Lapland!

So we're home and finally recovered, after going straight from Lapland to giving an hour-long class presentation! We've also finally penned the epic tale of our journey to Lapland - we're sorry it's a bit late and a bit long, but we think it's worth the wait. Happy reading!



Day 1: 2:32 AM
We’re still kind of in shock. We are now on the bus to Lapland, and we’re still having a hard time believing that we made it. Merely 2 hours ago, Elizabeth was sitting at her computer, trying to iron out trip details with her mom for their trip after she gets back from Lapland, while Jaime was in her room munching on peanut butter crackers and checking the last few items off her packing list. We had read two different times for meeting at the travel center for our trip, 1:30 and 2, so, to be safe, we decided we would catch a cab to the travel center around 1:10.

As soon as Elizabeth got off Skype with her mom, we pulled out the number Jaime had gotten off a local earlier- and thus the near-fiasco began. We first tried to call with our cell phones, only to discover that neither of them had any calling time left on them. Then, we turned to Skype, only to discover the number Jaime had gotten was “invalid.” We began scouring Google for taxi (taksi) numbers, and accidentally wasted a good 10 minutes on a Helsinki cab company. Problem was, even the few times we did get through to a good number, and had a decent connection, we had a really hard time getting them to understand our street name (who decided to give the foreign students a street address like Roninmäentie?!).

The clock having just passed 1:10 we were growing more and more frantic, and we decided to turn to a tried and true method: giving random hotel staff our sob stories and seeing if they would hook us up with a taxi company, at least, a phone number. Sadly, the most cooperative hotel ended up being in Helsinki. Once we had exhausted nearly 20 different taxi numbers, 2 entire dollars of Skype credit and another 20 minutes, we began freaking out. In desperation, we turned to calling Laura, one of our Finnish moms, and ringing the doorbell of the girls next door. At this point, Jaime was getting pretty antsy, and, as a last-ditch attempt, suggested that we take all our bags to the street and try to hail a taxi. Our train of thought was basically that we’d exhausted nearly every taxi company in Jyväskylä, that we were seriously running out of time, and that really, we didn’t have anything to lose trying, besides maybe a bit of personal dignity.

So, literally running down to the main street (after a joint, snap decision to head to the further-away but busier looking street), we get 10 ft out into crossing the street when Elizabeth spotted the first car. She yelled at Jaime to flag it down; Jaime looked at her like she was crazy, then realized there wasn’t much else left to do. Then, by some brilliant stroke of luck- we’re thinking possibly divine intervention, Elizabeth watched as two glowing headlights rose from the dark horizon- and, finally, a glowing golden taxi sign on top. Both leaping into the street and waving our arms like we were 100% nuts (and we were pretty close, at this point) we got the taxi driver to stop. He looked a little stunned, but helped us haul our bags into the trunk nevertheless. It was 20 ‘till, and the Travel Center was only about 8 to 12 minutes away by car (though a good hour on foot). We later discussed how we both wanted to say, “Step on it!” but, 1) That’s sort of rude and 2) he didn’t seem to speak much English. As the street signs sped by, we crossed our fingers and prayed that the bus hadn’t left yet.

Finally, the taxi got to the Travel Center, and we tore out of the car (and gave the driver an awesome tip for putting up with our antics). Elizabeth pointed out a large Greyhound-type bus idling in the lot, and, seeing the Travel Center was closed, walked over and knocked on the bus door. As the door opened, we asked the driver, “Is this bus going to Lapland?” “Yes”. YEESS!! We’d made it! But the real kicker came when the driver was loading our bags. “Are we late?” Elizabeth asked. The driver gave us a look, and then chuckled. “Late? No, you’re the first ones here!”

Day 1: 11:34 PM
After a night of fitful sleep- okay, so half a night- we awoke to find ourselves at a gas station 7 km from Kemi, the city which houses LumiLinna, otherwise known as the Kemi SnowCastle. After some tasty pastries and trying to figure out who much gas costs here in USD per gallon (we’ll post our calculations later), we headed out to the castle. It looked a bit short and squat from far away, but up lose, it was HUGE. Two enormous pillars flanked either side of the main entrance.

