-heated home has a guest room next to the bedroom for visitors from Switzerland.
For seasonal helpers, the resort has heated caravans and the couple offers parking spaces for guests vacationing with campers. “We won’t be rich, but we have a lot of freedom and a lot of room for us and the dogs in this beautiful and quiet landscape,” says Wolf Bühler.
Life in Sweden is often expensive, at least because of the 25 percent VAT. “With the energy crisis, electricity has increased by 50 percent and gasoline has become more expensive.”
However, the Swiss are optimistic about the future in their new home. Most importantly, because they already have a large number of reservations for the upcoming winter season. “We are currently making the final preparations. We train and train the dogs. This takes time,” explains Flückiger.
fondue in the cottage
Fondue is a must for two Swiss in Sweden. They like to eat a very special cheese fondue with their friends and guests in a pleasant atmosphere in their kotta, which has a meaning like a hut. “Not in Rechaud, but on fire with long forks!”
The couple goes into town twice a week to go shopping. Swiss people now speak Swedish more and more and can communicate well with locals. «You will find everything you need to live in Arvidsjaur. From shops and schools to the emergency clinic,” says Flückiger.
He bakes fresh bread every morning. Vegetables are most often purchased frozen. “Fresh vegetables are rare here and have to be imported. This is accordingly expensive.” Because of the permafrost, the climate conditions are not ideal for your own vegetable garden. “We would have had to build a greenhouse, but we don’t have time for the garden. Most of the time we take care of our dogs and our guests,” explains Bühler.
waiting for the first snow
Huskies and the couple are now eagerly awaiting the first snow and looking forward to hours of sledding across the vast snowy terrain.
Marianne Flückiger enthusiastically says: “It’s indescribably beautiful when the northern lights are also visible in the sky.”