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Lapland “Polar Dreams” January 2005
My
love affair with Finland began the moment I stepped off the Finnair
plane. My ancestry is Norwegian and I guess something primal in my
Viking genes bonds me in kindred spirit with this unique Nordic land.
Having toured over a hundred countries, this is virgin territory for me
and what an utterly cool place to visit in January. I’ve packed enough
thermal gear to survive the most brutal blizzards but on arrival in
Helsinki today, there is no snow.
This is a friendly cosmopolitan capital for all
tastes. Everyone speaks English, it’s safe and I’m told, the cleanest
city in Europe. It is virtually graffiti free as I stroll the elegant
Esplanade. This is the boulevard of trendy shops and cafes. The
sidewalks are heated. So much culture here with 7 symphonic orchestras,
opera house and a library on each corner. Fins are big on design and
big names have left their distinctive mark around the world with cutting
edge style.
I am grateful to be here by invitation from the
Finnish Tourist Board for a site inspection and travel conference.
After hotel check in, I am given a private city tour by Irene, a local
guide with sincere passion for her city. There are 560,000 inhabitants
and 43% are single! What a venue for a creative AFS trip. Finland is
10% water with 187,000 lakes and 584 islands.
This is a high tech capital of the world. Fins have an extreme
appreciation for innovation and love their toys. Everyday tasks
are preformed on their Nokia Imaging cell phones. With it they
can buy a tram ticket, pay a parking fine or program their
lights to turn on before they arrive home. This is also “sauna
world” where nearly every house has an electric sauna. There
are over 2 million and even some restaurants have them. Café
Tin Tango is a place where you can do your laundry, eat lunch
and sip a beer in a sauna with locals discussing how to solve
the world’s problems.
The shopping is great for designer
knitwear, jewelry and glassware. Although tax free, prices are
high, yet I am told Oslo is far more expensive. At night locals
fill clubs that provide some Nordic oddity like “gay karaoke”,
sauna and ice bars.
Sunday I fly the polar express 600 miles north to
Roveneimi, gateway to Lapland and where the fun begins. People here
ride bikes in the snow, swim in the ice holes and do artic picnics. The
hottest activities happen in winter. Last month the city of 35,000
received 20,000 visitors. It is 2º Fahrenheit and considered
exceptionally warm
We
are a group of 22 tour operators from around the world and check into a
cozy wilderness lodge. Each room has a private sauna. Dinner is
presented in a rustic lodge lit with traditional candles muted
lighting. Glow fried salmon was prepared over an open hearth along with
wild mushroom soup and blackberry mousse. Afterward we gather to bake
in a smoke wood sauna.
Monday morning we are outfitted head to toe in
Gortex artic suits for a full day snowmobile safari. We each mount our
super Skidoos and head out to the forest. Across the lakes we reach
speeds of 50mph! First stop is a husky farm with 200 dogs to greet us.
Seven blue eyed huskies are chosen per sleigh for our dog sled
adventure. The cacophony of yelping, howling and barking is near
deafening as the dogs anxiously await their turn to run. So strong, so
gentle and they love their work. Upon rope release, they’re off like a
bullet and the journey is thrilling. We get to view 9 new puppies.
After a thousand licks, I hate to leave.
We stop at a farmhouse for a lunch of sautéed reindeer, goat
cheese potatoes and cranberry ice cream. Back on our
snowmobiles, we traverse a snow covered paradise. We cross the
Artic Circle, the most northern terrain of all my travels.
Parallel with Siberia and just 40 miles to the Russian border,
I want to
defect but we soon stop at a reindeer farm to be greeted by
costumed Lapp-lads. They perform the customary “Lappish baptism”
and give us an official border certificate as well as a reindeer
driver’s license. We then enjoy a sleigh ride from the docile
yet powerful deer.
Ceremony Lodge at the Artic
Circle
This is the land of the indigenous Sami. We learn of the fascinating
culture of these semi-nomadic people who live on top of the world.
Reindeer husbandry is the oldest livelihood. They possess a genuine
love of this frozen land.
We had 4 hours of daylight today. As I change back
into my jeans, I recall that I was never cold, not even my toes. We
motorcoach north to Luosto, a village of 40 residents and check into a
beautiful ski resort. Outside on my balcony is a theatre of
wilderness. The purity of nature is shown through a forest of birch
trees backlit by the moon. The snow listens. White silence surrounds
me. I am entranced by the tranquility. This is a romantic environment
where all haste is forgotten. Simply put, it is spectacular. Here I
wait. Here on earth, the Aurora Borealis presents its most amazing
spectacle. Perhaps I’ll get a glimpse. A peaceful sleep overcomes me
after a totally exhilarating day.
The
next day we dine on a hearty breakfast of smoked fish and set out to
tour the area. One resort has 310 log cabins each with a private
sauna. We tour an amethyst mine, the largest working mine in Europe.