First, we walked into a corridor with two smaller passageways leading out, we took the right one, which lead to the Ice Bar, where stools of ice covered in reindeer fun stood beside long ice tables. From there, we continued on to the giant Ice Throne, the Snow Hotel, with 18 double rooms, 2 group rooms, and a honeymoon suite- the brochure suggests long underwear, socks, and a cap, along with your arctic sleeping bag- the Snow Restaurant, with ice tables and more reindeer fur-covered ice stools, and the Snow Chapel where no less than 20 couples have exchanged icy vows.

In all the rooms, the castle was lit by a combination of weak sunlight, candles, and artificial (usually blue or pink) lights, and the walls were decorated in intricate carvings with the occasional ice sculpture. The rooms remain a steady -5° C regardless of outdoor conditions. Random fact: all the snow for LumiLinna come from the Gulf of Bothnia off the west coast of Finland. Yes. Bothnia. Say it out loud, and we dare you not to laugh.

After leaving the Snow Castle, we headed further north to Rovaniemi, the home of Santa Claus. Though markedly commercial, we none the less quickly honed in on the location of St. Nick himself. The elves, dressed in red with pointy hats guarded the door to Santa’s lair. Finally our group was called forth; Elizabeth, as the youngest of the four, was charged with the difficult tasks of keeping everyone in line and not getting lost as we made our way through the Cave of Secrets… We can’t tell you what was in the Cave of Secrets because then it would be secret anymore, but suffice it to say, it was awesome.

Finally reaching the door of Santa’s throne room, we beheld the jolly old man in all his Christmas glory. Elizabeth was particularly enamored with the dashing Mr. Claus, and her eyes lit up immediately upon entering. Incidentally, Santa wears size 56 woolen clogs. We gathered around him and had a nice chat (we asked him for jobs for Christmas) and then they attempted to sell us a picture of ourselves with Santa for 39 €, which made us laugh.

Once we left Mr. Claus, (who was quite pleased that we were studying abroad) we stumbled upon the Arctic Circle line (Rovaniemi, Santa Claus’ village lies directly atop this boundary). Then we hopped back onto our toasty warm bus, and headed to Inari, the city which our final stop, our lodging at Vasatokka Youth Center, is located. Finally getting unpacked and having a little dinner, we heard a loud commotion with lots of yelling from outside our room door and we came out to discover that we were being greeted on our first night in Lapland by Revontulet, the Fox Fires of Finland, otherwise known as the Northern Lights.


Day 2:
We awoke at an ungodly hour, namely 8:30 AM, to don every layer we owned in preparation for the Arctic Survival Course. We headed downstairs for a quick theory lesson where we met Esko, from here on known as Mr. Perfect Finn. Mr. Perfect Finn (MPF) gave us an introduction to how to survive in The Nature including proper winter clothing and how to use a map and compass. Having finnished our brief lesson, MPF marched us through the snow to our base camp, which consisted of two wooden half teepee structures including fires and benches covered with reindeer skins. Our first instruction of the day was in ice fishing. It was a really nice day, a mild negative 10 and sunny, and it felt really pleasant to stand on the lake with our faces turned towards the sun. But MPF whipped out his ice drill (actually a hand auger) and started drilling through the meter and a half of ice below us.

After creating the hole and scooping the extra ice chunks out with a sort of slotted ladle, MPF dug in the quadriceps pocket of his royal blue skisuit onesie and retrieved a tub full of Swedish worms. We know they were Swedish because Esko informed us that Finland is totally devoid of worms (in fact, when starving in The Nature with no other available bait, MPF supports the utilization of one’s earlobes, because they are, in his opinion, useless. ) We decided that we valued our earlobes as places to put pretty earrings (Esko thinks these make good lures), and fortunately were able to keep them intact during our foray into The Nature. Anyway, Mr. Perfect Finn drops his little line with half a wriggly little worm on it into the hole, and no less than ten seconds later whips out a whole wriggly little fish. Our ice fishing experience did not go that smoothly. However, our fish were THIS BIG.

Once we deposited our giant perch at the cooking station, to roast in foil over the open fire, we headed back out to the lake for a lesson in fire-making, which involves scraping long curls of wood off dry tinder, preferably dead pine, setting the branches up, and then using matches to get the fire started, a very tricky feat on snowy ice in the middle of a windy lake. We then moved on to quinzee building. A quinzee is a snow structure much like an igloo, constructed by making a large pile of packed snow (maybe 2 meters high), then using sticks as guides for how far to scrape out the inside: we poked each stick about 30 cm in, so that the walls would be thin enough to let in light and allow sleeping space inside, but thick enough to support the dome and trap in heat (which is also achieved by creating a lower entrance hole than the floor, so that warmer air circulates above and cooler air sinks out the hole.)

