Blogs from Finland, Europe - page 13

Geo: 60.1608, 24.9525We hear the ship's engine revving and feel the movement as we roll back and forth. Wanting to savor every bit of rest we can muster before tackling Helsinki, I close my eyes and wait until the engines stop which would signal we're docked. But that never happens and through our room speaker, the captain makes an announcement. "Ladies and gentlemen. This is your captain speaking. Due to gale force winds and a forecast of deteriorating weather conditions, we will not be docking at Helsinki harbor. Our approach at our assigned birth was most difficult due to its exposure to the Baltic Sea and the decision was made for the safety of our passengers and crew to abort the docking and continue on directly to Stockholm. Thank you for your understanding".We had looked forward ... read more

My wife and I both yearn for adventure and we planned an unusual trip to Finland. For long, the aurora borealis had fascinated us and we wanted to experience this magical natural phenomenon. We were skeptical about planning this in the month of April. Regardless, we pulled the trigger and we planned the Finland trip. We landed in Helsinki late at night and checked into an airport hotel since we were to fly to Rovaniemi the next afternoon. The airport is rather small as you would expect. First thing you notice when you enter is a board that says “Santa’s Official Home Airport”. That sets the tone for the rest of Rovaniemi/Lapland visit. Rovaniemi is the official hometown of Santa Claus, and a vibrant modern city on the Arctic Circle. It’s quite magical in its own ... read more

Terwijl het vliegtuig de daling inzet en onder het wolkendek zakt, is er zicht op oneindig wit landschap met bossen en meren. Een prachtige omgeving om een weekje in de sneeuw te vertoeven. Na een dagje vermaak in het uitgestorven Kuusamo, vertrokken we de volgende dag met het lied "Kuusamo" in ons hoofd richting een rendierboerderij. Hier kregen we uitleg over de rendieren en deden we een kort ritje met de rendierslee. Het rendier stond in de maandagochtendmodus en deed het lekker rustig aan. Om even op te warmen schoven we aan bij het kampvuur met worstjes. Die middag stond ook een rit met husky's op het programma. Alhoewel we een "diploma" hadden ontvangen voor ons eerste rendierritje, werd er meer kennis en inspanning verwacht bij het rijden met de slede achter de husky's. Na de ... read more

We had quite a day today! After breakfast we got dressed in full winter gear and headed out in the falling snow to the snomobile center, just a short walk from the hotel. There, after standing in line in a small, crowded shack we got helmets and face masks. After trying them on, and a final pee break, our large group was divided into three smaller ones. Each group got a local guide and instructions on driving a snomobile from said guide (nothing too complicated), and we saddled up. Soon we were off, driving through the snow. I was very happy to learn that the snowmobiles have electrically warmed handlebars! Ethan, sitting behind me on the machine wasn't so lucky, so every time we stopped on the way I had him remove his gloves and defrost ... read more

We got up this morning for some serious fun. After breakfast we went just outside the hotel to their own ski slope. Today, as you've probably guessed by now, we went tobogganing! We got our safety instructions, helmets and toboggans, set up our cameras and got going! The slope is about 800 meters long, with a few twists and turns along the way. What fun! We really got some speed on those things! good thing they have brakes. Ethan took a spill once, into a safety net but all in all we were quite successful. I define success as: "fun had by all". Success! A cable car took us back up the hill for a second and third try. More fun! Eventually our time on the slope came to an end and we got on the ... read more