With picks in hand, it was a treasure hunt to dig out the brightest
purple gemstone. On to the tiny ski town of Pyha, where we lunch at the
worlds largest log cabin. There is a snow chapel here entirely
sculpted from snow and ice. Weddings are routinely performed. With
ice pews, the sermons are short. Another highlight here was a visit to
Santa Claus Village. I got to meet the “real” Santa. He lives here and
is fluent in a dozen languages. His elves are busy in the post office
answering the annual 40,000 letters from children around the world.
Back at the airport, our plane lifts off a runway
of solid ice. I will miss the polar darkness and yet long to return for
a visit in the summer with its 24 hours of sunlight.
The
following days are productively spent at the travel trade show in
contemporary Helsinki. I have learned so much of a land that exceeded
my expectations. I never had a chance to overnight in the Ice Hotel of
Kemi, ride the Sampo Ice Breaker or swim the Baltic Sea in a floating
survival suit. But I’m grateful for a taste of Lappish adventure. On
my last night, a flickering of northern lights dance in the sky. It’s a
perfect scene to bid me farewell and is said to bring good luck. I hope
good fortune will allow me the chance to share this adventure with a
group soon. It is like no where else I’ve been. Everyone should
experience such a warm atmosphere in the heart in winter. - Suzy
We are building a list of people that want to
experience an Artic Safari in
Lapland. If you are interested in a winter trip, please
email us and include your name with phone number. Or call
to let us know. (Many have asked how our Kenya trip sold out
before we published it...this is how it happens.)
Know anyone that might like this
tour? Tell them...
Adventures for Singles is the original singles travel company for the
international group traveler. We specialize in travel for singles,
post to travel blogs or singles travel blogs regularly with Suzy's trip
journals. Though Adventures For Singles is not primarily about
dating, it does happen and we've have had 17 marriages directly related
to our single vacations. Our goal is to provide an
affordable, quality vacations for adult singles. Singles travel
packages, single travel, adventure travel destinations for singles
describes what we do. We always are looking to add single male
travelers to our groups and singles cruises
My
We
are a group of 22 tour operators from around the world and check into a
cozy wilderness lodge. Each room has a private sauna. Dinner is
presented in a rustic lodge lit with traditional candles muted
lighting. Glow fried salmon was prepared over an open hearth along with
wild mushroom soup and blackberry mousse. Afterward we gather to bake
in a smoke wood sauna.
We each mount our
super Skidoos and head out to the forest. Across the lakes we reach
speeds of 50mph! First stop is a husky farm with 200 dogs to greet us.
Seven blue eyed huskies are chosen per sleigh for our dog sled
adventure. The cacophony of yelping, howling and barking is near
deafening as the dogs anxiously await their turn to run. So strong, so
gentle and they love their work. Upon rope release, they’re off like a
bullet and the journey is thrilling. We get to view 9 new puppies.
After a thousand licks, I hate to leave.
r cold, not even my toes. We
motorcoach north to Luosto, a village of 40 residents and check into a
beautiful ski resort. Outside on my balcony is a theatre of
wilderness. The purity of nature is shown through a forest of birch
trees backlit by the moon. The snow listens. White silence surrounds
me. I am entranced by the tranquility. This is a romantic environment
where all haste is forgotten. Simply put, it is spectacular. Here I
wait. Here on earth, the Aurora Borealis presents its most amazing
spectacle. Perhaps I’ll get a glimpse. A peaceful sleep overcomes me
after a totally exhilarating day. 
The
next day we dine on a hearty breakfast of smoked fish and set out to
tour the area. One resort has 310 log cabins each with a private
sauna. We tour an amethyst mine, the largest working mine in Europe.
With picks in hand, it was a treasure hunt to dig out the brightest
purple gemstone. On to the tiny ski town of Pyha, where we lunch at the
worlds largest log cabin. There is a snow chapel here entirely
sculpted from snow and ice. Weddings are routinely performed. With
ice pews, the sermons are short. Another highlight here was a visit to
Santa Claus Village. I got to meet the “real” Santa. He lives here and
is fluent in a dozen languages. His elves are busy in the post office
answering the annual 40,000 letters from children around the world.
The
following days are productively spent at the travel trade show in
contemporary Helsinki. I have learned so much of a land that exceeded
my expectations. I never had a chance to overnight in the Ice Hotel of
Kemi, ride the Sampo Ice Breaker or swim the Baltic Sea in a floating
survival suit. But I’m grateful for a taste of Lappish adventure. On
my last night, a flickering of northern lights dance in the sky. It’s a
perfect scene to bid me farewell and is said to bring good luck. I hope
good fortune will allow me the chance to share this adventure with a
group soon. It is like no where else I’ve been. Everyone should
experience such a warm atmosphere in the heart in winter. - Suzy