We returned to camp for a warm lunch of “smashed” (potatoes) and sausages, along with warm berry juice, which was really delicious, and warmed up by the smoky fireside. Once lunch was over, we got fitted for snowshoes to begin our adventure in snowshoe orienteering, which meant using just a compass to find the 4 points in the forest marked on our map. After very astutely picking up on the tracks of the group in front of us, we followed their trail up a hill to find some beautiful views of the snowy forest below. At the other points, we discovered several old buildings, including a partially-underground wooden storage hut (probably more than 50 years old). A few stops and many pictures later, we decided to join with another group, just for fun… except we got more than we bargained for when we discovered they wanted to take the “fun” route home. The fun route, as we soon found out, consisted of trekking through 2 meters of snow through a swamp (frozen over and completely safe to walk on, of course) and finally following a cross country skiing trail to find our way home.

Sufficiently exhausted, we headed back to our dorm and promptly collapsed for the night.


Day 3:
So much for thinking 8:30 was ungodly. This morning, to get good seats on the bus for our “Tour de Arctic Ocean,” we had to rise no later than 6:20 AM. Our first stop was Utsjoki, a 150-year-old church and its church houses. From there, we traveled north to Nuorgam, the northernmost town both in Finland and in the entire European Union. It was a tiny town, with only one catchall store (everything from fruit to bolts). As we continued north, the road ran parallel to the Tenojoki (Teno River), which is the dividing boundary between Finland and Norway. The people who live along the river mostly make their living fishing, as the salmon harvest on the river is the most profitable in Europe.

Without a peep from Norwegian Customs, we slipped across the border (quite stealthily in our enormous bus), and soon caught our first view of the crystal blue Arctic Ocean. The further into Norway we traveled, the more uneven the terrain became, with tall pine forests being replaced by small birch scrub, and long, flat fields by hills and craggy mountains. We have to admit that we may have shut our eyes and prayed for dear life as our bus careened around icy hairpin turns, but our driver was either very skillful, or very lucky – possibly both – and we safely made it to our destination.

Bugøynes, the northeasternmost village in Norway, is a fishing community of approximately 350 people. It is situated on the Varanger Fjord, which opens into the Barents Sea, the part of the Arctic Ocean that lies north of Norway and Russia. It was here that our real adventure began. The bus wove its way through a few narrow roads, and finally parked out in front of two colorful houses. At this point, Esko (oh yes, MPF came too) hopped up, informed us that we would be using the bus as our dressing room, and motioned to the hill leading down to the snow and ice before the surprisingly sandy, normal-looking beach below. Whipping off his wool pullover and casting his pants aside, Mr. Perfect Finn strutted in his tight blue briefs, completely barefoot, down to the Arctic Ocean. Never faltering, Esko marched straight into the water, splashed a bit, and marched straight back out. In fact, he was back on the bus before we’d changed into our bathing suits.

Regardless, we finally were prepared when we had donned our bathing suits, socks, and winter hats. Unlike Esko, we stumbled through the snow, shivered across the beach, and hesitated before dipping our toes into the freezing water – and we mean this quite literally, as the water was -5 degrees. But we were determined, and ultimately made it in up to our shoulders. At that point, our bodies were in turmoil: feet aching, legs numb, and torso shivering. Yet our mission was accomplished. With blotchy red limbs, we took a picture or two (we couldn’t feel much anything anymore, so another couple of minutes didn’t seem like a big deal), and then scampered back up the icy hill to the warmth of the waiting bus. We can officially say that, in comparison, nothing else will ever be cold again.

We wrapped up our trip by hiking up the rocky hills that overlooked the Varanger Fjord, taking in the beautiful sights below as snowy mountains stretched into the sapphire blue of the Arctic sea and sky.


