Finland
Finland…what can we say…it’s amazing! Our first day, we arrived in the evening in Helsinki after flying overnight. We picked up our rental car at the airport and headed towards our hotel to get checked in for the night. For those wondering, they drive on the right hand side of the road in Finland. Not far from our hotel, we found a little cafe that overlooks Taivallahti bay. Apparently its been there in the same spot for over 120 years. They have a lot to choose from, include hot chocolate and marshmallows to roast over an open fire pit, which we did. We ended up going to bed pretty early due to the time zone difference and traveling all day and the day prior. The next morning we were up around 05:30am to start our 12.5 hour long drive to Kakslauttanen in Saariselkä to stay in a glass igloo and hopefully see the Aurora Borealis.
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On board the Polar Explorer Ice Breaker. On our way for our polar plunge.
Dog sledding in the Artic Circle in Lapland.
A little noisy and shaky as we break through ice.
Reindeer sledding in Lapland near Rovaniemi.
After a long day of driving, we finally made it to Kakslauttanen (https://www.kakslauttanen.fi/). It was dark by the time we arrived, but we had just enough time to have dinner at the buffet and then spend some time in the sauna before heading to our glass igloo for the night. Our igloo had 4 single beds with a two separate rooms, one for toilet and sink, and another for a shower. They even had a Aurora Borealis Alarm, which was little black box that they would notify you if the Northern Lights became visible during the night. Unfortunately, the alarm did not go off that night as it was not visible, that we know of. The next morning was another early morning. Breakfast started at 08:00am and we had five hour drive to get to the Polar Explorer Ice Breaker terminal for our cruise and polar plunge.
After leaving Kakslauttanen in Saariselkä, we drove for 5 and a half hours and crossed into Sweden. We finally made it to the Polar Explorer Ice Breaker terminal (https://icebreaker.fi/). From here, we would take the Polar Explorer into the Bothnian Sea. Once on board, we set sail through a previous path, which had frozen over again. After 30 minutes or so, we stopped and they allowed us to get off the ship and go onto the ice. This is where our polar plunge took place, at the aft end (back) of the ship. They split us up into five groups with about 15 minutes of swim time for each group. The “Survival Suits” they provide you with are amazing. They are a little awkward and no where close to fitting, but they keep warm and dry. You can barely tell that there is a slight temperature difference, but you are not cold at all when you are in the water. Like I said, those suits are amazing. After a quick 15 minute “swim” we got out and the Polar Explorer started heading back to port. It was an awesome experience and for those that get sea sick, it was not rough at all. There was a few minutes of shaking due to breaking through ice, but the overall cruise was pretty smooth. After you disembark, they even provide you with a certificate stating that you have sailed and swam in the ice-cold water of Bothian sea in Lapland. From here, we had another 2.5 hour drive, back into Finland, to our next stay, the Artic TreeHouse Hotel.
After we left the Polar Explorer terminal, we headed for our next stay at the Artic TreeHouse Hotel (https://arctictreehousehotel.com/). We stopped for a bite to eat at a local Swedish Pizzeria (Sangis Deluxe, Lotvägen, Sangis, Sweden), which introduced us to our first language barrier experience of the trip. After a little extra effort, we received our order as expected. The food was good and for a bonus, we had a pretty spectacular sunset while we ate. Then we continued on for about 2 hours of driving and for the 2nd night in a row, we arrived at our hotel in the dark. Reception staff was lovely and met us with warm a cider. We made our way to our room/nest, which was nice, but was a little small for the price. The room/shower accessories where pretty nice, especially the blankets and rugs. The breakfast buffet in the morning was really good and had a lot of options. I don’t know that I would not recommend staying here, but I would not recommend staying here more than a night or two. It is a little expensive for what you get, but one good thing is that Santa Claus Village is right around the corner.
Did you know Santa Claus has a main post office? That’s right. He does and it’s in Santa Claus Village, just 2 kilometers from the Artic TreeHouse Hotel. Santa Claus Village (https://santaclausvillage.info/) has a full day or two worth of things to do and see. In the village there is a hotel with The Three Elves restaurant, which you will need a reservation. The restaurant is fairly small and is in the lobby of the hotel. You can try a reindeer burger there. It’s pretty lean and I enjoyed it. Outside of the hotel, there are many shops to pick up some souvenirs. If you want to mail out some gifts, you can do so at Santa Claus’ Main Post Office. They even have a special post mark. Towards the back of the village, there are reindeer sleighs that give short rides, as well and husky sledding in Husky Park. If you’re an animal lover, make sure you head over to Husky Park. With admission, you can do Husky Hugs. They let you into an enclosure and then let out around 10 husky pups or so for you to pet and play with.
