Truth be told, there are a couple of trips that I went that has yet to be written. There are so many lovely photos and so many new experiences to be shared. One of them was an unforgettable adventure in the land freezing temperature!
We flew in Helsinki on one cold February morning and hopped on a train the next day to Kemi after a short tour in Porvoo. Porvoo is a typical village full of charm under a thick blanket of snow. The overnight train ride was a novel experience itself. We have no problem getting a good sleep even with the rattling and chugging of the train. The challenge we had were taking showers in the tiny cubicle and also doing our prayer in a very limited space amidst the shake and rattle.
Our first stop and attraction was the Polar Explorer Ice breaker Cruise in Axelsvik which was actually located not in Finland but a part of Sweden. What it actually is a ship that traverse the frozen water breaking the surface several feet thick with ice. Its no ordinary ship. They are specially built to break the ice as they glide through the sea. Its really an incredible sight that filled us in wonder. The ship actually stopped in the middle of the Bothnia Gulf and we were allowed to walk down on the frozen sea.
We then made our way by bus to Rovianemi, a popular tourist town in Finland. This is where the Santa Claus Village can be found. And the virtual Arctic Circle line passed though this village. We spent almost half a day here taking in all the crisp air and fresh snow that we could get. After lunch and prayer we visited the Arktikum Museum. Oh. I almost forgot to mention that we went on a ride on the sledge pulled by a reindeer! It was quite a long ride with a pitstop for a hot cup of berry juice beside a campfire. I don’t know about the others but I found that it was kind of thrilling, I must say.
After two nights in Rovianemi and all the excitement with the reindeers, we hit the road again northbound towards Saariselka with a stop over in Ranua to visit the zoo. The zoo has many animals that are not found in our country like the polar bear and arctic fox. And also there a shop that sells Frazier chocolate at a fraction of the price sold in the city. And buy we must!
After a night stay in Saariselka we hit the road again and made our way to Kirkenes, a little town in Norway north of Finland. And this was when we got lucky with for aurora hunting. During our bus ride, we made an unplanned stop when an aurora was sighted in the sky. The bus driver was obliging enough to find a suitable and safe lay by for us to take a good shot. As it was our first sighting it was thrilling for us. Little did we know that we would see a grand sight when we reached Kirkenes. When we stepped out of the bus to check in at the hotel, the sky was decorated with green lights. Lucky that we took time to admire the grand sight and take photos because they were all gone when we came out later after we checked in.
Unfortunately for us that was the last sighting we had.
But then we had another highlight of the day. King crab fishing! Boy! We were shocked with the size of this crustaceans. They are bigger than our head. We didn’t actually catch the crab but we were shown how it was done. And yes of course we get to eat the crab later. They were so fresh and succulent that we are now spoiled with the taste that no other crab can compare. Wonder when I shall ever get to have that taste again.
The next day we head southbound with a stop over in Inari where we went ice fishing. Unfortunately none of us caught any fish. Not a single one! But that did not stop us from having fun on the vast frozen lake. And the snow mobile ride is part of the fun. And later on we even enjoyed the husky ride. A friend said that the best ride she ever had! The huskies were real fast and the road was bumpy so it was like a roller coaster ride!
Unfortunately we didn’t have photos of the huskies or the ride because it was dark and at the same the bumpy ride did not give us the good opportunity for great photo shoot.
We were almost at the end of our journey. We hopped on the train in Rovianemi for another overnight train ride and spent one more night in Helsinki before our flight home. All in all I had a marvelous time and thrilling first time experiences. One of my daughters came with me on this trip hence I am able to reminisce the nostalgic moments with her every now and then.
With this trip, I have planned to take a break from traveling to spend time with my first grand child. Till next time!
Travel date: February 2018