Day 4:

Our day started out with a trip to a reindeer farm operated by a Sami family. We first got the opportunity to feed the reindeer who were hanging out around the trees outside, and then we prepared ourselves to earn our Reindeer Sled Drivers’ Licenses. Climbing into a sleigh pulled by a single reindeer, we nestled in and whispered words of encouragement to Dasher. Despite our prodding, Dasher didn’t seem to care, and started off at a lazy walk. We continued sedately for a few minutes, before the reindeer behind us starting nosing into Elizabeth. He seemed to be peering around Elizabeth, as if to ask, “Why aren’t you going faster?” We were, at this point, holding up a line of sleds, and we increased our encouragement to Dasher. Finally getting the message, he broke into a brisk run, tearing around a corner, causing our sled to fishtail and slide through the corner. Thoroughly enjoying the new pace, we screeched and screamed like little girls. Fortunately, the Sami people didn’t witness our outburst and we were awarded our official Drivers’ Licenses. Ask to see them when we get back.

Emerging from the sled relatively unharmed, we followed a Sami woman to a large wooden teepee-like structure, where we were treated to a warm fire, hot drinks, and a cookie. While we enjoyed our refreshments, we were entertained by listening to the Sami women teach us about joiking, traditional Northern Sami throat singing. After a brief stop at the gift shop, and Jaime lassoing a fake reindeer, we got back on the bus, and headed to the Sami museum. There, we learned a little more about Sami life and culture, and got to watch an audiovisual presentation on the Northern Lights.



Later that day, after returning to Vasatokka, we bundled up again for a course in cross-country skiing. Though not too difficult to pick up, cross-country skiing is nevertheless quite demanding, and we were hot and tired by the time the “introductory” portion of the hour-and-a-half-long trek (uphill through the woods, the Finnish norm). We enjoyed the peace and calm of the woods, including the golden sunrays shining through the pine trees, but when it came time to finally go downhill, we have to admit we were a bit mystified. When you have two parallel tracks, and two parallel skis, how, exactly, are you supposed to make yourself slow down? Unfortunately we couldn’t really figure out a way, short of falling down, so it was with wild abandon that we launched ourselves down the hill, hoping not to end up in the Arctic swimming hole.

Needless to say, we spent a significant amount of time in the sauna that evening – and we’re proud to say we did it traditional Finnish style, with 3 sauna sessions of approximately 20 minutes separated by 2 short breaks of rolling around in the snow. We finished off our day with snow-chilled cider and a long nap.


Day 5:
This was the morning of our departure from Vasatokka, so we cleared out all of our belongings and got onto the bus early to situate ourselves (aka get good seats) for the long trip home. Before departing the Arctic, we stopped at Saariselkä, a ski resort. We then split up: Elizabeth decided to take the Husky Safari, while Jaime decided to take the Snowmobile Safari.

The Husky Safari was great – there were 6 huskies per sled, and 2 people, one rider and one driver. It was really fun just to watch the dogs do what they loved, as they got visibly excited when we were getting ready to leave, jumping up and down, barking up a storm, pulling at the harnesses, and only settling down once they were running. The sled went surprisingly fast, and liked to tip a bit when going around the corners (really scary!), but Elizabeth successfully made it to the forest lodge, where hot drinks and snacks were waiting – along with an adorable 2-week-old husky puppy!

The Snowmobile Safari was great too (snowmobile, incidentally, is always pronounced here with a long I – snowmohhhbiiile). We were first taken into the snowmobile shop to suit up in windsuit onesies, face masks, helmets with shields, huge mittens, and high boots. We waddled outside to mount our snowmobiles (one driver and one passenger), and started out slowly, working our way faster as we headed up to the top of the hills. Jaime and her snowmobile partner, a French guy, both decided the pace wasn’t fast enough, and (being the last in the line of 3) chose to hang a bit behind before gunning it to catch up with the group. We only got chided by the guide once, and we had an awesome time – snowmobiles are surprisingly fast! Though, like dogsleds, they’re a bit unwieldy going around corners…

Meeting up after our respective Safaris, we dined on our first real meal in a week (we’d been living off PB&J and microwavable veggie patties), then headed down to the resort pools. It was a little different than most American pools, being that towels weren’t allowed by the pool, only in the dressing area, and there were no chairs around the pool deck. The “hot tub” was also around bath temperature, while the “warmwater bath” – bubbleless hot tub – was almost chilly. There also was a “no swimsuits” sign on the sauna door, though we may have disregarded that one. After showering and sharing a quick dessert and hot tea, we boarded the bus for the long ride home – made longer by a flat tire.

All in all, we had an amazing time, and came out of the trip with THE BEST souvenirs ever, which are currently en route to our apartment. You’ll just have to wait and see…