Last weekend we took a 4-plane, 16-hour flight time (each way) journey from San Francisco to Rovaniemi, making stops in Washington DC, Frankfurt, Germany, Helsinki, and our final destination: "the world capital of Christmas," Rovaniemi, in Lapland, Finland. Lapland embodies a winter wonderland and we were lucky enough to catch it on a perfect weekend: sunny, with fresh snow, white everywhere, with manageable weather, and just all around beautiful. This was the farthest, and most expensive weekend trip we've taken so far, but it was also one if not the BEST short trips! Since we did so much in the mere two days we were there, we are dividing this destination up into a 2-part blog. Part 1: Exploring the Lumi Linna SnowCastle of Kemi. Stay tuned for Part 2: Our Arctic Safari: snowmobiles, reindeers and husky rides around the Arctic Circle, a long overdue visit to Santa, and witnessing the Northern Lights.
After our long trip, we finally arrive in Rovaniemi, the heart and capital of Lapland, located at the northern Arctic Circle and immediately fell in love with the Christmas-like atmosphere. Rovaniemi's small airport is also known as "Father Christmas's airport," and it's decorated like we were there for the holidays rather than mid-March.
Rovaniemi is a modern town situated in the middle of nature, and offers a variety of attractions and activities in and just outside the town. We took the airport shuttle (7 Euros one way) to our hotel, which was right outside the city center. The Guesthouse Borealis, is a quaint B&B style hotel that's conveniently only 15 minutes walking distance to the center and about 7 minutes walking from the major train and bus stations. The hotel was reasonably priced to meet our budget adventures. 3 Likes: The staff was very accommodating, rooms were clean, and there free WI-FI (whoo hoo!). The only downside was there was no sauna, which is a staple facility in the arctic regions. Apparently in Finland, it is customary run outside naked in freezing temperatures and roll around in the snow and then come back in for a sauna session to rejuvenate the skin.... So, maybe it was a good thing our hotel didn't have a sauna...just sayin.
The following morning we headed to Kemi City, located in Sea Lapland and is the only deep-water harbor in Lapland. The town is packed with different activities for any kind of visitor. Unfortunately we only had enough time to explore the Lumi Linna SnowCastle, which is accessible by train from Rovaniemi (approximately an hour and 20 minutes away and cost us about 36 Euros roundtrip). It's built every winter (this season's building began December 3) and is usually open from late January to early April (weather permitting). After you pass the main gates of a skull snow sculpture with its mouth wide open (used as the opening to the castle) and ice fangs, it will cost you 8 Euros to get into the castle's courtyard. The SnowCastle also includes a SnowChapel, SnowHotel, and SnowRestaurant. You can order snacks and warm and cold beverages at the IceBar, but if you want a meal, you have to make reservations in advance. The tables are made of ice (with a clear plastic sheet on top of it to put your food on), and the stools are covered with reindeer fur. Each year the SnowCastle has a different theme, and delivered this years theme was comics. Exploring the castle was an afternoon well spent, we ran around taking pictures next life sized ice sculptures of Batman, Spiderman, the Hulk and the likes, crawling into ice igloos, exploring the SnowHotel's rooms, and sipping some hot berry juice at the ice bar. The castle had great light-effects that add to the charm of the place, and is definitely worth a visit while in Lapland.
We spent our second full day on an Arctic Safari and searching for the Northern Lights, which you'll have to wait until Part 2 of our Finland blog, coming soon!
No comments:
Post a Comment